The big kid in my life turned another year older. Simone and Nadia wanted him to have cake, and this is what they got him. Nadia was impressed with the toy U. S. S. Enterprise. Simone, though, was all business. Is Daddy 5 or 16?
I am trying to keep my Overprotective Mom sensor in check. A little girl has been messing with one of my little girls, and I want to, well, you can figure out the rest. I guess we were all picked on as children, but I apparently still have scars. When I learned about this little bully, I wanted to say things you should not say to a child. If she does that again, you have my permission to … I also wanted to challenge her mother to a duel on the playground. I could be wrong, but I suspect the little bully has a role model bully at home. I know any actions on my part would only make matters worse. For now, I am monitoring the situation and hoping the little people can resolve this on their own. If not, well, you know …
Speaking of hair, head over to Beads, Braids & Beyond and enter the Curlformers Giveaway. Tell them Honeysmoke sent you.
Raise your hand if this has happened to you. While minding your own business, someone compliments you on your natural hair and then proceeds to invade your personal space and touch it. Okay, put your hands down. It has been a while, but this has happened to me. It happened a lot when I had a close-cropped fade. For some reason, folks thought it was invitation to touch my head. It also happened when I wore braids. I remember some older ladies were so taken with the style, they each played with a braid. I was younger then. Much younger.
Check out this NPR essay, which warns you may never know what is in someone’s hair. In other words, look, don’t touch. If I can help just one person understand why touching someone’s hair is inappropriate, this blog post will be a success. Enjoy!
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
By Rebecca Skloot
I picked up this book in preparation for a talk the author will give near my home later this month. I plan to attend the speech and want to make sure I have read the book from cover to cover so that I may ask an informed question, should the opportunity present itself.
The cells of Henrietta Lacks were taken without her knowledge and became one of the most important tools in medicine. The cells, called HeLa, helped develop the Polio vaccine and unmasked the secrets of cancer, viruses and the atom bomb’s effects. They also helped advance invitro fertilization, cloning and gene mapping. The cells launched a multi-million dollar industry. At the same time, her family couldn’t afford health insurance.
The family of Henrietta Lacks learned about the HeLa cells more than 20 years after her death. Check out this story of race, poverty and medicine.
Um, we haven’t received our Census survey. Folks are Tweeting their responses, while others are taking pictures of themselves with the surveys. Go to Angry Asian Man to see photos of readers who have entered his contest. In the meantime, I will continue to check the mailbox.
