Lotion for All !!

I saw an interesting sight on the metro this week that brought up some childhood memories. There was a young man in his early 30s who got onto the metro dressed in a suit and carrying a backpack. As soon as he sat down, he quickly pulled out something that looked like lip balm. It wasn't for his lips, though. It was a special balm for extremely dry skin, and he began working the balm between each finger with extreme care and attention. My eyes were fixated on him and as I glanced around, other folks were watching this young man moisturize his hands, too. I immediately noticed his wedding ring and quickly assumed that his wife had given him this lovely product. My husband has caught flack from his friends for some of the products he uses thanks to me! Now, this does not have to be the case with this young man, perhaps he has a strong dislike for ashy hands?

Which brings me to my childhood memory... When I was about 6, I would play tennis with my dad at the courts down the street. I remember seeing my dad's ashy, gray legs and telling him to put on some lotion. He simply told me, "Men don't wear lotion." I remember wondering to myself, could this be true? It became a family joke that we would all desperately urge my father to put lotion on to no avail! One summer, my grandfather came over from Uganda to visit for a month, and my dad saw him using lotion. My grandfather was the coolest and most respected dude EVER, and this is what it took for my father to start using lotion on his legs. As silly and ignorant as his statement might seem to some, I'm sure there are many men who think like this. Nonetheless, it was a beautiful day when my dad started using lotion. It's really a good look for him--and for ALL! In fact, I don't leave home without lotion.

Do you have a funny story about men and lotion? Or, if you are a man reading this post, let me hear your thoughts about lotion. Join the debate.

There's Still Hope!!

How many of you have had conversations with your friends hypothesizing how crazy things will be when our children are growing up? Well, after hanging out with my girlfriend's 12-year-old son, I'm convinced that there's still hope! It had been a while since I saw J., but we had time to catch up as we waited for his mother who had been held up in a meeting.

If you are like me, you have completely forgotten what ages correspond with what grades--for inquiring minds, 12-years-old = 8th grade.

So, the first thing J. told me was that he had just won the school Geography Bee and last week he won the History Project Competition. On April 4th, he'll compete to be 1 of 33 DC youth vying for a spot in the National Geography Bee!! Honestly, J. totally blew me away. He is fascinated by every subject and loves learning new things.

I was trying to help him memorize countries and capitals and told him that it would be easy to remember that the capital of Uganda is Kampala b/c that's where I'm from!! His mother informed me today that he told her he will always remember the capital of Uganda b/c he has a friend (me) from there. :-)

J. was quizzing me on things like who was the 43rd President of the U.S and how many knots are in a league? Ummmmm.... yeah. In a way, I felt like I was working on a Mensa quiz, but was also digging the challenge. We played a math game and hangman -- it has been I while since I've played hangman, so I needed a quick refresher. The word that J. selected was, 'antidisestablishmentarism.' If you can imagine, I had a bit of difficulty guessing this word.

The bottom line is that J. is an extremely well-rounded, independent, intelligent, loving kid that is not too cool to say, "I love you mom" in public. When I was in 8th grade, my priorities were a bit different, so it's nice to see that with every generation of youth, there are always those special kids that go against the grain.

The world better watch out for J., that's all I'm saying.

Challenge for Love, Life and Work Readers: What does antidisestablishmentarism mean?

This Crazy, Beautiful Life

This week has been unusually tough for me because I found out sad health news about a dear, family friend. It really puts life into perspective, especially the reality that my parents' generation is beginning to experience deteriorating health and even death.

When I received the phone call from my mom on Tuesday afternoon about Uncle K., I just went numb. I was sitting in my office with my intern and all I could do was continue our conversation where we left off. I was in complete disbelief --how could this happen??
Why must he be 1 of only 2% of the entire population who has this type of cancer?
Why has it already metastasized, and the fact that it is a cancer of the blood, chemotherapy won't help anyways?

Sometimes, there are things in this world that we will never understand.

But, as I talked with my mom after work, I realized that there was beauty in this sad story, too. Uncle K. has been a part of my family's life as long as I can remember. For the past 20 years, my family has spent holidays with his family--alternating Thanksgiving at our house and Christmas at their house and so on. Of course, once all the children left the home, holidays became a bit more sporadic, but the parents always continued to get together on weekends.

And, most recently, my husband and I asked Uncle K. to play a major role in our wedding. When we got engaged, I wanted my husband to see my hometown again. Well, immediately when Uncle K. and Auntie B. heard that we were coming to town, they decided to throw an impromptu engagement party for us. They came over dressed to the nines in traditional Ugandan attire and gave us blessings for our lovely news! So, when the time came for us to begin planning the Ugandan introduction ceremony, which occurs 6 months prior to the wedding, we knew that we'd ask Uncle K. to serve as my husband's family's spokesperson.

So, the next few months, my husband had phone conference calls with Ugandan and Rwandan elders, learning the ins and outs of our upcoming ceremony. He also had the opportunity to get to know Uncle K. better. So, when the 'Kwanjula" rolled around, Memorial Day weekend 2007, it was the most beautiful event ever!! Everyone was dressed in traditional attire and with the traditional food, music, customs and people --we might as well have been in Kampala, Uganda! Looking back, it is such a blessing that Uncle K. played such a prominent role in my wedding. And, of course, Uncle K. and Auntie B. and some of their children were in attendance at our wedding this past October.

My family has never been big on family videos, and the few events they have recorded have become "Lost Tapes." However, our Kwanjula and wedding are both recorded, so it will be so nice to share this footage with Uncle K.'s family and many others.

I refuse to talk about Uncle K. like he's gone, because he's not. He just has a heck of a challenge ahead of him, and has been blessed to be surrounded by so many people who love him. I love you Uncle K. Be strong!!

Kids on Leashes?

Yesterday, as I was walking to my car after work, I couldn't help but notice this three-year old girl who was being escorted by her parents on a leash. Now, let me explain, the leash was masked as a 'monkey backpack' with the long, monkey tail functioning as the "leash." In a way, that almost made it more disturbing b/c the little girl almost looked like she was in a monkey Halloween costume! I mean, I realize that parents want their children to be safe while walking on the street, but is a leash necessary? What do you all think?

My First Time...

Wow... it has been a while since my last post, but I'm happy to say I'm back!! I have never followed politics as closely as I'm following the '08 elections, and I'm proud to say that tonight I hit the streets to encourage folks to vote for Barack Obama in Tuesday's upcoming primaries. I have watched all of the debates and have steadily grown fonder of Barack Obama and his position on key issues.

As my husband, James and I held up posters and handed out pamphlets around Dupont Circle, I couldn't help but get chills as cars honked their horns in support of Barack Obama! As expected, there were many folks who openly voiced their distaste for him, too --one woman gently said that she'd be voting for Hillary Clinton, but mentioned that she'd like to see them on the same ticket--while one man flicked off James so furiously as he drove by that he probably would have crashed if any other cars would have been present! Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but it makes me concerned when some folks appear to be fueled by anger. Other folks seemed a bit apathetic, as they tried to cut a wide angle or divert their eyes from any Obama supporters. However, the beauty and emotion of the night could not be tainted by these negative aspects because young folks truly came out in droves to encourage people to vote for change!

One funny thing that happened was that I ran into my friend Jenna as I was chanting, "Vote for Obama on February 12th!" I locked eyes with her 3 times and each time she yelled back, "Yeah--Obama!" And as I continued to yell, "Jenna!" she kept yelling, "Yeah--Obama!!" We laughed when we finally recognized each other because in those initial moments, we were solely connecting as Obama supporters, not friends.

When the media mentions that Barack Obama has mobilized young voters, it's really true --he in turn believes that we are the future and that change starts with us. I am very hopeful that Barack Obama will be the next President of the United States. He inspires hope in me and many folks across the world. VOTE FOR CHANGE, YA'LL!

The Spanish Experiment

My husband and I have started a 7 day experiment today --we will speak nothing but Spanish to each other for an entire week. I can't tell if we'll have a relatively silent home for the next few days or a great experience. I know it has definitely felt a bit strange for me. It's hard when you want to say so many things, but are working with a limited vocabulary. This must be similar to how young children feel when they are forming their first words and trying to express themselves to their parents and siblings. I'll let you know how it goes folks!

Did we come here for the Food?

Going out to dinner with friends is more about the company than the food--it's an added bonus when the food is off the hook! Tonight was one of those nights when the food was just 'blah', but the 'shits and giggles' were fit for center stage at the Apollo. It was the perfect closing to my first week of work, and we were also celebrating another friend's new job -- celebrations all around!

Sometimes, there's nothing better than sitting in a restaurant, shooting the breeze with good friends ;-)

Lights out... until next!