Improve your gaydar!!!

I'm on vacation until the 7th. I really need to fine better things to do with my time! Today, I wasted time with Tyra. Today's topic: The science of gaydar.



Tyra's guest was a controversial doctor who claims that there are tell-tale signs that can used to prove a person's sexual orientation. A few of the methods are, of course, based on stereotypes that we all know, i.e., the pitch of the man's voice, the way he walks, the activities in which he engages. However, there a few that I had never heard of. Such as:

1. the "whorl" of a man's hair. Apparently, the direction a man's hair grows in can play a factor in his sexuality. If the hair grows in clockwise, he is usually straight, counter-clockwise, gay. However, one of the test subjects hair appeared to grow in both directions. Does that make him bi-sexual or on the down low?
2. the length of his fingers: if the middle finger is longer than the pointer finger, the man is usually straight. If the pointer finger is longer or the same length as the middle finger, possibly a gay man.

Needless to say, this is not an exact science. One of the guys on the panel loved outdoor activities such as fishing and hunting, activities normally attributed to a straight man, and was gay. I realize that stereotypes are stereotypes for a reason, but hell, a "science" based on stereotypes. It seemed a bit insulting.

I did not realize...

...that there is a disease that can actually turn your skin pigmentation from black to white. Seriously. I always thought that it was Michael Jackson's excuse for all that terrible plastic surgery. More info here. Maybe Jacko isn't as troubled as I thought???

I got a hybrid

Well, for the day anyway. One of the few things that I like about my dealership is that they offer free rentals when they perform service on my car. What I do not like it that something as simple as an oil change requires me to rent a car in the first place. It takes them that long to get to my car.

Anyway, as the woman is filling out the paperwork for my rental, I notice the alarm switch does not have a key. Strange, I thought. But then again, maybe the key is in the car. So I mosey on down to the service lane to the car and look for the key. But the there is not key. Not even a key hole. Just a button. Ok, how do you start this damn car? I got an attendant to reluctantly help me out. To start the car, you need to depress the brake, then press the "Power" button. Then trust that car is actually on. You can't tell initially as the gas engine doesn't kick in immediately. That bothered me a bit. No initial pickup. I have a V6 engine in my car. I'm used to serious acceleration.

Once I got the car on the highway, it was pretty smooth. The acceleration got better but obviously not as nice as the acceleration of a V6. The car gave a constant read out of the average gas mileage. I managed about 35 MPG. I could be wrong, but it looked like as I drove faster, the more the gas mileage went up. Could that be my excuse if I got pulled over by the cops?

Officer: Umm, ma'am. Do you realize that you going 80 MPH in a 55 zone?
Me: Sorry for speeding officer but I was doing my part to help the environment.
Officer: Excuse me?
Me: This is a hybrid. The faster I go, the less gas that I use, the better for the environment.

It would be a unique excuse anyway.

African, African American or Black American

Another thing that popped into my mind as I was writing the previous blog entry, I came across an article a little ago about the term African American.

An African professor had recently became an American citizen. He was at a forum where the subject of race determination came up. I don't remember the entire story and, of course, now I can't find the article. In summary, he considered himself an African American. The others in the forum, mostly black people born and raised in America, did not agree with him.

In the 80s, there was a push by many of our black leaders at the time to use the term African American to describe ourselves, to give us a geography, to give us heritage. There has been some debate now as to who can technically use the term. I always thought that those of us that were born and raised here could use it as well as those that immigrated here from Africa and became legal citizens. Much like Koreans that become American citizens are Korean American, Japanese Japanese American, Mexicans Mexican American, and so on. However, according to this group anyway, that does not apply with Africans.

After thinking about this a bit, I figured that part of the reason for this discrepancy has to do with the fact that there are Africans who are of fair skin tone. Take a few actors, for instance. Charlize Theron was born and raised in South Africa. Her first language is Afrikaans. Daniel Bonjour is another white South African, born and raised.

So I guess the questions come: is the term African American about heritage or about color? Or did it start off as being about heritage but then transformed into being about race? Is the term only used for black people born and raised in America or can African immigrants use the term as well, albeit the fact that there is such a thing as a white African?

Good and Bad Hair

I was too young at the time to realize the point that Spike Lee was making with this musical number. Black is beautiful in every shade, right? At least it should be.

One of my fellow bloggers had talked about racism outside of our race. But what about the internal racism?

Either we are too light or too dark. The lighter sisters are told that they are not "black" enough or that they are trying to be white, as if they had a choice in the pigmentation of their skin color, unlike Michael Jackson, of course.

Either we are first generation African in America or we are Black Americans, several generations beyond our African roots. I have found, in my experience, that many Africans that have immigrated to America, especially African women, do not seem to care for us Black Americans. One young lady went so far as to say that Black Americans cannot be trusted. It appeared that her impressions of us was based on the white media, which, no matter what they say, is incredibly biased.

"Can't we all just get along?" Although not the best role model for the black people, Rodney King had a point. There are enough outside forces working against us as it is without us tearing one another down.

The first snowfall of the season...

and, as usual, drivers in the Maryland/DC area totally loss their ability to drive. There is barely anything sticking to the ground, visibility is barely impaired and yet there are traffic jams left and right. Of course, slow down and drive for the conditions. But damn, nothing was moving. I came across a few accidents on my way. One looked as if the driver was totally unaware that snow on the pavement can melt and refreeze, causing a hazardous condition. Especially on an overpass. Probably going too fast for conditions. Looked like a 180 into the overpass wall.

I'm thinking the traffic jams are more due that influx of people thinking they need to leave earlier to reach their destinations on time. But I think that just puts more people on the road at the same time, causing the clogging of the every major traffic artery.

After trying two alternate routes to get to work and barely getting anywhere after 40 minutes, I said fuck it! Called my supervisor, told her to forget about seeing me this morning. At the rate I was going, I MIGHT have gotten there by noon. I have a 45 minute commute on a good day. It just wasn't worth it. Get to work by noon, stay at work until 5pm, and, more than likely, sit in two to three more hours of traffic on the way home. No thanks!!!

Need a pickup line?

Then crack open a fortune cookie. Yes, you heard me. A fortune cookie. Fortune cookie makers have apparently decided that the wisdom of Confucius is passe.

After kicking ass in my karate class, I gets a bit hungry. I hit the local "Chinese" food joint for a box of shrimp fried rice and a fortune cookie. My fortune for the day: "Are your legs tired because you have been running through my mind all day." Okay, not only do I get an old pick up line, but an absolutely lame pick up line. Any man that uses this pick up line probably needs to be alone. That has got to be the corniest pick up line uttered.

I wish I could remember the other pick up line fortune cookie that I came across. It was still lame, but slightly better than the one that I just mentioned. Maybe they will get better? Who knows, fellas. Maybe you should take your next date to the local "Chinese" restaurant and crack open that fortune cookie. Maybe you'll get lucky. Or smacked. My bet is on getting smacked!