OSF Stevie Wonder

This one makes me happy around the holidays...

Purse Snatching Foolishness!!

So, I just witnessed my first purse snatching, which was quite the odd experience. Me and Mr. Clark were heading inside Meijer to get some ingredients to make a pot roast for Thanksgiving. On the way inside we saw a middle-aged woman scuffling with a teenie-bopper looking girl, about 5"3 and barely 100 lbs (I soooo could've taken her had I known she was a crook--more on this in a moment).

We didn't realize the girl was a purse snatcher; we just assumed it was a teenage kid fighting with her mother. At the time I thought to myself that if I were her mother I would beat the living sh** out of her for being so disrespectful. Me and Mr. Clark didn't realized that it was a purse snatcher until we saw a Meijer employee help out as they tried to apprehend the crook. As the girl left the store to make a mad dash for the parking lot, she bumped into me (literally) as I was walking into the store. Me and Mr. Clark stood there (along with other bistanders) for a moment trying to figure out what was going on, and by the time we figured it all out, the lil' heffa was gone. While no one was hurt, it was a shame that no one could catch the suspect, since she was a stupid crook. Here's why:

1. This girl was easily recognizable. She had black and blond streaks, a beige fur coat and fur ug boots, and she was VERY tiny (yeah, I know I pay way too much attention to what people look like, but in this case, my attention to detail came in handy). Quite easy to give a description, even without surveillance cameras.
2. This girl tried to rob a women who was at least twice her size. Like I said, I'm not very big (only 5"1 and I could've taken her). No wonder the girl unsuccessfully attempted to snatch the woman's purse. The little girl was no match for the heavy-set woman.
   
3. The girl was a very SLOW runner. I'm not sure how many people can make a dash in Ug boots with snow-slippery weather conditions. As she ran I was thinking (before realizing that she was a crook), whether or not this was a joke. I wondered if she was playing around because it seemed like she was running in slow motion!

It's a shame that these things happen around the holidays, but it teaches women to really be aware of their surroundings. In my case it also didn't hurt to have a 6"2 Black man accompanying me to the store. Sometimes those who pose a physical (and psychological) threat to society come in handy.

OSF Jazz Tribute: Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis

The baddest saxophonist IMO.

Bringing B(l)ack Back!

While there has been some commentary on what an Obama victory means for mainstream America, some have taken it to another level...

UPDATE:
Diary of an Anxious Black Woman has posted Mark Anthony Neal's interesting commentary ("Is Michelle Obama'sAss Off Limits?") on Michelle Obama's backside. I encourage you to check it out because I think it raises interesting questions about what it means to be fit in America, while still, um, having a big phat/fat ass.

In my WRA 125 class today, we looked at sample advertisements composed by former students as examples for students design their own multigenre remix projects. With one ad there was a VERY slim African American woman eating a burger, saying, "These burgers be good for my booty." My students were highly critical of this ad because for one, it wasn't clear which burgers/which restaurant was being advertised. Second, the woman in the ad who claimed to be eating the burgers to make her backside larger, obviously had NO BACKSIDE! Not only was her booty slim, but also, her butt was shadowed by the brick background of the ad, and therefore, less visible.

The notion of body parts and fitness is worth discussing (and complicating) at greater length. While I'm less certain whether or not First Lady-Elect Obama's behind should be the target or focus of these conversations, representations of Black female bodies should nonetheless be addressed both critically and intellectually.

Why College Student Needs a Composition Class

This proves why teaching writing courses (and any literacy-related for that matter) is still relevant: So that you don't have to prove that you can read and write even if you do supposedly have a college degree, and even if you are governor of a state. In other words, if you were taught the communicative skills (oral and written) necessary to appear educable to the general public--and if you paid attention, went to class, etc. while taking those courses-- you wouldn't have to ink 7 million big ones to prove that you can read or write. Seriously.

P.S.
Happy Birthday, Mom! I love you!

OSF Birth Year Song

I've been asked to post a video of a favorite song from my birthday year. My favorite from 1981 has to be Luther Vandross: "Never Too Much."

Need Someone Ask?

Is she racially insensitive or just really dumb? I'm more inclined to think the latter (seriously); however, I wonder why anyone would have to ask whether or not the term "colored" is an acceptable term for African Americans. Based on the images that appear to the left, what do you think? Need someone really ask? Duh! %&^%&%^

To Do List 2.0

1. Praise God that we have the victory!
2. Laugh
3. Find that inner peace and return back to calm since the anxiety of the election is over
4. Return to cooking and baking hobbies that have been neglected since dissertating/writing/election
5. Find something else to do with my Web surfing time now that the presidential election is over, maybe search for new cookie recipes to try?
6. Be proud of my new balance between work and life (we'll see how long this actually lasts!)
7. Work on Afrafeminist Teacher-Research Methodology Chapter
8. Finish Revise/Resubmit article and draft cover letter summarizing the major revisions
9. Tidy up another book chapter proposal
10. Work on Race(ism) and Writing Assessment Chapter
11. Begin planning WRA 125 Spring 2009 course
    

Did Anybody Notice the Silent Woman?

I found it quite interesting how silent and stoic Sarah Palin was at McCain's concession speech. Before providing a bit of commentary, a few disclaimers: First, I acknowledge that neither VP candidate vocally addressed the crowd, and second, it's obvious that she'd appear sad since they loss. Nonetheless, it still noteworthy that a person who was so vocal as attack dog would be so silent in defeat. Also worth mention is her silence during McCain's gracious and classy concession speech. From a critical feminist perspective, I'm left to wonder at the significance of her silence. The Republican party got Palin to do their dirty work, but kept her silent while they showed a more gracious side, not such a positive portrayal of women in the party. I could be reading way too much into this, but my gut tells me that I'm not. Just a thought.

UPDATE:
From Newsweek:

McCain himself rarely spoke to Palin during the campaign, and aides kept him in the dark about the details of her spending on clothes because they were sure he would be offended. Palin asked to speak along with McCain at his Arizona concession speech Tuesday night, but campaign strategist Steve Schmidt vetoed the request.

This perhaps seems to confirm my suspicions....

It's still sinking in

Scene One:
I find myself reminiscing on this whole 2008 campaign and thinking back to EARLY 2007 when a colleague (Chicago native) asked if I were voting for Obama:

Colleague: Are you voting for Obama
Me: I don't know; I really don't know much about him. I think I'm leaning Hillary Clinton, but I'm not sure.
Colleague: Have you read his book?
Me: Nope
Colleague: If you do, you'll definitely vote for him!
Me: We'll see.

Scene Two:
December 2007, I'm in the faculty commons room making coffee when one of our department secretaries is also making her coffee

Colleague: We have the chance to make history. Imagine that! A Black man in the White House!
Me: (half-heartened) Yes we do; that would be amazing. (I'm thinking that Obama doesn't stand a chance, but it's good that she's inspired, so I won't burst her bubble).

Scene Three:
Late December 2007/Early January? 2008 An Ohio State Representative invited me to local Ohio caucuses that pick the delegates that would go to the Democratic National Convention. She wanted us to vote for her to serve as one of Hillary Clinton's delegates. At that point I was still undecided, so she insisted that voting on delegates doesn't mean committing to a particular candidate. When I arrived at the center to vote for delegates, I felt so guilty going into the Clinton caucus to vote when I saw all the energetic Obama supporters. I felt like such a traitor, but voted for Clinton's delegates anyway. When I arrived home late that evening, I found out that Obama won the Iowa caucus! At that point, I'd made up my mind, became inspired, and jumped on the Obama wagon.

Needless to say, I'm still inspired!