Birthday Gifts

Yes yes I know... why am I talking about birthdays now... birthdays happen all year. Well... my birthday is in less than a month and if you want my present that your purchasing online to arrive in time (can't trust shipping and handling these days with the airline problems) you gotta order NOW!

so in keeping with Gray Like Me's theme... here's my birthday list:

HAPPY NAPPY STYLES f/ Blended Beauty Hair Products
$19.00
.... finally the beauty market has found the mixed niche! who knows if it does anything different than what I buy in CVS, but it's nice to be recognized.

FADE- MY JOURNEYS IN MULTIRACIAL AMERICA by Elliott Lewish
$19.00



summer is coming... i need a book to read as I lounge on the beach. this one seems small enough to fit in my beach bag. plus it has a cover that fits into my blog's color scheme.

HUMAN. WHAT ARE YOU? tshirt from mixedraceshirts.com
24.99

Time for some spring/summer clothing. Plus, I'm tired of answering this stupid "What are you?" question. I'm still torn about whether I prefer having strangers read off my chest or ask me the question... don't let that keep you from buying it! I love the shirt...
gosh i Love stars

COLORS OF MY FRIENDS MULTICULTURAL CRAYONS
$1.39

"The eight different colors range from peach to mahogany, with olive, terra cotta and bronze in between."
With these I could do arts and crafts at work without worrying about using the wrong colors when drawing my family... and coworkers. I'd probably also need a book teaching me how to draw...


"DONT WORRY PEOPLE, IT CAN STAY WHITE ON THE OUTSIDE" tshirt
$24.95

OBAMA 08... I just had to support my man. Of course, this shirt is a bit offensive and testing some boundaries... but isn't it a conversation starter... hehe

HAPPY SHOPPING!!!

Just for Fun, Searches that Make Me Laugh

DEFINITION OF RACE (from Merriam Webster):
chiefly Scottish : the act of running2 a: a strong or rapid current of water flowing through a narrow channel b: a watercourse used industrially c: the current flowing in such a course3 a: a set course or duration of time b: the course of life4 a: a contest of speed bplural : a meeting in which several races (as for horses) are run c: a contest or rivalry involving progress toward a goal race>5: a track or channel in which something rolls or slides; specifically : a groove (as for the balls) in a bearing


Now search "race" on google or cnn.com right now... let's see which definition people care about.

SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION ENDORSES OBAMA!!!!

hmm... I wonder why Hillary hasn't insisted that the word Race be not used in the context of talking about the election... cuz this race business is giving Barack a double bump in the search results... racial race and election race... ooo that Obama campaign is tricky tricky with this internet stuff....

Polling Gone Too Far

According to Cnn.com:

"The results in Pennsylvania followed trends set in previous contests: Clinton won the white vote, Obama won the black vote; Clinton won the older vote, Obama won the younger vote; Clinton won in rural areas, Obama carried the urban vote"

A good friend of mine is black. most people assume she's italian. she's young, but isn't in college and spends most of her time with older adults. She's spent have her life in Philly and half in one of those Jersey suburb areas that represents why it's called the Garden State.

She also voted in Pennsylvania on Tuesday.

Her mix of demographics is not unusual.

Polling these days seems to be taking up too many headlines and newscasts. Demographic polling doesn't seem to represent real people. Maybe if the media stopped drawing conclusions, the candidates could talk to actual individuals for a CHANGE... and stop trying to appeal to demographics.

It's really time to put polling in it's place... it's kind of on an ego trip right now.

Blanguage, the language of the Black People

I applaud Jon Stewart (and his wonderful writers) for their chat about race last night. The folks at the Daily Show have taken some steps that so many media outlets are afraid to do... they are actually talking about racism issues. In Monday's broadcast, my man Jon tackled two age old stereotypes about black people... 1. they have a secret language against the white man 2. if they reach the white house, they will enslave the white man. Oh gosh... of course... Jon didn't solve these issues, but at least he did bring them up. Take a look at the videos and tell me what you think!
I'm sure some people might find these offensive, but I just love that they are saying the stuff that scares the pants off the rest of the media!

The first one is Jon Stewart and Senior Black Correspondent Larry Wilmore and the second is Jon and Barack Obama.

Bob Johnson Does it Again

Is anyone surprised that Bob Johnson is supporting Geraldine Ferraro's comments about who Obama wouldn't be where he is if he wasn't black.

ahh the same Bob Johnson who founded BET and then sold it off... goodbye black owned television.

A quote from Mr. Johnson in a CNN article today,
"What I believe Ferraro meant is that if you take a freshman senator from Illinois called ‘Jerry Smith’ and he says I’m going to run for president, would he start off with 90 percent of the black vote?"

Well in response to Mr. Johnson... if he was a democrat who had a strong record with the black community, he probably would... Bill Clinton basically did. This conversation sounds a lot like the debates on Affirmative Action. As someone with the same background as Obama, it bothers me that Mr. Johnson would assume that Obama's race is what makes him popular. As a black male himself, does Mr. Johnson really believe that the black community is that superficial? How rude!

Mr. Johnson:
I strongly disagree with your point of view. My counter argument consists of two words: Clarence Thomas.
He's black, but has never gained the support of the black community like Obama has. Gosh darn it, maybe Obama is just what the people want.

Mixed Moment ALERT!

i was across the room from a guy and we shared a glance.... and then snuck another glance... and then a smile and a nod...

no no no... this wasn't a sexual thing!

DING DING DING my mixedar had gone off... and I think his did too... what a great feeling

i'm not saying all mixed people look alike or that there's even a "certain look"... but i dunno... there's a mutual recognition... i wonder what causes that....

The Colors of Spring, a seasonal racial transition

VIOLET PUTS ON HER SPRING SKIN

Until spring break, I was a certified southern italian, my beloved winter ethnicity (disclaimer... i love all of my perceived ethnicities equally)... this winter identity of mine has it's benefits... free canolis (mmm), the ability to speak english... and an easier time getting taxis
it also has its downfalls... i lose the nod of acknowledgment from other people of color, and i get looked at funny when I speak on behalf of people of color.

now as i bask in the sunlight a bit more, my ethnicity is changing again... i go from a position of ethnic power (oh the privileges that come with being white) to belonging to an immigrant racial minority. this can become a challenge.... within the span of a few weeks, strangers begin to assume that I can speak spanish and am not an American citizen.... all with a slight shift in skin color. Today, high school students that I work with swore that I was Dominican- they thought I was lying to them when I swore back that I wasn't.

I notice that I get treated differently as this colorful transition takes place. While people from the racial majority tend to disregard me more than they do in the winter, another group opens up to me. It's like i become a part of a family or community based only on my skin color. I love feeling accepted into new groups, but at times it can feel like I'm an impostor.

I wonder if it's my responsibility to correct people when they assume I'm a certain race or ethnicity... on the other hand, it's kind of fun getting to explore what it's like in the other boxes.

.... plus.... we seem to give some extra benefits (like a free canoli) to those of our own ethnicity... the more ethnicities people assume I am... the more extra benefits I get! (hmm that might be a bit selfish, but it's kind of a fun idea)