“build me a road dear and I will come running…” 😉
Month: March 2014
Happy Spring Break!!
I will be taking the next week off for spring break. I hope to do some traveling, catch up on my reading, and watch a movie or two. Any who, before I go, I want to leave y’all with a treat. Y’all know that I love to collect recipes. Here’s one I found in a local newspaper. It’s spaghetti with bacon. Yum! If I have time next week, I hope to try it out. If you are looking for a tasty dish to make during your spring break…here it is! Enjoy!! 🙂
Spaghetti with Bacon
Ingredients: 1 (16 ounce) package spaghetti, 1/4 cup olive oil, 8 slices bacon cut into 1/4 inch pieces, 4 cloves garlic, minced.
Directions: (1) Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in the spaghetti, and return to boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until pasta has cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 12 minutes. Drain well in a colander set in the sink. (2) Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the bacon, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, and continue cooking and stirring until the garlic has softened, and the bacon is crisp, about 5 minutes. Toss the drained pasta with the bacon, oil, and parsley to serve.
See y’all in April!!
bell hooks
March is Women’s History Month. I’ve been trying to think how I could honor this month. Since this blog focuses on black feminism as a tool to resist oppression, I thought it would be proper to show love to a woman who helped revolutionize black feminism. That woman is the author bell hooks:
“bell hooks, is an American social activist, feminist and author. She was born on September 25, 1952. bell hooks is the nom de plume for Gloria Jean Watkins. bell hooks examines the multiple networks that connect gender, race, and class. She examines systematic oppression with the goal of a liberatory politics. She also writes on the topics of mass media, art, and history. bell hooks is a prolific writer, having composed a plethora of articles for mainstream and scholarly publications.” Â http://www.egs.edu/library/bell-hooks/biography/
I first learned about bell hooks in college (which is way too late if ya ask me). I took a course all about bell hooks. We read her books and discussed them in class. The thing I love about bell hooks is that she keeps it real. As a poster responded to an interview with hooks,“she gives it to you straight, no chaser.” This can be off-putting to folks, especially folks who have bought into what bell hooks calls ‘Imperialist White Supremacist Capitalist Patriarchy.‘ She is going to hurt your feelings. Rip out your heart, really. But it’s only because she wants you to think deeper about the world around you. Too many folks believe racism, sexism, classism, homophobia, etc., that it’s “just the way it is.” These oppressions have been normalized in our society. However, we must resist this conditioning. Someone shouldn’t be viewed as more valuable just because of the whiteness/lightness of their skin, because they are male, rich, etc. We all deserve to live our lives with respect and dignity. That is all bell hooks is saying.
So much love to her this month and every month. I also like to give honor to other pioneer black women feminists: Sojourner Truth,Fannie Lou Hamer, Alice Walker, Michele Wallace, Audre Lorde, and Patricia Hill Collins. Of course, this list could go on forever!!
Happy Women’s History Month 🙂
Between the Lines: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie with Zadie Smith
Yesterday, The Schomburg Center live streamed a fun conversation between authors Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Zadie Smith. Both of these women are fabulous writers, so it was wonderful to see them together. I still haven’t read Smith’s White Teeth or Adichie’s Americanah (that book thick azz hell!!), but those books are definitely on my summer reading list!!
Click the link to watch the video: http://new.livestream.com/schomburgcenter/events/2831224/videos/45613924
The Skinny
I love watching independent films on Netflix. I especially like when I find quirky black films that have fallen under the radar. This weekend I watched a cute film called “The Skinny.”Â
“Feature film from award-winning writer/director Patrik-Ian Polk, tells the story of five black Brown University classmate s- four gay men and one lesbian – reuniting in the Big Apple for a weekend of sin, fun, secrets, lies and drama.” http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2107835/plotsummary?ref_=tt_ov_pl
Patrik-Ian Polk is the writer/creator of the first popular all black gay show “Noah’s Arc.” Polk is currently promoting his latest film ‘Blackbird.’ The film stars Mo’Nique and Isaiah Washington.
Polk is someone folks need to keep an eye on. Plus, we need to support our indie black directors/writers/etc.
saturday swag
Lupita Nyong’o- Shuga
Before the magazine covers and the OSCAR, Lupta Nyong’o made a name for herself on a popular Kenyan show called “Shuga.” The show “exposes the reckless sex lives of young Kenyans thinking and behavior as it relates to sex and HIV/AIDS.” Â
It looks like Nyong’o has always been fly…go girl! 😉
Randomness: Breaking Bad…Final Episodes
I almost fainted when I saw that the final episodes of “Breaking Bad” had been added to Netflix. I had already read the reviews of the episodes (I’m the type to read the ending of a mystery novel first), but I was still excited to see how the show would get to the ending. Bryan Cranston did a great job as Walter White. It’s hard to believe he played the goofy dad on “Malcolm in the Middle.” Ole boy is paid for life starring on two hit TV shows!! “Breaking Bad” was well-written, had great actors, and the cinematography was off the hook. It was a beautiful show (for such a disturbing topic). A rarity, in a contrived reality-TV show world. I will miss it (I don’t know if they should push their luck with the spin-off ‘Better Call Saul’ … but we shall see).
)
saturday swag
Sweet Dreams
Last week, I saw the documentary “Sweet Dreams.” The film follows Rwanda’s first and only all women’s drummers troupe:
“Made up of women from both sides of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, the troupe offers healing and reconciliation.”
At first I was hesitant to see the film, as I thought it was going to be one of those white savior type of films (the directors are white). But the film manages to keep the women’s voices front and center. However, I did feel like something was missing. I’m not sure what. Their stories of war and healing are touching, though. I definitely recommend folks check it out…
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