The Dewey Tree

I don't know how many of you know this, but a large part of my chest piece is based on Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree. It took many many mannnnnyyyyy long hours to do, but is one of my absolute favorite pieces hands down.

Well, here is another aspect of my life right now that is inspired by The Giving Tree. My pal over at The Online Publicist, Lisa, has set up a program called The Dewey Tree, inspired by the beloved book blogger that we lost earlier this year. Dewey is the brains behind The Read-a-Thon, Weekly Geeks, and The Bookworms Carnival. Dewey loved books and she loved passing books on to other people that need them.

So. Here is what you do-
*Gather up the books you can live without. It can be 4 books, 10 books, or 20 books!
*Find a worthy group you would like to donate your overflow books to. It can be your local library, a literacy campaign (mine will go to the literacy center I volunteer for), or overseas. There's a great list of book donation sites here on the ALA. Find a charity that speaks to you!
*Then take a picture of your donation and email it to me (onlinepublicist [AT] gmail [DOT] com). It can be a pic of the mailing label on your package, one of your kids giving a box of books to a librarian, or you handing books over to your literacy center. Be creative and have fun!

She will accept pics (and will post her lovely favorites) until January 4, 2010. At that time, she will enter the names of all who sent donation pics into Random.org and choose three. Those three winners will receive custom totes handmade with love by Lisa! She will email you pics of her available fabric and have you custom build one you like.

If you want more info, go check out her site HERE.

Totally awesome.

I already donated mine, this morning. I dropped off a bag full of books and other snacks, treats, and personal care products to my local City Hall to be shipped to Marines over seas. They also have a Food Bank center collection there, so I was able to feed two birds with one trip. Ha!

Go do it! And by all means, if books aren't your thing (WHAT?!) then find another way to help somehow this year. There are thousands out there right now that need it more than you do.

XOXO,
J.Danger

Review - The Evolution of an Identity

The Evolution of an Identity
Indian American Immigrants from the Early 20th Century to the Present
A Fictional Family History

by Diya Das

In my junior year of college a woman in one of my Postcolonial Literature classes I shared her story of how she felt as though she was a traitor. Her problem, she explained, was that if she told people that she was American, then she was a traitor to her Indian heritage. If she told people that she was Indian, then she is a traitor to her American heritage. That is her story of immigrant assimilation- constant limbo.

I was constantly reminded of this classmate while reading Diya Das and The Evolution of an Identity. The Evolution of an Identity is published by Tribute Books, and tells one person's narration of an attempt at assimilation in America, in reverse. What is most amazing to me is that Das is remarkably young for such an ambitious narratology. The book opens with "This novel was the result of an honors project for an American studies course during my junior year of high school". Yes; high school. As though not ambitious enough, Das offers the disclaimer "for the present, the most recent version must remain the product of a high school junior's mind and hands" as though it were not good enough to take full fledged credit as a novel.

Das is wrong. It is more than good enough.

Das transcribes a binder full of notes, taking over the course of a little under a year, of one family's remarkable story and culture. Aware of the importance of this project, Das concedes that "I would like this alum to survive, so that it might become a repository of family history for my own descendants".

The novel is separated into three major portions- The First Wave, The Second Wave- Settling In, Post 1965 Chicago and Generation X: A Separate Identity New York City 2005.


In the first wave, the first of the migratory Indians, who traveled to Northern California for agricultural work, are summarized. Some examples are Lala Har Dayal and Taraknath Das, both well known Hindus who studied at Stanford. Lala Har Dayal founded the Ghadr Party,whose aim was to gain Indian independence from Great Britain, in 1912.


In the second wave, Das high lights the growing gap between migratory generations. Such gaps are clear with a statement like this that opens the section; “The first Indian immigrants and the post-1965 Indian immigrants are two separate worlds. It is a class thing. They came from the farming, the lower class. We [come] from the educated middle-class. We [speak] English. We went to college. We were already assimilated in India
before we came here.”- Indian immigrant, post-1965

The last section, Generation X, is where Das, and millions of other Indian immigrants live now. This too can be blanketed with this quote; “So not quite Indian, and not quite American. Usually I felt more along the lines of Alien...The only times I retreated to one or the other description were when my peers didn’t understand me (then I figured it was because I was too Indian) or when my family didn’t get it (clearly because I was too American).”83 - Dimple Lala, Born Confused

Still humbly modest about this great project, seen to fruition by publication, Das states "this snapshot of my family’s experience in the United States does not seem a significant achievement". A small book, 92 pages, with a large story, the story of how Indians have assimilated into American culture.

The Evolution of an Identity can be found here.
J.Danger

Floridian Foot Funk....oh, and Turkey

Happy Thanksgiving All!

We went to Florida again this year. It went remarkably smooth. The children enjoyed themselves, the family enjoyed themselves, everyone had a great time!

Except you'd never know it.

Because, can you believe it- I never packed my camera?!

What's that? You CAN believe it?

Ya, I know...I don't blame you.

This was the first time that I have made this family trip and not had to schlep around all my school work. I brought not one ounce of work with me! Well, that is not true. I needed to finish an article that I was freelancing, which I did, but other than that- zip, zero, zilch. Nada.

It was remarkable!

No one was sun burnt, no one threw up, no one was kicked out of any public places, no one broke anything....I mean really- I am still waiting for something terrible to happen. Just because that's how it works.

#2 got to bring home a super cool metal Thomas the Train bucket and shovel set. #3 got to bring home a sweet upset stomach. And #1? Well, he went all out and brought home a raging bacterial infection in his coral pocked foot.

I'd show you how cool it looks, except, well....I don't have my camera.

XOXO,
J.Danger

Just some technical mumbo jumbo

I totally hate to do this to you all, but I have been bombarded by SpamBots these past few weeks. So, I am using Captchas. I know, I know...DOWN WITH THE CAPTCHAS!!!!  I feel ya, but there are only so many times that I can delete "I like such topics as this. Very good very infaermattiion for me to have learrrned" before I gouge my eyes out!

XOXO,

J.Danger

Gettin Sappy and Taking Shit for Granted

I miss Anissa.  I miss her bewbs.  I miss her random texting me in the middle of the night.  I miss her hitting on big bird just to tell me she did it and I missed it.

I know that I am only one in 5 gazillion people that Anissa effects in life, and that there are hundreds out there that are in much more pain than I could even imagine.

Like her family.

Her gorgeous kids.

Her dear husband.

I feel for them.

I was talking to my husband about the whole thing, and it hit me- holy shit, do I take my life for granted or what?!

I do.

I can't imagine what I would do if something ever happened to Cory. Or- heaven forbid- the kids. And here is Peter, who falls into both of those categories. What a strong strong man.

Yesterday Cory stayed home with the kids because I had a job interview.  Then, when I got a last minute writing assignment, he stayed home and COOKED AN ENTIRE TURKEY for me, basting it every thirty minutes so it wouldn't dry out.

He put all the kids to bed for me, bathed them, fed them, tucked them in and kissed them.

Then, the man stayed up just to see how my gig went, to talk to me, and then- to tuck me in too, only to keep working in his office till I have no idea what hour.

I love this man. And I swear to god- if he so much even THINKS about getting sick on me, or so much as GLANCES at a motorcycle...so help me god...

When Cory Proposed

Our anniversary is coming up. I like to watch this every once in a while....

The List

Emily did this last year, so duh....of course I copied her!

I think I will do it again this year too, I so enjoyed it! But to rehash- here is "The List" from last year-

Pay close attention-

****Originally posted in December of 08***

Today, Emily did this on her blog.

Not only does she make me hungry like, every freaking day, but she's pretty funny. You should start reading her blog. Then go ahead and make her recipes, but just don't do it as well as I think I can. That makes me feel remarkably inadequate. Thanks!

I thought it looked like fun! You all know I like to "acquire" ideas from others, so I thought....hmm... I can do that! She said I can too, so here goes!

100 things that I love-

(in no particular order! So NO complaining!)

1.my husband 2. my children 3.my mom 4.my friends 5. books 6. school 7. cooking 8. cupcakes 9. yogurtland 10. Tall Mouse craft stores 11. cookbooks! 12. garage sales 13. clearance racks 14. Target 15. Nordstroms 16. coffee 17. cashmere socks 18. wearing no shoes 19. being in my pajamas for as long as possible 20. weekends 21. date nights 22. "practicing" 23. road trips! 24. diet coke 25. natural mothering 26. pecan pie 27. pumpkin pie 28. Charles Dickens 29. grocery shopping for new recipes 30. hosting parties 31. Pushing Daisies 32. Project Runway 33. Historical Fiction 34. William Stafford 35. Billy Collins 36. John Irving 37. libraries 38. rainy days 39. Paula Deen 40. Quilts 41. Crocheted blankets from my mom 42. old photos 43. Amelie 44. Gone with the Wind 45. cheeseburgers 46. BBQ 47. good heels 48. Amazon.com 49. Ebay 50. mentos 51. m&ms 52. presents from Cory 52. Blues 53. margherita pizza 54. my piano 55. NPR 56. samples at Costco 57. writing out cards 58. Charlotte Bronte 59. chile verde 60. holidays 61. new babies 62. pregnant women (the nice ones) 63. flats 64. real coffee shops 65. Etsy 66. the deli 67. going to my mother in laws for dinner 68. Danger Family FUNdays 69. G.K. Chesterton 70. Tattoos 71. Real cities 72. other people's gardens 73. getting my hair done 74. writing 75. bikes 76. Jane Austen 77. George MacDonald 78. plants in a house 79. sustainable thinking 80. Google 81. Italian food 82. good mexican food 83. Reading with the kids 84. teaching the boys at home 85. being an interfaith family 86. going to the movies 87. being in bed 88. real life crime shows/books 89. biographies 90. food network 91. hot rods with loud exhaust 92. twitter 93. having great neighbors 94. having a home. period. 95. baking 96. giving gifts 97. weddings 98. Rolling Stones 99. going for walks 100. history channel

She was right- that was way easy. I guess it is good to have so much that I love!

You should try it. What do you love?

p.s. I better be on that list....or else....

p.s. squared- don't forget about the giveaway! (this ended sooooo forever ago! You missed it!

xoxo-

J.danger