Keep the Dream Alive

Martin Luther King Jr. said "discrimination is a hell-hound that gnaws at Negroes in every waking moment of their lives to remind them that the lie of their inferiority is accepted as truth in the society dominating them."  Sadly, over 40 years after his death, I believe many still feel discriminated against in their every day life. Obviously we have seen great improvement from 1968, but we seem to still have a long way to go. 

Growing up in Europe, with American movies and books as my only reference to the current American society, I saw this country as the true melting pot of every color and culture.  I truly believed that racism was a part of this country's past, and was utterly amazed to see how segregated this country still was - not by law, but, I guess, rather by choice, when I arrived here as a teenager. What amazes me even more, is the intense awareness of their color and race so many children seem to be brought up with, even today. Don't get me wrong - I too think ones heritage is important, and something one should be proud of; however, there are many things I find much more essential to teach young children. 

My experience is, that children will not even notice the color of one's skin unless they have been taught to do so. They will describe people by their eye color, hair and height/weight without ever mentioning the color of the skin.  Maybe if we stop teaching the children so much about our differences, they will grow up seeing everyone as equals...just a thought. 

More important though, I find it is long overdue that some words are eliminated from our language. The N-word is on the top of my list.  Get rid of it! Stop using it!  I don't care what color you are, it is not and never will be a good or endearing word, no matter which way it is spelled. Not in every day speech, not in a rap song (or any other song), not anywhere.  Don't take it from me, but please listen carefully to what young Jonathan McCoy said.  Over a million people watched the video of him deliver his speech to the congregation at his church; hopefully the other 306 million in this country will follow suit. 

I wholeheartedly agree with young McCoy, and had Dr. King Jr. been alive, I am certain he would too!

Turn Off Your Phone!!

There is nothing more annoying than a cellphone ringing in the middle of a movie, a speech, or a great music performance.  Apparently orchestra music director Alan Gilbert of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra thinks the same; and being the conductor, well, then he can do something about it.

According to Daily Mail Online, when a cellphone started ringing during their performance of Mahler's Ninth Symphony, he brought the music to a halt, waited for the ringing to stop, then asked the unfortunate man if he was quite finished, and apologized to the remaining audience before resuming the concert.  I love it! Pretty sure that guy will forever make sure his phone is turned off before entering a theater or concert hall again.

Listening to the orchestra though, I don't blame Mr. Gilbert.  This piece (an any other for that sake), should be enjoyed without the interruption of modern day cellphone ringtones...  Here with Leonard Bernstein. Enjoy!!

Making It BIG!!

There is no sweeter revenge than success!  That definitely rings true for Gurbacksh Chahal, who was bullied in school and struggled to fit in as an immigrant from India in East San Jose, California.

Not that he seems to spend much time thinking of those who made his childhood tough.  Who would when you at 20-something,  have built and sold two companies at a total price of $340 million, employ 120 people and continue to grow your business to an international level? Impressive!!

Photo by Tungphoto/Freedigitalphotos.net

Reading about this young entrepreneur, I really like his outlook on life, and how he seems to have turned everything around to a positive:

On breaking free from bullies: My focus was to think: 'OK, I'm not going to have the most friends, be prom king or the most popular student — but so what?' I fell in love with the Internet, with business and the idea of being in control and knowing that my destiny was in my own hands. I became more determined than ever to succeed.

 When faced with rejection … embrace it. This will change the entire way you look at life. Whenever someone says they're not interested in working [for me] or buying [from me], it fuels my competitive side. It may not be today or even next year, but I will carefully design a strategy to get a "yes." And when a "yes" fuels you more than the actual deal or opportunity, you can embrace rejection in a much more competitive way.

With exception of his dropping out of school at 16, I hope my children and many others of the younger generation will look to this young man for inspiration and motivation!  Obviously most will never reach his level of success,  but learning to change negatives into positives and live with the determination Mr. Chahal seems to have, would make a huge difference in everyone's life.  His book is definitely on my reading list (the one that keeps on growing, but I can't quite seem to find time to conquer...)You can read more about him and his success story at MSN Business on Main.  

Serial Dater

I did it!  I know I swore I never would, but I signed up for internet dating.... Here's how it happened; 

I was reading my love horoscope for 2012, thinking my love life was lacking so badly in 2011, it must get better this year.  It said "you will date several men this year, one of whom will not be right for you". OK, I thought, and where am I supposed to meet these men? And wait?! Only one is not right for me?  So I get to pick and choose?  Having just talked to my girlfriend, who is happily engaged to the man she met online, and who tells me one in four new relationships are now formed online, I got curious.  So I went on one of the sites to "spy". To my surprise, there are some quite handsome men on these sites, most of whom also seem to have both brains and personality. One in particular caught my attention, so I signed up just to be able to send him a message....hey, it was free, and he was really cute!

What happened next was a little unexpected.  24 hours later, not only the one I contacted, but another 46 men had sent me a message, including one inviting me to Vegas to get married by Elvis. Needless to say I had quite the boast in confidence :-) At least until I read the messages. One was 19 and "liked older women", one was 58 and although seemingly quite interesting - a little out of my dating range.  Most were shorter than me (and for the first few hours, they all were, since I entered 6'3" as my height, thinking it was the ideal height I was looking for...).  I finally saw where I could set restrictions on whom I wanted to be contacted by (and fixed my height!), and am amazed that I am still receiving messages after all the restrictions I put in (now we're getting somewhere).

Then I politely started answering messages.  But  I was really just interested in the guy I contacted, and I never intended to spend hours writing men I have no interest in meeting (and why did I sign up then, you ask...?), so I set some new standards. If their profile did not specify they expected an answer, or they asked for one in their message, if the message was a one liner, or their profile picture was without a shirt (I didn't even bother to read their profiles...) - no response.  Much quicker to just delete. For the rest, with exception of very few, I'm becoming a master in politely turning down requests to get to know me. 

When I was finally done, I checked my emails, just to find one from the dating site with tips on how to improve my profile so I would get a better response...

By now, I have obviously read a multitude of profiles. What I find most interesting, is how people describe themselves. What a tell-tale of how they feel about themselves, and what they think the opposite sex is looking for.  I checked out some women's profiles too, just to see what we say...and apparently we all "see the glass as half full", can take care of ourselves, and have our lives in order. Men love to point out they can cook, but I didn't see a single one who likes to clean and do laundry (that would be the ideal candidate!!), and they are all looking for drama-free women.  Hello!  I can be THE Drama-Queen, MRS. Bitch and so on, and 47 of them contacted me, like I will actually admit to that in my profile(?!).

Then there was the one comment I found odd.  This man was not interested in meeting a "serial-dater". Really?  He signed up for a dating site.  It is a little like a buffet....try a little of everything until you find what you really like.  If I can just find the time, I am most certainly going to be the new "serial dater" in town. Get ready Cupid, you'll be busy! Fulfilling my horoscope for the year, I intend to have the dating of "several men" out of the way in the beginning of the year (did I mention I am goal oriented?), starting with a home cooked meal tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Bitches 'til the End!

Nothing like starting off the year with a good laugh.  So tasteless or not, here's my joke of the day:

 

The doctor, after an examination, sighed and said, 'I've got some bad news. You have cancer, and you'd best put your affairs in order.'

The woman was shocked, but managed to compose herself and walk into the waiting room where her daughter had been waiting.

'Well, daughter, we women celebrate when things are good, and we celebrate when things don't go so well. In this case, things aren't well. I have cancer. So, let's head to the club and have a martini.'

After 3 or 4 martinis, the two were feeling a little less somber. There were some laughs and more martinis. They were eventually approached by some of the woman's old friends, who were curious as to what the two were celebrating. 

Photo by Artzamui/freedigitalphotos.net

 

The woman told her friends they were drinking  to her impending end, 'I've been diagnosed with AIDS.'

The friends were aghast, gave the woman their condolences and beat a hasty retreat.

After the friends left, the woman's daughter leaned over and whispered, 'Momma, I thought you said you were dying of cancer, and you just told your friends you were dying of AIDS! Why did you do that?'
'Because I don't want any of those bitches sleeping with your father after I'm gone.'
And THAT, my friends, is what is called, 'Putting Your Affairs In Order.'