Looking for winning lottery numbers...

So as I sit here, in my den, preparing for another week of 40 hours or more of being cussed out, I realize it is time to find a new job.  For the past few years, I wanted to teach.  I am convinced that my calling is to stand in front of a classroom and tell teenagers about things that happened in the past, and helped us get to where we are today.  I also realize that I will not have the opportunity to do this, as there are a lot more history teachers out there than there are positions available.  Besides, even if I want to do this, I would either have to get a teachers certificate or get a Masters Degree.  I can't imagine trying to get a Masters in history right now, as that is just money that I don't have.  Also, I barely had the time to get a Bachelors Degree, I can't take off of work to get a Masters Degree.  Worse yet, if I plan to live in Wisconsin, I do not want to teach as long as Scott Walker is governor.  All I see is the further deterioration of urban public schools, and no money available to improve them as Walker and his buddies withdraw funds from those schools.  I do have a lot of goals set in my head, however, regarding education.  I am excited about the plans we have at my church to help kids every weekend with tutoring sessions, based on an idea that came to me from after school programs we had at my church in Sacramento.  I also hope there are training positions available at a company, preferably Kohl's, as I would like to continue working there.  But the more I think about that, the more I wonder if I will be doing what I know I was called to do... 

So my question for you, my friends, is what is your calling?  Are you doing it?  If there is something else you could do in life, what would it be?  Hypothetically speaking, if you won the lottery today, but you still had to work (for free) what would you do? Think about it and feel free to post...

Ready to start someting new

I'm sitting here, getting ready for my favorite part of the week (writing to and for you all) and listening to the new Foo Fighters CD.  I'm thinking about how I bought some new stuff today in hopes of changing some stuff about myself, perhaps work on reflecting my age for once.  I can't help but think about how there's an old adage, "a leopard never changes its spots" but at the same time, if we do not evolve, we die.  One cannot remain the same person for their entire life.  But what does that say about people who are stubborn?  Is it that they can't change their positions at all, or is it that they can't change their positions because of their pride?  I do believe in "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" but at the same time, sometimes things are broke and we're just not willing to let them go.  I guess what I'm getting at is I don't understand people that can't embrace any form of change.  I understand ordering the same meal at different restaurants, some people need that consistency, especially those who travel a lot (Billy Crystal's character in "Forget Paris" comes to mind... I wonder how many times did he order veal parmigiana in that movie?).  I, for one, love to order jambalaya every chance I get.  Every once in a while, however, I recognize that jambalaya is not going to be on the menu.  Sometimes I look at that as an opportunity.  It forces me to think about options that I would not have thought about before, which can lead to finding something even more delicious, like the angel hair pasta dish at the hotel I stayed at in Riverside.  It had capers on it, and immediately I fell in love.  Maybe what I'm getting at is I think people should remember to remain open to the possibilities.  For instance, we are all here because of someone taking a chance in life.  Think about it, you would not be here if your parents had not met, it's just that simple.  If one of them had not gotten up the gumption to say, hey, let's get together at some point and do some things (whatever those things were),  the night you were conceived would not have happened.  They took a chance on hanging out with a person they had not previously known, or maybe they knew each other but were afraid to take it to the next level.  But because someone said, okay, this is stupid, let's move forward and change our status quo, you showed up in their lives.  Maybe those exact words weren't used, but you get the gist of what I'm saying.  Perhaps I am just excited because of the change I'm about to experience.  Even five years ago, no one could have told me that I would be walking across a stage in a cap and gown getting a degree in history and religious studies.  Five years ago I was content living in California and working as an account manager for USBank.  But sometimes things happen that force you to change.  Apparently John Lennon said something about "life is what happens while your planning for it" but I prefer to tell people "if you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans."  Either way, you can have an idea of what you think should happen in your life, but it's not what always happens.  I have to laugh, because as I finish this, the song that came on my cousin Lynne's station is "Never Never Land" by Lyfe Jennings.  The song talks about this very subject... I'm not sayin' I'm prophetic, but perhaps I have an undeveloped gift...

So, have you embraced change in your life?  Will you do it now? 

So the heart wants what it wants, eh?

I've been thinking about tonight's potential post a lot this week, as I have had some interesting conversations recently about this topic.  The other night, we were all at work discussing how everyone in the office, with the exception of one person, was in an interracial relationship.  That one person sits behind me at work.  With that being said, some of you know this already, I've been seeing a man who is not the same race that I am.  Because of the sensitive nature of this issue, along with other reasons, we have not divulged this information to his family.  There are a number of people in my family that know about him, but I haven't even told all of them about us.  Not because of his race, but because for once in my life I might actually be serious about someone (and I don't want to mess it up), that has yet to be seen for sure.  But I digress...

I really just wanted to talk about the changes I've seen in my lifetime regarding interracial dating.  Although I grew up on the north side of Milwaukee, I spent a lot of time in the suburbs, particularly Whitefish Bay.  There is a reason why this area is nicknamed "White Folks Bay."  It's not a bad thing, it is what it is.  However, this also exposed me to a lot of white people that I may not have known otherwise.  Of course, this probably played a role in my attraction to men who aren't the same race that I am, and by probably I meant it did.  It's not that I never liked any black guys, because God knows there was one in particular that stole my heart for a long time in grade school, but we won't talk about him right now.  What I do notice is it was a big deal for me to go to Homecoming with a white guy sophomore year and Sadie Hawkins/ Winter Formal junior year because that wasn't done at WFB, yet if it happened at the same school today, I would guess that it would not be as big of a deal.  There's something different about this generation, and I like it.

Unfortunately for the rest of us, the only changes that are taking place are within the younger generations.  I don't understand why people still care today who is dating people outside of their race.  I think I may be a little more sensitive to this because I've always hung out with lots of different people, often times realizing I was the ONLY black person in the room (that will happen when you spend the majority of your life in the Midwest).  Maybe I'm thinking about this because of the comments I've heard all of my life, or the names I was called (Oreo? Seriously? I hate the filling in the middle of Oreo cookies! They taste like lard mixed with sugar! Yecch).  Or maybe I'm thinking about this because of the man I'm seeing.  I like him.  I'm thinking race will become an issue with us though, as it is a major concern for him, but not so much for me.  I wish everyone would get where the rest of this younger generation is, because there has got to come a time when people realize that color doesn't matter when you find a good person...

Before you all go trying to bash my special friend for the way he has chosen to handle this situation, I want you to ask yourselves, and be honest, what would you do if you were in the same situation?  Do you think you could bring someone that wasn't the same race as yourself home to meet your parents?  Don't give me that "we're all the same race" bullshit either, because that's not the case... Be totally real with yourself when you answer this question, maybe you will find out something that you didn't realize about yourself or your family and friends.  Do you think your family could accept your significant other if that person was not the same race as you?  Would the racial jokes stop?  How much would have to change about how your family conducts themselves? Take a second, think about it.

I would also like to take this time to think about the parallels between myself and Carrie Bradshaw... I used to pride myself on being anyone but Carrie in Sex and the City, but I'm feeling a lot like that chick lately. Poo. I hope I'm smarter than she is, but I have a feeling I'm not.

Have a good week, my people. 

And in other news...

Tomorrow marks the 43rd anniversary of the death of Dr. Martin Luther King.  Tonight marks the 43rd anniversary of his speech to support the unionized Memphis sanitation workers.  I'm thinking about this because Jesse Jackson has spent quite a bit of time in Milwaukee recently, even on a Sunday afternoon radio show today, in order to convince people to go out and vote on April 5th.  I continue to think of the debacle that Wisconsin is experiencing because of the elections from last November.  I'm still amazed because I think back to how so many people said "I'm not voting because neither one of the candidates represent my interests..."  Let me assure you, although I do not think of any one as perfect, no one can convince me that it made sense to stay at home that first Tuesday in November and allow an idiot to go to Madison.  Unfortunately for me and a lot of other people, certain dumbasses did not have the foresight to get out of the house, fill in a ballot, slip it in the poll box, and head to work.  I was so inspired when I voted for Obama, because the last time I stood in a long line to vote was while I lived in Minneapolis.  I'm always afraid when the lines at the polls do not exist, because that means that the people I want in office will not get in there, because those who live around me usually have the same circumstances as I do.  Those who have my same circumstances tend to vote similar to the way I vote.  When my fellow voters stay home, people like Scott Walker get in office.  Here we are, barely five months after that fateful day of voting, and union workers are getting the shaft, Wisconsin lost out on federal aid to build a high speed rail, and the idiot in the Governor's mansion reminds us daily that he doesn't give a shit about the people that voted for him, just the ones who gave lots and lots of money to his campaign (yeah, I know who you are and I won't be purchasing any of your products for a long time, fucktards).  Will I go out and vote on April 5th?  You can bet your bottom dollar I will.  Will I vote for Democrats?  Yessir!  Do I give a fuck who my friends vote for?  Nope, as long as they vote, they can write in Mickey Mouse for all I care.  Will I remain friends with people in Wisconsin who don't take the time to vote on April 5th? Probably not.  By not voting, it shows me that you don't care what happens to my state.  It also shows me that you don't learn from history...

Tonight's blog was supposed to be about people who could kiss my black ass, as I discussed with Amy on Tuesday night.  I didn't talk about some of those people (L. Ron Hubbard and his randy band of scientologists) but I did talk about people who can (specifically those who don't vote, and Scott Walker).  I'll put a picture up of my black ass for those who are ready to kiss it...

Y'all have a good week!!!