 |
| photo by Ansel Adams for Department of the Interior, via flickr | text by me |
Listening: I can't say Ellie Goulding because that was my answer last time... so I'll say rap. Lots of rap & hip hop. When I bought my new computer last May, I decided not to download iTunes to save some hard-drive space so I rely on D for most of my music. In the evenings lately I've been hearing Trinidad James and Kendrick Lamar. We had a good laugh about some Kendrick lyrics yesterday... We always insert Abby's (our dog & the star of my blog) name into the lyrics and the result is often hilariously bad. I can't even think of retyping some of the funny ones here. Haha. You know how it is...
Watching: Luther on Netflix! It's so addictive. You guys know Idris Elba, right? Well not only is he a stunner, but he can act. He plays a clever, temperamental cop in the BBC drama. We just finished the first season (6 episodes) last night and were so impressed. It had such a cliffhanger ending that we will probably pick up with the second season tonight.
Eating/Drinking: Hummus wraps. I threw a couple of these together for my work lunches. Thinly sliced peppers and a big dollop of hummus on a spinach wrap. Too easy to be this tasty. And I'm now drinking so. much. coffee. It's free at work, so it's such a temptation. I'm trying to break it up a bit with some tea and cold water though. Too much coffee for me = a bit jittery mess.
Talking about: Racism. I know that's a bit heavy. D and I were talking yesterday about the pervasive racist mentality of some people. So-called, "subtle racism" is such a big problem that is also hard to talk about with family or close friends. No one wants to be called a racist, but some ideas need to be challenged. I think if we treated all people as the photo above suggests, we would all be better off. People are not their race, age, socio-economic status, sexuality, sex, religion or otherwise; they are humans and we should treat them as such. If only it were that simple...
Dreaming about: Taking a vacation with my love. We've been talking about visiting the US this year and I really, really hope we can swing it. We want to visit a new climate, whether it's the mountains, the desert or a coastal city in the deep South. Yesterday we looked up concerts and events in New Orleans, but Phoenix is also a contender. We'll see where we end up.
Looking forward to: My new Saturday volunteering gig. I signed up to volunteer with Happily Ever Active, a no-cost fitness program in Halifax for seniors with mobility or health concerns and my first session was last Saturday. I have to tell you, I really enjoyed it! I was looking for an arts/health based volunteering program for the past few months and in December I came across the organization via a FB post. I'm glad I waited to find a volunteering opportunity that matches my interests and skills and I'm so excited to build relationships and work with seniors. Not only is it a rewarding experience, but it's actually fun. Moving & grooving to some Johnny Cash on a weekend morning is my idea of a good time.
What have you been up to lately? Do you watch Luther? Let's chat.
xx Janelle
Thank you to Danielle @ Sometimes Sweet for this post inspiration.
As a society, we have an obsession with organizing and codifying everything we see, including other human beings. I believe that it is part of the human experiences and part of our "programming", but also that we live in a time and place where that type of behavior is unnecessary.
ReplyDeleteThe first step in correcting unacceptable behavior is accepting that we are all guilty. Regardless of how "good a person" one believes themselves to be, we are ALL guilty of racial profiling. We are ALL guilty of some form of discrimination. Once we accept that as an individual, it becomes easier to find ways to correct the behavior.
Perhaps the most aggravating thing in Western media today, for me, is how women are treated. Women are defined in popular media by their sexuality and ability to reproduce. It's astonishing (and disappointing) how prominent this notion is in popular media. Especially prominent female celebrities and political figures. Some women, like Kim Kardashian, will exploit this base desire of our species to talk about women as sexual objects. It's disgraceful, and it's not going to stop until everyone accepts the fact that what we do, consciously or subconsciously, is no longer needed in our society. It isn't even a moral question, it's just 21st century reasoning. We don't need to define people based on gender, ethnicity, race, sexuality, eye color, etc. But we do. And it stinks.
I agree Patrick. And let me be clear that I am not excluding myself in these discussions or in my own reflections. There is no "high horse" to be found here. This is why I prefer using be human FIRST, because although categorizing will happen as an unconscious thought process, we can train ourselves to bring our commonalities to the forefront of our thoughts. We are all capable of acting with compassion.
DeleteThank you for bringing up the issue of women in the media. This is something that has been frustrating to witness and to be a part of. I myself am guilty of "body-shaming" and it's something I am working on changing. I want to be part of the solution, not contributing to the problem. Discussing the issues is a crucial step, I think. It's not about blaming, but about acknowledging, recognizing and changing our own thoughts, opinions and behaviours.
Great post! I totally agree about "subtle racism"... a coworker and I were just having that exact conversation the other day! It's amazing how many stereotypes and stigmas we buy into without really even realizing it.
ReplyDeleteYou should definitely take a trip to the US! Come visit Michigan ;) haha! I love Canada... so far I've only been to Montreal and London, but I totally want to visit Halifax some day!
I look forward to reading more of your posts :)
xo L
Me and my coworkers talked about it yesterday too. Haha. I feel like it's a topic that has so many facets that the discussion can go on forever.
DeleteGlad you'll be following along :)