12 Things That Happen to the Only Black Girl in the Room

May 28, 2015July 1, 2015Leave a comment

As you can see by the name of this blog; this is well covered territory for me. I have been in this role a while. Here is a photo of me about the time this situation became typical – the rocking’ acid washed 80s.

Me with two of my besties from high school.

Sadly I am not wearing my INXS shirt in this picture. Their Kick tour rocked and it was at that concert that I noticed, “I am the only brownie in here! Wow!” And that show was at the Atlanta Omni and that place was huge! And sold out. That is a whole lot of salt with only one grain of pepper y’all.

For your laughs,giggles, and reference here are twelve things that happen to the only black girl in the room….

You probably don’t want to sing while playing Rock Band and people act surprised when you go for the bass or the drums. Not all of us sing like Jennifer Hudson.
People will ask your opinon on any current event that is racially charged. At that moment and in that place you are the voice of all black people
People ask if you drink Malt Liquor when they see you enjoying craft beer, fine wine, small batch spirits, or anything that isn’t sold in a 40oz bottle
You’ve been set up with the black friend of one of your white friends based on skin color alone. ” I thought you guys would hit it off. You have so much in common!”
You think Fitz and Jake are both hot and find Olivia Pope’s romantic situation completely plausible. Well maybe not the presidential part, but you know what I mean.
When white people say, ” My best friend is black” you know that it is possible they are not referring to their garbage man given the fact that your closest friends are white.
When you meet another “only black girl in the room” you bond over your shared love of the Pacific Northwest and craft beer.
You’ve had a white colleague look at you and say, “Wow! I didn’t know we had so much diversity in our company” when you are the lone person of color employed with the company.
After a beach vacation you’ve been told, “I didn’t know black people could tan. You are really dark!”
You have stood in silence for a undetermined amount of time after hearing the prior statement.
You have Muse, Foo Fighters, Naked and Famous, Arcade Fire, Matt & Kim, Manchester Orchestra, Neko Case or Florence and the Machine on your workout or road trip playlists.
Lastly…You understood comedian Ron Funches when he said “I’m too white for the blacks and too black for the whites.”

Welcome to my world…

I’d Like to Eat – There’s a New Crack Rock in Town

May 17, 2015May 27, 2015Leave a comment

No one can eat just one!

So my mother-in-law brought these things into our house? Have you had them yet? They are great if you like Raisinets but horrible if you don’t. They are also horrible if someone leaves a one pound bag of them in your house when your husband hates Rasinets! These don’t have raisins in them but the Acai & blueberry textures are reminiscent of them which turned my husband off and me on!

Here they sit on this rainy Sunday afternoon just begging someone to eat them all. I can have self control. I can pace myself! I may need to just dump them in the trash. I have really jumped back on my water drinking salad eating lifestyle that really had no room for candy. Acai and Blueberries are good for you and they are covered in dark chocolate!

Who am I kidding? I will send a prayer to the food gods and hope that when my will does break I don’t have a repeat epodes of the 1987 Whopper debacle. I won’t go into detail, but I will say that when you eat an entire box of Whoppers in one sitting they taste so good going down, but not so delish on the return trip back up.

A Few of My Favorite Things

May 13, 2015June 11, 2015Leave a comment

Everyone has a few material things that they worship. There is nothing wrong with that.The saying says that money can’t buy happiness, but I think it can get you really close! I love the hell out of my family and friends but there is some kick ass stuff out there. Here is some of it…

Eileen Fisher clothing

Call me a middle-aged/old lady but I love myself some Eileen Fisher.Everytime I wear her things I get compliments. That is probably because when you are comfortable you look happy. And when you are happy you look great. And when you look great people compliment you. Her things are so timeless, comfy, flowy and just a wee bit pricey! Until I hit the lotto I will continue to stalk pieces on sale and Ebay for these wonderful clothes.

Cato Sandals

Did anyone know that the store Cato carried shoes….up to a size 12. Did anyone even know that Cato stores were still around? Anyway, let’s discuss how happy my big foot ass was. YIPEE!! I went in there with my mom who is a huge fan of the store and found these adorable leafy sparkly sandals. They are the only thong sandal that I’ve found that doesn’t irritate the shit out of my foot (I hate stuff between my toes). And I can actually wear a size 10 (not my usual 11). The icing on the cake was the fact that they were only $20.

The Longest Shortest Time Podcast

My new job means that I have a new commute and I am happy to have found a way to spend my time behind the wheel. The Longest Shortest Time podcast is perfection!. It is about the real joys and pains that come with the early years of parenting. Both men and women will laugh with it, learn from it and be reminded that they are not the only ones going through it.

Yuna

For the life of me I cannot remember the first time I heard Yuna. The sound of her voice made me run a quick Shazam on her to find out the details of her song Lullabies and I have been in love ever since. Her music is relaxing and easy to sing along to which is perfect in Atlanta traffic. The iTunes radio station I created based on her kicks serious ass and is a great soundtrack to long workdays.

What are some of your favorite things these days?

We Are Reading – May 4th

May 4, 2015January 4, 2017Leave a comment

As I have been knee deep in projects at the new job, my leisurely reading has been put on hold. The books that I read to the kid have been my only literary relaxation and I am not ashamed to say they have been pretty awesome. In fact, maybe I should switch to reading kids books exclusively. Character development, plot, conflict, love, loss and happy endings in less than 15 minutes. It’s a win win!

Race from A to Z by Jon Scieszka

25 vehicles racing through town at breakneck speed while Izzy the Ice Cream truck tries to get them to buy Astro Pops and Snow Cones. How could I (and the kid) not be in love with this one. Our favorite character was the pink garbage truck with the bunny rabbit on her bumper. Why don’t they make those in real life? This book is great for any kid who likes racing cars and rhyming.

Tiny_Titans_Return_to_the_Treehouse_Vol_1_1

Tiny Titans Return to the Treehouse by Art Baltazar

Joe brings these home from comic book stores he visits on his trips. The kid loves them and this issue is especially awesome. Our fearless Tiny Titans have lost their treehouse and now the adventure begins to either find it, or an awesome replacement. As usual, this is a great book for kids who love superheroes and laughs.

The Secrets of Codes by Paul Lunde

My husband’s brain works differently than mind. He is definitely science and math. I am everything swirly and creative. His taste in books is often reflective of this difference and this is a prime example of that. This is a great book for people whose love puzzle solving and the use of images as communication. From hobo markings to American Sign Language many forms of non-traditional communication are explained.

Marvel’s Princess Leia

I have had the time to read something that is not a children’s book. It is the Marvel Star Wars Collection’s Princess Lei coming books. Yes I know it is a comic book, but I don’t consider these children’s reading. They are really for everyone. As usual, the husband brought this one home. The man goes to some great comic book shops around the country and we benefit greatly.