Friends and Activities

Last night I made arrangements for Mom, Michael, Greg and I to go to Philadelphia in March. Back in 2005 Michael and I bounced around the idea of taking a trip to Philly so we could see the traveling King Tut exhibit and Philadelphia was the closest the exhibition was gonna to get to New York. A couple weeks back when I found out the exhibit was moving into PA this February, I broached the subject with Mike once more and he said he still wanted to go. As we started planning Mom and Greg both shyly asked if they could come too. So, last night I took out my credit card, situated myself in front of the computer and went to work. Expedia provided us with two reasonably priced hotel rooms smack dab in the middle of all the action. I reserved four round trip tickets on Amtrak, and four tickets for the Tut exhibit. It was so fun. Not only was I really excited to see the trip taking shape, I was proud of myself for making all the arrangements on my own. We're going on St. Patrick's Day. Funny how these things work out.

Also, a couple days ago while reading the daily campus events email I found a notice for the Diversity Book Club. The Director of Diversity on campus wants to get together a small book club that will meet once a week for the month of February to read and discuss "Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?" by Beverly Daniel Tatum. The email said all members would receive a free copy of the book and anyone was free to join. Having always wanted to read the book and being starved for thoughtful conversation on race relations in America, I hauled my ass down the hill to the Student Affairs office and signed up. Mine became the first name on the sign up sheet. There was also a syllabus and small packet of hand-outs to pick up. Looks like this is going to be something of a mini class. There will be assigned reading and group discussion and the added bonus that it'll only last a month! This is another thing I'm excited about! I hope more people sign up, I'm really looking forward to this. I miss examining race relations. I don't have anyone I can talk to about them these days.

Last week I got my free HPV awareness bracelet in the mail. It's nifty, however I haven't found any place I can actually wear it yet. I don't necessarily want to have a conversation about HPV at work, or with Greg's parents so I don't want to wear it in their presence. However, I DO want to remind all the women on my friends list to go get a pap smear this year. HPV is highly infectious, communicated through skin to skin contact so condoms do not protect against it, and often doesn't present any physical symptoms. And, oh yeah, it can cause cervical cancer as well as genital warts. Tons of people have HPV and don't know they do. So, please make sure you get a pap done this year. The best way to treat cervical cancer is by detecting it early on. And fellas, be sure to remind all the women you love to have a pap this year too.

So, my brother is directing a one act play and Greg and I are going to see it tonight. It's based on a story by Mark Twain and is part of the Metropolitan Playhouse's Twainathon. His show is on a bill with two other one acts. Opening night didn't go so well. Mike came home all depressed because the one act he directed was supposed to be funny and no one laughed. Launched him into one of his typical "Maybe I'm a sucky director and should just quit trying" spirals. I told him it was probably just a bad crowd. He made me promise to be totally honest in my assessment of the show this evening. *laughs* This is my brother people. There's no way I could ever tell him his show sucked even if it does.

Knox alum Meghan Wilbar has an art show going up in a gallery in Soho next month. She invited me to the opening. I think Elisabeth and I are gonna go and then maybe have some dinner afterward. I haven't seen or spoken to Meghan in 2 years. Over Christmas break while I was reaching out to all the people I've lost touch with, I sent her a message via Friendster and we had a nice email exchange. And now I'm going to her show!

Oh, and speaking of Elisabeth she is participating in The National Alliance on Mental Illness Walk to raise awareness of and counter the stigma associated with mental illness. Elisabeth is very big on walkathons. She walks to find a cure breast cancer every year. As soon as I get some dough I plan to sponsor her. You should to.

Why must parents blame others rather than deal with their own feelings of guilt?

So, MySpace is getting sued AGAIN by a group of parents whose daughters were sexually abused by men they met off the site.

Dear Deluded Parents Behind the MySpace Lawsuit,

A couple of suggestions:

1) Teach your children not to talk to strangers. I don't know about you, but when I was a kid that message was pounded into my brain no less than six or seven times a day. Children must be TAUGHT to be wary of strangers wherever they encounter them. If you do not take the time to do that, you can expect them to do stupid shit like reveal personal information to, or even go as far as to walk off hand in hand with the wrong person. It is not the Responsibility of MySpace to instruct your children on how to utilize their common sense. It's yours.

2) Make an effort to know where your children are at all times. Meet their friends, introduce yourselves to the parents of those friends, make a point to know where they like to hang out, what activities they engage in while out of your house. True, not even the most diligent parents can keep tabs on their kids at all times, but you MUST make a concerted effort to do so. It should be mentioned there is a fine line between being informed and being nosy. Parents who have already taken the time to teach their kids common sense will have less to fear when their children leave the house then parents who have raised their children with the belief that society will naturally shelter them from harm, mainly because children who know what dangers await them are more aware of how they can protect themselves. It is not the responsibility of MySpace or society at large to keep your child safe. Though society will often enact measures that will make your child's life safer, it is not their responsibility to do so. Say that over and over to yourself until it sinks in. Then remind yourself that it's your responsibility to keep your child safe.

3) Realize that the dangers your child encounters on the internet are the same dangers your child encounters in the real world. They could just as easily meet some strange person in the street/in a store/at a party who, having somehow gained their trust, convince them to come over to his home and then rape/beat/kill the heck out of them. That is why suggestions 1 and 2 should be extended to include internet interactions. Thousands of children are harmed by strangers every year, but you don't see parents suing the cities or states in which such travesties occured. You know why? Because it is not the state/city/store/organization's fault it happened.

No Love,

Me


In related news, I'm going to sue the makers of the big mahogony table in my mother's living room for all the times I've stubbed my toe on it's massive legs over the years.