Monthly Archives: June 2006

more diversity rants…

Posted on by yllwdaisies

I know I post stuff about diversity a lot. I also know that I don’t acknowledge positive moments. Like in Grey’s Anatomy, how they didn’t even go out trying to cast actors of various ethnicities, & it just happened. Things like that are very cool. But, yesterday, I got this email from my dear friend (y’all know her as Urban Cowgirl), & I feel compelled to post about it. She’s gettin hitched & so she’s been researching all kinds of ‘gettin hitched stuff’. You know what that ‘stuff’ is if you’ve ever been around the betrothed; if you don’t know what the ‘stuff’ is, just know it’s stressful & nerve-wracking for those who do need to concern themselves w/ it.

Anyway, here’s the email (I’ve replaced real names w/ the bracket-thingies, but that’s the only thing I altered):

So, [Urban Cowboy] and I are now researching wedding photography and I’m noticing a disturbing (well, I think it’s disturbing) trend…Most of the photographers have websites and post wedding portfolios on-line so you can see what kind of work they do, right. Well, I think it’s disturbing that I’ve researched at least 25 local photography companies and have only seen ONE black couple featured in a portfolio. I mean, they all seem to be pictures of girls that look like me or [other caucasian person] and there doesn’t seem to be much variety at all. Obviously, not all Cleveland brides are WASPs. AND, what’s more, there’s one photographer who advertises his Latino roots and yet his website features all Anglo-Saxon brides. It’s crazy and I think these people should put more consideration into this as they’re advertising their services on major websites like the Knot.com or Weddings in Cleveland.com. Partially, I’m really disturbed by this trend because it’s not something I usually think of unless it’s truly, glaringly obvious, you know. I mean, I’m not oblivious or insensitive to diversity issues, I just don’t think about it an awful lot because I’m not often presented with situations TO consider it. Anyway, I just thought you would be interested in my recent observation.

See how well she knows me? Now, I’m completely disturbed by this as well. So, I wanted to post it so it’s a little more “out there” than just the two of us talking about it. Ya hear?

Oh, & esp the thing about the latino dude?!? What’s that all about? You’d think at least he’d have a more diverse portfolio. Esp w/ the sheer number of hispanic ppl living in Cleveland.

dark circles & puffy eyes

Posted on by yllwdaisies

I’ve heard (& seen) that sometimes when ppl get married, they go out & party it up the night before. These ppl are like the last minute crammers back in school. Ok, I admit I was one of the procrastinators who crammed all night the last night before an exam in the first couple of years of school.

But the last couple of years, I got wise. Plus, I was really interested in the stuff I was studying. My major was sociology, so I took classes like ‘Social Disobedience’, ‘Family & Intimate Lifestyles’ (where you explore the various close relationships that you find now-a-days), & ‘Urban Problems’ (this didn’t just focus on the US).

Anyway, the point is, I know ppl who go out & get completely sloshed the last night before their wedding. I think it’s uncouth & unwise. First, you’ll look like crap for the big day. You know why they call it the ‘big day’? B/c (at least) one of those wedding pics will be ON DISPLAY in your home for anyone & everyone to see for the rest of your life! And most likely in your parents & in-laws homes as well. Do you really want to look at a pic of yourself looking like crap, for the rest of your life? Well, do ya punk? (That’s what Dirty Harry would say if he was here.)

Second, with all those whiskey/tequila/whatever shots you did last night; there will most def be something coming outta your pores. Do you really want that when you’re in such close proximity to your childhood priest/rabbi/reverend/etc.?

And you’ll have dark circles & puffy eyes from the crappy night’s sleep you got. So, get yourself a good night’s sleep the night before, ‘kay? God knows I will! I don’t buy eye cream that costs me $100/ounce just so I’ll look like crap on the day where I’ll be immortalized all Kodak-like for anyone to see.

yes, I’m fab

Posted on by yllwdaisies

Ahhhh, to be ghetto-fabulous. I know a lot of ppl use this term, applying it to others, but I think it’s over-used & not in the proper way. Now, yesterday, I can honestly say that I felt ghetto-fabulous.

I had just gotten these new Liz Clay wedges. Now, wait, give me a min to explain. These are not part of the ghetto-fabulosity. BUT, in getting these new sandals, I carried myself a little higher, & there was a slight sash-shay to my walk.

So, during my lunch hour, when it’s nice outside, I like to stroll around. So, I walk up one street & down the other, to this area where there are a few granite benches to sit, eat my lunch there, & eventually drag myself back to work. Now, I should add here that I don’t work in a shady neighborhood or anything like that, buuuut, if you go down a couple of blocks, you’re instantly in the inner-city. I’m talking hard-core, drive-by shooting, 2 arsons killing 8 kids in the last 2 months inner city. Our PR department is pretty good about drawing attention away from that though.

So, I was strolling back to the building, as slowly as I could, b/c I really was in no hurry to get back. I saw a shuttle bus go by me. No biggie, right? These shuttles go by all the time. Well, 4 mins later, it comes back from behind me. It had turned around, & is now going in the same direction as I am. It stops, & the driver opens the door, & says something to me. I have pretty bad hearing (plus the bus was loud), so I’m assuming what he said was something to the effect of “hop on, do you need a ride?”. I heard a combination of a few of those words. I just said ‘no thank you, I’m enjoying the day, & I’d like to just walk’. He then tipped his hat (no, not kidding, Clevelanders are ‘hat-tippin’ folk, not many ppl realize this), closed the door, & drove off. Now, keep in mind that I was in the middle of a street, walking along. I know there’s a stop on the street just before, & just after, but not on this particular street in between them. Yeah, the word you’re lookin for is ‘ghetto-fabulous’.

Now, pair that w/ a few hours later, I get off of work, & stop at the corner store to pick up a couple of things. I hand the clerk a 20. And what does she do?!? She pulls out one of those ‘counterfeit money markers’ & checks the damn bill! Now, I shop here all the time (it’s just down the street from my house), have always used cash (they don’t take credit/debit), & have had her check me out before. I’ve never had her pull out “the marker” on me though! So, I’m attributing it to how ghetto-fabulous I looked yesterday.

Obviously, the bus driver liked my ghetto-fabulushness, while the woman (who should’ve recognized me) in my own neighborhood did most def did NOT.

UPDATE: Looking back & re-reading what I’d written, I can see how it may come off a little superficial, but that’s not really how I had meant it. It was just a weird day, & that whole experience of the day kept going round & round in my mind. It was kinda unsettling to me. I was bothered that in one part of town, I was offered a favor, & I was looked down upon in another. All b/c of the way I was dressed & carrying myself; mind you, I wasn’t dressed trashy or anything. But simply based on appearance, one person was being kind to me, & another looked disgusted at me.

Then, one of my closest friends posted about how stupid all these clichéd sayings are. And she’s right, they are. And I started thinking about the whole “beauty being only skin deep”, but that’s not how we treat each other. We treat pretty ppl much better than ordinary or ‘not-so-pretty’ ppl. Cause most days I look normal, I just happened to have looked a tad bit nicer that one day.

huffing-puffing & my cowgirl-chickee

Posted on by yllwdaisies

I have a confession to make. It’s been bothering me for quite a while, & I now feel the need to get it off my chest. You see, I got a phone call this past week from someone where they mentioned the object of my confession. I didn’t answer my cellie, I was working out, & I don’t take my phone w/ me when I go to work out.

Which is actually another post in itself; I can’t stand ppl on the treadmill, running, out of breath, who answer their stupid phones, trying to get the words out, gasping more than talking. Who can understand them anyway? And most times they answer, say stupid things like “…no, I’m running on the threadmill! Man, I can’t talk right now! I’ll have to call you back!” And they’re YELLING all this. Well, yelling-gasping, huffing-puffing. Haha, like a dragon, haha. Sorry, my mind drifted. So, read what I just wrote, but w/ pauses in b/t as the dork tried to catch his breath in b/t words. This is seriously what the guy on the machine next to me was sputtering into his phone. Only he had to repeat each sentence 2 or 3 times, b/c the person on the other end couldn’t understand him. WHY!?! Why would someone have to answer the phone (or take their phone w/ them in the 1st place?). Ok, before you lay the smackdown on me for that last question, I’d like to acknowledge that there are exceptions. Ppl who are parents, yes- please continue to be good parents & answer your phones cause it could be your kids. Ppl who are in life & death occupations, like if you’re a doc on call. Ppl who have fam or friends in the hospital, & have taken an hour outta their day to try to take their mind off of it. And of course, the hookers. The “oldest profession”, we know that you women are always “on call”, & you do have to answer if yo pimp is trying to reach you. Cause we all know, it’s hard out here for a pimp.

What was I talking about? Oh god, yeah, my confession. Do I really have to do this? I don’t think I’m ready. It involves ‘Urban Cowgirl’. She’s a real life friend of mine. She’s the one who called & left the voicemail. I don’t want to make the confession, b/c I feel that I’ve betrayed her in a way.

Maybe I could tell you a little bit about her. She’s one of my fave ppl in the world, let me tell you! I met her through my job, but I no longer work w/ her. We used to eat lunch together for an hour a day. And by eat lunch, I mean, we’d laugh our pa-tooties off talking about all kinds of inappropriate (& oft offensive or politically incorrect) things that would make Bill Maher blush. And he’s dating Corrine Stephens, so I’m sure there’s very little that could make him blush! If my sister is reading this, don’t google Corrine, she’s a whore-skank & that’s all you need to know about her, ‘kay? Thanks. Did I not spell ‘skank’ right? My spell-check is lighting up like ka-ray-zay. Well, I wasn’t an English major, so that’ll have to do.

Anyway, in the summer, we’d take our lunches that we’d packed, & go outside to this place that we called “the jungle”. The jungle had this long, lean grass that almost came upto your knees (well, our knees anyway); & these huge trees that loomed into the sky, reaching out to try to grasp the clouds overhead. We’d hike up our skirts, eat lunch, while tanning our legs (yes, folks, we’re women, & what we do best is multi-task). Every now & then, a car would come along & try to parallel park in an unbelievably small space. And we’d point & laugh. Aahhh, happy memories….

Oh, back to my girl. She has this t-shirt that says “Urban Cowgirl” on it, & let me tell you, it fits her perfectly. She’s street-savvy, cultured, & country. She was raised in the country, so she’s really smart about country-stuff (if you don’t know what country-stuff is, I can’t really help you, cause I don’t really know either). But she’s down w/ the city lifestyle too. Anyway, she’s just grand. Does that make her sound like a piano? Cause she’s not a piano. She’s also gorgeous. AND, she just got engaged! I’m so incredibly happy for her. I love love! It’s grand, too! Although, not in the piano-way again.

devil, planes, & ‘Morning Glory’

Posted on by yllwdaisies

So, they’ve turned The Devil Wears Prada into a movie. At 1st, I was like, “huh? That wasn’t even a great book in the 1st place!? Why would they make a movie outta it?” So, I was wondering about this & though I was the only person who thought so. But I recently discovered that I wasn’t alone.

I had read this book back in the Spring/Summer of 2004, & in October of that year, I went to Texas for a week. When boarding the plane, you know how you go past 1st class (or business class, or whatever class-ism that airline is holding us all down w/) to get to your (or my, you may roll in more dough than me) seat. Well, in the “premier class” area, there was a woman (late 30s, nicely dressed in a cream outfit, it looked linen, but I don’t know if it was or not, don’t worry about how I even remember this stuff a year & a half later, but that’s me). Anyway, the woman was holding up & reading The Devil wears Prada, & was in the beginning of it. I had time to talk to her b/c the ppl in front of me were held up by the ppl in front of them putting carry-ons in the overhead compartment. So, here’s our mini-conversation:

Moi: “oh, I just read that book recently”
Woman: “really? Did you enjoi it?”
Me: “No, it wasn’t that great. I didn’t really care for it. You should read ‘blah’ instead”. [At the time, I had just read another book right after “devil…” but now I just don’t remember what it was. But I remember it was waaay better.]

Now, I was told shortly after this happened that it wasn’t very nice of me to tell some stranger that her book sucked & that she should read something else. Esp when she’s on a plane, can’t really go out to get the much-better book, & now is beginning a 3 & ½ hour flight, w/ possibly nothing else to read.

Well, it’s not my fault, she asked me a question & I answered it. Honestly. That’s just how I roll. [Oh, speaking of honesty, remind me to post about my car-shopping experience yesterday.] AND, not only that, but who am I to her anyway? She shouldn’t take what I say so seriously, it’s not like we’re close friends w/ all the same interests. Just b/c I didn’t like it, didn’t mean she wouldn’t. Obviously, enough ppl had to like it for a movie to get made.

Anyway, back to the point. So, at 1st, I was like, I don’t really want to see this movie. Even though I like Ann (Anne?) Hathaway & Meryl Streep. Then, I started thinking, well, maybe this is one of those movies that really shouldn’t have been a book in the 1st place, it may work as a movie. So, maybe I’ll see it when it comes out on video. Maybe not, I don’t know. How about this, if anyone out there sees it, let me know what y’all thought of it.

I mean, I prob should at least see it when it comes out on video. I saw le divorce on video, & that’s 2 hours (yes, TWO HOURS!) of my life I’ll never get back. It wasn’t a bad movie, but it was just a “little less than mediocre” movie. I’ve now forgotten the point of this whole post. Oh, I’ve decided to see what others say regarding the devil movie, & then decided if I’ll see it in the future. There.

In other news, they made a movie outta In Her Shoes. Now, I love (love, love, love) Jennifer Weiner. I love that she’s a Philadelphian, & has taken great pride in sharing specific places & events of the city of Philadelphia w/ her readers. But that was not her greatest book. I never did see the movie they made of In Her Shoes, so I’d appreciate feedback on that too. But I can’t imagine it’d be that great. Let me know if you’ve seen it.

HOWEVER, if you are female & if you’ve ever had “body”-issues (you know what they are if you’ve had them; if you don’t know what they are, that means you’ve never had them, & you can just stop reading); then you must read Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner. This book was absolutely amazing. It was well-written, entertaining, & really made you feel for the character. Go here & click on the link to read the 1st chapter.

Also, Jennifer Weiner mentioned this place call “Morning Glory” (I think that was the name of the place, I read the book at least 2 or 3 years ago). Anyway, the way she described it made me totally want to go there for breakfast/brunch! I’ve been to Philly at least 3 times since then, & I completely have talked about it, & begged to go there everytime. I’ll make it there sometime. Debbie, if you’re reading this, if you go there, could you tell me how it was, so maybe I could experience it vicariously through you?

see… size doesn’t really matter

Posted on by yllwdaisies

This is the funniest thing I’ve seen all day. I know that’s not sayin much, b/c I’ve had an uneventful day. But I was just looking at stuff after checking my email & this is what I came across.

The cat you see there is Jack; weighing in at 15 pounds. A neighbor saw this & just thought that the cat was just watching the bear. But then the bear climbed down, & Jack the cat chased it up another tree!!! Apparently it’s a scaredy-bear (haha, ‘scaredy-bear’, haha, I crack myself UP!), & the cat’s hissing scared him. Then, the cat’s parents called him, & the bear ran away.

Here’s the story on it.

bag-pipes

Posted on by yllwdaisies

No, seriously, BAGPIPES! I was leaving work the other day, & I saw this guy in a green plaid kilt, walking back & forth in a parking lot, playing BAGPIPES.

There really is no mistaking the sound. So, I pulled out my cam, & snapped a shot.
Now, I wasn’t entirely sure that this was gonna come out; me being so far away from him. So, I got in my car, & drove around to the entrance of the parking lot he was in. But there were 2 cop cars already up the driveway, one horse-cop trotting up, & another cop car behind the horse-copper, about to pull into the same drive. So, I just drove off. I figured it had to be one of those “nothin to see here, folks” type situations. Also, the horse stunk. Worse than “circus-elephant stink”. It was pretty bad. So, I just went on home.

I guess bagpipes are the new thing here in C-town. Someone told me a local high school had bagpipes playing for their commencement ceremonies. You know, instead of that regular/standard commencement march-piece?

Here’s a close-up of the pic. On the right is the bag-piper (bag-pipee?), & on the left, you can see a cop walking up to him.And I know y’all are thinking that you didn’t realize how beautiful the greenery in Cleveland is. I know, no one talks about how gorgeous it is here. We have great weather most of the time. Ppl are just haters & talk smack about this great city all the time. You can see how beautiful & lush even our parking lots are in that 1st pic.

I do love my digital camera. I think I’m in love w/ it!

Confessions of an ole-lady

Posted on by yllwdaisies

Ok, so now, as an official “ol’lady”, I’m gonna share my new grey hair theory w/ y’all. This theory was posited last night, as I washed my face. It was then that I noticed a grey hair. So, I did what anyone does when they see a grey hair; I pulled out the trusty-tweezers to yank that sucka OUT!

10 mins later, I had yanked out 3 grey hairs, & 4 regular non-grey hairs.

So, you know how “they” say that for every grey hair you pluck out, you’ll get 2 more? Well, I think it’s just b/c you actually end up just plucking out twice as many hairs (or in my case, more than twice) as expected. I was only to pull out 3 grey hairs, & instead I got out 7 hairs total.

Soooo, maybe that’s why you’re supposed to end up w/ twice as many grey hairs as you thought you pulled out. Cause you were so focused on the grey ones, you didn’t even notice all the yun’uns you was yankin.

Whaddya think?

cleaning, moods, & music

Posted on by yllwdaisies

Yesterday, I did a ton of cleaning. I was just pretty upset about stuff, so I scrubbed. When you’re scrubbing, you don’t have to really have a conversation even if there’s someone else in the room. Well, that’s my theory anyway. So, I did dishes. Not just the dishes that were in the sink, but also inspected dishes from the cupboard & did the ones that were not up to my standard. All the pots & pans are now really, really shiny. Then, I swept & mopped the kitchen floor. It’s clean. I know it was just mopped 3 days before, but not by me. If it wasn’t cleaned by me, then it’s just not really clean. That’s how I see it. Then, the dining room table, & each separate chair (there are 6 heavy oak chairs to match the heavy oak dining table).

I was just in a very pensive mood. And I tried to not think about what was bothering me all day. But of course I did think about it. ALL. DAY. When I tried to not to think of it, I would get a song in my head. Wanna hear what song ran through my head all day?

step out the front door like a ghost into a fog where no-one notices the contrast of white on white
and in-between the moon & you, angels get a better view of the crumblin difference b/t wrong & right
I walk in the air, b/t the rain, through myself & back again
where, I don’t know. Maria says she’s dyin, through the door I hear her cryin; why, I don’t know.

Yes, folks, I had just those lines, the 1st verse of ‘Round Here runnin through my head everytime I tried not to think about what I desperately was trying to get my mind off of. Not the whole song, just that 1st verse. Over & over (& over & over).

Here’s a lil background for ya. My freshman year of college, I bought my 1st cds. As in 1st cds ever. I had only owned tapes & vinyl before then. August & Everything After was one of my 1st cds EVER. & I had this next-door neighbor, who is now my BFF. And one time she came over & confiscated the cd from me, b/c I was so miserable, & kept listening to ‘Round Here on repeat. For like, 2 days straight. Prob longer than that, but I’ll put down a conservative estimate. That’s for all those out there who’re always saying that I’m exaggerating stuff.

Anyway, I must just enjoy wallowing in my misery. I cleaned & had that 1st verse over & over in my head. It’s just so tragically beautiful, it makes you wanna cry. I know ppl are always on Adam Duritz. They talk smack about him. “How does he get all these really attractive girls when he looks like the way he looks?” Well, ppl, like Jules said in Pulp Fiction, “personality goes a long way”. Why wouldn’t someone want to get to know someone who can write lyrics like that? So, maybe that’s why Adam got d’girls.

So, this morn, I woke up, & in the shower I realized my head had just switched soundtracks. I now had “Santeria” in my head, but when you get to that last line of the 1st verse, I sang “I’d pop a cap in heina” instead of sancho. Yeah, so that’s when I realized that I was over my misery. Only, I now had to get out of this new violent state of mind. I’m really not a violent person. Some ppl can do “really aggressive”, I just can’t pull it off. I think it’s b/c I’m too lazy to put in all the effort for the “follow-through” involved.

Anyway, the point of this whole long-winded story is that I’m in love w/ a new song. That doesn’t mean the song I was formerly in love w/ is no long a song I am still in love w/. I’m just in love w/ another song too. You can totally do that. I checked. So, the last song I was in love w/ was Outkast’s “The way you move”. I’m still in love w/ it. And that’s not to say there weren’t other really great albums that came out in between that & my current “in love” song. Like Gwen Stefizzle’s L.A.M.B., Kanye’s Late Registration, the Killers, & the Gorillaz (I love how they have orchestral instruments on every track). All of them had great songs, from the 1st track to the last. And they all had songs that I loved, & I listened to constantly. But, I heard this new song about a month ago that I knew I was gonna love. And I tried to fight it, but I have to admit, that I’m totally in love w/ it. It’s Crazy by Cee-lo & Danger Mouse. If y’all haven’t heard it yet, you have to. You might think you hate it, but that’s just denial.

So, I’ve now had it in my head all day now; & I’m totally happy w/ it. If you want, go pick up the album. It’s called “St. Elsewhere” by Gnarls Barkley.