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In other words, drop me a line before you quote or otherwise borrow my stuff. I'm friendly, and I don't bite.
My sweetheart's mother passed away in 1999... seven whole years before I met him. The loss was unexpected so her absence still resonates throughout his life. Holidays such as Mothers' Day are particularly difficult as he remembers mom's laughter and home-cooked meals.
I wear lots of hats, but one day last year I decided to wear my hair out for a date. I washed. I cut. I pressed and curled. Like I dropped a bomb, he declared, "Oh my God. You look like my mother."
We shared the picture with his sister who I have yet to meet. Her reaction.... tears. Without any warning from him, she declared... "She looks like mom."
Here's a side by side so you can decide... Does this look like my long lost mother?
There's nothing like living out of a suitcase to teach the virtues of "home."
My 15-year old son boarded an American Airlines flight late Sunday night and eventually landed in Paris, France. I sent him on a 12-day tour of France so he can practice all that French that he pretends to know how to speak.
In spite of all the closet crying I did, I'm happy he's officially a world traveler.
At the ripe old age of 16, I did a 28-day tour of 7 European countries, courtesy of my awesome parents.
At the riper old age of 17, I did another 10-day tour of France and Spain.
I'll never forget what those trips did for my understanding that the world is bigger than my neighborhood, my city, and the United States.
Unfortunate children will not have the chance to explore outside their neighborhoods.
More fortunate children will have the option to travel out of the state.
And the blessed children will have options that include a chance to travel the world.
It doesn't bother me one bit that my son is the only brown face on the France tour. Throughout my life, I was often the only Black person participating in opportunities that my amazing parents secured for me. Through that, I developed a love for all people... not just the familiar faces in my family/school/neighborhood.
After 2 days of touring like some kinda International Negro, my son had this text message exchange with me:
"Mom, what's my [ATM] PIN number?"
"####"
"Thanks"
"I hope you're having fun, sweetie."
"I'm a little homesick."
I must admit that my heart exploded in a smile to see him realize that the love of home is more valuable than the thrill of traveling to a foreign country while changing hotels and living out of a suitcase.
I'll help him make good on that comment when I send him to clean the hall bathroom with a toothbrush upon his return to the United States.
1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One Word to describe you.
12. Your flickr name.
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Credits to the original photographers of each of the 12 pictures in my mosaic:
1. Hawa Mahal, 2. Spicy Lemon Pepper Pasta with Broccoli, 3. EHT Graduates, 4. Black & White, 5. Morris Chestnut - Rules, 6. water droplets in the shower - o.k. bokeh, 7. jamaica beach, 8. strawberry shortcake, 9. Seeing a Sunrise Makes a Girl Healthy, Wealthy, & Wise, 10. FRIENDS HOME FAMILY, 11. Friendly, 12. James Bond Aston Martin DBS
Timing is everything. Yesterday, I finally saw the movie American History X. And today I learned that Duane "Dog the Bounty Hunter" Chapman is set to return to his hit show on A&E. Let me tell you how these things became related in my mind...
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In the 1998 film, American History X, Edward Norton delivers a convincing performance as Derek Vinyard, a neo-nazi skinhead. The plot centers around Derek's redemption and his efforts to prevent his younger brother, Danny, from making the same mistakes and living the same hate. Much of the story is peppered with voice-over narration from Danny's perspective as he tries to write an essay paper about his older brother.
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Throughout the movie, black and white film sequences feature flashbacks explaining Derek's journey from a suburban white kid to a vengeance-seeking white supremacist. Amazingly enough, the radical Derek went from a soft-spoken kid to a radical racist after subtle seeds planted by his father boomed into full blossom. Once his father was killed by a black man, and Derek was approached by an old-school white supremacist, Derek became a full garden ripe with radical racism.
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In fact Derek's hate wasn't real. He represented the face of fear and anger as misdirected towards "outside" groups through the barrel of xenophobia.
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I was drawn to the younger brother's realization that the father's (relatively subtle) dislike for Blacks produced a son who eventually was violent enough to murder. And this is where my fire got lit about Duane "Dog the Bounty Hunter" Chapman.
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You see, I used to watch Dog the Bounty Hunter. His show was on my list of favorites. I was drawn to Dog's apparent love for justice, his raw grit, and what appeared to be his golden humility.
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My love affair with Dog ended when he "niggarized" his son's black girlfriend in what was supposed to be a private cell phone conversation - and then went on to comment about how he'd feel if his daughters ever dated black men.
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After I closed my hanging jaw and marooned Dog on Moron Island, I was determined to never watch the show again. And at the time my decision was a moot point. A&E agreed with the outrage and stopped airing the show.
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Why was I glad to see the show get flushed? Because Dog represents the kind of sick and irresponsible parenting that produces neo-nazi skinheads like Derek Vinyard in American History X. Dog's mouth-service about justice clearly doesn't extend to the moral justice and integrity it takes to believe that all men were created equal.
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And that's why I'm joining any efforts to prevent A&E from bringing back the Dog series and presenting Dog like some kind of moral compass for fair justice.
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Related Posts: Marooned on Moron Island: Duane "Dog the Bounty Hunter" Chapman
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