Being Beautiful. Being Powerful.

Recently I have been thinking about what it means on a deeper level to be beautiful (or handsome if that language is a better fit for you.) 

Some of this comes from:

• Starting the book Red Lip Theology: For Church Girls Who've Considered Tithing To The Beauty Supply Store When Sunday Morning Isn't Enough by Candice Marie Benbow 
• Reading/rereading some Constantine fanfiction including We Claim Our Bodies Without Apology and Paint My Face (Hold My Trust) by WaveBlazer (ElevenElectric)

Now I have always chosen comfort over fashion, and never have been someone to wear makeup (when your first introduction to makeup is stage makeup, makeup always seemed just a pain) So I would basically just put people who cared about those things in a "silly things some humans do" bubble and go about my day (ok sometimes with a harmless slight roll of my eyes at how silly humans can be)

My reading means I have started to reevaluate my own personal style or at least trying to pin down what my personal style might be. It is interesting to read about individuals who have found inner confidence and inner power through makeup or fashion. Now I doubt I will ever jump on the makeup bandwagon (it is just too much effort) but it is fascinating to see what others who have jumped on the wagon see from the top.

For example while I typically gravitate to cooler colors dark purples, dark blues, dark greens … recently I have been working to find ways to add a pop of color to my wardrobe. The above picture shows a bunch of shirts I got for $1 each from Out Of The Closet a local resale shop. On some level I think I am seeking the same energy and same boldness that many people find when they put on a bold lipstick color.

There are no right or wrong answers when it comes to finding a look that makes us feel amazing. We can choose to blend in or we can bring a pop of color to any situation. In the end it comes down to choosing a look for ourselves in which we can find our inner goddess/god. 

Valentine's Day: Self-Care, Self-Love, Self-Kindness

Today is the day of Love

Within the month of Love

A day of self-care, self-love, self-kindness

Know that you are loved

Know that you are beloved

Know that you are always loved

Nothing no angels, no principalities, no powers, 

No things present, no things to come, no height, no depth, 

Can take away the fact we are Loved and Beloved

Know that you are loved

Know that you are beloved

Know that you are always loved

Today is the day of Love

Within the month of Love

A day of self-care, self-love, self-kindness

Today's Valentine's day. A day to remember to love ourselves. What form that love takes today will be different for each of us.

For some it will be cooking ourselves a meal, for some it will be taking a bath or going to a spa, for some of us it will be getting all cozy with tea or hot cocoa and soft blankets. (And honestly for some of us it will be simply waiting for half-off-candy day tomorrow LOL) 

It does not matter how we choose to celebrate this day but it is a good chance to remind ourselves how much we are loved. Loved by ourselves. Loved by others. Loved by community. Below are a series of picture exploring Self-Care Based On Love Languages by @selfcareisforeveryone on Instagram. 

What are you going to choose for self-care, self-love, and self-kindness today?

Relaxing Pressure: Ourselves/Others

 

Been reminded that we all need to breathe and relax the pressure we put on ourselves and others as I have been watching the Olympics. 

There are too many cases where participants are talked up like they have no possibility of falling, going boom, not completing a race and then when they do fall, go boom, not complete a race their missteps are shown 

Over and over and lets see it from a different angle and over and over and isn't it a shame lets draw a picture of what they did and over and over and we wonder how it has made them feel and over and over will they be able to overcome this and over and over and lets see it one more time and over and over again.

What might this look like if we reframed the conversation?

• What if we only celebrated the wins and let the fails go?
• What if we remembered that everyone is human, flesh and blood?
• What if we allowed other people to fall down? Simply checked they were physically ok? 
• What of we allowed ourselves to fall or fail or go boom?
• What if we did not have unreasonable expectations for anyone?
• What if we all simply enjoyed the journey or path or adventure?

There will be times when we all fall or fail or go boom. What is important is finding ways to be gentle on ourselves and on others in the middle of the fall or fail or boom. 

Black History Month and The Olympics

In case you don't know we are in the middle of both the Winter Olympics and Black History month here in the USA. In honor of both of these I figure I should spotlight the history of some black Olympians. 

1988

Debi Thomas

• Won the bronze medal in figure skating
• Became the first Black athlete to medal at the Winter Games.
• She remains the only African American woman to win a medal in figure skating.

2002

Vonetta Flowers

• Won the gold medal in two-women blobsleigh,
• Was the first Black athlete to win Winter Olympics gold

Jarome Iginla

• Won gold as part of the Canada ice hockey team
• Was the second Black athlete to win Winter Olympics gold and the first Black male athlete to earn a gold medal

2006

Shani Davis

• One of the most decorated long track speedskaters, with four Olympic medals
• Was the first Black athlete to win gold in an individual competition.

2010/2014

Elana Meyers Taylor

• Was the first black athlete, male or female, to medal as both a brakeman and driver in bobsled after winning bronze at the 2010 Winter Games and silver at the 2014 Winter Games.

2012/2014

Lauryn Williams

• Williams was the first woman to win summer and winter Olympics medals.

2018

Erin Jackson

• Was the first Black woman to be on the U.S. long-track speedskating team, qualifying for the 2018 Winter Olympics after learning to speedskate just four months prior.

Jordan Greenway

• Was the first African American player to compete for the United States in Olympic ice hockey

Simidele Adeagbo

• Made history as a member of Nigeria's first Winter Olympics team, and became the first Nigerian and African woman to compete in skeleton.

Akwasi Frimpong

• Was Ghana's second athlete to ever compete in the Winter Olympics and the first to represent Ghana in skeleton.

Sabrina Simander

• Became the first from Kenya to compete in Alpine skiing

Maame Biney

• Became the youngest skater and first Black woman to make a U.S. Olympic short track speedskating team. and the second-ever African-born athlete to represent the United States in the Winter Olympics in 2018.

2022

Among the Black athletes representing the U.S. in Beijing this month are:

• Maame Biney, competing in her second Olympics as a speedskater.
• Elana Meyers Taylor,  competing in her fourth Olympics as a bobsledder.
• Erin Jackson, U.S. long-track speedskating 
• Hakeem Abdul-Saboor, in the four-man bobsled, 
• Sylvia Hoffman and Kaysha Love, teammates in the two-woman bobsled, 
• Malik Jones, a forward on the sled hockey team in the Paralympics.

High On The Hog: Cultural Power Of Food

 

I started to watch the show High On The Hog with my roommate because it is the focus of the February sermon series my pastor is doing. We have gotten 3 episodes in and it has been fascinating learning about the history of African American cuisine and is a combo of food documentary and cultural documentary that is challenging to explain but I would recommend watching.

It also got me thinking about my own food heritage and how I was not the recipient of many cultural cooking skills or recipes. Or if I was the cultural significance was never pointed out to me.

I have distant heritage including Polish. Swiss, German, Romania, Russian, French, Austrian, and Hungarian but would struggle to name one food from any of those countries outside say swiss cheese (though I don't really eat it) or pastries for France (which I eat because they are yummy but don't cook) My Jewish roots probably are the closest I get and honestly that really is just eating latkes and matza.

I also know it is not simply a case of looking up a few recipes from each country and calling it a day. Since I really don't feel any cultural connection to my heritage countries making a random recipe is not the same as making one that has been passed down for generations or which feels like it connects me to others.

My experience of the cultural power of food is very different from that of the show High On The Hog. But the show has reminded me how limited my food preferences tend to be and has made me want to start thinking about how I can diversify what I eat and possible use it to feel a great cultural connection to others.

Trees Saved When Our Powers Combine

People always talk about the power of community organizing but honestly sometimes the problems seem too big and institutions so entrenched that it is easy to feel like we have no power at all. But this is an example of the fact that The Power Really Is Ours (with or without magic Captain Planet rings lol)

Recap: 

• The city is planning on doing some water main work on my street 
• Plans were to destroy 42 100-year-old trees aka "pave paradise"
• A community member happen across this information and started sharing it.
• Members of the community got together and created a save the trees group.
• We sent numerous emails to our alderman, other government officials. 
• The city was like well how about we only cut down like 30 100-year-old trees 
• We had several community meetings with all the relative parties

Great Up Date:

After fighting with the city for a couple months they considered other options and decided to choose an option to save the trees. (Now this means the trees could have been saved all along but if we had not spoken up they would have all been gone)

The below is the email we got from our Alderman. 

Highlights:

• We may still lose a tree or two but that sure beats the original 42
• The alderman gets credit for escalating community member concerns up the chain of command until the people in charge understood the importance of considering all their options 
• BUT if community members had not spoken up and organized I wonder if the alderman would have done anything

I will say it feels really good to get a "win" on a campaign I was part of even if only in a small way. 

Dear neighbor,

I am thrilled to share that a modified plan for the water main replacement project on Paulina, Melrose, School, and Ravenswood has officially been approved by the city's Office of Underground Coordination (OUC). The Department of Water Management (DWM) will now move forward with a new plan that will save a majority of the trees that were previously identified for removal. This is a significantly better outcome than what was outlined in the initial version, which would have necessitated the removal of approximately 42 mature trees. 

My office requested that DWM research the possibility of relocating the new water main to the west side of Paulina, closer to the center of the street. This alternative design was finally authorized earlier this week by OUC. Based on the revised plans, DWM does not anticipate any trees on Paulina being torn down by the project. However, they cautioned that one or more trees could be impacted on a case-by-case basis (e.g., if a particular tree's root system reaches much farther under the street than expected, or if an ash tree is found to be sick).

Regarding the remaining 10 trees on School and Melrose, DWM has listened to the community's calls to employ "trenchless" technology. They have prepared an RFP to identify a private contractor to line individual buildings' private drains. Whether that technology can be used to save a particular tree will have to be determined on a case-by-case basis.

With the new plans authorized and ready to go, the Department intends to begin work on Monday 2/7, with sawcutting of the road tentatively scheduled for Wednesday 2/9. Crews have begun staging barricades and equipment and ask that residents follow the No Parking signs on Paulina starting tomorrow Friday 2/4. Before construction starts (possibly tomorrow), the Bureau of Forestry will trim trees along these streets to ensure that branches are not in the way of construction equipment and vehicles.

I am very proud of the way our Lakeview community came together and of neighbors' incredible organizing to preserve our trees. It was invigorating to fight alongside you to keep Lakeview and the 47th Ward green. You spoke loudly and the City heard you loud and clear.

Next week, Joshua Mark from my office will begin sending regular updates on the project's progress to the recipients of this email. In addition, impacted neighbors can get on that list by emailing him at josh @ aldermanmartin.com.

Best,
Alderman Martin
47th Ward

Legends: Celebrating Ace Representation

 

Recently the big news is Spooner from #LegendsOfTomorrow came out as Ace!!! When it popped up on my newsfeed I was so excited. (I am a little behind and not up to the current season of Legends so I did not know from watching)

Legends of Tomorrow has always had great representation. Each season is a different combination but every season the main cast has been some combination of ages, races, ethnicities, genders, sexualities, faith traditions and all that diversity has always been normalized. 

That is what happens when you are time travelers, blow up time, change fate, deal with magical creatures, demons, clones, and aliens etc. regularly.

So Legends Of Tomorrow having the first Out Ace Superhero on TV does not surprise me even though I still am flying high on the news. Also, again not surprising, Legends handles Spooners coming out wonderfully. 

What stood out for many of us is the fact that they actually used the words Ace and Asexual multiple times in the conversation. Far too often, those of us who are Ace, have to accept vague references in shows, or statements by writers who are like well in my head the character is Ace which leaves it too open for debate. 

(Plus using the words Ace and Asexual it means if someone watching thinks they have a similar experience they have words to google to find out more)

In Legends Spooner was introduced to asexuality (and Zari 2.0*'s explanation is really good considering all the nuance that can occur in the ace community), Spooner is able to claim being Ace, Spooner and Zari have a giggle, and then the show moves on. 

It was a coming out moment that was not the sole focus of the show or even the episode just some interesting facts shared between a few friends/colleagues. 

Also Spooner mentioning the mushroom space aliens (which are from a previous season) was also identifiable for many aces since many experience a period of time when they think they are some how broken  because they are not feeling sexual attraction or only feeling very limited sexual attraction.

Overall Spooner coming out as Ace simply made me love the show Legends of Tomorrow even more.

Here is a transcript of the scene. (The emphasis is added by me)

Zari 2.0: I think we have a few minutes before the next try. So smash, marry, kill. Nate, Gwyn, Gary?

Spooner: Um... No, not... not... not really into any of them.

Zari 2.0: Copy, okay, how about Sara, Ava, Astra?

Spooner: Not... not... not really into any of them either.

Zari 2.0: Also copy. Okay. What is your type?

Spooner: You know, I don't really get those types of feelings for anyone. Maybe it's one of those things those mushroom aliens messed up about me, huh? (Chuckles)

Zari 2.0: Hey, no, no, no. What you're describing is totally normal. It just means maybe you're "Ace". Asexual, people who identify as Ace have little or no interest in sex but many of them still want to be in relationships.

Spooner: Wow, uh... (Chuckles) I guess that makes me Ace.

Zari 2.0: OMG, did you just come out to me?

Spooner: I guess I did. Yeah. Okay, well, okay, first of all, who would have thought you'd be the first person I'd tell?

Zari 2.0: Not me. Okay. (laughing)

Via https://tvshowtranscripts.ourboard.org/viewtopic.php?f=557&t=50758

* In case you don't know the show it is Zari 2.0 because there are two Zari's from different timelines wibble wobbly time travel stuff.