The Grammys

Alicia is a beautifully talented woman.
Carrie Underwood looks good.
Prince is still a sexy mother…
Kanye’s performance was hot, very touching.
Tina (and Beyonce) killed it.
Fergie can sit down now and forever more.
The Foo Fighters still got it.  STILL!!

I had a 10pm conference call.  Ugh.

Kanye likes to straddle the line between confident and annoyingly cocky.
Any Winehouse’s performance was probably her best in 8-10 months.
Little Richard looks like he just took the weave out the pack and glued it.
Not feelin Usher’s look.
Yay for Herbie Hancock!!

And that’s about it folks.

I could be wrong

I kinda had a panic attack in Target a few hours ago.  For the past few days, I’ve been thinking a lot about my path I’m on.   I’ve had jobs in my field and been unsatisfied with each one.  I’ve been unsatisfied with my pay and with my mobility options.  But I  still really like non-profits and probably always will.

I’m beginning to think that in my zeal to be the first in the family to graduate, I neglected an important aspect of college: study what you love.  I fear that I’ve neglected that voice in my head telling me that I’d always loved music and should stick to it.  I fear that maybe I’ve been wrong in choosing to focus on the area(s) I have

I’ve always thought that I should have taken a year or 2 off after high school.  I had absolutely no focus going into college and it showed.  I envy people who’ve always wanted to be vets, dentists, doctors, policeman and lawyers.  I was never a girl who was sure of what her future held.  I’m still unsure.  And it hit me in the middle of school supplies in Target.  Sweating, crying, slight hyperventilating

…next to child-proof scissors.

I’ll continue to pray for guidance.

Yes we can. And I did.

 

I shed tears on my way to work today.  I thought about the magnitude of this election.  I thought of the sacrifices made for me so that this day could be possible-a day when a woman and a Black man are viable candidates for the American presidency.  I thought about the people who saw the importance of this day.  I thought about both campaigns, their differences.  I thought about the hope that was taken away from us in 2000 and the hope that’s being promised for 2008.  I thought and I cried.  I smiled and I gave thanks. 

I wished my grandparents could have seen this.

Go veg!

“The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans any more than black people were made for whites or women for men.” – Alice Walker

The asterisk (Update on the paper)

61*

Baseball fans know what that’s about. Maris and Mantle were trying to beat Babe Ruth’s homerun record, but the commissioner stated that any record broken after 154 games would have an asterisk. The record would be broken, but would go down in history with an asterisk, a footnote meant to minimize the impact of the accomplishment.

I feel like a footnote. I am Coop, MPA*. I’ve successfully completed each requirement for my degree: classes, internship, area of concentration.  I have an asterisk.

I have an official letter from my school’s registrar stating that I’ve successfully completed each degree requirement. I have a letter from my advisor stating that I have successfully completed all degree requirements. I have no more classes to take.  I have an asterisk.

Why? I chose to do some extra work overseas – extra work that was not required but provided new perspectives and experiences.  My degree work was complete in August.  That extra work is keeping my degree hostage. My school won’t give me my degree until that extra work is completed. They informed me of this on January 3.  Graduation was in December.  I’m in protest.

The paper is not done. It was due 13 minutes ago.  I’m not working on it now. I’m angry. I’m out of ideas. I’m embarrassed. I feel humiliated. I feel unjustly punished.  I’m unmotivated.  I have been made the scapegoat for several people failing to do their job.  Information was withheld from me.  I’m furious and I can not bring myself to write one page.  I physically can not write.

They may never get the damn paper. Here’s the really funny part: if I fail the 2 classes by turning in nothing, I’ll get my degree. As long as it’s incomplete, I have an asterisk and no paper to hang on the wall.