All posts by La Cracha Handy

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About La Cracha Handy

My name is La Cracha Handy. I started blogging 7 years ago. I am currently building my brand as an independent author-publisher of nonfiction books on relationships and parenting. My first book, Leaving the Hidden Path: Motivational Guidance for Women with Young Children Considering Divorce, will be released in the spring of 2022. I am also a pop culture geek. I read and collect comic books, play Pokemon Go, and build model rockets. I love Star Trek: The Next Generation and Doctor Who. My name is prounced "Lacrisha."

Random Thoughts Part 1

Random Thoughts

As always, these random thoughts are in no particular order.  They are just as random as this silly blog post.

  1. Did you take the crust off your bread before eating your sandwich that your mother carefully and lovingly packed for your school lunch?
  2. Pronounce the word Ninjago and count the number of times you are corrected by a child.
  3. I don’t fault the lady that beat the mess out of her son for participating in the Baltimore riot.  I told my son that I would have done the same thing.
  4. Speaking of media attention, I’m sure Bruce Jenner doesn’t appreciate the timing of the Baltimore riots.  It’s taking the spotlight away from his little publicity stunt.
  5. And speaking of Jenner, he was one of my favorite athletes back in the day.  My other favorites include Nadia Comaneci, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, and Flo-Jo.  I was also in love with Carl Lewis and all the other fine-looking black male track athletes, especially the sprinters and hurdlers.
  6. If I was in a position of power, I would put paddling back into Michigan schools.
  7. Come to think of it, I would not want to be a politician.  I’m not corrupt enough.
  8. I would not want to be burglar.  I may break into a home that has the exact same thing as mine, NOTHING.  Such a waste of time.
  9. I would not want to be a racist.  I would get bored with beginning every sentence with, “I’m not racist but..”
  10. I would not want to be a prostitute, hoe, or whatever word you may call them.  I don’t like getting my annual exam, so there’s no way in hell I would be at the doctor’s office several times a year for STD checks.
  11. I would not want to be you.  I am having too much fun being me.

Feel free to comment below with your own random thoughts and babble.

Random Babble

Random Silliness, Random Thoughts

The following list is in no particular order.  It’s just as random as this post.

  1. I would continue to work if I was to win the lottery’s jackpot.  Money is disposable and I can waste it up in no time.
  2. What Neapolitan ice cream flavor do you leave for last?  None for me.  I eat all three flavors every time, and they’re evenly scooped.
  3. If I could be invisible for one day, I would beat the hell out of as many specific people as I can, dating back to kindergarten.
  4. I don’t like odd numbers, however 5 is okay.
  5. Did you believe in Santa Claus as a child?  I didn’t.  My mother never played that game with my siblings and me.  We took pictures with jolly Old St. Nick every year, and we made all the crafts at school.  We were excited about it too.  But we knew he wasn’t real.  My mother never said if he was real or not.  It actually never even came up.  We didn’t care, we just wanted gifts under the Christmas tree.
  6. I’m going to see Cinderella at the movie theater while the kids are at school.  That’s my favorite childhood tale, next to Alice in Wonderland, and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
  7. I would rather be dirt poor than to be a millionaire.
  8. Pronounce the word coupon.  I bet your pronunciation is different from mine.
  9. Would you rather be caught in a thunderstorm without an umbrella, or a snowstorm without boots?  I saw that question on a social media site.  My answer is NEITHER.  I don’t want frostbite and my feet amputated.  And there is no way in hell I would be caught in a thunderstorm without an umbrella.  I have hair of black texture.  Therefore the only time I allow my hair to get wet is when I’m at the shampoo bowl at the hair salon, every two weeks.
  10. If I could go back into time, I wouldn’t.  There are some events in my past that I do not want to revisit.
  11. I never stopped watching cartoons.
  12. Do you say hundred or hunerd?  What about refrigerator or refriderator?
  13. Is foots a real word?  What about fishes?
  14. Facebook IS NOT the news.  Get yourselves together people.  Watch your local news channel, then spend some time watching CNN.
  15. How many minutes and miles would you have to walk to burn off a medium big mac meal (fries, coke), a fun size Snickers candy bar, and two Hershey Kisses?  That question was a part of the wellness quiz at work.  Employees submitting the correct answer will have their names entered into a raffle for a gift card.  I have no idea what the answer is, but I know that I would have to walk MORE than the answer to that question because I eat FULL-SIZE Snickers and DOUBLE DIGIT Hershey’s Kisses, in addition to that big mac meal.
  16. Superpowers I wouldn’t mind having:  flight, shape shift, telepathy, teleportation, animal control,  healing factor, mind control, invisibility, superhuman speed, superhuman strength, x-ray vision, duplication, and sonic scream.
  17. If I had a magic wand, or found a genie in a bottle, I would wish for all of my debts to get paid.  I would not want the money, because I would NOT pay any creditors.
  18. Speaking of magic wand, my nephew was in grade school when Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was released in movie theaters.  He told me he didn’t want to see the movie because Harry Potter looked as if he liked science, because he wore glasses.  So I told him that he didn’t like me then because I wore glasses, and had been wearing them since the fourth grade.  He didn’t really believe me because I didn’t wear my glasses often back then.  I also like science, but I didn’t dare tell him that.
  19. I counted the number of people I know that I can confide in on one hand.  That number is less than five.
  20. I still do not like Peter Parker.

I would type more but I’m about to eat more than a serving size of lemon Oreos and drink a glass of icy cold Coca-Cola.  Feel free to add your own random thoughts and babble.

Empire: Drama is not My Genre but I’m Watching

Random Thoughts, , , , ,

When I told my sister that I had watched the first four episodes of Empire, all she said was, “You did?  Somebody must have told you about it.”  She knows that drama is not on my preferred genre list.

And my sister was right, someone did tell me about Empire, the new family drama airing on Fox on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. EST.  A friend of mine suggested I watch it, stating it was on episode 3, and currently one of the best shows on television.

Not only was I behind on Constantine (I’m a comic book nerd) by a couple of episodes, I was skeptical about Empire because I don’t do drama.  So I decided to put Constantine on hold that night and give Empire, a musical family drama, a try.

Thanks to Comcast’s On Demand feature, I watched the first 3 episodes of Empire in one sitting, and set my DVR to record the series.  I was madly in love with thuggish Lucious Lyon by the end of the third episode.

Lucious is a hip-hop artist and the CEO of Empire Entertainment.  Diagnosed with a debilitating medical condition, he has to decide which of his three sons will take over the company.  And it is not an easy task.

With a large cast of black actors, some may think that Empire is comical or ghetto.  It’s neither.  If it was, then I would not have been easily hooked.  The show is very intense and fast paced.

The creative writing team deserves a round of applause for the show’s phenomenal scripting.  Empire has several strong themes, all happening simultaneously, and all emotion inflicting.

  • Family
  • Greed
  • Corruption
  • Homosexuality
  • Interracial Relationships
  • Vengeance
  • Loyalty
  • Deception

I am all caught up with the series, and there has not been an episode where I didn’t laugh, cry, or get angry.  I rarely use bad language, but some of the characters has actually made me say a bad word or two.  But that’s a good thing.  A good script plus good acting equals happy viewers. And just who are these people who keeps me coming back for more?

  • Lucious Lyon (Terrence Howard).  Handsome, former drug dealer, still a thug but on the down-low, hip-hop artist, CEO of Empire Entertainment
  • Cookie Lyon (Taraji P. Henson).  Beautiful ex-wife of Lucious, recently released from prison (her drug money started the music company), feisty, aggressive
  • Andre Lyon (Trai Byers).  Oldest child.  College graduate, brilliant mind, corrupt, treacherous, envious, mental disorder, will go the extreme to take over the company, the only non-musical talent in the Lyon family
  • Jamal Lyon (Jussie Smollett).  Middle child.  Talented singer and dancer, shy, gay and hated by his father for it, friendly and loving attitude, positive outlook on life
  • Hakeem Lyon (Bryshere Y. Gray) – Youngest child.  Talented rapper, focused more on fame than anything else
  • Anika (Grace Gealey).  Boo Boo Kitty (as called by Cookie), girlfriend of Lucious, big whig at the company, corrupt, backstabber
  • Rhonda Lyon (Kaitlin Doubleday).  Wife of Andre, just as no-good and two-faced as her husband
  • Vernon (Malik Yoba).  Friend of Lucious, big whig at the company, greedy, and crooked as can be
  • Porsha (Ta’Rhonda Jones).  Cookie’s assistant, hilarious, loyal

I rarely watch drama, but I watch Empire for two reasons.

  1. Lucious and Cookie Lyon.  It is the stellar performances of Howard and Henson, two amazing actors that keeps me craving for the next episode.  They are trying their hardest to keep the Lyon family together.  I am a black female, and I know damn well what it takes to run a black household, a strong male AND female.  Not only is Cookie the only character that’s not stone crazy, she is also a realist.  She sees things for what they are, and she has no problem telling it like it is.
  2. Watching Empire gives me one hour away from my own real-life family drama.

Now, here’s what I need you to do.  I need for you to stop Facebooking, tweeting, tumbling, and skyping  about that dress (I say it’s white-and-gold) and tune into the new Fox television series, Empire.

I Prefer Autism Over Normal Anytime

Parenting, Random Thoughts, Rants and Tantrums, ,

BEWARE:  I am in full rant mode right now, and my tongue is explosive.  No holds barred.  Anything goes.  Consider yourself warned.

Last week I worked as a substitute in an autistic classroom, at a school for special needs, of adult students ages 20-26.  Their speech levels ranged from nonverbal to hyperverbal.  Before I left the building for the day, I decided that I would prefer to associate myself with people in the special needs community, especially autism, over the so-called normal people anytime.

Special:  Unusual, unique, exceptional, better.  In other words, different from the usual. 

Normal:  Typical, standard, or what’s expected

So why would I prefer autism over normal?  Well, the entire time that I was inside the school, not just in the classroom, but as I walked through the building interacting with other staff and students:

  • I didn’t see or hear anyone poke fun at someone else
  • There was no gossiping
  • There were no cliques
  • I didn’t hear the ‘R’ word (retarded is not in my household’s vocabulary)
  • Everyone minded their own business
  • Intelligent conversations
  • Extremely smart
  • Problem solvers

So how does that compare to so-called normal people?  Come on now, do I really need to go there?  Since this is a ranting blog post, I’m definitely going there.

As I look back over my K-12 school years, college, and now the workplace, I can see why special needs is called just that, special.  Look at my bulleted list above.  Isn’t that amazing?

Now let’s take a look at my list of qualities of a normal person.

  • Gossip
  • Cliques
  • Ridicule
  • Belittle
  • Hatred
  • Envy
  • Prejudice
  • Discrimination
  • Greed
  • Arrogance
  • Corruption

This list is nowhere near finished, but I just got home from work and I’m tired.  Otherwise, I would type until my fingers get numb.

Can you see why I prefer to associate myself with autistic individuals?  There was a hyperverbal student with a superhero obsession.  For those of you who don’t know, I’m a lifelong comic book nerd, so I was excited to talk with him.  But what I didn’t know was that he was allowed to talk about superheroes at snack time only.  He knew it, but as one of the other teachers said, “They know the new people!”

The students made Valentine’s Day cards.  The handwriting of one of the students’ was perfect, as if she used a ruler and a stencil.  Everything on the inside and outside of that card was positioned perfectly.

I would go on with my bragging about the students at that school, but I don’t want to make us normal people jealous.

My 8 year-old son is a special needs child.  He has a rare condition called Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC).  Those with the disease have a range of issues, including autism.

My son is also autistic.  At one point he lost his speech, but he regained it a few years later.  I met several students at that school, that reminded me of my son.  He is verbal, loud, make sounds, has behavior challenges, and other issues.  But, my son is intelligent.  His obsessions are trains, geography, and numbers (including dates and years).

My son also holds mature and highly intelligent conversations.  Last school year, I closely observed his interaction with one of his classmates at the bus stop every morning.  He eventually stopped talking to that child, because his responses weren’t good enough for my son.  He’s like that with adults too.  If you can’t hold a mature and intelligent conversation, then he will have nothing to do with you.

I kept to myself when I was in school.  I was on the honor roll, and I participated in sports and other activities.  I was quiet and shy.  I had specialty classes in math and science, and most of the students I associated with, when I did talk, were quiet in nature like myself.  No gossiping.  No poking fun at others.  No cliques.  No jealousy.  Intelligent conversations.  We minded our own business.

Hmmm, am I special?  I don’t know, but with the definitions I provided above, and all the smack I ranted about in this blog post, I would say that I am special.  And guess what?  I don’t care.

 

 

 

If Rip Van Winkle went to sleep 20 years ago, and woke up to today’s messes, he would close his eyes and go right back to sleep. – La Cracha

Black Best Buy Worker Helped White Customer, Ignored Black Customer

Rants and Tantrums, , , , , , , , ,

 

bestbuy

I visited my local Best Buy store, located at G-3660 Miller Rd., Flint Township, Michigan in the afternoon on Sunday, December 21, 2014.  Out of all the years of visiting my favorite tech store, I encountered the worst customer service experience ever.

I went to Best Buy the day before and made a purchase, but I forgot to buy ink for my printer.  So on the 21st, I stood in line, in the computer area, to get a price check on the packs of HP ink I was holding.  The ink was on sale the day before on the store’s website.

There were two male Best Buy employees at both registers, one black, the other was white.  There was a white female customer being waited on by the black worker.  I was in line behind her.  The white employee couldn’t help anyone because his register was processing slowly.  Both workers were talking and laughing with the white female customer, while her significant other stood off to the side playing on his phone.  The black worker was skinnin’ and grinnin’ so hard, he could barely ring her up.  And the white employee held a brief a conversation with the customer in another language.

The white employee eventually left.  I was the only other person in line.  When the customer left, the black employee looked down and around as if he was looking for something.  Then that joker walked off WITHOUT ACKNOWLEDGING ME.  He didn’t even look up at me.  He started talking and laughing with other store employees, never once looking back at me.  Actually, none of them did.  An obvious case of discrimination.

A black male employee walked over to the group and exchanged words with them (I was unable to hear everything).  The black worker that left me hanging said (while looking around), “I’m going to help her.”  That son-of-a you-know-what pointed to a white female, and walked off to help her.

I told myself, “Ain’t that a bitch?  No the fuck he didn’t.”  I rarely use bad language, but this was a no bars hold situation.

I walked around the area to find someone to scan my items, but was unsuccessful.  I looked and saw a worker helping a customer at the same register.  As I headed back in that direction, the black employee looked right at me, turned, and walked off to help ANOTHER WHITE FEMALE CUSTOMER.  This time I said, “What the hell is going on?  Ain’t that a muthafuckin’ bitch?”

All I wanted was my HP 564 black, and multi-color pack of ink scanned for a price check.  But instead, I received discrimination at its’ finest.

Of course I tweeted about it, as soon as I left the store.

bestbuytweet1

Best Buy commented on my tweet.

bestbuytweet2

I responded.

bestbuytweet3

I didn’t get another response from Best Buy.

I returned to the store the next day to purchase the ink.  I only went because my kids needed it for their projects.  That joker was working, wearing a bow-tie looking like Orville Redenbacher.  I was still frustrated, so I turned down the nearest aisle so that I wouldn’t have to walk past him.  I could have looked at his badge for his name, but I didn’t want to.  I already remember how he looks.  I don’t want to remember his name.

It’s not just about black-and-white.  It’s about customer service.  And the service that I received was downright POOR.

Best Buy.  Flint, Michigan.  Discrimination.  One day before my birthday.