Low maintenance, mon petit

Guess it’s about time I blog about my hair. 5 months post relaxer, and it’s doing pretty well. I found the best scalp cleanser on the market for my terrible dandruff/product buildup - baking soda. Believe me, this baby exfoliated my scalp, even the usually dry spots. After conditioning, I rinsed with 2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar in 8 oz of water, and wow. I could actually airdry my hair leaving it down. Usually, airdrying my hair without a ponytail or bantu knots or, currently, rollers will leave me for tangles, especially at this stage of stretching. But nope, my hair was all happy!

Today, I spritzed my hair with Oyin Handmade Frank Juice (my staple), and proceeded to lightly lubricate my scalp with Oyin’s Burnt Sugar Pomade. I tried not to be heavy-handed, and soon, I was done. Now my hair smells of caramel, and is soooo soft. The pomade isn’t greasy at all, and my hair is just in the best mood ever (yes, my hair has moods!). 

I’m praising God I’ve found many all-natural staples - I just need an all-natural moisturizing conditioner. Also, my new conditioning comb is a gift from God. No other comb touches my hair when it’s wet or damp.

Zora & Nicky. The first book in ages to make me sob.

This has been the best book I’ve read in the longest time. I came across it on Christianbook.com, as part of a women’s book club there, and I added it to my Amazon wish list. I got my allowance, and spurred on by Amazon’s quick shipping (I got two books a day after buying them - for some reason Amazon has started shipping from Irving), I decided to take a risk and buy the book.

It came this morning. I was dancing for joy. About 99% of the reviews I read last night had inspired me. I took a break from Christian fiction, but this is award-winning prose. It is!

Zora & Nicky: A Novel in Black and White is by Claudia Mair Burney. I never heard of her, and I love to support underdogs, so that inspired me more.  It’s a book about the rawest, true-to-the-bone interracial relationship ever. Zora’s a Black American Princess - and I felt her pain, because it hit home much. While we differ in brands (I stick to Old Navy, she loves Kate Spade), we both have fathers who lavish gifts on us. She knows a lot about her heritage, as do I. Minus the boyfriend, we’re pretty similar (oh, and the fact that she’s natural, and I have relaxed hair). I was hooked on the book from the moment I opened it.

Nicky is a white guy who has a racist father and grandfather. He’s in line to be the next pastor of his family’s church - dating the perfect girl who thinks he’ll write like Max Lucado, lol. But he’s actually a very good poet, while Zora is an artist.

Well, they meet at a Bible study, and wow…the conversations are just hilarious and sobering at the same time. There are certain times in the book when I had to stop before I cried, but this is a work of fiction that moved me. It discussed the hush-hush topic of racial relations - everything from reverse racism to stereotypes that we as black people still hold on to referring to our white brothers and sisters. I mean, this is MOVIE material! And the grace of God is just present in their lives. They both struggle with temptation, and try to fix each other…but only God can fix them. It’s just beautiful - beautiful! I’m sitting here still getting shivers from reading it all in one day.

It’s about grace, brokenness, intentional communities, and just being like Jesus. Beautiful, beautiful themes! 

One thing Burney hit on was the stereotype of the “black whore”. Now, I haven’t come in contact with blatant racism in real life, but I know it happens. There was a portion of the book where Nicky was talking with his friend about how BET videos and MTV videos were different, and the convo was basically Nicky’s friend oversexualizing (is that a word?) black women. And you know, I do notice how these media outlets oversexualize black women. It’s not a new thing. Who shakes their booties in a rapper’s videos? It’s sad. I’ve done my protesting and not supporting the filth, but there are dudes from other races who will grow up and think that’s all a black woman is for. Nicky’s friend’s words were saddening.

On a more personal note, this book broke me. I normally refer to myself as a non-racist (since I always pushed off overt and covert comments about other ethnicities growing up), but over time (look at my last race-related post), I harbored anger. It was getting to the point where I was going “You know what? I don’t even think I can get into an interracial relationship because I don’t want to deal with ignorance.” And looking back, that was wrong. And it was sin. And even though there’s some truth behind it, I’m still prejudging some guy out there. Which is wrong. And Zora had to deal with this issue.

This book is going on my “Best Books Ever” list. And I’m on a watch for Mrs. Burney.

Studying to the top of my race and ethnic groups class. 

I’m currently setting out a budget. Umm…it’s new monasticism month (actually July is) in terms of book reading so I have two books to get. I need to get a planner too. And God’s been providing for my wisdom teeth and cracked crown via my dad. Oh, and a little windfall from my aunt.

Nothing new, really. I’m just getting really high A’s in class. I watched a documentary on Cesar Chavez today, and it was beautiful. I wanted to stand up and picket with the protesters. I could feel the hot sun that burned them, and the hungry bellies of their children. After 5 years, their cries were heard. Amen.

I like almost every song on Viva La Vida. But Cemeteries of London sticks with me.

He was a man, with dreams that crossed dimensions…

And she was a woman, who lived in the middle of the crossing.

At first, he thought she was only an image in his own mind, but discovered she was there, all along. Different from any of his real-life preferences, and as real as his own flesh. He could sometimes make out her image, but not quite so well, but her presence was overwhelming.

She was caught between two dimensions and wanted out.

Yes I am. My current fix is “Cemeteries of London”. For those who are like me, and can’t wait until June 17 to listen, here’s a link Chris Martin and company sent to all their fans:

www.iheartmusic.com/coldplay

I’m probably the girl in Texas holding up the bandwith.

I started my fitness regimen today. I’m already pescatarian, so hopefully that helps a bit this summer. I didn’t finish all my reps because I got so worn out, but endorphins are dancing in my brain. Gah!

I won’t spill the details, but I’ve been coming across some crazy race-related posts on forums lately. It’s 2008, and we’ve all got to do better. I’m worn out by inflammatory comments about slavery, the Spike Lee/Clint Eastwood spat, pulling the race card when necessary, pulling the race card when it’s unnecessary, veiled racist comments (yet covering one’s tracks and saying there was no racism intended).

Lord, help your people. I am trying to fight believing that the dominant white culture always has something ignorant/bigoted to say , and that the Internet is just a huge launching pad for all this negativity. Lord, I am trying not to look at the dominant culture and put them into the group known as “The Man”, or saying that they have no ethnicity and will not understand.

My blood is boiling, my head is aching and I’m sick and tired. I think this is correlated to (not caused by) Obama’s nomination, because after he got those delegates, some posters just started frothing at the mouth.

But the Word says to be angry and not sin, and I’m seriously on that threshold. Lord, Lord, Lord…help us all.

And if anyone has any tips about the deep race relations issue, I am very welcome to comments.

First, my MacBook intro:

http://s25.photobucket.com/albums/c56/neeciboo/?action=view&current=Movie3.flv

My thoughts on the Dem presidential nominee:

http://s25.photobucket.com/albums/c56/neeciboo/?action=view&current=Movie5.flv

Part 2:

http://s25.photobucket.com/albums/c56/neeciboo/?action=view&current=Movie6.flv

Yeah, I know I am.

I remember reading about a group in Tampa raising the Confederate flag, and honestly, I don’t feel too good about it. I just can’t see why people decide to raise a flag that hate groups have appropriated, y’know? I discussed this online with a few, and many people don’t see the big deal. 

Am I too sensitive about this? I mean, the Confederacy’s past was not golden. The people of my Diaspora were enslaved during this time, especially in the South.

Here’s the link: http://www.tampabay.com/news/humaninterest/article551722.ece?75