April 4th– A day which still lives in infamy

April 4th, 1968, I had just turned five years old. I don’t remember much about the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., except my mother was worried about my father who was at work, and there was rioting in Washington, D.C.

Throughout school years, we learned about Civil Rights and the sacrifices that Dr. King and so many others had made. It didn’t seem real then– and still doesn’t– the differences race played in every facet of life.

So today, as my children play with kids in the neighborhood of all races without even thinking about it, as I go to the gym and see a rainbow of shades of exercisers, as I travel throughout my day feeling entitled to have access to every bus, school, store, and lunch counter, I humbly say, thank you.

Liars. They’re all liars.

No, I’m not talking about the presidential candidates– you can draw your own conclusions on that.

But on almost every section of the newspaper, there is a story about a lie.

Front Page: Love and Consequences, a book about a women raised in poverty by a foster family and sold drugs for an L.A. gang was touted as a memoir, but is now being called a complete fabrication. The author, Margaret B. Jones, initially described herself as a half-white, half-Native American girl living with an African American family in South Central L.A. Ms. Jones (whose real name is Margaret Seltzer) was outed by her sister. (Talk about Thanksgiving next year!) Jones/Seltzer is white, grew up with her family in the San Fernando Valley area, was never a foster child, and never sold drugs. The publisher is recalling the books.

The author is not alone in passing on a tragic -to-inspirational story that turns out to be false. Just last week, the book “Misha: A Memoir of the Holocaust Years” by Misha Defonseca was found to be a fake too. And Oprah’s still living down the embarrassment caused by the discover that her book pick, “A Million Little Pieces” by James Frey was made up.

Local Section: Appalachian State University was on lock down yesterday when a student saw a masked gunman on campus. After the recent tragedies at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University, everyone took this threat very seriously as police searched the 14,000 person campus. Later, the “witness” admitted the story was a fabrication.

Sports Section: Roger Clemens. Barry Bonds. Really, do I need to say more?

Everyone tells lies. Psychologists say that is part of our society, and that most people tell one or two a day. But these whoppers go way beyond the adamant denial that you drank the last of the orange juice and failed to toss the container.

Celebrity Baby Names

Congratulations to J.Lo and Marc Anthony on the birth of their twins, named Max and Emme. (I’m guessing they haven’t watched “Dragon Tales.”)

They did decide, in a rather un-celebrity-like way, to give the babies names that 1) most people can spell 2) most people can pronounce 3) most people won’t cringe when they hear it (except those who have seen “Dragon Tales”).

Can you imagine what Seven Benjamin (son? daughter? child of Andre Benjamin & Eryka Badu) will be like at the age of 49? Will Seven be Seven Squared?

Or what will little Audio Science Clayton (son of actress Shannyn Sossamon & Dallas Clayton) think of his name in 6th grade? Or worse, what will the 8th graders think?

Does Apple Paltrow like apples? How does she feel about pies?

When you name a baby, is it a statement? Is it a reflection of you as the parent, or is it about your child? What will it mean for the child whose name sounds like a cartoon character?

Moxie CrimeFighter? We’re talking to you.

You 2.0

When I first heard the term Web 2.0, I was mystified, but eventually, I got that it was the new trendy way to talk about the next step or generation for the Internet.  But then I started thinking about how 2.0 or the next generation concept was similar to the idea of this blog, Next.

What’s your next step for you?  What’s the next generation of your career or your life?  How will you improve yourself, brand yourself, redefine yourself for the future?

Be Active Challenge– Day What?

Who’da thought it– my youngest son is beating the pants off of everyone else in the Be Active Challenge. I thought my two hours of tennis (don’t tell my husband) a couple of days per week would kick me up, but the little snot (in the loving way that only a mother can describe her child) takes gym every day at school, has started baseball practice, and has the nerve to play outside. It’s a good thing I’m not competitive.

Good thing his stomach hurt today and he had to come home from school early.  Ha!  No gym and no playing outside for him.  Oh, I’m not being supportive, am I?  Maybe it’s because picking him up from school meant I didn’t get to work out either!  But I’m keeping this all in perspective.  Really.

Be Active Challenge – Day 3

Yea! We’re still being active with the Be Active Challenge. Yesterday, the kids and I went on a long hike. There was some complaining and whining. But I tried to keep it to a minimum!

We’ve been lucky so far– the school/sports schedule has been light, and it’s been nice weather, so going outside to play has been easy. When it’s cold, dark and busy, it’s a little harder to coordinate.

Still, it is fascinating to see how my kids enjoy putting up the numbers and making sure they’re not the ones getting left behind.

How many more days did you say?

Be Active Challenge – Day 1

So, in an effort to get my kids from spending every spare moment in front of the TV (or the gameboy or some other electronic device), I enrolled the whole family in the Be Active Challenge. This is a statewide program encouraging us North Carolinians to eat less red velvet cake and get moving. Our lovely state has the unfortunate distinction of being ranked 15th highest in adult obesity, and 11th highest for obesity among high school students.

My family’s goal is for each person to be active at least 35 minutes a day between now and May 30th (at which time, we’ll be so used to the active lifestyle that we’ll give away our TVs. Not.) At any rate, for all of us, that adds up to a whopping 21,630 minutes. So far–day 1– we’re on track.

Anyone want to join us?

The Game Plan

I have a minivan for a reason.  I haul numerous children all over creation to get them to school and sports. Yesterday was one of those days. Between 8:00 and 3:15, I went back and forth between schools 8 times (okay, 2 schools twice, 1 school once and one school 3 times), ran errands (mostly for other people) killed time at the mall while my 6th grader was at a dance, rushed back to the school (that 8th school visit) when he suddenly remembered the dance ended an hour early, took everyone home, answered the perennial question of “What’s for dinner,” took them to baseball practice,  and a church social.  Before it was time to pick the older ones up, my youngest and I cuddled (I was semi comatose) on the couch watching “The Game Plan.”  The daughter asks her dad, Joe Kingman, what was the best thing that happened to him.  By the end of the movie, he finally got that she was the best thing that happened to him.  So after my use-up- a-half-gallon-of-gas-in-one-day day, I looked at my little one, and realized that at that moment, snuggling with her was the very best part of my day.

I Can’t Run It!

My grandmother used to say that all of the time.  Usually meaning it was beyond her control, and more power to you to go ahead with whatever you were doing.  If it was a good thing, she followed with “Y’all GOT it!”My sister and my cousins would snicker (secretly, of course) whenever my grandmother would predictably utter that she couldn’t run it. But now, years after, I truly appreciate that I can’t run all the things I want to run.  And yet, I STILL TRY!  Why do I feel I can create a path in the Red Sea of traffic when I’m in a rush to get somewhere?  Why do I feel I can somehow will the rain to hold off when I’ve got a date to play tennis?  Why do I feel that if I worry enough, I’m paying enough penance to make sure what I’m worried about doesn’t happen? What do you try to control?  And what things have you just let go?    

Hips Don’t Lie

My 9th grade son just got his first semester grades, and made 6 A’s and a B. He can thank my hips.  A CNN story reported that “curvy” women are smarter, and their kids are smarter too .  They defined curvy as having hips bigger than the waist.  (Yup, that’s me.)  Apparently, the fat cells in the hips and thighs store more Omega 3 fatty acids, which is essential for brain development during pregnancy.  Fat around the stomach doesn’t have as much Omega 3.  (That deficit, CNN added,  can be made up by taking Omega 3 supplements or eating more fleshy fish.)  So, should I surrender to my Shakira-self, and bag the New Year’s diet?  I guess not, but I’ll certainly shake my tail feathers more intelligently.