Kimmy

Last night, as I was glued to the television as I'm sure most people in the world were, I had chills watching the announcement of the President Elect, Barack Obama, which was followed closely by tears. Let me explain :

I spent most of my formative years with my dad and his family so I was exposed to Trinidadian culture, Black history in Canada, the US and the Caribbean. I took part in African Heritage classes; I learned a little Swahili (sadly I remember very little); I went to cultural events; I watched movies and read books that spoke of the Black experiences. I learned Dr. King's "I have a dream" speech by heart and I understood, even at a young age how far we'd come from that. I met Rosa Parks, who was humble and quietly maintained that she wasn't trying to make a point, she just refused to move because she had worked a long hard day and was tired. I have always had the freedom to sit where I want, eat where I want, and to go to school where I wanted - sometimes I take these things for granted, sometimes I forget what people before me sacrificed.

My family also taught me that I could not afford to let anything slide because my work, my talents and my abilities would be scrutinized differently that my white classmates and friends. That said, I was told I could do anything that I set my mind to - I was lucky enough to have positive Black role models. Still, there were certain role models that were few and far between - think about how many Black (or any minority for that matter) MPs/MPPs, etc. that there have been here in Canada, a country that proclaims itself more multicultural and liberal than the U.S.A.

I was asked today if Obama's win was really that astounding (were the racial implications really that profound?) and didn't I think that before, say in 2004 or even 2000, had there been a legitimate Black candidate that their election would have been possible? Truthfully, no, maybe Colin Powell before he went to the UN over WMDs but no one else has been in a position to achieve what Obama has done.

If there is any doubt about how important this is, watch the tears streaming down Jesse Jackson's face. Think about the anecdote about the 106 year old woman that Obama used in his speech. This is a victory for so many reasons but for me, I feel like this truly means there are no limitations on what any person of colour can achieve (this is something that until now, may have just been lip service). That the Obama's example (Michelle is an extraordinary woman in her own right) will serve as a reminder of the audacity of hope.

So yes, this monumental election result is a major hurdle in race relations, and yes, Black people around the world have ever reason to be proud. And in a personal kind of way - it's inspiring to see a person of "mixed-race" assuming control of the most powerful nation in the world. (Although Chris Rock made a brilliant point : being "half black" is like being half pregnant, this still makes me giggle).

Many people have said that voters "saw past" Obama, the Black Candidate, and voted strictly for the better candidate. While I agree that he was the better choice...I cannot believe that anyone can look past the obvious. I do believe that Obama offers much more than his skin colour but to say it's not a factor would be to minimize the issue and the accomplishment.

So now we wait until inauguration day and hope that Obama brings about the change he promised.

That's the longest I've ever gone without posting here. I don't think there will be much more to say from here on out. I'm not going to delete this account, there are just too many memories here. I do still read my friends' posts from time to time. Maybe I'll come back to this some time in the future but for now - I'm taking a break.

I hope all is well with everyone.

Real loss is only possible when you love something more than you love yourself.

Robin Williams as Sean in Good Will Hunting

God bless them, the CBC is trying to take advantage of the writers' strike...most US shows are out of new episodes and here they are launching a few new series including :The Border (I was actually surprised to find a torrent for it, so that's pretty huge).

As far as Canadian television goes...this is a huge step - they've even secured a former CSI: Miami star. But my complaint about this show, is the same issue I have with 24 - it is so far removed from reality that it borders on absurd (no pun intended). If things worked like this in the real word we would be able to win The War on Terror (ok maybe not but...you see where I'm going with this). I guess if you like 24 then this is a pretty decent Canadianized version of that show.

I doubt I will continue to watch it but I did enjoy a fight scene about 30 mins into it where the female agent opens a can of whup-ass on the "bad guy".

I wish everyone a belated Happy New Year.

Normally this post would be my look back on the year that was 2007 but I don't want to do that this year. There was some good, some bad, lessons learned, etc...but I want to focus on the future, moving forward, moving on, moving past 2007.

And while I will never be an optimist, I want to believe that 2008 will be amazing...that I will enjoy life more...that I will be happy...that I will be a better person...that I will find what I am looking for.

Here's to looking forward!

but you should all be joining mondaymusic.

Seriously.

Do it now.

Go on.

You know you want to.

All the cool kids are doing it.

Dooooooo it.

(This is completely selfish...because every week I make a recommendation that means I get one less new song for Cooper).

1. How many places have you lived in your life?
3 cities, far too many addresses to count here

2. Which was your favorite and why and what street was it on?
Probably 512 Queensdale Ave, in Hamilton, my childhood home before the shit hit the fan

3. If you could live anywhere for the rest of your life, where would it be?
Montréal or anywhere in the wine regions of France :)

4. What would your ideal home have in it?
Four must haves : an enormous bedroom, a kitchen with stainless steel appliances, and a bathroom with a giant bathtub

5. Can you describe your current crib?
The rest of the apt is relatively clean and orderly but my room looks like books and papers exploded all over the carpet!

1. What type of mood are you generally in on a rainy day?
Generally I reflect my surroundings but I tend to be happy during a thunderstorm.

2. What are your favorite things to do when the weather is gloomy?
Curl up under my duvet with a good book or a hot man ;)

3. Have you ever been kissed in the rain?
Are you mad?!?!?! You don't wet a black woman's hair!

4. After the rain stops, do you continue what you were doing, or do you run outside to do something else?
Well, usually, I just keep on keepin' on

5. What is your favorite drink/food to have when it's raining outside?
Chocolate or something warm to keep the chill away.

If you knew you were going to die on at specific day at a specific time, what's the last...
1. song you would listen to?
I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas (I might as well go out laughing)
2. book you would read?
Emily Climbs by L.M. Montgomery
3. person you would talk to?
My Mommy
4. food you would eat?
Cherry Cheesecake (the entire thing!)
5. goal you would accomplish?
To make peace with my Dad

1) Do you like your birth-name? Why?
I love it! I think is sounds beautiful : Kimberley Aurora
2) If you could change your name to anything else, what would it be?
Chloe
3) What names would you consider giving your children?
Lilian Aurora, Brandon Alexander
4) If you had a band, what would you name it, and why?
Pamplemousse!
5) Is there a name that you completely hate? Why?
Steve, Aaron (boys I've dated and would rather forget), and any girl's name that ends in "i" (because it's just ridiculous!)

( And this evening's post is brought to you by the letter J )

( More procrastination ahead! )

The Loonie is on the rise closing above 90 cents US for the first time in almost 3 decades! I love it - now if publishers would just get on board with the current market and exchange, I could be happy. Nothing burns me more to see this on a books cover : 24.95$USD, 32.95$CAD.

The Federal Budget...I hope the other parties convince them to change some things:

~ I am not a fan of reducing the GST, mainly because let's face it this tax cut does not, as the Harper gov't would have us believe, benefit the poor. I mean think about this rationally : if you spend 100$, you currently pay 7$ in GST with the new budget you spend 100$ and you pay 6$ in GST, your savings 1$ - wooohooo! BUT if you spend 100,000$ you pay 70,000$ GST and under the proposed changes you would only pay 60,000$ GST, a savings of 10,000$. So who benefits more, the rich person buying a plane or the single mother buying groceries?

~ The "Universal Child Care Benefit", well that's just BS. Seriously. That works out to 100$ a month - anyone who's paying for childcare will tell you it's a drop in the proverbial bucket. This is not going to help that many people in any significant way if there are still no child care spaces in this country (which is really the issue - affordable child care spaces).

I am not totally opposed to the entire budget - I do appreciate the changes for students: a tax credit for textbooks (yeah! although 500$ doesn't even come close to what most undergrads spend a term, let alone in a year); all scholarship and bursary money will be tax exempt (I'm loving this, as it should be!).

So once again the Harper gov't does just enough to please the masses...it scares me how well they are playing the game...waiting until they are certain they will have a majority. It's kinda freakin' me out!

I fell so far away from civilization (re: Toronto/Hamilton) right now.

I feel like I'm land-locked.

My whole life Lake Ontario has been no more than a half an hour ride away and now...nothing but farm country. It's a little unnerving. Especially since these last few days have been the kind where a nice walk down by the lake front would have done me wonders. (As I type this I'm thinking about hopping in my car - that's why I have one, right?).

I need to be near the water if that makes any sense.

Edit: My roommate informed me that we have a river in London (the Thames) but it's just not the same you can see the other side...I liked to pretend that the lake was endless.

1. YOUR PORN STAR NAME
(name of FIRST pet + street you grew up on):

Jet Queensdale

2. YOUR MOVIE STAR NAME
(grand parent of same gender's first name + favorite snack):

Lilian Caramilk

3. YOUR FASHION DESIGNER NAME
(first word you see on your left + favorite restaurant):

Lies Spring Rolls

4. YOUR "FLY GIRL/GUY" NAME
(first initial + Last three letters of your last name):

K. Uno

5. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME
(favorite animal + name of high school mascot):

Puppy Saint

6. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME
(middle name + city where you were born):

Aurora Hamilton (which actually sounds like a soap opera name!)

7. YOUR OPPOSITE SEX NAME
(name of sibling/parent [opposite sex] + cell phone company you use):

Clyde Telus

8. YOUR DRAG QUEEN NAME
(name of favorite fruit, and current street you live on):

Mango Castlegrove

1. Who was your first kiss (your mom does not count)?
Chris M. on a dare.

2. What is your idea of the perfect date?
K.I.S.S. - coffee or dinner and then a movie.

3. What music needs to be on when you are “getting your thang on”?
Well depending on the nature of the "thang" : if it's more a romantic "thang", the City of Angels Soundtrack; if it's a more raunchy "thang", some really smutty R&B. Of course the best soundtrack of all is just the sound the two of you make ;)

4. What is the most amazing experience you’ve ever shared with a partner?
Well without saying too much - it was a marathon of epic proportions ;)

5. Sex is best saved for: love, marriage, alcohol, days that end in “y”?
For those who can get it.

1) How do you feel about people who commit suicide? Such as, do you feel that they are too lazy to deal with life, have depression, do you feel sorry for them, etc.?
I can understand why people commit suicide probably more than most. All suicides aren't the same and the reasons behind them vary but essentially, I think they are people without any hope for the future. Some say people who commit suicide are selfish but honestly, I think that in their minds, suicide is a way of liberating themselves and others from their dispair.

2) What do you think people say about you behind your back?
Probably that I'm bitchy or moody - both true.

3) If you could own and operate any major business, what would it be?
A business already in existence? Probably a publishing house - Gallimard :)

4) Are you/would you be embarrassed to talk to your friends or family about sex?
It depends on which friends I'm talking to...my close friends - no, my school friends - yes, my mom - no, my dad - absolutely!

5) In some cultures, young women are married and begin families as soon as they start a menstrual cycle. Do you believe this is right or wrong? Why?
I don't think it's fair to judge other cultures this way, what is right for me isn't right for others. That said, I don't know that anyone should be married before they are ready.

Impeach the Motherfucker Already

I missed last week...

1) When you were little what was your favorite TV show?
Sesame Street - seriously, I've been told I would have watched it all day if my parents would have let me :)

2) What was your favorite movie?
Well if we are keeping with when I was younger - The Neverending Story

3) What is your favorite TV show currently?
Duh! CSI!

4) What is the best movie you have seen so far this year?
I really liked Hustle and Flow (I only saw it this year) or V for Vendetta

5) If someone was going to make a movie or TV show about your life, who would play you and why?
Hmm this is a tough call but as the adult me I'd have to say, Kimberly Elise. No, not because we share a name (BTW mine's spelt "ley") but because I think she is a talented actress - Diary of a Mad Black Woman and Thou Art Loosed were gut wrenching performances.

If one day you are reading this I want to thank you for the suggestion.

Blindness.

I'm not even sure that I know what to say about it. I feel I might need to read it again to fully grasp it. Initially, I was thrown by the punctuation, or lack there of. I enjoy clearly defined sentences and paragraphs but once I found the rhythm of the writing, I was swept up in it.

I wish I had something more profound to say about this book right now but I'm still processing.

If you haven't read this book, you should.
***
I also realised that I don't want to become some pretentious book snob (I already am but I don't want to be any worse). I recently encountered this thebookyoucrew and I was reading some of the posts and wondering how people could discount other people's choice for the top 20 books - books are personal and taste is unique (Of course I am debating whether to post my list - just to see how it holds up but if people were to tear some of my favourites to shreds...that could get ugly!). I feel like I've completely discounted various genres as being unworthy of the title "literature" because I have for so long believed that "literature" implies a certain approval from the "academic" world and quite frankly a certain level of intelligence.

The closer I get to becoming a professional academic, the more I realise that I don't want to fall into many of the traps that are related to the profession.