Myalabasterbox

Friday, December 15, 2006

Today is Closing Day...yipeeeeeeeee

Today is my last day at work you see, and I plan to grab the rest of the year by the horns and enjoy to my hearts content. Two and a half weeks should be long enough for me to rejuvenate my soul. I’ve had ups and downs aplenty this year and I’m about to bury all of that. I plan to watch movies and read and spend time with family/friends and catch up on rest and volunteer and play in snow and go horseback riding oh my I want to go art galleries and museums and to the bookstore and to a cabin way over there and just be.

The New Year will be ushered in at the beach. My being is yearning for the expanse of water that has a special way of soothing my being. I shall lay prostrate and await the oh so forceful bliss of the water to work its way from the tip of my toes and gradually up my body with the ever so tingling touch that &*$%. Oooooooooooh the sunset…one word comes to mind - wistful.

I wish you all a most wonderfully blessed and especially safe season…have fun till your hearts laugh…yes, that deep pit of your stomach guffaw. To all who are traveling be safe, enjoy your journeys and don’t forget to come back.

Embrace your friends and family and even the stranger who may need a simple smile to brighten their day.

I’m easily moved by fellow beings’ efforts and would thus like to share this with you http://www.msafiriexpress.com. If you haven’t already visited this website please do...I’ll let it speak for itself

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

I think I can I think I will...

…no I’m done with school forever man. It’s been a journey worth the bumpy road. I turned in my last paper a week ago and sat for my last (God-willing) exam almost a month ago. The exam was grueling and I pray to God that I don’t have to re-sit any section.

The other day I was actually toying with the idea of pursuing my PsyD…HAHAHA…what are you high on woman. I may be one of those condemned to being a career student…oh well, if it’s meant to be it shall be but for now let’s just enjoy life and all that it offers.

Now that I have all this time on my hands I can catch up on some books…the list is long and I can’t wait to strike titles off. I’m currently reading one of the most scrumptious books ever written…well, in my opinion. The penmanship is notable. White Mischief is the title and was written by James Fox.

My love for this book could be the fact that it’s based in 1940s Kenya. Drum roooooooooooll…The Murder of Lord Erroll! The accounts of Lords and Ladys and seemingly notable characters among the wabeberu who roamed my beloved nation ever so freely and with a sense of belonging and even ownership is intriguing to me. Their seemingly careless lifestyle and rambunctious ways, have inspired my mind to greater heights of inquiring and understanding colonialism and thus reading about Africa, and Kenya in particular from a narrative perspective (not from that oh so capacious history book that we were subjected to in high school).

White Mischief has made me aware that I know about my history on a very surface almost superficial, skewed level. Yes, I sat in class and listened to history teachers go on and on about periods and eras and decades and chronological events. However, this was for the purposes of passing national exams and moving on to the next educational level. I recently did a three generational genogram of my family…painless effort. This exercise, along with the book have made me thirst for knowledge about my family and our origin. Not the Nilotic route that landed us in our present home but a deeper connection. For instance, knowing who grandmas’ parents were and who their parents’ parents parents were and how she met grandpa and they fell in love or was theirs a case of arranged marriage or…you get the point. Hmmm intriguing…I’ve an adrenalin rush just thinking about it…maybe I’ll make this my project instead of going back to school.

If you have not already read White Mischief grab a copy…then again I may be the last person in the free world who’s just getting to read it!

Thursday, December 07, 2006

Undying love…

My heart is whispering with oh so sweet tunes the likes of…
…When I fall in love
… Summertiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiime
Surrounded by candles and swaying away to…
Nat King Cole
Ella Fitzgerald
Louis Armstrong
Billie Holiday
Miles Davies
Duke Ellington (shhhh don’t tell the rest about my love for you)

They are over taking my soul and taking my being to a seemingly connected parallel universe where
John Legend
India Arie
Robin Thicke
Gnarls Barkley
Joss Stone
Angie my dearest Angie
Ms. Scott…you know it’s you Jill
Leela James

have taken over and are soaring the sky. My tired soul is flying with the eagles…high as I can I fly on and my body is in a gyrating trans-like mess. I am pulsating with the introduction of my South African collection
Lebo
Brenda Fassie
My beloved Hugh (Duke will never know hon…carry on enticing me)
Vusi
Lady Smith Black Mambazo
Sarafina Sound track
Ms. Kidjo and Fela have found their way to this insanity that includes a myriad of freedom songs reaching waaaaaaaaaay deep into my soul and I’m left spent. But Oliver Mtukudzi and Carlos Santana are stringing my hearts troubles away. I’m contemplating my life and the different dimensions that my actions could lead me to. I’m glad I choose the path to music tonight because my spirit is somewhat rejuvenated.

I reach further and find myself transfixed to the 70s…daddy daddy cool…oh my, stop the madness. Can’t too late…brown gal in the ring and that ma Baker sure has a way of making a girl feel like she can take over the world. I fall asleep to the sounds of
Boney M
Abba
The B Gees

I lay my head on the pillow at some weird hour of the night or is it morn’ yet. Was that the chirp of a bird…no Q go to sleep. Alas, it is morning...too soon man!

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

My mind’s discombobulated man...

What is it about this time of the year that seemingly makes people act wacko man or that brings sadness to many…afterall tis the season to be grateful and joyful and all that good stuff. Could it be the pressure to want to please and be pleased. I’ve come to not enjoy Christmas and the entire season as much as I did when I was home. It seems so commercialized and the true meaning of Christmas has been lost in the commercials and sales and decorations and gifts and all that. The debate over use of politically correct season’s greetings last year was the dang that killed the manure for me.

I’ve had to restrain myself from reacting to inconsistencies with some friends I cannot understand flakey people esp. friends and absolutely refuse to be subjected to unbecoming behavior.

Today is only Tuesday and I’ve felt the urge on at least two occasions to knock the living daylights out of two extremely rude men. Why do some men think that because they’ve seen a lady who seemingly is catching to the eye they can walk up to her and say all sorts of crazy shit. Why do some dudes think that by holding their bloody manhood or boyhood in this case or licking their ashy lips suggestively, would make any female juices flow…yak. On the contrary man…I can’t get with you, move your disgusting mass bloody on. Ok why am I getting angry about this all over again.

This past weekend I found myself in the nations capital, Washington, DC, attending the Careers in Africa Summit. I’ve no words to describe the insinuated promises that made me buy a last minute air ticket and make seemingly exorbitant hotel reservations oh and did I mention miss a day of work...all for seeking plans for a better future. I think we, well let me say I for I cannot represent those who verbalized this sentiment…I think a dream I was sold and a dream I bought. I’m not saying that SOME of the companies that the organizers claimed to be present were not, neither am I saying that the ORGANIZERS did not present themselves to welcome us to the summit or that we almost felt that we were at a meat market all vying for the same thigh and and…I’m whining, at least I landed two interviews…better success next time Q.
The best part of this trip for me was meeting up with friends. My soul friend lives in DC and she and I have numerous silent conversations. We she the nyaaaaaaaamiest hugs ever man. We can sit in a room in total silence and be ok with and by the energy that transpires between us. It was great seeing her and all whom I saw. Twas fun to let loose and dance Saturday night away.

The other day I found myself at a store shopping for a friends birthday gift. The lady in front of me at the cash register was a foreigner and had loads of stuff on her shopping cart. I was struck by the conversation that ensued when she presented her passport as a form of ID. The manager at the cash registered was baffled as to why and how she would think that her passport was an acceptable form of identification presented with her cheque aka check payment. She on the other hand was miffed that he wasn’t able to recognize her passport as a form of ID. As an observer I was disgusted by his ignorance and that of the store as a whole. How in the world can you turn away a customer, whose purchase was a total of over $300 because “you don’t have a valid ID.” SHOCK was written all over my face man. The manager called other colleagues who confirmed that “you definitely can’t accept that.” OMG then theeeeeeeeen after the lady leaves the store with a promise of returning back with cash or debit card, the manager dares talk to me, Q, about the ignorance of some foreigners…uwiiiiiiiiiiiiii I think I didn’t believe it when I walked out of the store with my purchase in hand. I told him as calmly as my being would allow me that I think that the store should be ashamed that they are turning away $$ because of their seeming ignorance to the rest of the free world…a passport can be and is a valid form of ID…the US doesn’t issue a state ID to every tourist that sets foot on these soils. So what, you don’t accept $$ from tourists who are bringing revenue to your nation…argh. And I do understand that they can easily be conned by use of passports which may not easily be traced but the same could happen in the case of a US stolen identity etc…I’m done…

My mind feels like my words on this page appear. I’m all skatty today. I’ve finally finished and handed in my paper that was due a week ago…very unlike me to be late on school assignments…oh well.

I keep putting my health on hold and I don’t know what the fear is. I need to convince myself that I need to follow-up on my lump and that all will work out well like it did the last time. I’m riddled with nightmares of my demise. My dad called me this morning coz he’s been worried about me and he had a dream that I had passed on to the land of the living dead. Fear is a factor that I cannot afford to hold on to…away with you fear!

I’ve been told that I’m sexual and or sensual. I’ve never understood what this means but I think it’s finally seeping in…my body has a way of talking to men and attracting them to me. I don’t think I do anything consciously. In fact, I believe it’s the innocence of it that is seemingly alluring to men. Now that I know this I need to find a way of stopping the effect so that I don’t attract…does all this make sense…it does to me!

I’m feeling out of life…I need to plug in to some great music and good company and expanse of ocean and simply be and rejuvenate man…I think I’m going to take a sabbatical on my upcoming two week vacation…maybe be away from everything and everyone and find company in self…hmmmmmmmm I like that thought!

Ray of light…my little five year old cousin is coming to spend the weekend. She is the joy of my life and never fails in making appreciate the innocence of life. She takes me back to my childhood and brings back memories of genuine love. She is full of questions that help keep my mind going. She brings laughter to my being and love to my soul and I can’t wait to get to her level and talk and play with her…we can play with Dora and Barbie and princess and watch the Disney channel and watch Finding Nemo, Sound of Music (ok okaaaaaaaaay this I must confess is my favorite movie). If it rains we may go out and play in the rain…shhhhhhhh don’t tell her mom. I may not need rejuvenation after the weekend.