Sunday, November 20, 1977
Psalm 24
Day 3 •
Got up medium. Still flowing. Dressed. Going to eat breakfast. Ate. Pops went out. He came back. Rested, don't remember much more.
I ate:
The weekly summary only said:
A good week. I finally got my period, 10 days late.
The next two days, November 21 and 22, I only got as far as "Got up medium. Dressed. Ate breakfast" and on the 22 I had a bowl of oatmeal and honey for breakfast.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
In modern times, life is pretty much boring as well. Finally got off my ass and updated my resume, and took my lazy-not-wanting-a-real-job-ass down to a headhunter and filled out an application. I need some money. I bought some life insurance. I am now officially worth more dead than alive, and I'm not worth much dead, either.
I visited a new dojo... the commute to Yonkers is killing me, and it's expensive and I DREAD winter. The Sun is none too happy about it, but I told him if we do three months at another dojo, maybe he can go back to Yonkers in the spring. Of course, the eternal question is... if I work, how in the hell do I get him to class? *sigh*.
And my plan was, for this morning, to start pre-prep for tomorrow's dinner... but of course I'm blogging instead.
But that reminds me of my Thanksgiving Thought:
OneHalf (of the MarriedCouple, who I just love) asked me last night how we celebrate Thanksgiving, since we're Native American. Well, we're only partially (and unclaimed, at that), but the partial part is extremely aware of the myths surrounding this holiday, as well as the major injustices from which this holiday was born. However, the spiritual part of me says that any opportunity to give thanks for blessings is a worthy opportunity. And any opportunity to hang out with your beloveds is also worthy of celebrating. When we first came back to the States though, we didn't celebrate it AT ALL... and we never celebrated in Jamaica either, because it wasn't a Jamaican holiday (I wonder if that's changed, at all). 30 years ago the holiday fell on the 24th and you'll see no mention at all of it. The following year though, I remember that Hardest Hard, the reefer spot downstairs (and yes, it was a "brand-name"... all their packages were stamped with a logo. They even had T-shirts. Ah, the good ol' days....) threw a Thanksgiving dinner with turkey and stuffing and everything, and I think that was the first Thanksgiving dinner we ever ate.
But anyway. To Native Americans, "'Thanksgiving' is a time of mourning, of remembering how a gift of generosity was rewarded by theft of land and seed corn, extermination of many from disease and gun, and near total destruction of many more from forced assimilation. As currently celebrated in this country, 'Thanksgiving' is a bitter reminder of 500 years of betrayal returned for friendship." (Judy Dow (Abenaki) and Beverly Slapin)
To read more about the myth of the first Thanksgiving, click here.
In a country dominated by consumerism, I do think it's a good idea to stop and say "Thank you", and I can't begin to tell you how annoyed I am by Christmas commercials before Thanksgiving.
But as you all sit down to eat tomorrow, just think about it. Remember that the 'truth' of the Pilgrims and friendly Indians and shared harvest is not the truth at all. And make sure to tell the kids.
Day 3 •
Got up medium. Still flowing. Dressed. Going to eat breakfast. Ate. Pops went out. He came back. Rested, don't remember much more.
I ate:
- Breakfast: Grits, fried apples + walnuts, poached eggs+beans
The weekly summary only said:
A good week. I finally got my period, 10 days late.
The next two days, November 21 and 22, I only got as far as "Got up medium. Dressed. Ate breakfast" and on the 22 I had a bowl of oatmeal and honey for breakfast.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
In modern times, life is pretty much boring as well. Finally got off my ass and updated my resume, and took my lazy-not-wanting-a-real-job-ass down to a headhunter and filled out an application. I need some money. I bought some life insurance. I am now officially worth more dead than alive, and I'm not worth much dead, either.
I visited a new dojo... the commute to Yonkers is killing me, and it's expensive and I DREAD winter. The Sun is none too happy about it, but I told him if we do three months at another dojo, maybe he can go back to Yonkers in the spring. Of course, the eternal question is... if I work, how in the hell do I get him to class? *sigh*.
And my plan was, for this morning, to start pre-prep for tomorrow's dinner... but of course I'm blogging instead.
But that reminds me of my Thanksgiving Thought:
OneHalf (of the MarriedCouple, who I just love) asked me last night how we celebrate Thanksgiving, since we're Native American. Well, we're only partially (and unclaimed, at that), but the partial part is extremely aware of the myths surrounding this holiday, as well as the major injustices from which this holiday was born. However, the spiritual part of me says that any opportunity to give thanks for blessings is a worthy opportunity. And any opportunity to hang out with your beloveds is also worthy of celebrating. When we first came back to the States though, we didn't celebrate it AT ALL... and we never celebrated in Jamaica either, because it wasn't a Jamaican holiday (I wonder if that's changed, at all). 30 years ago the holiday fell on the 24th and you'll see no mention at all of it. The following year though, I remember that Hardest Hard, the reefer spot downstairs (and yes, it was a "brand-name"... all their packages were stamped with a logo. They even had T-shirts. Ah, the good ol' days....) threw a Thanksgiving dinner with turkey and stuffing and everything, and I think that was the first Thanksgiving dinner we ever ate.
But anyway. To Native Americans, "'Thanksgiving' is a time of mourning, of remembering how a gift of generosity was rewarded by theft of land and seed corn, extermination of many from disease and gun, and near total destruction of many more from forced assimilation. As currently celebrated in this country, 'Thanksgiving' is a bitter reminder of 500 years of betrayal returned for friendship." (Judy Dow (Abenaki) and Beverly Slapin)
To read more about the myth of the first Thanksgiving, click here.
In a country dominated by consumerism, I do think it's a good idea to stop and say "Thank you", and I can't begin to tell you how annoyed I am by Christmas commercials before Thanksgiving.
But as you all sit down to eat tomorrow, just think about it. Remember that the 'truth' of the Pilgrims and friendly Indians and shared harvest is not the truth at all. And make sure to tell the kids.
Comments
God bless you and yours, my friend.