Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

I saw a guy on the news today start to say "Rosa Parks": he got through "Rosa" and had opened his mouth to say "Parks" but he was unable to finish - a cameraman jumped from off-screen to tackle him out of his chair. Another cameraman deftly slipped into his chair and finished the telecast. It appears they were prepared for an accident: the cameraman who finished the telecast was already wearing a jacket (though you could see his greesy black techy shirt underneath; give him a break, he's trying).

And that, my friends, is what you get for trying to talk about someone other than MLK on his own fuckin' day. You can talk about Obama, but the second you spend more words talking about him than MLK, game over. Seriously, don't test this. The universe has a way of kicking ass.

In other news, school starts tomorrow. My books for Tuesday classes weigh 9 pounds. I only have two classes. And they weigh nine pounds. If I bring my laptop and a spiral notebook or two, combined with the backpack and various pens and other accessories, we're looking at maybe eighteen pounds, sixteen minimum. On Mondays, though, it's worse, because I have two big books and a night class with another big book, along with laptops, pens, etc. I'm gonna need back supports for my already creeky physicality to get through the spring, I think.

Also, Kelly and I have a class together, MWF. Now, we're split on where to sit. I like to sit in the back, or at least on the side, because I have a psychological thing about seeing as much of the room and students as possible. It's weird. I don't get it, but it is what it is. Kelly, though, prefers the middle, and she's okay with the front row (sic). We'll have to draw straws or rock-paper-scissors this shit.

Oh and that picture, which is a white girl from Texas dressing up as Aunt Jemima, is implicated in the following event: the girl pictured and a group of her friends decided a few years ago to celebrate MLK Day by dressing up in stereotypically black ways (I guess they also meant "as well-known black people" too; pause for a moment and consider what you would dress as). The president of her university's NAACP chapter found out and saw the photos, quickly notifying local authorities who were quick to rain down bombs and corrosive acid in order to fight the onslaught of funny costumes.

The girl and her friends (a few of whom are black) said they started the tradition as a way of celebrating their black friends (who apparently loved the idea and joined in on the fun themselves). The public, of course, was outraged. But hey, if there were some black people in on the ground floor and they thought it was funny and liked it, then I don't see a problem. In any case, if I were to go, I would dress up as Uncle Jemima, for those of you who've seen the relevant SNL skit.