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So we have now ventured into a new year and new decade to boot, what do you plan to do differently in 2010? Have you made a list of resolutions? A list that, for most people anyway, will go by the wayside long before the spring thaw. Or are you like many of us who have made no resolutions other than to try to make this year better than the last, which of course means we have set goals that we will strive to achieve. Is there truly a difference between a resolution and a goal? I wonder.

One of my goals is to make this space an active, living breathing place that people you and others will be interested in visiting on a regular basis. So, let’s hope you find this interesting and will come back for more in the days and weeks ahead.

Another goal is to participate in some very interesting challenges I have come across while perusing the internet. Just today I stopped by Inkygirl:Daily Diversions For Writers where I learned about the 1000 Words A Day Challenge which is similar to NanNoWriMo, but according to Inkygirl is for those of us who start out with a bang and may loose our way. With this challenge if you miss a day, but try again the next day you are still eligible as long as you are actively trying. Even better there is also a 500 Words A Day or 250 Words A Day Challenge. I will work on the 500 Words A Day, what do you think? Want to join me – if so learn more here.

The next challenge on my agenda has to do with my other love – reading. I’m not sure which of my writer idols tweeted about this site, and this challenge but I was very interested to find Brown Girl Speaks and the African Diaspora Reading Challenge. With this challenge I will be able to fulfill two goals at once – read more and write more, because as part of this challenge you have to write a review. Cha-Ching, double the pleasure. To learn more click here.

So with these two goals as well as a plan to redesign this site and post more frequently I should be a very busy woman over the next 361 days!

I hope you will join me on my journey to offer your views, support or just to hang out!

~Til Next Time!

Today I have spent a number of hours on the internet lurking on sites, playing Bejeweled Blitz on Facebook and reading about natural hair. The latter leaves me a little befuddled and confused, because you see I’m not really a hair person. What does that mean, well I like for my hair to look nice, but I am not into primping and constantly checking out how my hair looks.
A good hair day to me is one where I wake up, style my hair and that’s the end of it until the end of the day. I don’t want to have to keep combing, fixing or worrying about how my hair looks. I have found that this is really next to impossible.
Last August I found myself fed up with my hair. It was just limp, I had worn the same basic style forever and I just didn’t know what to do with it. Ultimately, I longed to pull my hair into a ponytail and just go about my day. That however was not possible because it was only about ear length, and short styles weren’t my cup of tea because it called for too much maintenance.
I had dabbled for a couple of summers with wearing it natural, but this year the ends just seemed so straight and would not curl, which I really didn’t understand because I had not relaxed my hair in about two years.
My mom was attempting to loc her hair again, and I went to the salon with her and talked to one of the stylist who suggested I make an appointment for a haircut and go from there. So, a few days later I came back and cut my hair and started my journey. After that initial cut I could see a difference in the way my hair looked, the ends were no longer straight, but I’m not sure I was totally satisfied with the look. I kept my hair in its natural state for about one month and then had it styled for a wedding. Boy was my husband happy to see the transformation, and so devastated to see me go back to the curly natural state the day after.
Today, fourteen months after the fact I’m still getting used to my hair, but I’m also finding that there is no such thing as “no maintenance” hair. That is a bummer for me, because as I have stated I don’t like fussing over hair.
So today I came across the blog Newly Natural, and all of a sudden a light came on. Here, KCurly writes about her journey to natural and she offers tips on products, styles and maintenance. I have read a number of blogs, but I think this is the first time I really had an “Aha” moment. Although I don’t like to really play with my hair, in order for me to find satisfaction and achieve my goals I must. I also have to really get to know my hair, which I believe I have done in the last year, but I still have to spend more quality time with my hair and really understand all of the different changes that take place – primarily with the use of different products.
As much as I don’t want to be a slave to my hair, I can see that I have a lot of learn and it’s still a work in progress.
I’ll keep you posted.

Timing is everything, has become cliche’ and I’m not sure who said it first, but it is so apropos to the events of the last week. The topic of race in America has been a very prevalent topic in the various Social Networking sites from Twitter to Facebook, and has extended into the mainstream conversation because of a couple of events.

Last week a question was posted on Facebook by Rhonda Crowder, a reporter for the Call & Post Newspaper, “Do you think we live in a post-racial America? Does racism still exist? Have WE really overcome?” The question prompted a great deal of conversation, with most saying that racism is still strong and present in the United States.

My take on the question was that yes, we have the first black president and life has definitely changed for him, but on “Main Street” things are very similar to what they were prior to January 20, 2009.

My full response was: Racism is a condition that will continue to exist for a long time. The fact that we have a black president does not negate racism, it simply says that more whites and other minorities were willing to vote for President Obama. For main street the issues of racism have not been eradicated and in some ways have been exacerbated by the economic times … that we now find ourselves in. As time continues there may be an end to racism as we know it today, but as human beings I agree with a previous respondent – we will always find a way to see ourselves as better than someone else. Finally, at the heart of racism is power, or a sense of power, so it really depends on who has the ultimate power many years from now as to what shape racism will take on.

The exchange was interesting and thought provoking, but it became very timely on Monday when I learned that Harvard University professor Henry Louis Gates had been arrested at his own home. The headlines, blog posts, and tweets spoke of racial profiling and racism. I immediately thought of Rhonda’s question, and thought here is a living example of how things have not changed in America.

Dr. Gates is world-renowned for his documentaries on genealogical research and tracing African American history. He definitely does not look like a thief, but then again what does a thief look like? During an interview on CNN he explained that he would not leave his house because the moment he was out of his house he could be arrested for suspicion of burglary. To think that the officers responding to the call had never heard of him or seen him is astonishing! But it is further proof that there is a long way to go before racism is non-existent.

I don’t think that we will see that day because racism is about more than differences in skin color, it has a great deal to do with perceptions of power and superiority, and while the level of racism felt by people of color may shift as those of color become more powerful the shift will be to another undeserved group.

What do you think? Next…Racism within the race.

Today I want to thank my father for being that rock in my life. When I think of my Dad I smile, because humor – dry and corny as it might be is always present with him. I’ve always said he was quiet, reserved and laid back, but as I have grown older I have found that he really isn’t that quiet. Boy, can he talk if you let him! There have been days that he’s called to talk about something he heard or read in the newspaper and he will go on and on, and on about it. Some times I’m caught off guard and I’m thinking to myself “where did that come from” because it is something that I can’t believe my Dad would be interested in. Later, I’ll think about it and realize it’s something he knows I’m interested in, and this is his way of loving his children.

You see my Dad has never been an affectionate person, that is until he became a grandfather the second time around. You see I have three older siblings, and two of them have children that are now adults, but when these grandchidlren were little they lived in other states so that bond was not formed. Now the last four grandchildren live here in town and are regularly at my parents house, and when you watch my Dad with them we often marvel at the affection he gives them. Because we can all probably count on our hands how many times he has hugged and/or kissed us, but even without the tactile reminders I have always known he loved me.

The phone calls to discuss the news was just as good as a hug or kiss, because at that moment I knew my Daddy was thinking about me.

Over the last several weeks I have been thinking about he and my mother a great deal because they are older now, and this is hard for me to accept. Today my Dad is really not feeling himself and you can hear it in his voice, and that pulls at my heart because my Rock is losing some of his strength. He’s not as spry as he was a few years back, so I’m working on ways in which I can be a rock of sorts and stand strong for him.

So this Father’s Day I’m going to hang out with my Dad for a while and hopefully he’ll tell me one of his corny jokes and we’ll both share a good laugh!

Happy Father’s Day to all, and to all the children be sure to take some time today to let your Dad know how special he is.

~Peace

If you’re going to be in the New York City area this summer and you’re planning your itinerary, I would like to suggest that stop by the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre and enjoy a production of Tin Pan Alley Rag. The cast includes my good friend Michael Boatman as Scott Joplin, so yes, this is a biased post.
Michael’s credits include television, film and stage work and he is a wonderful actor. Many of you may remember him as Carter from the ABC sit com “Spin City”, or as Stanley Babson in the HBO show ARLI$$.
So, if you’re in the NYC area and want to hear some good Ragtime music and enjoy a good play – Tin Pan Alley Rag is a good place to start and it runs from June 12-September 6. For more information on the production click here.
Photo taken from Tin Pan Alley site.