Selly Thiam's None on Record

I was watching this week's U-People episode and was happy to learn about Selly Thiam's None on Record.

None on Record: Stories of Queer Africa’s mission is to bring the stories of QLGBT Africans into the forefront of media and media-making. We are a web-based archive, a media-making production crew and community-building tool for the global African LGBT population.

Please support the project or visit the website at NoneonRecord.com.

For my African (or African identified) GLBT readers please consider submitting something to this projects:

We invite QLGBT Africans to submit original, unpublished essays, poems, short stories, plays, creative non-fiction, and visual art. We're looking for work that explores the lives of QLGBT Africans and how your experiences have shaped you emotionally, politically, socially, and culturally. We are interested in the ideas and experiences that make you African and QLGBT. We accept work from QLGBT Africans from the continent and those who have immigrated to other parts of the world. We also accept submissions from first generation QLGBT Africans born outside the African Continent. -- None on Record: Stories of Queer Africa Edited by: Notisha Massaquoi & Selly Thiam

Halfpenny post: Whoever heard of a 100-billion-dollar note

Zimbabwe, grappling with a record 2.2 million percent inflation, has introduced a new 100-billion-dollar bank note in a bid to tackle rampant cash shortages, the central bank said Saturday ... In January, a 10-million-dollar note was issued, then a 50-million-dollar note in April. In May, notes for 100 million and 250 million dollars were issued, swiftly followed by those for five billion, 25 billion and 50 billion.

from AFP Yahoo News 7/19/09

Now that is what I call ridiculous. Can you imagine trying to teach your kid basic math and using the purchase of candy / cookies as an example:

Ty: You have a 50 million dollars and Lemon Creams cost 10 million dollars. How many can you buy?
Kid: Long division or short
T: Let's practice long
K: How many zeros are in 10 million
T: (counting on fingers) 7
K: (15 mins later) 5
T: Good
K: How much were Lemons Creams when you were growing up?
T: 2 dollars (they were $1.65 when I was growing up)
K: 2 million right coz futhi futhi you can't buy anything for 2 dollars.

You get the gist right. BTW futhi means also / and.

Cherry Bomb: "The Ex-Factor"

What to do about those darn exes. In my opinion breakships are the wierdest thing. I have exes on both sides of the fence. One I'm still friends with because we just are who we are and there are a couple that I don't speak to. I called it off and that was that. Dont' call me don't page me, nuthing. It's done. I'm still friends with one of them because our friendship predated the relationship. Janay said it best in the comments section of the vlog:

It seems to be very beneficial to date a guy early on in life cause everyone I know including myself who had a long-term relationship with a guy is like bestfriends with the guy. Weird.

Yup that about summarizes our friendship.

Is it okay to date a friend's ex? IMHO ask. Dalila had an interesting answer:

• If it's a close friend ask
• If one's not so close give a courtesy information session i.e thought you should know we are dating
  
• If it's an acquaintance, when you see us out together you'll know we are a couple.

Statutes of limitations?? Something else to consider. If y'all are broken up, she's fair game.

Lesbian video from AfterEllen.com

Halfpenny post: Of life's changes

Today I decided to mark the day as a turning point in my life (had 2 interviews and a final). Usually when I declare something a turning point I get somn done, ie cut my hair, get a piercing etc. Today's is marked by a piercing. Now I should add that when I get piercings, they usually will be taken out at some point in time. I got my navel done to mark my 16th but took it out on my 18th, I got a cartilage piercing done freshman year as a reminder that the goal was to graduate come what may. When I graduated, I took the earring out. And thus I am able to keep the holes in my body to a minimum. The one that I got today is going to be one of the permanent ones because it marks my finally nailing down and actually following through with what I hope will be my career path. I am a techie by trade but am more of a people person. My challenge was to find an area that would let me tech out while still working with people. I can write code in several languages with no problem but let's be honest, it's not my calling. I can't sit in front of a monitor for hours on end, day after day. I need people.

Over the past year I have been looking into the field of Business Continuity / Disaster Recovery. The field is tech meets business analysis meets project management meets kinda-crucial-dont'-mess-this-up. And that is right up my alley. It's a lot of paperwork but it's also an opportunity to get out of doing the same stuff day in day out. You deal with people when you are doing a process analysis as you are documenting what it is that they do. These people have the potential to make or break your plan so you need to get them to trust you enough to give you the truth as it happens as opposed to the truth as management wants it to happen. You deal with upper management and need them to cooperate so that they will release employees when it's time to test the plan. All in all you kiss ass and smile while doing it.

I want to ultimately do this in the non-profit sector, but I will need to cut my teeth in the corporate world. As such I have been trying to find internships in the area that I can do part time so that I can gain the necessary experience. I'm on LinkedIn and recently connected with a lady who has offered to help me plot my career path. Hopefully by mingling with her I shall be able to expand my network of contacts in the field.

I've also been working on getting an e-commerce venture off the ground. It's almost set and I'll post the link on this blog once it's up and running. I'm helping a friend of mine with a web development project so that is keeping me occupied as well. All in all, my goal is to be out of debt (student loans, credit cards etc) within a year. End of year 2 I want to have made my first million. End of year 3 I want to be worth a million. Don't you even think of rolling your eyes at me... these goals are realistic. I just have to be willing to do the work to get me there. I am putting it out here so that you know where I'm going and what I'm going to achieve. There is a lot of power in putting your goals down on paper and then telling people about them. People will hold you accountable so you are forced to get moving on these goals.

I am quite honestly tired of being in the piss poor student category. For once I would like to go to a restaurant and order and not suffer a minor heart attack when the bill arrives. I would like to take an actual vacation not a trip to visit family coz housing is taken care of. I would like to be able to give my mother what she wants as opposed to what she needs. You know what ... I am going to be able to do that, I am telling myself that and putting it out to the universe. A year from now we will be writing a very different blog.

I intended to be brief but I guess I had more bottled up in me than I thought. Anyway good health and good fortune to you all.

BTW Congrats to Wujek Michal on his nephew's arrival !

Ty!

Blog post signatures

Once in a while I come across a blog post signature that I find hilarious. I think I'm going to start highlighting them as I find em. Today's comes from lifeisdandy from AfterEllen.

Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, "Hm i think ill squeeze those dangly things and drink whatever comes out."