Have you see this?

I read this article in Gothamist a couple of days ago about the police officer who "attacked" a bicyclist. I remember thinking, "Again?", because I had a friend who was almost arrested during the '04 Republican Convention Critical Mass Bike Ride.

Of course, then, they added video, which you can see here:


And my next thought was, "See, this is why people don't like cops". In this day and age you have to realize that there are very few times during the day when you are in a public setting where there isn't a camera on you. And that goes for everyone. Criminal, law enforcement, average Joe.

People, EVERYONE! We all need to be a little more patient, a little more understanding and a whole lot kinder. We don't have to be dicks ALL THE TIME. And lets all remember that big brother watches. ALL. THE. TIME.

My Imaginary Boyfriend was on The Price Is Right

How much do I love this? You totally realize that if he had invited me I would have tagged along, right? Because I highly doubt he has any idea what jelly (or most household items, for that matter) costs.

You can go to The Huffington Post to read all about it.

It's not exactly a Video of the week...

....but a "teaser" for the next Cold War Kids CD, about which I am very excited.



tickets for concerts in October went on sale today...who wants to go?

Like a gangrenous leg

I had friends that I was close to for the duration of high school and college, but the majority of the friends I have today I feel like I'll have for the rest of my life. JL and I have been tight since elementary school. Clearly that isn't a friendship that will go away...nor is it a friendship that I would let go without a fight.

I am a big believer that most relationships (romantic or not) have an expiration date. There is a saying, "Friendships last a reason, season or a lifetime" and it's true.

I am not saying that once you get tired of your boyfriend or your best friend you should just ditch them, I'm saying that when relationships become emotionally painful then it may be time to re-evaluate.

This is what I have going on in my life right now. I have a relationship with someone, not a romantic relationship, but a relationship none the less. And it has become painful. I have lowered my expectations to the point where they simply can't be lowered anymore and I just feel like I loose more and more ground every day. In short, he is a gangrenous leg and has to be cut off in order to keep the rest of the body healthy. I'm sad about it because I'd had high hopes that given enough time he'd pull his head out of his ass, but that isn't likely to happen.

This isn't something that should be undertaken lightly. It is a huge decision to cut someone out of your life, but I've come to the conclusion that no matter how much you love someone it is always going to be OK to love yourself just a little bit more.

And yes, it's Mr. Little's Man dad. I think I just finally got tired of hearing all of the reason why he couldn't make his child a priority. Will Mr. Little Man miss him? I'm not sure. DO I relish this? Quite the contrary...I'm kind of sick about it. But you can only have someone tell your child something so often, and then have that scenario not materialize before you have to step in. It's not fair to me to have to dry the tears. So, in short, I think I'm just DONE.

What I am reading: The Tempest Tales - Walter Moseley. It's OK, but I am dying for the new Sedaris.
What I am listening to: Lil Wayne - Tha Carter. I know, I know. I do not match his key demographic, but damn. I am STUCK. I would slit a bitch's throat to be able to get that ear worm out of my head because you can only sing (rap?) A Milli 1,000 times before it become painful.

Ger-bonics

My mother, who was born and raised in Germany, learned to speak English in school. And as we all know there is a huge difference between speaking English and speaking American.

Early in their marriage my father brought my mother to Arkansas to introduce her to his family. He didn't bring her before they got married because.....well, honestly, I'm not entirely sure, but I suppose if you were a black man rural Arkansas in the 1970s marrying a white woman may have been frowned upon. She did not speak American (or rather more specifically, she did not speak Arkansan Ebonics) and they did not speak English so the first couple of weeks were difficult at best. Apparently my father's family did not equate him marrying a German with him marrying a white German. They did not expect someone that looked like my mother to be a part of their family. Muckily, my mother is a fairly quick study and was able to acclimate and fit in with the family in no time.

Essentially she just picked up on both their accents and their grammar. It also helped that she got good at playing cards. My ex-husband used to call my mother's way of speaking "GERBONICS"; my mother speaks Ebonics, but with a German accent.

I do sort of picture her being young and anxious and moving to the US with her new husband. She wanted to learn the vernacular and I'm sure she wanted to please my father, so she just picked up what she heard. It's actually one of my favorite traits about her.

Examples of words she learned from my father's side of the family that have stuck:
1. Icebox
2. Pocketbook
3. Cut on / cut off
4. Bed set (otherwise known as sheets)
5. Finna / Fixin' to
6. Why you ain't
7. I'ma let you
8. Playa, playa (this is how she referred to my brother during the late 90s. There is also something fundamentally wrong hearing a woman in her 50s say that phrase)
9. Can't nobody
10. Right quick

Please note that my mother is also quite quick to "aks" you a question. Even after living in the US for 20 plus years she still continues with the Gerbonics. Anytime any of our friends meet my mother for the first her manner of speaking is always one of the first things they notice. Oddly enough no one ever says anything my Dad's accent or grammar......probably because he doesn't have the awesome German accent.

What I am reading, Pt. 1: I am currently salivating over a copy of Nigella Express.
What I am reading, Pt. 2: The 100 thing challenge
What I am looking forward to: The Nordstrom's Anniversary Sale commences July 18. YAY!! Boots!
What I am listening to: Fleetwood Mac - Love That Burns


UNRELATED:
I just got my 3rd (yes, THIRD) phone call in less than a month from a parent who thinks their child is autistic. This has to stop.