Sistah in Scotland

Mixed Chicks - the hair saga continues...

2010-03-10T11:24:00.004Z

As you can see from the date of my last post, I'm not posting to this blog as often as I should and I plan to change that. I also admit I'm slow to get to things, but I get to them in the end. And sometimes the route I take is as interesting as it is convoluted. Keep reading and you'll see what I mean.

I've been living in Scotland for over 4 years now, and it's been hard for me to maintain my hair. When I lived in Texas, my late mother found a black hairstylist where we lived in Bedford who was practically on our doorstep. I've been letting Niameh Freeman of Girty's Creations do my hair ever since.

Niameh has done my hair for over 10 years, and if I could, I would've brought her along to Scotland to do my hair for my wedding. But I ain't Oprah so I ain't got that kind of cash. Don't worry. My mane was looking good on my special day :)

After arriving in Scotland, I did find a Sally's Beauty Supply right next to Glasgow Central Station that I could go to on my way to work. They have a tiny selection of black hair products, but tiny is better than none. Approximately a year after I started working in Glasgow, I've found the only person I've let style my hair in Scotland and the only man (apart from my husband) allowed to touch it. And that's Jerry at Ten36 Hair Design
http://www.tipped.co.uk/listings/146276/ten36-hair-design

So where am I going with this? you ask. Problem solved, right?

Yes...and no.

I can "manage" my own hair and deal with it every day, but since I chemically straighten my hair, there comes a time when The Naps Strike Back, if you know what I mean. So I like to get my hair professionally done to maintain my hair so I can manage it without too much fuss. When I lived in Texas, this was easy. But getting to Jerry in Glasgow ain't so easy, and if any of y'all are familiar with exchange rates--it ain't cheap when comparing dollars to pounds. I'll visit Jerry maybe every 6 months whereas I would visit Niameh 3 or 4 times a year.

I've been wanting, for a long time, to do something different with my hair so I wouldn't have to relax it so much, if at all. My mane doesn't look half bad after I wash it and let it air dry, but if I try to pull that look off for more than one day, ain't nothing gonna cut through my mane short of a flamethower.

Way back in September...2008...I received a comment on this blog in response to my post, "Black Hair...and other Scottish nightmares"

The comment was from Mixed Chicks Believer. When I first read the comment, I nearly deleted it for spam because it sounds like a flat-out advertisement. You can read the comment here:

Black Hair...and other Scottish nightmares
http://sistahinscotland.blogspot.com/2008/08/black-hair-and-other-scottish.html

It didn't take me long to figure out that this is some good information, so I filed it away...Fast forward to Sept/Oct 2010. The hubby and I were in Texas to go to the Texas State Fair (more on that in a different post). I had also timed it so that my hair was ready for a touch up.

I've wanted for a long time to give my hair a break from relaxers and do something else, like wash 'n wear. And that's when I remember the Mixed Chicks.

Actually, I tell a lie. I was surfin' the 'Net doing some research on a future novel. I'll tell you now that it's going to be a historical, paranormal erotic romance set in England. The heroine is going to be of African descent. I was doing some research on Dido Elizabeth Belle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dido_Elizabeth_Belle), when I came across the following link:

http://www.intermix.org.uk/icons/icons_15_dido.asp

As you can see, this site has a lot of interesting info. I decided to "take a look around" and went to their Health & Beauty section and saw the article "Mixed-Race Duo Make Perfect Combination." (
http://www.intermix.org.uk/health/health_mixedchicks.asp) The article says they are still looking for a UK distributor...which reminded me of the comment about my post! I figured the article I just read was probably out of date--and it was--because Mixed Chicks DO have retailers in the UK

Mixed Chicks UK
http://www.mixedchicks.co.uk/index.php

I love the instructional video. This mixed chick in the video (one of the founders) looks like someone in my family!
http://www.mixedchicks.net/instructions.html

International Beauty Care is the one place close to me where I can buy retail if I don't do the Internet thang:
http://internationalbeautycare.co.uk/

I placed my order and less than a week later (which is amazing because at the time the Royal Mail was having ANOTHER round of strikes) I got my products. I've been using Mixed Chicks ever since. It's just what I wanted/needed and my hair looks and feels great.

It took some getting used to in the beginning. My hair is very thick and takes a long time to dry so if I wash my hair in the afternoon, I'll go to bed with damp hair--which I don't like.

But it's been easy for me to maintain. I'll either go to bed with a bandanna around my head or use a covered hair band and a few hairpins to keep my bangs out of my face. I'll get up in the morning, run my hands through my hair and go. If I want to "refresh" the look, I dampen my hair a little bit, massge in a dab of leave-in conditioner, and let it dry. My hair is soft and if it starts to look dry, I use some hair sheen or gloss.

I haven't used a relaxer since my last trip to Texas, and I plan not to do it again until we go later this year. While I like having no-fuss hair, I do like being able to run a comb, unhampered, through it as well.

Americans--Stop Being Stupid with Your Health

2009-08-14T22:03:00.007+01:00

You all know that the health care system in the US is broken. You shouldn't have to decide whether or not to pay your mortgage (or rent) or even feed your family just so you can have health care service.

I don't give a rat's hairy for what political party you belong to. America needs to get its collective head out of its collective ass.

Obama's plan may not be perfect, but neither is the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK.

NOTHING is perfect, people!

But I will tell you that I'll take the NHS ANY DAY--warts and all--over the US system.

By the way, in Scotland, we get free eye exams too! You can even find a dentist on NHS if you really wanted to...unfortunately, not many Brits do.

There's a recent article saying how Brits are pissed off at Americans dissing their health care system--and so they should be.

America, you should be ashamed.
Don't knock what you don't know.

Read my earlier post: House Calls and Health Care.

You read that post and tell me if you can't attest to something similar.

That about sums it up. Take it from someone who has had first-hand experience on both sides of the Atlantic.

Then listen to the idiots trying to scare you into some utter nonsense that health care for all is a fascist/socialist/racist idea bullshit.

Let the loudest critics and the loudest pundits with the loudest microphones brainwash you into thinking that an improved, guaranteed health care system that provides for most (if not all) Americans is a bad thing. Hell, most of them HAVE insurance. Some of them have insurance PAID for by YOU. And you're uninsured (or underinsured) and can't even eat three times a day.

Why should they care if YOU are covered? If YOU are covered, YOU are going to eat into THEIR coverage.

Americans, sit down and do your goddammed homework. Don't get caught in the hype.

When Hillary Clinton tried to tackle this back in the early 90s, y'all bitched and moaned then. Now, 20+ years later, here we are again. And guess what? Things haven't gotten any better.

America--you gotta start somewhere. NOW. What you don't need is a bunch of hypemeisters scare mongering.

Meanwhile, I'm gonna sit back and enjoy the benefits from this "marxist" National Health System.

That reminds me...I gotta make an appointment with my doctor for my check up. Oh! But can I afford it!

Yep! It's free.

Where are all the Scottish women at?

2009-07-28T12:23:00.005+01:00

I know Scottish women are not all shy, retiring, and demure. Quite the opposite, in fact. Scottish women can be very, very verbose...especially after the pubs close. Just like the lovely lass in the photie to your left.

Thankfully, not all the ladies up here are like this. Many do know how to dress.

So where are the women bloggers in Scotland?

Well, one is Kat from "Wearing the Troosers"

Y'all should check out her blog, by the way.

Anyhoo...if y'all see any blogs by Scottish women, tell them to hook a sistah up!

The King of Pop is Dead...And?

2009-06-27T19:47:00.009+01:00

Michael Jackson is dead.

The Metro freebie newspaper had three different covers yesterday.

http://e-edition.metro.co.uk/home.html

This shows the THIRD different cover Metro had on Friday. On my way to work while on the train and on the bus, I saw the other two versions and picked up both.

The first version I saw was actually the second. The other cover was a large pic of Jackson with "Jackson does of a heart attack"

Now this caused me to do a double take. I admit I was surprised because you hear so much about Celebrity X going to the hospital for something so often, it doesn't really register. But this did!

And to think, no one on the train had the decency to scream or start wailing at the news!

However, the version of Metro I saw on the bus while making the final leg of my commute to work must have been the original first cover because it showed a large pic of Farrah Fawcett but the headline was "Jacko in hospital after 'heart attack.'" That would have been fine, because by the time I went to bed Thursday night, that was still the case. Just goes to show you how fast news happens.

Rats! I only got 2 out of 3.

But I'm gonna ask all the people crying and tearing their hair out over this to GET A FRICKIN' GRIP!

Yes, it's sad but do you really think it really matters to MJ right now? I feel sorry for his family having to deal with all the hysteria and all you crazy people and media who are sitting on their doorstep trying to get a glimpse or some tidbit of news. And you know the conspiracy theorists are wetting themselves with theories and the poor man hasn't been planted or cremated yet.

And wasn't there a time when it was speculated that he wanted to be frozen?

Hmmmm....

The jokes have started already. A coworker got a text from her brother saying:

Q: What's the difference between Micahel Jackson and Alex Ferguson?

A: Alex Ferguson will be playing Giggs in August.

Unless you're familiar with British football--the above joke won't make any sense. (I admit, I had to get my husband to explain). The point I'm trying to make is that life goes on and none of these celebrities give a rat's hairy that you are tearing your hear out over this--so STOP IT. Are you auditioning for the newest reality TV show World's Biggest Wailing Wanker? You don't see his family creating a public scene. Why not follow their lead and show some class.

Go ahead and have a 24/7 Michael Jackson-a-Thon, send up prayers, buy memorabilia, have friends and family together and watch all his videos--whatever--just get a grip.

But it's always the way with people, isn't it? Celebrities aren't supposed to suffer what we mere mortals do. I remember when Nancy Regan was being treated for breast cancer, the US was all agog in breast cancer awareness and what can be done, blah blah.

Meanwhile, in my little world, my great-grandmother--who had been diagnosed back in the 1950s--had succumbed to the disease. It didn't make headline news around the world but it was headline news in MY world. I could'nt care less about Nancy Regan at the time, which is about as much as she could have cared for me. THAT was when I really realized that celebrity isn't important at all. In the end, I'm as significant in their lives as they are in mine. It's the people I do know on a personal level that really matter.

I have a friend whose mother is ill and has a heart condition. Right now, I'm more concerned about her and her family, especially with all this news about MJ's dying of a heart attack.

I haven't bought anything Michael Jackson-related since Thriller--back when he still looked and acted human. Doesn't mean to say that he wasn't talented and he didn't change the music industry and raise the bar for everyone else--he did.

Michael Jackson was human. He lived, paid taxes (presumably), and died. It's sad to see him go and I do mean that sincerely.

Rest in Peace.

Eau de Pew! Eau de Pong! - Celebrity "Scents"

2009-05-29T11:43:00.011+01:00

Yesterday I was surfin' and saw on Yahoo's most popular search list w/re: celebrity fragrances:

1. Jennifer Lopez's 'Live Luxe'
2. Sarah Jessica Parker's 'Covet'
3. Marc Jacobs' 'Daisy'
4. Thierry Mugler's 'Angel'
5. Chanel's 'Chanel No. 5'
6. Lancome's 'Poeme'

Here's one I just made up:

Hollywood's "Shite"
"Because what celebrity doesn't think their shit don't stink?"

Frankly, I wouldn't want to smell like any of these "celebs."

I don't wan't to smell like:

Britney
Whitney
Jitney
J-Lo
B-Lo
C-, D-, or E-Lo
Paris
Berlin
New York or Rome
Victoria
Becks - or, heaven forbid, both of them!

I guess I'm old fashioned. A snob, even. But I can't see how anyone wants to buy a perfume fashioned after some of these "celebrities." We see too much of their lives nowadays, especially their sex lives. Frankly, some of their perfumes smell like bedsheets after a night on the town doused with rose water and/or musk. (Don't ask me how I know.)

Now, you had class acts like Audrey Hepburn who helped promote and insprire Givenchy, but then again, she had real style, IMO. And no matter what turmoil she may have endured in her private life, her public persona was elegant.

Compare Audrey to the likes of, say, Amy Winehouse. I rest my case.
I enjoy Amy as a singer, but please--GAWD!--DON'T let there be an Amy Winehouse perfume! I don't think anyone wants to be responsible for a L'eau du Freebase ad campaign.

Finally! Some British Backbone! - The Parliament Expenses Scandal

2009-05-21T20:25:00.008+01:00

Just when I was beginning to think that Brits are a bunch of lily-livered mama's boys and girls who can't stand to be off the apron string for any length of time...the Parliament Expenses scandal strikes.

And the Brits are pissed...and I don't mean drunk.

OK, maybe some of them are, but I'm using the word "pissed" as in "mad," or "angry."

If anyone ever doubted whether or not politicians take the taxpayer for a bunch of fools have not read the British news for the last few weeks.

Frankly, I can't think of more worthwhile news in the press lately than the "leaking" of MP's expenses. The shame of it all has turfed out some MPs and even the Speaker of the House of Commons.

Here's more from The Telegraph - the newspaper credited for creating all this hoo-ha:

In my previous rant, I talk about responsibility. The fallout of the expenses scandal is helping to bring some back into government. Well, accountability if not responsibility. The MPs with the ridiculous claims are saying how they "did nothing wrong" and have behaved "within the rules."

Yeah. Whatever.

Listen, all they did was exploit the loopholes that their "rules" allowed them to exploit. These are the same bitches and bastards who are making such a fuss about cutting off tax havens and charging FIFTY PERCENT INCOME TAX for people earining more than £100,000...and yet, they are squandering taxpayer money for moat cleaning, flipping real estate, dog food, and other bullcorn.

Is it any wonder Brits--or anyone else--seek out tax havens? No wonder Sir Sean Connery is a tax exile. Who frikkin wouldn't be? Unlike the idiot American deadbeats who exile themselves from the US to the UK to escape student loan debt.

You got one group coming to the UK to get out of paying their self-accrued debt and you got another group wanting (or seriously considering) leaving the UK to prevent 50% of their hard-earned money going to an irresponsible government full of MPs who see tax dollars as their personal expense fund.

I have to admit admiring the Lib-Dem leader, Nick Clegg, for saying, to hell with convention, I'm gonna challenge the Speaker of the House to step down for trying to cover up this mess! As well as Labour's Katey Hoey for standing up and questioning the behavior and Conservative Douglas Carswell for starting a petition of No Confidence.

Some say Michael Martin is the scapegoat, but I'm not buying it. If anything, he's one of the things representing the problem and I'm sure his expenses will come to light soon enough.

I even have to say I'm impressed with Conservative Leader, David Cameron's handling of his party's expense claims and creating a culture of transparency.

Sorry, Gordo. You get nil points for any progress taking place because of this. You've shown yourself to be all talk and no action. For a man with a face like a bulldog, you have no teeth.

But then again, I'm disappointed in the Labour Party. I find it very hypocritical to see a Labor Peer and Sir/Lord/Lady/Baron/Baroness Wotsit.

I haven't been in the UK five years, but it seems the Labour Party has A LOT of explaining to do going as far back as Tony Blair and his love affair with George Duh-bya Bush's ass.

It's been a lively time in politics and government of late. Just think. All I have to do now is finalize my British citizenship and I'll be able to vote in the next general election...

Ooh! I can hear the BNP's screams from here! Sweet! Be afraid! Be very afraid!

American's can learn a lot from the Brits in this respect. If only Americans could stop getting distracted with nonsense and hold politicians accountable for their bullshit.

Your child is a SLUT!

2009-05-21T19:45:00.003+01:00

This is a follow up to my "Kids! Stop Breeding" rant.

On May 19 it was published that the 13 year-old boy is NOT the father of the baby of his girlfriend. The likely culprit is one of the other 3 boys who stepped up to say they had sex with the girl.

The courts tried to keep this news quiet because they were concerned about how the girl had been called a "slut" by strangers.

Well...yeah! She IS a slut! This girl is barely 15 years old, pregnant, and had a line of boys claim paternity. Hmm, sounds like a slut to me!

The article in Metro goes on to say that part of the reason the courts tried to keep the results from the press is because "The girl said she was 'crying a lot every day' and feared the insults would 'go on forever.'"

It won't go on forever because people will eventually forget who she is unless she and or her "parent" keeps whoring out to the media for headline space.

I'm not going to apologize for agreeing with these people. You know, I think signs are starting to point to a new Age of Responsibilitiy. People are no longer going to accept other people's stupid or bad behavior by letting them pass the buck to someone else. Considering how banks have stolen everyone's bucks--we're not about to give up what little we have left to some idiot.

We bitch and moan about babies having babies yet we want to treat them with kid gloves (get it?) and say "Poor baby" (get it?) when they get pregant. We try to say that it's not their fault. They don't have sex education or this is all they know because their mother, grandmother, father, grandfather were dropping babies at their earliest opportunity.

I don't give a fruck. There is nothing cute or precious or blessed about parents letting their unsupervised children get pregnant or get some girl pregnant.

Blame the parent(s). Blame the girl. Blame the boy(s). To let this happen and then say: "It takes a village to raise a child" (e.g. welfare) and then 1) absolve yourself of further RESPONSIBILITY for said child and 2) BLAME that same village when the child doesn't come out the way you wished is a bunch of bullshit I don't wish to swallow.

But there are too many saps out there who will suck it up in my place. Go ahead. I hope y'all have some industrial-strength breath mints.

The only "innocent" victim---yes, I said VICTIM--is the unborn child that's about to be born into this idiocy. But that doesn't mean the child should be given prefreential treatment because of their "deprived" (or depraved) background thus letting them fall into a similar mess years later and then claim innocence because they didn't know better or it was all they know (read: lack of RESPONSIBILITY).

This culture of irresponsibility needs to stop. From top politicians to the NED on the corner drinking Buckfast.

People are fed up with excuses. I know I am.

American Deadbeats in Scotland

2009-04-30T21:57:00.003+01:00

You KNOW I had to say something about this:

http://www.glasgowguardian.co.uk/?p=1990#comment-42

So I left a comment.

For people with so-called "advanced" degrees, they sure are stupid.

Did it never occur to Mr PhD that $5000 is being paid towards INTEREST? Unless otherwise stated or agreed, you pay off the interest before the principal.

KNOW YOUR FRIKKIN' LOAN!

Managing finances can be a hard lesson to learn despite having the easiest rule in the world: Don't spend what you can't afford.

Easier said than done, of course. My family has dealt with layoffs, reposesstion, foreclosure, bankruptcy. I've done my personal stint with CCCS. I know how hard it can be because I have been there. I know, first-hand, how hard-working people get in a financial hole

But to run away like Mr PhD to the point where he can't return home is PATHETIC.
What does his PhD stand for? "Pathetic hiding Debtor?"

We now have the name of at least one person whose debt we are paying for. Mr PhD may not know it, but just because he ran away from his debt in America, he's paying for it in other ways. We ALL are.

Swine Flu? You pigs!

2009-04-29T10:20:00.006+01:00

OK, just a quick rant before returning you to your previously scheduled life:

I was reading in the daily free newspaper, METRO*, how scientists or diseaseologist, or whatever the F they are called, feel certain that they have pinpointed the current outbreak to a tiny Mexican village.

Or, to be more exact, a little four-year-old boy.

The article then states his name.

WHAT THE EVER-LOVIN FRUCK?!?!?!

How the Hell can reporters/newspapers be so fricking insensitive? I guess it goes to show how invasive we expect (and allow) the media to get.

People now know this child's name and location where he lives. And I'm sure, there may be some attention whores out there wanting to exploit the little boy. Who, outside of health officials, needs to know the boy's name?

Nobody!

How would you like your doctor to issue a press release saying you had genital warts or EFS - Explosive Fart Syndrome, or some other embarrassing (if not made up) ailment, and proceed to give your name and address to the press?

You wouldn't? Well, hot damn! Neither would I!

Now, there's a confirmed case closer to my home in Falkirk. A couple returning from their honeymoon in Cancun. Ain't married life a bitch?

Now there has been a death of a 24-month old baby in Texas.

Give me information, but keep the personal address information to yourself.

*Note to any Scottish people reading this - yes I read Metro--and I love it. Ain't no shame :)

Stupid Texans - My people, my people...

2009-04-16T22:36:00.004+01:00

Let me say this right now . . . just because Texas gave the world President Duh-bya and the financial world "Sir" Allen Stanford,we are not as pathetically stupid as the current govenor of Texas, Rick Perry who is fueling up nonsense talk about Texas secedeing from the United States.

http://crooksandliars.com/john-amato/gov-perry-talks-succession-texas-tea-pa

Perry, by the way, was picked/groomed by Duh-bya.

'Nuff said.

Hell, I don't even consider Bush a Texan. He's a Kennebunkport alien dropped by his mama Babs while travelling through Crawford, Texas at the time IMO.

Hey, W! While you're on your fundraising tour of Texas, trying to raise money to fund your presidential library at Southern Methodist University (my alma mater, by the way...sigh!) ask your friend Ricky how the hell do you expect to get the federal government to fund its operation if Texas secedes!!!

...Dumb ass...

Then again, how much does it cost to exhibit two coloring books and an incomplete MAD-LIBS notebook?

The recent spate of tea-parties that Republicans are staging across the US in reponse to President Obama's economic policies are a bit misguided.

I think the cartoon in my previous post sums it up very well.

People should be focusing their anger/disgust at the party that helped lead the country to its current state by pumping billions into a war that has helped bankrupt the country just as much as irresponsible bankers and business owners and consumers who spent more money than they ever hoped to have.

This economic crisis is hurting everybody but for a govenor of a southern state with a history of slavery and confederalism--to even SUGGEST such an action is bigoted, irresponsible, and downright asinine.

And I'm being nice. I had to look up the word "asinine" because I wanted to say something more academic than "stupid, dimwitted, dumb-fuckery."

But speaking as a proud Texan (currently living in Scotland) PLEASE don't tar us all by the same brush!

Kids! Stop Breeding!

2009-02-17T21:06:00.002Z

Leave it to the ADULTS, goddammit! I'm not prude. I write erotic romance. I even like porn! But I am sick to death of seeing babies having babies and the latest example of the 13-year-old father is just the tip of the iceberg.

In case you don't know about the above case, here's a link:

Now they're calling for a PATERNITY TEST???

And then there's the priest who more or less give his blessing by saying it's no time to point fingers and they need to be supported.

Excuse me, but I am sick of my tax dollars going to "support" these little bastards! You got a system over here that has everyone dependent on the government who, in turn, bleeds the taxpayer to pick up the tab for people who won't take responsibility for themselves. Everyone is streched to the limit and really shouldn't be expected to support people living the good life off benefits.

[NOTE TO MY FELLOW AMERICANS: I know this sounds very right-wing Republican, but believe me, when I say I am NOT! LOL]

Then this priest has the nerve to say: "They didn't go off to have an abortion to do away with the child, so obviously they have got respect for human life. Whatever their ages, I say well done for bringing the child into the world."

Yes. Heaven forbid we infringe on the rights of children to have children when they're not even capable of holding down a job as a paper boy--or girl.

I'm glad I don't subscribe to "organized" religion because if he were my priest, I'd show him how and where he can stuff his dog collar. This is just pure insanity. Talk about preaching irresponsibility.

If this scenario doesn't make you mad, then don't call out the lynch mob the next time you hear about some pedophile preying on the "young and innocent."

If the rest of the story is to believed, then the 15 y/o mother could be (or should be) placed on a sex offender's list for having sex with a 12 year old and a 14 year old. The alleged 16 y/o is safe because he's "legal."

Where does this crap end? I tell you where it needs to end. It needs to end with people saying "No! This is NOT OK. Moms and dads need to take responsibility for their children and prevent them from having children."

It may take a village to raise a child but that same village can turn into a mob and stone someone to death when they get fed up.

These kids parents are just as much to blame--yes, BLAME--as their kids. I don't care if you want little Johnny or Joanie to have safe sex by giving them permission to do it in your home, you DON'T allow your kids to have sex at that age! Don't give me that shit about them "learning it" someplace else.

Every day I see young teenage girls pushing baby carriages the size of Mini Coopers onto the bus. Many times these girls have one in the carriage and one or two others running free around them. It's not uncommon to see them with double carriages because they have twins or children that close together in age.

However, every now and then, I do see a man (presumably the father) out with the wee monsters, pushing the pram, or carrying the shopping. Sometimes, you'll see both mother and father with their wean or their brood. Nice to see them sticking together, but it can be ever so depressing when you can tell they are maybe 15 or 16 y/o.

I doubt many people will feel me on this because for the last 20-odd years, we've been conditioned to give children wide scope and freedom. You can't even spank the little brats for misbehaving without risking going to jail.

I don't know about you, but I believe it's time for the Nanny State to go the way of the dinosaur . . . and the 100% mortgage.

Kum Ba Yah, Obama! Kum Ba Yah!

2008-12-31T13:53:00.007Z

OK, the long, LONG, and historical US presidential election is over (can you believe it's only been 9 weeks??) and I know everybody and their grandmother has heard enough and said enough about it, but I just want to get my £.02 (which is more than $.02) in and this will be all I will say about it...for now ;D

When I first came to Scotland and people figured out I was an American (which took about 5 seconds), the first thing they asked was, "What do you think of George Bush?"

I kid you not. If I'm lying, I'm flying. THIS was the #1 question for me and I soon developed a standard, official response. I told them:

"I didn't vote for him OR his daddy and I'm more Texan than he will ever be."

Yep. That's right. I said it and I mean it. My Texas roots stretch deeper than his mother's and the carpet bagger she married.

But that's the past, here's to the future.

I've witnessed some history in my life: the collapse of the Berlin Wall, the collapse of the Twin Towers, but I never gave much thought of ever seeing a black US president outside of a Hollywood disaster movie, but then again, Obama has inheirited a disaster.

When my parents were growing up in Vernon, Texas back in the 50s and 60s, they would tell me and my older sister how the one movie theatre in town would "desegregate" itself and allow blacks to watch "The Ten Commandments" from outside the balcony seats. Or when the Texas State Fair, which lasted for weeks, would open on "Colored Day" to allow blacks and other minorities to attend--for a single day.

My dad would also tell how his mother, a school teacher, would break the law and DARE to drink out of the "White's Only" drinking fountain--more often than not after seeing "The Ten Commandments," and say "They treat us like humans for one day in the year and treat us like dogs for the rest."

Nope. I never gave much thought to ever living to see the day of there being a black US president. Unfortunately, my dad's parents and my mother didn't, either. But my mother's parents are still around and so is my dad so I'm glad.

As you can imagine, Obama is news in the UK and all the politicians and people are hoping--praying--that his administration can help turn things around and so we can all get the Bush taste out of our mouths...read into that what you will.

Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond has given Obama an open invite for when he comes to Britain sometime after his inauguaration. I hope he takes up the offer.

I've already told the people I work with that if Obama comes to visit Scotland, don't expect to see me at work because I'm going to go welcome him.

So come by here, Obama! And meet your Sistah in Scotland!

History Repeats Itself

2008-10-01T22:39:00.000+01:00

A Republican president (Hoover) was in the White House when Wall St. crashed at the start of the Great Depression because he didn't believe the government should get involved.It took a Democrat (FDR) to convince everybody that the government NEEDED to step in and get things under control. So there was FDR's government spending on his "New Deal" programs.

Yes. That meant the government had to spend money and raise money (taxes). Then (un)fortunately, WWII came along and the US had to get to work w/the war effort, etc. At least the US didn't start WWII by invading countries using shaky theories and even shakier evidence to warrant such invasions. However, both the New Deal programs and the war helped get America in position to be strong again.

IMO, Republicans get the country in a mess and the Democrats have to clean it up. THEN the Republicans come back and say "Look at how the Democrats have spent YOUR money and raised YOUR taxes!" Yeah--they had to tax to raise money to replace what you wasted/stole! Never mind that the upper tax brackets keep getting tax cuts under Republicans and blatant criminals go scot-free.

And the public, fickle as we are, swallow the bait and say: "Yeah! Those Democrats don't do nuthin' but raise taxes!" So Republicans get voted in again.Bush has left this country in a mess and no matter WHO gets the White House next, they are going to have to do it with an empty treasury and 2 wars to fund/deal with. Americans have been getting anally screwed w/o so much as lube and a kiss for 8 years and we're going to have to pay for YEARS to come.

Don't believe me? Here's a good article from The Politico:

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0908/14027.html

And here's another blog with another history lesson:

http://green8legdbears.blogspot.com/

"So why, SiS," I hear you say. "Are you bringing up all this US crap when this is supposed to be a blog about your living in Scotland?"

Because the shit going down in the US is gonna have a knockon effect here in the UK!

DUH! Didn't you read my previous post about housing and credit???

Last time, I mentioned Gordon Brown's speaking to the Labour Party conference. Well, this week, it's David Cameron's turn before the Conservative Party.

Geez. It's like living in a tumble dryer. I'm getting whiplash from all the 180-degree turns these political parties are doing.

In America, you got politicians, and both political candidates actually, trying to attack the economic crisis but they don't want to be seen too close to the mess for fear of claiming responsibility for it--as John McCain found out when he got too full of himself and tried to claim that he was instrumental in getting the $700 billion bailout passed.

Well, it failed. And it failed by the hands of his beloved Republican party.

Obama, IMO tried to make some claims of credit for certain things--HOWEVER, he tempered it by suggesting that it's not over until the fat lady sings (or the fat banker splatters himself on the sidewalk like a Jackson Pollock painting).

But David Cameron...a Tory, for Christ's sake...stood up before a crowd and said that:

The Conservatives would inherit "a huge deficit and an economy in a mess" and would need to do "difficult and unpopular things for the long term good of the country... I'm ready for that", he said. (Source: BBC News)

Thank you! That has to be the most honest and upfront statement from a POLITICIAN with regard to this crisis yet. If there's been another one, I can't think of it.

Back in the US, I feel Obama presents himself closer to this view than "fiscal conservative" McCain...but only slightly. I'm not the only one who feels more confident with the idea of Obama being involved with the economic crisis than McCain. And then there are the VP nominees.

Oooh, you know I'm going to be all over that VP debate when it finally broadcasts here.

So regardless of who gets the White House in November, they are inheriting a poor house from previous "fiscal conservatives" and that's going to effect finances worldwide.

I miss the exchange rate I was getting earlier this year. At one point, I was getting OVER $2 for every £1--which was great when I transfered money to pay my student loan. Right now, the husband and I are aiming to buy the council flat we're in and get a mortgage large enough to pay off our debts. Unlike may people, we got good credit and it won't be hard to get a mortgage. But I want to get it before the exchange rates totally tank.

Anyway, the next several weeks and months are going to be full of drama. This is REAL reality and I don't mean that shit posing "reality TV."

Brillante Weblog Premio 2008 Award

2008-09-27T22:17:00.001+01:00

Sistah in Scotland has been presented with the Brillante Weblog Premio 2008 thanks to a recommendation by The Original ChickLitGurrl.

As part of the award, I now have the honor of recommending seven weblogs that I enjoy and think you will too. These blogs cover my interests in writing, publishing, political ranting, and more.

1) Scottish Roundup - A collection of Scottish bloggers with views ranging from the general to the political. Get the skinny on Scotland from real Scots and not just talking heads from the tele. http://scottishroundup.co.uk/

2) All the Blog's a Page - Where everything relates to writing. The Original ChickLitGurrl interviews a wide range of authors while giving them a forum to provide their in-depth perpective about the craft of writing. http://alltheblogsapage.blogspot.com/

3) The Wednesdays and Fridays Blog - This blog promises to be the go-to blog to learn about new releases and new authors. "Who Are You Wednesdays" is dedicated to published authors showcasing their latest work and "Ready to Publish Fridays" introduces talented, yet-to-be-published authors and samples of their work. http://wednesdaysandfridays.blogspot.com/

4) The Queen of Travel Mugs - is also the Queen of the Political Rant. Learn about politics from an anthropologist's point-of-view. Yeah, she's left-of-center. Get over it. http://www.myspace.com/aguaomuerte

5) The Adventures of Cynical-Woman - The life and times of a stay-at-home mom and erotica author. Her comic strips chronicling her life are worth a visit. Hilarious. 'Nuff said. http://www.theadventuresofcynicalwoman.blogspot.com/

6) Shiree McCarver - talented writer, talented singer, and a beautiful blog. http://www.myspace.com/shreeree

7) Ruben Esq's Sketch Blog - big, beautiful women as art

http://rubenesq.blogspot.com/

"Dude--Where's My STUFF?" The Economic & Housing Crisis in the UK & the US

2008-09-26T16:06:00.002+01:00

In this "disser-rant," I'm going to discuss and rant about the effects of the worldwide credit crunch in both the UK and the US and how it all ties to the upcoming US presidential election.

And I'm gonna do it all from my position in my nice comfy armchair in the UK.

So if you don't want to listen or aren't interested in my socio-political rant, you are invited to leave. However, those of you hearty enough to stay, sit down, buckle up, and hang on because I'm gonna let 'er rip.

You don't need a passport to see this. However, maybe if more Americans HAD a passport they would understand that there's a world beyond their borders.

When America Sneezes . . .
Banks going under. Economic crisis. CEO's walking out of failed companies with gynormous golden parachutes. Forclosures are skyrocketing. Increased unemployment. Pending political elections. Internal fighting within political parties. Accusations of "celebrity" politicians.

Sound familiar?

Yep! I'm talking about the situation in Britain. Why? What country did you think I was talking about?

On Tuesday, September 23, Prime Minister Gordon Brown gave a speech before the Labour Party Conference in Manchester, England that was generally well received.

"I didn't come into politics to be a celebrity or thinking I'd always be popular." Brown said. "If people say I'm too serious, quite honestly there's a lot to be serious about."

I couldn't agree with him more. There are some very serious issues that need to be sorted out about the economy and the housing crisis. Considering that Brown was Chancellor of the Excequer--or the man that controlled the country's purse before coming PM--you'd think he'd know better despite the policy gaffes he's made that requires every taxpayer to get a refund from now through the end of March 2009. I just got my first rebate in my recent pay packet. Thanks, Gordon!

In short, before becoming "president" Gordon Brown was secretary of the treasury.

With regard to Brown's speech, Ian Gibson, Labour MP for Norwich North is quoted saying, "That was an Obama moment a la Britain."

I shit you not.

But another thing that was made an issue is that this is not the time for the Labour Party to give in to internal squabbling. Now is the time for them to sort out the plans they have for saving the country.

Hmmm . . . is anyone listening in the United States?

Anyone sitting out there reading this and still wondering why the hell the world is butting into America's political and economic affairs--there is your answer.

It's true what they say: When America Sneezes, the world catches cold.

Everthing's Coming Full Circle

You see, British parliment in Westminster is having the same problem as Congress in Washington D.C.: How the hell do they keep the nation's economy afloat without sticking it to the taxpayers...or, at least not stick it to 'em in a way they can see it?

A year ago, give or take a few days, the UK started to see its first real casualty in the banking arena because of the subprime bust in the US. Northern Rock was a bank/building society that grew from a local building society into a nationwide bank and was seen as a player in the mortgage arena. That is until they went tits up and panicked customers and investors decided to go 1929 on Northern Rock's ass and started to withdraw their money.

The news showed people standing in line waiting to get their deposits before the money ran out. Whereas investors were a bit tied. Their stock prices were dropping and rumors of a government or private buyout kept things in flux. In the end, Northern Rock became nationalized, but the damage was done and the confidence in the banking industry was gone.
Northern Rock got too greedy and became reckless in the way they lended money.

Housing Crisis
When I moved here 3 years ago, I was amazed at all the TV programs related to property buying and investing.

Property Ladder is a show about wannabe property investors getting their first property and (hopefully) turning a profit.

A Place in the Sun is a show about buyers looking to invest in property away from wet and gloomy Britain and find, you guessed it--a place in the sun that will generate income and/or a second home.

Location, Location, Location, is a show about people needing help buying a home and the drama caused therein.

All of these programs showed the good, the bad, and the ugly that comes with purchasing property. But it also showed the foolishness of people who buy into property they can't afford or can barely afford and then hope their gamble pays off. Sometimes the result is ugly and sometimes you feel sorry for the property owner--but sometimes you feel they got what they deserved.

These are just a few of the popular shows (they aren't so popular now, believe me) but they showed how sometimes the presenter will talk or convince the prospective buyer to "stretch their budget a little" in order to get that prime investment/house of their dreams.

Well guess what? Many of them decided to stretch and they're paying for it now.

But I tell you something. I still have plans to invest in property. I plan to have properties overseas. Real estate is something every human on this planet needs, whether it be a home for you to live or a hole for you to rot in when you die (unless you go for cremation, but that's another topic). Real estate is here to stay, and just like the stock market, it will bounce back.

Now is a good time to buy, actually. Buy cheap, sell high. The trouble with the current situation is that housing prices kept rising, credit kept extending, and now that the bubble has burst, no one can afford to buy--not even the government, apparently.

Who is to blame?
I'll tell you who's to blame. I blame banks for being stupid when, after generations of being portrayed as cautious, they decide to go over the deep end and lend money recklessly. Banks used to be these cold and uncaring industries. I should know. When my mother died suddenly and we didn't have the means to pay for a funeral, my dad went to the bank for a loan. They flat out refused. So I never have and never WILL see a bank as "my friend." Just protect my damn money. That's why you got all the safes.

I blame crap mortgage brokers. One of which I had the misfortune to work for. Not all mortgage brokers are dishonest, but the one I worked for (briefly) was incompetent. After being a part-time business consultant, he decided to go out on his own and open a brokerage and job placement agency. I was his secretary/receptionist. Things were fine for a while until he tried to close some mortgages. One mortgage involved a friend who was trying to buy a home away
from his wife--while still having her sign the papers--because they were going through a separation. The purchase was fraudulent from the start since this couple were not going to live together and the assets being shown were "fudged." This "broker" botched up the deal so bad that, on the day of closing, his friend needed to fork over another $12,000 in order to save the deal. Not only that, but this "broker" hit me up for $200 so he could pay his home water bill!
I loaned him the money--and got it paid back. But when he tried to get others to join him and sponser them getting their broker's license, some of his candidates were not professional at all. When I brought it to his attention, he tried to tell ME that I was the one who was unprofessional!
Needless to say, I left his "employment" but not without letting him know that if he tried to smear me professionally, I had proof of his dirty dealings and I would send them straight to the state licensing board. I never heard from him again. A few years ago, I saw he was STILL in business, but I have a feeling that by now, he may be feeling the pinch--and so he should. His type of greed and stupidity only hurts innocent people. Damn, I should've reported his ass anyway. I guess I'm too nice.

I blame Mr-Mrs-Miss-Ms. Joe and Jane Schmoe who accepted loans/mortgages/whatever that were way over their budget. For not reading the fine print--or not getting someone trustworthy to explain it to them. Now they are at risk of losing homes they could barely afford anyway and are getting anally screwed by their variable-rate mortgages.

Yeah, I said it! Some of the blame lies with us. We ALL know people who are no good with money and should not be given blank checks. Hell, some of us ARE those people.

Believe me. I know where of I speak. At the tender age of 23, I had to go to CCCS because I couldn't pay my credit cards. Granted, I was only $2000 in debt (the very minimum debt they would accept at the time) but it taught me a lesson. I am not good with finances, so I tend to be very careful. Fortunately, my husband has a better head with money than I do.

I also know what it is like to lose a home to foreclosure and the shame, stigma, and uncertainty in life it brings. So I think I have earned the right to say that SOME people have NO BUSINESS getting credit! If they are to have credit, it needs to be limited and controlled until they prove they can handle more.

President of the United Bucks
People in America need to wake up. This election is HUGE and is more important than the cost of arugula, nursing bruised feelings because their candidate wasn't chosen, or what shade of lipstick best matches fur.

Talk about the dumbing down of America. I'd rather have someone in charge that has a higher degree from a prominent institution and capable of enlisting capable advisors versus a faded party boy and his #1 cheerleader with a perky pair of pom-poms. Anyone who sees that having a high-standard of education for the president as "elitist" must have voted not once, but TWICE for the current no-mark sitting in the oval office right now. And look where it's gotten us.

I'm an educated black woman and there are many, many weak-minded people who find that frightning. Well guess what . . . I'm an educated black woman who is registered to VOTE.

Are you shitting yourselves yet? Call me an elitist. Call me a snob--I do! Hell, I'll take it as a compliment.

If you think that another four years of "Bus(c)h Light" will get us where we want to go, then I'd say the dumbing down of America is complete.

Do YOU feel secure? I'm not talking about physically secure, I'm talking about emotionally and financially secure. If you do at this very moment, I applaud you. You know how many homes you have as well as how much money you have and where it is.

But for people who know what it's like not knowing if they are going to have a home over their head or a job to pay for it--they don't feel very secure at all.

There are supposed to be presidential debates this weekend and now that possiblity is being threatened by a poser claiming to be too concerned about the economic crisis to campaign at the moment.

Bullshit.

This is not the time to hide BEHIND the crisis but to come out in front of a mass audience and tell that audience how you intend to SOLVE it.

As an American, I demand to know exactly what these candidates propose to do over the next four years and with a little over a month until the election, the American people deserve to know too.

Britain and America are linked, like it or not. From my position as a black American Sistah in Scotland, I can see certain things creeping in to British society via America and it is scary.

Sometimes, it's like watching a train wreck about to happen. At other times, it's like rubbernecking on a highway after a car smash. More often than not, I go through life over here in deja vu; trying to remember how to do a body swerve to avoid mistakes that have happend in
America, or worse yet, are cycling through once again because people haven't learned from history. Hindsight is 20/20, but my memory isn't and it's frustrating.

Britain gives America Simon Powell and The Spice Girls. America gives Britain a credit crunch in return.

It seems to me that, in the end, both countries got screwed. Perhaps we should call it even.

OK, that's it--for now. I'd love to read your comments. You don't have to agree with me, but since I approve comments, I'm not going approve comments that simply take personal digs at me and my opinions.

High-ho-the-Politico! Politics in "Britain"

2008-08-30T16:46:00.005+01:00

Hey y'all! Welcome to my "disser-rant" or "rant-ertation" for the week!

Those are my new words to describe something that is part dissertation or part rant--depending on the amount of rant or dissertation involved. This week, it's more a "disser-rant."

In honor of the recent Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado where Barack Obama secured the nomination as the first black man in the history of the nation to be presidential candidate for a major political party, I thought it would be good to give a little insight on "British" politics from a Yank's perspective.

I put the word “Britain” in quotes because “Britain” usually just means “England” while ignoring Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland--and it's not supposed to be that way, but that's what happens. People may say "Britain" to be inclusive, but it really isn’t. In fact, I think Scotland should be independent, but I'll save that for another post.

Anyway, it’s been very interesting leaning about politics in “Britain” because it is so different from what you find in the US. So let me give you my armchair overview of it all.

The US is basically a 2-party system with the Democrats on the Left and Republicans on the Right, and if you don't fall in with either of them, you are "throwing your vote away." This is a shame because it shouldn't be all-or-nothing.

However, in the UK, you have several parties to choose from:

Labour - for ease of definition, they are like the Democrats

Conservative (Tory) - like above but similar to Republicans

The Greens - hey! they're eco-friendly! But, case-in-point, the link is for the Green Party of England and Wales...Scotland has their own Green Party.

Liberal-Democrats (Lib-Dems) - which, from what I've seen and IMO, is basically "do what you want if it feels good and if anyone tries to hold you responsible they are WRONG!"

Socialist Party - Modern Marxists! Get down and get funky!

British Nationalist Party (BNP) - if the KKK created their own political party, this would be it.

Scottish Nationalist Party (SNP) - unlike the BNP, the SNP doesn't mind foriegners--they just want their independence back and "The Acts of Union 1707" can go spin.

As you can imagine, this makes politics very lively indeed.

A few weeks ago, there was a Yahoo! article about Tony Blair criticizing Gordon Brown as Prime Minister. It sorta kinds sums up what's been going on lately.Gordon Brown is an excellent example on how you should be careful what you wish for.

Brown had coveted the position as PM for I-don't-know-how-long. Really, I don't since I've only just moved here. Anyway, it was hardly a secret that he wanted his good ol' pal to go and give him a turn as they had allegedly "promised" each other.

The parlimentary system in the UK is very different than the US system because in the UK, the government in power can change their leadership without having a general election. And, about a year ago, Tony Blair's popularity was on a definate downturn. People were wondering if he would ever leave, while he still had a sliver of popularity, or would they have to invite him to go and take the Labour Party down with him.

In the end, Blair chose the former--but wouldn't give an exact date of departure--instead, he opted to keep people speculating with a goodbye that was longer than Ronald Reagan's haul on the way to being planted.

Now, Gordon Brown is in charge and he's having a very hard time of it. He's had to deal with some embarrasing security gaffes and crushing by-election losses to Conservatives and Scottish Nationals. Some of his problems could possibly be attributed to Blair and it's just the chickens coming home to roost, but some of these f-ups are of Brown's own doing.

There was a time when I liked Tony Blair and that was when he handled the tragedy of the death of Princess Diana. When he called her "The Peoples' Princess," and yes, chances are that he was only reciting what he was told, I thought, "Wow. What a guy."

But that was before he turned the British Bulldog into Bush's bitch. In fact, I blame Tony Blair's rimming of Bush (take that as you will) as responsible for the dip in Labour's popularity. Now, Gordon Brown is doing his best to see "Britain" totally abosorbed into Europe that every time he burps, he tastes brussel sprouts.

All of this has left the "British" public, IMO, thinking--"where the hell do we, the people, fit in? Don't WE have a say?" And rightly so.

Now, here's something funny to think about. In the US, I am definately more left-wing. I've become conservative in some areas as I've aged, but I'm still in favor of people having choices, holding government accountable to their bullshit, etc.

But in the UK, I would say that I would probably support the Conservative party over the Labour party. Why? Because there has been a paradigm shift between the two parties where the Conservatives are keen to address things that you would think Labour would e.g. crime, prisions, greener policies, etc.

My husband says that it's just same ol' same ol' in the world of politics. Labour is trying to steal credit for some of the Conservative's plans, but Labour is messing it up and/or the policy wasn't good to begin with--giving the Conservatives room to criticize.

But in Scotland - I would favor the SNP.

Freaky, ain't it? Here's something else to think about.

In a few months, I will be casting my absentee ballot for the US General Election.

In a few months time, I will also be eligible to vote as a British citizen in future "British" elections.

Oooh....Scary....The Power! Mwwaahhhahahaha!!

And there is power in voting. And you damn well better believe that I will be using my right to vote when I can and where I can. I feel duty bound to do something that my slave ancestors were never allowed to do. I'm not going to let some cynic try to discourage me from doing my thing just because they're too caught up in themselves to take a stand on an issue.

I've said it before and I'll say it again--I don't care WHOM you vote for, just register and VOTE. People have died to give you this chance so don't piss it away. >:-{

Well! That's it for now! I'm going to do my best to post tiny tidbits of my life here during the week while saving my "diserrants"/"rantertations" above for Saturdays from now on. Tune in next week when I talk about Housing and the Credit Crunch . . . UK Style!

Y'all feel free to post comments and questions!

Black Hair . . . and other Scottish nightmares

2008-08-02T19:48:00.006+01:00

I need to say thank you to Von for mentioning hair in a nice email she sent me. I'm going to talk about getting my hair done here . . . and save some of the hairtrocities I've seen on other people for another post.

Not long after my arrival in Scotland, I knew I was screwed.

I had been going to the same hair stylist (Niameh at Girty’s Creations of (now) Euless, TX!) for over a decade and now where was I to go?

I arrived here with just over three weeks until my wedding. My relaxer was already fading because I didn’t have it in my budget as I was settling up things in order to move.

And, let’s face it, at the risk of sounding racist, there IS a difference between black folks’ hair and white folks’ hair.

I can’t do weaves or braids because I’m just not that disciplined and I’m paranoid about having other people’s hair on my head. I wear relaxers. When my mane gets too thick and unruly for me to get a comb through it, that’s when I know it’s time.

Until recently, we lived in a town not far from the coast. There are several hair salons...but could any of them do my hair? I hadn’t seen any black folks in town (yet) and even if I did, they could just be passing through and not a resident in town.

But, like I said, my hair still had some manageability in it so I was able to find a stylist who could do my hair. The salon was a 10 minute walk from our flat and the receptionist or the stylist, whose name was Tanya, didn't seem put off to discover I was a black woman. I guess it was just my paranoia (read: prejudice) in that only a black person could deal with my hair.

I don’t know why I was so worried. There are a lot of mixed race people over here . . . but that doesn’t mean if someone can do their hair that they can do my hair.

Tanya did a very good job with a wash, cut, and style. I didn’t want anything extravagant. I just wanted my hair to behave until I could get it done “properly.” When the big day came, Tanya did my hair and the wedding photos turned out fine.

But I still needed someone to deal with this mess on a regular basis, and I’m sorry, I wasn't going to let some novice experiment putting a relaxer on me. Applying a relaxer is hardly different from applying hair color when you think about it, but, nevertheless, I wanted someone who could relate.

There was a beauty supply shop in town where we lived but it didn’t have any relaxers. Fortunately for me, there’s a Sally’s Beauty Supply right across the street from Glasgow Central Station where I come in to the city by train to work every day.

Yes! Sally’s! A name I recognized. A name I could trust! And sho’ nuff, they had a (tiny) selection of relaxers. I didn't normally use Dark ‘n Lovely, but I have been since and can’t complain.

I’m not very skilled (read: patient) when it comes to putting a relaxer on my hair. I still wanted to pay someone for that honor. I started asking co-workers about salons. I even went on the Internet and wasn’t surprised to read how women of color would travel up to 8 hours to go to Manchester, England or even London to have someone do their hair in braids or weaves.
There was even a documentary on BBC or one of the big daily newspapers about the lack of beauty facilities there are for women of color despite the number of us living here. As you can imagine, you have to go to major metropolitan areas if you don't have someone in your community--a mother, sister, nana, Miss Betty-who-lives-two-houses-away--in your 'hood who could do your hair.

If there is anyone out there reading this and is interested in perhaps relocating to Scotland—if you can do “black” hair, come—quickly—NOW. You WILL find and build a clientele!

Ironically, it wasn’t until I was on a hospital clinic visit for yet another ailment, that I should have a black nurse who asked me who did my hair. I admitted to it. I had recently done a relaxer touch-up and had gone to a salon for a haircut. She was impressed. She could relate with me because she was West Indian and she, too, had married a Scotsman so her kids had more manageable hair than she did. I asked her what she did and she told me about her stylist in Glasgow.

“I’m not supposed to do this since you’re a patient," she said, "but if you don’t mind my calling you, I’ll give you his name and number.”

Man, you couldn’t blink fast enough before I had accepted her offer.

Gerry comes from Jamaica but he has lived in Scotland for over 20 years. I’ve been to him a couple of times now, when I can afford it. Actually, even when you think of the rate of exchange, he charges pretty much the same as Niameh would back home in Texas, so I ain’t complaining.

In fact, I just slapped on my latest relaxer because I was getting desperate. So, in a month or two, I’ll call Gerry up and see when he can fit me in again.

So what if it took over two years? I now have a hairstylist that I feel comfortable with and can go to.

I can say I’m practically settled in to living here now.

The Cost of Living

2008-08-01T22:11:00.003+01:00

I try hard, every day, not to compare UK prices with US prices because it’s just too depressing. The cost of living here is HIGH. The exchange rate is roughly $2 per £1.

Now this is great when I transfer money home to pay on my student loans (yes, still). But I try not to think it costs about $8 for a regular Whopper “value” meal.

These last months of President Duh-bya’s reign hasn’t been easy or gone unnoticed. It’s still cheaper for us to shop and do things in the US than in Scotland but when we visited last April, we noticed the spike in prices.

But get this: it cost’s roughly $10/gal for gas over here. The UK gov’t is crazy on “petrol” taxes.
Oh, and did I mention that today British Gas announced a THIRTY-FIVE PERCENT increase to prices—effective immediately—while announcing a massive increase in profit?

People! It is time for a revolution!!!

I am sick and tired of these companies and politicians squeezing everyday people like us so they can galavant around and try to say they’re “on our side” and that “they understand” what it’s like to live on a budget. Hell, politicians vote on their own pay rises. Those fuckwits work for US!

Damn, I wish every employee could vote and give their own pay raises. It might just make money obsolete because there wouldn’t be enough money to go around.

And isn’t it time that companies and/or the government STOP letting people who bankrupt companies, pension schemes, or cause general havoc because of their incompetence, isn’t it time to stop with the golden parachute? Oh, Mr Prick, you were CEO of our bank and now we’re nationalized because of your recklessness and people have lost their savings because of you...but here’s a £1.7 mil. bonus and full payment on your pension.

Oh, hell no. Mr. Prick—meet Jack Shit—because that’s what you deserve. You and the others like you.

And you know good ol’ President Duh-bya is going to slink back to his ranch in Crawford and hide in some hidden toilet and count his oil shares.

Almost everyone over here is eco-conscious, almost to the point of being eco Nazis, IMO.

Yes, I want to be and try to be as green as I can, but damnit all, I STILL want to be able to travel and go for drives in the countryside just for a chance of scenery. I don’t want some fanatic lying in some airport runway because they got a beef with air travel.

If we can travel into space, we can damn well find a viable alternative to fossil fuel.

I’ll rant more about this later. I’ve just pissed myself off.

House Calls and Health Care

2008-07-29T21:50:00.004+01:00

A doctor that makes house calls.

If you're younger than 40 years old, the idea of a doctor making house calls is something only seen in movies, especially old TV westerns. Little House on the Prairie, that sort of thing.

That is if you live in America. In the United Kingdom, it is still possible to see doctors making a house call and you don’t have to be living in some isolated village in order to see one. In the three years I have lived here, I’ve had the “doctor on call” come out to see me twice. The most recent being two days ago.

The first time was a precursor to an episode that would have me admitted to hospital on three separate occasions and then enduring medicinal therapy for over a year. I had developed a condition that was going undetected and that doctor visit let me and my husband know that perhaps things were more serious than either of us thought.

This last time, while the symptoms were very similar to what led me to be hospitalized (hence the call), was less severe but served a purpose.

I’m a martyr to my respiratory system. Basically, we all are because without it, we’d be dead. But my respiratory system is more sensitive than others and seems to have gotten even touchier as I’ve grown older.

Frankly, I’m just thankful that I’ve had these difficulties over here in the UK and not the US. If I were back home, I’d either be bankrupt, dead . . . hell, let’s face it. I’d be both.

There’s more to be said for national health care than can be said against it.

The first time I was under care, I was in the emergency room with my husband. I was worried. We hadn’t been married long and here I am, stuck in the hospital. How the hell were we going to afford all of this? My husband laughed and said it’s all taken care of by the NHS (National Health System).

That didn’t soothe me any. I wasn’t a citizen. But that didn’t matter, he said. If you need medical assistance while in the UK, you get it.

So, whenever I get my paystub, I have no problem when I see the deductions under “National Insurance.” As far as I’m concerned, the money there is being put to better use than what I could ever tell with my Social Security deductions back home.

I’m not going to go into detail here. I’ll save that for my still-under-construction website. But I will say this going from information I just recently learned and also speaking from personal experience. I will give examples from the US and the UK

First, speaking from personal experience in the US.

My mother died at the age of 45 because, in part, we were uninsured and it turned out she had double pneumonia and, along with her diabetes, the combination proved fatal. At the time, we were uninsured but had “too much” to be able to claim Medicaid and couldn't afford private insurance. My dad's employer didn't cover spouses and I was a student with a part-time job, hence, no coverage. If mom wanted to see a doctor, she’d have to go to ER—and we would have to pay for it, not like we could afford it. So we waited the 3 months for the earliest appointment. She went to the clinic. They took her straight to the hospital.

My mom never came home. She suffered from respiratory collapse, became a vegetable, and died four months later in a nursing home.

The second example comes from information I recently learned about the UK health system. My husband is of a generation who believed that the National Health System always existed, but there was a time, not long ago, that it didn’t.

My husband had an older brother who died at the age of 8 from cancer. My husband was only 3 at the time and this was just before the UK adopted the National Health System. Basically, my brother-in-law died because his parents couldn’t afford cancer treatment for him. His parents were basically told to keep him as comfortable as possible until the inevitable happened. Can you imagine being in their shoes?

Five years later ,when my husband was 8, he was stricken with a mysterious illness, a virus, which almost took his life. Fortunately his parents were able to get him help.

The final example comes from what I was just told about the circumstances of a friend of mine back in Texas. I met her when she willingly took my elderly cat in while I relocated to Scotland. It was only to be a temporary arrangement but unfortunately, my cat was too old to travel and it was decided that it was best for him to stay behind with his new foster mum. My friend took care of him until he died a year later and I paid for his vet bills and maintenance.

My friend had a farm and cared for several animals but she had a serious accident that killed some of her animals and nearly killed her. She ended up in the hospital and nearly died more than once. Even her doctors consider it a miracle that she’s still alive—and back at work.

While she was away, she allowed tenants onto her farm who said they would care for her place and her remaining pets. They did no such thing and trashed the place so bad it had to be demolished and her pets are now in foster care.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, she had just cancelled and cashed in her home insurance policy in order to pay on--not pay off--her medical expenses before taking on the tenants. She now has to live with her brother while trying to sell her beloved, now-ruined home in a market that is less than buoyant.

My friend was hoping to retire in a few years. Now, I’m not sure what she will do.

It’s election year in the US. I don’t care whom you vote for (even though I know whom you should vote for!) but one thing is for certain—it is time to make our government accountable and to DEMAND health care for ALL.

Politicians get the best health care for free at OUR expense. That cannot be allowed to go on any more.

There is no excuse for the health care “system” that exists in the US I’m not going to accept any argument saying that there is. Period. The next time some politician tries to blind you with words or phrases like “higher taxes” or “lobbyists” or “liberal media,” you just ask them when was the last time they had to pay for a one-night stand in the county ER.

If they don’t want to come up with a solution, they need to get off the damn gravy train and starve with the rest of us.

Coming Soon!

2008-07-25T22:54:00.003+01:00

I'll be posting here my thoughts, news, and information from my perspective as a black American woman living in Scotland.

Most of the posts here will range from politics to entertainment and anything else I can think of as I comment on things "ripped from today's headlines."

So, feed into me if you want to keep up with my ravings. And while it's not my intention to be rude, I apologize if anyone's feelings get hurt.

I'll be back ;-D