The Synergistic Pen

not sure if this is my favorite or not...but, it still makes me tingle...
of all the "bad", the "crazy", the "hurtful"... that went on in his life...
we forget the "good", the "upstanding", the "uplifting" that went on in his life...

enjoy....

I swear, this particular day of the year bugs me. Part of the problem is the firecrackers this little brat across the alley insists upon exploding every day for at least a week before the holiday, early in the morning. I hope he has used up his alottment... I pray he has used up his alottment.

The other problem I have with his particular day of the year is the way most people aren't really clear on what is being celebrated. Some think its about who can best cook a large piece of pork. Others think its about standing around in uniforms and saluting flags. Some think its about sleeping all day. Others figure driving miles away from home to sit around with family and talking shit is the order of the day.

I have no idea why we celebrate this holiday anymore. White folk don't appreciate freedom, everyone else (folk without pink skin) have never really been free, so its just a day off to us, I suppose.

I spent the day wondering if I should repaint the pin stripping I did on my son's wall yesterday, doing some updating on my jewelry website (have you been there yet, no? git there dammit)... and listening to my husband have a really nice conversation with our daughter, who, with her brother, is spending the summer in Florida.

Then I went shopping. Yes, shopping. I don't care if there's a recession, I need shea butter and earrings. Ok, I didn't need earrings, but I like to support my sisters out there making handmade jewelry... so I bought some stuff at the annual caribbean festival ... it was raining... so, shopping was easy. I don't mind getting wet.

what was the question again?

Oh yeah, this particular day of the year no longer has meaning to me. I have always assumed I was free, I KNOW that my freedom is not dependent on anything any "american" did for me... although I am eternally grateful to all members of the armed forces for sacrifices made. Thank you all...

but... this particular day of the year...I don't know yall...tell me... should I care? Well, there are the fireworks... I like fireworks... (smile)

An associate of mine gave me this link and video clip on a topic I thought you all might find interesting.



for more information on this documentary, visit their website here.

I'm empathetic. I'm a bit shocked. I'm probably even sad. I'm definitely sick of folk saying RIP. Stop it... damn.

I watched Michael Jackson and his brothers most afternoons one year as they rehearsed in the multipurpose room at Garnett Elementary School in Gary. I was 8 years old. My mother taught 1st grade there. I wondered who these dancing fools were.

This was just before the big "discovery" of the J5. They were just some local boys who won talent contests and could dance. Again, I was 8, I wasn't impressed.

Over the years, it was bothersome to say, yeah, I'm from Gary, no, I don't know Michael every time people found out where I was from. I'd say stuff like, you DO know Alex Karras and Deneice Williams are from G.I. too, right? That always resulted in blank looks that melted into "this heffa is crazy" smiles.

It wasn't that I was ashamed of Michael, I, like most locals, tried to keep them for ourselves, even when we knew we couldn't. So, as Julianna Renzik (or whatever her name is) interrupted the dumb show I was pretending to watch on E! the other day, made her announcement, I felt suddenly very alone. Michael was gone and wouldn't be showing up unannounced like his brothers did a few weeks ago... just cus they wanted to visit an uncle. I wouldn't have to roll my eyes and sigh as I said for the umpteenth time, no I didn't go to school with Michael. I would (unfortunately) have to listen to Bad every hour on the hour ... but that's ok.

Dead celebrities and their totally disloyal fans make me itch. Geez... I just ain't feeling all the tears and total sadness, and analysis of his life and career and social ineptness. Most of yall didn't even know he wasn't living in the country, geez, quit pretending you're upset!

I don't care. Does that make me a bad person? (please say yes).

Yeah, I was too close to the action, sitting in the multipurpose room at Garnett, watching this little boy and his brothers spin and dance and sing. It was never that big a deal to me. It was just the Jackson brothers from G.I. They did good.

*sigh* damn.

Dear Governor Sanford:

It has come to my attention that you used poor judgement lately. I'm not sure what exactly was on your mind and why you thought you were getting away with, but I must say, I am disappointed.

Not only have you disgraced yourself in the face of your family and constituency, but also before the eyes of God.

Aren't you one of the guys about 16 years back that INSISTED that President Clinton should resign because of his trist with Monica? Dang man, at least Wild Bill stayed at work! Why did you leave the country dude? Wouldn't it have been easier to send for her? Is she that fabulous? Will she let you live with her now (cus I hope ole girl has sense enough to change the locks on the door)

What were you thinking? At the end of the day, its just sex. You can get that on just about any corner in America. Was it her conversation? her fake picture? the voice on the phone? Tell me please, so I can go out and twist up some man's head right quick!

No, seriously, I weep for you in this situation. You really got caught up and now, probably actually believe everyone will say, poor man, woo woo woo. NOT. As I discussed this with someone this morning, it was noted how you have always made a point of making sure everyone knows how great a Christian you are and how your "Christian Values" are the cornerstone of who you are as a man and a politician. The thing about being a child of God, though, dude is this: you don't even "get" what being a child of God is until you've suffered a bit...

wait, you're suffering now, I think you "get it" now, huh?

I want to thank you, as a fellow child of God for putting the wrong message out there in the universe, pushing more people away from Christ and the faith and forcing me to now spend at least the next 2 weeks listening to atheists, agnostics and free thinkers on the way out there tip, use YOU as the example of why Christianity sucks.

I hope things get better for you. I hope you really do "get it" now. I hope your wife is more forgiving than I'd probably be. I hope you can find a job, cus, damn dude, you gonna lose this one.

Have a scrumdillious day Governor Sanford, for real doe...