Turns out racism is OK after all

Well maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but at this point, I am not making a far stretch in my statement. It seems the Toronto District School Board thinks that black students need to have the option of attending a school for black children. But of course, to be fair "no one ever said little white children couldn't attend"

How is this NOT a step backwards?

Are we supposed to be able to segregate based on race or not? Because ever since I was young, I've been taught to treat people as equals no matter what background. I have tried to do this for the most part, though I sometimes find it difficult. Especially at my age, in my career path, when I'm fighting for job placement with people who have made it through university (in CANADA!) without knowing the language. I have also lost out on potential scholarship money based on the fact that I am *not* of a certain background. If that's not racism, I don't know what is.

I hate the fact that kids are being taught that they are *special* (whether it be for a good reason or bad) because of their race. Are they going to open up a school specially designed for Chinese kids, and Indian kids now too? Because God knows that they deserve to learn their history etc etc too, and feel like they "belong". It's bullshit, and you know what it does in the end? It makes people more separated and more racist, and nothing ever gets fixed. Black people will still be involved in the most crime and have the highest drop-out rate in Toronto. You know why? Because they are all hanging out with each other and talking about what their relatives are doing (and it only takes one bad seed to be influencing the rest) to make money the easy way or whatever. The same thing happens in Caucasian families where an older brother got involved in a gang and what not. It happens to white kids too, but just not as often. They don't get special treatment because they are dropping out.

The whole idea is crazy. And before you know it, all the black kids are going to have to sit at the back of the bus again. We are moving backwards toward segregation.

Why can't they have classes available within the school with focus on black history or culture or whatever it is that is supposed to make these kids stay in school? Why can't they integrate it into the existing schools, so as to offer it but not have the kids separated? Then the "little white kids" could actually attend!

Maybe I'm over reacting, and maybe there is a bit of me that is a bit pissed off that black people are demanding soo much special attention. Maybe someone should demand that they open a school for children from low income single-parent families (because I'm sure the dropout rate in this group is comparable to blacks).

Canada goes too far for it's multiculturalism. We are being walked over by so many different groups, we might as well bend over and pull out the vasoline.

Things

So, things have just been happening lately. Things that are more-or-less out of my control. My exam date is coming fast, and I'm busily trying to prepare. On some days I am confident that I will be ready, and other days I feel like I would never be ready, even if given a hundred years.

I have been on a stress-filled emotional roller coaster. And then Mama Dukes is told she has type II diabetes (the adult onset kind) so that's been stressful and I've been worrying enough for the whole family I think. But I've done a bit of research and put together a temporary meal plan for the week to at least keep the GI index low for now until she gets the machine to check her blood sugar after meals. After a visit to the diabetes clinic, I guess we will know more. But it sucks just the same. And it's scary when you pair it with existing health issues.

I had to teach an extra lab today, which I thought was a sucky start to the day, but when I got there one of the students had brought me a highlighter because I had said hers was cool the last time I taught her. And it was random, because I shouldn't have taught her again, but the other TA called in sick, so it was lucky I guess that I have a new and pretty new blue highlighter. It made my day to know that someone was thinking about me. Someone I didn't even know. I always wonder how often that happen since a lot of people know me and I don't know them. Someone else commented on a lecture I taught a while ago. I didn't even recognize the person, but the class size was 400, so I wouldn't.

Anyways, everything is going OK I guess. It could be worse, but it could be better.

The next few months will be a blur I'm sure, and life will continue to run its course. In the meantime if anyone reads this that has good diabetic meals, feel free to share via comment or email.

Sometimes multi-tasking is a bad idea

You would think I would have learned by now that eating an orange (and or a pomegranate) at the same time as doing anything else...is a terrible idea.

I try to fit too much into my day, and see what happens...?

My breakfast ends up all over the paper I was reading, the form I was filling out for the grad office, and my keyboard.

Is it Monday or something?

Bad Blogger

But you knew that.

I haven't blogged in a very long time. I need to write it into my schedule. Anyways, you all love me and forgive me, so lets all be over it. OK.

So Christmas was wonderful, as were the rest of the holidays. The family took some time to actually spend together and play some board games (sometimes for entire days at a time) and such. It was very fun. Times you'll remember when the other days blend together, as they tend to do for me.

Anyhow, since the holidays are over, nothing much has happened besides work/school and getting ready for my transfer exam coming up at the end of February (where I'll enter the PhD program if I'm successful). So no we're caught up on the last month, I'll get to my blog.

I joined softball for next summer. Gemini joined with me on a co-ed team. Hopefully it will be fun. I know watching Robbie's team play over the last few years has been a lot of fun, and now mom will have more games to come out to if she so chooses. But, I've never swung a bat or worn a baseball glove, or run between bases, so this should be a learning experience to say the least. The whole game is just in theory to me right now, I actually know nothing about what it is really about.

My weekend was very fun this weekend, despite doing nothing out of the house really. I think that might be what was soo good about it. I didn't do much of anything besides hang around and watch movies and do nothing. I went to get coffee with Gemini on Saturday morning and saw a man sitting with his little girl (maybe about 8 or 9) and reading a paper. That was the worst feeling I got all weekend. I wanted to throw my coffee at hom and tell him to appreciate his little girl, instead of being so absent while she's sitting right in front of him. But whatever. Not my problem I guess.

Last night we went to Gemini's aunt's house for a little dinner get-together. It was a lot of fun. All the "kids" played a game called "Rockband". It's like guitar hero, only there is guitar and drums and vocals. It's actually difficult, but a lot of fun. I played on the easy setting for guitar and drums, and still found it quite hard. But we played for hours, and it was good.

And that brings me to this morning. Back to work. I have hundreds of papers to read and one to write (that one is by far the challenge!!)