Is it just me?

Or did I forget a major holiday just passed? Sure Hanukkah, too.

Quite frankly, as my partner in crime Sage.Blaize perfectly put it, Christmas dies with innocence. I guess mine must be 6 feet under. Or I'm shrinking and the holiday went right over my head.

Take your pick.

My family has an undying tradition where we videotape the family in the living room opening presents next to the tree on Christmas morning. That tradition is now lying down next to my innocence. Not only did the recession prevent us from having plenty of gifts under the tree, but now my younger sister is the only one the parentals have to satisfy with quantity instead of quality.

We woke up late on Christmas day, had a very Jamerican breakfast, and went back to sleep. Don't fret, we reconveined for a nice family dinner. The old times are gone.

I felt absolutely bored that day, and it's no one's fault. I wish Christmas break could mean the same thing as before college/recession.

I hope the Christmas is only on a brief hiatus instead of a full blown retirement.

That's the way I see it.

~Stassi X.

RIP Dakota

It doesn't take a personal relationship to touch someone. It saddens me to hear when Bx Sci family is harmed, especially in such a powerful way... It made me do some thinking, and shed a tear. How could someone hurt so much to let it get to this point? And how could someone let them hurt so much? Questions in lyrical form...

A Dakota Breeze*

Watching the lives of the lost pass on with the breeze
We can say a silent prayer for them; let’s get down on our knees.
It’s sad to hear of young ones snatched away from life like this
And then another self-decides that he is finished with his
What kind of world do these people live in? How troubled are they?
Or how glamorous can death be? No color, just grey?
I can’t begin to think like they do; the thought’s way too dangerous
Yet we can’t respect their choice, it’s just too strange for us
We just label them as crazy, troubled, or mad hatters
‘Why can’t they be like us?’ we ask, our lives peachy on silver platters
It hurts to keep on wondering, we’ll never get inside their head
Just because their body’s gone, they were not spiritually dead
But it was their own wish to go, so wish them a peaceful depart
I know that’s hard with grieving and frustration in your heart
We watch the lives of the lost pass on with the breeze
All we can do is pray for them, and keep kneeling on our knees.

12-19-08

*Dedicated to Dakota P. (2/28/91-12/18/08). I know I didn't know you, but everyone deserves a sweet farewell... RIP ='[.

Kick Rocks, Economy.

No, seriously. No long words, just another poem written today. I'll call it celebratory venting, if you will.

Our Broken Pockets

F_ck whoever shut down my dreams, look what it cost me
Now I’m paying for college with the full fee

Daddy lost his job, momma working too hard
And now my sister probably won’t even make it this far

F_ck America now, the whole system’s a scam
And if somebody makes it, then they’ll be damned

So, you’re telling me that two months woulda made a difference
And my parents wouldn’t live cold trying to pay my tuition

It’s like you gotta be rich or dirt poor to get by
The middle people ain’t financially fit to survive

World, your letting me down, we’re all terrified
Don’t you see the look off homelessness welling in their eyes

Trust me, when they fall it’s a heavy crime you’ll commit
You’ve created a problem even dear God couldn’t fix

And The Pen's in Hand...

Feeling a bit lyrical, go figure.

Here's some mental candy to chew on:

title_// She's Set

Mirror, mirror, you don’t have to lie
I already see the stares as they pass on by
With their make-up and mani’s
Push-ups and paddings
Their sense of belonging
So unneeded, it’s saddening
You see, I am so far above the rest that I coast
Yet strangely, I don’t have the need to boast
Gifted? Bah!
Phenomenal? Please.
Success-ridden? Are you kidding?
That’s just a tease.
I am undoubtedly, uncompromisingly,
And incredibly loved
Not only by him above
But by the new community that I’m a part of
As HI and VSU look on
They’re all pickled with envy
They can never be the
Howard woman that I am, see
As a part of a new found family
As a sister, I’ll tell you freely
As a prestigious lady of Club 3-1-3
And an illustrious lady of the Q-U-A-D
You’ve been lucky enough to come across
The fortunate person who is unequivocally ME.

12-14-08

~Stassi X.

I Need a FLASHBACK...

I truly am a 90's baby, yo.

You never truly realize that you are unless you get it in excess. What's "it"? The essence of the best decade known to man. Everyone gets wrapped in the competition on decades saying, "I'm a 90's baby!" then hearing, "Oh no, that's wack. I'm an 80's baby. Ohh yeah, last of the best!"

Please. You didn't even get to claim a whole year of the 80's. You just claim the ass. You ARE a 90's baby too, just like me.

Now here comes the excess. Okay here's the typical college scene: the 80's party is the most poppin' event on campus and everyone dresses up with the rope chains and high-high-high tops (both hair and shoes), colorful leggings, and shoulder cut-off sweatshirts. Cute, right? Now let me do you one better, 90's party baby (as if you didn't see it coming). The decade of track jackets, Adidas, belly shirts, sports bras, Tupac, Aaliyah, TLC, Snoop Dogg, baggy pants, bandanas, washed out jeans, non-matching colors, and the wonderful list goes on.

I must say, when pulling up to the Axum Lounge on 9th and R Streets, I was a bit skeptical. I wasn't sure how many people would actually come and get into the spirit. My friends and I came slightly early, right before 11pm, so not only did we get in free, the place wasn't packed. However, the 90's music was good right from the jump, so we had no time to sulk about the emptiness of the floor because we were to busy bumping and singing to notice. Then, once "No Scrubs" came on, the singing got so loud that we were forced to finally look around the place and notice that the population doubled. From that point on.... shit. was. CRACKK. With 2 k's.

This party catered to all kinds of people. If you didn't really like to be in the middle of things, you could just sit in a chair at the bar (don't worry, there was no drinking for us minors) and bop and sway to yourself. Or if you just love to shake your arse, there were plenty of takers. Girls dancing with each other? Got it. Guys doing to trademarks scene from "House Party"? Got it, got it, got it. Air conditioning? Hell no, but it's okay, they had napkins. Personally, I was a little hot in my purple leotard, but it's ok, I had my shiny peach sports bra (yay 90's) on so I could peel the shoulders down some. Personally, this has been one of the best parties I've gone to all year simply because EVERYONE looked so cute. Everyone was sober and STILL having the best time. Everyone was chill and happy and singing with each other and dancing with each other minus the typical sexual innuendo found at the real house party scene.

That poor Axum Lounge. Everyone was so "involved" that the floor (we were upstairs) started to crack and creak so much that they told us we all had to shift to the other side of the floor. By that time everyone decided it was time to leave for fear of falling through the floor/ceiling. But as we exited, the music did not stop playing and the people did not stop bopping the whole way out.

Gotta love Howard University mann. And gotta love my 90's.

[Btw, not me in the flick]

~Stassi X.

Coonery, Actually.

TGIF.

So, when did a trip to my local CVS turn into a learning experience about racial targeting?

That would have to be yesterday.

Three friends and I made a stop to a CVS near Howard University in Washington, DC to pick up a few things when we came across a strange sight in the toy and candy aisle. It was a brown-skinned doll with curly (a.k.a. nappy) in a pretty yellow box with the name KENYA across the top. At first my friends and I thought this was a bit funny...that is, until we kept on reading.

Right under the black doll named Kenya, of all things, was another bit of text that read, "Growing Up Proud." That made us start shaking our heads as we continued laughing. However, after getting through "Curly Hair is really great! Magic Lotion makes it straight," then "Braid it, braid it," and finally "Making Kenya pretty makes you feel pretty too," the laughter stopped.

We could not believe something so stereotypical was being put on the shelves of this store, trying to attract buyers. As one friend argued, this was just another marketing strategy. Since the area surrounding this particular CVS was predominantly black, the product would have a greater success there. The company, UNeeda (whose website is http://www.uneedadoll.com/, smh...), even tried to make this doll more diverse by adding on the box, "Kenya comes in 3 different skin tones!" By the way, all of these skin tones would be undoubtedly associated with the black race.

The rest of us weren't buying it, and neither were some other shoppers that day. We asked a middle-aged woman in the store if she would buy the Kenya doll for her child, and she quickly shook her head no. Later that day, we asked a teenage father if he would buy the Kenya doll for his daughter and he quickly ended that discussion with a "hell no."

To our advantage (or disadvantage, as we would later find out), there were representatives of either the CVS company or other CVS branches dressed up in suits and ties and walking around the store. It must have been a field trip. We snatched the doll from the shelf and approached both a black and white male from the field trip group with our concerns about the doll and why it was on the shelves of this CVS. We argued that it was borderline racist, very stereotypical, and trying to reinforce the fact that black females have to change themselves to appear beautiful. (Ladies and gents, even though curly hair is "really great," magic lotion to make it straight? Cough cough, that sounds an awful lot like a perm to me. And on the side of the box, it made sure to include that putting it back in water will return the curls. Like, come on.)

Anyways, as the black man in the suit was shaking his head in disapproval of the product, the white man in front of him told us that we were taking it too sensitively and laughed it off and walked away.

Take it sensitively? We may or may not have been, but the Kenya doll has been deemed as coonery.

That's just the way I see it.

~Stassi X.