Well, I know it's been some time. I am pleased to report that I am now fully employed at Urban Ivy. Previously I had been been in that limbo-land called temp status. I was extremely grateful for the arrangement, however. When I first started, I could hardly handle a full time work schedule or responsibilities.
I have been in my new position since last Tuesday. I am absolutely excited about the new opportunity. There are a host of responsibilities-- some drawing on previous experience and some exciting opportunities to learn and grow. Of course, I am already impatient to know everything that's going on in my new office, but I am giving myself 60 days to get up to speed. There is a whole round of training/orientation sessions I must attend, and I am also doing some refreshers just to sharpen my skills. By the end of summer and the arrival of students, I expect to be running quite smoothly.
Tomorrow morning is my first orientation session. I'll be get a new hire overview and the opportunity to sign up for my employee benefits. I get all choked up just thinking about having health insurance again. I can breathe again. And I'm so excited about reactivating my IRA contributions, I can't even tell you. So I'll keep you posted. But, so far, so good!
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Monday, April 09, 2007
Nappy Headed Hoes?!?!
You know it really does boggle the mind that it is still so very easy to degrade and disrespect African American women. It happens so often in our culture that it takes a shock, an outside voice to stir the attention of the public.
Right now I am listening to Al Sharpton online prepare to interview Don Imus. I am waiting to read or hear that the NCAA, perhaps Pat Summit and the University of Tennessee, hell Laura Bush, Oprah Winfrey, the NBA, the WNBA have all comedown like a ton of bricks on Don Imus.
I don't listen to Don Imus' radio show, I've seen snippets of his show on MSNBC...that's the extent of my exposure to his 'humor.' But I am aware he has called black athletes "jigaboos" in the past and "apologized" for his 'inadvertent' offense. His actions are neither unprecedented or innocent. And I am waiting for the nation to come to the defense of these young women so that I can finally believe that folks give a damn about black women.
I read that Harvard is holding a mock court of the Dred Scott case, so it seems timely to ask...Do black women have any dignity that American culture feels responsible to respect?
Right now I am listening to Al Sharpton online prepare to interview Don Imus. I am waiting to read or hear that the NCAA, perhaps Pat Summit and the University of Tennessee, hell Laura Bush, Oprah Winfrey, the NBA, the WNBA have all comedown like a ton of bricks on Don Imus.
I don't listen to Don Imus' radio show, I've seen snippets of his show on MSNBC...that's the extent of my exposure to his 'humor.' But I am aware he has called black athletes "jigaboos" in the past and "apologized" for his 'inadvertent' offense. His actions are neither unprecedented or innocent. And I am waiting for the nation to come to the defense of these young women so that I can finally believe that folks give a damn about black women.
I read that Harvard is holding a mock court of the Dred Scott case, so it seems timely to ask...Do black women have any dignity that American culture feels responsible to respect?
Monday, March 12, 2007
Brunsli asked...
OK-- I have two cents to contribute...
I would say that to those who point out that locks should liberate one from salons and fees, that I think Sisterlocks do qualify. As you know, while I have had the training, I do not make any money at Sisterlocks and even if I did start offering them (as I may) they would hardly be as lucrative as some people seem to think. But I'll get back to that...
When I go to a SL consultant, I don't feel like I am paying for my locks or that I am fettered to a salon. I am paying for that person's time, effort and knowledge. While people grouse about the cost and the time, I can say first hand that doing SLs are very labor intensive...carpal tunnel syndrome, backache, eye strain, etc.- there are plenty of potential occupational hazards for the Sisterlocker. We expect our consultant to anticipate and remedy snafus, and we want to feel cared for and pampered for a time. I think that is worth something. I could bring a cake or a scarf or a gasoline card, but its easier to give money.
I could do my own Sisterlocks (and I do!), I'm not obligated to pay anyone anything.
There are locking methods that are completely 'free' and also some less involved than Sisterlocks, so if someone chooses to have the particular method and outcome Sisterlocks gives, I don't think it's unreasonable to compensate someone for their assistance in achieving it. There are locticians who help maintain 'traditional' locks and palmrolled ones, who use 'other' tools--including fingers and they charge...I don't see the big difference. The thing about Sisterlocks is that the ongoing maintenance is apparent. You must make a decision to do it yourself or go to someone else...but I don't think any method of locking would allow a person to just neglect the care of their hair. Other methods may not involve such deliberate maintenance, but some effort is always involved and if another person is involved, I suspect money is exchanged.
When I wore braids, I was especially diligent about paying the young girls who did my hair. I thought it was important for them to know that they could be entrepreneurial and professional, that they could be self-sufficient, etc. There were lots of braiders available...some were very cheap, some were very good and I tried to find someone who was both. There were times, however, when I went to more expensive braiders...because I wanted a higher level of professionalism and/or service, because I was not willing to expend the energy to find someone less expensive, etc.
I think the same is true of Sisterlocks. It is possible to find someone who offers the service who is not expensive but very good. I think the backlash is that Sisterlocks is so obviously a microbusiness, whereas we don't think of braids that way. In my training class, when traditional cosmetologists and locticians did the math they realized they could not make as much money at Sisterlocks as the amount of effort seemed to require. Lociticians who do other loc styles and techniques make a LOT more money than those offering SLs I was surprised to learn. There was a woman in my class who said she earned $1500 a day in her shop doing traditional locks--she had no intention of offering Sisterlocks after seeing the effort involved. Likewise, salon operators said they would lose money per chair doing the Sisterlock service. So most Sisterlocks are offered from home businesses...
If your consultant charges $25-45 per hour, that's all they can make during that time. They don't have another 'head' going...If they are above the table, they have to subtract taxes from that, they have to provide themselves whatever medical insurance they may need, they have to pay their overhead. If they are not providing themselves with insurance, making a savings egg, then if they get sick or are unable to work, they lose all income. If they have the misfortune of making a mistake, their reputations will likely be tarnished. They really can't charge all that much over the market rate. And as I am learning, people who charge by the hour for the labor they do with their hands will always be limited by the number of hours in the day...there is a finite number of clients they can see. No matter how fast they are, they are limited by the number of hours in a day. They can only make more money by charging more or adding new operators who will eventually have enough clientele to strike independently...
So I pay a chunk of money to get someone to install my Sisterlocks...well, really, I can't do it myself--I can't see the back of my head...I wouldn't want anyone to volunteer to do it---if they are good, I'd want to pay them for their effort and if they aren't, well, I don't want them messing up my head for free. Let's say it costs $800-1200 (prices I made up btw), and it takes two days to do...let's say 18 hours....that's $45-67 an hour. That's money well spent to make sure the locks I'm going to have for years are put in correctly and carefully. Auto mechanics make that. My Sisterlocks will last at least as long as a car. It's not an amount that pay over and over again. The initial flurry of retightening visits are more problem-solving than anything then things settle down and the 'cost' of Sisterlocks drops way off. In fact, if I'm charging for Sisterlocks I have to continually find new clients because they will probably stop coming six months to a year after installation.
So my opinion is...yes Sisterlocks are expensive, but apparently, I think I'm worth it. It can cost my time or my money. I can find someone within my budget range who does a great job...they may take longer, they may have less experience, it may take longer to get an appointment or I can pay more and not have to deal with those issues. I can do my hair myself and only visit a consultant occasionally for grooming, troubleshooting, etc. I am liberated.
I would say that to those who point out that locks should liberate one from salons and fees, that I think Sisterlocks do qualify. As you know, while I have had the training, I do not make any money at Sisterlocks and even if I did start offering them (as I may) they would hardly be as lucrative as some people seem to think. But I'll get back to that...
When I go to a SL consultant, I don't feel like I am paying for my locks or that I am fettered to a salon. I am paying for that person's time, effort and knowledge. While people grouse about the cost and the time, I can say first hand that doing SLs are very labor intensive...carpal tunnel syndrome, backache, eye strain, etc.- there are plenty of potential occupational hazards for the Sisterlocker. We expect our consultant to anticipate and remedy snafus, and we want to feel cared for and pampered for a time. I think that is worth something. I could bring a cake or a scarf or a gasoline card, but its easier to give money.
I could do my own Sisterlocks (and I do!), I'm not obligated to pay anyone anything.
There are locking methods that are completely 'free' and also some less involved than Sisterlocks, so if someone chooses to have the particular method and outcome Sisterlocks gives, I don't think it's unreasonable to compensate someone for their assistance in achieving it. There are locticians who help maintain 'traditional' locks and palmrolled ones, who use 'other' tools--including fingers and they charge...I don't see the big difference. The thing about Sisterlocks is that the ongoing maintenance is apparent. You must make a decision to do it yourself or go to someone else...but I don't think any method of locking would allow a person to just neglect the care of their hair. Other methods may not involve such deliberate maintenance, but some effort is always involved and if another person is involved, I suspect money is exchanged.
When I wore braids, I was especially diligent about paying the young girls who did my hair. I thought it was important for them to know that they could be entrepreneurial and professional, that they could be self-sufficient, etc. There were lots of braiders available...some were very cheap, some were very good and I tried to find someone who was both. There were times, however, when I went to more expensive braiders...because I wanted a higher level of professionalism and/or service, because I was not willing to expend the energy to find someone less expensive, etc.
I think the same is true of Sisterlocks. It is possible to find someone who offers the service who is not expensive but very good. I think the backlash is that Sisterlocks is so obviously a microbusiness, whereas we don't think of braids that way. In my training class, when traditional cosmetologists and locticians did the math they realized they could not make as much money at Sisterlocks as the amount of effort seemed to require. Lociticians who do other loc styles and techniques make a LOT more money than those offering SLs I was surprised to learn. There was a woman in my class who said she earned $1500 a day in her shop doing traditional locks--she had no intention of offering Sisterlocks after seeing the effort involved. Likewise, salon operators said they would lose money per chair doing the Sisterlock service. So most Sisterlocks are offered from home businesses...
If your consultant charges $25-45 per hour, that's all they can make during that time. They don't have another 'head' going...If they are above the table, they have to subtract taxes from that, they have to provide themselves whatever medical insurance they may need, they have to pay their overhead. If they are not providing themselves with insurance, making a savings egg, then if they get sick or are unable to work, they lose all income. If they have the misfortune of making a mistake, their reputations will likely be tarnished. They really can't charge all that much over the market rate. And as I am learning, people who charge by the hour for the labor they do with their hands will always be limited by the number of hours in the day...there is a finite number of clients they can see. No matter how fast they are, they are limited by the number of hours in a day. They can only make more money by charging more or adding new operators who will eventually have enough clientele to strike independently...
So I pay a chunk of money to get someone to install my Sisterlocks...well, really, I can't do it myself--I can't see the back of my head...I wouldn't want anyone to volunteer to do it---if they are good, I'd want to pay them for their effort and if they aren't, well, I don't want them messing up my head for free. Let's say it costs $800-1200 (prices I made up btw), and it takes two days to do...let's say 18 hours....that's $45-67 an hour. That's money well spent to make sure the locks I'm going to have for years are put in correctly and carefully. Auto mechanics make that. My Sisterlocks will last at least as long as a car. It's not an amount that pay over and over again. The initial flurry of retightening visits are more problem-solving than anything then things settle down and the 'cost' of Sisterlocks drops way off. In fact, if I'm charging for Sisterlocks I have to continually find new clients because they will probably stop coming six months to a year after installation.
So my opinion is...yes Sisterlocks are expensive, but apparently, I think I'm worth it. It can cost my time or my money. I can find someone within my budget range who does a great job...they may take longer, they may have less experience, it may take longer to get an appointment or I can pay more and not have to deal with those issues. I can do my hair myself and only visit a consultant occasionally for grooming, troubleshooting, etc. I am liberated.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
My buddy...
I've finally made the time to figure out how the Blogger functions work. I also reloaded the software for my Treo and downloaded all the photos I carry around. I found one of me and Gram when I brought her back to New Orleans last fall.
I realize my posts have gotten pretty dry without photos...but now that I've figured out how to sync the photos from my Treo and got a new camera (thanks for the subliminal trickery Brunsli!) once again I am promising to do better.
So here's the pictures of Gram and I moments before I sprinted back onto the plane bound back to NYC...You can see why I've been hesitant to post my pictures. In these, I have huge bags under my eyes. I'm not wearing any make up either. But when I saw them again, I had to post them. I love Gram! She was so ready to go home. She had been giving me a hard time for days. I love her expression. She was so determined to get home. That morning we got up extra early and she even carried Sam on her lap while I pushed her wheelchair through the airport. I don't think she gave a second thought to me leaving, she was singly focused on being back home.
Friday, December 29, 2006
Without Fanfare...
I must thank Brunsli who gave me a gentle shake from an impending pity party. As I type I have had about six hours sleep in the past 48 or so hours. I am so tired and feel so empty. As New Year's Day approaches, I am a swirl of emotions.
I don't do resolutions, but I am pretty reflective.
Though I won't say there were not good days--there were--I am really glad to see an end to 2006. It has played out like two or three different years all full enough on their own.
I spent the first half in Virginia. The last half in New York. And all completely frazzled while trying to keep it together on the surface.
I'm pissed that my life is off track. Some days it really seems to be turning out all stick and no damn carrot.
But I am not going to complain. What am I really trying to do is dig down and find my self, my reserve, my drive. I know its there, because even though I may seem at rest, I can feel the energy swirling.Ii just have to figure out how to harness it and to what end.
I was saying I felt like running away from my life right now. Not because I hate it. But because I hate that its moving at this pace. Its the pace I need rather than the pace I want.
People think patience is a characteristic. It's not. It's a skill, a discipline, a habit, a verb. I do it but I do not embody it. I fake it. What is the inherent virtue of patience? I say there is none. There is nothing, I have concluded, transcendent about having to wait for what is worthwhile. If it is so, have it, do it, be it, live it. But wanting and having are sometimes estranged. I live in that gap. It is tight and uncomfortable.
2006 has 48 more hours.
The closest thing I have to a resolution for 2007 is straight talk. I'm weary of wondering. I am going to get to the nitty gritty. Even if it means some loss. I can take it. I want certainty and clarity and consistency. Everybody needs to walk and chew gum at the same time. Including me.
What does it mean that I can only remember three of the four agreements? Is that subliminal? The one I keep forgetting? Don't make assumptions. I think it may be the hardest one for me to overcome.
That's' why I need the straight talk. Take the pressure off me. Let my brain cool. You tell me. Draw me a diagram. I am not clairvoyant, just very damn perceptive.
I need to work on the other three also. I'm not perfect, just exactly the way I should be.
Why the tough talk? Because I need to grab a hold of myself and be my best friend again. Take care of me. It's the only job I'll have that no one else can do.
I don't do resolutions, but I am pretty reflective.
Though I won't say there were not good days--there were--I am really glad to see an end to 2006. It has played out like two or three different years all full enough on their own.
I spent the first half in Virginia. The last half in New York. And all completely frazzled while trying to keep it together on the surface.
I'm pissed that my life is off track. Some days it really seems to be turning out all stick and no damn carrot.
But I am not going to complain. What am I really trying to do is dig down and find my self, my reserve, my drive. I know its there, because even though I may seem at rest, I can feel the energy swirling.Ii just have to figure out how to harness it and to what end.
I was saying I felt like running away from my life right now. Not because I hate it. But because I hate that its moving at this pace. Its the pace I need rather than the pace I want.
People think patience is a characteristic. It's not. It's a skill, a discipline, a habit, a verb. I do it but I do not embody it. I fake it. What is the inherent virtue of patience? I say there is none. There is nothing, I have concluded, transcendent about having to wait for what is worthwhile. If it is so, have it, do it, be it, live it. But wanting and having are sometimes estranged. I live in that gap. It is tight and uncomfortable.
2006 has 48 more hours.
The closest thing I have to a resolution for 2007 is straight talk. I'm weary of wondering. I am going to get to the nitty gritty. Even if it means some loss. I can take it. I want certainty and clarity and consistency. Everybody needs to walk and chew gum at the same time. Including me.
What does it mean that I can only remember three of the four agreements? Is that subliminal? The one I keep forgetting? Don't make assumptions. I think it may be the hardest one for me to overcome.
That's' why I need the straight talk. Take the pressure off me. Let my brain cool. You tell me. Draw me a diagram. I am not clairvoyant, just very damn perceptive.
I need to work on the other three also. I'm not perfect, just exactly the way I should be.
Why the tough talk? Because I need to grab a hold of myself and be my best friend again. Take care of me. It's the only job I'll have that no one else can do.
Saturday, December 02, 2006
Vaguely Speaking...
I have been a bit silent, but not inactive. I meant to post on Thanksgiving, but I didn't, forgive me.
Anyhow...I can't reply to "ANONYMOUS" messages. If you have left an anonymous message, please let me know how and/or where to adddress you.
To answer "ANONYMOUS" who asked if I was doing Sisterlocks...I'd be happy to talk to you about it. Let me know where to reach you.
To answer "ANONYMOUS" who offered me one last clue. I didn't get it. Please give me another last clue.
To everyone else, rest assured, I will blog again!
Anyhow...I can't reply to "ANONYMOUS" messages. If you have left an anonymous message, please let me know how and/or where to adddress you.
To answer "ANONYMOUS" who asked if I was doing Sisterlocks...I'd be happy to talk to you about it. Let me know where to reach you.
To answer "ANONYMOUS" who offered me one last clue. I didn't get it. Please give me another last clue.
To everyone else, rest assured, I will blog again!
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Black team loses
I hate that I got pulled into watching the last half of that Survivor premiere tonight. The African American team lost and despite myself I was ticked off. Why did they have to lose right off the bat? I don't even know what happened in the first half of the show...so I can't comment. They also sub-divided based on gender...but that's another story. Anyhow...I'm just not sure what the point of revisiting this emotional territory is. I grew up watching my parents and grandparents wince whenver a black person made a bad showing on television and here I find myself in the same psychic territory. Damn that John Burnett!
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Deep cleansing breath...
1) I love JetBlue! I got Gram and Sam to New Orleans and was able to meet my parents in enough time to check back in and hop the same plane back. So I didn't have to sit in the airport all day. That meant I didn't have enough time to buy stuff. But really, I have no business frying beignets in here. And (shh!) I know how to order the mix online...which if I keep typing about beignets, I'll be tempted to do.
2) After a cranky start, everything went pretty well. Gram got cross with me last night and this morning. I kept Sam in the dark until it was nearly time to go. Then I swooped down, harnessed him and shoved him in the sherpa carrier. Somehow the little houdini managed to get out. I was terrified I would have to take the huge hardside carrier. After I loaded Gram's walker, luggage and wheelchair, it was apparent that wasn't going to work. So I took the sherpa bag and prayed he wouldn't try the escape act again. He didn't. And as far as Sam's travel record is concerned, things went really well. He cried in the car and a little while at take-off, but eventually he piped down and was mostly quiet.
3) Gram has been wholly unrealistic about what she's going to find in New Orleans. This is her first time back. All year my mother and I have been torn wbout what to tell her and when. And I felt like the Grinch everytime I reminded her that, no, she wouldn't be retrieving her belongings or moving back in her home or cleaning things up when she returns. My grandmother's house was in walking distance from the much-media-covered levee breach in the Ninth Ward. And even though it was the only one left standing on her block, it is condemned and will have to be completely demolished. My father was able to recover precious little when he was finally allowed access. My mother tells me she was quite distressed on the drive through. But in a way, and this is probably difficult for those of you who haven't been through this to understand, it is probably the only way she will be able to accept what has happened and maybe move forward. Neither my mother nor me can keep her in a bubble away from all that has happened. We all have to move forward. It is awful to watch her have to go through this, but maybe that will be the way she comes to accept our help and comfort.
So now, for the first time in a loooong time, I am alone (well, Nairobi is here!) in my own apartment. My family is back in New Orleans and on their way back home. I am in no eminent danger of having to go to Virginia or otherwise check on them. Now, I can focus on getting my life in order. Over the next couple of days, I intend to get a little sleep, give myself a little low-level pampering, and start settling into my new home with gusto. I've already stepped up my job search and my home organization is nearly done.
Deep cleansing breaths and prayers....Here we go!
2) After a cranky start, everything went pretty well. Gram got cross with me last night and this morning. I kept Sam in the dark until it was nearly time to go. Then I swooped down, harnessed him and shoved him in the sherpa carrier. Somehow the little houdini managed to get out. I was terrified I would have to take the huge hardside carrier. After I loaded Gram's walker, luggage and wheelchair, it was apparent that wasn't going to work. So I took the sherpa bag and prayed he wouldn't try the escape act again. He didn't. And as far as Sam's travel record is concerned, things went really well. He cried in the car and a little while at take-off, but eventually he piped down and was mostly quiet.
3) Gram has been wholly unrealistic about what she's going to find in New Orleans. This is her first time back. All year my mother and I have been torn wbout what to tell her and when. And I felt like the Grinch everytime I reminded her that, no, she wouldn't be retrieving her belongings or moving back in her home or cleaning things up when she returns. My grandmother's house was in walking distance from the much-media-covered levee breach in the Ninth Ward. And even though it was the only one left standing on her block, it is condemned and will have to be completely demolished. My father was able to recover precious little when he was finally allowed access. My mother tells me she was quite distressed on the drive through. But in a way, and this is probably difficult for those of you who haven't been through this to understand, it is probably the only way she will be able to accept what has happened and maybe move forward. Neither my mother nor me can keep her in a bubble away from all that has happened. We all have to move forward. It is awful to watch her have to go through this, but maybe that will be the way she comes to accept our help and comfort.
So now, for the first time in a loooong time, I am alone (well, Nairobi is here!) in my own apartment. My family is back in New Orleans and on their way back home. I am in no eminent danger of having to go to Virginia or otherwise check on them. Now, I can focus on getting my life in order. Over the next couple of days, I intend to get a little sleep, give myself a little low-level pampering, and start settling into my new home with gusto. I've already stepped up my job search and my home organization is nearly done.
Deep cleansing breaths and prayers....Here we go!
Go JetBlue!
Today I am taking Gram and Sam back to New Orleans. I am hoping the DirecTv, blue chips, and cookies take the edge off everything. I'll be back tonight. Say a prayer for us all!
Monday, September 11, 2006
Not forgotten...
Today is the fifth anniversary of the World Trade Center, Pentagon and Shanksville, PA tragedies. Living in New York, it would be impossible to forget, but I wouldn't even if I didn't. I remember the day so very vividly. It was a Tuesday morning and I had left New York just the day before excited because I had decided to follow my heart...leave my job and move to the city. That Tuesday morning I got up and dressed. I remember hearing about the first plane on the Today show. I sometimes leave the television on when I go out. So as I locked the door, it seemed it wasn't clear what was going on...neither Katie Couric or Matt Lauer seemed to know what was going on. One of them speculated it must have been a helicopter or some other small aircraft.
When I got to campus, I tuned my little portable television as best I could. My office was in the center of a cinderblock building and I had the snowiest picture ever. But there was no mistaking what I saw...A full-size aircraft flying right into the World Trade Center. Shock cannot adequately describe what I felt. Was this the start of some full-fledged attack on the country? What was going on? Immediately I thought of my friend Janella and then others who lived and worked in New York. Were they near the WTC? On the subway? The street? I got up and walked across the hall to my colleague's office. It was weird that he was there because, well, he was never there. But that morning he was. And I felt strange saying the words "An airplane just flew into the World Trade Center..." because it felt as if I could be saying anything ridiculous like "hell is freezing over." Like everybody else in this country, I was always taught how improbable it was that the United States would ever suffer hostile attack. Surrounded by 'friendly nations,' exercising military and economic superiority around the globe. Pearl Harbor notwithstanding, the American mainland was supposed to be impervious. I felt exposed and naive and scared.
By that time, I had brought my television to my colleague's office. He had a window and I hoped for better reception. We watched silently. And then they collapsed one after another...He, much older than I, went pale and looked absolutely stricken. My sentient years are post-Vietnam. Besides the techinicolor of the Gulf War, military conflicts were mostly threats in my lifetime that never actually materialized. But his face belied an experience I did not want...I noticed the time. My students...I went down to my classroom. Students were filing in, most wholly unaware of what was happening. But, chillingly, a few walked in with a look I did not recognize. As they took their seats, I told them what I had seen. I couldn't teach class. I told them they were welcome to stay but that I was too worried about my friends in New York to present that morning. One of my students raised her hand, she understood she said...she was in the reserves and figured she should probably check in. I didn't understand at first, but sure enough, as the semester continued many of my students in that class and others began to tell me that they were worried about their military status, about their jobs, about their children...
My thoughts of moving to New York vanished. I was so shaken. The New York I had been in the day before was no more...By the time I drove back to my apartment, it felt like hell had broken loose. Planes were grounded and the lines were impossible. I could not get through to New York at all. Finally, I reached Janella...she was safe at her school. She was worried about me. We started thinking of other people to call. She named people that worked in the WTC or near it. I spent the rest of the morning trying to call them. I saw the news about the Pentagon and then the crash in PA. What was going on? What was going on?
My heart is heavy with condolences for everyone who lost a loved one five years ago. To me, this day will always remind me how tenuous life is, how quickly everything we know can be ripped away. But it also challenges me to be faithful, to be hopeful, and to be steadfast. For all those same reasons we must move forward each day determined to make our own destiny, our own happiness, our own meaning. Whether we are lost or whether we survive...for certain life endures. If we are still here, we still have an opportunity to make a difference for someone else and for ourselves.
When I got to campus, I tuned my little portable television as best I could. My office was in the center of a cinderblock building and I had the snowiest picture ever. But there was no mistaking what I saw...A full-size aircraft flying right into the World Trade Center. Shock cannot adequately describe what I felt. Was this the start of some full-fledged attack on the country? What was going on? Immediately I thought of my friend Janella and then others who lived and worked in New York. Were they near the WTC? On the subway? The street? I got up and walked across the hall to my colleague's office. It was weird that he was there because, well, he was never there. But that morning he was. And I felt strange saying the words "An airplane just flew into the World Trade Center..." because it felt as if I could be saying anything ridiculous like "hell is freezing over." Like everybody else in this country, I was always taught how improbable it was that the United States would ever suffer hostile attack. Surrounded by 'friendly nations,' exercising military and economic superiority around the globe. Pearl Harbor notwithstanding, the American mainland was supposed to be impervious. I felt exposed and naive and scared.
By that time, I had brought my television to my colleague's office. He had a window and I hoped for better reception. We watched silently. And then they collapsed one after another...He, much older than I, went pale and looked absolutely stricken. My sentient years are post-Vietnam. Besides the techinicolor of the Gulf War, military conflicts were mostly threats in my lifetime that never actually materialized. But his face belied an experience I did not want...I noticed the time. My students...I went down to my classroom. Students were filing in, most wholly unaware of what was happening. But, chillingly, a few walked in with a look I did not recognize. As they took their seats, I told them what I had seen. I couldn't teach class. I told them they were welcome to stay but that I was too worried about my friends in New York to present that morning. One of my students raised her hand, she understood she said...she was in the reserves and figured she should probably check in. I didn't understand at first, but sure enough, as the semester continued many of my students in that class and others began to tell me that they were worried about their military status, about their jobs, about their children...
My thoughts of moving to New York vanished. I was so shaken. The New York I had been in the day before was no more...By the time I drove back to my apartment, it felt like hell had broken loose. Planes were grounded and the lines were impossible. I could not get through to New York at all. Finally, I reached Janella...she was safe at her school. She was worried about me. We started thinking of other people to call. She named people that worked in the WTC or near it. I spent the rest of the morning trying to call them. I saw the news about the Pentagon and then the crash in PA. What was going on? What was going on?
My heart is heavy with condolences for everyone who lost a loved one five years ago. To me, this day will always remind me how tenuous life is, how quickly everything we know can be ripped away. But it also challenges me to be faithful, to be hopeful, and to be steadfast. For all those same reasons we must move forward each day determined to make our own destiny, our own happiness, our own meaning. Whether we are lost or whether we survive...for certain life endures. If we are still here, we still have an opportunity to make a difference for someone else and for ourselves.
Baker sighting!
I finally met Brunsli's cousin Baker! It had to happen eventually. Since Gram has been here I have had a legitimate excuse for going into the bakery every morning. Gram loves coffee and I don't have a coffee pot. It's not that I don't like a good cup of coffee, I do. It's just I drink it so infrequently, it just didn't seem like a good use of space to get a percolator. I'm more of a tea girl. In fact, back in Memphis, I had started collecting tea sets. The ones that are pot on top and a big mug on bottom. Great for lounging in bed with a second cup....Anyway, I digress.
I try to strategize, but more often than not, I have to get up and move the car for alternate side parking. So while I'm out, I justify a trip to the bakery. These days for Gram's coffee and once I get there I figure I should get her a pastry too, and it's a short slide to getting one for myself.
I try to strategize, but more often than not, I have to get up and move the car for alternate side parking. So while I'm out, I justify a trip to the bakery. These days for Gram's coffee and once I get there I figure I should get her a pastry too, and it's a short slide to getting one for myself.
Saturday, September 09, 2006
Temporary trouble...
Killing two birds with one stone might have been a good title too. Other hair blogs sometimes give product reviews. I'm not going to do exactly that. But I do want to close the loop. A few weeks ago I mentioned being tired of being a redhead. Well, I wasn't all talk. I would very much like to try being a classic brunette. I moseyed on up to my neighborhood beauty supply and bought a couple of bottles of temporary hair color. Going both feet in seemed like bad idea for a few reasons. One, since my hair is already colored, I was worried about getting the final result I desired. Two, since my hair is already colored, I was concerned about the harshness of effecting a chemical change with permanent color. The temporary color seemed an ideal way to test a new hue with less damaging chemicals.
The problem has been that despite the fact I rinsed my hair forever, it has continued to stain my clothing and presumably my skin weeks later. I am also still a redhead, but that's neither here nor there. The only hitch I can think of is that I did not sit under the dryer after the application. Perhaps the heat sets the color in the hair and prevents staining. Nonetheless I have a towel and several blouses and tees that are worse for the wear after my experimentation. My pillowcases have been molested with color as well. The whole mess is supposed to come out in four to six washings, but I am tempted to get some color remover and be done with this.
I won't say the brand, but I used what I thought was a dark brown. After I got finished rinsing my hair --which never came 'clear'- what was left of the color still clearly showed red. My hair is slightly darker, but it has beenn hardly worth the trouble.
So I am going to put my garments on hand wash and hope for the best...
The problem has been that despite the fact I rinsed my hair forever, it has continued to stain my clothing and presumably my skin weeks later. I am also still a redhead, but that's neither here nor there. The only hitch I can think of is that I did not sit under the dryer after the application. Perhaps the heat sets the color in the hair and prevents staining. Nonetheless I have a towel and several blouses and tees that are worse for the wear after my experimentation. My pillowcases have been molested with color as well. The whole mess is supposed to come out in four to six washings, but I am tempted to get some color remover and be done with this.
I won't say the brand, but I used what I thought was a dark brown. After I got finished rinsing my hair --which never came 'clear'- what was left of the color still clearly showed red. My hair is slightly darker, but it has beenn hardly worth the trouble.
So I am going to put my garments on hand wash and hope for the best...
Friday, September 08, 2006
Don't miss the water until the well runs dry...
I'm going to New Orleans for a day next week. So I immediately started thinking of what I could eat and bring back. Crawfish?! I wondered...
Then I found this...the gist is that it could take years for the crawfish industry to recover. I am one of those epicures who do not eat Asian crawfish. Not that I'm a xenophobe, they just don't taste good. Now I'm scared to check for softshell crabs and oysters too. Oh boo hoo...
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Sigh..
I don't even know if anyone evens reads my blog anymore, but I ccertainly haven't abandoned it. Today I figured I would just go ahead and post, maybe explain my lapses. If anyone is out there, I'd love some feedback.
I've been living in NYC about a month and a half. The new place is coming together. I wasn't up to having my Housewarming/Katrina Anniversary party. Too much more needs to happen before I feel comfortable having a party here. But I did have some friends over for dinner which was great fun.
Who knows what I thought was going to happen, but I am still looking for a traditional, full time job. Once I got here, I thought things would just fall into place. I'm still optimistic, but my attention has been divided. My mother decided she did not want Katrina's anniversary to find her in Virginia. Daddy came up last weekend and they packed up and set off for New Orleans. The only trouble is the house isn't finished. So there s nowhere for them and Gram to live. Gram is here in NYC with me. I can't figure out how I would look for a job and keep her so I've put my job search on hold again. I'm also waiting for my mother to find them a place so I can get Gram and Sam on a plane down there.
Today the whole thing was dragging me down a bit...I'd be thrilled to have Gram visit under any other circumstance, but I'm growing keenly more aware that I need to get focused and plugged in here and I haven't been doing that. Since I arrived I've been going back and forth to Virginia, and just generally fuzzy in my movements.
So I haven't much been in the frame to blog. I don't even know what to say. Who knew this would all still be dragging on?
I've been living in NYC about a month and a half. The new place is coming together. I wasn't up to having my Housewarming/Katrina Anniversary party. Too much more needs to happen before I feel comfortable having a party here. But I did have some friends over for dinner which was great fun.
Who knows what I thought was going to happen, but I am still looking for a traditional, full time job. Once I got here, I thought things would just fall into place. I'm still optimistic, but my attention has been divided. My mother decided she did not want Katrina's anniversary to find her in Virginia. Daddy came up last weekend and they packed up and set off for New Orleans. The only trouble is the house isn't finished. So there s nowhere for them and Gram to live. Gram is here in NYC with me. I can't figure out how I would look for a job and keep her so I've put my job search on hold again. I'm also waiting for my mother to find them a place so I can get Gram and Sam on a plane down there.
Today the whole thing was dragging me down a bit...I'd be thrilled to have Gram visit under any other circumstance, but I'm growing keenly more aware that I need to get focused and plugged in here and I haven't been doing that. Since I arrived I've been going back and forth to Virginia, and just generally fuzzy in my movements.
So I haven't much been in the frame to blog. I don't even know what to say. Who knew this would all still be dragging on?
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
HEAT Wave!
It is hotter than Hades! I am sitting in a towel in my new apartment trying to stay cool. The idea of buying an air conditioner just to get through a few days of extreme weather seems kind of silly to me. I am determined to get through this spell of hot weather with ice, cold drinks, and long naps. It has delayed my plan to paint the kitchen red. For years, I have wanted a red kitchen and I have the primer and paint all ready to go. There is just no way I could stand the fumes or the labor though so I'm going to wait until the weather breaks.
Wackily enough, I live around the corner from Brunsli's cousin Baker. He has the most delicious pastries ever!. I've had the peach croissants and chocolate souffles. Like I said, I'll never lose those extra lbs. going there.
Yesterday, I discovered Fairway and today a place called Garden of Eden with excellent produce. If it weren't so hot, I would either do more exploring or feel more motivated on the job search. As it stands, it's too hot for anything. I have enough food in the refrigerator that I won't be eating out for awhile.
I went today for new eyeglasses and have decided I no longer wish to be a redhead. I haven't donen anything about it yet. Tomorrow is another day.
Wackily enough, I live around the corner from Brunsli's cousin Baker. He has the most delicious pastries ever!. I've had the peach croissants and chocolate souffles. Like I said, I'll never lose those extra lbs. going there.
Yesterday, I discovered Fairway and today a place called Garden of Eden with excellent produce. If it weren't so hot, I would either do more exploring or feel more motivated on the job search. As it stands, it's too hot for anything. I have enough food in the refrigerator that I won't be eating out for awhile.
I went today for new eyeglasses and have decided I no longer wish to be a redhead. I haven't donen anything about it yet. Tomorrow is another day.
Sunday, July 16, 2006
Beyond Katrina
I try to read the Times Picayune online everyday. It's a little way of staying connected to New Orleans. Today there is a fascinating article on the fates of many New Orleans public school students, flung far and wide to make their way in different educational systems.
For some reason, reading about these kids really struck a chord with me. I used to have this recurring dream that I was back at my public high school being told I had failed a math class and therefore hadn't graduated. The implication being that my undergraduate and graduate degrees were invalid and even fraudulent. I also admit to taking those online tests of 'basic high school knowledge' and not faring well, despite the fact that I took not only trigonometry but also calculus...I hate memorizing formulas and never committed to the difference between cosine and tangent.
The students themselves are a mixed lot. Some flourished, some floundered.
It's my turn to do the same. So far, I've been on a couple of job interviews in NYC but nothing has panned out. It has, predictably triggered an existential fit. Am I going to cut it in the New York job market? Am I a competitive candidiate?
I feel like I'm about to jump in the double dutch ropes while they are turning 'red hots.' On the side, I'm weaving and ducking and estimating...and I'm not in yet. I'l still have to catch the rhythm and keep it up when I get a leap. I could slide in or I could fall off.
I've been pretty optimistic so far. And I really do think things are going to be just fine. It's a question of how long it will take for things to fall into place that I can't predict. Or what my life will look like when it does. What kind of life will I settle into in New York?
I even contemplated going back to school. Finding a skill --for once-- for the market, refocusing my efforts. I feel like quite the generalist right now....capable, yes but not as qualified as the perfectionist in me prefers.
For some reason, reading about these kids really struck a chord with me. I used to have this recurring dream that I was back at my public high school being told I had failed a math class and therefore hadn't graduated. The implication being that my undergraduate and graduate degrees were invalid and even fraudulent. I also admit to taking those online tests of 'basic high school knowledge' and not faring well, despite the fact that I took not only trigonometry but also calculus...I hate memorizing formulas and never committed to the difference between cosine and tangent.
The students themselves are a mixed lot. Some flourished, some floundered.
It's my turn to do the same. So far, I've been on a couple of job interviews in NYC but nothing has panned out. It has, predictably triggered an existential fit. Am I going to cut it in the New York job market? Am I a competitive candidiate?
I feel like I'm about to jump in the double dutch ropes while they are turning 'red hots.' On the side, I'm weaving and ducking and estimating...and I'm not in yet. I'l still have to catch the rhythm and keep it up when I get a leap. I could slide in or I could fall off.
I've been pretty optimistic so far. And I really do think things are going to be just fine. It's a question of how long it will take for things to fall into place that I can't predict. Or what my life will look like when it does. What kind of life will I settle into in New York?
I even contemplated going back to school. Finding a skill --for once-- for the market, refocusing my efforts. I feel like quite the generalist right now....capable, yes but not as qualified as the perfectionist in me prefers.
Friday, July 14, 2006
New York, New York!
My posts have been sporadic because, as I mentioned, I am trying to get myself back into the swing of things post-Katrina. Having spent many months in Virginia with my mother and grandmother, I realized the one-year anniversay of the hurricane was fast approaching and I determined that it would find me moving forward.
I've been going back and forth to New York City looking around, looking for work, and looking for a place to live.
This last time I found a place to live. I signed the lease for an apartment in Upper Manhattan. After a decade of threatening and thinking about moving to New York, I am as close as I have ever been...contractually obligated to pay rent on an apartment there for a year (lol). Now all I have to do is get the little bit of furniture I've accumulated from Virginia into my new place. If any of you have suggestions on how I could hire three or four people to unload my moving truck, suggestions on what to pay, etc. I'd appreciate.
I also appreciated the apartment search suggestions. I just needed too much hand-holding this go-round. I'm not sorry I went with a broker...but next time I'll have a better idea of what's going on and I can be more cagey. I wanted someone to do the winnowing out and negotiating for me, so I went the broker route. When it's time to move again, I'll have the advantage of already being in the city, knowing my way around much better, and hopefully having more financial resources.
I live just below Washington Heights (or in it, I'm not sure)...it was a hot spot for awhile, but all of Harlem is in danger of gentrification. My building is pre-war and on a pretty quiet block. I won't know until I move in how the neighbors are, the building, etc. 90% of my neighbors speak Spanish...incuding the super so it's going to be fun to dust off those college lessons and try to hang. My building has an elevator and on-site laundry. I didn't want to let those features be deal-breakers ...but I'm ecstatic I got them both. I am going to cojole Gram into a visit very soon (which she is NOT happy about) and when it gets cold, I can avoid at least one chore-trip (I hate sitting around the laundromat).
Tuesday I go back to clean everything, re-paint (all the walls are yellow, yuck), do my own extermination ritual, put down shelf-liner, hang window shades, etc.
I've already changed the utilities, but I need to get an appointment for cable.
So the only thing outstanding is finding a job...I am thinking good thoughts and staying calm.
I AM going to change my location on the Sisterlocks website. If anyone is interested in a very meticulous trainee who is building her speed, let me know!
I've been going back and forth to New York City looking around, looking for work, and looking for a place to live.
This last time I found a place to live. I signed the lease for an apartment in Upper Manhattan. After a decade of threatening and thinking about moving to New York, I am as close as I have ever been...contractually obligated to pay rent on an apartment there for a year (lol). Now all I have to do is get the little bit of furniture I've accumulated from Virginia into my new place. If any of you have suggestions on how I could hire three or four people to unload my moving truck, suggestions on what to pay, etc. I'd appreciate.
I also appreciated the apartment search suggestions. I just needed too much hand-holding this go-round. I'm not sorry I went with a broker...but next time I'll have a better idea of what's going on and I can be more cagey. I wanted someone to do the winnowing out and negotiating for me, so I went the broker route. When it's time to move again, I'll have the advantage of already being in the city, knowing my way around much better, and hopefully having more financial resources.
I live just below Washington Heights (or in it, I'm not sure)...it was a hot spot for awhile, but all of Harlem is in danger of gentrification. My building is pre-war and on a pretty quiet block. I won't know until I move in how the neighbors are, the building, etc. 90% of my neighbors speak Spanish...incuding the super so it's going to be fun to dust off those college lessons and try to hang. My building has an elevator and on-site laundry. I didn't want to let those features be deal-breakers ...but I'm ecstatic I got them both. I am going to cojole Gram into a visit very soon (which she is NOT happy about) and when it gets cold, I can avoid at least one chore-trip (I hate sitting around the laundromat).
Tuesday I go back to clean everything, re-paint (all the walls are yellow, yuck), do my own extermination ritual, put down shelf-liner, hang window shades, etc.
I've already changed the utilities, but I need to get an appointment for cable.
So the only thing outstanding is finding a job...I am thinking good thoughts and staying calm.
I AM going to change my location on the Sisterlocks website. If anyone is interested in a very meticulous trainee who is building her speed, let me know!
Saturday, July 08, 2006
Why Am I Not Blogging?
Oh dear friends...why you may be wondering have I not been posting? Well the answer is quite simple. I'm trying to get myself moved and resettled in New York City. It is now July and the anniversary of all this crazy Katrina madness is fast approaching (August 29th). I have vowed that I would be living in my new place and (fingers crossed) working at a new job by the time that date rolls around.
So I have been shuttling back and forth to New York answering job posts and dealing with real estate brokers.
I would love to go out and find a no-broker apartment , but I do not know my way around NYC very well and my usual apartment search methods just don't work for a long-distance search. So I may, with little bitterness, end up paying a broker to help me find an apartment. It will likely be the only time I will ever have to resort to such an option. My hope is to find a new place for me (and Nairobi!) by next Thursday. Uptown Manhattan and Brooklyn seem to be the likeliest of destinations. I am wholly unfamiliar with Queens, so I haven't looked there and Long Island, though lovely, really strikes me as a settled-with-a-minivan kind of option.
My hair is holding up nicely! I've met at least three women interested in Sisterlocks, so I may very likely continue to pursue it as a side venture. Though I think my 'long distance' cell number is a deterrent for some. Sigh. Once I get a New York address, I may well have to get a 'local' cell number to match.
In the meantime, summer is flying by and I am doing my best to enjoy it!
So I have been shuttling back and forth to New York answering job posts and dealing with real estate brokers.
I would love to go out and find a no-broker apartment , but I do not know my way around NYC very well and my usual apartment search methods just don't work for a long-distance search. So I may, with little bitterness, end up paying a broker to help me find an apartment. It will likely be the only time I will ever have to resort to such an option. My hope is to find a new place for me (and Nairobi!) by next Thursday. Uptown Manhattan and Brooklyn seem to be the likeliest of destinations. I am wholly unfamiliar with Queens, so I haven't looked there and Long Island, though lovely, really strikes me as a settled-with-a-minivan kind of option.
My hair is holding up nicely! I've met at least three women interested in Sisterlocks, so I may very likely continue to pursue it as a side venture. Though I think my 'long distance' cell number is a deterrent for some. Sigh. Once I get a New York address, I may well have to get a 'local' cell number to match.
In the meantime, summer is flying by and I am doing my best to enjoy it!
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Fastbreaking News Update
Damn it! I leave my TiVo for a second and look what happens! Star Jones has quit/been forced off The View. I only saw a clip of her statement of the web. Curse it. According to another blog, though she said she would stay on until mid-July, she was asked after the show to leave immediately. Drama! If anybody cares enough, please tell me if she's on tomorrow.
I thought Star had gotten to be a royal pain with her Barbie engagement and fantasy wedding, sheesh. I won't even comment on her choice of spouse...there's a pot for every lid. But to have Barbara Walters hire a woman who has publicly ridiculed you is pretty harsh. Please remember that Barbara Walters did Iyanla Vanzant dirty on a talk show deal as well. And my mother reminds of an apparent hatchet job she did on Diana Ross (I'm too young to remember that). So basically, BW ain't black woman's best friend. Meredith Viera was my favorite and the show went straight to hell as soon as she left. But I feel bad today for Star...it's like she didn't even see it coming. Though she should have. Sigh. OK. Back to job-hunting!
I thought Star had gotten to be a royal pain with her Barbie engagement and fantasy wedding, sheesh. I won't even comment on her choice of spouse...there's a pot for every lid. But to have Barbara Walters hire a woman who has publicly ridiculed you is pretty harsh. Please remember that Barbara Walters did Iyanla Vanzant dirty on a talk show deal as well. And my mother reminds of an apparent hatchet job she did on Diana Ross (I'm too young to remember that). So basically, BW ain't black woman's best friend. Meredith Viera was my favorite and the show went straight to hell as soon as she left. But I feel bad today for Star...it's like she didn't even see it coming. Though she should have. Sigh. OK. Back to job-hunting!
Sunday, June 18, 2006
Daddies
Since it's Fathers' Day, I'll say a little bit about fathers. Those of us who are very lucky, like me, have Daddies. The words have very different connotations. Every person has a father, whether or not they know them, whether or not they like them. Daddy is a word that conveys a certain familiarity, a vulnerability, an affection, that is hard to come by and much rarer than the biological tie between father and child.
My daddy is not perfect. But he has always been there. Many women, and men, grow up without knowing what its like to have the man responsible for their existence constantly present. Fortunately, I do not know that absence. Through all his foibles, victories, setbacks and triumphs, my father was there. I have had the privilege of seeing firsthand what it means for a man to commit to being a parent, a spouse, a son. And that has made all the difference. That has provided me the chance to see and appreciate the humanity of every other man that I have met, to define who I am as a woman in relation. I have never felt the void of identity and affiliation that so many struggle to overcome.
From my father I have learned how to forgive, how to laugh, how to be vulnerable. I have learned what to do. I have learned what not to do. And as I met men and women who were not fortunate enough to have shared their lives with their fathers, I have gained a tremendous respect for my father's dedication and true commitment to his responsibilities. I feel very blessed and very loved. Thank you, Daddy.
Besides my father, I was also fortunate enough to have the love of another man. My PawPaw! He was a Grandfather, in every sense of the word. He also gave me unconditional love and unwavering support. There was never a moment when he was alive that I felt uncertain. No matter what I went to my grandfather for, he had it. Without saying much, my grandfather never failed to let me know how very special I must be. That nothing was too good or far from reach for me. That anything I wanted was mine. Some people call that spoiling, those people are wrong--and possibly jealous. I know better. Grandfathers are for raising the bar and creating limitless possibility. With my grandmother, my grandfather gave me security and that allowed me to dream and wish beyond the limits of my experience, to be daring, to be generous, to be kind, and to have the highest expectations of myself.
So today is Fathers' Day... I am very grateful for my father and my grandfathers, but I am lucky for my Daddy and my Paw Paw!
My daddy is not perfect. But he has always been there. Many women, and men, grow up without knowing what its like to have the man responsible for their existence constantly present. Fortunately, I do not know that absence. Through all his foibles, victories, setbacks and triumphs, my father was there. I have had the privilege of seeing firsthand what it means for a man to commit to being a parent, a spouse, a son. And that has made all the difference. That has provided me the chance to see and appreciate the humanity of every other man that I have met, to define who I am as a woman in relation. I have never felt the void of identity and affiliation that so many struggle to overcome.
From my father I have learned how to forgive, how to laugh, how to be vulnerable. I have learned what to do. I have learned what not to do. And as I met men and women who were not fortunate enough to have shared their lives with their fathers, I have gained a tremendous respect for my father's dedication and true commitment to his responsibilities. I feel very blessed and very loved. Thank you, Daddy.
Besides my father, I was also fortunate enough to have the love of another man. My PawPaw! He was a Grandfather, in every sense of the word. He also gave me unconditional love and unwavering support. There was never a moment when he was alive that I felt uncertain. No matter what I went to my grandfather for, he had it. Without saying much, my grandfather never failed to let me know how very special I must be. That nothing was too good or far from reach for me. That anything I wanted was mine. Some people call that spoiling, those people are wrong--and possibly jealous. I know better. Grandfathers are for raising the bar and creating limitless possibility. With my grandmother, my grandfather gave me security and that allowed me to dream and wish beyond the limits of my experience, to be daring, to be generous, to be kind, and to have the highest expectations of myself.
So today is Fathers' Day... I am very grateful for my father and my grandfathers, but I am lucky for my Daddy and my Paw Paw!
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