It's not every day that something comes along that makes me second guess my decision to remain childless. Designer, Emily Johnson Spinozzi, creator of "Dolce Bambino" managed to do just that by launching a line of crocheted, family friendly MUST HAVES in the midst of raising 3 boys under the age of 4. Emily Johnson Spinozzi is her name, and making mommy and baby stuff fashionable and chic is her game. If you have any baby showers, new arrivals or a need to pamper yourself, a girlfriend/sister/aunt/mother/cousin or baby, check out her website.

www.dolcebambino.etsy.com

Tell her Danielle sent you! (It won't get you a discount or anything, the stuff is SO reasonably priced as it is!!)

My personal favorite is the diaper clutch. I just ordered two of them.

How do you like YOUR Coffey??? Black or in denial?

On Monday nights there is nothing good on tv. Case in point the country version of American Idol called Nashville Star hosted by Billy Ray Cyrus. I am not a country fan, but occasionally I can bear it. I can get into artists like Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, and the Dixie Chicks. For the most part though,
country music strikes me as too twangy, pseudo Christian, or nauseatingly patriotic. So in a way I don't really have the background or right to critique country music, but I am going to anyway.

Tonight I saw a contestant who certainly challenged the stereotypical look of a country singer. Coffey, (pronounced coff-AY, emphasis on the second syllable)is the first young black man to sing country music that I have ever seen. He is very attractive and by appearance fits that younger, hot, country music scene. I mean who wouldn't get a little weak in the knees over any strapping young buck in a pair of wrangler jeans and a cowboy hat...HAWT DAMN! Anyway, a black man singing country music, as you can imagine, is rare. Intrigued, I continued to watch, in hopes of being wooed, pleasantly surprised, or at the very least, entertained.

Wow. Not only did Coffey shatter my hopes of what could be, he sang an original song that almost made my dinner come up.

His entire song sounded like a mixture of rap and country, and he didn't seem to do either genre justice. The timing was forced, and the words were cliche'. The worst part was that he was asserting himself as a "country boy" by denouncing things often associated with hip-hop. Now let me clarify, some of my favorite artists criticize (constructively and creatively so) hip-hop: The Roots, Common, Lauryn Hill, and Kanye West for example, but the thing is, they are GOOD at it, and they are not just throwing some bandwagon rhetoric around in order to degrade an art form that is often misunderstood or downright disregarded most of the time. On the contrary, I think that their critique, paired with their music strives to preserve lyricism, creativity, and beats that inspire a range of emotion, thus validating a true American art form.

Part of the reason they pull off their critique, besides the quality and brilliance behind their craft, is because they ARE hip-hop artists. But Coffey was not good at criticizing the more materialistic side of rap culture because he has not "earned the right to be heard." I suspect that Coffey has probably spent the better part of his life fighting off prejudice and stereotypes that he felt did not relate to him which is understandable, but it doesn't excuse crappy country rap.

To make matters worse, this song was an effort for Coffey to express who he is as a "Southern Man." He criticizes "bling," & "Escalades," and proudly boasted of his "pick up truck with the horns on the hood."

I too am turned off by "bling, Tims, and Rims" kind of stuff, but Coffey singing about it like he did reminded me of how when I was little I could fight my brother all I wanted, but if someone not related to us picked on him, oh hell no, I was not having that. In the same regard, Common, The Roots, etc have a more legitimate point of departure that gives them license to criticize hip hop/rap culture that doesn't have much depth. Coffey? Hmmm, I don't think so.

I think it is great when people get to a place where they realize that he or she is not bound by a stereotype. But it really seemed that Coffey not only wanted to battle the stereotype, he wanted to blast those who fit it, and associate with those who more likely than not, want nothing to do with him.

Honestly, I feel for this guy, I really do. If he makes it in this competition (which I don't think he will because he just isn't that great of a singer) what audience does he plan to reach? What radio station is going to play his music? Are there black people out there who are interested in joining in on the black bashing? Or does Coffey hope to attract country folk looking for a black country singer who will make them feel justified in their prejudice mindsets. I guess time will tell.

Maybe this whole experience will be a good lesson for Coffey, which I prefer black, with a little sugar ;-.)

Why? WHY? WHYYYY? on the 4th of July

I know it's been over a week since the 4th of July (and even much longer since I blogged here) but I seriously had to get my thoughts together before writing this post.

On the 4th of July, my best friend and I went to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena to watch the fireworks, eat some roasted corn dipped in mayonnaise, and celebrate the end of colonial rule, because that's what good Americans do on the 4th of July. I always look forward to this day, not because of the hokey blind patriotism bullshit, but more because I like the idea of freedom, and I LOVE fireworks. My friend and I got there in time to check out the various vendors, food trucks, and entertainment. Lots of people were milling around, tailgating, eating, having a good time. Kids were lined up to get funnel cakes, balloons, ice cream, face painting, and deadly assault weapons. (Insert loud screeching brakes for affect here). Yes, I said deadly assault weapons. The army set up a booth at the fairgrounds with deadly assault weapons for people to "try out." Granted they were not loaded or functional by any means (I hope) but they were the real deal.

When I first caught sight of the booth I saw only adults "trying them out." But then I noticed parents taking their small children to the weapons, and then taking snapshots of their children holding the weapons.

Number one, this is crazy.

Number two, this is CRAZZZZYYY!

Number three, this is as sad as it crazy.

We live in a culture that has no reservation whatsoever over killing people in the name of "freedom." We have no reservation whatsoever in establishing the worth of one's life (an American's) over any other who we (however erroneous) deem to be a threat to us. And worst of all, we have little to no reservation in passing on our violent, barbaric, ways to our children. This photo was taken at the Rose Bowl. After I took it, I desperately wanted to make eye contact with someone who understood or saw the scenario the way I did. I wanted validation from someone that I wasn't crazy. But there was no one to reassure me, only people who kept asking if I was "next" in line to hold a gun.

I wanted to yell at the soldier standing there. I wanted to ask him if he's ever killed a person like my friend who was sent to Iraq who estimates killing 47 men all under or around the age of 18. Even though my friend held to a "kill or be killed" philosophy, he has never rejoiced over those deaths, and I greatly respect him for that. In the moment he faced a life or death situation and he did what he could to survive, and that meant killing other human beings who likely got caught up in a complicated web of nationalism and their own version of "protecting one's own."

Killing is never easy. Sometimes it is necessary or better yet, instinctual for self preservation, but it should never be seen as something recreational. The kids I saw handling these weapons were too young to understand the implications of holding such weapons. They seemed to be awestruck by what they were looking at, which disturbed me a great deal. You know, I hear people talk all the time about the stuff kids face today like drugs, violence in school, and a host of other things that negatively impact youth. But what about the violent messages that are taught through our foreign policies, as well as our wartime propaganda? Why don't we ever talk about the powerful forces of THOSE influences? Why, WHY WHHHHYYY do we do this to our kids and then wonder why they are so screwed up??