Joining The Circus
My degree arrived in the mail this weekend. When it arrived I felt so proud. These past two years have been quite a journey. Being a wife, mother of 3, teacher and writer is enough. But when you add graduate school on top of all that you get tons of weight on a person’s shoulders. But I made it through. I wasn’t sure if I would but the battle is over and I’ve won the war. I have my degree. Too bad I want nothing to do with the education system anymore…… Maybe I should join the circus…..
Filed under my attitude, my grad school
Channeling Michael Jordan
I’ve sat in the stands every Saturday for an entire month yelling and screaming for my boy. I”m a proud momma. He does what his coach tells him to do…to the best of his ability. He runs up and down the court with great speed, smiling with each step. He has fun. When he gets really excited, he’ll tap dance on the court like Sandman Sims. I don’t know where he gets that from. But he’s having fun, so I don’t mind.
His teammates are serious competitors. They are focused, determined. But my boy is just having fun. Proud to be a part of something. Happy to be playing ball. Amazingly, he can make it through an entire game without touching the ball. He just runs. But he’s happy, so I don’t mind.
Something happened to my boy a few days ago. Mr. Incredible took him to the shoe store to buy him a much-needed pair of basketball shoes. I figured they’d come home with a nice pair of New Balance sneakers, or Nike running shoes. But no, Mr. Incredible bought our son a pair of $90.00 Jordan’s straight from the factory!
These shoes are beautiful. So beautiful that I wondered why Mr. Incredible didn’t buy me a pair (I still may go get myself some). The next day, my boy strapped on his basketball uniform, laced his shoes and headed to his game. I sat in the stands waiting for him to get put in the game. I wasn’t expecting much because as I mentioned, he’s managed to make it through all of his games without touching the ball once. So, I was prepared to watch my boy run up and down the court smiling and tap dancing. No matter, I’d yell and scream for him just like a proud momma should.
At the end of the first quarter my boy was put in the game. I was happy but a little nervous because this team we were playing was a bunch of rough ones. I knew they’s steamroll my boy and wipe him right off the court. How wrong I was! My boy, possessed by the spirit of the man with whom his shoes were named after, hustled down that court like a seasoned pro. No smile did he show as he fought for the rebound, played hard defense, and even got fouled as he went up for a shot.
Lawd, what was this momma to do? Who was this child who, just two nights before, stood in practice and tap danced all over the cout with a huge kool-aid smile on his face?
No longer is he just happy to play, my boy wants to win! It must be the shoes!
Filed under my babies
Social Media Resume! What’s That?
I’m preparing for a career change. But I’m having a difficult time. It’s not the job search that’s giving me trouble. There are plenty of social media jobs that I’ve located…. everything from “digital media specialist” to “social media director”. I’ve found a number of jobs that have caught my eye. I’ve even applied for one or two. It’s just my resume that’s giving me such a headache. That stupid, one sheet scroll. It is the current bane of my existence.
I’ve held the same position for the past 11 years, so I haven’t thought about my resume in a long, long time. Moreover, this new position that I’m looking for is much different than my current career, so my resume needs a complete overhaul. It’s difficult. I don’t know how to sum up all of my endeavors into one silly sheet of paper.
I’ve requested sample social media resumes from friends that work in the field. And I’ve sought advice from others. So, I have lots of help. Yet, I’m still stuck. Every time my fingers lay on my keyboard to type, nothing happens. And I end up on Facebook for hours posting about my troubles instead of working on my curriculum vitae.
What’s a girl to do? Dammit! If Oprah would just hurry up and call me I’d not have to worry about such things. I’d just pack up my family and head on over to California to the OWN network and start filming my brand new show. A girl can dream, can’t she. Oh well, I guess I should stop procrastinating and log back on to Microsoft Word to begin working on that stupid, dumb, ugly, resume. *insert sad face here*
Filed under my job
Love, Peace, and Soul
Don Cornelius has died. That makes me sad. I wonder if he had any clue that the creation of Soul Train would have such a remarkable impact on America culture.
I remember waking up every Saturday morning as a child long before my parents rolled out of bed. My sisters and I would sit in front of the TV eating frosted flakes and watching cartoons, followed by Soul Train at 10 am. It was the best part of my week.
The performances were amazing. The music was fantastic. And the dancers…oh the dancers! I wanted to be like them. I wanted to wear what they wore. I wanted to move like they moved.
I would pick my brain every Saturday morning trying to figure out the Soul Train scramble board before the dancers revealed the answer. I’d seldom win.
Who doesn’t remember that black choo choo train chugging across the screen with smoke coming out of the engine? And there is no African American wedding, party or social gathering that I’ve attended that hasn’t included a Soul Train line.
Don Cornelius was a true innovator. I appreciate his contribution to this society. No, he didn’t cure cancer or deplete homelessness, but he certainly highlighted some amazing musical artist on a fantastic show that he created. He assisted in the careers of people like Gladys Night, Eric B and Rakim, Elton John. He brought music to his people. And I appreciate that.
Thank you, Don Cornelius. Thank you.
Filed under my black people, my music, my TV
Krystal Grant Stomps The Yard, The Atlanta University Center
Filed under moms and technology, my internet
Being Sick Sucks
I have a sore throat. And my head is pounding. Moreover, my nose is stuffy so I can’t breathe. Oh yeah, did I mention my itchy eyes, sneezing and cough? I’m sick. And being sick sucks.
I’d have no problem with a cold if I could lay in bed all day and watch CNN in between bouts of sleep. That would be fantastic. Instead, I’m still responsible for the millions of things I do each day. So, there’s no time for a cold. Sadly, the world does not stop because I’m sick.
I’ve taken medicine, I’ve used my neti pot. Nothing is helping. I’m still sick. And being sick sucks.
Filed under my boring self
Doing Something Big
I am so excited. In two days I will premiere the first episode of my web series, “Krystal Grant Stomps The Yard“. This is truly a labor of love and I’ve worked so hard on all the production aspects of it. My family has been so gracious and supportive of me over the past three months while I put this project together. It’s only because of them that I could make this happen. They’ve stomped the yard right along with me and assisted me with camera work, interviews and ideas.
On February 1 you will finally get a chance to see the first installment of the series that I’ve been repeatedly tweeting and facebooking about. My goal is to educate the world on the importance of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. I hope this series will encourage high school students to consider an HBCU as their college of choice. I also hope HBCU alumni will be more willing to give back to their college.
I have to admit that I’m quite nervous. This is the first “big” thing I’ve done. And I consider this a pretty big thing. I’ve spent time, effort, and money to make this come to pass. I hope you enjoy this series and become inspired. Be sure to subscribe to “KG Stomps The Yard” on YouTube so you won’t miss any episodes. Share the link with your friends. And leave a comment to let me know what you think.
Filed under moms and technology, my internet
The Mohawk
My hair is growing back. And that makes me very happy. For the past year I’ve been cutting it shorter and shorter. I swear I was nearly bald.
But a few months ago I got an inclination to let my hair grow back. So, even though I’ve been going to the barber shop every week to keep my lines nice and neat, I’m allowing my hair to grow longer.
I didn’t realize how much it had grown until I styled it in this mohawk. Ain’t it cute?
Spring will be here before we know it and with the warm weather it can be very difficult to grow your hair out, especially if you’re used to shorter styles.
I’ve collected a few pictures of my favorite celebrities from various magazines. They are my inspiration pictures. Anytime I feel like shaving all my hair off again, I’ll look at the pictures to help me gain control of myself.
We’ll see how this hair thing goes. But I must find a new style because my children say I look like a rooster. Don’t they know I’m a Carolina girl? Go Gamecocks!
Filed under Black Hair
A Little Snobbery
A few weeks ago a “friend” said something to me that was so shocking and painful. He called me an “elitist” and said “you think you’re better than other people“. Damn. My soul was crushed. For real.
I swear I was so stunned by what he said I just knew I misunderstood him. So, I got the dictionary and looked up the word elitist. Shit. I had it right. My understanding of elitist was on point. As I read the definition over and over again anger started to rise. “Clearly he does not know me,” I thought. “I am one of the most down to earth people ever created.”
So, I went to Facebook and posted “Today coworker called me elitist. He told me I thought I was better that other people“. I just knew that posting this to my circle of 551 best friends would garner support. Instead I got the following responses:
“And the problem with this is….?”
“You are an elitist. Be proud!”
WTF?????????
I was so confused. This is not a description I find flattering or complementary. I find it to be degrading and reprehensible. I am not an elitist. I do not think I’m better than anyone on this earth. I’m a good friend. I treat people as fairly and respectfully as I can. I walk around with a damn smile on my face as to show myself friendly. I open myself up to strangers and treat them as my closest friends. I am not an elitist.
I know it is ridiculous that I’m still holding on to that stupid statement my “friend” made after all these weeks. But I know who I am and I’m totally offended that he would make such harsh comments that were clearly intended to hurt me. Well, he succeeded. I’m hurt. I’m also angry because it seemed to be his honest and true opinion of me. I wonder why I ever considered him my friend. I’m also wondering why my Facebook friends would rally around such a comment as if it should be applauded. I AM NOT AN ELITIST!
Filed under Uncategorized
