Rum's Randoms

I've been deep in thought and I have no idea what to write about today. I have pieces of posts in my mind, but nothing concrete - and since I have things to do today (C) Katt Williams - I'm gonna just ramble. Try to follow along.

1. Everybody Hates Chris is a funny, funny show. I'm sad it was cancelled. Not that I ever knew what day or time it came on when it was actually on, but you know, I'm sad about the principle of it gettting cancelled. That it's one less Black show on the air.

2. I need someone to get me Season 2 of The Game on DVD. Lol.

3. I soo wish there was a Black version of 'How I Met Your Mother.' The show is soo hilarious! And they touch on so many themes, while accurately portraying the joys/pains/angst of going from late 20s to 30 (and on), of growing up and finding a way in life. The writing is great, the story lines are funny (and poignant at times), their continuity is awesome. I wish that Black people were given the chance to be creative, witty, and just be able to riff on the absurdity of everyday life. From banishing potential mates because they haven't seen certain movies (theirs was the Star Wars MJ and I agree in the Black version it would be the Five Heartbeats - ha!), or making a Murtaugh List of things you're too old to do once you hit 30, or just the differences between single people and those in a relationship. Ahhh it all blends perfectly. But no, we are blessed to have House of Payne and Meet the Browns with recycled storylines and plots that don't make sense - how is that baby was born last week and now she 10 years old?!?! Is what i say whenever my mother has it on. And then I walk out the room.

4. But then again I think that historically Black folks have not been encouraged to be creative. I remember one summer I worked with this program for "inner city" kids from DC and I taught English. I would give the kids a word for inspiration and then they had 5 minutes to write about anything they wanted. Half the five minutes were filled with, "Ms. Rum Punch what should we write about?" "Whatever comes to mind." "But what?" And this is why I think all this teach to the test will cripple our children. But that's a conversation for another day.

5. The other day I had Ocho Cinco's dating show, 'The Ultimate Catch' in the background and my father noted that today's TV sucks. Which is oh so true. But then he said, "it's so ego driven." Which is totally on point. I wonder if our children will even know what a sitcom is, or a drama. Soap operas will definitely be non existent. Will everyone just be walking around with a video camera, chronicling their lives? Although let the record show, if I had a video camera, I would be a total fool on the YouTube. Heh.

6. I just saw this commercial (it was on BET - cause I was watching 'The Game' don't ya know) and it was for federal student aid- and the Black guy who was supposed to be a "student" and in "college" was saying how he didn't have a father in his life. But his mother was STRONG and pushed him and helped him get through school. And his aunts believed in him. And told him he was goin' to college. And he didn't know nothin' bout this student loan stuff, but there were forms at his church! Basically it seemed like one stereotype after another - like the marketing/PR people got in a room and were like how can we reach the coloreds? We got it! A commercial talking about growing up without male figures, strong Black women and going to church. I mean they may as well thrown in that once the family was gathered around Big Mama's Sunday dinner table eathing fried chicken, greens, mac & cheese, she held up her hand and said, "now this family got to be that fist and help this boy get some student loans!!"

7. But then at the same time - mayhap this is truly more of a reality than I care to admit and this commercial resonated with the majority. And I am in the minority.

8. Sometimes when I watch Last Comic Standing I want to go try and be a stand up comedian. Not forever, but you know do one open mic. See if people would laugh or boo me off the stage. Or worse that nervous, polite laughter, that's like, 'who told her she was funny?' LOL!

9. I took a pretty awesome online writing workshop throughout the month of July that gave me an added dose of confidence in my skills and abilities. Ugh. Creating works of art for public consumption can be quite the daunting task. Well I mean when you want your work to be good. Anyone can create crap.

10. Have you ever felt no so fresh? Not down there! But in your life? Like you're not feeling bad, but not feeling great? You're good. You're ok. You're fine. But you want...something.

What you got random?

That's my time y'all!Happy Rum Punch Friday!

Are You Ready For This?

January 20, 2009: I know I cursed Courvoisier out in my mind fifty-eleven times! I was trying to smile at her, but in my mind I was calling her everything but a chile of God. I mean if she hadn’t come down from Philly I would have been at home watching the day’s events like I planned under a blanket. Instead I was standing in a line with hundreds of people. Crushed up against a gate. Separated from half the folks I came with. Cold. And tired of waiting to move forward.

Even now, a week later I can’t believe I was part of the nearly two million folks who made it down there that day. Before when asked if I was going down there, my response was “I ain’t crazy!” But there I was part of the number. When we knew we’d need transportation: we got our transit fare early. When we knew it was going to be cold: we put on our layers. When we knew we would get hungry: we packed sandwiches. But even with all this preparation I don’t think we were truly ready to be a part of something…a movement.

January 20, 2009: I know I cursed Rum Punch out in my mind fifty-eleven times! I was trying to smile at her, but in my mind I was calling her everything but a chile of God. I mean they had told us that we couldn’t get to the mall. So basically it was a wrap. We weren’t crossing the gate. Half our group had made it through and where they were now, we didn’t know. It was a hopeless situation. Courvoisier thinking her toes are going to be amputated and Rum Punch wants us to walk to where? Go around what? I don’t think so!

And even now, a week later I can’t believe that I was part of the nearly two million folks who made it down there who were counted as witnesses to history. “I ain’t crazy!” was what I said, yet I was the one who was running down the street when I could finally see the monument. The jumbo screens. And the millions of people watching and waiting for a new era to be ushered in. It was amazing ya’ll! To see millions of people for miles, cheering together, breathing in unison, hoping for a more perfect union. I’d never experienced that before. It was worth the cold, confusion and desperation!

January 20, 2009: I know I cursed Mayor Fenty and his band of cops about fifty-eleven times! Had they not thought about how two million people who were ready to leave were going to do so? Congestion. Some people had knocked down a barrier fence so that we could get out of there. A family with a wheelchair bound woman needed help lifting her over the bottom of the gate. Parents yelled to watch out for their child in the stroller. After a historic moment centuries in the making folks forgot how to be patient, helpful or even civil. But I understood it. It didn’t make sense. A cop lost his cool as the crowd flowed towards him because a cop car needed to pass through the sea of people. We were part of a slow moving current that flowed up 18th street, all the side streets were blocked. The entrances to all the open metro stations teemed with people. We wondered how the platforms below ground looked. Earlier we heard someone was hit by a train.

The only thing we could do was to walk it out. Over private property. Security guards yelled for people to get off the grass-did they not understand no order is possible in chaos? Save your breath! The three of us hopped over cement barriers. Trampled bushes. At some point no space was off bounds. All we could do was wonder why there was no clear exit strategy. After walking for an hour and a half the crowd started to thin out and we finally able to catch a cab uptown back to our car. It was shocking to go from being unable to move to freely maneuvering the city. Downtown had been shut down but in uptown, business continued as usual, it was almost unaffected by the change we had just witnessed. The three of us ended up going to a restaurant in Maryland where others laughed, dined and watched the inaugural parade on television. We ate, excited yet exhausted.

January 20, 2009: I know I that thanked Courvoisier and Rum Punch fifty-eleven times in my mind for making me go. I was not ready for the day. The cold, the people, the foolishness but it was well worth the experience. And now I can say: Yes I was there. Are you ready to hear my story? To be able to do that, is priceless!

See You In Seven

The Fact Is. . .

I have to catch you next week . . . in the meantime

enjoy!!!