Convergence

America's New Puppy

In the spirit of there being a liiiiittle bit too much hype about what kind of puppy the Obamas are going to get, I thought this was funny. This is why I love editing. Thanks What About Our Daughters for posting. Long live government of the puppy, by the puppy and for the puppy!

Post-Election Thoughts

I know it's been 4 days but I'm still in awe over Tuesday night. When I see certain pictures of President-Elect Obama I get chills and the tears well up. When I see pictures of his girls I feel an even greater sense of pride because I feel like those little girls remind me of me when I was younger. When I see those girls I see my niece Zharya and every other little black girl with press and curls and cornrows. Wow. When I saw him hold his first press conference yesterday a couple of times I felt like I should pinch myself to see if this was really for real. I'm glued to the TV everyday because I want to know his every move. I'm not so concerned about what kind of puppies he's going to get, but I do want to know who's

going to be in his cabinet. And I'm anxious  to see what kind of moves he makes during this transition period and which policies he plans to implement when he first gets into office. He seems to be very smart, but I'm still very cautious. Times are really tough right now, and everybody is putting a lot of expectations on this one man to be the answer. I haven't bought into the hype that he's the Messiah, but I just pray that he doesn't disappoint. Either way, I feel so privileged to be alive during a time when history was made.

It's so interesting, when I was in college and became an African American studies major, I went through a period where I was very vocal about certain issues. Especially issues that had to do with women or blacks in the media. These were issues that I felt very passionate about and I didn't have a problem getting into heated debate over whether or not the  latest McDonald's commercial was racist because they had black people dancing in it. I remember attending a small protest on my school lawn because they were getting ready to take away our minority scholarships. I remember working for our black campus newspaper and feeling like I was a part of an organization that was contributing to the thoughts of young black students. I remember attending the Million Man March with a group of my friends. And even though I have to admit that a part of us selfishly went so that we could see some men'ses, I do remember that by the time we left we felt like we were a part of history. 

Sometimes I feel like when I became a Christian that that part of me disappeared. I guess I felt that in God's kingdom there was no room for black consciousness. But now I'm starting to see that I don't have to leave my intelligence and my pride at the door for the sake of my faith. I can love God and still celebrate who I am. But with that I sometimes feel like I've lost that urgency and awareness that I had during my college days.

One thing I regret about that election night is that I didn't do anything special on election night. There were people gathered down at the King Center that night and I wish I was there. If this were 14 or 15 years ago (ouch, was I REALLY in college 15 years ago?? :-(...) I so would have been there. As I sat and watched Obama's victory speech, I thought about the Civil Rights Movement, specifically the March on Washington. My parents didn't go to the historic march. I'm not sure why they didn't go, but as I sat watching CNN the other night I thought how awesome it must've been for those people at Ebenezer Baptist Church and at the King Center to tell their kids and their grandkids for generations to come that they were there. I missed that opportunity, so I think I'm going to try to do my best to make it to inauguration. It's the least I can do in marking such a historic moment of my history and America's history....

Other post-election thoughts...

• the results came in pretty quick. I really didn't expect to know who the next president was until the next morning because I thought it would be so close. Well surprise, surprise! Way to go USA!
• I'm also blown away by the enthusiasm of people around the world. I'm not sure why they're so excited, he's not their president? I guess the historic moment is not lost even on foreigners. But that's pretty cool.
• I think I said it before but McCain gave a really cool concession speech. He's a cool guy.
• I think it sucks how the Republician party is really throwing Sarah Palin under the bus now. I wasn't a big fan of hers since her RNC speech. But just a week ago, Republicans were hailing the Alaska governor and telling the world how wonderful she was and how prepared she was to take office. Now all of a sudden she supposedly doesn't know that Africa is a continent, according to her own party? The same party that still backed her up when she said she could see Russia from her backyard? Sheesh! I don't think that's very fair to her. On the same token I don't think it says very much of her to be calling debate preppers "jerks" in all the national media. Aw well, so much for party loyalty. 
• It touches me to see that so many young people turned out to vote. I was watching the news one night and they were showing some students from Georgia State who walked from campus up to the state capitol. Black students and white students alike, they were soooo excited. When I see them so excited it makes me feel like in another sense this is their president. How exciting. 
• I still get a little nervous about his safety. Please keep praying for the president and his family, even if you didn't vote for him. As Christians, we always teach that we should pray for our leaders. I prayed for Bush even though I didn't vote for him and didn't agree with most of his policies because that was still my president, so let's continue the tradition of prayer...
• Also, when is D.L. Hughley Breaks the News gonna get cancelled??? That show SUCKS!!!
• Is it just me or is President Bush looking REEEEAAALLLL happy these days? When he gave his speech acknowledging Obama's win, he just looked real light-hearted, like he's counting down the days til he's up outta there. I often feel kinda sorry for the guy. It's gotta be tough to be the president, especially when everybody seems to be blaming you for everything. I mean how would you feel if everytime you turned on the TV or radio there was somebody calling you an idiot or incompetent? I remember looking at Clinton during his 2nd term inauguration and thinking "Wow, he's aged a lot in the last four years." I think the same thing has happened to Bush as well. Something happens to men when they become president. They turn kinda raggedy looking. Presidency brings on lots and lots more gray hair and wrinkles in a very short period of time. Not that gray hair and wrinkles make a person look raggedy but they just like worn and tired. I guess being the leader of the free world will do that to you. It'll be interesting to see what Obama looks like in 4 years.

One thing I can say about the Obama camp is that they were (and still are) very hip to the pulse of young America and to the power of the internet and social networking. So much so that they even have a Flickr photo album of Obama and his family on election night. So if you want to see more of the behind-the-scenes pictures like I have posted here, go to Flickr and you can see the Obamas as they await the election results.

Ok, that's it for now. I have to go get a grip on the fact that I was in college 15 years ago. Geez, I'm getting old......

Random Thoughts on a (Super Early) Tuesday Morning

I know what Susie Orman said. But there's a part of me that's glad the House said no to the $700B bailout. That's just a lotta freakin' money. But then when I found out their reasoning for rejecting it, I felt that that was pretty petty. Whether it's true or not, just the idea that the Republican house voted no because they felt like Nancy Pelosi talked bad about them--that just sounds very childish to me. But I guess they'll come to some kind of conclusion soon. And the rich will continue to get richer and the poor will get poorer...and so it goes...

They've been playing the SNL Sarah Palin skit on CNN all day. Funny stuff.

I'm on vacation all this week as soon as I get my grades done. I think I finished everything, I just have to go into the office tomorrow to drop them off, then I'm off for a week--Yippee!! My breaks always kinda seem like a joke because it's not like I can sit back and enjoy them, really. I don't have to go to class this week but I still have to show up to class next Monday ready to teach. That means I only have this week to work on my syllabi and the 10-week lesson plans for all three of my classes. Well, hopefully I'll get some relaxation in.

WE HAVE NO GAS IN ATLANTA! I have 1/4 tank of gas so at some point tomorrow I will have to make the journey like so many of my fellow Atlantans right now to try and find a gas station that has some gas. Then, like many of my fellow Atlantans, I will probably have to sit and wait in a gas line for about 30-40 minutes. I hope not. Hopefully I can make it into the office tomorrow.

I'm starting to think that I need to see someone about my fear of marriage. My fears are a little strange, especially being that I come from such a stable home. I think it's just that I've been single for so long that I am set in my ways of thinking and I'm having a hard time adjusting to idea of compromising down the road. Or worse yet, I have a fear that things will change drastically for the worse between me and Jon once we get married. I talked with my sister last night and she suggested that Jon and I talk more and that we read some kind of book or workbook on relationships to help us ask those tough questions if we're thinking about eventually getting married. Maybe that's not such a bad idea. Anybody out there have any suggestions?

Does anybody out there watch I Wanna Work for Diddy? Looks like Kim may finally be going home? Maybe? Hopefully? Who's a "dumba$$" now, Poprah? Huh? Talkin' 'bout some "I can't invent a list for you." I was so mad at that cliff hanger at the end, though. Those story editors sure know marketing...

Trying to get back on track spiritually. I signed up to take a Bible study class through the Bible Training Center for Leaders. The classes are held up at Northpoint and it's called "Bible Study Methods and the Rules of Interpretation." It should be interesting. I also plan on joining another small group. I'll be attending GroupLink this Saturday night so I'm looking forward to that. My hope is that I can get into a LadiesLink group so that I can be around some married women in addition to singles.

I had another soft serve ice cream crave last night. Since finding REAL soft serve ice cream cones in the city of Atlanta is like finding a needle in a hay stack (the closest Dairy Queen is about 15 miles away in Smyrna), I think I've come to the conclusion that the best way for me to get a quick fix is by going to McDonalds. So that's what Sadie and Bertha did. We were watching the New Kids on the Block Behind the Music special around 11 pm when we decided that we both wanted some ice cream, but the thing about it is we had already changed for bed. We also started craving brownies. So what did Sadie and Bertha do? Well Sadie (me) ran into the kitchen and whipped up some brownies and threw them in the oven, then we made a mad dash out the door (still in our night clothes, mind you) to get to McDonalds before they closed at midnight and to get back in the house before the brownies finished cooking! We made it back with 2 minutes to spare and Voila! Nice warm brownies and soft serve ice cream. It was so worth it...

On My Way Back to Bed...

I went to bed last night at 4 am because I was editing a music video. I have no idea why I am awake right now. I am still very tired. I got up to use the bathroom and then fooled myself into thinking that I could edit a few more minutes. I could feel my eyes getting heavy so I abandoned that thought and instead just fooled myself into thinking I could write a blog, so here goes.

Did anybody watch the debates last night? I guess a better question would be who DIDN'T watch the debates last night. It seems to me that both candidates have a real knack for not answering the question. It was really weird how they wouldn't interact with each other no matter how hard Jim Lehrer tried. At least Obama made an attempt as the debate went through but to no avail. McCain stayed fixed on the floor. I think Obama was very strong and authoritative. Even though Obama has proven to be a powerful orator when it comes to scripted speeches, I was a little concerned about his ability to carry out a debate without losing time by using an inexplicable amount of "Uh-s." I didn't count but he seemed to keep them to a minimum. McCain was very good at tauting his age and experience.

I'm not an expert on foreign policy but it seemed to be a good debate. I would have been interested to actually HEAR their answer to Lehrer's first question (stated about 5 different ways) about what plans they'd be willing to sacrifice in light of the economic crisis. And I don't understand why diplomacy and having talks with countries that would be considered a threat would legitimize them? As if going off and killing them with no information has worked...But anywho, I can't wait for the domestic policy debate. I believe that's the last one. I'm really looking forward to the VP debate next week as well. I'm not sure it's going to be much of a match, though. I think Joe Biden is going to slaughter Sarah Palin. I mean, I know I'm supposed to be all excited about Palin because she's a woman. But everytime I see her she annoys me. First it was because of her smugness (is that a word) displayed at the RNC. But now it's becoming oh-so-clear that she has no idea what she's talking about. Poor woman. Did you see her on the Katie Couric interview? Sad. Very sad. And I'm supposed to feel happy and empowered by this as a woman? I don't think so.

On another note, here's a funny clip of Chris Rock on Letterman the other night. Now that guy's funny.

Ok now, back to bed I go...

Crazy Things Going On In the World

A pastor is accused of child porn, a father rapes his 8-DAY OLD DAUGTHER, government is trying to pay a trillion dollar debt, gas is $4.25/gallon, Comedy Central does a roast of Flavor Flav??? What is this world coming to?

On a lighter note, check out Gladys Hardy from Ausin, TX on Ellen. She's hilarious and I have been looking for this clip ever since I originally saw it on the show..."I love Jesus but I drink a little." Thanks Whittaker Woman for posting!!

I'll Take the Little Guy

So I usually follow elections somewhat when they come about, but I don't think  I've ever followed an election as closely as I've been following this one. And it's really getting me worked up. Even though I really had no intention of voting Republican I wanted to watch the RNC this week just to see what they were up to. On the same token, I haven't been all that convinced with the Obama team, which sorta leaves me in the middle. Yeah, I've even considered voting Independent at times. But after watching Palin's speech on Wednesday and McCain's speech last night, I think they pretty much helped make the decision for me. I think I'm being swayed over by the little guy from Chicago.

I was appalled at Sarah Palin's sarcasm and wise cracks against Obama and his campaign. It's like her entire speech was nothing but a slash fest and what does that accomplish? NOTHING!! I didn't really hear her talk very much about any issues or what she planned to bring to the table as VP. I thought McCain's choice for VP was going to prove to be an interesting spin for me. I was intrigued by the fact that he had chosen a woman. And even though I had never heard of her, and even though she's the governor of ALASKA, I thought it'd be intersting, I thought it'd add some spice, I thought maybe, just maybe she could possibly (although doubtedly) sway me. So I was looking forward to her speech. But I was disappointed. I was appalled. And for all the Christians who feel some need to support the Republican party merely because they are pro-life and because they oppose gay marriage, it's kinda interesting that Palin would be so nasty, rude and disrespectful. Hmmm....that doesn't seem very Christ-like to me...

I was even disgusted even, at Guilliani's speech where he and Palin seemed to discredit the validity of being a community organizer. Since when is working in the trenches among the people not considered valid? When you put it that way, I think it's quite commendable that someone who has shown a commitment to working in the community for the people and with the people could make it all the way to presidential candidacy. Think about it, usually when election time rolls around you see some ads for some unknown guy who's been active in the community and is now trying to run for office and bring some real change to the government. I would always see these ads and think to myself, wow that guy looks like he really cares about people. But of course those people are always the underdog, they never have enough money for campaign funding, and their message and their votes get lost among the two dominant party candidates. Well Obama seems like one of those guys to me. However, what's ironic is that the guy who was once the community organizer who cares now seems to be getting lost because he has become one of the two dominant party candidates and now it seems like his message at times gets diluted through party duties.

But anyway, I was very put off by Palin, by Guilliani, and even by McCain who seemed to suddenly want to talk about "Change" all throughout his speech (such a biter!!). Not to mention the fact that the RNC just reminded me of an incognito Klan rally--I don't know call me crazy, just all the suits, the pearls, the cowboy hats, the lack of melanin, the stiffness, the constant "USA!" chanting, it just felt a little creepy to me. So I guess I know who I"ll be voting for in November. That is, if the Dems don't say or do anything super dumb between now and then. I just found out that the INC is next week. I think I'll watch that and see what the Independents have to say. Maybe that'll be the kicker for me. In the meantime, I found this clip on Afronerd...Scary, maybe she should have shared with us what she learned about what the Vice President actually does in her speech, rather than bashing the credentials of the other party...

Amazing World

Just came back from my parents house. We had a nice time talking about life and watching the Olympics. For those of you that saw the opening ceremonies, wasn't it just AMAZING???? I mean the guy running on air to light the torch just took my breath away.

But as I watched the parade of nations, I couldn't help but be amazed at not only how many people and countries there are in the world, but also how many types, shades, shapes and sizes people are! It's such a beautiful thing. How can the diversity of the human race be explained except by saying that there must be a God? The Olympics seem to be a time where everybody puts aside their differences and just celebrates the nature of sport. I wish we could maintain that kind of harmony after these next 16 days are over.

I can't wait to see all the swimming competitions. Those are my favorite! Even though I myself can't swim a lick, I love watching the diving and the synchronized swimming competitions. How about you? What's your favorite Olympic sport? 

A New America?

It really dawned on me last night as I was watching the debates that this years Democratic candidate for the president will EITHER be a WOMAN or a BLACK MAN. Talk about making history. I've gotten to be a bit cynical about government and politics over the last few years. But could we really be on the verge of a new America? I think it says something about the pulse of this country just along in knowing that these are the ONLY two candidates on the democratic ticket.

I think it just goes to show that the people are ready for a change. I'm still teetering on the fence between the two. Only 4 more days 'til Super Tuesday. It'll be interesting to see how things turn out.

I Think Barak Obama Loves Jesus

I'm really starting to get a little ticked off at all the emails I keep getting about how Christians shouldn't vote for Barak Obama because he's Muslim and because he doesn't salute the flag. First of all, I remember watching a news report on Obama years ago before he was even a presidential candidate and him talking about his faith. The show even had footage of him attending his CHURCH in Chicago, where he had been actively attending for years. They even interviewed his PASTOR. I can't judge Barak Obama and I don't know what his walk is like. I know that just because someone goes to church doesn't necessarily mean they believe in Jesus Christ, but the point is that Barak Obama goes to church, not a mosque. I don't know where the rumor came from about him being a Muslim...Is it because of his name? That sounds kinda stereotypical don't you think?

At any rate, I'm not writing this blog to say that we should all go out and vote for Barak Obama. I think I may be leaning more toward Hillary myself. But whether he is a Muslim or not, I'm just getting sick and tired of people basing their votes off of the opinions of others or, even worse, urban legend emails. I think Christians especially have a tendency to just vote for whoever someone in the pulpit tells us has better "morals," rather than focusing on the real issues and then finding the candidate that has the best solution for those issues. I think Christians are always getting duped into voting for people that we think are more "spiritual." We constantly throw up the issues of gay rights and abortion but what about other issues that affect your daily quality of life as Americans? What about health care? What about the environment? The economy? Education? The war? Do we even have a stance on these issues?  Do we even know what's going on with these issues? Educate yourself people! Watch the news every once in awhile! Do some research! We were duped the last election. Fool us once shame on us... eh.. um.. well, let's not get fooled again... (And if you didn't get that joke, you just proved my point.)