rocking out with the fam

Think your family rocks? Check out my post today about how you can enter a cool contest and strut your stuff.

birthday soup and a mixed tape

Ten years ago today on my twenty-third birthday I was at Clemson University, presenting the results of my research project in Kenya (studying street children) at the Southeastern Regional Seminar on African Studies. My parents drove up to support me and sat in the front row, eyes trained on me, a regular smiley Frick and Frack of the supportive parenting variety. At the time, I was very happy to see them and have them celebrate my birthday with me but also mildly embarrassed that it might have appeared I had brought my parents to see my "show and tell" at the research conference. Ten years later, the embarrassment has fallen away, and I see it as a tangible display of real love. I cherish the memory.

this is my message to you

Politics don't mix well with the other writings on this blog, so I'll keep my comments as neutral as I can.  It's a day of mixed feelings for me. On the one hand, my guy won. But as a moderate/independent voter (fiscally conservative, socially liberal), I had actually struggled for a bit about who I'd vote for at one time, which puts me in a somewhat unique position of understanding how both sides feel today.

My concern resides mostly with a system that feels like it isn't working, regardless of who is in the driver's seat, so my happiness is short-lived. I long for a system I can feel passion and loyal pride for when speaking to friends from other countries. Yes, we all get to vote and that's fantastic and something to rejoice about in a world in which a simple vote is often denied. But I want more for us.

If you are hurting today and feeling lost, I probably can't offer you much in the way of consolation. Although it might be cheesy and mildly hippy dippy of me, I'll offer a song that added a small amount of warmth to my disconsolate heart back in 2004. It's Bob Marley's Three Little Birds, and I particularly like the version from Nick Jr/Noggin that has an accompanying cartoon.

Hugs to all aisles today!
xoxo
~J