Sorry for the delay in posting - real life got in the way.
I started a new job at the Plantation.....It's a'ight. A bit more money.....trying to get to SXSW next year.
New neighbors moved in above me and they like to turn their stereo up full blast. What I find fustrating is I went upstairs this afternon to ask them to turn down the bass - it's making my furniture shake - and they wouldn't answer the door. In hindsight, they probably didn't even hear me knocking!
I don't live in the greatest of neighborhoods (apparently there is quite a lot of shady shit going down in my building - like a drug den down the hall!). People don't like to answer to knocking unless they are expecting someone, and I don't blame them. I don't. This shit makes me feel really tired. I am going to talk to the building management tomorrow morning and if I don't get the response I am looking for, I'm moving to a better neighborhood. Can't afford it, but I refuse to pay the amount of money I am currently paying for this crap.
The American Elections
I know I said I would talk about the Canadian Federal election and obviously I didn't. I voted for the Liberals only because I thought they would have a better chance of taking more seats away from the Consevatives than my regular party, NDP. I was wrong! To add insult to injury, not only did PM Harper keep his job, but the Liberals lost seats and their leader, Stephane Dion, just resigned. A number of people I know didn't even bother to vote, which I have a very strong opinion about, but I kept my mouth shut. I say, if you don't vote, don't complain. Only 58% of Canadians voted.
It seems that while there is less than two weeks until the election, the shit is hitting the fan. As I have asked at least a couple of times over at Blogher, what happens when the election is over? There has been some real racist crap that has been happening, most notably, Ashley Todd, who lied to police ( and the world) that a black Obama supporter assaulted her and carved a backwards B into her cheek. Now they are saying the bitch was crazy and no doubt, anyone that would carve a B into her cheek is mentally unfit. However, if the tables were turned, how would the media react? After all, there have been reports that Obama campgainers have been physically assaulted, white canvassers taunted with 'nigger lover' and such and there has been barely any mention in the news. So I am asking again, will racial tensions that have been in the forefront in the past two years magically disappear after the election is over? How are people supposed to look at those who made racially-charged pronouncements during the election after it is done? Me personally, I don't believe in forgive and forget.
Friends
I read an interesting post over at Field Negro about a week ago about a writer for GQ magazine who wrote a feature about looking for black friends in NYC. I later went over to GQ to read the article in it's entirety. One of the things that resonated with me was that as we get older, the less friends we have and when we working in places that are not multicultural ( and/or live or socialize in areas) we do not associate with people outside of our cultural groups. I agree with that. I didn't fully agree with the writer - he said some things that I found stereotypical and mildly offensive, but I thought what he did - posting an ad on Craigslist and then putting flyers up - interesting.
What has been bothering me lately is that I do not have really any 'real' friends that I have a lot in common with. Sure, I've got my best girlfriend, whom at the same age and in the same situation (black, poor and single) that I have known for almost 20 years, and we do have much in common, but I am looking for people who have the same musical interests and passion for live concerts as I do. My black friends do not like metal or really, for that matter, anything else I am interested in, like travelling,weird books and movies so I am on the hunt to expand my friend base. I am tired of travelling alone, of wanting to go to concerts and never having anyone to go with. I feel like a bit of a loser, actually! Also at my age, one of my friends - who is a flake and always backs out of everything Ii ask him to go to - said to me, 'it's time to grow up.'
Don't get me wrong.....I have had friends in the past that I used to do things with. All white and all male, it was a trip to hang out with these guys at metal shows or to trade tapes and CD's of our favourite bands. What happened? they all got girlfriends / boyfriends / wives / children and their responsibilities changed. I no longer fit into their approved circle of friends and we lost touch. Last night I was talking to an old friend of mine (white, male) and he said something that when I woke up this morning, made me very angry, making me realize that because of my somewhat strident beliefs on racial equality, I might have a hard time also finding a group of white boys to hang around with because it has been made quite clear that some people have no idea - and do not care to know - what black people expereince and why some people feel the way they do. If you act like they do, you are cool. But once you deviate from that, the ugliness comes out. So what to do?
So this post is my Craigslist. 2009 is just around the corner and I am heading out to see Metallica, Mastodon and Slipknot and a whole bunch of bands that year. Want to join me? Holla!
