May 27

DECORATION DAY & MY UNCLE HERBIE

by B.L. in Other 0 comments
On this Decoration Day, also known as Memorial Day, I wanted to honor my uncle, a Black veteran who fought in Germany during World War II in some small way. The photo you see above was taken in 1989. I’m not sure what my son and my uncle are looking at. My son was probably grinning at my younger sister, who was taking the picture. I imagine Uncle Herbie was thinking about his big sister, my Aunt Sadie, who had just died. I tried to find a photo of my uncle alone and in uniform, but I couldn’t find one. When I was a kid, I really admired my uncle because he was s-o-o different from my father the medical doctor, who was also his big brother. Uncle Herbie was the only surviving uncle that I had. My father came from a very large family of nine kids, but only three survived to adulthood (my father, my uncle, and my aunt). He was the first one to attend college and went on to get a medical degree. In contrast, my uncle worked in a factory. I’m not sure whether the factory produced tires or automotive parts. We lived in Akron, […]
May 20

THREE CARD MONTY

by B.L. in Other 0 comments
When I first arrived in New York during the summer of 1968, my mother was afraid for me. She worried that her wild child, meaning me, would go crazy in the Big Apple. We had this agreement. When I turned 18, I wanted to join the Peace Corps or the domestic peace corps called VISTA. Before that, at 16 or 17, I wanted to join the Freedom Rides going on in the Deep South. My parents said no, citing either my need for higher education or my lack of temper control. I tried to make an end run around all of their negativity by asking if I could go the University of California’s Berkley campus. That way, I’d meet their higher education rules, but I’d also be able to join all kinds of anti-war and civil rights demonstrations on the campus. Of course, my parents knew that too. At 18, I thought I knew more than they did about current events. I was wrong. My parents said no, then we argued. They finally said, Try college at our alma mater, Ohio State University, for two years. If after two years you want to do something else, we’ll support you. Fast […]
May 13

GB

by B.L. in Other 0 comments
Something very unusual is happening in my life right now and I’m not sure what to think about it. Do I like it or not? I’m used to living alone and doing my own thing. It’s been that way with me for years … at least 15 of them and counting. Perhaps, I should back up a minute and tell you a little bit about myself, or rather, my status in life. I’m a new grandmother. There, I said it … the word “grandmother.” My grandkid calls me GB, which is shorthand for Grammy B. should back up a minute and tell you a little bit about myself, or rather, my status in life. I’m a new grandmother. There, I said it … the word “grandmother.” My grandkid calls me GB, which is shorthand for Grammy B. I always thought if I was one, I’d be the coolest grandma alive. I’d drink a little wine, smoke one of those skinny cigars, and give free advice about anything from love and marriage to raising kind children. In my mind, I’d have just right the figure to wear the latest clothes. I’d know all the words to the latest blues, hip-hop, or […]
May 06

DRUGS ANYONE?

by B.L. in Other 0 comments
I put off writing this one for some time because I didn’t want to write about the subject matter while I was angry. This time I couldn’t stop myself. I just watched NY1 a local Time Warner/Spectrum cable channel that I really like a lot because it keeps me tuned into what’s going on around the city. The channel mentioned a new drug treatment program starting in Staten Island soon. The program sponsored in part by the Staten Island DA’s office and arranges for treatment programs for substance abuse addicts rather than prison sentences. Apparently the other part of the program, the punitive side, prosecutes the sellers of illegal drugs. I have nothing against going after folks who commit certain crimes. Heaven knows in my job as a NYC property manager during the crack/cocaine epidemic of the late seventies, eighties and nineties, I’ve met a number of folks who were either users or sellers. Sometimes, they engaged in both activities. I wonder how the Staten Island program will deal with cases like this? As for me, I think the sentencing should match the crime. In the case of many first time sellers and buyer (users), the crime didn’t justify the […]
May 01

WHY PEOPLE LIE

by B.L. in Other 0 comments
For most of my life, I’ve been curious about something that seems to be a human phenomenon. Little kids do it. Teenagers do it. And adults do it. Even Disney characters (think Pinocchio) do it. It’s called lying. Lately I find myself wondering why people do it. Most people make such a mess of it. They tell whoppers that can so easily be uncovered. In this age of cellphone videos, body cams, social media, and information breaches, who doesn’t know your business? To me, lying seems worthless or at least more work than it’s worth. Yet people still do it. And I keeping asking myself, why do people lie? Experts Victoria Talwar and Kang Lee say that there are three types of lies. The first one is called a primary lie. This type of lie is told to hide what the teller did but fails to consider the mental state of the listener. Children as young as two and as old as four tell these kinds of lies. By the time children are four, they learn to tell secondary lies. These lies are more plausible. The teller has learned through trial and error to shape the lie to the listener’s […]
Apr 22

WHY I WROTE ME & MRS. JONES

by B.L. in Other 0 comments
  This is my second book in the newly minted series “SONGBOOKS.” I give older popular songs, modern viewpoints that turn into novels. I always loved the song “Me and Mrs. Jones.” It was a ballad sung by smooth, jazzy Billy Paul in 1972. The ballad told the tale of a man committing adultery with a married woman. He knows she knows that it’s wrong. He knows it’s wrong to keep seeing her; but he can’t stop. She can’t stop the affair either. The two of them have a favorite meeting place where nobody knows them so nobody can tell their respective spouses about their affair. They can listen to their favorite songs and share their favorite meals together at this special meeting spot. By the end of the song, I understood how difficult it was to stop doing something that was so very wrong but felt oh, so-o-o very good. After hearing this song recently on a long drive to visit my mother and my sister in Ohio, I thought. Whoa! Wouldn’t it be interesting to write a novel based on the tale that I heard in my head every time I listened to the lyrics? What I imagined […]
Apr 15

WADE IN THE WATERS

by B.L. in Other 0 comments
I’m not one for religious symbolism but the more I hear about foreign involvement in our democratic election system, I keep thinking of a song I used to hear in church Sunday mornings. I was a kid back then. Everybody knows Baby boomer children couldn’t say. “Mom, Dad I’m not going to church. It’s Sunday morning. I think I just sit this visit out. I don’t like how that old guy wearing that long robe talks to us. He’s always screaming about devils and doing bad stuff from that platform he stands on. You and Dad might like him; but he scares the mess out of me. Today, I’ll just sit home and do something that makes me happy. Watching Sunday morning cartoons makes me happy and so I’ll be doing that today, okay? I’ll see you both when you get back from church if I’m not napping, right?” No way was that going to fly with my parents back then. In the only thing flying, would be my butt into next week. That would be after I was released from the children’s ward of the hospital, my father’s opened can of whup my backside sent me. But I digress. […]
Apr 08

SOUND ADVICE IN TRYING TIMES

by B.L. in Other 0 comments
I was reviewing some old posts and found this one from two years ago. I believe it is still appropriate for today’s times too. It’s simple. Sometimes less complicated is the best way to go. My sister sent me this message several months ago, when I was feeling low down and abit helpless. I loved it so much I decided to pass it on. Thanks Sis. My only comment, I would add some additional suggestions to Number 9. If you can’t show up and be counted because of limitations, you can still do something. Call your representatives like I did or email them or write to them like I did. All of that works too.  The point is to do something positive. Don’t stay in your own little bubble world and complain about how bad things are if you aren’t willing to do more than complain. Read the rest of the advice below. It needs no further explanation From a friend’s page. Sound advice for the times. This is also going around and for good reason: Don’t use his name. Remember this is a regime and he’s not acting alone. Do not belittle those who support him–it doesn’t work. Focus […]
Apr 01

Me & Mrs. Jones, a love story

by B.L. in Other 0 comments
Wealthy married Black woman, Vernella Burton-Jones, has been suffering verbal and sometimes physical abuse at the hands of her wife Frances for years. The clincher occurs when Vernella discovers that Frances is cheating on her and embezzling from the company Vernella’s father built up from the ground. Vernella feels helpless to stop this cycle of bullying and abuse, until she meets Clementine. Clementine Rogers is a young, white female driver and sometime street fighter applying for what seems to be an ideal job. However, when she witnesses her potential employer’s wife abusing her and intervenes, she wants to do more to protect Vernella, but isn’t sure her attractive new boss will appreciate her interference. Can Vernella take steps to prevent more abuse and keep Frances from robbing her blind? Will she accept Clementine’s help in protecting her? Can two women with completely dissimilar backgrounds allow their attraction for each other overcome many obstacles? Find out in Me and Mrs. Jones, a love story. Me and Mrs. Jones, a love story is available now on Kindle. Here are the links for: Me and Mrs. Jones, a love story Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PNVXCSN Kindle Print: https://www.amazon.com/dp/9781798762455 Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/928927 Book trailer: https://youtu.be/Hv8hKOl7zTU Ask David: http://askdavid.com/reviews/book/lesbian-romance/16955 […]
Mar 25

BLACK WOMEN AS KRYPTONITE OR ARE THEY CANARIES IN THE COAL MINE?

by B.L. in Other 0 comments
I keep thinking about a newscaster guest expert I watched. I believe it was on AM Joy’s show sometime in November of 2017, when MSNBC contributor Jason Johnson said Black women were kryptonite to the Trump administration. I think not. I believe Black women are “canaries in the coal mine.” Just as canaries warned coal miners when there were poisonous gases inside the mines by chirping until they died, Black women are issuing early warning signals that this country is in serious trouble. In April 2017, Mr. Johnson had written an article about Black women being natural enemies to the Republican party and to the Trump administration in particular. In the article, he mentioned how Susan Rice was used by the Republicans in the mini-unmasking scandal. Remember how Ms. Rice, as a part of her job as national security advisor, asked to unmask the names of Trump’s transition officials? She wanted the names revealed to find out who on Trump’s team was talking to Russian spies that were meddling in US elections. President Trump and his Republican allies tried to distract the public from the truth about Russian meddling in our elections. He replaced it with a trumped-up theory that […]
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