Friday, December 12, 2014

But it's Shocking Though...


Sick Laila, lying on her dad.


I've barely had any sleep. I should be asleep now. Laila is sick, which sucks. These girls keep getting sick! The doctor has said before that it's just allergies and they take allergy medicine but I'm guessing they need something stronger. She's only running a low-grade fever and she's playing with Legos with her sisters. But you know what this means? The other two are at danger of getting sick! Ugh. I know, I know, little kids get sick, not a huge deal. But last night Laila slept in bed with me, which just makes me paranoid. I was taking her temp with the ear thermometer probably too many times. Every time she coughed a little, I woke up and checked on her.

Last night there was this huge storm! I mean, okay, I'm from Chicago, I've been through  huge storms before. It was just a little shocking because we don't experience these types of storms in Los Angeles. I've been here almost 3 years and I can't remember a time where a storm was this strong to a point where the windows were shaking and I thought for a second that perhaps there was a tornado.

And guess what?! There was a tornado! Granted, not in Glendale, but there was one spotted in south L.A.! Tell me that's not shocking! So now we have to worry about both Tornadoes and earthquakes. Great. Freakin' great.

But what am I talking about?! I'm not worried about these things. I'm worried about getting paid! The new year is approaching and I'm starting to feel antsy. The kids are in school and I got my creative juices flowing. There's so much more I could be doing. I have a manager, time to find an agent! And it's time to hit the stage again! I haven't done stand-up since April! Can I even be considered a comedian anymore?! I haven't auditioned in months! The last audition I had was over the summer for a commercial. I did go to an acting coach not that long ago. And I think I'm going to go back to iO West to finish their improv program. I really miss it. I started at Second City in Chicago. It's time to finally finish! I'd also like to do a web series.

Okay. I'm going back to watching the news about this storm. Tornadoes, man. Tornadoes. That's some bullshizz!

(Please God, no snow too!)

Sunday, December 7, 2014

Poem



Hail to thee
I strike you down
The Earth moves
Without a sound
I walk on egg shells
No foster, no faith
All of this is me
All over the place
Not so intriguing
The bite of cold air
Distance is leaving
Though you wouldn't dare
Call out to me
With lust in your eyes
And beg for one more wish
A dream you'd despise.

Thursday, December 4, 2014

Open Season?!



Is it open season on black men?? This affects all of us. Cops are getting away with murdering unarmed men. There isn't even an indictment before there is a miscarriage of justice. These cops haven't been arrested and won't go to trial. Something is wrong with this system. Something is terribly wrong when as a black woman, living in America, I have to worry about the same thing my people had to worry about in the 1960s, when my parents were children!

Yes, it makes me angry. It's not just a matter of color, it's a matter of human rights. We're all human and deserve the same rights. When black men seem to be the only ones murdered in cold blood, unarmed black men, then we should all rally together because it could be your son, your father, your cousin, your best friend. It's not just a black issue, it's an American issue.

This week was also a time of enlightenment. You begin to realize that there is more racism than you thought. Just read through your Facebook posts from your "friends" or your Twitter timeline. Those who stand with Darren Wilson, saying he had every right to shoot, multiple times, an unarmed Michael Brown, try to explain to me how you would feel if Michael Brown was your brother? And the cop sympathizers who believe we should just "do what we're told and we won't get shot"? Yes, that's an actual tweet I saw. What about 12-year-old Tamir Rice? Would he have been killed if he was a white child playing with a BB gun? And I'm sorry, did the cop yell for him to drop the weapon? Was he told to put his hands up and was given a chance to yell out "it's just a toy?!" Perhaps the "I thought it was a real gun" was just an excuse to kill another black male?

During the protests in Ferguson, I witnessed through the power of social media my people standing up for what they believe in. Were we supposed to shrug our shoulders and just say "The Grand Jury spoke, they must be right"?? No. Nothing ever changes in this world without people standing up for what they believe in.

Eric Garner didn't deserve to die. Michael Brown didn't deserve to die. And Tamir Rice and countless others did NOT deserve to die.

#HandsUpDontShoot
#ICantBreathe
#BlackLivesMatter



photo from here

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