All about Me!

This is what happens when you try to go to bed at a decent hour.

But since I'm up, I thought I'd complete the meme Renee and Kristy tagged me for.

The Rules:

6 Random Things About Me:

1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself. (See below)
4. Tag six people at the end of your post and link to them. (See further below...)
5. Let each person know they've been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

The Things:

1. I am horribly afraid of getting lost. I've lived in two of the largest cities in the country and have seen very few of their attractions except on field trips with my son and under the guidance of Kim or my sister. I want to take my family to do something out here when they come for Thanksgiving, but already, I'm going, "What if I get lost? What if we can't find parking? What if we get separated?" in my head.

2. I'm having moments now in which I think, "I really like my job." That might sound "duh," but keep in mind I've spent the last few years of my life waiting to live: "As soon as my kid goes to school... As soon as I pass comps... As soon as I write the dissertation... As soon as I get a job." There's still a lot of "As soon as I write the book... As soon as I get tenure..." but I'm feeling a bit more content.

3. Still working on the kind of mama I want to be and my kid is more than half grown. I snap a lot when I'm tired or aggravated or have said "Clean that pissy ass bathroom and you better start standing closer to the toilet!" a zillion times. And I will invoke the, "Because I said so!" answer, despite knowing better.

4. My feet are a total "oooooh" zone (in a good way ;-). I can hardly stand to get pedicures sometimes.

5. I am selfish (and I'll admit, scarred) enough to have said, "If I ever have another long term relationship, I don't want to be in love, but I want my significant other to be in love with me." Yes, because the all beneficent elle is smug enough to think she won't take another's love and devotion for granted or treat them like shit just because she knows they are so into her.

I chastise myself about that, but if I ever get my energy and interest levels up enough to be interested in romance again, I still want it to be more of a muted affection/mutual respect sort of thing. I've had enough drama and heartache.

6. The one man mrs. o and I have agreed to share:



To which our Soror Rashida would quip, "He ain't big enough to share!"

I know he has a lot of problems with the legal system, but see number 5. I ain't trying to fall in love.

Tags later. I'm about to try to drift off while thinking on a good weekend question.

I Love Your Blog

BFP loves my blog.

::does southern (b)elle swoon::

Okay, with that out of the way, I'm going to do this meme, too. There are so many blogs I love, though I'll try to keep this (reasonably) brief.

No surprise that I have to reciprocate the love first. I love La Alma de Fuego and its proprietor. So much that I'll stop there to keep from embarrassing myself with further fan girl behavior.

And Just_Me, k8, and Ragey are all special to me. My blogging life would be a lot lonelier (more lonely?) without them.

Ms. Sylvia? Gets mindless adoration.

Matttbastard--my favorite funny, on point political blogger.

Kevin, who some time ago said of me

She’s one of those bloggers that once you start reading her, you feel like she’s your sister.

That was also swoon-worthy and so very special to me because I feel the same way. A funny, sweet, brilliant brother with politics I love. ::sigh::

Quaker Dave. He's just... Quaker Dave.

Noemi. I especially love the posts about Texas and the poetry.

My favorite Mami. She's just bad!

Liss. As I told her before, mrs. o and I sit and ponder how absolutely delightful she must be in person.

Renee. Always a breath of fresh air. She reminds me so much of my sister--she tells it like it is.

Speaking of telling it like it is:

• WoC PhD, who's a personal and professional inspiration for me.
• Nezua at UMX. (He's also one of the coolest people on Twitter :-)
  

Giftie Etcetera. It's like watching a life unfold through witty, self-assured prose.

And man, Kai's writing (and of course, the stuff he writes about!)

No, I did not list my WHOLE blogroll!

Julie Tagged Me...

For a sort of Alphabet Meme. My answers are below.

Warning-Punctuation is random at best!

A. Attached or Single? Single

B. Best Friend? my co-bloggers, my sister, Trin

C. Cake or Pie? Currently in love with my own red velvet cake. The second time was even better--I use more cocoa powder than that recipe calls for, though.

D. Day of Choice? Friday

E. Essential Item? lip gloss or chapstick

F. Favorite Color? brown

G. Gummy Bears or Worms? worms

H. Home town? Smalltown, LA

I. Favorite Indulgence? chocolate and coca-cola which I need to give up as I suffer from recurrent kidney/uti infections

J. January or July? I hate being extremely cold or hot, so I'm going to go with October :-p

K. Kids? One is a-plenty, thanks

L. Life isn't complete without? family, friends, books, and the internet

M. Marriage date? around the 33rd of Neveruary. Seriously, no plans or aspirations in that area, though my mom assures me that will change.

N. Number of Brothers and Sisters? 1 older brother, 1 younger sister

O. Oranges or Apples? Oranges.

P. Phobias? Snakes (Ophidiophobia). It's ridiculous how afraid I am of them. Can't move, crying afraid if I see one slithering somewhere. Oh my god, slither just sounds slithery.

Q. Quotes? "I'm really proud that if one of y'all goes to jail, all of y'all are going. That's how it should be." My dad, speaking of me, my sis, mrs. o, my cousins trin, tesha, and janna, and our friend, kendra. Yes, it is that serious. More standard? Franklin D. Roosevelt, "The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little."

R. Reasons to Smile? my son, my nieces, nephews, godchildren and kin-children. they are something

S. Season of Choice? Autumn

T. Tag 5 People - KikiBe, Quinn, Alex, Ragey, Kim and mrs. o. (Ok, I cheated)

U. Unknown Fact About Me? Um, it shall remain unknown!.

V. Vegetable? Potato.

W. Worst Habit? Probably unnecessary worrying - or shopping! (Julie's answer fits me perfectly)

X. X-Ray or Ultrasound? X-Ray. I've found them to seem, at least, less invasive

Z. Zodiac Sign? Sagittarius

Z. Which Zoo Animal is your Favorite? Stop asking silly questions! There are SNAKES at the zoo!! And it's hot. (But if I had to go, elephants (of course :-) and giraffes.)

Seven Songs Meme

Joan Kelly tagged me! Here are the rules:

List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they’re not any good, but they must be songs you’re really enjoying now, shaping your spring summer. Post these instructions in your blog along with your seven songs. Then tag seven other people to see what they’re listening to.

Hmmm...

Believe it or not, I don't listen to music a lot. I don't really buy CDs, the kids messed up the antenna inside my car, so no radio, not a big music channel watcher. Usually, someone tells me to watch something on you tube, and that's how I find out. So, I'm pretty much a R&B/pop type of listener. I'm sitting here now asking my sister, "What have I been listening to this summer?"

I have been comparing these two:



Rihanna Take a Bow



Madonna Take a Bow

I can't stop singing this; lots of times I like to think about someone helping me slay my giants.



Donald Lawrence Presents the Tri-City Singers Giants

This was my write-the-damned-dissertation song. It's still my get-work-done-song and, occasionally, the answertone on my cell. My advisor heard it and laughed for a minute. I listen to it at least once a day.



Queen and David Bowie Under Pressure

I like No Air by Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown.

And Love in This Club by Usher has grown on me.

And Alex has me listening to Because of You by Reba McEntire and Kelly Clarkson. I know it's been out but I'd never heard this version.

That's it! And I struggled for an hour and half to write this.

Mosaic Meme

Tagged by Kismet

Here's a mosaic about moi!


Rules from Aaminah:

a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker.

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.

I tag my co-bloggers, k8, k8, justme, Quiche, Julie ('scuse me, Dr. Julie), the History Enthusiast, and anyone else who wants to do it.

Tagged--8 Things about Me...

...my favorite subject!! And the lovely ladies Zan, ComebackNikki, and JustMe have given me a reason to write about it.

Rules:

• I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.


• Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.


• People who are tagged need to write their own blog post about their eight things and post these rules.


• At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.


• Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

Random Facts:

1. Sometimes, I close my eyes tightly and try to make myself see colors.


2. One thing that I am ashamed of about my life is that in the area of consumerism, my reality doesn't fit my politics/ideology. I am materialistic. I live beyond my means. Way beyond. Somedays, I sit there waiting for my precariously balanced world to tumble down around my ears.


3. Re: my parents: My dad and I have a closer relationship than my mom and I. I feel tremendously guilty about that, given the sacrifices my mom has made.


4. My son is developing a really dry sense of humor, a bit like mine. We already have a "look" we share when we encounter ridiculousness. That makes me happy.


5. I am highly suspicious of AT&T. How come, two or three years ago, AT&T was my cell provider? And then I HAD to switch to Cingular and buy a new phone? And now, Cingular is AT&T again. I don't understand. Something ain't right about that to me.


6. Despite grumblings and protests, I seem to have an affinity for working with children. the ones in my family, from nieces and nephews to distant cousins, seem to really love me. The little ones are always asking to spend the night, the older ones always want me to take them somewhere. I have an affectionate relationship with most of my ex-students, as well. My mother told me Sunday morning that I reminder her of herself--the kids in the neighborhood always wanted to come to our house when we were growing up--my mom was genuinely kind to them.


7. I am back working at mastering (hah!) the art of soul food cooking. I'm currently focused on desserts. Last week, I made a not-too-bad peach cobbler (I cheated on the crust, though). Before the summer is over, I will have conquered pecan pie (which I don't eat), sweet potatoe pie (which I only eat if it is baked in a shallow pan without a crust--a sweet potato pudding, I suppose), pound cake (okay, I basically got that one; it's just too involved), and a red velvet cake.


8. Someone asked me recently what classes I'd like to teach. I hadn't thought about is--as a new PhD, I assumed the U.S. History survey would be it for me for a while. But, I've decided, if I had my druthers (hah!), this would be my line up (in no particular order):

• Southern Labor, ~1890s to the present


• African Americans, 1877 to the present


• The U.S. (anti-) Welfare System since 1945


• Women in United States History


• The U.S. since 1945

Mmm-kay. I tag Julie, Quinn, Evanne, Mathochist, Vox, Billie, Turtlebella, and No Snow Here.

I'm It

Sylvia tagged me... and I need the brain break!!

A- Available or Single? The body is available but the mind is way too preoccupied.
B- Best Friend. V and KHB.
C- Cake or Pie. Cake.
D- Drink of Choice. Most Commonly--Strawberry Margaritas. But I have some good memories from my early 20s with Pink Panties
E- Essential Item. My computer and wide-ruled notebooks.
F- Favorite Color. Brown.
G- Gummi Bears or Worms. Worms.
H- Hometown. Small town, North Louisiana (I am still at least nominally pseudonymous, right?)
I- Indulgence. Romance Novels, Smirnoff Ice, and beef fajita quesadillas. All together. Preferably in bed.
J- January or February. February--January always seems rushed
K- Kids. One. If you ever hear that I have another, say to yourself, "Damn, elle slipped up!!"
L- Life is incomplete without… Humor. I need it desperately sometimes. Oh, and chocolate. Life is not worth living without chocolate.
M- Marriage Date. I don't think so.
N- Number of Siblings? Two plus Trinity.
O- Oranges or Apples? Oranges.
P- Phobias/Fears. Really (sadly) I worry that my dissertation won't meet expectations. And I worry about my child. And in the phobia category--anything that slithers, hisses, or is green.
Q- Favorite Quote(s). From my good friend, Kate September: "My writing is a bunch of good intentions and no time." "Indifference, then, is not only a sin, it is a punishment." - Elie Wiesel (thanks, Dave); "If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich." -John F. Kennedy
R- Reasons to smile. 1) The dissertation is progressing. Unevenly and with a healthy dose of blood, sweat, and tears, but it's progressing. 2) The school year is almost over.
S- Season. Autumn.
T- Tag Three. Mon, Fab, and Southern_Lady. (If you haven't already)
U- Unknown Fact About Me. It will stay unknown.
V – Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animals. I'm thinking of what I could oppress for lunch right now.
W- Worst Habit. Spending way too much time on the internet. (Had to keep that one from Sylvia. Hell to the yes!)
X – X-rays or Ultrasounds. Depends on what you're looking for. Your doctor should decide.
Y- Your Favorite Foods. Most any ;-p Seriously, when my mom is not trippin' , I love her soul food.
Z- Zodiac. Sagittarius.

I Haven't Forgotten!

Comebacknikki sent me these ages ago. I kept procrastinating, because number five is hard. I've decided to do it later, but in the meantime, y'all answer it--the thing I need most in this world is more books to read!!!

1. What is your favorite 80s hair band?
BonJovi, hands down. Though, I did/do love me some Aerosmith. And, I have a separate post drafted for Queen.

2. If you could chose another career & instantly acquire the knowledge/credentials to start working in said field tomorrow, what would you choose to do?
Catering and event planning. I have a million related ideas in my head.

3. Have you ever said "I love you" and not meant it?
No. Something in me won’t let me do it.

4. What person do you trust the most?
“The most” is hard! There are at least six people I trust with my life. I’ll go with my sister--I can tell her things I can't tell my parents :-)

5. What are the five books you think everyone absolutely should read?
Leave your answer in comments.

Book Meme

Gwyn tagged me. Here's what I have to do:

1. Grab the book closest to you.
2. Open to page 123, look down to the 5th sentence.
3. Post the text of the next 3 sentences on your blog.
4. Include the title and the author's name.
5. Tag 3 people

So, given the fact that the book that's closest to me doesn't have 5 sentences on page 123, (it has 2-and-a-half, and then the notes start) I have to cheat. I can either pick up another book or go with what is on page 123 of this one. I think I'll do the latter.

[The United Labor Unions gained a] stronger national network to support their organizing as well as an entry into a union movement that they hoped to influence in a progressive direction.

Many of the organizers who had loitered at subway stops and laundromats, waiting for home health care workers, would make their way into the ranks of the AFL-CIO reformers, bringing with them their new appreciation for community-based organizing tactics. They were but one stream of social justice unionists who increasingly pushed a hesitant trade union movement toward a renewed commitment to act for all workers, organized or not.

Vanessa Tait, Poor Workers' Unions: Rebuilding Labor From Below, (Cambridge, MA: South End Press, 2005): 123.

Update: Forgot to tag three people. I tag Julie, justme, and WWWMama (if y'all haven't done it).

A Lesson for elle, the Verbose

So, Kactus tagged me. A story in six words. I've been thinking and thinking. Results so far:

His suitcases, packed. My heart, broken.

A vicious sting. It slithered away.

She gave everything. It wasn't enough.

I like doing this. In the meantime, I tag Julie, Ragey, InfoScholar, Gwyn, Zan, and anyone else who wants to participate.

And BF TX, leave one in the comments :-)

Art Meme

Wow. So Vanessa (who's guesting at Feministe, btw) tagged me with the "8 images that amaze you" meme and I was petrified--this chick is not much of an art connoisseur and I wondered what in the hell could I put up? The only people I know more than some customary blurb on are Tanner and O'Keefe! There are a few paintings I like (learned about them mostly as a volunteer in my son's art class) and I tried to include them, but I sorta changed the meme to "8 10 images that amaze me or that I love." Here goes:

Fortitude. I love her for the **obvious** reasons. I'm not really used to seeing her from this angle, though.

Lord this was hard to find. I remembered the name--The Cradle--but nothing else. Still need to find the artist's name. It's sad, I know, but isn't it hopeful, too? Something about the way she's nurturing the children.

Ok, a standard. Midsummer Night in Harlem by Palmer Hayden. I love the sense of community--this is my hometown in the summer. Except we don't have brownstones and stoops--we have wood frames and/or tiny brick houses and porches. And we have to wait til the sun goes down some or we'll bake.


While on photobucket checking out a friend's pics, I stumbled upon this, by an Anthony Rodgers, and I liked it a lot. I'm trying to contact him to convince him to call it "Elle A-Straddle the World."


My mom and her beloved baby brother, mid 1950s. My uncle died a few years ago and my mom has never really recovered.

A history of military service-the first is my dad, all young and slim, in Vietnam. He reminds me (when he will talk about it) that he was old enough to be killed, but not old enough to buy a drink, during his first tour.

The second is the only extant (that we know of) picture of my paternal grandfather. He was a World War II vet.

**picture removed**

For juxtaposition, the first picture is of my paternal grandmother, 6 of her granddaughters and 3 of her grandsons (there are 21 of us in all) circa 1987. The next is of all 9 of her granddaughters (for a limited time. God, we all have the same smile!) circa 2003. Can you tell who the six grew up to be? Hint—the two oldest girls (another cousin and me) are not in the first pic and the youngest wasn’t born when it was taken. Picture number 2 is a hot commodity in my family--grainy, but the only one of its kind as my family is widely strewn and we've had one family reunion in my memory.





This spot is reserved for an image that I saw recently that I can't find. It is in the closing credits of Spike Lee's "When the the Levees Broke," an image of a black woman wrapped in an American flag--I may have posted about this already. That image was startling to me and I had to figure out why. I came up with two reasons-one, perhaps I don't really think of that flag as belonging to us and/or two, when you see people wrapped in it, the message usually is that the flag (or the country) offers support or protection--a gross misstatement in the case of Hurricane Katrina survivors.


Ok, I'ma tag a bunch, in hopes that at least a couple will find the time and desire to do it. I tag (complete at your leisure--if you're a meme person) Quinn, Gwyneth, Evanne, Ragey, Zan, Moksha, Nubian, and Ginviren. I'm too lazy to hyperlink y'all's names right now.

Update: Moksha, I started this Friday and I know you've been tagged by someone else in the interim.