Category: Movies

Marvelized

Marvelized (adj): the state of believing that one’s life has become something out of a Marvel movie.

I suggested both the word and its definition at the invitation of one of my coworkers who asked our colleague resource group (CRG): If you could add a word to the dictionary, what would it be and what would it mean?

Granted, the comic book world I most feel that I’m living in is Batman, who is a D.C. character, but saying that my life has become “D.C.’d,” regardless of any way I spell it (D.C.-d, DC’d, deeceed, and so on), still doesn’t sound or look as cool as “marvelized.”

Also, since I work for a pharmacy “D/C” means both “disconnected” (as in a phone call) and “discontinued” (as in a prescription). So, definitely not using any variation of that abbreviation for what I’d add to a dictionary.

Of course, I wasn’t the first one to think of “marvelized,” as I later discovered online. I merely created another facet to the definition. “Marvelized” simply means to be in a state of wonder or that a work of fiction is influenced by the Marvel Universe. Seems like no one had previously applied the adjective to the degree of how out of pocket life in the U. S. has become.

For every big move I’ve recently made, I’ve contemplated about how the Orange Menace and The Legion of DOGE are going to fuck it up. This is more than paranoia since they are attacking the very institutions we citizens depend on when we say that we are a part of a civilized, developed country with a functioning federal government.

Filing taxes, renewing a passport, controlling air traffic…I was even preoccupied when I recently bought my new smartphone.

The Orange Menace declared a tariff war against most of the world, then rescinded it for everyone except for China, ultimately raising the tariff against them to 145%. As I sat in the store in the middle of purchasing my phone, another customer informed me that some electronics had just been exempted.

The salesman assured me that my phone was part of the previous shipment; so not subject to hyperinflation or whatever the hell it’s call when a comic book villain capriciously tanks the economy, then revives it part way.

Despite the political turmoil, either I’m very optimistic or in denial, but I still dare to dream that my efforts will afford me to live the life that I want. After I return from my two-week overseas vacation, I’m going to dedicate more energy to continuing my path forward to a new career opportunity within my company.

Right now, it’s all I can do to carve out some time to learn Twi, juggle creative projects, exercise and read.

“Normalcy,” like everything in life, is an illusion. Any given illusion can evaporate just like the trillions of dollars that recently disappeared from the stock market. I’m not sure why economists don’t refer to themselves as illusionists instead. The Marvelized world definitely has more use for illusionists than economists.

Best Wishes in the Batman Universe

As soon as I heard the 2024 presidential election results, one of my conclusions was that, as things unfolded, the most “you can’t make this shit up” chaos would reign. The closest approximation to such a reality that I found was the Batman Multiverses. Since I’m not a time nor dimension traveler, I’m considering the next four years to be my life in one of Batman Universes.

Around November 2024, I started reading A Year with No Sugar. One behavior I adopted since then was to avoid high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). The author went nuts and did away with ALL sugar, finding it in meats, gravies and other unexpected places.

Years ago, I stopped eating all so-called breakfast foods because of the ridiculous amount of sugar found in all of them. I’ve only recently started buying instant oatmeal again for the cholestrol-lowering properties, but may start buying plain oatmeal and just adding my own mix-ins.

At end of the book, there were recipes. Normally, I don’t cook. I just forage leftovers from Mom’s and my sister’s cooking. Since I’m not a picky eater and an omnivore, I make out pretty well. Yet, since vacation PTO was right around the corner, I baked Apricot Date Lemon bars, which I thought were delicious. My family all politely tried it and didn’t care for it. More for me!

The only other thing I made, which was part of the New Year’s Day good luck meal, was my favorite version of cornbread: monterey jack cheese, sharp cheddar cheese, whole corn kernels, and green chilies. Since the pandemic, I can no longer find hot green chilies, so the mild ones had to make do. For this recipe, I used three tablespoons of agave since we had no honey, as the recipe called for. Nonetheless, it turned out delicious.

This paired well with the black-eyed peas that my sister made and the other auspicious foods that Mom made: tomato blunder, ham fried rice and collard greens.

Speaking of “green,” the president-elect wants to buy or conquer Greenland, which the Danish government says isn’t for sale; wants to rename The Gulf of Mexico, “The Gulf of America;” and wants to annex Canada, making it the 51st state.

Magical Negro Moment

In less than 24 hours after watching the movie, “The Secret Society of Magical Negroes,” I experienced my very own magical negro moment.

The premise of the movie is that the most dangerous animal on the planet (at least for Black people) is a white person who is made uncomfortable/fearful by the mere presence a Black person; so, magical negroes manipulate the situation to put white people at ease for the safety of Black people.

I had to see this movie. How often have Black people done things, such as code-switch, for example, so as not to alarm white friends, coworkers, or just white people whose line of vision we’ve entered?

I regularly attend a Sunday morning hot yoga class. Not only is the room temperature fabulous, but when you open the door, which remains closed to preserve the heat and humidity, the subdued lights, incense and music invites you into another world for the next 60 minutes.

My favorite spot in the room is anywhere along the front row. This particular morning, I was the first yoga student to set up her mat left of center, followed by another Black woman, who I befriended in a previous class. She set up to the left of me, presumably at the end of the front row.

Minutes later, a white-appearing woman squeezed her mat into a tiny space to the left of the other Black woman. I couldn’t believe anyone would want to corner themselves between the wall, where the portable humidifier was, and that close to another yogi.

I made eye contact with the white-appearing woman while patting the empty space to my right. “Hey, you could set up here and have more space.”

Before the white-appearing woman had any think-time, the other Black woman sprung up, gathered her things and set herself up in the space to my right.

Simultaneously, the white-appearing woman admonished herself out loud. “Oh, why didn’t I see that space? I could have set my mat there.”

If given a few seconds to think, I believe the white-appearing woman would have moved. Instead, the other Black woman beat her to it.

Yes, I was disappointed at how quickly the other Black was to accommodate the white-appearing woman. Or perhaps she thought she was accommodating me. The point is that the white-appearing woman was the last to join the front row and didn’t need to crowd into that space nor was she dangerously upset. More of a “how silly of me” reaction.

As politely as I could, I expressed my surprise that she had wanted to be so close to the humidifier. I’m not sure that I heard the white-appearing woman correctly, but I thought I heard her say that she was from the desert and was used to humidity.

Extending some grace to my own hearing as I did to her vision, I figured that the background music caused me to mishear what she’d said.

Nonetheless, the incident didn’t prevent me from having a good yoga practice. I still cannot help but to hope that that white-appearing woman will be more mindful and vigilant when she enters the yoga room.

As far as not being a magical negro, I know firsthand how challenging it is to turn off or slow down a survival instinct.

From Austin with Love

Although the Bob Marley movie dropped on a Wednesday since it was Valentine’s Day, my sister and I watched it on Saturday. Even if this movie wasn’t officially a sing-along, how could I not sing along?

Showing Off My Crown

As a matter of fact, we were the last two out of the theatre after the movie ended because I was happily singing along. I rode those good irie vibes out the door despite all the violence, cheating, and dying before one’s time. His life was a reminder to stand up for your beliefs while at the same time doing what you love and appreciating those who you love since you’re not promised tomorrow.

Sister Pose

The next day, I met the choreographer and CEO of the African dance troupe that I was a member of in Austin. She was the first Austinite friend who came to the great state of NC, so of course I hopped in my car to meet her for lunch. Definitely worth the 90-minute drive. Besides, very happy to take a daytrip.

Impromptu Selfie

I’d sent her a link for some Black owned restaurants. However, the one that we chose was closed on Sundays. A minor point we only discovered once I’d driven us there. By sheer luck, we asked a couple who crossed our path for a restaurant recommendation and followed them.

Adult Coffee & Crepe

Initially, I didn’t think I wanted a crepe and coffee. Yet, my decaf Irish coffee and hearty, flavorful crepe hit the spot. Not only that, but at that time of day–we’d entered 20 minutes prior to closing, we still got the royal treatment. I figured if this was how they treated the last stragglers, then I must remember this fabulous restaurant for another visit.

Closed Down the Joint

For the brief time that we were together, we exchanged war stories, examples of the struggle being real. Although I was grateful to receive the snippets of life in Austin, I cobbled together the interesting things I was doing. Mostly, juggling creative projects while at home since my present home city was nothing compared to the vibrant social scene and opportunity found in Austin.

I continue to make the creatively best of what this city has to offer and that with each passing year, life has been more interesting than the last. My attitude has made the most progress by making the best of the situation and not missing what I no longer have.

Let’s Go Barbie!

Full disclosure: I hadn’t planned to see the Barbie movie, but with so much denouncement from the political right, and word-of-mouth from friends, I made it the highlight of my weekend. Besides, since I usually go from working at home to working out, I used the occasion to dress up, fondly recalling the days that I used to produce a monthly theme-inspired spoken word and storytelling show, where I hosted while dressed in a theme-inspired costume.

My Barbie Pose

I planned to attend the Saturday matinee alone, but thank goodness my family co-opted my plans. Made finding someone to take my picture for the inevitable photo opportunity that much easier.

Like a Treasure

What I hadn’t counted on was a hastily constructed Barbie box, which apparently was meant for kids and not those who were kids at heart.

My Nephew’s Barbie Pose

Although my nephew hadn’t dressed in pink, he was all aboard for posing.

My Sister’s Barbie Pose

My sister, on the other hand, shod in her pink sneakers, sported her pink “Sisters” T-shirt, which was quite appropriate for a film that dealt with sisterhood…among other things.

An amazing transformation took place among conservatives when Barbie hit the billion-dollar mark in only 17 days, which was the fastest any movie had done so. And *GASP*…. by a woman director.

Suddenly, the movie that conservatives had decried as “woke” became a cautionary tale against feminism. They claimed that Barbie was in a loveless, sexless relationship with Ken although these dolls have never been “sex dolls.” Besides, would conservatives be happy with the promotion of sex before marriage?

Amazing how lots of money continues to be a game changer.

As much as I’d love to believe that a movie can have a radical impact on society, after all, a movie did inspire the second rise of the KKK when it was shown in the White House, I’m cautiously optimistic. The recent success that Ohioans delivered at the polls, which stopped a bill that would have made it harder to change the state constitution is an example of the type of action that needs to be reproduced.

We’ll never reach Barbieland, but we can mitigate male toxicity.