On my way...

I am finishing up the last touches on my application to the Urban Education Ph.D... I'm excited and nervous... I really hope that I get into the program, but if I don't, plan B is to teach community college or go get certified to teach high school. So... just keep your fingers crossed for me!!

Finally taking the plunge...

I finally did it... I submitted my letter of intent to the university letting them know that I am applying for the Ph.D program... I know, I know... I've changed my mind so many times... But, I have finally made up my mind... I'm going to do it... :) Don't judge me... Just be happy for me... :)

Maia’s Descent Is No Laughing Matter

Guest Piece By D.L. Chandler (on twitter @dlc123)

Like many young men in the 1990s, I found actress Maia Campbell to be one of the more attractive young black starlets on television. Early on, I discovered that she hailed from the Greater Washington Metropolitan area just as I did and that factoid endeared me to her as well. Of late Maia Campbell has fallen out of the public eye, and has been unfairly ridiculed by her poor life choices fueled by her bout with Schizophrenia. The daughter of late bestselling author Bebe Moore Campbell, Maia found fame on the LL Cool J vehicle In The House. For 3 seasons, the show enjoyed some mild success and Maia Campbell was a prominent fixture of the sitcom. Once the show ended, Maia worked bit parts in television and small movies, but nothing more.

I am not going to play reporter here and try to guess what happened beyond that point. What I do know is that in the last three years, nude photos of an obviously inebriated Campbell and a very recent video of the actress has appeared on the Internet. The gossip blogs, Twitter, message boards and news outlets (such as The Examiner) have all had their say to the inner workings of Ms. Campbell’s fall. We don’t know what’s leading her down this path nor do we know if she’s ever had adequate help – at least as far as what’s been released publicly. However, what is quite telling is how much of my Twitter feed was filled with hurtful jokes about her condition. The blogs and their comment fields were also filled with the same insensitive and lame commentary found in the linked Examiner piece above.

I immediately felt sorrow for Maia Campbell after viewing the video and wanted nothing more than to protect her. It triggered an almost instinctive brotherly reaction. It was if I saw my little sister on that screen and just wanted to snatch that camera away from her antagonist and whisk her away. There wasn’t anything humorous about this scenario. There wasn’t a reason to make this a Twitter topic of the day. It didn’t have to become this ugly display of humanity – anonymous keyboard cowards levying all types of hurtful, insensitive words towards Maia. I’ve just read that there’s a prayer campaign for Maia Campbell and that’s great. I’m not a religious person but this is obviously a step in the right direction so I support it fully.

Many of us know a Maia Campbell, a young person lost to their own devices and lacking the help, love and care needed to rise above whatever demons ails them. Are we to look at Maia Campbell with pity or are we to act when we see this pattern in our respective cities and towns? What did you truly feel when you saw Maia in that state? What would you do if you saw it? Are you witnessing something of this nature now? Are you out there helping to prevent more lost souls? Are you content with reading the insensitive comments and hashtags on Twitter? I know I’m not. I know that any time I can help a person – young or old – I’m going to give whatever time I can spare. I don’t see how we can look at this as a laughing matter. Moreover, for those of you that I know who choose to see humor in such a sad situation, you’ve lost a huge chunk of my respect.

Some new school clothes...

So, as some of you may know, I start teaching on Monday (Aug. 31st)... So I HAD to go get some new clothes... :)

I combed out my dreads...

Yep... I sure did... I was getting bored... I was initially gonna cut it... But my husband did not want it cut... So, I thought it'd be a good idea to comb them out instead... Now I have a BAA!! :)

There's no place like home...

Me and my husband traveled to New York last week for my family's annual 4th of July reunion... We had a lot of fun... We went to Harlem, Times Square, and to The Bronx to visit my family... it was a new experience for my husband, especially since he hasn't been many places outside of Texas... When we left this little town in TX, I was thinking, "I'm so ready to get out of this little town!!" But after a few days away from home, I missed it... I was around my mother, aunts, and countless cousins... Since I'm the baby of the family everyone was ooohing and aaahing over me and my husband... and also ordering us around like slaves... (You know how family is... lol!) By the end of the week, we were both ready to come back to our little matchbox apartment and the 105 degree weather... There's really no place like home... We've created our own little place in the world, and it's very comfy... I like being in our place... As small as it may be... I love it... our life is good and we're both makes steps to becoming a strong man and wife... Family can be very critical... Especially mine... I got so many comments about my weight, my eating habits, my dreads... It was just... too much, I think... Here at home, my weight is just right for him... My eating habits aren't too radical, and my hair isn't too messy and fuzzy... He loves everything about me... He and I really had to stick together to block some of those stones being thrown at me by my family last week.... This trip really made us closer... It was fun... And we learned so much about one another. I love New York, and I love my family... But I think we'll be ok if we don't visit again until next year... lol

Balance...

First of all I do want to say RIP Michael Jackson... I grew up with his music my entire life... He will be missed...

Today my husband and I were discussing balance... His family is very traditional. The women don't work... They all stay at home and raise babies and cook... Whereas my family is very modern and liberal... All of the women in my family are very highly educated and have very successful/lucrative careers... I'm learning that I don't want to be too far on either side of those spectrums... I don't know if I want to be a stay at home mom, and I also don't think that I want to be completely career oriented... I want to work AND be a mother... I want to be able to do what I'm passionate about and I also want to be an involved mother... Although my husband and I don't plan on having any children for a few years, I like to plan ahead... I am finding that it's ok to be happy... And for the first time in a very long time, I can say that I am truly happy with my life... I am definitely transitioning as far as my career and school are concerned... I was floundering for a long time trying to figure out what I needed to be and what I needed to do... But now I feel very comfortable with the idea of graduating in May with my Master's and going to get my teacher's certification... I feel really calm and peaceful...