Nanaea

I voted 'yes.' I am a typical American melting pot hodgepodge of German, Native American, Irish, (about in that order), plus a little bit of this and a little bit of that for good measure. I am proud of my Native American roots and consider myself, first and foremost, Native American even though I'm mostly German. That is my ethnicity, that's the culture I respect and feel most closely aligned with, so that's what I call myself. I think where we run into trouble is when we talk about race. To me, ethnicity implies culture, roots, language, traditions, whereas race implies skin color. I'm going to be completely honest and admit that race is something I struggle with (*dons flame retardant suit*). The city I grew up in was predominately middle to upper class white folk but it was across the river from a predominately lower to middle class black neighborhood. Everyone knew you didn't go there after dark because bad things happened. Gangs, drugs, prostitution and violence were common place. However, despite the social attitudes that were prevalent in the area, I was raised to be open minded and to respect everyone. I never got lectures on equality or diversity, but I was never subjected to bold faced prejudiced at home either. Well, that's not entirely true. My grandmother used to talk about one of my grandfather's co-workers. She always said, "He was colored, but real nice" like nice black people are the exception, rather than the rule. When my high school sweetheart got engaged to a young lady of Nigerian descent my grandmother saw the announcement in the newspaper and said, "And he was such a nice boy too. I wonder what his parents must think?" Me, I was just happy he found someone to love. Over the years I've had friends of different beliefs and different races and I truly believe that it doesn't matter what color a person's skin is…it's what's inside that counts. But growing up in that area left it's taint on me. I don't always like my gut reaction. When I see a black person, especially a young male, the first thing I notice is that they're black. Why? I know it shouldn't matter. I wouldn't say, "there's a white guy," or "there's a Mexican guy...." It really bothers me that I instantly make that distinction and I always try to correct my internal voice when it happens with, "Skin color doesn't matter. S/he's a person just like me." Now, to be perfectly honest, I should probably admit right here and now that I get wary when I see any young male that looks like a gang member. Perhaps it's not just color that makes me react like that, but the ghetto gangster look which makes me lock the doors, or clutch my purse a little tighter. Or maybe I'm more prejudiced than I think I am? No. I recognize it and I try to control it, to counteract it. That's got to be a good thing - right? Maybe if I keep doing it, eventually it will become second nature? I was in college when Boyz n the Hood came out. My boyfriend and I decided to go see it. Of course the only movie theater that was playing it was in the black neighborhood (can't show something like that in a white neighborhood, can we?). So we went on opening night (first and last time I ever went to a flick on opening night!). We were the only two white people in the entire theater. I thought the movie was great but at the end of the movie, when everyone started leaving, the whole audience started chanting "Kill the whites!" I remember thinking, "WTF? Did they even watch the same movie we just watched?" We had to sneak out the side door and wait for the mob to thin out before we could get to his car and get the hell out of there. I might have been able to blend in with my dark hair and tan, but my blond-haired, blue-eyed WASP looking boyfriend? No way. So, um…what was my point again? Oh, yeah, now I remember. I really wish I could look at people and just see people. I really wish it wasn't a constant process of reminding myself that we're all the same underneath it all. Society as a whole needs to change and until that happens basically good people, like myself, will continue to struggle with something that shouldn't even be an issue. That's part of why I love the internet so much. It's colorblind.

Actually, I played with it last night and noticed that it automatically spaced them like this . . . when I type them.

Funny, Word never bitches about mine being all smushed together....

Damn, late again! Madapple?

Warm apple pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Alright, this has really made me curious because I tend to us ellipses a lot in my writing. What I thought I remembered from school is that there is no space before or after the ellipses, like this: "I’m here because…I suddenly find myself very attracted to you, and…I believe that the feeling is mutual." And if you use them at the end of a sentence, as in trailing off, it's four like this: "No, it doesn’t. I just assumed…." she let it trail off without finishing. So I did some research. Wiki has this to say (emphasis mine): So, I guess I've been wrong and they should have spaces between them instead of being all bunched up. Whoops! The spaces before and after seem to be a matter open for debate: And slightly further down the page: Personally, I think they look weird with a space before and after, but what do I know? I'm just a writer and an avid reader. I also found a helpful article at The Blue Quill: Ellipses...why we love them...how we abuse them So, is everyone else as confused as I am now?

Not in this life. Melody?

Warm socks straight from the dryer.

Not guilty. G/NG: Licks the beaters?

I am about to go change the sheets on my bed, wash my daughter's hair, and then get dinner started. I am waving goodbye.

I am no longer allowed to put off bathing my daughter.

2711 Damn flood controls! Bitch-slapped twice in a row!

A huge glass of cool water on a hot summer day.

You know it! Church-going, Snape-fearinglusting, founder of CARLS?

The scent of vanilla. Mmmmm....

Vampire

Slipping between crisp, cool, cotton sheets on a freshly made bed.

Yeah, you betcha. Fellow Snapeybot addict?

Thorn

Um, yeah.... *whistles nonchalantly* I have never been in a threesome.

Nope. Madapple?

2709

Just wait 'till you get to be thirty-something....

Six months working in a salon was enough for me. I had my first child and I never went back. *shudders at the memory*

*swoons*