Dedicated to the end of a decade...

Yesterday on Twitter, I suggested that "Bag Lady" by Erykah Badu is a song of this decade. It is actually a song of a lifetime. While the song speaks mainly to the ladies, I think that the message of the song relates to everyone, men and women alike. We are at the end of a decade. We're coming up on 2010 folks and it makes sense to leave the baggage that you've been carrying behind. It hinders you; fears, bad relationships, vices that are controlling your life, you, we, have to leave it behind. Go into this new decade free of burdens. Like the song says: Let it go, let it go, let it go, let it go...

Methodical Throwback

I was watching Fuse off and on last night; they were airing Michael Jackson Takeover, which showed many of his videos and snippets of different celebrities talking about what MJ meant to them and music in general. In light of that, I just wanted to post one of my favorite videos. Enjoy!

My thoughts on Robin Thicke's cd "Sex Therapy: The Experience"

When I heard that one of my favorite singers was coming out with a CD this year, I was extremely excited. Robin Thicke is one who could sing the phone book and have you in love. I just knew that I would be buy this CD on the release date, especially after hearing the title single "Sex Therapy". However, I began to hesitate when I heard there would be a bunch of guest appearances on this one. Jay-Z, Kid Cudi, Nicki Minaj, Snoop Dogg, Estelle, Jazmine Sullivan and Game; I'm not a serious fan of any those listed, so featuring them was not about to make me spend my money.

The cd starts off okay, I suppose, with "Mrs. Sexy". The song has a nice little beat to it and it led into "Sex Therapy", my grown & sexy song, nicely. At that point I expected it to pick up. When I heard "Meiple" featuring Jay-Z, I was underwhelmed. After listening to it several times, it grew on me; it's still not my favorite, but I no longer have my face screwed up while listening to it. I forgot about "Make U Love Me"; I had to listening to it again in order to remember to include it in this post. So I guess that says more than an actual comment on this song *smile*. "It's In the Mornin'", featuring Snoop Dogg, is a real nice laid back song, so I think that one is a winner (even though I think Snoop needs to go sit down somewhere). "Shakin' It For Daddy" featuring Nicki Minaj kind of threw me for a loop, not necessarily for a good one either. I love the beat and can definitely see it being a great workout song, but it just seems wrong for a Robin Thicke cd *shrug*.

"Elevatas" featuring Kid Cudi has an interesting sound. I do not dislike it but it also wouldn't make my list of favorite songs, on this CD or in general. There is one part of the song where I thought that J. Timberlake made a unlisted guest appearance and I thought to myself "NO! Robin please stay sounding like yourself!" Not that I dislike Justin, I'm a fan of his as well, but I want these two to keep their sounds separate from each other, if that makes sense. Moving along to, and past, "Rollacoasta" featuring Estelle. The chorus has this 70s sound to it, at least I think it's the 70s; once I heard something about "strobe-lights" I figured that must have been the sound they were going for. This song failed to strike any chords withing me, so I could take it or leave it. Actually scratch that, I could leave it. "Million Dollar Baby", featuring Jazmine Sullivan, is one that I enjoy, but then I love Marvin Gaye, so the "Trouble Man" sample was a winner in my book. "2 Luv Birds. Next! "I Got U" and "Jus Right" are two good ones with nice beats that make you want to grab someone and dance. That said, the last bit of the CD is fairly "blah" to me. The phrase that comes to mind when I think of something to sum up my feelings on this one is "Quality vs Quantity"; there were plenty of songs, but there were plenty that I could have done without.

Maybe my gripe with this cd is that I think certain people need to have a bunch of other singers and rappers featured on their albums, but Thicke isn't one of them. I think that if you are talented, you can carry an entire album on your own. Past albums have proven, to me, that Thicke is more than capable. "Sex Therapy: The Experience" did not have that Robin Thicke feel to it. It sounded like an average R&B album, nothing too special about it. I wanted to see him in concert again and was planning to do so in January when he performs in Chicago, but there really isn't much on this latest album that I want to hear him perform live. That saddens me because I am a huge fan of his music. All that said, it's an okay album, but the only reason I "might" buy this one is due to the fact that I have a slight case of OCD when it comes to having complete sets of things. This means that since I have "A Beautiful World", "The Evolution of Robin Thicke", and "Something Else", I will probably feel the need to buy this to add to my set. So it has nothing to do with the music and everything to do with my disorder.

Are they just now beginning to suspect foul play in the Mitrice Richardson case?

According to the L.A. Times, the sheriff's department has decided to start a homicide investigation for Mitrice Richardson. In case you are not familiar with this story, Mitrice was at a restaurant and unable to pay for her meal. Apparently, Mitrice was talking and behaving oddly; people at the restaurant thought she may have had some mental issues. Her grandmother was called and she offered to pay for the bill, but didn't have access to a fax machine. The couldn't accept her card payment over the phone. So, the police were called and she was arrested. The police department claims she showed no signs of drunkenness or mental issues, so they released her.

This young woman disappeared after being released from the Malibu police department in mid-September. The police claim that they had no reason to hold her at the station because she did not show any signs of being drunk or being mentally incapacitated. Now it turns out she may have had some sort of breakdown, so how is it that the police saw no reason to hold her, at least until a family member could come to the station and take her home? Mind you, she had no car (it was miles away, at the restaurant where everything started), no money, and no cell phone. Instead of dropping her off at home or simply taking her back to her car, the police department let her walk off into the night. Now she's missing. The sheriff says that they do not believe she is dead, but by starting a homicide investigation, more resources can be used to find her.

Wouldn't it have made more sense to use more resources months ago? Leads that could have been discovered back in October may be long gone! I hope that is not the case, but I'm upset at the fact that her strange disappearance did not seem to warrant a massive media blitz. I know, the story was featured on CNN Headline news, but I haven't seen or heard much else about her disappearance since October. I pray they find Mitrice and that she is able to go home to her family.

Today is my Blogoversary!!!

And I didn't even realize it! LOL! I thank all the people who have visited and commented on this blog. Sharing your thoughts and opinions on different topics I've posted. It is greatly appreciated! I hope you, and others, continue to visit and post comments. I love to interact with you!

There are many things that I want to do regarding my blog presence...I'm learning and growing, soon I will carve out a niche for myself. But of course, this blog is my first and I will always cherish it. Happy Blogoversary to me = )

It is easier to love a stranger than it is to love someone you know...

I'm a Twitter fiend. I'm on the website most days because the people I interact with bring up great topics and since I am somewhat of a "people watcher" (not in a creepy sense, lol), Twitter is the place for me. I like to listen to the views of others, especially those that challenge me to really think about my own views. That said, last week one of my "tweeps", @twendsetter54, asked a good question. That question was: "How can you really love somebody you don't know?" I had to think about this for a moment, because my first thought was "As a Christian, I am supposed to love everyone, which of course includes strangers." But I do not think that is the complete truth, there has to be more to it than that.

It is easier to love a stranger because they are just that, a stranger. You do not know their flaws, their little idiosyncrasies, the things that really make, or break, all relationships. Ignorance of who a person really is blinds you and makes it easy to profess your love of said person. This is not necessarily a bad thing (this started to sound negative), but it is a superficial love. The real work happens when you've seen the smudges, the stains and love a person in spite of the blemishes. It can be difficult because many of us want perfection immediately and that is unrealistic.

So now I ask you, how can you love someone you don't know?

Oscar Grant Update: Mehserle receives a change of venue...

This is just a brief update on what is going on regarding the murder of Oscar Grant, which occurred on January 1, 2009. In case you didn't know, this young man was shot in the back, while handcuffed and lying on his stomach, by a BART police officer in Oakland, CA. The officer, Johannes Mehserle, has been charged for the crime and has plead not guilty. According to The Associated Press, Mehserle was granted a change of venue; now the trial will not take place in Oakland. Mehserle's attorney claimed that his client could not receive a fair trial in Oakland due to all the news coverage. I think that no matter where the trial is moved, he will still be found guilty because there was no reason to shoot Grant. At least I hope he is found guilty...we all know how this kind of case usually turns out...*side-eye*...

Violence against women: A spectator event...

I don't understand this teenagers today. So angry, so violent, so desensitized to anger and violence. I'm going to write this and I ask that you bear with me because I might babble...so many thoughts are running through my head. A few hours ago, I read an article on CNN.com about a young girl, possibly 15 years old, being gang-raped and beaten by four males (can't call them men because true men do not do such things and can't call them boys because they were old enough to know the difference between right and wrong). This disgusting and violent crime happened right outside of her high school's homecoming dance. This alone makes me want to react violently, but add the fact that approximately 15 people, perhaps students, stood around and watched this girl's brutal violation and DID NOTHING TO STOP IT...NOTHING! When you add that to this story, it makes it that much more sickening! This girl was going through the ugliest, scariest, most traumatic and humiliating moments of her life and there were people standing there watching! I can only imagine that she would have been thinking "Someone please help me! Please! Someone stop this!" But no one had it within them to push these guys off of her? I mean dang, even if you want to use that weak excuse of "being afraid for one's personal safety", someone could have ran inside the school and told a teacher what was happening outside of the school! But nope, each person chose to be a spectator to the abuse of this girl. They probably have no idea that they were bearing witness to her mental breakdown, or maybe they did and they did not care at all.

I do not understand where we are as a society where violence against women is just something to watch, something to accept and not something to stop.  Women face so much hatred (direct and indirect) and abuse (physical, emotional, and mental). And we often become just as desensitized as men to the violence commited against us. Rumor is that that some girls went to a party after the crime was committed and they were overheard joking about it...joking about the fact that a girl was beaten and raped. As I said, this is a rumor, but would this surprise me if it were found to be true? Not at all. There is no solidarity among us women. We fall into the catty, back bitting foolishness and in extreme cases we defend the abuser! What in the world?!?! Maybe some of us feel that if we defend the woman, we are bashing the man? I don't believe that it has to be an either-or situation. But if it comes down to a choice between the two, I'm choosing my sisters...those deserving, of course. I say "deserving" because I know that there are women out there who lie about being abused, whether it is to save themselves from some consequence (see Hofstra rape) or to get revenge (see Megan Williams). In situations like the Hofstra story and Megan Williams, when found guilty of falsely accusing someone of rape, there should be legal consequences. But that is another story...

My main point is that we have to stop standing by, letting women be abused, and doing nothing to stop it. It's one thing to walk around wearing ribbons for Domestic Abuse Awareness, but it's a whole other thing to actually have the courage to be proactive about stopping the abuse. We have to teach our daughters, sisters, and other female relatives that violence, any violence, against women is WRONG! We have to teach our sons, brothers, and male relatives the same thing. And we have to get rid of the "stop snitching" mentality! This is probably the reason that no one went inside the school and told someone that the young girl was outside being brutalized! If you see wrong happening, SPEAK UP! If just one person had done so, maybe the what happened outside of that high school would have went differently.

*****UPDATE******
According to the Los Angeles Times, a girl, who heard some people talking about the rape, called the police. Thank goodness there was at least one person with the decency to call 911. So far, several guys have been arrested. I wish those who stood back and watched could be charged with something! I've been on simmer since last night, but now getting fired up all over again...

Maxwell + Common + Chrisette Michelle = Music at it's best!

An evening with Maxwell, Common, and Chrisette Michele? What an AMAZING concert! Each performer brought their A-game and made the price of admission totally worth it.


I wish I had been able to listen to Chrisette's entire performance, but my focus was on getting to my seat (a nice long journey, but when you make a last minute decision to go to a concert out of town what more can you expect). I listened to her sing Epiphany while I bought a concert t-shirt and from what I could hear, mind you, I'm surrounded by hordes of people within the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, she sang beautifully! Now, I had not listened to her latest cd, so I did not know the titles of all the songs she sang. However, I know that when she sang "Fragile" and "I'm Okay" I got chills! She sang those into submission....if I hadn't been in the nosebleed section during this part of the show, I would have stood up and stomped my feet! If you have the opportunity to see her live, I suggest you go because she sounds spectacular! She sings the song, she does not yell the song at the listener, lol...


Now, I've seen this next artist perform live a few years back during a tour with John Legend and De La Soul. He gave his all during the performance and I can honestly say that Common gave his all during this performance. He was on stage for a while (and I did not mind at all!); I think he performed more songs than Maxwell, I could be wrong. He started the show with "Forever Begins" which got me rocking my head and by the time he told everyone to "Go" and "Testify", I was waving my hands and dancing in my seat (like I said, I was so far up there was no way that I was about to stand up and dance, lol). I love all his songs, but I was waiting for one song in particular and the man did it! Once the beat for "Punch Drunk Love" started up, folks lost it and everyone was hyped! He singled out a woman in the audience (and I was instantly envious...) and performed "Come Close" to the music from D'Angelo's "Lady". It was an endearing performance, especially when he started to sing a little of the original song, lol...The entire audience appreciated a MJ interlude where the DJ played "The Way You Make Me Feel" and when Common came back to the stage he went into a tribute to hip hop, performing bits and pieces of some of the classics (I would have written down the titles, but I was feeling to good to be worried about that at the time, lol). The atmosphere was pretty electric; everyone was loving the hip hop tribute and when Common started to break dance folks stood up and rooted him on! The man is in great shape *wink*...My suggestion is, as it was with Chrisette Michelle, if you get the chance to see Common perform live, GO SEE HIM!


To round out an evening of great music, the man of the hour walked out onto the stage and roar of the crowd was awesome! At this point, I reached for my camera, since I was able to move to a club seating area (thanks to Reads4Pleasure, a fellow Twitter person!), however I realized that I lost my camera! So I had to trace my steps back to the mezzanine seats. Luckily, my camera was laying underneath my original seat (Thank you God!) So I rush back to my new seat just in time to watch Maxwell perform one of my all time favorites "Get To Know Ya". Maxwell and the live band sounded GREAT together! I've always loved that particular song because it is so smooth and the horns set it off...hearing it live made it that much more great! I was looking forward to hearing quite a few of my favorites and for the most part Maxwell had me covered. Of course I wanted to hear songs from his new cd, but it was great to hear some classic Maxwell, like "Til The Cops Come Knockin'", "Ascension", and "Lifetime". There were wonderful moments where the entire audience, probably hundreds, if not thousands, of people singing along. He was very interactive with the audience, very energetic. He performed two of my favorite songs from his new cd, "Cold" (I love the latin sound and hearing it live made me wanna dance with somebody!) and "Playing Possum" (the guitar in this song grabs my heart every time I hear it!). I loved the stage setup, especially the starry projection on the stage screens (that made the performance even more touching). While I would have loved it if he had performed "Whenever, Wherever, Whatever", "Suitelady", "This Woman's Work", and "Stop the World", I thoroughly enjoyed the show. Of course he performed "Bad Habits", with the lights low and Maxwell crooning, you better believe that this is a show to see with the one you love...I had to laugh 'cause he told the fellas in the audience that he was setting them up to get some love and he most definitely was. There was such a sensual feel to his portion of the show. He ended the show with "Pretty Wings" and received audience participation because everyone was singing the song with him. It was a great performance, especially when the "feathers" fell from above. And I was tempted to leave the area where I was seated to go down to the floor and grab some "feathers" but after really looking, I could tell it was paper, lol...

All around, I have to say that this was a wonderful concert and I suggest that you the next tour. This show left me feeling wonderful and I am so glad I decided to go! I floated all the way home! If you missed this one, I'm sure there will be another tour since Maxwell's second cd in the trilogy comes out next year.

(Chrisette Michele photo courtesy of Odellia via Photobucket)
(Common photo courtesy of famefatale_photos via Photobucket)(Maxwell photo courtesy of kalikarla via Photobucket)

Newly Released Michael Jackson song..."This Is It"...

Here's the new song from Michael Jackson (R.I.P. MJ)...it still feels surreal that he has passed away and this is a posthumous release...smh...Anyway, enjoy the song! I love it!

Seriously? Seriously NASA?

Why must we, human beings, blow things up? Cause destruction? In the name of science? Apparently destroying Earth is no longer enough; now scientists are "bombing" the Moon! "Why?" you ask.Well, our planet is in dire need of water, so....oh? What? We aren't in need of water? Well, NASA will crash a spacecraft into the moon tomorrow morning (10/9). According to this article (click here to read), they are interested in water ice that may be in the moon craters. This has to be one of the stupidest waste of resources! Not to mention causing an explosion on the moon just seems wrong, dangerous even. While I worry about the future of my people, I also worry about the future of all human beings...some things need to be left alone.

C' mon Son 5

I love this series! Had to post it to my blog and share it with others!

DON'T SIT BACK AND LET THIS SHYT HAPPEN!!!

WATCH THIS VIDEO...



After clicking on a link via Twitter, I saw this video and felt angry, sick, tired, and outdone all at once. What in the world is wrong with our youth? Why the hell are they so angry? Yes, I know life is difficult and sometimes it is hard to simply get up out of bed because the obstacles seem too high to get over. But a difficult life is no excuse for MURDER! You know what, and I don't care who I offend when I say this...I don't give a motherf@#k about how hard your life is...excuse after excuse...there is no excuse for what was done to Derrion Albert. THOSE SOB'S KILLED THAT CHILD!!! AND AS MUCH AS THAT ANGERS ME, WHAT ANGERS ME MORE IS THE FACT THAT ADULTS WERE THERE!!! WHY STAND BACK AND WATCH THIS UNFOLD!!!! WHAT? JUST SO YOU COULD RECORD IT? GROWN FOLKS, WHEN WE SEE THIS STUFF HAPPEN, WE HAVE TO STOP IT! DON'T SIT BACK AND SCREAM AND WATCH...DON'T BE PASSIVE! THEN WANNA SCREAM "WE WANT JUSTICE!" WHAT IS THAT ABOUT?!?! WE CAN'T LOOK FOR OTHER FOLKS TO GET OUR KIDS UNDER CONTROL!!! IT PISSES ME OFF THAT THOSE KIDS KILLED THAT CHILD BUT IT PISSES ME OFF EVEN MORE THAT ADULTS, GROWN FOLKS, DID NOTHING BUT SCREAM! CHARGE EACH ONE OF THOSE UNREASONABLY ANGRY SOB'S WITH MURDER! THROW THE EFF'N BOOK AT THEM AND BUST THEM UPSIDE THEIR HEADS WITH BOARDS! NO SYMPATHY! NO EXCUSES! I'M TIRED OF IT...SO EFF'N TIRED...

Good Morning!!! GET UP!!!

My morning motivation song! Thanks for putting me onto this Krystal = )

Oscar Grant Update: Change of venue?

Apparently Johannes Mehserle is afraid that he will not receive a fair jury trial. His attorney has filed a motion requesting a change of venue because the majority of people polled in Alameda County know about the case and have already prejudged Mehserle as guilty (Read more here). In case you are asking yourself "Who is Johannes Mehserle?" I'll fill you in. Mehserle is the BART officer who shot Oscar Grant in the back on January 1, 2009. Not only did he shot this young man in the back, but he did so while Grant was lying on the ground, on his stomach with his hands cuffed behind his back. In case you are wondering, Mehserle is white and Grant was black. As you can imagine, this has caused more racial tension within the community. According to Mehserle, this was a terrible mistake; he thought he had pulled out his taser. Right. Even if people were to buy that, he wants people to believe that this young man is lying on the ground, on his stomach, hands cuffed and he needed to be tased? Get out of here! The use of tasers have been in the news as of late because of the deaths they have caused (just google "taser deaths" and you'll see examples). Anyway, the change of venue seems fruitless because if you live in California, you already know about the case, so at best, Mehserle can only hope that people will put personal opinions aside and listen to all the facts before making a decision.

Lucky for him, I'm not in the jury pool because I think he is guilty as sin and the fact that he had to extradited from Nevada only makes him look more guilty.

HILARIOUS!!!!

Ed Lover had me at work about to fall out in tears! His commentary was so on point and hilarious! Every time I see one of those Lil Mama pictures, I die laughing! And Chris Brown's bowtie? OMG!!! I had no idea someone produced some Obama basketball shoes! What kind of fuckery is that?! Those things look so wack! Yes, I said WACK! The only thing those shoes would be good for is for smacking Joe Wilson upside his dumb head! That video is hilarious and because of it, I am a subscriber of Ed Lover's YouTube Channel...C'mon Son!

How awkward...

It's been a minute since I have posted something new on my blog and it kind of sucks that my 100th post has to be devoted to this, but hey...what do you do? Went to the gas station to put a little gas in my car. After doing so, the machine asked if I wanted a receipt...well, of course I want a receipt because I received a rebate offer on $50 worth of gas and I have to send in receipt copies. So anyway, I wait and wait, and nothing happens. The machine is out of paper and this requires me to go into the gas station. No big deal, right? Well, it kind of is. See my father decided to start working at this particular gas station. This is a man whom I rarely see; last time I saw him was a little over a year ago and he lives right around the corner. While I have truly forgiven him for the crappy things he has said to me in the past, during my parent's divorce mind you, I still feel a bit awkward around him. This is the same guy who has yet to visit his other two children, my brother and sister, in several years. I feel for them, especially my brother because he really hasn't had much interaction with my dad. So when I see my dad, I feel awkward because I think to myself, "Why won't you come to the house and see the your youngest children?" I'm not angry, just perplexed at the way he is able to stay away from them, but live right around the corner. I just wish this feeling would go away because I love him, his my dad, but I guess there is so much water under the bridge. I can forgive but it so hard to forget things and I suppose I'm afraid to trust him not to hurt my feelings again. I never question where my trust issues come from...it started there. Anyway, I just needed to get that off my chest. We all have our issues and I suppose once I get past that hurdle, other areas in my life will be clearer...

MJ Tribute

Dwele really did Human Nature justice...truly beautiful. Figured I would post this since they have finally laid MJ to rest...RIP MJ...

And another one!!!

On Wednesday, I did a blog post regarding a rally concerning a noose-hanging incident at the city water plant. At said rally, we protested the way the case was. or is, being handled and demanded that there be a no-tolerance policy for such incidents, or hate crimes. At this time, there have been no arrests made for the water plant incident and according to the newspaper, the two men responsible are still working at the plant. That's some bull, right? Well, I guess seeing the lack of consequences in this case, another man decided "Hey, I'm gonna hang a noose at a different city work site! That will be funny!" The only difference in this incident, is that this man was arrested, but for disorderly conduct. There's that phrase again...disorderly conduct. Why is this city so afraid of calling a spade, a spade! These actions are HATE CRIMES!!!! Stop coddling and trying to sweep this shit under the rug! The first two men should have been arrested, just like this new guy was arrested! What is the hold-up?! Oh yeah, supposedly the mayor's blood is involved in the first case...the names of the first two idiots have yet to be released to the public, so that theory is starting to look more and more plausible. Again, I say call this what it is...RACISM!!!

Here's a link to this new story: http://www.sj-r.com/homepage/x1331799616/Mayor-Davlin-to-discuss-arrest-of-city-employee

Guess what I did today in post-racial America???

Alright folks, all over the nation they are coming out of the woodwork. They? Who is this "they" you speak of Tiff? "They" is in reference to the people who have been masking their racist and/or prejudiced feelings toward African Americans. Here's the situation: African American man arrives at his city job for CWLP, ready to get to work. He walks to his designated work area and guess what's there? A pile of work? A bouquet of flowers? A welcome back present? Nope, nothing so pleasant. Hanging in the man's work area was a noose. Yes, a noose...hanging in a black man's work area. Ha Ha, funny, right? Yeah, I don't think so either, and neither do the people who showed up at tonight's rally. A rally was held prior to the city council meeting where this issue would be discussed. Varying ethnicity showed up to voice their outrage at the fact that this even occurred and also at the fact that "disorderly conduct" is being considered as the charge. Yes, disorderly conduct! This was a HATE CRIME and that should be the charge! The brotha who was the target of this hate crime said that the investigation was performed without asking him for his side of the story. apparently they didn't even ask him if he was having issues with any co-workers! Wouldn't you ask that question in a thorough investigation? Rumor has it, that one of the two men involved in committing the crime is the nephew of the mayor. Again, this is currently just a rumor. So you know we gotta stay on top of this in order to make sure justice is served and that the both men are terminated from their jobs.

Here's a link to the story: http://www.sj-r.com/homepage/x1543607867/Police-CWLP-investigating-noose-hung-in-water-plant-workstation

I'll be sure to comment further on this when I find out more information...

Have I told you about the time I won a Nickelodeon contest?

It was a crazy moment and I still chuckle at the way it went down. I was at home and had just been grounded for something, maybe for not cleaning my room or something. Anyway, my mom was leaving the house to go somewhere and, of course, I wanted to go with her. However, I had just been grounded, so she was not taking me anywhere with her. As she starts to walk out the door, a UPS truck pulls up. My parents are asking each other if the other was expecting anything. The answer was no. So the UPS guy brings this big box to the front door and asks for "(My Name)." My parents are asking what this is for and I'm like "I don't know." So, I sign for the box and take it into the living room. I start tearing into the box, mind you, I had never gotten anything like this delivered to me before. Finally, I get the thing open and see a ton of Nickelodeon stuff! There was a letter in side the box congratulating me on my win (I can't remember which contest it was, I always entered a bunch of them, lol). There was all kinds of stuff in there...toys, Nickelodeon SLIME, videotapes of my favorite Nick shows, etc. That was a great moment! Needless to say, I was no longer concerned with not being able to leave with my mom, lol!

Let me tell you (that I have) a secret

I know the purpose of this prompt is to tell a secret, but I'm a fairly private person. And while my "secret" is nothing scandalous or shameful, at least not to me, I always have a filter going when I use these social networking type of websites. But I'll tell you this much...if you ask the right question, I will tell you the truth....

Sonia...You got some 'splainin to do...WTH?

You know what? I'm not surprised in the least by the stereotypical, racially tainted response given by Senator Tom Coburn. Quite often republicans have made, especially in the past year, these ignorant "jokes." She, Sotomayor, of course handled it all in a lighthearted manner and, if for nothing else, she gets my respect for that. I just shake my head at the Republican party...I mean really, WTH?

What's in my cd player in the summer? These three are a must!

I love music and the following songs are not only apart of my summer soundtrack, but they are apart of my life soundtrack...

Summertime by Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince

This song is the straight up truth when it comes to describing what goes on during the summer! And when the radio stations start to play it in preparation for the beginning of summer, it amps me up!

Summer Breeze by The Isley Brothers

I love to roll my windows down in the car in the evening and have this playing. The summer breeze caressing my face and blowing through my locs...yeah, summer breeze makes me feel fine...

Golden Time of Day by Frankie Beverly and Maze

I love listening to this song right after work, in my car with the windows down, when the sun is starting its descent. Actually, this song works no matter what season we're in. Whenever the sun is starting to make its transition, it's the golden time of day. But summer is the best season to have that moment.

R.I.P. Michael Jackson...The King of Pop

What a day this has been...

Michael Jackson, a man whom I've been a fan of it seems all my life, passed away this afternoon. A true icon...it's difficult to find the words to describe what I'm feeling right now. Earlier today, when I read that he had been taken to the hospital due to a cardiac arrest. I was thinking that he would be okay; no way would this man be taken away from the world, not yet at least. Then, via Twitter, I started to see folks saying that he passed away. Still, I could not believe it! He had to make his comeback, give a middle finger to all the haters out there who said he didn't have what it takes anymore. While I wouldn't have been able to attend one of the concerts in London, I knew that there would be footage or some other way that I could experience THE CONCERT OF THE CENTURY!

So no matter what was said, I refused to believe that Michael was gone. I sat at work, tissue in hand, tears in my eyes trying not to break down as I read all the news websites and listened as radio stations made the claim that he was indeed gone. Feeling numb, I left work, listened to the radio so I wouldn't miss anything. Got home, watched the news and began to cry when they said the LA Times announced his death. Cried even more when CNN started playing a clip from a TV show when Michael was performing "I Want You Back" as one of The Jackson 5. Cried off and on, for awhile as I watched all the coverage and the music clips. Reminisced about my childhood, listening to my parents Off The Wall and Thriller albums (for real vinyl records on my record player, lol). Music that would have me laughing, singing my heart out one moment and crying like a baby because he was so vulnerable and I could feel what he was feeling. Mind you, I'm 7 or 8 at the time, but I knew what he was feeling and you couldn't tell me otherwise.

What were your fave MJ moments? I remember when a Michael Jackson video was an EVENT!!! And if you missed the world premiere of the video, you should have felt shame. I would be on the phone with friends, talking about how cool this "Black or White" and "Remember the Time" was. The first time I saw "Smooth Criminal" and the entire Moonwalker movie...Michael Jackson is apart of many memories in my life...I'm going to miss him so much...getting teary eyed again....

Really, what were your favorite Michael Jackson moments?

Thinking about this makes me feel something like what John Mayer was saying on Twitter...I feel like a piece of my childhood is gone. Not trying to be dramatic or anything, but this truly hurt my soul.

I wanna be loved....

Yeah
I said it
I wanna be loved
And another thing
I want to love back

See
I'm not a selfish woman
I have every intention
of loving a man
as strongly
as he loves
me

That is what Lauryn said, right?
Reciprocity
That is what I'm looking for
what I'm craving
and aching for

Closed mouths
don't get fed, so
no fear of
rejection here
anymore
Vocalization is
necessary

I said
I want to be loved
And
I want to love back

There is nothing
selfish about
a woman who
has every intention
of loving a man
as strongly
as he loves
she

Okay, you may be asking yourself: what brought this about? I enjoy writing; it is said that one can find catharsis in writing. I needed to purge. I've been feeling, lately, that I'm missing out on something major. Music does something to me; I love it so much. In me, it brings about realization. That said, I've been listening to this song by Jeff Bradshaw (feat. Glen Lewis) called Beyond the Stars. It is beautiful; the music and words do something to me. So I decided to really open up here and share something deeper about my self. That's not to say that what I post on this blog is meaningless. What ever I say on here means a lot to me, but I realize that most of what I post deals with my external concerns. I want to dig and deal with some internal things as well. This was my first attempt; hope you understand and possibly enjoyed. Below is the YouTube video for my inspiration:

Let's Go Back...Way Back....

Check out this video...one of the best ever...

People use 9-1-1 for any and everything...

Watch this CNN clip:


What I find funny about this is not the fact that the man called the police about the food order being messed up, but the fact that the man said the employee was laughing at his brother-in-law's broken english...did you hear the employee speak? She has no right to laugh at anyone...

FYI

According to an article The Wall Street Journal website, the Supreme Court overturned the ruling that says the police cannot interrogate a person without the presence of an attorney. Now, my first reaction was "That's some Bull@#$^" because I'm fairly certain that there are officers who do some underhanded things to get a confession (not because I watch police dramas and movies, but because its human nature). My next reaction was "Okay, so what, you can interrogate me all you want to, but I don't have to say anything and I'm not confessing to something I did not do!" Now, I think that my final reaction to this is a mixture of the two. This is bull@#$% because there are people who, after intense bullying and threatening, will confess to crimes they did not commit, and the original ruling gave them a little protection against that. Now, I'm not naive enough to believe that true criminals find protection from that as well, but punishing the innocent does not seem fair to me. So, what can be done? I'm not sure, but I don't think that the president can overturn the Court's decision, so petitioning him maybe fruitless. Perhaps I can contact my state's representatives and they could help in some way? I was never a fan of my Political Science class, so I'm not very knowledgeable on the steps one can, and should, take in a situation such as this. But there has to be something that can be done...

Your thoughts on this?

Operation Product Tester: Sephora Brilliant Shine Lip Gloss

Last Friday, I went on a day excursion to The Galleria in St. Louis for my birthday. While there I stopped at the Sephora Store and did some browsing, while waiting for Terminator Salvation to start. As I was walking the aisles, trying different products out, I remembered that I am a VIP Beauty Insider and was eligible for a free birthday gift. I rushed to the cashier counter and told the lady the deal and received not only my birthday gift, but a rousing "Happy Birthday!!!!" from her and several other Sephora consultants = ) My free gift was a three pack of mini Sephora Brilliant Shine Lip Glosses (a spectacular gift for me, a person who is a gloss junkie, lol!). I was exhausted once I got home from my trip and this weekend was relax mode for me, so I didn't try on the glosses until last night. You can see my before and after photos below:

This is my before pic; I prepped my lips with a great lip sugar and mint scrub to slough of dead skin

(lip scrub: Lip Strip by Laura Geller)

This is Bronzed Beauty

This is Rosy Glow

This is Precious Pink

While I love all three, my favorite is Bronzed Beauty! All three glosses have a sweet, candy scent; I licked my lips expecting a sweet taste to go with the smell, but no such luck. This may not be a bad thing, to me it means that the glosses won't interfere with food and drink. It doesn't hold up to a lot of activity, so you will have to reapply. However at $10 a tube, I think its worth the money for all the shine you get. I will definitely purchase this in the future!

All products used in this testing can be found on the Sephora website; click here!

I like to relax in bed

Ligne Roset Maly Bed

I love to sit in peace and quiet...everything turned off. When I do that, relaxation comes easily. Every now and again, this is the perfect way for me to de-stress-ify.

HILARIOUS!!!!

Something funny for your enjoyment...



You got knocked the F#@% OUT!!! LMAO!!!

Knock, Knock...

This was sent to me via email and I thought it was a good one to share with others...

If there is any justice in the world, this S.O.B. will be dealt with!!!!!

Crimes against children always, ALWAYS, hurt my soul...and piss me off! Babies are some of the most innocent beings on earth and I can't stand it when people harm them. Women we need to be cognizant of the type of men we allow to be around our children! This poor, little innocent baby boy had no way of defending, or protecting himself...as I type this, I cry and get more and more angry! Emanuel Wesley Murray was murdered by his mother's ex-boyfriend, Richard A. McTear Jr., a man who disliked the child from the beginning. This S.O.B. beat the mother and then picked up a car seat, which the baby was still in, and threw it across the room. The baby fell out of the seat and hit the floor. The mother run out of the apartment for help, and this monster runs off with the baby. While driving along the interstate, this MONSTER throws the baby out of the car!!!! RICHARD A. McTEAR JR. DESERVES TO DIE!!!!! I read an article about a woman being sentenced to death by firing squad, in another company, for drug trafficking. THIS MOFO DESERVES A SENTENCE NO LESS THAN THAT!!!. Now, forgive me, I'm mad at the mother too... if this punk was a danger to the baby, she should have taken the baby somewhere else; you know, found someone who would be willing to keep the baby until this nutcase was out of the picture completely. As soon as the S.O.B. showed that he didn't like the baby, he needed to be out of the equation. That said, I pray for the mother and the family of innocent little Emanuel.

To read the article, click here...

The most fun I've had in awhile!!!!

Okay folks...it's been a minute, school is still sucking up all my time, but Thursday, April 23, 2009, I made time to have a great evening. I went to St. Louis for the Robin Thicke/Jennifer Hudson concert...all I can say is WOW!!!! Well, actually, for the purpose of this blog post, I have more than that to say : ) So, we (my mom, her friends, and I) get to the Fabulous Fox theater, a place I find to be gorgeous...I love the architecture and the ambiance. I saw many funny things before the show began...outrageous outfits and bold hairstyles. One woman was rocking her "Ruff 'n Stuff" afro puffs, lol...A woman behind me got upset at Afro Puffs for standing up; when she sat down the woman yelled "Thanks for finally sitting down Mickey Mouse!" Those things were serious! I thought they were cute : ) People can be so fascinating, lol...

Anyway, I get to my seat, Orchestra VIP section 2 and was blessed with a great view! There was a guy, I guess a hype man, who was the funniest little round man. This guy was so into getting the crowd enthused...I didn't need to be anymore hyped up than I was, I vibrating for the simply fact that I was about to see Robin Thicke perform : ) A few minutes after the hype man left the stage, the lights went off and in the theater and a stage light came on behind a white screen. Of course, there were cheers because the show was starting. The band was playing what I think was Curtis Mayfield and someone announced Robin, who I could see walking up to the mic behind the screen. At this point I'm slowly unravelling, lol. From that point forward, Robin was the ish!!! OMG!!! From "Magic" to "Dreamworld" to "Wanna Love You Girl" to "Teach You..." to "Lost Without You", the performance was SPECTACULAR!!!

Can you tell I'm a fan, lol *wink* I'm glad that I wasn't sitting with my mom when he started working his hips...definitely blush-worthy! The man is quite, um, sensual : )When he started to sing Jodeci's "Come and Talk to Me" I promptly lost my mind, lol...that is one of my favorite Jodeci songs and Robin did it justice. For me, the night, my reason for being there, was Robin...but...

Jennifer definitely did her thang! There was this funny moment when Jennifer was about to some onto the stage to perform. The lights went off, and you could hear Jennifer begin to sing "One Night Only", everyone suddenly stood up and looked toward the back of the theater, away from the stage. I stood up too, I thought that maybe she was walking down the aisle, singing, even though I could hear her behind the screen on the stage. I still don't know why folks started looking toward the back. When she finally came out on the stage, people lost their minds, screaming and cheering; it was electric. Jennifer looked great! Sang beautifully, of course. I watched her perform and thought to myself, "American Idol? Whatever, they got it wrong that year!" She sang songs from Dreamgirls and her Cd, she also sang a song from The Secret Life of Bees. Then she thanked everyone for coming out and said good night. The stage lights dimmed and some people got up and started to leave, but those of us with sense stayed seated, because she hadn't even sang "And I'm Telling You"...sure enough we could hear her start to sing, lol...folks came running back and girlfriend brought it home : )

Suffice it to say, I loved every moment of the concert and wish I could go tomorrow's Chicago concert! But, I plan on seeing Robin perform at the Essence Festival in July (Oh Yeah!)

I'm still feeling good from it all : )

GOOD GAWD!!!!!

I must have these boots!!!!! Shoe-gasm, lol *wink*

Do you want a pair? Click here to get them if you want to add to your sexy : )

Sorry for the hiatus...

For a while there, I was doing well with keeping up a steady flow of blog posts. Lately, however, I've been kind of 'laxed in adding content to my blog. Shame on me...but I hope to change that soon. Classes have been keeping me quite occupied, and I really want to keep a GPA of 3.5 or higher (last quarter I had a 4.0 (YAY!)). Grad school is no joke, so if I want to do well, I gotta let some things slide and unfortunately that means my blog (frown). I'm working on better time management because I know I can fit everything in to my daily life, so hopefully next week will bring about change!

When will it stop...

Just read about the death (or murder) of Bernard Monroe. A 73 year old black man, who was in his yard with family when he was killed by a police officer. Apparently, the police thought that Monroe's son had committed a crime and chased the man to his father's home. According to the article, the son was chased into the house and then back out into the yard. Monroe went over to the police officer who had just tasered his son; as he went toward the police officer, another officer shot Monroe dead. Of course, the officer says that the old man had a gun in his hand when he was walking toward the other officer. Witnesses are saying that Monroe had no gun in his hand and that the police planted a gun near the old man's body.

Of course, now there is even more racial tension in the small community of Homer, La. Apparently, the police chief in the community has allegedly made some comments that leads me to believe he may have ugly intentions. Citizens in the community say that young black men are being targeted as criminals. This seems to be a nationwide epidemic.

Read more about this story by clicking here.

Change "The Game" Campaign

Let the CW know that they can't cancel The Game! We can't lose another TV show! Join the campaign!

Thanks and much love!

Makes you feel warm and fuzzy : )

A friend sent this to me via email (Thanks Gabby!)...

"This is the most powerful photo in the series. Remember they are not supposed to shake hands, but the two brothers couldn't resist the historic moment. The black royal cop never imagined in his wildest dream that he would usher a black American president into the British corridors of power. Nice."

Shooting in Pittsburg...3 dead...what's going on people?!

Yesterday, a fool lost his mind and killed 14 people in New York. Today, another fool decided to shoot 3 police officers in Pennsylvannia. Possible reason? According to those close to him, he was angry about losing his job and was worried that Obama was going to place a ban on guns. So he starts shooting...yeah, that would convince the President to say "You know what, there's no need for gun control..."

Click here to read the news story...

The O.G. (Original Goonette)

Okay, I'm sure that most of you have seen, or at least heard about, Plies and his so-called reality show called "Goonette". If you haven't, I'll give you a brief synopsis. According to Plies, a goonette is a strong, independant woman. She takes care of business and has overcome everything thrown at her...like Beyonce and them, a goonette is a survivor! Well, anyway, the goonette selected for this reality show is a single mother. She's a woman who handles her business and makes sure that her children are provided for. In order to do this, she strips for a living. No big deal there, I suppose. But what makes this show so sad, aside from the title "Goonette", is that this woman is a midget. So for the most part, the woman will be made fun of, taken as some sort of joke. While the TLC channel has a show that focuses on the life of two midgets, "Little People, Big World", we get "Goonette". Suffice it to say, I will not watch this, if it is actually picked up by a network. In fact, I will definitely be one of the one to protest it, if only for it's sheer stupidity. As much as I hate to, here is the clip for "Goonette"...



I say all that to say this, there was a "Goonette" before today. Back in the 60's, the cartoon Popeye had a character named Alice the Goon. When I told my mom about Plies and his foolishness, she brought up this cartoon character she remembered from her childhood. So I thought I would share this with others, you know, just to make you laugh in case you didn't laugh at Plies and "Goonette". If you have never seen this before, let me introduce you to Alice the Goon...



What do you think about this "Goonette" foolishness?

An interesting buy...a two-for-one deal!

LOL...here's an article I received in an email from Daily Candy (www.dailycandy.com). It is quite the invention and who doesn't love buying something that can be used for more than one thing *wink*

April 1, 2009

Cut a Rug

The Tinge Razor/Vibrator

Have you ever been in the shower, shaving your legs, when you started to get turned on? Didn’t you wish that trusty razor of yours could satisfy more sensual needs?

Now it can with the Tinge, the first (and, we’re pretty sure, only) razor-slash-vibrator! Yes. Really.

The Tinge may look like an ordinary shaver, but just throw on the cap and voila — party time! Finally, you can remove unwanted stubble and get off with a single device.

But wait, there’s more: The Tinge has a whopping 32 different speed/mode combinations for your pleasure, and it’s water resistant, so you can get freaky in the bathtub.

That’s not all. The gadget comes with two blade cartridges and a bottle of pleasure gel — all for the low price of just $99.

Act now, and they’ll throw in a free butt plug-slash-tweezer.

Available online at mytinge.com. For more information, click here.

P.S. We are not responsible for snags or tears in your wizard’s sleeve.
P.P.S. Just kidding about the butt plug tweezers.

Oh really?!

I was listening to the Michael Baisden radio show this afternoon (very thankful that I can get this online, because my sucky town doesn't carry the show). Anyway, one part of the show was dedicated to the discussion of teens and sexuality. Baisden started off by talking to a pastor about a comment made by the current Pope, who says that condoms promote HIV/AIDS and promiscuity. Huh? Yeah, I know...WTF, right? Well, Michael totally disagrees with that statement, as most should, because condoms AND sex education are so important to stopping the spread of disease.

Well, as the show continued, Baisden asked that parents call in and talk about their hot-in-the-pants kids, lol; he specifically wanted to know whether or not any parents have walked into their homes and caught their child in the "act". One caller in particular caught my attention because of his feelings about finding his son with a young girl in his room getting it in. According to him, the girl was a skank because she didn't have enough respect for herself OR his home OR the fact that he and his wife were asleep in their room at the time. Okay, so he may have a point; I mean, it is pretty trashy on the girl's part to be in doing the do with her boyfriend with his parents down the hall. However, the father placed all the blame and shame on the girl. Baisden asked the father what he said to his son and George Wilborn asked him if he thought his son was skanky or a ho. The father said that his son is definietly a ho, but here's the thing...he said it with a sense of pride in the fact that his son has really "done some thangs"!

Anyone thinking what I'm thinking? Can we say "DOUBLE STANDARD"? That girl didn't break into the house and throw his son down and just take the d*#@.... she had to have been invited into the home, into the bedroom. Therefore the boy deserves just as much of the blame and shame as the girl. Both of them should have had respect for themselves, the parents, and the home. Respect for self being the biggest part of the equation. They were saying that kids, who haven't even graduate from high school yet, are having as many as 20+ sex partners! How insane is that! Looking for love and affection, trying to find comfort in all the wrong places. We have to educate the children because the reality is that sex is a natural act and it happens. So why not give them the information they need to make informed choices?

Just food for thought....

A short rant....

People, in case you don't know...walking up to people and touching their hair is rude. I'm at work, sitting at my desk, laughing at something and one of the managers comes into the office to give something to her assistant. Before exiting the office, she walks over, starts touching my hair and says "I just have to touch your hair! It looks so soft!" I laughed and asked "Do ya?" I'm like, do you really HAVE to touch my hair? "Can I touch your hair?" would have been the better way to approach me...I just don't understand it! Unless you are my man, you need to ask me permission before playing around in my hair. What is this impulse some people have to just go up to people and lay hands on their hair! This must stop...it's rude and if you have that habit, then out of simple respect for another person's personal space, just ask first.

*Sighing*

Rant over...leave a comment or continue with your day : )

What a world...what a world...

People we are in the last days indeed. How can you not believe that something deep and serious is going on. Look at the news, today and every other day! Just got done reading an article about a 23 year old young man who stabbed his 17 year old sister with a knife, decapitated his 5 year old sister, and tried to kill his 9 year old sister but was shot by the police before he could. When I read this story all I could do was call out to Jesus because there were just no other words.

Okay...really? Come on people....

How strange is this...click here

If this video game were actually for sale, would you purchase it? If this were a best-selling game, what would that say about our society?

Hmmmmm....

Okay, here's my issue at the moment...for some reason, I woke up with this on my mind and felt the need to blog about it. Yesterday, I went to AOL Black Voices and there was a blog post by someone. The post is titled "Disney's First Black Princess...Has a Prince Who's Not Black." I thought okay...so what? It's a cartoon, right? I went through some of the comments left after reading the article and man, some folks are totally outdone by the fact that a black female (Princess Tiana) and a non-black male (Prince Naveen) fall in love. Now, superficially, I look at this and think "So what...it's a cartoon..." But when I look deeper...I still say SO WHAT?! Interracial relationships are a reality, so why is it a big deal that it is reflected in a Disney movie? How many movies and TV shows are out there that show a black man involved with a non-black female? Plenty! So why the fuss?

I was watching a show on TV One this past weekend, and the hosts were talking about celebrities and there troubles with the law. One story really upset me...it was the one about Mike Tyson and Desiree Washington. Long story short, she accused him of rape and he was convicted. My anger isn't so much with the two of them, but at the reaction of the public, my people especially. Apparently my people were divided, some blamed Mike and many more blamed Desiree. Once again, more people blamed the victim. Granted, I wouldn't have went into the man's hotel room that late at night, but she did. This doesn't mean that she deserved what happened to her. What is even more upsetting to me is the fact that, according to the story, Desiree's life was ruined. This woman had to get plastic surgery, change her name, and basically uproot her life! Why?! While folks, black men and women, were in total support of Mike Tyson, who was supporting Desiree? Al Sharpton was in Mike's corner, but what big name person was in Desiree's corner? If people still think she lied, what did she gain from it? She's not rich....she's not some popular celebrity...so why continue the supposed lie? Could it be that she didn't lie? Seems like the obvious answer to me, but you may ask what does this have to do with a Disney movie? What's the connection? The common thread between the two is this...black women are to uplift, support our men, but we shouldn't expect the same in return.

Disney, for the first time after decades of movies, finally has an African American princess! Why can't that be celebrated? Why can't that be seen as progressive? Why is it that if the black woman, alone, moves upward, it can't be celebrated unless the black man is moving right along with her. Now, if a brotha finds success it is celebrated no matter what...and it is celebrated by the entire community. If Disney made a movie with a black prince and a non-black princess, would there be much complaining? Now...I'm not saying that a relationship with a non-black person equals success for a black person; that's not the case at all. What I am saying is that there is a double standard. For the moment, I'm done with my little rant : ) If you want to read the article that caused me to post this click here.