TGIF!

My routine changed this week compared to the past two weeks when Jeryl was in town. I refer to it as the post holiday blues. The weeks of Christmas and New Years allow people to have time off so they can enjoy it with the people who matter the most to them. Then Monday rolls around after the New Year and you gotta get back to that same routine. That same grind.

I kind of like it because I've been waking up earlier and I feel as though my days are more productive. You don't know how tempting it sounds right now for me to bundle up in bed with my down feather comforter until the clock strikes 10 a.m.

This week it's been pressing the snooze button at 5 a.m. and every 10 minutes after until it's 6:30, getting ready, bringing the kids to school, getting my daily breakfast, working, getting my lunch, picking the kids up, and lounging at my aunts house til about 6 p.m. when I walk over to Grandma's house for a little R&R with my dog and baby daddy.

Last night we met up with Daniel and Melissa for some dinner. Little did I know that I was hungrier than presumed. After dinner, we headed over to choir practice where I learned the alto parts. This weekend, I'm an alto.

Yesterday, I watched the YouTube video that showed Oscar Grant, 22, being shot by a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) police officer (see the tail end of my previous post if you can handle it). I was really disturbed when I saw it. One reason is because this is a display of true unjustice within the system. It makes me want to say "F*CK THE POLICE!!!"
---
Fatal police shooting sparks violent protests
By TERRY COLLINS and TERENCE CHEA – 16 hours ago

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — In grainy cell-phone videos played over and over on the Internet, police officers force an unarmed black man to the ground and hold him face-down on a crowded train platform. Suddenly one of the officers draws his gun and fatally shoots the man in the back — then looks up.

The New Year's Day death of 22-year-old Oscar Grant has led to violent street protests amid allegations from the family's attorney that some of the officers used racial slurs.

The officer remains free and has not been charged with any wrongdoing. And some experts have questioned whether he fired his gun deliberately or mistakenly believed he was using his stun gun instead.

Click here to read the rest of the article.
---

Another reason why I was disturbed is because although we see violence on TV practically everyday on every channel, seeing that video upset me because that was an actual person and a real bullet that shot him- not an actor, not some fake sound effect that emulates a gun being shot. A little bit graphic for me.

Lastly, before I saw the video, I was reading a profile about him and he was a proud father to a 4 year old daughter. I really started to feel for this family more so knowing that I'm about to have a family of my own pretty soon.

Anyway, I've been really drawn to this story. Nikki tells me not to get mad at all the cops because of this guy. He said, "Just like every profession, there are good people and bad people."

However, brutality like this is all too familiar and happens quite so often. I know that there are two sides to every stroy, but a man's life??? Come on now...