How I'll miss my old neighborhood...

I went to a Black History month booktalk at a local church about the new book of my Inauguration Day breakfast friends...

They gave a great talk. 2 talking points:

1) BD says that when it comes to reforming juvenile justice, you have to drive home the point that "Every child deserves a 2nd chance." She said that the "If you do the crime, you pay the time" line of conservatives from decades ago caught hold, but in polling people agree with the other motto just as much.

2) BA says that unionizing charter schools is the next big thing, since they have turnover rates in teaching staff of like 50% at many, and that you have to drive home that "good working conditions are good teaching conditions are good learning conditions".

Also, some other things:

1) For BA's 65th birthday, BD took him to Gaza for a protest march.

2) On the night of Obama winning the election in Grant Park, BA said he looked around and there was a (white) cop dancing with an older (black) woman, and he was like, "Where the hell are we?"... He said he couldn't leave that night, since he knew that the next morning everything would be different.

3) That night in Grant Park, he also found the spot where he got "beaten bloody" during the Democratic National Convention as a rioter, and posed with some city cops for a picture, all in a row with their arms around each other's shoulders, and everyone was smiling.

4) BA thinks all movies about teaching are pieces of crap and put out unrealistic messages, but he cries during them anyways. "But," he was like, "I also cried 3 times during Avatar, and [BD] poked me and told me to stop being so silly," and with that they both laughed and looked at each other, lovingly.

At the end of the talk, a (white) church elder invited me to come back next Sunday after service if I wanted to get involved with their church's social justice committee, which has like 4 projects going on. I think I will - the church was integrated and very impressive.

But, I'm moving!

Last week was a big week for me.

Last week was a big week for me --

On Monday, I both finished a rough draft of my dissertation proposal, and I finalized with a subletter to take over the rest of my lease so I can move towards the end of March to my new apartment in my new neighborhood.

Coming home from the student bar on Sat. night, though, I was turning the deadbolt in the door to my Danish Haven, and all of a sudden I realized that in 3 weeks, I'd be doing it for the last time, and would never live in that apartment again.

It's been like 3.5 years in my Danish Haven (look, I'm calling it "my" now!), and I'm getting very nostalgic. I really do love my apartment.

A conversation w my one (black) friend who works the library desk on Sunday nights.

On Sunday when I came in to the main library, I was snacking on a bag of carrots, and my one (black) friend who works the library desk on Sunday nights was like, "You eating carrots again?"

"Yep," I was like. "It keeps my hair red!"

And, since she frequently dyes her hair (she currently has tawny-blonde highlights), I added, "Isn't that what you do?"

Right away, she was like, "Yep."

Then, after a beat, she was like, "Actually, I drink red wine."

Sauerkraut: Round Two.

My 1st batch of sauerkraut turned out so well, that now that I've eaten it up, I have another batch ready to go and fermenting on the counter.

(It's nice to have some when I come home from drinking right before I go to bed, for some reason it hits the spot.)

On the phone the other day, I mentioned my 2nd batch of sauerkraut to my mom, and she said that I have turned out to be a good cook.

Nightmare: Frank talk.

Last week I had another nightmare -

My one (black) (female) dean took me aside and, as a friend, told me that my sportscoat didn't look good on me.

...I think this goes back to our post-Christmas conversation where she was telling me that her entire family got her son Express giftcards since he likes that store, and she told me about the great sportscoat he had, and I realized that it sounded like he had the same one...

...I also think it's because the inner-lining of my sportscoat got all torn up somehow, and I notice it everytime I put it one (which I usually do on the days that I'm a TA)...

Actors: My dad's one aphorism...

Like my dad always says, "People sure are different."

As it turns out, my one Hungarian friend who's an actress was doing this acting exercise with the cast for an experimental play she's in about Cuban boat people -

They all sat together on a very tiny stage in a blank room for 45 minutes and tried to understand what being in a boat in the middle of the sea was like, and act accordingly.

Conversation with my mother.

1) My mom's nervous about Asian carp invading the Great Lakes, but was reassured when I told her that they would punish jetskiers.

2) My mom's been getting on people with Superbowl and Olympics statistics.

"They tell you that it's the most-watched this and the most-watched that," she was like, "And they get so mad when I tell them that of course it is, the population is growing and they'll be the same thing again in a few years!"

I then pressed her on this, and she was like, "Well, if they can tell me a fact, I challenge them on that fact. People say I'm argumentative, but I don't care."

"Why do you care?", I was like.

"Oh, because they are so full of themselves when they say it, and it's just stupid shit," she was like.