Second to last day

Today is the second to last day of the 'noble experiment'-to blog every day for a month. I fell short as I am sure many had. November is a funny month-sometimes it seems like nothing happens and then everything happens-especially since people feel the pressure to wrap up everything for the year.

Thanksgiving was solemn, casual, restful and work. While I did not participate in the 'Black Friday' madness, I did make a few small purchases on that Sunday.

Still coasting through the 'On Point' Archives. I surprise myself at how much economic analysis I like to hear...

24 HOURS TO THANKSGIVING

Well, here we are. 24 HOURS to Thanksgiving. Thankfully I am not travelling anywhere. To listen to news coverage, you would think that this was more important than anything else-traveling on Thanksgiving and shopping the day after. I will be making dinner this year. Unlike most people that I have been reading about, I have no worries. While I am not Betty Crocker, I was drafted into kitchen duty at a young age and can make some basic things. Thanksgiving and Christmas dishes were a required part of the curriculum. I did tell the person that will be joining me that he will not be sitting on the couch and watching tv or writing. While I was in bed sick yesterday, I automatically started mapping out his chores which will include dicing and chopping and mixing and table setting. We will be making more than two people should have for Thanksgiving. I don't expect us to eat it all. In addition to celebrating the bounty that we are able to have, Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners also serve a way of providing easy to fix meals for at least two weeks. A harkening back to the days when people ate the same day in and day out-the days when you were just lucky to get fed, rather than fuss over what you got.

In addition to hearing on [insert the name of any morning show] about how to avoid taking in too many calories at Thanksgiving, Jasmyne sent out a bulletin on MySpace that covered her feelings about Thanksgiving and "Black Friday."

I agreed with a lot of the sentiments of her bulletin. One of my favorite animated avatars is an Indian clocking a Pilgrim upside the head. However, I see celebrating Thanksgiving as celebrating the idea that we have something to be thankful for, particularly the bounty that we have no matter how big or small and not the landing of those who would wreak genocide upon most of the Native tribes of Northeast America.

As we are on the topic of being thankful for bounty, I really can't take the annual segments on the morning shows where person acting as expert gives hints on new ways not to indulge at Thanksgiving and Christmas. I understand if you have something really wrong with you and you need help on how to cope with whatever illness (e.g. diabetes, lupus, etc), but that is not who these segments are aimed at. They are aimed at many of the women that are already insane with calorie counting and dessert denying to meet that mythical weight, while the menfolks shrug their shoulders and wash it all down. I don't know how many ways it can be said that these are two days of out of a year of eating more than a tablespoon full of food each will not kill you. If you have something wrong with you or if you are in training, sure, plan accordingly. Otherwise, be thankful that you have the opportunity to have what you have and when you have it because many don't. I always find it curious that for the most part, those who both preach the calorie counting and do the interviewing are women.


It is true that Thanksgiving has become a way station on the road to Christmas Shopping land. It used to be that attaching the word "Black" to any day of the week meant that said day was doomed. Now "Black Friday" means "last chance for retailers to get back in the black." Artificially lowered prices, tele and cyber bullying by retailers to get you into the store and spend your money.


I can tell you how my Thanksgiving will play out:
-Cooking (after shower and travel to the Thanksgiving location) to the tune of whatever is on-They Might Be Giants, New Order, REM, Stylistics, 80s and 90s stuff, Holday cartoons

-Calls to family

-Changing into "nice clothes"

-Saying a specially crafted prayer

-Eating-a lot

-Sleeping

-Some walking

-Some sports watching (football and figure skatin')

-Going online to see if anyone has signed up for next week's volunteer projects.

-NaNoWriMo writing

-No "Black Friday" mall trips. Period.

Reply to a post

AAEA or African American Environmentalist Association I first found out about them at their MSN Group. They also have a blog that I read regulary. I know that for some and "African American Environmentalist Association" seems like an oxymoron. Well there are many that care about and are active in environmental issues. I came across this post at their blog:
http://aaenvironment.blogspot.com/2005/12/environment-of-many-black-women.html

and feel compelled to make plain my views on this topic.



Uhhh...as a Black woman who is approaching the age bracket I would say that I would say while it is good to have companionship-a lover-it is not the end all and be all. The situation is what it is. Instead of directing anger at Black men who for whatever reason is not into you, be thankful that you have a life and choices and the ability to give and to receive love.I am tired of hearing complaints about what a sin it is for a Black man to be gay or underemployed or into [insert the name of any race except Black] women. What I don't hear enough of are the Black women who are successful and who have carved out lives for themselves and careers that they are happy with. I drives me nuts that the message to the next generation of girls is that no matter how successful you are and how productive a citizen you are, it means nothing unless you have a man in your life. then you are complete.I also do note that apparently this except speaks to the "plight" of heterosexual Black women who are not gay or bisexual or who are facing a serious illness or that may choose to accept the love and respect of a man who is not Black. A plight that I am sure is real but in many cases is not seeing the forest for the trees.Adoption is an option in regards to children. Last I checked there is an overflowing list of children who seek a loving parent to adopt. Artificial insemenation (ai) is another option for those who want children but who do not wish to adopt.You can also mentor or become a foster parent. By the way, no one "turns" to lesbianism. Your sexuality is just a part of who you are. Just like no one "turns" to heterosexualism. Such a statement is demonstrates misinformation about lesbians and bisexuals. At the end of the day, whether you have the perfect ideal nuclear family with that perfect Black man or not, you die ALONE. You have one shot at life. You can spend it caterwauling about things that you either cannot or should not control and how things should be or you can be thankful for what you have, let go of what didn't work and learn from it and be the author of your own story with you as a hero that is fulfilled by what you accomplished during your time as person.