Red toros and bag attachments,
John Deere, Yard Machines and versatile blades,
Cutting thatch, weeds, glades,
Now I dream of tiny Troy Bilt
And the trodden sod and sweet, bitter
Dandelion
Chaff.
Yup, I've been doing nothing but working, coming home and working, mostly on my epic lawn mower project. I've been trying to squeeze in Titan Mode in God of War 2 though my thoughts frighteningly drift to visions of variable speed cutting blades and contoured, load bearing suspension saddles.
Along with that, I'm freelancing an article on St. Lucia from my most recent visit. I'm trying to work in a great quote from one of the waiters I chatted with at Coconut Bay. Great guy, that Gerald and he offered up this observation after his first visit to the states:
"I have a question--why do people in the USA insist on calling black people "African-Americans?" I mean there's nothing wrong with black, just like there's nothing wrong with you being white. Plus, people referred to me as African-American! I'm not American and my family has been in the Caribbean for almost 500 years now. And what happens when Americans travel abroad, do they still call black people in England African Americans?"
I agree with Gerald, I don't see anything offensive in calling a black person black. This whole African American thing is just plain silly at best. When used as a descriptor, it ignores actual appearance and for most of us who choose to judge a person on their character, describing them is not something to be afraid of. It would be weird if someone tried to explain my looks to a stranger as "looking like I'm a Coloradan New Englander". They can say I'm short, sideburns, etc and it's all good because that's the way it is.
Anyhow, not delving into a rant I'm just saying some people's efforts to be genteel can be very silly. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to review some lawn mowers of color.
