Is She Back?

I almost shed a tear when I saw this the other day; reminiscent of my childhood...hope she's here to stay!

Is It OK That She Can Do This?

i dunno...but i sure did almost fall out of my chair when i peeped this lil french girl killin this dancehall...

and from research into the actual video AND the tutorial, she's damn on point!!



would you challenge her?

As Much As He Annoys Me...

something just comes over me when I watch this lil boy kill this dance in his grandmama's basement...

I don't know what it is but...I can't stop watching this clip! As you all know, we're ina dancing craze phase, and we're shuckin n jivin all the way to the club with these ridiculous songs.

but as ridiculous as they are..."my dougie" will forever stay in my heart because of this clip! jam.

Check His FootWork.

Speak Yo Mind

The New Commitment?

(Miss Janet if ya Nasty, as the Virgin Janet)

Maybe it's just me, but I really thought that the days of tattin up ya current boo snatch's name anywhere on your body was over. Have we, as a people, not learned that most shit don't last? Most shit won't last? Most shit CAN'T last??? The state of Black relationships is already in a bad way, so I get it when we're extra hyped to be in a relationship and be in love, and feel something that appears to be longer lasting than a few hours, days, weeks, months, etc. But do we not learn from others who have made this mistake and now need to find various ways of coverup or removal? We all know at least ONE dude or woman who has a lover's name, nickname, streetname, or pet name somewhere on them.

(Dawn, on Que's yummy rightside waist)

And maybe I'm too jaded about relationships right now, but I just would not dare to get something permanent like a tat of said boo snatch's name on this beautiful brown skin. Does this make me pessimistic? Does this make my faith in my own ability to sustain relationships and be with men who can sustain a relationship shaky? I guess so, but you know what? I am completely fine with that. Even post-marriage, your name is not getting inked anywhere on this, I repeat, beautiful brown skin; I promise you. Now, I will admit, I was somewhat flattered when my ex mentioned getting my full name tatted on him. His hood booga way of showing me more love, of course. But, I also expressed to him time and time again, that it wasn't necessary, nor was it wanted/OK that he do this. Not because I didn't love him to pieces and want to be with him for "FO' EVA," but because I don't need all that, dear. You got me, and we know what it is (right now). The end. Did he do it anyway?

.......


Anyway.....this seems to be really what's hot, and not a fading trend. Are you guilty?

(Truly Blessed D. Gibson)

RIP Ed McMahon

In sad folks y'all, Ed McMahon died early this morning at the age of 86.


MSN story here

...56?

Teenager claims she only wanted three tattoos (on her face) ...and woke up at 5am with this:

56 stars, all over her damn face, to be exact. She said she went to sleep so she wouldn't feel the pain, and woke up while ol' boy was tattooing more shit on her nose. Tattoo artist claims that this is what she wanted, but blamed it on him when her dad and his friend saw the tats, and freaked. Artist said he doesn't use hypnosis or drugs during the process. He says ol' girl knew what was up? She's now charging him with assault and battery


My concern is: HOW DO YOU FALL ASLEEP WHILE GETTING A TATTOO, FOOL?!?!? Like, really? Are we supposed to believe that? And, on your FACE?!?!? Really? We are supposed to feel sympathy, for someone who claims to have sat through 56 tattoos ON HER FACE?!? No. I'm sorry. I ain't got it today, boo. Or tomorrow.



Who do hell do you believe?
full story


UPDATE: SHE LIED!!! (duh)

THIS SHIT HAS GOT TO STOP.

uhhh, no.

And LaLa, how you gon' weave up one half of your head? C'moooooooon people, why are we encouraging this? I guess it's the business.
courtesy of www.theybf.com

To Begin...From Here??

Long distance relationships man....never something I considered till I left the coast where my whole life was. Still not something I would ever go into whole heartedly thinking it would work, and that me and said ol' boy would be perfectly fine with it and be able to hang no problem.

Cuz unfortunately, I've developed trust issues this past year, and they ain't nothin but a bitch! Relationships are hard enough as it is in the same damn county, but would you start one with someone who was not near you?


Would you, could you, begin with absence?

Parental vs. Rude...When Does it Become NOT OK?

Now, my parents are Guyanese, and with all that West Indian history, comes a whole lotta nonsense that only few of my friends understand. There are a lot of behaviors that my parents have that I have learned to excuse 1) because I couldn't say shit, cuz....duh, they're my parents and 2) because I didn't realize that alot of parents are NOT like them. Of course, they share many characteristics of most parents, but there are these just...unexplainable traits of West Indian parents are are so rooted, I wouldn't even know where to begin to address some of them.

One thing that I've come to notice, and have heard from other friends with non-American parents, is the tyrant mindframe of our fathers. Again, this is something that I have just become very accustomed to, but it has begun to really boil my water and place a further gap between me and this man (my father). Granted, men in general, many cultures, are born and bred differently to be this all powerful, no nonsense, unquestionable forces that rule with an iron fist. But in the West Indian culture, what I notice also is such a lack of compromise, and lack of even trying to understand another point of view, ESPECIALLY if it's more "American/Yankee." But honestly, he is just so damn rude! No tact. Complete disregard for my feelings. Dismissive. Tyrannical. Critical.

I mean, love the man with my all, but sometimes...I just feel like he goes too far, and does this, because he knows he can, and has been allowed to do so by everyone in my family (my brother tries to go hard at him sometimes, tho, guess it's a guy thing). Things as personal as romantic relationships (he's only been privy to one, my most recent, which he was not a fan of, and had no problem informing me of this), he felt/feels the need to make inappropriate jokes and say hurtful things. Is this to gauge my true feelings? Is this to drive whatever point he has, home? Is this just for me to react?

And how bad is it that I've learned to just ignore him? In one, out the other. (or so it seems) That can't be healthy right? With family? The ease with which I brush his hurtful words off my shoulder? No, not healthy, but damn sure protective.


Do you have those people in your life who get under your skin, but for whatever reason, you never address it?
Just a thought.

Yeah, I Brought It Back.

Doogie Howser - Theme Song

He's Back.

and he's saving my psyche as I part ways with the 08'09 "in a relationship" AY. I listen to it as if my ex is saying/singing this to me (which he has), letting me do what I need to do. Just perfect.





Maxwell is coming to shake the neo-soul world again like he did 7 years ago. July 7th, 2009, the first installment of his 3-part album, BlacksSummersNight, drops in stores.



And I will be there to catch it!

I'm So Glad He Learned...

that braids are out for the grown Black man. Get it, boo!

so whether he learned on his own, or someone told him, it was a MUST to cut that hair! These other men learned their lessons, as well, also. And I'm sure their fan base grew with the new do's! Your hair is your crown....




don't y'all just FEEL more mature? Fresh? Clean? Freeeeeeeeee????

What are your thoughts on men in braids? Not locs, not dreads, but BRAIDS??

Just Cuz I Like It When He Says...

Mami el negro está rabioso

El quiere tu azúcar, y tu no se lo das
Esa morena está sabrosa
Y cuando tú la tocas, ella se vuelve loca


Don't know what the hell those words mean, but I do know how Pitbull makes me feel on the deep down inside when he says it...yum!

Gravely Inappropriate.

Does anyone else think that this is a little too much? love sex magic by Ciara, ft. Justin Timberlake. I've been hearing about the "graphic-ness" of this video for a while now, but never had a chance to catch it anywhere until a few days ago. And I was really shocked and borderline offended. Ciara, boo, stop. You don't need to do all that.

Or maybe you do? Sex sells, I guess. And you're voice surely isn't gonna help you in this recession. So, am I just being a hater then? I know Justin's also an actor, and has a significant other, so this may not be a big deal in that respect. I'd still be a lil tight though if I was Ms. Biel.



Just sayin'...

Step-Mom?

This was a draft post that I meant to complete when I had a significant other. Well, scratch that. I still have have a significant other; we are just no longer in a "relationship," for all intensive purposes of how folks choose to use that word. However, the title of this post no longer applies to my current sitcha-ation. However I'll speak on it anyway as a brief learning lesson for me, and something that many men and women need to think about these days when dating.

At one point in my life, a very short time ago, I considered being a mother. Fortunately for me, this motherhood did not involve a stretched out belly, morning sickness or cravings. This motherhood would have been a secondary bond, between myself and my boyfriend's children, if we were to get serious enough for me to be a regular part of their lives. But many factors were obstacles.

1. I'm not ready to be no one's mother. I'm not ready financially, emotionally, physically or mentally. Not that I can't be a role model, but, a mother? That's alot on the plate.

2. I don't have the time to be no one's mother. Granted, many women who become mothers have had to make the time for motherhood due to circumstances. But, seeing as how this is not something I have to do because of my physically growing girth, nah. My time is devoted to school and procrastination. And even being with his children for a short time did take away from things that I needed to be doing. However, I put in the effort, and I do not regret testing the waters, even if only for a few hours at a time.

3. I can't be no one's mother, if you NEED me to be a stepmom. Much different if you are a parent who is dating around, and you happen to fall in love with someone and you get serious enough to consider the role, and its discussed amongst you two, etc. You are able to handle your own as a single parent, or in a successful co-parenting relationship. HOWEVA, if you are dating, in order, however subconsciously, to find this step parent that you so need to help you in the role of parenting? There is going to be a problem. Even if I was in the position to be a step-parent, let's think about the pressure now placed on the relationship when I start dating you AND your children immediately.

Now, once upon a time, this was a rare issue that people who were dating had to deal with. Or, this was something that older couples had to deal with, after years of being with a partner, or being married, with a later divorce, and dating/remarriage. Bring in the Brady Bunch. But nowadays, people are having children much younger, and having MORE children, and unfortunately, more than likely out of wedlock. Or about to be in wedlock because of said pregnancy, or wedlock that isn't lasting long.

So step-parenting is definitely a new wave in the future in the lives of young couples. Actually, it's already here. It's easy to say "I won't date anyone with children," and it's also very understandable, as a means of cutting out the high potential for drama, and added stress of children in the mix of getting to know someone more intimately.

But...how reasonable is this is today's society to avoid even feeling someone, who has a child? Is it fair? To you, to block out a growing number of potential lovers and relationships? How fair is this, to those who have children and are single, that they may be classified as "undateable?" I've learned that I once thought was a preference, and circumstances that were must haves in relatinoships for me, really are not. My ex was the epitome of everything I said I did NOT want in a man (including having children), except for the love, adoration, mutual bond, ability to connect, sex life, humor, and level of comfort, etc. that he also came with. So can I say I wouldn't date someone who has children, after these most recent experiences and complications due to such?

Nope. I would do it again in a heartbeat. For me, it's not about the children; it's not about the children's mother(s). It's about how you handle the children, and their mother(s), in relation to your current relationship. So, yes, I'd do it again. I'd just do it differently.

A Beautiful Art

Beautiful talent. Remarkable discipline. I'm in awe. And this is that like...forgotten awe. I came across the performance again, while watching this season of So You Think You Can Dance. Say what you want about reality shows; some performers are meant to be there, and meant to be seen. And I'm not a dancer, but this performance touches my soul!


Heidi & Travis - Contemporary Dance

Spectacular?

India Wil Tell You, Cuz I'm Tired...

People always ask, "Are you OK?" "How are you doing?" "How are you holding up?"
Or people always say, "You just need to distract yourself." "You'll be OK." "Hey, look at it this way...."

Do you really want to know? Are you tried and truly concerned with the thoughts that run through my head on a regular basis when it comes to emotional pain? You don't believe me when I tell you the truth. You don't want to believe me. Because my truth hurts. It hurts me, so it hurts you. So it's the truth. You're not willing to accept that someone can be OK with pain, with heartache. But I am. So...let me accept it.

I'm typically not good with words unless I'm providing assistance to someone else...(hence the profession; wounded healer I am!) so I'ma let India fill you in...

Good morning silence
Good morning to myself

Good morning to the pain in the center of my chest

It's crazy how much I miss
a simple good morning kiss
oh ohhhhh...

Good morning independence or is it loneliness?
I know I said I wanted this but I have regrets

I pray for God's will to be done
The very next day you were gone
Oh Ohhhhhh

Good morning to the harsh realities of life
and good morning to the fact we're not husband and wife

We made a promise to stay
But destiny got in the way
oh ohhhhhhhh

Good morning...

Good morning acceptance
Good morning inner strength
I'm loving every moment
even the strain

It's crazy how much I miss
a simple good morning kiss
It's crazy how much I've missed
Now it's time for me to live
oh ohhhhhhhhhh

Good morning...

Good morning optimism
Good morning to my faith
Good morning to the beginning of a brand new day

I know that God's will be done
So I lay down my pain and I'm moving on

I know that God's will be done.
So it's a good morning after all

What Have I Been Up To...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3pC0hRyBK4


Too bad I couldn't embed this...YouTube is getting slick ad disabling the feature!


Chrisette said it. And she said it at the right time...in the right way....

Natasha Jane Richardson, R.I.P.

I only know her from The Parent Trap (1998) with the then sweet Lindsay Lohan. She was an English actress, daughter of Vanessa Redgrave and Tony Richardson. Sister to Joely Richardson. She came from a long line of famous English actors and actresses, and held her own on various stages.

At the time of her death, she was married to Liam Neeson, with whom she had two young boys. She has been a longtime support of AIDS causes, as her father died from AIDS-related causes in 1991.

Her death highlights the seriousness of closed head injury and traumatic brain injuries (TBI) in general, and how followup medical is ALWAYS necessary after and head collision. However minor it seems, even if there is no blood and no immediate sign of distress, PLEASE do not overlook how deadly this is. Brain injury is very high on the list of the cause of death of very young children (if not on the top of the list, actually) and if death is not the result, serious neurological damage can result days, weeks, months, and years later.

Caution first--->CNN expert report on traumatic brain injuries

Oh, and In Case You DIDN'T Know...

I

BLEED

SYRACUSE ORANGE.

Sweet 16 game tonight against Oklahoma, 7:27pm Eastern Standard Time. CBS.
Be there.

13 year old Alfie is NOT the father of this baby. I know y'all heard the story. I repeat, he is NOT the father, of his 15 year old girlfriend, Chantelle's, baby. My issue does lie in the fact that these young ass kids or having unprotected sex (well, not that I don't have an issue with it; I'm just not surprised) Anyway...my issue is that these MINORS are plastered ALL OVER THE INTERNET, in publicity ploys all over the damn world.

I guess the shock to the world is that a 13 year old had supposedly fathered the child as opposed to an older teenager or legal adult, which is typically the case. Why are their parents OK with this? Why is he everywhere, and she is not? (Not that I want her plastered places, as well but...c'mon) This is not cute; it's sad and these childrens' parents should be embarrassed.

And I'm pissed.

Oh, Y'all Thought It Was Over??

So Beautiful.

Musiq Soulchild - "sobeautiful"

4 Years To Go.

A Barnes & Nobles in Coral Gables, Florida. The store issued a statement saying that a customer must have placed the book there playing a cruel joke on their Obama display.

Orthorexia Nervosa...Whuuuuuuuut?

Now, we've all heard of Anorexia Nervosa, characterized as a psychiatric illness; an eating disorder that typically manifests in extreme low body weight and body image distortion with a fear of gaining weight. Individuals with AN usually starve, purge, exercise excessively or use diet pills or diuretics.

And we've all heard of Bulimia Nervosa, too. This is also an eating disorder, however it's characterized mainly binge eating and purging, fasting, using laxatives, enemas and diuretics. However, with BN, there is not typically a low body weight (because of the binge eating). There is a purgingin type and a non purging type of BN.

These two most common eating disorders are typically found in White middle to upper class America, but watch out folks. Eating disorders are DEFINITELY on the rise in minority populations, mainly Black women, as well as in straight and gay men and athletes(thought about these populations for a dissertation on this topic). Eating disorders are absolutely no joke, and are on the top of my list of scariest mental illnesses. Forget a schizophrenic or psychotic client, I'm terrified of working with this population clinically.

Binge Eating is another eating disorder, characterized by recurrent patterns of intense and uncontrollable binge eating, without the purging afterwards. This is very easy to hide, and most individuals do not even realize that they are suffering from the disorder. Overeating is also thrown into the mix with Binge Eating.

Now, there is another eating disorder that many do not know about, but that has impacted Western culture most recently and is steadily and freakishly on the rise out here.

ORTHOREXIA NERVOSA. This eating disorder, (not yet in the Psychological Bible / Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV-TR) is characterized by excessive focus on eating healthy foods, to the point where the individual restricts their diet so much that they can eventually die from malnutrition. There has only been one known case of death from Orthorexia Nervosa, but I'm sure there shall be more as we take on this health food kick. People suffering from this disorder try to avoid various types of "bad" things in many foods like fat, carbs, starches, protein, preservatives, etc. it very much resembles Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in its strict adherence to rules and discipline and the overconcern with eating healthy foods.

DRAKE.

Aubrey Drake Graham, D.O.B. 10/24/86. Look familiar? Nowadays, he goes by the stage name DRAKE, and is one of the hottest up & coming rappers in the scene.

Now, you, as I, may know "Drake" as little Jimmy Brooks, who got shot in Degrassi High School a few seasons ago and ended up in a wheelchair for the rest of his stint on show. (I know, right!) But Jimmy is ALL grown up ladies (22 to be exact) and his name is all over the place.

Some history: He hails from T.O., Canada (which is where Degrassi hails from and was filmed, as well) to an African American father and Jewish mother. He began acting while at Forest Hill Collegiate Institute (high school). He began his role as Jimmy Brooks in 2001 (his largest role to date) but now is more into his rap career.

He has worked with a myriad of artists in the studio, including Trey Songz (Replacement Girl, when I first fell in love!), Lil Wayne, Bun B, Lloyd, Santogold and Omarion as he transitions to the US music scene. He has four self-published mixtapes (Room for Improvement, Comeback Season, Heartbreak Drake, and So Far Gone (set for release this year)) and his first album is also set to drop this year, Thank Me Later.

Oh, and it doesn't help that the boy is QUITE easy on the eyes....check out his websites, and support! You know hip-hop needs it!

http://www.myspace.com/thisisdrake
http://www.thisisdrake.com/
http://www.allthings-fresh.net/
MIXTAPES!

Oh, and it doesn't hurt that I'm seriously considering naming my son, if I have one, Drake. Yes. Drake.

The 2009 Academy Awards. Pleasures. Pains.

Lisa Rinna. She's admitted to bad cosmetic surgery , but....wow. The hair. The lips. I used to be a fan in your Days of Our Lives era, Lisa. Where have you left me?!?!?

I'm sick of this little Miley Cyrus girl, I'll be honest. The teeny bopper trying to turn sex symbol is an old idea, and I don't think she's making the transition well, at all. And this dress? You look like a Christmas tree, boo. Go home.

Fabulouuuuuuuuuuuus! Kate Winslet is stunning as she (usually) is in this grayish-bluish number. Elegance!

Jennifer Aniston, simple and elegant as usual. She looked great, though I wasn't feeling that Bohemian braid at the front...talk about an awkward moment when she presented with Jack Black and Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in the front row! She presented with grace and did not bat ONE DAMN EYE! Loved it.

Beyonce'...this was a bad idea. You've got great curves, gorgeous skin, stunning smile; this dress was a COMPLETE miss. Leave House of Derreon ALONE!! What are those, fish?!?!?

Evan Rachel Wood....took the cake for me Sunday night. From the moment I saw her, she was it for me! She's young, some say she's misguided...but in this number, she was the BIDNAAAAAASSSSS OF 2009! The pale skin with the soft toned gown, with that tat on the upper back? Picture perfect!!

As Marilyn Manson's young and current on again-off again girlfriend, many people are comparing Evan Rachel Wood to Manson's ex-wife, Dita Von Teese, Burlesque dancer extraordinaire (love her). What do you think?

Yes!

Now, I don't think this is from the Oscars, and I don't know exactly where this shot was taken nor do I give a hot damn, but I am thoroughly appalled. What the hell was Niecey Nash thinkin??

The Soloist

A schizophrenic (Nathanial Ayers played by Jamie Foxx), is a homeless musician from Skid Row, Los Angeles who dreams of playing at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Through "chance," he meets a journalist (Steve Lopez played by Robert Downey Jr.), who tries to help this mentally disturbed man get "back on his feet" and make his dreams come true.

Lopez was walking through downtown Los Angeles three years ago when he came upon a man playing a violin. Over the following weeks, Lopez kept returning to that street corner to listen to the music and learn more about the man who made it. Those visits resulted in a series of newspaper columns in which Lopez introduced the homeless musician to his readers.

"His name is Nathaniel Anthony Ayers. He was a little over 50 years old when I met him," he says. "He grew up in Cleveland and got interested in music through the public school system back then in the 1960s. Mr. Ayers, after high school, went to Ohio University to study upright bass and later got a scholarship to Juilliard, which was quite rare. He was one of the few - if not the only - African-American students at Juilliard in the late 1960s.

Around his second year at Juilliard, Lopez told his readers, Ayers began having problems. Although his musicianship was outstanding, he had trouble focusing in class. At the beginning of his junior year, he had a mental breakdown and was diagnosed with schizophrenia. He left Juilliard and ended up on the streets of Los Angeles.

Today, Ayers is getting treatment for his illness, and while his recovery is far from complete, he now has a lot of people looking out for him. Lopez also has been changed by the friendship the two men developed. Ayers also introduced Lopez to the reality of the link between homelessness and mental illness.
[Voice of America News, February 2009]

Right Right

"We waste time looking for the perfect lover, instead of creating the perfect love." - Tom Robbins

First Black Disney Princess!

Anika Noni Rose. Hailing from CT, is a Tony award winning singer and actress. She attended FAMU, earning a BA in theatre, then studied Drama at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Fran. She performed on stage most notably in Footloose and Caroline, or Change.

In 2006, she starred in Dreamgirls as Lorrell Robinson and is scheduled to appear in the upcoming films Just Add Water, Razor, and....in Disney's upcoming animated feature THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG, in which she will be the FIRST BLACK DISNEY PRINCESS EVER (Tiana)!! This is huge y'all. HUGE! She also starred alongside Jills Scott in The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency...


Keep an eye on her...


courtesy of Wikipedia and IMDB

So Not Surprised.

Hey Boo.

If This Isn't Love

I’m calling his phone up
Just to tell him how much
I really love him ‘cause
His everything I want
He listens to me, he cares for me
So I truly believe

God sent me an angel
Up from above
That’s gonna love me for life
Might as well be perfect only because
It’s the only way I can describe, so

It this isn’t love, tell me what it is
‘Cause I could be dreaming or just plain crazy
It this isn’t love, tell me what it is
‘Cause I never felt like this baby
If this isn’t love

L-O-V-E, what is in me
L-O-V-E, oh if this isn’t love
L-O-V-E, what is in me
L-O-V-E, oh if this isn’t love

I’m selfish ‘cause I don’t
Wanna share him with nobody
Not even knows
People that came before me
But see, I never believed

God would send me an angel
Up from above
That’s gonna love me for life
Might as well be perfect only because
It’s the only way I can describe, so

It this isn’t love, tell me what it is
‘Cause I could be dreaming or just plain crazy
It this isn’t love, tell me what it is
‘Cause I never felt like this baby
If this isn’t love

L-O-V-E, what is in me
L-O-V-E, oh if this isn’t love
L-O-V-E, what is in me
L-O-V-E, oh

So if you got real love
Lemme see you put your hands up
See you put your hands up
The kind of love that fits quite like a drug
Lemme see you put your hands up
See you put your hands up
If this isn’t love
‘Cause I know I ain’t crazy
I know I ain’t tripping
I know I ain’t slipping
I know that is love
You see me with my hands up
If you think I’m dreaming
I know I ain’t dreaming
‘Cause this is the reason I love him because
If this isn’t love

It this isn’t love, tell me what it is
‘Cause I could be dreaming or just plain crazy
It this isn’t love, tell me what it is
‘Cause I never felt like this baby

L-O-V-E, what is in me
L-O-V-E, oh if this isn’t love
L-O-V-E, what is in me
L-O-V-E, oh if this isn’t love

Love, L-O-V-E
Love, L-O-V-E



I cry. Almost everytime I hear this song. I sing loudly. Almost everytime I hear this song. My hands go up in the air. Almost everytime I hear this song.

February 14th, Whenever.

So this year I have a "Valentine." Not someone I chose to be my Valentine, or someone who asked me to be their Valentine. But someone, who by definition, has been labeled as such. This someone, being my wonderful, knuckle-headed, sweet and absolutely imperfect boyfriend.

So, what does February 14th, (tomorrow) mean to me? Not much. So, why are we not celebrating? Good question. A question that, while he is ecstatic that I'm fine not celebrating and is happy to know that no money shall be spent on this Hallmark Holiday, still makes him wonder, "What is wrong with this chick to not want to celebrate the day that was made specifically for her, and more specifically for her, when she's in a relationship? What did I do wrong?"

Awww, boo, you did nothing wrong. My problem, my issue, my concern, is with what this holiday represents and says to all who indulge, and those who don't indulge. I mean, the cliche way to approach this is to say that this holiday should be moot because romantic love should be celebrated EVERY day. Sure. That's fine. I get it. But why is something the matter when I've been "given" something that's always been a fad and wanted by eveyrone (unless you're on the Schizophrenic spectrum), and I'm just kickin it??

Here's why. Honestly, I don't celebrate romantic love everyday. Should I be? No doubt it's one of the most surreal experiences I've ever entertained in my life, and I'm grateful to have run into it at least once, but should it really always be celebrated? Because, in fact, this man pisses me off sometimes. He makes me mad, to the point where "love" is not the topic, and I'm spittin hot fire at his neck. Love, in and of itself, is tiring. It's takes time, energy, emotion, etc. It's not all gravy, it's not all nice, and while it's been my best life experience, it's also been my worst, and will indeed likely lead to some detriment in my life.

Now, I'm not saying that I don't love love. I wouldn't trade it, I promise you. And I'd go through all the shit I've already been through, to get to where I am in my journey to love. But...have we been putting love on too high of a pedestal? For those of us who have it, or had it, or long for it, or need it, or think they may have had it...the answer may be no. But what about those thousands and possibly millions of people that haven't had the chance? What does Valentine's Day say to them? "Awww, maybe next year you'll reach this quinessential peak of life..." That ain't even right...

I really don't know where I was going with this one...I'm just annoyed by the sea of read and pink I'm seeing all over the place, as well as sick of people asking people what I'm doing and where I'm going, then seeing their disgruntled and confused faces when I tell them that I'll be studying and playing PS2 with the boy.

Ah well. So much for the popular way to love.

Just Cuz She Makes Me Smile...MS. TYSON!!

Cicely Tyson. You recognize her. You know she's flyy. You know she's outstanding. But do you know why?

Ms. Cicely Tyson was born and raised in Harlem, NYC, in 1933, the daughter of Theodosia (a domestic) and William Tyson (a pushcart operator), immigrants from the island of Nevis of Saint Kitts and Nevis in the WI. She married Miles Davis in '81, and they were together until '88. She is an honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

She was discovered by a photographer for Ebony Magazine and became a popular fashion model. You know her from Guiding Light, an off-Broadway show called The Blacks (with james earl Jones, Maya Angelou, and Louis Gossett, Jr.) In 1972, she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Sounder, and in '74 she won TWO Emmy's for The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (holler that she was the 1st to win Outstanding Lead Actress in a television movie). She played in Roots, and portrayed Coretta Scott King in King. She also won THIRD Emmy for her role in Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All.

Some of Ms. Tyson's recent roles have been in Idlewild, Because of Winn-Dixie and Diary of a Mad Black Woman, and Madea's Family Reunion. Ms. Tyson has made a note to ONLY portray strong Black women in her roles, stating, "Challenges make you discover things about yourself that you never really knew. They're what make the instrument stretch-what make you go beyond the norm." "The choices of roles I made had to do with educating and entertaining. And as a result I found myself working only every two or three years."

Much Respect.

What Do You Think?

Heart Truth's (an awareness campaign for women about heart disease) Red Dress Collection 2009 Fashion Show...

YAY FOR NIA LONG!! Do we ever get tired of her ageless beauty??

NAY FOR VIVICA FOX!! Am I the only one who has been over her since her divorce a few years ago and fast decline since turning 40??? From her 'hood booga brush with 50 Cent, to some bad collagen in her lips, Vivica has lost it for me...

GET IT MS. CICELY TYSON!

I'll end with some tidbits that all women should know about heart disease. In alliance with the best motto I've heard all year: KNOW BETTER, DO BETTER.

-> one in four women in the United States dies of heart disease, while one in 30 dies of breast cancer.

-> An astonishing 80 percent of women ages 40 to 60 have one or more risk factor for heart disease.

-> It's not just a men's disease. If you've got a heart, heart disease can be your problem.

-> Mmong U.S. women ages 18 and older, 17.3 percent are current smokers, 51.6 are overweight (BMI 25 or greater), 27 percent have hypertension, 35 percent have high cholesterol, and 53 percent do not meet physical activity recommendations.

-> African American and Hispanic women, in particular, have higher rates of some risk factors for heart disease and are disproportionately affected by the disease compared to white women. More than 80 percent of midlife African American women are overweight or obese, 52 percent have hypertension, and 14 percent have been diagnosed with diabetes. Some 83 percent of midlife Hispanic women are overweight or obese, and more than 10 percent have been diagnosed with diabetes.

-> To protect your heart, it is vital to make changes that address each risk factor you have. (READ: going to the gym for a few months at the beginning of every ain't cuttin it, ladies. I don't give a damn how slim/trim you are. Being healthy is a mind frame; your psychological health, your physical health, your spiritual health, your healthy relationships.

-> Talk to your doctor. Don't wait for him/her to talk to you.


(courtesy of http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/index.htm)

Get It Together Ladies.

I haven't decided whether this will make my "next buy" list...Mr. Harvey tends to rub me the wrong way sometimes in the morning...but I WILL admit that sometimes he's right on the money!!

If you've read it, or know more about it, do tell.....

So Sad...

"

A man fatally shot his wife, five young children and himself Tuesday after he faxed a note to a TV station claiming the couple had just been fired from their hospital jobs and together planned the killings as an escape for the whole family. “Why leave our children in someone else’s hands,” Ervin Lupoe wrote in a letter posted late Tuesday on the KABC-TV Web site. The station called police after receiving the fax, and a police dispatch center also received a call from a man who stated, “I just returned home and my whole family’s been shot.” Officers rushed to the home in Wilmington, a small community between the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, about 8:30 a.m., apparently within minutes of the killings.

Officers could still smell the gunshot residue in the air, reports The Associated Press. Although the fax asserted that Ana Lupoe planned the killings of the whole family, police Lt. John Romero said Ervin Lupoe was the suspect. A revolver was found next to his body. Ana Lupoe’s body was found in an upstairs bedroom with the bodies of the couple’s twin 2-year-old boys. The bodies of an 8-year-old girl and twin 5-year-old girls were found alongside Ervin Lupoe’s in another bedroom. All were shot in the head, coroner’s Assistant Chief Ed Winter said. Ervin Lupoe removed three of the children from school about a week and a half ago, saying the family was moving to Kansas, the principal told KCAL-TV. Crescent Heights Elementary School Principal Cherise Pounders-Caver said nothing seemed to be troubling Lupoe at that time; she did not ask why the family was moving. Kaiser Permanente Medical Center West Los Angeles released a statement confirming both Lupoe and his wife had worked there; both were medical technicians. “We are deeply saddened to hear of the deaths of the Lupoe family,” it said in a statement. In his letter, Ervin Lupoe claimed he and his wife both had been fired and that she suggested they kill themselves and their children, too. The letter indicated that Lupoe and his wife had been under investigation for misrepresenting their employment to an outside agency in order to obtain childcare."

(courtesy of www.bossip.com)

speak on it...

Us vs. Them

On the topic of race and ethnicity, [Aaron] McGruder said that to him, Obama is not black because he is not a descendant of a slave. “The person who is one of us in the White House is Michelle Obama and her momma,” [Aaron] McGruder said.


(Aaron McGruder is the creator of the popular political extremist satire, "The Boondocks")




What do you think?? Are we really still in the place of the "us, them" mentality? With the OBAMAS, of all people?

Black Love.