Recently I was on the bus, riding through an area of the city where many homeless youth congregate. It was about 7:00 p.m. and still light outside, when the bus pulled up to a stop. I looked over and I see this kid, with several others surrounding him, smoking a crack pipe. I stared at him, he met my gaze unflinchingly--I don't know if this was a result of the crack or a result of his brashness in general. I then looked away and blinked, because I had to make sure that this was not actually happening. When I looked back he had passed it to a friend who had his back to me, but was still positioned in a way that allowed me to see that he was taking hits from the pipe. So I sat there a minute letting it all sink in and when I 'came to', I realized that two other people had been sitting at the windows closest to them and hadn't even flinched or looked or said anything. I thought that perhaps these people had never seen people smoking crack pipes. I was appalled, this was happening in broad daylight, at the bus stop, AND these were kids. WHAT THE FUCK??!!!?? I knew others had seen this. But they were just sitting as if we didn't just see KIDS smoking crack at the bus stop.
It got me thinking about how anesthetized we are to the plights and suffering of others. I mean, I am here in Seattle and everywhere you look there are nut balls walking the streets, homeless or drugged out and there they are. Everybody just looks at them, the city, clearly overlooks them. This IS NOT liberalism, folks, this is indifference. It's not cool to have a place called skid row (road, actually) and have lots of people on the skids living there, still. People turn a blind eye to these things. This is one of the reasons, the major reason actually, I had to stop teaching. Kids suffering, not getting what they need, because those in charge want to maintain the status quo and continue to get paid their fat bonus checks and salaries...I can't take it. It makes me sick and angry. Here in this place, there is an area where all the homeless people kick it (they are all over actually but especially concentrated in the Skid Row area, which most Seattlites know as the area in and around Pioneer Square and Yesler Way specifically) and another area, the U-District, where all of the homeless kids hang out. I saw in a bookstore window that someone had published a book of photos of these children. What?!? They need homes and services and food and drug rehabilitation, not their pictures taken. Believe me I know that issues surrounding homelessness and drug addiction are multi-tiered, but they need to be addressed. It is disgusting that we live this way in the 'free' world. Even moreso, when I realized that we're pumping cash into a useless space program and, God, I don't even want to go further with this...
Anyway, you may wonder what I did after seeing the crack-smoking children at the bus stop. Well, I got up and let the bus driver know and then, I called the police, because while I have a huge problem with the po-po, I have an even bigger problem with kids or anyone else, for that matter, smoking crack at a bus stop in broad daylight.
Now, I've seen some shit, but never anything that bold even in Englewood on Chicago's southside, the murder and drug capital of the city. Come on now. You will not smoke crack at the bus stop.
Thursday, July 28, 2005
Thursday, July 21, 2005
Devil dogs, crazy cats, and surly bunnies
I have this thing about funny animal stories, talking animals, etc. they always make me laugh. So, I am linking to this site: Golden State
because I think the picture of the pomeranian is hilarious. Why? I don't know exactly, but everytime I see it, I laugh hysterically. By the way, the blog is good too...
I found this awhile back on Craig's List and sent it to all of my friends. Again, hilarious to me. I don't know why, but here it is...
Wacky animals. They can either tug on your heart strings or be the very bane of your existence. Either way, they are often good for a laugh. Even the annoying cats I am watching make me laugh, sometimes, after I have cleaned up the poop that the fat one (25 pounds and hey, how does a cat balloon to 25 pounds anyway? I mean seriously, stop the madness. I always say fat kids and fat animals are always the fault of the parents/owners) seems to shoot over the edge of the litterbox everyday and the hair balls that the skinny, surly one seems to be plagued with and spits all over the place. Whoever said cats were clean and low maintenance lied. Eeew.
If they were mine, they wouldn't be this way. They'd suck it up and take baths and they certainly wouldn't weigh 25 pounds. They'd more than likely be surly, though. My bunny is. But, that's good, we give each other space and she certainly doesn't shoot her little poops onto the floor over the side of her litterbox. That only happens when I don't clean it out for a week and a half or something.
Anyway, I am rambling. I'll end it here.
because I think the picture of the pomeranian is hilarious. Why? I don't know exactly, but everytime I see it, I laugh hysterically. By the way, the blog is good too...
I found this awhile back on Craig's List and sent it to all of my friends. Again, hilarious to me. I don't know why, but here it is...
Wacky animals. They can either tug on your heart strings or be the very bane of your existence. Either way, they are often good for a laugh. Even the annoying cats I am watching make me laugh, sometimes, after I have cleaned up the poop that the fat one (25 pounds and hey, how does a cat balloon to 25 pounds anyway? I mean seriously, stop the madness. I always say fat kids and fat animals are always the fault of the parents/owners) seems to shoot over the edge of the litterbox everyday and the hair balls that the skinny, surly one seems to be plagued with and spits all over the place. Whoever said cats were clean and low maintenance lied. Eeew.
If they were mine, they wouldn't be this way. They'd suck it up and take baths and they certainly wouldn't weigh 25 pounds. They'd more than likely be surly, though. My bunny is. But, that's good, we give each other space and she certainly doesn't shoot her little poops onto the floor over the side of her litterbox. That only happens when I don't clean it out for a week and a half or something.
Anyway, I am rambling. I'll end it here.
Sunday, July 17, 2005
Reality in large doses
On my way to work I thought about a former friend who is the female incarnation of my ex. I'd known her for about 8 years and for a while, we didn't talk, because I pushed her out of my life, but she returned apologetically and I let her back in. The reason I pushed her out then and gave her the heave-ho before moving to Seattle is that everytime we were together, it ended in an argument and I always had the feeling that she held hostility towards me. I didn't think there was competition, because we were equals in terms of ability, intelligence, etc. so, I never really thought that was the issue. But there was always something and she always started arguments and was really nasty. She always cracked jokes and tried to make me the butt of them, but there was always a sharp, seriousness to them that made me believe that secretly she really hated me or at least didn't like me too much. So, just before I moved here, I let go of her. She started this huge argument during a two-day stay at her house and I said, to myself, hey, that's it. I can't do this anymore. She never apologized and I'm sure just assumed that everything was the same.
Now, this is what my ex did when I first came to visit him upon returning from France. He hurt me deeply by lashing out at me and refusing, on my final day in Seattle to spend time with me after he had promised. He wasn't feeling well, it turned out, but instead of making clear exactly how sick he was, he was mean and didn't stand up as a man to tell me A) he just didn't feel well enough or B) he just didn't want to spend time with me. As I look back, I think that he, as was the case with my former friend, just didn't really like me. There is something there that maybe even he could not articulate if asked. I say this, because in both of these cases, there was more arguing, disagreeing, and withholding of affection on their parts than could be explained by anything else. So, I have accept the cold, hard truth, I guess.
It was over with my ex and I before I moved to Seattle. I was not over him but I was over all of the possibilities I had created for the two of us in my head, if that makes any sense. With my other, former friend, I knew it was over long ago.
These are all the right steps in the right direction, I am convinced. I'm just sad things had to happen this way. It wasn't necessary, they both could have just told me and I would have left them alone without all of the strife, you know?
Now, this is what my ex did when I first came to visit him upon returning from France. He hurt me deeply by lashing out at me and refusing, on my final day in Seattle to spend time with me after he had promised. He wasn't feeling well, it turned out, but instead of making clear exactly how sick he was, he was mean and didn't stand up as a man to tell me A) he just didn't feel well enough or B) he just didn't want to spend time with me. As I look back, I think that he, as was the case with my former friend, just didn't really like me. There is something there that maybe even he could not articulate if asked. I say this, because in both of these cases, there was more arguing, disagreeing, and withholding of affection on their parts than could be explained by anything else. So, I have accept the cold, hard truth, I guess.
It was over with my ex and I before I moved to Seattle. I was not over him but I was over all of the possibilities I had created for the two of us in my head, if that makes any sense. With my other, former friend, I knew it was over long ago.
These are all the right steps in the right direction, I am convinced. I'm just sad things had to happen this way. It wasn't necessary, they both could have just told me and I would have left them alone without all of the strife, you know?
Eyes on the prize
This was my horoscope today*:
I am not ruled by these sorts of things, but this on is right on. As I have considered quitting my job until my real one starts in August. I am frustrated now, because I don't like wasting my time anymore, I feel, after all that's happened, that it is far too precious. I look back on the last 8 years or so of my life, as a teacher, a job I only really liked for about 3 years. I held on for another 3 because I was comfortable, unhappy, but that unhappiness was so familiar, like a security blanket that kept me safe. Then, I look back my ex, and I realize that I was focusing on the good in him, which is really only a small part of him. I didn't want to accept that someone I loved could be dishonest, lazy, trifling. He suffers from a painful lack of self-esteem and is incredibly threatened by everything about me. He is what the French call an arriviste, which is something like an opportunist, but connotes something a bit more negative and unsavory. In any case, I have very little respect for people like that, but I minimized that in him and really, IT'S WHO HE IS!! He is never willing to work hard for anything difficult, he will never try anything new that he is not absolutely sure he will be good at. I pity people like that. I am not like that, but...well, there are other cases, even with other people in my life and I can't go back. I can't start swimming back to the shore, I have to continue on to the other side. I started this whole journey to change my career, to make myself better, not to get stuck once again in the mire of a failed relationship with this man or in the dissatisfaction with a job, no matter how temporary. I can't waste anymore time.
So, my security blanket is gone and I am very uncomfortable these days, very frustrated, very unsure of the day-to-day of it all, but unwaveringly sure of the future. Thanks, Eunice, for your post, it also helped. Thanks, Sirlester, for your support and laughter and jokes. Thanks, Jesus, for being you and helping me stay grounded, focused, and realistic. Thanks, K.S., for forcing me to see that you are not at all what I thought. And thanks to me, for being a girl I can be proud of.
*horoscope from Tarot.com
 |  Rachel, Within the struggles of your daily routines, there's enough that is new to keep you on your toes. There's a part of you that is nostalgic for the good old days. Oh, to be bored and comfortable, but this isn't in your cards now, Scorpios -- the future is on the way. Maintain your routines until the next adventure begins. |
I am not ruled by these sorts of things, but this on is right on. As I have considered quitting my job until my real one starts in August. I am frustrated now, because I don't like wasting my time anymore, I feel, after all that's happened, that it is far too precious. I look back on the last 8 years or so of my life, as a teacher, a job I only really liked for about 3 years. I held on for another 3 because I was comfortable, unhappy, but that unhappiness was so familiar, like a security blanket that kept me safe. Then, I look back my ex, and I realize that I was focusing on the good in him, which is really only a small part of him. I didn't want to accept that someone I loved could be dishonest, lazy, trifling. He suffers from a painful lack of self-esteem and is incredibly threatened by everything about me. He is what the French call an arriviste, which is something like an opportunist, but connotes something a bit more negative and unsavory. In any case, I have very little respect for people like that, but I minimized that in him and really, IT'S WHO HE IS!! He is never willing to work hard for anything difficult, he will never try anything new that he is not absolutely sure he will be good at. I pity people like that. I am not like that, but...well, there are other cases, even with other people in my life and I can't go back. I can't start swimming back to the shore, I have to continue on to the other side. I started this whole journey to change my career, to make myself better, not to get stuck once again in the mire of a failed relationship with this man or in the dissatisfaction with a job, no matter how temporary. I can't waste anymore time.
So, my security blanket is gone and I am very uncomfortable these days, very frustrated, very unsure of the day-to-day of it all, but unwaveringly sure of the future. Thanks, Eunice, for your post, it also helped. Thanks, Sirlester, for your support and laughter and jokes. Thanks, Jesus, for being you and helping me stay grounded, focused, and realistic. Thanks, K.S., for forcing me to see that you are not at all what I thought. And thanks to me, for being a girl I can be proud of.
*horoscope from Tarot.com
Saturday, July 16, 2005
About Me Too...
Borrowed this Nonvocabulum forgive me if I haven't named all others...
1. What is your occupation? I'm a lover not a fighter. Well, I'm a fighter when I have to be, but only with bitches, just ask K.S. & Mahalia &...Seriously, though, I am an aspiring journalist. I don't really know what I am right now.
2. What color is your underwear? Pink.
3. What are you listening to right now? Still on Worldwide Underground by Erykah Badu. Best of David Bowie too...
4. What was the last thing you ate? A handful of salted almonds and a glass of iced tea with a hint of lime.
5. Do you wish on stars? No, but maybe I should start.
6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Robin's Egg Blue
7. How is the weather right now? It's pleasant maybe 70 degrees. Low humidity. Seattle summers...mmmmm, so nice.
8. Last person you spoke to on the phone? My manager at work.
9. How old are you today? 34.
10. Favorite drink? Lemonade, freshly-squeezed; Iced tea.
11. Favorite sport to watch? Track and Field meets
12. Have you ever dyed your hair? Once. A coppery color with blond highlights.
13. Do you wear contacts or glasses? No
14. Pets? A rabbit.
15. Favorite month? October
16. Favorite food? Mexican, Soul food, Italian, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Algerian, Tunisian. I generally just like to throw down...
17. What was the last movie you watched? Mad Hot Ballroom. Cute kids. Makes me wish I could still be a teacher...
18. Favorite day of the year? Hmmm, don't really know.
19. What do you do to vent anger? I don't know. I guess I need to find something...I just realized I really don't do much. Wow. I have to get on top of that. Internalizing isn't good!!!
20. What was your favorite toy as a child? I don't think I had one.
21. Fall or Spring? Fall.
22. Hugs or kisses? Both! Only from certains. I don't like just anyone touching me...
23. Cherry or Blueberry? Cherry.
24. Living arrangements? Housesitting for the moment.
25. When was the last time you cried? Yesterday afternoon.
26. What is on the floor of your closet? Shoes, high-heels that I haven't worn since my former life as a hip career woman. Stuff to make collages, magazines with articles I like, books.
27. What did you do last night? Watched a little television, because it's been a while.
28. Favorite smell? Passage d'Enfer perfume.
29. What inspires you? My friend Jesus.
30. What are you afraid of? I'm not really afraid of anything anymore.
31. Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers? Cheese. Spicy hamburgers, what?!?
32. Favorite car? VW convertible bugs (new ones).
33. Favorite dog breed? English Cocker Spaniel; Great Dane
34. Number of keys on your key ring? 6.
35. How many years at your current job? 1 month.
36. Favorite day of the week? Saturdays and Sundays, especially Sunday afternoons.
37. How many states have you lived in? 6. Ohio, Massachusetts, Illinois, New Hampshire, Indiana, Washington.
38. How many cities have you in? 8. Toledo, Boston, Chicago, Seattle, Encarnacion, Avignon, Copenhagen, Paris.
1. What is your occupation? I'm a lover not a fighter. Well, I'm a fighter when I have to be, but only with bitches, just ask K.S. & Mahalia &...Seriously, though, I am an aspiring journalist. I don't really know what I am right now.
2. What color is your underwear? Pink.
3. What are you listening to right now? Still on Worldwide Underground by Erykah Badu. Best of David Bowie too...
4. What was the last thing you ate? A handful of salted almonds and a glass of iced tea with a hint of lime.
5. Do you wish on stars? No, but maybe I should start.
6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Robin's Egg Blue
7. How is the weather right now? It's pleasant maybe 70 degrees. Low humidity. Seattle summers...mmmmm, so nice.
8. Last person you spoke to on the phone? My manager at work.
9. How old are you today? 34.
10. Favorite drink? Lemonade, freshly-squeezed; Iced tea.
11. Favorite sport to watch? Track and Field meets
12. Have you ever dyed your hair? Once. A coppery color with blond highlights.
13. Do you wear contacts or glasses? No
14. Pets? A rabbit.
15. Favorite month? October
16. Favorite food? Mexican, Soul food, Italian, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Algerian, Tunisian. I generally just like to throw down...
17. What was the last movie you watched? Mad Hot Ballroom. Cute kids. Makes me wish I could still be a teacher...
18. Favorite day of the year? Hmmm, don't really know.
19. What do you do to vent anger? I don't know. I guess I need to find something...I just realized I really don't do much. Wow. I have to get on top of that. Internalizing isn't good!!!
20. What was your favorite toy as a child? I don't think I had one.
21. Fall or Spring? Fall.
22. Hugs or kisses? Both! Only from certains. I don't like just anyone touching me...
23. Cherry or Blueberry? Cherry.
24. Living arrangements? Housesitting for the moment.
25. When was the last time you cried? Yesterday afternoon.
26. What is on the floor of your closet? Shoes, high-heels that I haven't worn since my former life as a hip career woman. Stuff to make collages, magazines with articles I like, books.
27. What did you do last night? Watched a little television, because it's been a while.
28. Favorite smell? Passage d'Enfer perfume.
29. What inspires you? My friend Jesus.
30. What are you afraid of? I'm not really afraid of anything anymore.
31. Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers? Cheese. Spicy hamburgers, what?!?
32. Favorite car? VW convertible bugs (new ones).
33. Favorite dog breed? English Cocker Spaniel; Great Dane
34. Number of keys on your key ring? 6.
35. How many years at your current job? 1 month.
36. Favorite day of the week? Saturdays and Sundays, especially Sunday afternoons.
37. How many states have you lived in? 6. Ohio, Massachusetts, Illinois, New Hampshire, Indiana, Washington.
38. How many cities have you in? 8. Toledo, Boston, Chicago, Seattle, Encarnacion, Avignon, Copenhagen, Paris.
Thursday, July 14, 2005
100 Things That Make Me Happy
I haven't felt like writing anything; I have been down. I am no longer the sunny girl who returned from France a few short months ago, she is lost right now. Confusion, uncertainty, and loneliness have ruled in recent days. I had a revelation today but I'm not sure that I'm ready or willing to share that here. But, I also realized that I only seem to think about things that make me sad, or angry, or dissatisfied (it's like I'm French or something). So many of us do that, not even realizing it. When it hit me, I saw that this could be a way to take one day at a time, so, I decided that I would only think about things that make me happy. I decided that I would create a mental list of things that I like, things that make me smile. AND, it worked. For about 2 hours I walked around, ran some errands and thought of the things that make me happy. Now as I sit, I see even further evidence, because a smile has settled on my lips where a frown seemed permenently etched a few hours ago. So I'll have a reminder in the days ahead, I'll put these things into words, tangible things, that I can see it in front of me any time I need a lift. Maybe I'l even make a painting or collage of them.
I may not finish it all in one sitting and it's in no particular order, but here goes...
1. the taste of lemons
2. babies giggling
3. getting my first summer 'tan'
4. the song "My Favorite Things" as sung by Diana Ross and as interpreted by John Coltrane
5. walking in the summer sun, having the warmth hit my face and shoulders, then unexpectedly passing through a cool, shady spot and vice versa
6. eating sweet, cold watermelon
7. eating sweet, cold canteloupe
8. the crisp, snap of the darkest, sweetest, summer cherries
9. beautiful, brown skin, the lightest, the darkest and all shades in between
10. reading books by Louise Erdrich
11. looking at old photographs with my family
12. drinking really cold water when I'm really thirsty
13. seahorses
14. watching bees at work
15. beautiful, rugged landscapes
16. being in the mountains
17. hearing my grandmother say old, country things like: "...you get 'em for a song" or "...he found a bird's nest on the ground" or "you're yet in the backyard with them chillun'?"
18. snow. lots of undisturbed, beautiful snow, blanketing every inch of outside
19. the quiet stillness it brings
20. solitude
21. being with someone I adore
22. having ham, sweet potatoes, biscuits, and greens for sunday dinner. apart is great, but all together is most wonderful
23. seeing little girls double-dutch
24. hearing little kids laugh and play during the summer time
25. sitting on the porch at my grandmother's house
26. getting compliments from nice, old men
27. getting compliments from other women
28. seeing ethnic kids who know about themselves and have been taught to be proud and strong
29. talking to gifted or beautiful people who are slightly self-deprecating, it's so refreshing
30. dogs
31. my bunny, Lily
32. sleeping late or lying in bed on rainy days and hearing the tap-tap-tap of raindrops hitting the windowpane
33. house music. 1980s Chicago-style, loud and thumping through my body, driving me to dance.
34. the smell of Bois Ciré candles from Diptyque
35. pictures you develop that turn out to be unexpectedly good
36. watching people open presents I've given them that make them happy
37. Pere Lachaise cemetery
38. boat rides
39. Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, France
40. taking driving trips in the heat and sun of summer, windows down, music blaring from the radio and singing along, of course
41. singing in Spanish and Portuguese
42. the word Tunisia
43. the smell of extra virgin olive oil
44. boys I love getting me glasses of water before bed
45. The Isley Brothers
46. having the courage to throw myself into the unknown
47. having loved someone with every ounce of my being
48. my friend Jesus
49. meeting girls and finding out that they're really goofy. funny, goofy, I mean
50. having someone who has wronged me have the courage to tell me so
51. being able to let go of them even if they don't
52. when what comes around goes around
53. cake
54. flowers
55. books
56. riding my bike
57. an old school hip-hop mix I have that includes "It Takes Two", "A Children's Story", "Cha
Cha Cha", "Treat 'Em Right", "I Got It Made" and "Don't Sweat the Technique" all on one tape
58. childhood memories of cleaning the house with my mother while listening to WBMX all day
59. love bites on the back of my neck and shoulders
60. watching reruns of Designing Women
61. wild, thick, kinky hair
62. having people in my life who can build and create things
63. hazelnut ice cream
64. crepes filled with nutella and coconut
65. sex with someone I love
66. deep connections with people
67. fireplaces
68. lamb chops
69. Woodstock (from Peanuts)
70. happy kids
71. running into my former students and learning that they are doing well, or that they have
overcome the worst and landed on their feet
72. feeling free
73. being outside
74. thinking about my old high school/college friend Rob
75. the first two albums by The Sundays
76. listening to my Uncle Tyrone and my Uncle Sammy when they get on a roll --HILLARIOUS
78. being in Seattle
79. planning for my life in Paris
80. doing dances where you have to follow a boy's lead
81. good boys--young and old
82. tough girls
83. being the woman of my dreams--if I were a boy
84. girls with curvy bodies who are proud of them and boys who like girls with curvy bodies
85. I'm not afraid to know or tell the truth
86. I am fearless
87. I don't care if people like me
88. I am discerning
89. the view of the Eiffel Tower on the metro on line #6 between stops Bir-Hakeim and Dupleix
90. writing
91. the idea of becoming a journalist
92. the idea of becoming a mother some day
93. talking and laughing with my friend Sirlester
94. taking trips to new places
95. sleeping
96. being around people who have nothing to prove
97. childhood memories of barbeques with my family in my grandmother's backyard
98. having people drop in on me
99. spontaneity
100. the feel and smell of slipping between cool, clean sheets
I may not finish it all in one sitting and it's in no particular order, but here goes...
100 Things That Make Me Happy
1. the taste of lemons
2. babies giggling
3. getting my first summer 'tan'
4. the song "My Favorite Things" as sung by Diana Ross and as interpreted by John Coltrane
5. walking in the summer sun, having the warmth hit my face and shoulders, then unexpectedly passing through a cool, shady spot and vice versa
6. eating sweet, cold watermelon
7. eating sweet, cold canteloupe
8. the crisp, snap of the darkest, sweetest, summer cherries
9. beautiful, brown skin, the lightest, the darkest and all shades in between
10. reading books by Louise Erdrich
11. looking at old photographs with my family
12. drinking really cold water when I'm really thirsty
13. seahorses
14. watching bees at work
15. beautiful, rugged landscapes
16. being in the mountains
17. hearing my grandmother say old, country things like: "...you get 'em for a song" or "...he found a bird's nest on the ground" or "you're yet in the backyard with them chillun'?"
18. snow. lots of undisturbed, beautiful snow, blanketing every inch of outside
19. the quiet stillness it brings
20. solitude
21. being with someone I adore
22. having ham, sweet potatoes, biscuits, and greens for sunday dinner. apart is great, but all together is most wonderful
23. seeing little girls double-dutch
24. hearing little kids laugh and play during the summer time
25. sitting on the porch at my grandmother's house
26. getting compliments from nice, old men
27. getting compliments from other women
28. seeing ethnic kids who know about themselves and have been taught to be proud and strong
29. talking to gifted or beautiful people who are slightly self-deprecating, it's so refreshing
30. dogs
31. my bunny, Lily
32. sleeping late or lying in bed on rainy days and hearing the tap-tap-tap of raindrops hitting the windowpane
33. house music. 1980s Chicago-style, loud and thumping through my body, driving me to dance.
34. the smell of Bois Ciré candles from Diptyque
35. pictures you develop that turn out to be unexpectedly good
36. watching people open presents I've given them that make them happy
37. Pere Lachaise cemetery
38. boat rides
39. Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, France
40. taking driving trips in the heat and sun of summer, windows down, music blaring from the radio and singing along, of course
41. singing in Spanish and Portuguese
42. the word Tunisia
43. the smell of extra virgin olive oil
44. boys I love getting me glasses of water before bed
45. The Isley Brothers
46. having the courage to throw myself into the unknown
47. having loved someone with every ounce of my being
48. my friend Jesus
49. meeting girls and finding out that they're really goofy. funny, goofy, I mean
50. having someone who has wronged me have the courage to tell me so
51. being able to let go of them even if they don't
52. when what comes around goes around
53. cake
54. flowers
55. books
56. riding my bike
57. an old school hip-hop mix I have that includes "It Takes Two", "A Children's Story", "Cha
Cha Cha", "Treat 'Em Right", "I Got It Made" and "Don't Sweat the Technique" all on one tape
58. childhood memories of cleaning the house with my mother while listening to WBMX all day
59. love bites on the back of my neck and shoulders
60. watching reruns of Designing Women
61. wild, thick, kinky hair
62. having people in my life who can build and create things
63. hazelnut ice cream
64. crepes filled with nutella and coconut
65. sex with someone I love
66. deep connections with people
67. fireplaces
68. lamb chops
69. Woodstock (from Peanuts)
70. happy kids
71. running into my former students and learning that they are doing well, or that they have
overcome the worst and landed on their feet
72. feeling free
73. being outside
74. thinking about my old high school/college friend Rob
75. the first two albums by The Sundays
76. listening to my Uncle Tyrone and my Uncle Sammy when they get on a roll --HILLARIOUS
78. being in Seattle
79. planning for my life in Paris
80. doing dances where you have to follow a boy's lead
81. good boys--young and old
82. tough girls
83. being the woman of my dreams--if I were a boy
84. girls with curvy bodies who are proud of them and boys who like girls with curvy bodies
85. I'm not afraid to know or tell the truth
86. I am fearless
87. I don't care if people like me
88. I am discerning
89. the view of the Eiffel Tower on the metro on line #6 between stops Bir-Hakeim and Dupleix
90. writing
91. the idea of becoming a journalist
92. the idea of becoming a mother some day
93. talking and laughing with my friend Sirlester
94. taking trips to new places
95. sleeping
96. being around people who have nothing to prove
97. childhood memories of barbeques with my family in my grandmother's backyard
98. having people drop in on me
99. spontaneity
100. the feel and smell of slipping between cool, clean sheets
Thursday, July 07, 2005
Sigh...
So, I just picked up a check from a job I've been working more or less full time for the past 3 weeks. I've pretty much hated it and viewed it as a completely waste of time. I've been really surly there. It is the sort of place where the boss tells you to watch your time if you come back 2 minutes late from lunch. Speaking of lunch, you only get 30 minutes.
In the past week, I've resigned myself to all of it because it's only temporary, but now, after seeing the amount of my check, I am not only deeply offended, I can also feel a sort of contempt for the place. My first thought upon seeing the amount of this check was: 'Hey, I just wasted 52.75 hours of my life that I can never get back and I don't even have enough money to put down for the deposit on an apartment at the end of the month.' So, I'm pissed, basically. And I am faced with a dilemma because I will have to move again soon.
The thing is, when I really think about it all, I cannot complain. I chose, just over a year ago to change everything. To sell everything, to move, to leave my comfortable (materially-speaking), relatively well-paid lifestyle. I now have to see it through. Those Diptyque candles and Molton Brown lip balms are nothing but a distant memory right now... Everything is moving quickly and I have to think fast right now. There is no time to sit and think because it is just me. I am making things happen or not...I can blame no one (well, I can blame a couple of people for this situation, truthfully, but I won't because what good would it do in the end?). So, I just have to figure it out.
I wish someone would do it for me though, just once. Just this once...
In the past week, I've resigned myself to all of it because it's only temporary, but now, after seeing the amount of my check, I am not only deeply offended, I can also feel a sort of contempt for the place. My first thought upon seeing the amount of this check was: 'Hey, I just wasted 52.75 hours of my life that I can never get back and I don't even have enough money to put down for the deposit on an apartment at the end of the month.' So, I'm pissed, basically. And I am faced with a dilemma because I will have to move again soon.
The thing is, when I really think about it all, I cannot complain. I chose, just over a year ago to change everything. To sell everything, to move, to leave my comfortable (materially-speaking), relatively well-paid lifestyle. I now have to see it through. Those Diptyque candles and Molton Brown lip balms are nothing but a distant memory right now... Everything is moving quickly and I have to think fast right now. There is no time to sit and think because it is just me. I am making things happen or not...I can blame no one (well, I can blame a couple of people for this situation, truthfully, but I won't because what good would it do in the end?). So, I just have to figure it out.
I wish someone would do it for me though, just once. Just this once...
Paris est une blonde....
I have started to plan out my return to Paris, because I have to be there.
My ex would love that, if he knew, because the day he threw me out of his house with 2 suitcases, 2 other big pieces of luggage, 1 box full of books, 2 bags of groceries i'd just purchased minus the things he had opened and began eating, and no money, oh yes and no where to go, just before that he came into the bedroom and said "Why don't you go back to Chicago?" and I thought to myself, "Why don't you go back to Chicago, bitch?" But I didn't say it out loud, because there might have been a fist fight, I was truly ready to steal off of him; I was that angry and he is that much of a bitch. One of us probably wouldn't have gone to jail. Anyway, He doesn't want me in the same city. Strange, I guess the guilt is too strong and might show with whoever he is attempting to screw or go out with now to erase the memory of me instead of just dealing with it. The prospect of being a real man is so scary to him, so scary to so many of them really. At first they have a hard time figuring out what it means to be a man (and so do some of us) fortunately, I've been aware of what it takes since I was very young. I haven't found it yet. Wait, I've known one, no two. One I didn't meet him first and the other likes boys, so they're both off the market. Wait, three, the third is one of my close friends and it's just not going down between us... All of the rest of them have all been bitch-ass tricks...
Just so you know, boys, being a man isn't about how much money you make or your car or your clothes or that your preferred sport is football as opposed to ice skating or sychronized swimming. Being a man is also not about fighting, controlling 'your woman', treating women like property and/or whores to be used and disposed of on a whim, drinking too much, soliciting prostitutes, making babies and either leaving them or ignoring them, or having sex with people just because you can. On the other hand, it is also not, for all of you sensitive men, about saying you understand women's needs, or gazing intently into her eyes while having a conversation with her, or speaking in a hushed voice, or saying things like "be well..." (EVERYONE STOP THAT, BY THE WAY, MEN AND WOMEN ALIKE). Just because you can cry doesn't make you a man, sensitive men, depending on why you're crying and the frequency of it, it really just makes you a bitch. Don't be fooled ladies, the sensitive men, are the worst, because they often think they know, that they've become men now that they pick up and thumb through the occasional issue of O Magazine or that they drink wine instead of doing shots or chugging beer. They are usually passive-aggressive milque-toasts.
So, what is being a man all about? For me, for most women, I think, it's really about a person's humanity. It's about taking responsibility and not being afraid. It's about being a good and decent human being who owns his triumphs and his mistakes. This is not about someone who just pays lip service to the concepts of responsibility and accountability. A man is someone who does what he has to do to protect and take care of his family and those close to him, not just himself. He does sacrifice, he does give of himself, and he is open. He stops and takes the time to figure out what he wants and how to get it and then acts. But if he doesn't get what he wants or encounters adversity or failure, he does not blame, run, or abuse. If he cries, it's not for show or to prove something, or because he is a bitch who is trying to manipulate, like most of his sensitive brethren. He is not without faults, but he recognizes them in himself and checks himself accordingly, again he does not blame or lie, or distance himself in embarrassment and if any of this does occur HE OWNS HIS MISTAKES.
This is no different than what it takes to be a woman. As I've said all of this is about humanity. Real men, real women, are people dedicated to being the best human beings they can be. Some are born this way others learn and take the next step, others like my ex, know, but stay right where they are. They take the long way home from school to avoid what they perceive to be life's bullies, avoiding the painful journey to manhood because they think the way around it is somehow easier and less painful. In the end, boys, it's not. What's better, facing up to life or spending the rest of your life in a darkened room filled with regret and cigarette smoke, watching porn, banging prostitutes and other unsavories, and watching stupid shit on television?
This did not turn out to be about Paris, I meant it to be....
My ex would love that, if he knew, because the day he threw me out of his house with 2 suitcases, 2 other big pieces of luggage, 1 box full of books, 2 bags of groceries i'd just purchased minus the things he had opened and began eating, and no money, oh yes and no where to go, just before that he came into the bedroom and said "Why don't you go back to Chicago?" and I thought to myself, "Why don't you go back to Chicago, bitch?" But I didn't say it out loud, because there might have been a fist fight, I was truly ready to steal off of him; I was that angry and he is that much of a bitch. One of us probably wouldn't have gone to jail. Anyway, He doesn't want me in the same city. Strange, I guess the guilt is too strong and might show with whoever he is attempting to screw or go out with now to erase the memory of me instead of just dealing with it. The prospect of being a real man is so scary to him, so scary to so many of them really. At first they have a hard time figuring out what it means to be a man (and so do some of us) fortunately, I've been aware of what it takes since I was very young. I haven't found it yet. Wait, I've known one, no two. One I didn't meet him first and the other likes boys, so they're both off the market. Wait, three, the third is one of my close friends and it's just not going down between us... All of the rest of them have all been bitch-ass tricks...
Just so you know, boys, being a man isn't about how much money you make or your car or your clothes or that your preferred sport is football as opposed to ice skating or sychronized swimming. Being a man is also not about fighting, controlling 'your woman', treating women like property and/or whores to be used and disposed of on a whim, drinking too much, soliciting prostitutes, making babies and either leaving them or ignoring them, or having sex with people just because you can. On the other hand, it is also not, for all of you sensitive men, about saying you understand women's needs, or gazing intently into her eyes while having a conversation with her, or speaking in a hushed voice, or saying things like "be well..." (EVERYONE STOP THAT, BY THE WAY, MEN AND WOMEN ALIKE). Just because you can cry doesn't make you a man, sensitive men, depending on why you're crying and the frequency of it, it really just makes you a bitch. Don't be fooled ladies, the sensitive men, are the worst, because they often think they know, that they've become men now that they pick up and thumb through the occasional issue of O Magazine or that they drink wine instead of doing shots or chugging beer. They are usually passive-aggressive milque-toasts.
So, what is being a man all about? For me, for most women, I think, it's really about a person's humanity. It's about taking responsibility and not being afraid. It's about being a good and decent human being who owns his triumphs and his mistakes. This is not about someone who just pays lip service to the concepts of responsibility and accountability. A man is someone who does what he has to do to protect and take care of his family and those close to him, not just himself. He does sacrifice, he does give of himself, and he is open. He stops and takes the time to figure out what he wants and how to get it and then acts. But if he doesn't get what he wants or encounters adversity or failure, he does not blame, run, or abuse. If he cries, it's not for show or to prove something, or because he is a bitch who is trying to manipulate, like most of his sensitive brethren. He is not without faults, but he recognizes them in himself and checks himself accordingly, again he does not blame or lie, or distance himself in embarrassment and if any of this does occur HE OWNS HIS MISTAKES.
This is no different than what it takes to be a woman. As I've said all of this is about humanity. Real men, real women, are people dedicated to being the best human beings they can be. Some are born this way others learn and take the next step, others like my ex, know, but stay right where they are. They take the long way home from school to avoid what they perceive to be life's bullies, avoiding the painful journey to manhood because they think the way around it is somehow easier and less painful. In the end, boys, it's not. What's better, facing up to life or spending the rest of your life in a darkened room filled with regret and cigarette smoke, watching porn, banging prostitutes and other unsavories, and watching stupid shit on television?
This did not turn out to be about Paris, I meant it to be....
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
What's really goin' on...
This actually started out as a reply to a comment to my new blog-friend, Eunice...but now, it's taken on a life of it's own. I said before there might be a few of these journal-ly joints...That was never my intention at the outset of this blog, but like I said, life is strange. And by the way, my friend is NOT in love...I was told emphatically...
Because, I am new in town and have no friends except the two cats I am watching right now, by the way, cats are really weird!! I've never had them and while I have developed an appreciation for them, they're still strange creatures...
Anyway as I said, I've been thinking about this dream a bit more and I've determined that it's really about what I am and am not willing to accept now. In the past, everything that he did or said to me I accepted and, kind of tried to fix. Not in the sense that I tried to change him or take on his problems, but more that I tried to understand his issues and talk to him and be there. I think I may have tried to 'fix' things for myself so that I could make him be something other than what he is within myself. The thing is I never forced him to do anything or tried to control a situation, because really how can you force a grown man or anybody, for that matter, to do anything. It was more that I tried to keep myself from drowning in him, losing me in him, and it happened once, the first time around. So, I've always been aware. Aware, but not ready. I held on to him, there was always the specter of him. Because, c'etait vraiment le coup de foudre avec lui, c'est vrai. Vous pouvez lui demandez, il va vous dire. Il ne peut pas le nier...
I still loved him and let him be in my universe regardless of what he had done. AND that was my issue. He has this phenomenal side to him: so smart and creative, so talented. I can't stress how intelligent he is, and I've always loved that. I'm mature enough, after everything, to be able to say that. But I know now that the cold, vindictive, mean, cruel side of him is just that, a side of him, a part of him and not just a function of adverse circumstances as I believed before. It was never that I felt sorry for him, or that I wanted to be his caretaker because he has issues or he swayed my opinion or controlled me. God, if he'd been able to do that, we'd probably be married with kids somewhere, because that's a big part of what he wants in a woman, I think. When I think about that I know I'd be an abused wreck, but that's another story... Anyway, I'm seeing how much this is about my issues now. Not that I take any of the onus off of him, he definitely can call a huge part of this all his own. But I am thinking about me now...
My own issues had me thinking that somehow, family, friends, and lovers could treat you badly and you had to accept it. I have only known situations where people ran hot & cold, where I was taken for granted, or underappreciated and at times envied. In sharing this, I am not expecting pity or sympathy I am simply providing the context, my context. I accepted this sort of treatment from a young age, because it is all I have ever known. I knew it wasn't quite right, but I believed for a long time that some people just treated you badly and if you love them you have to accept it. In fact, that's what I was taught, more or less. I thought I was just doomed to a life of emotional unfulfillment and that I had to take what I could get.
I have begun to see recently that I was holding onto my ex for that reason. Because he is the ONE (and I do believe that), because maybe I have known him in another life, I was holding on, waiting, hoping, without even realizing it. I wanted someone to give me what I needed so much and I wanted more than anything for it to be him.
He could not. He cannot. He will never be able. I'm not sure that he ever even wanted to. That's what he has been trying to tell me all of these years.
but...
I just didn't want to listen.
Because, I am new in town and have no friends except the two cats I am watching right now, by the way, cats are really weird!! I've never had them and while I have developed an appreciation for them, they're still strange creatures...
Anyway as I said, I've been thinking about this dream a bit more and I've determined that it's really about what I am and am not willing to accept now. In the past, everything that he did or said to me I accepted and, kind of tried to fix. Not in the sense that I tried to change him or take on his problems, but more that I tried to understand his issues and talk to him and be there. I think I may have tried to 'fix' things for myself so that I could make him be something other than what he is within myself. The thing is I never forced him to do anything or tried to control a situation, because really how can you force a grown man or anybody, for that matter, to do anything. It was more that I tried to keep myself from drowning in him, losing me in him, and it happened once, the first time around. So, I've always been aware. Aware, but not ready. I held on to him, there was always the specter of him. Because, c'etait vraiment le coup de foudre avec lui, c'est vrai. Vous pouvez lui demandez, il va vous dire. Il ne peut pas le nier...
I still loved him and let him be in my universe regardless of what he had done. AND that was my issue. He has this phenomenal side to him: so smart and creative, so talented. I can't stress how intelligent he is, and I've always loved that. I'm mature enough, after everything, to be able to say that. But I know now that the cold, vindictive, mean, cruel side of him is just that, a side of him, a part of him and not just a function of adverse circumstances as I believed before. It was never that I felt sorry for him, or that I wanted to be his caretaker because he has issues or he swayed my opinion or controlled me. God, if he'd been able to do that, we'd probably be married with kids somewhere, because that's a big part of what he wants in a woman, I think. When I think about that I know I'd be an abused wreck, but that's another story... Anyway, I'm seeing how much this is about my issues now. Not that I take any of the onus off of him, he definitely can call a huge part of this all his own. But I am thinking about me now...
My own issues had me thinking that somehow, family, friends, and lovers could treat you badly and you had to accept it. I have only known situations where people ran hot & cold, where I was taken for granted, or underappreciated and at times envied. In sharing this, I am not expecting pity or sympathy I am simply providing the context, my context. I accepted this sort of treatment from a young age, because it is all I have ever known. I knew it wasn't quite right, but I believed for a long time that some people just treated you badly and if you love them you have to accept it. In fact, that's what I was taught, more or less. I thought I was just doomed to a life of emotional unfulfillment and that I had to take what I could get.
I have begun to see recently that I was holding onto my ex for that reason. Because he is the ONE (and I do believe that), because maybe I have known him in another life, I was holding on, waiting, hoping, without even realizing it. I wanted someone to give me what I needed so much and I wanted more than anything for it to be him.
He could not. He cannot. He will never be able. I'm not sure that he ever even wanted to. That's what he has been trying to tell me all of these years.
but...
I just didn't want to listen.
Monday, July 04, 2005
Human waste
One of my friends told me she is in love...
Life is crazy. Not because my friend is in love. Not because I'm not anymore. It just is. I was overtaken by melancholy yesterday. There's so much to do. Where do I start? "Just take one day at a time..." he said. That seems like eons ago. How does one do that exactly? Take one day at a time? Any suggestions?
I had a dream about a week ago. It is one of only two that I have had as an adult that I have remembered. Both included my ex... This dream took place in a bathroom, that I believe was at his house because the bathtub was the same, although the room itself was a bit different. Anyway, we were sitting on the couch talking and he said he had to go to the bathroom. He got up and left. When he returned a few minutes later, I went to the bathroom and for some reason felt compelled to pull back the shower curtain. When I did, I saw that my ex had left a big pile of shit behind. And by big, I mean a huge, tall pile of shit, maybe 2 or 3 feet tall... There was also a lot of runny shit on the floor of the tub. I began to try rinsing the runny variety out of the tub and it came clean, easily rinsing away and flowing down the drain, but there was still the big tall pile, so I looked at it, stopped rinsing, and called my ex into the bathroom. I remember asking him -thoroughly disguted by the whole scenario- what was wrong with him and why he would shit in the bathtub like that and just leave it? He looked at me, ashamed, and in silence, knelt down at the side of the tub, turned on the water, and began cleaning away the big pile of shit. But, I didn't watch or wait until he finished, I just left the bathroom and then I woke up....
Strange dream. Strangely prophetic, maybe? Does it mean that I am finitely over things more than I had originally thought? Or could it mean that this troubled man is ingrained in my subconcious...will he stay there forever? I'm a little afraid of that.
Life is crazy. Not because my friend is in love. Not because I'm not anymore. It just is. I was overtaken by melancholy yesterday. There's so much to do. Where do I start? "Just take one day at a time..." he said. That seems like eons ago. How does one do that exactly? Take one day at a time? Any suggestions?
I had a dream about a week ago. It is one of only two that I have had as an adult that I have remembered. Both included my ex... This dream took place in a bathroom, that I believe was at his house because the bathtub was the same, although the room itself was a bit different. Anyway, we were sitting on the couch talking and he said he had to go to the bathroom. He got up and left. When he returned a few minutes later, I went to the bathroom and for some reason felt compelled to pull back the shower curtain. When I did, I saw that my ex had left a big pile of shit behind. And by big, I mean a huge, tall pile of shit, maybe 2 or 3 feet tall... There was also a lot of runny shit on the floor of the tub. I began to try rinsing the runny variety out of the tub and it came clean, easily rinsing away and flowing down the drain, but there was still the big tall pile, so I looked at it, stopped rinsing, and called my ex into the bathroom. I remember asking him -thoroughly disguted by the whole scenario- what was wrong with him and why he would shit in the bathtub like that and just leave it? He looked at me, ashamed, and in silence, knelt down at the side of the tub, turned on the water, and began cleaning away the big pile of shit. But, I didn't watch or wait until he finished, I just left the bathroom and then I woke up....
Strange dream. Strangely prophetic, maybe? Does it mean that I am finitely over things more than I had originally thought? Or could it mean that this troubled man is ingrained in my subconcious...will he stay there forever? I'm a little afraid of that.
Friday, July 01, 2005
Blog Tag
I'm finally up and running here...So the game continues...
Thanks Eunice, there is no harm in 'borrowing' an idea...where would our world be without it?
1. Adventures of a Domestic Engineer
2. Crazy Like A Zircon
3. Yeah, I'm A Cat
4. As Life Flutters By...
5. The New Girl In Town
As for my favorite childhood memories, I really, honestly can't remember back that far. So instead, if I may, I'd like to present a twist, a list of 10 things people would never know just by looking at me, to help you get to know me better, blog friends...
1. My favorite television show is King of Queens
2. My favorite vacation ever has been a tour of some of the fjords and cities of Norway's southwestern coast. It was really the most beautiful place. It was a tour called Norway in a Nutshell (a little touristy, but so so nice!!). Everyone should do it.
3. If I could live anywhere it would be in Paris, in the 11th arrondissement in an apartment overlooking the Pere Lachaise cemetery. Really, the most beautiful place in Paris. Skip Mr. Morrisson however, not too interesting, and really, I'm not just saying that because The Doors make me cringe...
4. When I was little, my mother had to stop giving me costume birthday parties --I was born on Halloween-- because I would get scared and cry and scream because of the masks people were wearing--Even after they took them off. I have a succession of birthday party pictures with me standing before a cake either looking horrified with tears streaming down my face or with me screaming in terror, mouth wide open.
5. When I was 16, I got chastised(and almost arrested) by the Paraguayan military police during the Stroessner regime, because I unknowingly tried to take a picture of a huge statue of the dictator.
6. If I ever choose to go back to school again, which I seriously doubt will ever happen, it will be to get a Ph.D. in African-American studies.
7. I am currently obsessed with learning as much about bees and Algerian pastries as I possibly can.
8. I am trying to learn Portuguese (Brazilian) so that I can sing jazz and Bossa Nova.
...Okay, so maybe that's only 8 things, but that's enough, don't you all think?
Thanks Eunice, there is no harm in 'borrowing' an idea...where would our world be without it?
1. Adventures of a Domestic Engineer
2. Crazy Like A Zircon
3. Yeah, I'm A Cat
4. As Life Flutters By...
5. The New Girl In Town
As for my favorite childhood memories, I really, honestly can't remember back that far. So instead, if I may, I'd like to present a twist, a list of 10 things people would never know just by looking at me, to help you get to know me better, blog friends...
1. My favorite television show is King of Queens
2. My favorite vacation ever has been a tour of some of the fjords and cities of Norway's southwestern coast. It was really the most beautiful place. It was a tour called Norway in a Nutshell (a little touristy, but so so nice!!). Everyone should do it.
3. If I could live anywhere it would be in Paris, in the 11th arrondissement in an apartment overlooking the Pere Lachaise cemetery. Really, the most beautiful place in Paris. Skip Mr. Morrisson however, not too interesting, and really, I'm not just saying that because The Doors make me cringe...
4. When I was little, my mother had to stop giving me costume birthday parties --I was born on Halloween-- because I would get scared and cry and scream because of the masks people were wearing--Even after they took them off. I have a succession of birthday party pictures with me standing before a cake either looking horrified with tears streaming down my face or with me screaming in terror, mouth wide open.
5. When I was 16, I got chastised(and almost arrested) by the Paraguayan military police during the Stroessner regime, because I unknowingly tried to take a picture of a huge statue of the dictator.
6. If I ever choose to go back to school again, which I seriously doubt will ever happen, it will be to get a Ph.D. in African-American studies.
7. I am currently obsessed with learning as much about bees and Algerian pastries as I possibly can.
8. I am trying to learn Portuguese (Brazilian) so that I can sing jazz and Bossa Nova.
...Okay, so maybe that's only 8 things, but that's enough, don't you all think?
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