2007 November Archive at Jasiri

Archive for November, 2007

I’m Grateful…

Published by dara on November 23, 2007 in personal. 6 Comments

for beautiful Autumn days in North Carolina (Thursday was gorgeous!)
that i’m mom to a healthy, beautiful, and bright ~~daughter~~ little lady
for an amazing job opportunity
that even though my internet was disconnected, i’m still receiving a signal from somewhere…shhh.
for all the recent hardships that turned out to be blessings in disguise
that i made it over halfway through NaBloPoMo (i’ll give it another go next year)
for wonderful, giving friends close to home, overseas, and in my virtual community
that i have a supportive family who loves to laugh and act goofy
to have a roof over my head, food to eat, and people who love me
that i have life!

Tonight

Published by dara on November 17, 2007 in Uncategorized and nablopomo. 0 Comments

This post. Almost didn’t make it. Time. 11:57. Me. Tired. There was. Isabelle. And new people. Good food. Connections. Then. Prince. And Purple Rain. Laughs. Reminiscing. Might not make sense. More tomorrow. Baby-free weekend. Yay! Goodnight.

Back On The 9 to 5 Grind

Published by dara on November 16, 2007 in Uncategorized and nablopomo. 4 Comments

I can barely remember the last time I worked a 9 to 5 job. For the past few years, I’ve either held temporary employment, part time or seasonal jobs, or received my income from freelance work. Having Nia in my life, I now realize those types of jobs are not gonna cut it — unless the pay is substantial. And in most cases it is not. Eventually, my goal is to become a WAHM (Work At Home Mom) which will entail maintaining three jobs — the job that brings in the dinero, my job as a mommy, and being a homeschool teacher to my daughter. Yes, I’ll be superwoman! And I look forward to the day when I can perform all of those jobs.

Ok, now back to the original subject of this post. I’m thrilled, ecstatic, and feeling very proud of myself right now. Why, you ask? Well, I recently accepted a position with a television station here in North Carolina. I was hired as a web producer and I just can’t contain my excitement. I’m feeling blessed, primarily for two reasons:

First, graduation is a month away, and I’ve already secured employment! And not just any job, one that is both related to my degree (Media Studies) and, based on the job description, I know that I will be doing something that I love. I know too many people who graduate and land a job totally unrelated to their field of study. For instance, having a journalism degree and working as a retail manager. WTF?!!

So I feel blessed because of this, but also because times have been hard for me and the little one. This job came at the right time. For a while, I thought the Gods were against me. Everything seemed to be falling apart. There came a point when I just looked at Nia and said, “Well as long as I have you, things can’t be too bad.”

I’m really looking forward to my start date. After talking with some of the staff, I’m so excited to begin. Everyone was so warm, friendly, and the environment was very welcoming…and that was just at the interview. So this is a happy post. And it was high time for one of these after the depressing tone of some of my more recent posts. I don’t start for another few weeks, but I’ll keep you posted on how things are going.

Cheers!

Premature Awareness Month

Published by dara on November 15, 2007 in health and nablopomo. 1 Comment

I was completely unaware that November was Premature Awareness month, until Mrs. Flinger’s post today. In fact, I didn’t know such a month existed. Premature birth is the leading cause of death among newborns. I feared that Nia would arrive too early, and I would be pained to see her struggling to breathe. But this child didn’t want to come out. She was a week overdue. Go here to find out more info on premature births here in the U.S.

Sites I’m Diggin’

Published by dara on November 14, 2007 in blogosphere and nablopomo. 4 Comments

A few days before NaBloPoMo I read a blog post from someone who stated they weren’t participating this year because they felt it cut into the time they were able to visit and comment on others’ blogs. Not me. I’m finding new and interesting blogs everyday, and I’m loving it! Here are some of the great sites I’ve recently stumbled upon, as well as some of my old faves that I continue to visit.

Amina and Me
Daydream Thief
Mama’s Got Moxie
Inthelifeof.org
Black Web 2.0
Chachi’s Kitchen
Mrs. Flinger
Vegan Momma and her new site A Homeschool Resource
Szvanna blog
Pomegranate Queen
Don’t Eat My Buchela!

I would normally include some witty or descriptive text, but I’m just too darn tired. But I recommend visiting all of the blogs listed, they’re all so cool!

NaBloPoMo: I Will Survive

Published by dara on November 13, 2007 in nablopomo. 5 Comments

I see that NaBloPoMo is taking folks out left and right. I’m determined to achieve my goal of posting everyday; even it it means relying on shorts posts like this one when I don’t have a darn thing to say. I’ll return tomorrow with a real post.

Southerner Equals Country Bumpkin?

Published by dara on November 12, 2007 in nablopomo and rant. 0 Comments

Someone recently called me mshamba - a Kiswahili word which, literally translated, means farmer. But the word can also be used derogatorily to mean “hick” or “country bumpkin.” What? Yes, I’m puzzled. When did I become a hick? As I pondered the reasons this individual considered me to be a mshamba, my mind drifted to a cultural anthropology class I was enrolled in several years ago. We watched a video and had a subsequent discussion about regional accents and dialects in the U.S. What I learned: People from the South are generally considered less educated than Northerners. AND if you’re a Southerner with a noticeable Southern draaaawwwwl, you’re doubly screwed. So back to why I was called a mshamba. I’m a Southerner - born and raised, and proud of it! Southern drawl? Definitely. And to top it off, I’m a sho’nuff ebonics speaker. I’m guessing this individual was insulting me based on my region of birth and my “country” accent. But of course people who know me know that I’m not ignorant, unintelligent, uncouth, and whatever other derogatory term I can only assume this person meant to imply by using this word. *sigh* Stereotypes and myths really prevent us from finding the true person beneath the superficial layers we don’t often move beyond.

P.S. totally unrelated to this post. I’m currently watching the Salt-n-Pepa reality show on VH1 and I’m seriously wondering if Pepa has ADHD. She is such a scatter-brain! She and Salt are such complete opposites, how in the world were they ever in a group together. Okay, I’m going to bed now.