Things I Love

I am in a good mood this morning and feeling extra blessed. As I think about the things in my life I'm thankful for and blessed to have I feel the need to share. Here is a short list of things I love.

1. Life. I'm happy and blessed to be alive and healthy.
   
2. Family. Although my family can work my nerves like no one else, they also love me like no one else. I think there are some family members that I don't like very much, but I love them all. Loving is harder than liking.
3. Mr. Bunny. Love me some feisty bunny. Enough said!
4. Independence. I love that I have the right to choose my own path in life. I make choices that I feel are good for me and I'm not persecuted for them. Not every person and definitely not every woman has that right. So I'm thankful for the privilege.
5. Friends. I have been blessed to make and keep friends. I have friends that span the spectrum of liberal, conservative, race, gender, ethnicity (lot of people don't know that ethnicity and race are not the same), sexual orientation, religions. You get the picture. The common denominator in my friendships is me obviously! Actually the thing that ties all my friends together is that at their core, they are all good people. I recognize that not everyone has these types of relationships in their life so I'm grateful.
6. New Orleans. The city of New Orleans has some well-publicized problems. I'm not going to go into all of them it's enough to say that I am aware of them. I've lived here a long time. I often think the city is one of my friends that I'm so blessed to have. I love that I can find live music any night of the week. I love that there is a readily accessible art community. I am no kind of artist, but I am an admirer of art in most of its forms. I love that I can walk along magazine street with a tasty alcoholic beverage (in a plastic container of course) and not get hassled. I love that daiquiris are available in the movie theatre. I love that I can wear shorts 9 sometimes 10 months out of the year. Mardi Gras! I love that I live in a city that exposed me to things and situations that taught me true tolerance, acceptance and appreciation. Growing up in a conservative small town doesn't always prepare you for that.

This is definitely not a complete list. I was just feeling extra mushy today.

We're Fugitives!

As I type this Mr. Bunny and I are ashamed to show our face in the neighborhood. I should say, I'm ashamed, Mr. Bunny is feeling no shame! So in my neighborhood Mr. Bunny is famous. First of all he is the only bunny on the block and I take him for walks on a leash. All the little kids love to come and pet him. He has stopped traffic on numerous occasions. For the past three years I've been loaning him out a few weeks before Easter to take pictures with my neighbor's children to send to their Grandma. Well what I've known all along and what my neighbors recently found out is Mr. Bunny has a darkside!! **gasp** He likes to attack other animals occasionally. He has never bitten a human as far as I know. He did try to pee on my ex-boyfriend the first time he met him. That was not only funny it turned out to be foreshadowing. Mr Bunny is still here almost-pee'd on boyfriend.. no longer around. You do the reasoning. He also attacked a friend's small dog. I am pretty sure this was done out of jealousy, because I was playing with the puppy. Once Mr. Bunny and I almost got "handled" by the Nation Guard. Don't have time to tell that story just know that it ends with me telling the machine-gun carrying guardsmen that "Me and Mr. Bunny are free Americans and can walk wherever we want", then picking up my fellow free American bunny and running like the hounds of hell were after us. Ahh good times. So this brings us to the reason for our fugitive state.
On Monday I was walking Mr. Bunny in the neighborhood when the previously mentioned neighbor-children came running up. They stopped to pet him as usual and the little girl even ran inside to get him a grape. She loves to feed him and he loves to eat it.. win-win situation. So the little boy brings over their brand new kitten. A really cute little black kitty that looks like it weighs about 2-3 lbs. I love cats so I make the appropriate oohs and ahhs. The kitty really is adorable. I should also mention that it was a really nice evening with a breeze and most of my neighbors were out in their yards. I don't know about other neighborhoods but it seems my neighbors like to be out in their yards with an alcoholic beverage in hand. Back to the story. The little boy puts the kitten on the grass in front of Mr. Bunny so he can meet it. Mr Bunny out of the blue lets out a "Rebel Yell" and attacks. (Most people would be shocked to learn that when appropriately pissed rabbits can growl. Not often and not usually but it is possible.) I was not paying attention so I dropped his leash. The poor kitten is running for her life and hissing as only felines can. Now I have take off at a mad dash to catch up to Mr. Bunny who has given chase. I barely caught him and that was only because he still had the leash trailing behind him. When I finally capture him and pick his protesting-ass up I'm winded and very embarrassed. My slightly tipsy across the street neighbor says in his thoroughly middle-class way "Look at that rabbit. It's like an attack rabbit!" At this point I'm trying not to make eye contact with anyone and pretending I don't hear the little girl asking her mom why Mr. Bunny was mean to "the baby kitty!" So now me and my attack bunny are hiding out. I'll take him for another walk this weekend but probably in the backyard or on another street.

My Favorite Book

I'm doing something a little new today. I have always been a big reader. I have been in love with books and the written word since I was a child. Anyone who knows me well, is aware that books take up a lot of space in my apartment and my heart. I read everything! It is not unusual for me to be in a bad mood or even a good mood and be able to trace its origins to the most recent book I read. With that said, I realized that I don't mention books or my favorite authors at all on this blog. Funny that such a large part of my life is never mentioned on here. Well it is time to change that. I'm not sure if I'll add one of those "what I'm reading now" widgets or if I'll just do a regular post on books I like. I've decided to start by telling you all about my favorite book. This is the book I give to people I really like. This is the book I grabbed when evacuating for hurricane Katrina. I forgot the last picture I took with my deceased father here in New Orleans, but I took Kindred. I simply love this book. I've read and gifted this book too many times to count. In the event of fire I would grab, Kindred, Mr. Bunny and my laptop on my way out of the door. (See almost forgot the picture again. I would grab Kindred, Mr. Bunny, laptop, and picture of deceased father) I'm sure by now you understand how much I love it. Now let me tell you why.

The name of the book is Kindred by Octavia Butller. The novel is about a modern (1976) black woman named Dana. She is transported back in time to the slavery era South to save a little boy. This boy turns out to be her ancestor. She is summoned over and over again whenever he, Rufus, is in mortal danger. She must save him to ensure her own eventual existence. Each summoning has her stay longer and longer. Each time she returns her young charge is older and more a product of his time. The book really explores love, hate, race, obsession, cruelty, forgiveness and worst of all fear. The characters are really well developed and Butler is a master when it comes to world building. Reading this book will really give you an understanding of daily life on a plantation. The author doesn't make the slave master's overly cruel or villanous. Instead her point is made in small accepted every day cruelties that made up life in that time. It makes you wonder what choices you would make in a given situation. You see the young boy grow to become a man that still reminds you of the child that steals your heart and compassion at the beginning, while making you dread the man he has become. I don't know how to explain it. Every time I read this book I want to hate him so much, but I never do. I find myself feeling sad for him and the other characters. The author does a really good job of subtly demonstrating a kind of commonality between the so-called good characters and bad-characters.

I can't say enough about how much I love this book. I highly recommend you pick up a copy of this book.

Drama Rama

I have been without internet access the last couple of days. I just recently replaced my modem, and when I say recently I mean like last week! Well after all that my internet goes out again. I start moving my cords around and troubleshooting to see what the problem could be and low and behold the problem is Mr. Bunny. Somehow he snuck into the back room where I keep my modem and router. I usually keep this door closed for a couple of reasons, the first of which is that I never clean it! The other is because my desk in there has a lot of cords connected. I keep my printer and all the routers and modems for my internet access in there. Mr Bunny is a notorious cord chewer so I keep him out of there. Apparently I didn't do a good job cause he has managed to chew one of the Ethernet cords to my new modem. Seriously this little bunny has cost me so much in replaced cords over the years that I could buy ten bunnies. He knows better than to go into my backroom.
On a not so new note The Minister has taken up residence on "Crack Island". Our conversation started out so innocently. I complained about getting wet in the rain on my way to my car after church. She says something like you're not sugar you won't melt. I reply that I happen to be very sweet (occasionally). Here's where the conversation is hijacked. She informs me that she doesn't know that because she doesn't have a son-in-law or grandchild from me to tell her this! Crazy.. of course I fire back with Mr. Bunny and she points out that he can't call her and tell her so his testimony is null and void! The conversation went completely off track from there with me ending up threatening to bring her an illegitimate grandchild within the year. ( As a minister she is very much about the marriage then baby carriage) Apparently she is getting desperate because she doesn't miss a beat when she says "Bring 'em!!" It's not like she really needs another grandchild. Between my two brothers she has five grandchildren. Regardless, I am so not going out to get knocked up anytime soon. I can barely afford to keep me and Mr. Bunny in entrees what would I do with a kid? Ridiculous.

Happy Mother's Day

I know I had a post about The Minister the other day, but today is Mother's Day. So you are just going to have to put up with another mommy post. So here is a short list of things my mother taught me either by words or deeds. For brevity I won't repeat what I put in my previous post.

• Always tell my children (right now this is Mr. Bunny) the truth, even if it is a truth you don't want to believe.


• How to pray and meditate to center myself when everything else is chaos


• My opinion does count


• I'm lovable even when I have a stank attitude


• Don't listen to people that don't count


• Mom and friend are not mutually exclusive


• Family is important, but not at the expense of happiness


• I have the right to be selfish occasionally

This is a really brief list. Hope it gets you all thinking about your own dear old mommy. Don't forget to call her today.

Something Else

Since I've been sick this week, I've watched a lot of movies.  I have to watch dvd's because I don't have cable and only get two crappy channels.  Soon I'll get no crappy channels if I don't buy a digital converter.  Anyway I digress. 

 So I watched "Something New".  The movie stars Sanaa Latham and  Simon Baker.  Basically Sanaa plays Kenya a workaholic young black woman from an affluent family looking for her IBM. (For those not in the know, IBM= Ideal Black Man).  After being lonely for yet another Valentines Day and fearing becoming  one of the dreaded 44.2 percent she accepts a blind date. (44.2% refers to the number of black women who have never been married according to a much quoted Essence article a few years ago.  )  She vows to be more open and less rigid in her standards for an acceptable man.  Well her blind date turns out to be Brian (Simon Baker) a super cute landscape architect that just happens to be white. oh gasp!!  This is not her idea of open.  So the movie is basically about the two of them navigating an interracial relationship.  And dating white men is presented as "something new" for black women,  an alternative to dating black men that wasn't considered an option before.

I'm here to tell you, I tried something new and it is not new.  Truthfully it is more like something else.  My conclusion is: a man is a man in any color.  I don't know what I expected, but it wasn't what I got.  He still left my toilet seat up when he visited.  He still told ridiculous potty jokes.  He still broke my heart when we parted.(I should have known he wouldn't last because Mr. Bunny never liked him!)  The new was made up of things that had nothing to do with race.  It had more to do with the fact that it was really my first grown up relationship.  Nothing more , nothing less.  The crazy in the relationship had nothing to do with race either.  In fact race was a very small part of the relationship.  Ultimately I picked the same man I usually pick, just in a different color.  Like buying the same great fitting shirt in a couple of colors.  They will fit the same and wear out the same. So a little heads up to my fellow sisters of color:  If you're thinking about starting a relationship with someone of another race in hopes of something new, what you'll get is something else.  

The Exorcist Revisited

I have a really wicked stomach virus this week.  Not pleasant at all.  I am very hungry, but my gut is "actin' a fool". (Am I the only one that still uses this phrase?)  It came on very suddenly at the beginning of the week and is lingering.  I am so mad!! I don't know about you, but I have become accustomed to eating everyday.  Usually more than one time a day too.  Being sick sucks.  Even Mr. Bunny is ready for me to get my act together and head out.  (When I'm unhappy noone, not even  innocent bunnies can escape my wrath) To top it off it is like 75 degrees today and beautiful outside so my neighbor is grilling and I can smell delicious food that is making me even hungrier even as my stomach clenches in pain.  To top it off I only get two crappy channels on the television because I don't have cable.  So I can suffer through whatever asanine soap is on the first channel or watch the christian channel that is super clear.  Why is it that everywhere you go the christian station always has the strongest signal?