Best Song of 2010

2010 was a year of mediocre music. Yeah, I said it.  There were a couple pretty good songs, but not too many great ones.
With that in mind, my vote for the best song was a pretty easy decision. It goes to Miguel aka Miguel Jontel, feat J. Cole with "All I Want is You."
A soulful song with great lyrics, a couple clever rap verses, and a real groovy beat. The music was simple really, just a sparse guitar loop over a little snare that repeats and repeats - didn't build or do anything too exciting, but it has yet to get old, and I'm still tapping my toes.

Merry Christmas to Me!

Can you see that? That is Miss Hello Kitty - perfume! Sephora had a two-day preview of its new cosmetics line at the end of December, which included blush, lip glosses, lotion, mirrors and other STUPID-cute items.

The full line will debut in stores mid-January, and I knew this would happen, but I waited until I got off work to try to buy stuff and it was all sold out, except for this perfume. It smelled exactly like I thought it would - and no, I can't describe it, but it's unique, clean, elegant...*sigh* just plain amazing! And it even came with the old school puff thing that you squeeze to dispense the perfume! (idk what you call it guys, I'm sorry)

I hate that everyone will be able to purchase it and smell like me pretty soon, but I DEFINITELY plan to re-up and to buy the lotion, shower gel, compact mirror, and heck why not - even try some blush!

Chunkin up the Deuces

So I wanna try to talk about this in very general terms. Hoping that once I write it all out, I'll get over it.

Someone told me today that someone I pretty much grew up with had a problem with me because I "said some things." Now, this person and I haven't been close for a while, but we've hung out a couple times when I was home from school and had a great time. In the meantime, we hadn't spoken, so I was confused about these "things" I'd allegedly said.

No need to do the third party thing, I sent her a direct message like I heard you a problem with me, but you don't talk to me and I don't talk to you, so what are you referring to?

This chick says, you're right, we don't talk and we can keep it like that, don't message me I'm done.

WOW! REALLY? (and this is someone's mother, mind you. smh.)

So I'm like, alright then, be mad for no reason, cool.

I guess she missed the point. If I didn't want a resolution, I wouldn't have made that move. Obviously she didn't see anything worth salvaging. OH Yeah - did I  mention this person is a "family" member? I guess we gon die without saying another word to each other.

For shame!

I don't need to be rich

Just rich enuf to not have to ask anyone for anything. 

Listening to a friend who has spent most of the year trying to get adequate care for a broken foot only to be ushered out of the hospital as soon as doctors find out she has no insurance made me so disgusted that I thought, I need to be so rich that I don't even need insurance! I want to be able to fund my own hospital stay, emergency care, whatever.

This theory extends far beyond healthcare though. I heard horror stories from a toy giveaway at a church (of all places!) where people said they were locked in a room and had to wait hours for a couple toys, after having to attend a mandatory church service and being talked to very disrespectfully. You never hear of such injustices being done to people who aren't at the mercy of others...a good reason to be rich - as if you needed another one.

Gettin Over

Dear Mr. Time Warner,

I do NOT appreciate how you snuck an extra $5 to my "low introductory new customer special" price for wireless Internet service. Sure, it's only five dollars. But that certainly makes your ads promising high-speed Internet for less than $30 a month ineffectual, doesn't it?

And what's to keep you from tacking on five more dollars next month? Hmmmph.

Signed,

Please Stop

I Hate Breakfast

But  I miss Chik-fil-A. There's something about a chkn biscuit (which McD's woefully attempted) that just feels so right in the morning next to some tater tots and sweet tea.

I really should just open a franchise and bring delicious breakfast chickens to the East Coast. Yea, they make other stuff too, but lunch isn't the problem here.

Quick morning-food options are limited, though I'm a firm believer that "breakfast" consists of anything I decide to eat in the morning, which is never going to be eggs, waffles or sausage. I'm over omnipresent Tim Hortons, greasy McD's and bland Dunkin Donuts. 

How lovely it would be to leave my apartment with 30 minutes to spare and be able to grab a chkn biscuit on the way downtown?! *Sigh*

Where's the instruction manual?

Man, I'm starting to feel (even more) bad for all you McDonald's employees. Mickey D's is just doing way too much these days. You gotta make McRibs, cookies, angus snack wraps, frappucinos AND oatmeal now? Gee whiz!
And when did oatmeal become the new thing for fast food? I've seen it dressed up and snooty-fied at Starbucks with all kindsa berried and whatnots...but it's trickled down to McDonald's now? That means it's big!

The Sound of Christmas

Who decided "These are a Few of my Favorite Things" was a Christmas song? I don't recall it being a holiday in "The Sound of Music" when Julie Andrews sang it.

I can see how people could interpret it to fit the holiday spirit, but it's a stretch. There's no mention of Santa, Jesus, Christmas trees, presents, etc. But OK, it's still a great and timeless song.

I'm NOT Surprised

Well, I kinda am or else I wouldn't take the time to write about it, but apparently Ryan Reynolds and Scarlett Johanssen are divorcing.

The marriage was pretty low key - They married in 2008, but I only JUST heard about it with her being on the cover of In Style mag a couple months ago, and him on this TV special for People's Sexiest Men of the Year a couple of weeks ago talking about her - but they've been separated six months?!

After seeing "The Proposal" I finally jumped on the Ryan Reynolds-is-HOTT bandwagon, so I'm not too crushed by this news. Howev, after learning that he was engaged to Alanis Morisette before, idk where his taste lies, cuz that's a weird one right there.

Pride

I am NOT a racist.
Not a black nationalist.

i can see how you might think I am.

i just believe black people are


Beautiful
   Powerful
Royal
And undervalued - by ourselves and everyone else

Men, Tyler Perry does NOT hate you

I'd venture to say that of all the movies Tyler Perry has, more of them feature bitchy and raggedy women than negative portrayals of black men.
With For Colored Girls, you all keep saying TP "keeps making black men look bad." Y'all do that yourselves. But I digress.
I truly believe he does the opposite. He tries hard to show us that there are good black men out there, and he actually portrays the WOMEN doing them wrong. In many of the movies, the man is going way above and beyond to convince a broken woman to let go of her past and give him a chance. These men are long-suffering, patient and very eloquent in expressing their feelings.

Are there exceptions? Sure. Blair Underwood's character in "Family Reunion" was a wife beater and ol boy in "Diary of a Mad Black Woman" did cheat and drag Kimberly Elise out the house.  

But:

• Shemar Moore's character in "Diary" was a good man who let Kimberly Elise slap him, talk to him like trash, go take care of her ex AND come back, and his i love u speech was A-mazing!
• Boris Kodjoe's character in "Family Reunion" was a hard-working, blue collar single parent who loved his kids and was patient with the chick who's name i dont know
• In "Why Did I Get Married" parts 1 and 2, Tyler Perry's wife ignored him, tied her tubes without talking to him, didnt want to give the man any kids or nookie, and then damn-near cheated with her coworker. And yet, he begged her to come back
• "Daddy's Little Girls" was ALL about a hard-working man fighting for custody of his kids versus his sleazy, ignorant ex-wife
• In "The Family that Preys" - come on, where do we start? Sanaa Lathan DOGGED her husband, cheated on him, called him sorry, controlled all the money, left him, etc
• Was Taraji's character in "I Can Do Bad" not a bitter, hateful, self-loathing, adulteress slut?
• And Janet pretty much killed Gavin.

The list goes on and on.
So in conclusion, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, Tyler Perry does not hate men. He uses them as secondary characters that revolve around, sometimes antagonize and often save the female leads and/or lead them to self awareness.

The defense rests.

Coonin for Company

My bf is making music with his coworker right now. Meanwhile, my (obvious) wig just came in the mail and I'm anxious to slap it on.

Coworker dates a white girl...which is why I'm thinking twice about walking back out into the living room with a completely different texture and length of hair. He's probly thinking, "I'm glad I don't have to deal with that...."

*Kanye shrug*

It's About Time...

Decided I was beautiful today.

I don't know if it's cuz I looked in the mirror and saw my grandmother's eyes; or if it's cuz my hair is back the color God made it;  or what. But I was pleased with me today.
Struggling with self-image is universal to all women, I suppose, but I'd venture to say two or three times as bad for black women.

So here's to hoping this feeling will make it to tomorrow....

This is Why we Pirate

I'm done buying CDs.

In a noble effort of support,  I do actually still go out and purchase the CDs of artists I care enough about. (That is a select group, I will admit.)

But after continuing to be disappointed, I've decided I'll just stick with the radio. Why should I give you my money when what I get in return isn't deserving of my investment?

"Album sales are down, the industry is on life support!" That's the cry we've heard from those bemoaning the current state of the music industry. Perhaps if between the labels and the artists, you all truly put together a compilation of the best material, people would be more inclined to buy it.

Hearing creative, imaginative singles, features and mixtape work is what whets our appetite for an artist's full-length work. But Miguel, Robin Thicke, Trey, (etc) when I get these bland, lifeless albums it's a letdown and a turnoff. What gets lost between the music that makes us fall in love and the music that makes it to the CD?

Case in point, after like 2 years of listening to individual songs, I've been dying to buy Miguel's CD - whenever he got around to making one. Finally got it Wednesday. Where's the intriguing themes, the unexpected sounds, the compelling rhythms that made me want to move on "Dig," "Ooh Ah" and "Overlaod"? Where was the passion I heard in "Supernatural"? The undeniable groove of that funky loop in the first single, "All I Want is You"? Unfortunately, the only songs I like on this dreary album are the ones I've already heard.

And then the music bloggers and writers mislead us, heralding an album as an artist's best work,(i.e. Kanye) when it's really mediocre. Yall need to stop kissin up and lying to the ppl! I actually can't tell you the last good CD I bought - good in terms of having to skip very few tracks and being able to listen to it again and again. Maybe Wale's "Attention Deficit." Maybe Drake "Thank Me Later," which even had to grow on me.

I want to be grabbed, wowed and captivated til the end. When did music stop having high expectations for itself? I don't care if you're tired from touring, tweeting and trying to be everywhere at once. Stop stretching yourself so thin that you deliver a half-cooked product.  And if the label won't let you? YOU'RE the artist, YOU'RE the commodity. Don't let them take away your voice! Assert yourself and give the fans what you know you're capable of and what we tell you we want. This thang should be a lil more democratic than it is. Cuz right now I feel like I'm being force fed major bull sh*t. I mean, seriously, half the songs on these albums nowadays, I'm like, did YOU even like that when you recorded it? Doesn't sound like it. You couldn't have been nodding your head like that sounded good, cuz u know it doesn't!

*Sigh* Monica let me down this year, Rick Ross underwhelmed me, Mike Posner was just a little better than OK, previewed "Pink Friday," and as much as I thought I wanted it, listening in advance was a good idea that saved me a few coins. Jazmine Sullivan, your second single is a yawn, and Miss Chrisette, what IS this woeful, messy single you've dropped an album off of?


This is coming from a place of love. I like you guys. I want you to be good. I want to be an active supporter. But I'm feeling more like a scorned ex. "Yall almost walked off wid alla my stuff"!

Take it Back!

You'll be so surprised to learn what you can do if you just determine that you will try and get it right. Often it takes an external disappointment or anger to spur you to action.
For example, I went to the salon Saturday. I call myself going to a professional for help, since I (thought) I didn't know what to do with my hair. The stylist says, "The only thing you can do when your hair is this length is put weave in it."
I shoulda left right then. So she's like, "We'll figure something out. I can curl the front, but I just don't know what to do with the back of your hair." So at this point, it's like, I appreciate your honesty, but wth you mean?  Clearly, I'd come to the wrong place.
So she came up with some whack, crunchy, spritzed-up situation. And yesterday I was so disgusted with it that I decided to fix it myself.
If you know me, you know my hair has been blonde, orange, yellow and bronze this year! So not only did I dye it back to black, but I curled it to perfection - hooked up the pin-curl look I've been trying to get the stylists to do, but they never seemed to get it. I can't tell you the last time I was so proud of myself. (I'm lying - Yes I can, last week when I made collard greens for the first time. After burning the first batch I came back with a vengeance and got it right!)
See, all you gotta do is put your mind to it!

Cliffhanger

In all my years of going to church, yesterday was a first:

The pastor was giving this passionate sermon about the children of Israel wandering in the wilderness, and he was getting to the parts where they started "murmuring and complaining" and saying they should just go back to Egypt.

 So he's like, "WHY would anyone want to turn back to bondage after tasting sweet freedom? I get so tired of people getting saved and I feed them and change their diaper spiritually and put it in so much work to help them grow and then they just turn back to where they came from. WHY oh WHY would anyone want to go back into sin?" etc etc

And he's jumping up and down and really just putting his all into it, and I'm like why why why? tell me?


And this man says, "I'll tell you why next week."

WHAAT?!!!! Pastor, what is this soap opera sermon u just preached?
If I hadn't enjoyed everything before then I would have been mad, especially since I know I have to work next week and won't be able to get the answer. It felt like watching a rerun of Fresh Prince where they played part 1 but didn't play part 2 right after it.

Deva's Christmas list

In case you're wondering, here's what I'd like:

Coffee maker (Keurig would be nice, but I'm not picky)

Red pumps

2 packs of Bohyme french refined hair 1B

queen sized blanket

silver necklace

new windshield wiper blades

a warm jacket (in btw a heavy sweater and thick winter coat)

The Princess and the Frog DVD

an iPod

rain boots

a bubble umbrella

CDs by Miguel, Ladyhawke, Lily Allen, Adele, Phoenix, The Bird and the Bee and Regina Spektor



Just in case you had an especially prosperous year....

Mo-Mama!

Ay, her hair looks like Robin Thicke's but it is tooo cute!

Glasses

Hey all you girls who wear glasses:

Do you try to wear makeup at the same time? I really don't think people can see it when we wear eyeshadow and whatnot under our glasses.

Maybe I should address that question to the ppl who look at us all day.

For Colored Girls

For the record, it wasn't as bad as it could have been - we've seen far worse from Tyler Perry.

But that's not my point. My sis just saw it and sent me thee craziest text message:

"The only good parts were the kids dying and the rape."

No, m'am, it must be Opposite Day. Those were actually the WORST parts. In addition to the Macy Gray cameo with Macy playing herself.

And then, becuz many atime we text faster than we think, she wrote:

"Oh yea I like when she slapped the dead racist."

(P.S. I think the young sister Nyla looks like Angela Simmons and Janet looked like Minnie Mouse)

Men

I just had to share this. My bf and I had a fight recently where he decided he needed to talk about my weave. Here's a direct quote:

"You just look like a better person without it."

- Really? a better person??

Then later he looks at this (horrid) pic of Lauryn Hill with a (pretty) curly natural 'fro and says:

"See how clean you could look?"

smh. I had no words.

Is it Just Me?

Does anyone else think the Time Warner Cable logo looks a little like The Eye of Horus?

DevaDonna.blogspot.com

Rules without Relationship

"Rules without relationship always leads to rebellion. The only thing that tethers us is Love."

Coincidentally, I heard this on the radio right after I left a story about a church closing. I spoke with a young man who works with a group called Dirty Vagabond Ministries, and he said he focuses on teen outreach by visiting teens where they are, developing a relationship and" earning the right" to minister to them. For example, he goes to sporting events and to bus stops to bring the kids snacks before school and try to build rapport.
It's better than just bringing them in the church and preaching at them, he said, and that's not what Jesus did. He didn't have Bible studies and seminars, He went to people where they were.

Those words really resonated with me - his idea of building a relationship and letting ministry develop naturally. I think he's right. Ultimately, people just want to feel loved.

I've been really reflecting upon what draws people to a church and what keeps people in a church. We're in a trendy, superficial society that needs bells and whistles to catch people's attention. Ur church needs to have a Web site, and a text message sermon and a live Web stream and needs to be televised. You need to have lyrics posted on projectors and announcements via video and a ministry for every single population - the ski club ministry and the pet ministry and the married with kids ministry and the married without kids ministry, etc etc etc.

What if you have a smaller church that can't compete? (Because let's face it, times are tough, we got bills to pay so we need butts in seats, and it is a competition.) OK, to be more accurate, what if you have a smaller church that is simply fighting to sustain itself? I've been to big churches. It turned me off one day when I had to sit in the "overflow room" and watch church on TV.  I could've done that at home - without having to pay an offering.

I guess you just have to wait for people to mature to a point where they realize that flashing lights are less important than finding a place where you feel the Love of God.

And all you need for that is...well, somewhere that teaches the full gospel of Christ. Doesn't matter the size of the sanctuary or the amenities they offer.

"The only thing that tethers us is Love."

The FAMUAN

Jesus has been telling me to do this.

I just wanted to say to everyone on the staff of The Famuan, roughly between the years of 2004-2008, that it was a stressful (yet rewarding) place, and we all handle that stress differently. So I apologize if I was rude or b*tchy or snappy or whatever.
I didn't mean it.
I love you all.

Sorry.

Better late than never. Never late is better. (Just because those two statements should always accompany each other now.)

I Miss You

Last weekend was ....different. Saturday night a friend invited me to a get-together at her apartment. Many of the young ladies there attended the same church, and I honestly can't think of much else that we talked about that night beyond the Lord.
I'm not used to young people talking about Him when we hang out. Some may call it weird, others could label it "refreshing."

The next day for work I was sent to cover a church's 100th anniversary. Now, celebrations like anniversaries (and pastor's birthday, and First Lady's birthday, etc) can make one feel like an outsider because it's really like a family reflecting on its history and what they enjoy about each other. At the same time, because it is such a joyous occasion, you feel a lot of love.

I say this to say that by the time my weekend ended, I concluded one thing: I miss Him. We all have to have that moment when we realize how much closer to God we can really stand to be. You may go to church every week - doesn't matter. Oddly enough, finding how much I miss His presence gave me a sense of peace - glad that I remember what His presence feels like, and glad that He'd like me to come back!

Fantasia For Real

I half-watched the first season of Fantasia's show, and I'll be honest, I'm only watching this one for two reasons: Fantasia's hairdos and her crazy-a** brother, Teeny.

That man is a damn fool. One minute he's crying like a baby, talking about, "You ain't been the same towards me since you won 'The Idol!' " The next he's in somebody's house talkin bout, "Ooh yea, I can do something real sexy in here," while the homeowner looks on in horror and charging $5 for folk to go to his "Bossquerade" so he can pay his rent.

Really, he's embarrassing.I'm sure the cameramen and producers be in there having a field day with his crazy footage.
When I see stuff like him auditioning girls for a butt-naked car wash, I think, thank God that man is not related to me!
But I have to keep watching to see what he's going to do and say next.

It's DJ Kane, Stupid!

Check out my friend, DJ Kane, mixin and scratchin on Ustream. (so yall can see he aint one of those mix CD DJs) The boy is bad y'all! Been rockin to him since....04(?) Dang.

I found it funny that a sign at the Applebee's to go lot said 10 min max, but the waitress said there 'd be a 15 min wait.

My Brothers and My Sisters

I just spoke with a community outreach coordinator for the art gallery of a large university in town. We were talking about Hispanic Heritage Family Day this Sunday, a free family event with lots of cultural activities.

She said the gallery holds free events like that all year long. Some are based on exhibitions at the gallery and some are culturally based, such as Asian-Pacific American Family Day. This Hispanic Family Day typically draws 1,600 folks. But the event that draws the lowest amount of people is Kwanzaa Day.

IDK if it's because the event takes place the last week of December when many people are traveling for the holidays. I have no clue - I'm not from here. But I think that's pretty telling. What incentive do they have to try to provide programming for African Americans if people don't really support it?

To be fair, she said about 800 people come out....but trust me, there are WAY more than 800 black people in this city. And while you might say 800 is still pretty good, it's half the figure for the Hispanic day, so, relatively speaking, that is low.

I'll be real, here - IDK if I would be all that interested in a Kwanzaa day...but if I had a family I might, and I'm always interested in free and enriching activities. I'm just saying - since I've been here I've heard people bemoan the lack of activities for "the kids" to do, which is why they're "running in the streets." Well, here's one!

Pilot Season Check-In

If you couldn't tell by now, I <3 TV. Because of my varying schedule, I haven't been able to check out as many of the new fall shows as I had hoped, but the ones I have seen, unfortunately, were disappointing.

Specifically, I'm referring to "Detroit 187" on ABC and "Undercovers" on NBC.

I was hopeful for "Undercovers." It's a spy show where Boris Kodjoe and his wife have a catering company by day, but are lured into resuming their previous jobs as undercover agents. It could easily have been a couple of any race, so I guess we have to applaud NBC for being considerate enough to include us. They look great, by the way.

However, it just hasn't done a good job of holding my attention. Neither has the other one. I won't say they're bad shows. They've each only aired two episodes. I'm just saying they haven't been engaging thus far. And I kinda have a hunch that Boris and his wife were reactivated so that they can be killed. You heard it here first.

Last night I did catch "The Whole Truth" on ABC. It shows a court case from the sides of the prosecution and the defense, then reveals what actually happened. I've been waiting for a show like that! I liked it a lot. Hated Maura Tierney's haircut, though. And was anyone else not surprised that the prosecutor has "history" with the defense attorney? Kinda cliche. But I'm not mad.

FINALLY- a talk show I'll actually watch

Which handsome and engaging (and sexually ambiguous) CNN anchor just inked a deal to launch a syndicated daytime talk show?

That parenthetical part was purely to help you narrow down the options, but the answer is my fav, ANDERSON COOPER!

As you can imagine, it's set to begin around the time Queen Oprah leaves daytime TV. He'll be the exec producer as well, which gives me hope it won't be as corny as some of the other shows out there.

"Over the course of the past few years, I've had the opportunity to work on a number of daytime programs," Anderson Cooper told THe Hollywood Reporter. "It's fun and interesting to work in daytime television. The format is unique and you can really go in-depth on a wide range of fascinating and compelling stories. With this new program I hope to relay important information and relate to people and the audience in a completely different way. It's an exciting opportunity to show another side of myself and create something worthwhile and special in daytime."


Don't anticipate it will be as funny as Ellen, but it should be more palatable (for me) than say, Tyra or Wendy or whomever else they pass shows out to these days.

He'll be busy though - in order to pull this deal off, Anderson had to re-up his CNN contract to contiune hosting 360 as well.

The Social Network

I fell back in love with Justin Timberlake last night while he was on Jimmy Fallon's show to talk about his new movie, "The Social Network," which opens Friday. Justin and Jimmy did a crazy rendition of like 1,000 hip hop songs in like 2 minutes, accompanied by The Roots, of course. It was pretty cool.

But in light of the movie's opening, it reminded me to take a minute to gripe about social media.
I remember when Facebook was only open to college students. I remember my friend explaining it to me because it wasn't yet available at my unversity. When we finally got it, I recall being very excited to use it and connect with people from way back.

But now it's open to everybody, and you can't curse anymore or post pix from that party where you had too much to drink. You can't do this and you shouldn't do that because "you never know who's watching" and "employers check your page before they decide to interview you."

Gimme a break! Twitter lets you connect to even bigger-named ppl, so I suppose an extension of the same "manage your online persona" caveat applies there too, somewhat. That's too much work. Now I have to be fake online too??

It seems to me that the only place you can be yourself now is...in person. :)

Head Scratcher

I heard Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music (home of artists such as Common, John Legend, Kid Cudi and Big Sean) recently signed Mos Def: + and...

Charlie Wilson: ?

I'll have to double check that one.

The Bird and The Bee

Years ago I interned at an ad agency - cuz clearly I'm old enuf to start sentences with "years ago" - and a very cool group came to the creative department and gave the agency a concert. (Who wouldn't want to work at a place that gives you concerts on your lunch break?)

I'd never heard of The Bird and The Bee before that day in 2007, but lucky for me, they also gave us all CDs.

If you like pop music that doesn't put you in the mind of strobe lights and fist pumping, if you could stand a momentary break from all the synth and bass, if you don't mind folk influences, ppl who play instruments, nice melodies and a lead singer who can - gasp! - sing pleasantly, then this group is worth checking out.

GAP Inc.

Let me tell you how GAP hosed my life. IDK if I'm the only person in America, but I'm so done with skinny jeans, mainly because I can't wear them to work and also because EVERY store ONLY sells skinnys, so I'm rebelling at my lack of options.

So imagine how pleased I was to see a sale sign right underneath a stack of "sexy bootcut" jeans at GAP. I grabbed every wash and tried them on. Like I was expecting, they fit like they were made for me. (I worked there a couple years ago; they never let me down.)

But when I got up to the counter, they rang up for twice as much. I asked the cashier what the deal was, and he says, "OH, only the light wash is on sale."

In the words of Dave Chapelle, "GOTCHA B*TCH!"

"You Know When It's Real"

Did I tell you Wendy's just blew me away?

You know how Panera has the You Pick Two where you can get half a salad, soup or sandwich? (and then they charge u more depending on if you want a sandwich that doesn't taste like you coulda made it at the house)

Well for like half the price (seriously, $4.99) you can get half a salad and pick your choice of:
a soft drink, bottled water, baked potato, cup of chili, chicken go wrap, nuggets or fries

and maybe sum other stuff I'm forgetting, but I think that's plain fantastic! And btw, they don't mean a little rinky-dink side salad, but one of their meal salads like the cobb salad or chicken ceaser.

One of the complaints ppl have is that eating healthier costs more than eating junk. Well, this deal is less than just about any other combo on the menu, from what I recall. I'm not a spokesperson for Wendy's, but I do appreciate this effort.

Yayy Wendy's!

Mad Men

"Mad Men" on AMC is a show I knew I'd be interested in when I first heard of it, but I never actually remembered to tune in Sundays at 10 p.m. Because really, who just watches AMC like that? I don't even know the channel number.

I finally rented Season One from the library, and while I didn't finish it before I had to turn it back in, I was very surprised by the show and I liked it so much that i wish I weren't four seasons behind...cuz that's a lot of catching up to do, and I'm OCD about watching TV shows out of order. (also, I should add that the theme music is dope.)



BUT when I heard that Naturi Naughton was going to be on the show this Sunday, well I had to watch. Because, that show cares nothing about inclusion. Idk if they're just being historically accurate (I'm sure there were no black ad execs in Manhattan in the '60s) or what, but black people aren't seen on this show unless they're cleaning something up...

And to my surprise, she wasn't a maid! She actually has a real role and is a relationship with an old British man. Naturi must have a HELLUVA agent, because that's actually less plausible considering she's not even fair-skinned. I'm just being real, y'all. If it were like Halle Berry, or someone who could pass, (or even a bigger name actress, considering this is a FIRST) I'd buy it. But Naturi scored with this one. You GO gurl!

But did anyone else notice that Don Draper was looking at her like he was bewildered and disgusted??

Real and Chance

This picture looks like an ad for a gay escort service.


Why does Vh1 keep putting those lames Real and Chance on TV?
More important, WHO'S watching them?

I'd rather watch a reality show with Tiger Woods and Bryant Gumbel.

Welcome to Coldstone!!!

Friday night something happened that simply did not make sense to me. I'm just going to present the facts of this situation and let you provide any justification or excuses you like.

So my bf decides he'd like some Cold Stone ice cream a little after 10 p.m. We head to Cold Stone (/Tim Horton's) and go straight to the counter where you're supposed to order. There's a young lady behind the counter, mixing up some ice cream. She doesn't look up, doesn't say hi, I'll be with you in a moment - none of that. Then she turns around, goes to a table and fiddles with some stuff there. At this point I've decided that I'd like to taste a new flavor they have this month, and I'm hoping that soon she'll ask how she can help us.
No such luck. After a few minutes, she goes to the drive-thru window and passes some items outside. We're like, OK, she's done with them, maybe she'll come help us now.
Nope. She returns to the counter. Right in front of us. And starts cleaning up. She's scraping the table, head down, like we're not there, so my bf says (not in a loud tone, mind you) "You in a bad mood or something?"

She says,"huh?" Doesn't even look up. And keeps cleaning. At this point, I'm upset, I look at the bf and go, "Wowwww. Do you really still want ice cream from here?"
He says nothing. And then the lady turns her back to us, walks over to another table and starts cleaning over there and fiddling with some spoons. That's when it became clear to me that we weren't going to get any ice cream that night, and I left.

Ladies and gentlemen, there were several people in store with ice cream, which means she'd helped them not too long before. He and I were the only people in line, and he's very tall. So I know she saw us. And we stood there for at least 15 minutes - ample time to be acknowledged.

I really can't figure this one out. We both went to the car and sat there, stunned for a moment.

I've worked in retail. There've been times I had to straighten, answer phones, operate the register and help customers. I understand multitasking. But I was always taught to acknowledge a person in front of me. And I was NEVER taught that a potential customer should have to flag me down or beg me to assist them - so please don't ask why we didn't speak first. That's not our job. That's hers.

Downtown Driving

Don't you hate when you can't make a left turn (btw like 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.) so then you figure you'll make a right turn at the next street...but you can't do that either?
And then the next street is a one way - not the way you want it to be?

I drove soo far out of my way yesterday; that's what I get for not staying in the office until 6.

Ahead of the Curve

IDK if this is a brilliant move to get people engaged in newspapers again or another step closer to the end, but the New York Times has announced a project called The Local East Village. The goal is to cover the blocks that make up the Village by allowing any registered user of nytimes.com to suggest a story idea or cover a story through a Virtual Assignment Desk.

Courtesy its Web site:
"The Local is a journalistic collaboration designed to reflect the richness of the East Village, report on its issues and concerns, give voice to its people and create a space for our neighbors to tell stories about themselves. It is operated by the students and faculty of the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute at New York University, in collaboration with The New York Times, which provides supervision to ensure that the blog remains impartial, reporting-based, thorough and rooted in Times standards."

I do appreciate that it's not a community blog or free-for-all and will have to abide by journalistic standards. And I think it will be a fabulous way to get people logging on to read content. Perhaps it will be a model for other papers to follow, a way for the public to show editors what matters to readers and the people we want to be readers.
It will certainly allow readers to buy into an idea that the NY times is now "their paper," and will allow a sense of representation for a very unique community. But for journalists who make a living by writing, it might seem imposing that now any one with a computer will be able to get published in connection with one of the most respected papers in America.

This is SMART

If you didn't know Univision and Telemundo do MAJOR numbers on television. In fact, I've been reading daily ratings reports where Univision shows performed better than shows on ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX and the CW on a given night.
With their success, it's evident that there's a market that has been underserved and is willing to watch content with their interests in mind.
The Hollywood Reporter wrote today that Lionsgate has partnered with Televisa to unveil a new company, Pantellion Films.
They have a five-year deal to release about 10 films a year for the (50-million strong!) Hispanic market.

"AMC CEO Gerry Lopez said his chain will dedicate one to three screens at 52 theaters in markets with strong Latino audiences and try to "consistently market to an audience that's already coming." He said Hispanics on average make up more than 20% of AMC guests -- about one-third in some areas." --THR

Here's a link to their in-depth article:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3id04ae3d9411a9f6b1cc7ce54480e2f65?pn=2

Obviously, there's truth to the prediction that Hispanics will be the largest minority, so being a leader in providing content to them is a good move and may open the doors for other companies to arise, or for mainstream companies to look at adding some selections for this demographic.

It's noteworthy that Lionsgate also distributes Tyler Perry's films, because Tyler has been showing Hollywood for years now that minorities DO show up for films that cater to them. And Tyler did put Sophia Vergara in his film "Meet the Browns." Now she plays Gloria on the hit ABC show "Modern Family" and her career has taken off!

Here's another quote from the THR article:

"One of the themes that his team heard in its research was that U.S. Hispanics want to be better represented on screen, Paul Presburger said. "The want to see themselves on the screen the way they see themselves," McNamara said. "They want to see [their own] as an ad exec or government employee, not just as drug dealer or maid." At the same time, Pantelion wants to avoid giving off an "I feel your pain" vibe or pander to audiences."

Hmmm..."they want to see themselves not just as drug dealer or maid"...or struggling single mom....or wanna-be rapper...or star athlete....
Sounds like sumthing another demographic has been saying for years...which companies are lining up to provide sumthing better for us? Please, Hollywood, don't think Tyler Perry is sufficiently filling the gap single-handedly. We are not that easily appeased.

But I digress...

Cougar Town

Heard via TheYBF that Gabrielle Union is launching a clothing line.

I'm not a Gabi fan - think I've made this clear before in stronger language, lol - but I read her reasoning behind the line and if the price is right, I'll support.

She said her sister is a big gurl who has a hard time finding flattering clothes, and that not many lines are tailored to black women's bodiesin general.

However, theybf story said she's planning to go the QVC/HSN route, and I'm sorry I can't buy anything without trying it on first. And I don't see myself watching the Home Shopping Network, though I do know that MJB used it to sell her fragrance "My Life" and set that channel on fire!

Lessons Learned From the VMAs

My Twitter feed, twitter.com/Devadonna, had my instant reactions to the VMAs Sunday night.
Now that my feelings are less involved, I'd like to share the nuggets I gleaned from the show:

1. The VMAs haven't been funny since Chris Rock used to host them. Yes, Chelsea Handler was bad. Yes, she might have messed it up for women going forward, but the men before her weren't that great, either.

2. There's a reason we've never seen Nicki Minaj dance - she can't. I thought she was whack when she just stood on stage, posed and touched her hair. (like Ashanti used to) Well, her dancing didn't engage me much more. And note to Nicki: Stop performing with your face! If I'm at your show in the balcony, I won't see all those strange expressions.

3. Justin Beiber is the future. We knew this already, but it's safe to say his performance was the best. Yes, better than Usher, (slightly). and Eminem. and anyone else you might consider a vet or pro.

4. I'm not watching the VMAs again. Not as long as Lady Gaga is nominated.

That is all.

Retraction

A few months ago I wrote a post raving about this new face wash by St. Ives, the Naturally Clear Green Tea Cleanser. They also have a scrub, and I've been using both.

Well, I'd like to take all my compliments back because I've noticed recently that my face is discolored in places. Yes, there are spots where my face is noticeably lighter. And my usual oily and acne issues have returned, so now I'm back on the hunt for a gentle yet effective face wash.

:o(

Willow Smith

In the wake of Willow Smith's rocket-speed momentum, I think it's time we search the annals of history and look at a case not too long ago.

You see, at one point, Teairra Marie was the first lady of the ROC. Then Jay-Z signed Rihanna and that other chick was promptly dropped on her ass.

Perhaps Sir Hov caught wind of the tweets and facebook posts declaring that with just one song, Willow Smith has whipped her hair and will whip Rihanna's ass right back to Barbados and out of the business.

Well, Rih at this point is more famous for her fashion than her music (which clearly Willow admires) which means she doesn't have to make music in order to be relevant.

But it's very noteworthy that Jay-Z signed Willow Smith last week. Looks like he said, "Whoa! This gurl might be a problem" and decided to nip that in the bud before competition could begin.

What I like about Willow's song is that, yes, it sounds like a song Rihanna would sing - except Willow actually sang it and sounded good as opposed to ...whatever it is that Rihanna does.

A New Concept

I went to an interfaith service today in memory of 9/11, where people of various faiths spoke about working together and respecting each other's beliefs in light of recent hate-mongering events that have taken place. The last speaker's words really got me thinking.

The gentleman, who is 19 and is Muslim, said he was reading a book by Mahatma Gandhi that spoke about tolerance. "Tolerance" is not enough, the speaker said, because it still implies an air of superiority. "We'll tolerate your religion" is the same as saying those other faiths are inferior. He instead mentioned a concept called ahimsa, which means to do no harm -- not even with your thoughts.

In essence, we need to transcend tolerance to reach a level of acceptance where we accord to other religions the same amount of respect that we give to our own.

That's a good idea, I thought. But wait: those of us who believe a certain religion do so because we think what we believe is thee right way. For instance, Christianity speaks of a straight and narrow path that few will find.

So with this in mind, is it really possible to give other religions the same level of respect that you give your own? I understand we can be intelligent enough to hear other ideas and whatnot, but if you believe your faith is the true faith, then how can you equally respect another religion?

Mashonda Still Goin

I HAD to post this. Theybf.com has a portion of an interview in Sister 2 Sister magazine with Mashonda saying plain and clear that Alicia Keys is an adulteress. She said A.Keys was trying to make her son call her mommy as well as some other kid Swiss has with sum chick from England. I'm not Mashonda so no I don't have to take it so personally but this is just why I can't in good conscience f* with Alicia Keys anymore. I know ppl do stuff all day that is just as bad, but I'm tripping how hers came to light and well, her stature keeps growing like no one has heard a word Mashonda said. And for the record, Mashonda looks way better than Keys.


S2S: Were you guys dating other people before he got with Alicia? Were you guys separated?
Mashonda: We were married. Sleeping in the same bed and having sex every night while he was seeing Alicia. Okay? It was an affair. 100 percent. I don’t know why people want to change that rule so much. We had just had a kid, for crying out loud. Our child was 8 months. I found out about Alicia two days before my son turned 1. They had been doing their thing for months before that.

Is it Because Oprah's Leaving?

You've probably heard that the Wendy Williams Show has fired its producer and had their hair and makeup team glam Wendy down a bit, but apparently they want her to reign her personality in as well.

Idk...Wendy is not the type of talk show host who appeals to soccer moms, and you can tell that by the studio audience, which looks to primarily be young women and gays, as well as by the fact that her show did well when it was tested in certain markets. (like Detroit, for example)

I understand Oprah's exit leaves a huge audience that can be taken advantage of, but Wendy isn't the woman to do it. But we all know there aren't many things that'll make a person change faster than money. If Wendy plays along, though, I think it'll be a great disservice to her fans, who love that she is both fabulous and messy.

However in the grand scheme of things, I think it was naive of Wendy to think she could really be herself on network television. We've seen this happen so many times H(ask Dave Chapelle, Kevin hart, Keenan Ivory Wayans, etc, etc) where they sign u up as you are for a minute and then force you to change.

Chain Reaction (of the Recession)

So get this:

Burger King has been sold to an investment group backed by a bunch of Brazilian investors because supposedly, BK is having a harder time recovering from the recession than Mickey D's.

But here's the reason why: "Burger King’s heavy user -- young, male, and more likely to be a minority -- has had a higher rate of unemployment than the McDonald’s consumer,” analyst Tom Forte of New York- based Telsey Advisory Group told Bloomberg.

I didn't know the fast food chains had diff demographics or whatever, but I guess that McCafe upgrade paid off...

http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tvbizwire/2010/09/burger-king-sold.php

D'Angelo decides to come out of hiding

Maxwell's comback - very successful
Sade's comeback - uh, not so much, but still very anticipated
Lauryn Hill's comeback - never gonna happen

BUT here's another one we've all been waiting on:

D'Angelo is back in the studio, working with Mark Ronson. Ronson produced many of the songs on Any Winehouse's album,and if I remember correctly, black folk loved that joint when it dropped in '07. I'm hoping for hotness with this one, people.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/music/news/e3i4dc46381a1986fb0562e68a96598bb04

So Sue Me

One of the inherent implications of our instant access-society is that ppl expect you to be, well, instantly accessible.

Thanks to facebook, twitter and texting you can contact someone literally at any time. But keep in mind, that doesn't mean they'll available to answer you "at any time."

There are legitimate times when someone may not be able to reply to you.

They include but are not limited to:
being at church, attending a meeting or conference, sitting on the toilet, working on an intensive project, being baptized, going out on a date, taking granny to the doctor, standing in the shower, spending quality time with a friend or family member, getting arrested, driving in a city that doesn't allow TWD. Maybe one saw you and made a mental note to chat at a more convenient time. Maybe they became distracted. Maybe they had facebook or twitter open while they were browsing other sites. That doesn't qualify as ignoring you.

It happens, right?

Don't take it so personal.

Justice Served ?

Did you all hear that a settlement has finally been reached in the Sean Bell case? Bell, 23, was shot by police the day of his wedding in 2003. Police fired 50 shots into the vehicle he was driving. Two other men were in the car, but he was the only one who died.

His two children will receive about $3 million dollars (not apiece), his fiance gets nothing because they weren't married when he died. The other two victims are getting about $3.5 million (not a piece).

While no amount of money will make things right, I do think the settlement is lower than figures I've seen in recent times. And honestly, if you read a quote in the story, it's clear the police department didn't want to give the victims anything. Someone from the detectives' association said the whole incident was Sean Bell's fault - that's crazy. And the officers were cleared of any criminal charges a while ago.

But I'm glad his fiance kept fighting and I hope police - even when having to make split-second decisions - will try to avoid a situation like that in the future.

wth?

Yall, what is that? My neighbors have that thing - those are cats, by the way - situated along the bottom of their door. I've never seen anything like that. What is its purpose? I'm tempted to throw it away....

Overkill

I swear, between all these tiny store club cards and library cards and rewards program cards, I don't have any room for keys on my keychain!

Red, white and green

So this is pretty random, but it's occurred to me that black people and Italian people have a lot in common.

We both can have nappy hair, we both love to eat and have family dinners. They have "Big Mamas" just like we do, referring to matriarchal figures, here. They can be loud and boisterous and we know they don't really play no games - all about the paper, all aobut their business, don't take the bull.

We're about the same. And it's notable that the tip of Italy is veryyy close to Africa.

I'm covering a town where there's a large concentration of Italian-Americans, so these observations recently struck me. But of course, we could draw parallels to just about every ethnic group.

Miss Keri, Baby

Is Keri Hilson the new Ashanti?

Remember when EVERY rapper had Ashanti sing their hooks?

This thought occurred to after hearing Keri on this new T.I. song where he's singing as well. comedy. Of course, as a songwriter she has the edge over Ashanti in the talent category, but as far as this hook-singing goes, she's the new go-to girl, looks like.

brutha - can't get enough (music video)

Lovin this song. LOVIN it - even before I knew it was by Brutha. Quit sleepin on these kids, they really can sing. And now, I guess they're sex symbols as well. lol. Thanks, Trey Songz

Fantasia, Bittersweet it is

Lord, bless her. Radio is really killing her song "Bittersweet," and while I can relate to the content, it's not her best work.

But the killin part is her breakdown in the middle where she decides to talk on the track. If you have a speaking voice like Fantasia's, that's thee LAST thing you should do. Never speak, Fantasia. Esp. not in a song.

MPO: Most Proud Of

I don't want to include links to the story because I don't want to directly name where I work...but it wouldn't be hard to google it. Honestly. Anyway, here's a follow-up story to an article I previously wrote.


July 10, 2010


Riley Sharpe's death prompts flood of support

Driadonna Roland
Staff Writer

The family of 3-year-old Riley Sharpe will never forget their "angel," who died July 1 after being hit by a vehicle in front of her home on Jay Street.

They also won't soon forget the support of the Rochester community, whose donations paid for the costs associated with Riley's funeral and burial Thursday.

After hearing news reports about the accident, several people came forward to offer the family help with funeral expenses.

"There's a lot of love in this community," said Jamie Sharpe, Riley's mother.

"There's so many people that I have to thank, words can't even express."

On Friday a couple from West Irondequoit spoke with Riley's family and learned the cemetery plot would cost $1,150.

The couple sent a card with a check inside for that amount the same day.

One of the owners of Chester's Check Cashing Center on Broad Street also contacted Riley's family to see what their needs were.

Matching all the donations taken over the Fourth of July weekend, Chester's Check Cashing on Tuesday presented $2,720 to Sharpe — enough to cover funeral parlor costs — along with a floral arrangement created by a customer.

Sharpe said she has seen many similar examples of the generosity of Rochester residents. She said the day after news spread of Riley's death, strangers began coming by with donations and condolences.

"One lady came up and donated $1,000 cash," Sharpe said.

The woman did not leave her name.

The pain is still fresh, but Sharpe said she wants to find a way to thank everyone after things have calmed down a bit.

"I have to find some way to thank everyone for all the prayers, the love and the support," she said.

Mon, July 12: RIDIN DURTY Pt I

Yesterday was a light day. On Sundays I am general assignment, which means I don't have a beat - I just cover whatever randomness occurs. Fortunately for me, I had done my reporting beforehand, so I just needed to show up and write it all up....but that was the hard part. I could NOT seem to focus for anything. I was disappointed in myself. I just wanted to leave and go outside and play in the sun! Rarely do I feel cooped up; that's one of the great parts of this job. But since I didn't have a reason to leave yesterday, maybe it made me a little stir-crazy.

So anyway today I started early in the hopes of riding along with a police officer, which excites all reporters, right?? I was really hoping to get a great anecdote to start my story with. Yes, the code enforcement story:

Mon. July 12: RIDIN DURTY Pt II

Here's the outcome of the very exciting cop ride-along :/



I understand everyone wants to be seen in the most favorable light, but it sucks for you to say, "Sure you can ride with the officer," then when I get there say, "But you can't do this, this, this or that - or anything that a reader would find remotely interesting. Here's what we want you to see." I shoulda got in my car and followed his butt!

Then I get to the office and my editor says the story is pushed back again anyway. I told the officers it would run Thursday. Now I don't know when it's due.

Oh, but as I was parking after the ride along (that took all of 30 minutes :( ), my editor texts me like when are you coming back? He tells me to grab a camera and go cover a police chief being sworn in. It was a short ceremony - always good - got to see a buncha men in uniform (that's a plus), and it was a gorgeous day weather-wise. SO that was cool.

But as a sidebar, I got a picture of the entire police force in the town...I erased it mistakenly, but there's a huge lack of melanin on the force. I mean, not one black cop. Maybe that's representive of the town iteself ... ?

July 8: Knock, Knock Part II

Here's how it turned out:




I certainly need to find more ppl to interview, but I gotta say the sista I did speak with had me cracking up! Always nice to meet cool folks who don't mind talking.
That's actually one concern I always have when I get sent out to do stories - "Will these ppl wanna talk to me?" Learning to transform that into a more positive thought, sumthing like, "Of course ppl will talk to me. I have a story to do and everyone/everything will cooperate and submit to the favor of God within me."

Thurs. July 8: Knock, Knock Pt I

Hey Good People!
Here's an intro about my mission for Thursday, July 8. My editors are really interested in this story about code enforcement violations, and they wanted me to find ppl who were guilty of said offense. In 90+ degree heat.
I also went to a theater camp and saw sum amazing kids rehearsing for "Footloose!" I'm a sucker for musicals, so this story appealed to me, but I was def expecting sumthing amateur-ish, to be quite honest.

DEVA'S ON THE ROAD!

So I had the idea to start a seperate blog to chronicle this very exciting phase of my life....it's called the "First Real Job Phase."
It's also more significant for me because as a colleague said recently,"You really don't know too many reporters." And that's true. You might know some doctors or lawyers, and plenty of teachers, but how many people can really say they know a reporter?

The funny thing I've learned is that whenever I tell people I'm a "newspaper reporter," they only seem to hear "News" and "Reporter."

No, I'm not on TV! Not yet, anyway. I am, however, a multimedia journalist at a paper in upstate New York, and I'd like to let you know what such a job is really like. I welcome you to check back with me regularly as I detail the triumphs, setbacks and thought process behind newsgathering.

I don't mind sharing my climb.

E Badu in VIBE Mag

I haven't seen the "Window Seat" video, but I love the song. However, Erykah's interview in this month's VIBE magazine is largely about that video and her decision to be nude. I had to pull these quotes out from the article because I loved them:

"Society has a problem with female nudity when it is not packaged for the consumption of male entertainment. Then it becomes confusing."

She reiterates it later: "People are uncomfortable with sexuality that's not for male consumption."

BUT HERE'S PERHAPS THE REALEST STATEMENT I'VE HEARD IN WHILE:

"We're just not fashioned for [nudity]. Especially the Black women, the 'Hottentot Venus' women, big-booty women, the large posterior, with no shoes on and a scarf on her head, you know that ain't sexy."

SPEAK for us, E. Badu! Cuz that's the absolute truth. Yes, you can find pictures of those kinds of women on the cover of King or Smooth magazines - but that's hardly what we mean when we say the black woman's body is not celebrated as sexy in the mainstream media and in American culture.

Don't Forget to Remember

Don't know if you can read this or not, but I'll sum it up for you - It's an advertisement for a slave auction.

Yup - I'm at a flea market last week, looking for items to fill my apartment, and I see this framed poster for $35. Once I read it, it blew me away. I started to buy it, just as a reminder because seeing something like that, ladies and gentlemen, reinforces how real it is.

It says something like, "Uncommonly Prime and Orderly Gang of 89 Negroes accustomed to the culture of rice, cotton and provisions Amongst them are valuable carpenters. Will be sold at public auction, by P.J. Porcher & Baya, On Monday, the 6th day of February, 1860. at the mart in Chalmara Street."

It goes on to say that you can pay for them over one, two or three year-periods.

This is the kinda thing, when you get that office or big house that you dreamed of, that you hang up just to attest to how far we've come...

Open Letter to Love

I'd like to take this time to thank you, Lord, for being the sovereign controller of my life,

for being the Final authority in every situation,

for placing me in situations I couldn't understand and therefore didn't know the purpose they were serving,

for teaching me patience, happiness and loyalty to my true self,

for surrounding me by my people who allow me to be myself and appreciate who that person is,

for giving me TWO jobs when many people don't have one, and for allowing me to enjoy each and every coworker I have - THAT itself is a blessing,

for teaching me that I can only move on to the next level after I pass the current test - and for allowing me to recognize when I am being tested,

for revealing yourself to me in subtle, unexpected ways,

for allowing me to speak your truth and serve as a vessel to confirm your realness in other people's lives,

for convicting me when I'm wrong, thereby letting me know you are still guiding me and that I answer to a higher adjudicator,

for people who love me even when I don't deserve it - far too many people to name,

for parents who love each other and put their kids only second to You,

for serenity, courage, wisdom, peace, faith, hope and strength,

for sunshine, cool breezes, literature, genuine smiles and a sense of humor,

for turning my sister from an enemy to a best friend,

for the "random" angels you send to share divine revelations and insights,

for the blessings you bestow upon others, because those examples increase my faith as well.

for not blessing what I'm doing, but rather teaching me to do what You're blessing,

for the simple fact that even though I'm not where (I think) I want to be, I have sense enough to follow where You lead me.

I'm a little overwhelmed by your grace and your mercy; I'm grateful that you think enough of me that you make the effort to "Perfect that which concerneth me," as the psalmist says. I take comfort in the fact that I never walk alone. Sometimes your presence makes me smile, sometimes it makes me cry, other times it gives me chills.

And I don't care if another soul never reads this...I just needed to thank You.

Every Idle Word

Sooner or later I'll learn to stop fussing and complaining because MOST of the time what I find myself dreading doesn't even turn out to be that bad.

My godfather called me an hour ago like meet him at the gas station so he can buy me some T-shirts. For the record, I HATE those on-the-corner ill-fitting T-shirts. I was online trying to read e-mails and news and whatnot so I just kept on being busy. He called me back, of course, so I came up to the gas station, quickly looked at the shirts and told him I was not interested in any one.

What happened next really surprised me - He pulled out some money and told me to go buy myself something I like. After all that fussing I did, it turned out to be a much-needed blessing!

PRAISE HIM!!!! Yet another reason to keep your mouth shut and let ppl work on your behalf!

Tell the Whole Story

You know we church people know all the Bible catchphrases. But instead of just repeating what we hear, we really should go find the verses for ourselves. I'm saying that because an excerpt taken out of context really does little good.

And reading half a verse still leaves you with half the truth. On Sunday, the preacher directed us to the book of Isaiah and had us read 54:14. But my eyes skimmed down to verse 17 and saw the ever-popular "No weapon formed against me shall prosper." I thought, cool, now I know where it is. I highlight and underline all in my Bible and do all kindsa stuff like that. So then I read the rest of the verse.

"No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD."

That's giving you victory over a LOT, even over words and critics and 'haters,' as we like to say...Now that's good stuff.

(Rick Ross said it pretty eloquently too, though: "Who gives a **** what a hater got to say?" JUST KIDDING!!!! :P)

"Recessionary Times"

I know a lot of people don't believe what I believe, but let me just remind you that almost every cliche, every saying and every theme or motif you've ever heard or seen has a Biblical basis.

I ran across II Corinthians 4:17 while in church on Sunday and the verse really struck me as an answer to the tough times many people are going through right now. It says, "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;"

What does that sound like to you? It sounds like, "Trouble don't last always"...."Everything happens for a reason"....or "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

I know we all have problems and issues we don't understand, but in reality, it's a "light" affliction that has a definite ending and serves a lasting purpose for you.

I'm not anybody's preacher...I just got my own understanding of this as it seems my own light affliction is finally passing. :O)

Re: Detroit 187

So here's the trailer for new ABC crime show "Detroit 187" It focuses on police and detectives responding to homicides in the nation's murder capital. Um.....I can tell it's gonna make me mad. I almost wish they'd have just made up a city, cuz this aint one of those pretty, glamourous "CSI:Miami" type joints. However, if they ever shot more than just cover shots here, I would like to work for the show. Not gonna lie.

http://video.hollywoodreporter.com/services/player/bcpid86250324001?bclid=86130038001&bctid=86633001001

Desperate Housewives

I thought it was something I would like. I tried to watch the ABC show "Desperate Housewives" but was never captivated, so I added this to the pile of obsessions/phenoms that will pass me by.

But now I learn that the the fabulous Vanessa Williams will be joining the cast. This lady is NEVER unemployed for long - "Ugly Betty" just ended a few weeks ago! So when I'm not out working my ass off, I'll be trying to catch this show every once in a while. Wonder who her husband/love interest will be...all the Housewives have one, right? Except maybe Alfre Woodard when she was on there with that creppy hiding-my-son-in-the-basement plot...(?)

Facing the Facts

I want a baby.

People keep saying, "No you don't! Don't say that." But uh....yea, I do. It stems from them being sooo cute, and me not wanting to be an old mama. At 23, I'm not where I hoped I'd be career-wise, and I'm realizing there's no way I can gauge how long that will take. That really has me worried that I will be 42 years old at the second-grade Christmas play.

At 23, there are girls who have like, a 6-year-jump on me. I cannot be 50 when all the other mamas are like 30. No sir!

However, I am rational enough to realize that because I'm at the entry level of my career, and because I have such lofty goals, this is the time to be on 100% grind mode. This requires complete focus, dedication, hunger, and even self-centeredness - I can't afford to try to divide my attention right now.

Beyond that, I have some more self-actualizing to do . I'd like to cross more items off my bucket list and reach a higher level of wholeness and self-acceptance before I try to instill values in someone else and try to guide his or her life.

Beyond that, I'm still pretty selfish/impulsive/undisciplined - also traits that a parent should not have. I like to spend my money on ice cream clothes lip gloss and frappucinos. I like to get up at a moment's notice and go anywhere. Children will infringe upon my right to blow my cash on frivolity! I like to be by myself sometimes and have complete silence or maybe LOUD music or read or whatever. I know kids will limit my freedom.

So I use all those very logical reasons to rationalize myself out of wanting a child. But my heart still wants one. Which is why I have to have this convo with myself on a recurring basis.

Lose-Lose Situation

My manager today was telling me how she advocates the military for any young man in Detroit who's not doing anything with his life.

Her theory was interesting. She said even though we're in wartime, hopefully it will end soon. But there's "nothing here in Detroit right now," and you have a 50/50 chance of getting shot every day. She said it doesn't matter what you're doing, college-educated or not, you got a 50/50 chance of getting killed right here in your own city, so why not join the military?

Taking Urself Wayyyy 2 Seriously

So this man came to my job today. He previously gave his CD to my coworker, so he followed up to see what she thought about it.

Well, when he gave her that CD, unbeknownst to him, she shared it with us all, and we had a hearty laugh at his outdated picture. Then she placed it in her drawer, where it has been for about a week.

Of course she told him that she enjoyed it! And he said to her, dead-ass serious: "If you knew the story behind it, you'd shed tears for the rest of your living years."

Wow. Really??? Wow. That's sum deep stuff right there.

Way to Be a Buzz Kill

So last week I got sum good news, but immediately thereafter sum sh*t happened that blew my high.

Someone told me I shouldn't share my testimony via fb because "Everyone doesn't wish you well." She also said, "If things don't work out, they're gonna say you failed like they said about situation X."

-Whoa! I didn't know anybody commented about my business like that. Interesting. But it's like that saying if a tree falls in the forest and no one hears it, did it happen? Meaning, if it wasn't said to me, then for all interns and purposes, it really wasn't said.

My next thought was, I don't friend everyone who requests that I do so, so I really shouldn't have any "friends" that don't wish me well.

But in case some haters managed to slip past my privacy settings (lol), someone else brought up a counter-argument.

"Why should you care about what they say?"

Good point.

I Was Waiting on That!

Does this ever happen to you?

You know when you want to do something so bad, but you have doubts or you've been told that it's wrong or you know it will upset some people?

So you kinda ask for advice and get a feel for what people say. You might ask 10 people and they say, "I don't know if I would do that...I don't think that's a good idea." You'll say, yea, ur right. But then when person No. 11 says, "Go for it!" you take it and run with it! Like, that's all I needed to hear!

This happened to me, like today. Pray for mercy, cuz when I tell my mom she's gonna LOSE it! She's not like other mothers. As in, she doesn't know I'm grown yet, lol. That's all I'll say about that.

Kim K. Put Y'all On

Thanks to the journalist in me, one of the first things I do when there's down time at work is read the news. This morning I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Miss Michigan was crowned Miss USA (because Miss Michigan never wins the whole shebang!), but I was even more surprised to learn that Miss USA is a woman of Lebanese descent.

Rima Fakih is the first Arab-American and first Muslim to be crowned Miss USA. I read a statistic that Dearborn, Mich. has the highest concentration of Arabs in America, so it's not unusual for me to see people who look like the lovely Ms. Fakih all the time. I do think, however, that it took the popularity of someone like Kim Kardashian, to shine the national spotlight on the beauty of Arab-American woman, and despite what you might say, I know we can call that a contributing factor in Rima's win last night. (I don't understand the popularity of the Kardashi-shones, but they are, perhaps unintentionally, representatives for their ethnicity, which is a minority that we don't always see in the mainstream.)

Let's give girlfriend all the credit she is due, though. She has a degree in economics and business management and works in marketing for the Detroit Medical Center. I didn't go research her whole life story, but I did see this quote that I liked a lot:

"It's beauty that captures your attention, personality which captures your heart."

In News That Only I Care About

The Daytime Emmy Awards were announced, and damnit, the lady who plays crazy Patty on "The Young & The Restless" should've been nominated! (She's also playing her own psychiatrist.)

Instead, they nominated the chick who plays Lily. Lily is one of the dullest characters on the show. And they nominated Phyllis, whom I dislike but is very believable in her role. However, she didn't do anything spectacular in the past year to deserve recognition. I know some ppl may think all soap operas are full of bad actors. That absolutely would be untrue.

BUT I AM HAPPY TO SAY that my two favorite male characters on the show - Jack Abbott and Billy Abbott were nominated! Billy is a sarcastic, impulsive, hot-headed male whore. But he's funny and relateable and I like him. Jack is...Jack. He's easily thee main reason I tune in because he gets the best story lines, and even when he's acting up, I still want him to win.

Paul (the detective) was also nominated, which is good for him, but all his character does now is cry because the crazy Patty lady is his sister! Also, I hate the way Nikki Newman played him this past year. Paul's a good guy, which also means dull, unfortunately. And WHY did that take that awful/annoying/uncute chick from the Susan Lucci soap on ABC to replace the actress who played his daughter?? I HATE that switch.

Again, I'm sure not too many ppl will get this post, but I take my Y&R seriously.

Not Sure About This

While it's no secret that I BELIEVE in Queen Mary J. Blige, I read a story yesterday that she's about to play Nina Simone.

I heard an old Nina Simone CD of my Dad's, and while I don't know much else about here, I do know she's revered as an iconic singer/songwriter/pianist/arranger and even civil rights activist.

I'd pay my LAST quarter to go to a Mary concert, I really would. But idk about watching this one. Hope she does well, though!

U Betta Work!

Excuse me, can we just take a minute to note that Chrisette Michele is winning right now. Her video guys include Drake, Wale and Pooch Hall.

GET IT BYYYYTCHHHH!!!! (w/all due respect, lol)

Work...Work...Work...Part II

On the other hand (referring to the previous post) there are plenty of times when God uses people to speak for Him...or to give you some sort of confirmation and/or Enlightenment.

This lady walked in the bank today lookin' like she hopped off somebody's Harley Davison. All black - leather jacket, Ray Bans, black skull cap with a skull and bones it - whole nine. She came to my window and after learning what she needed, the manager and I figured that we weren't the best place to help her. But she and I started talking anyway. She told me she was moving to Chicago very soon, and my eyes lit up. She said she always thought she wanted to live in NY, but now she wasn't so sure because she just moved home from LA and "had built her own paradise" here. However, her job is giving her money to move to Chicago and she will get to work on NY accounts. I cannot help but believe GOD sent her to my window today.

She said, "When I had to leave LA, I wanted to feel like a failure, but i couldn't. FEAR NOTHING. You know what? If you feel it in your gut, then just go for it, and know you're gonna be taken care of. Fear is the direct opposite of faith. So if you say you have faith, then just go and know anytime you step out the door that God is gonna take care of you."

Then she literally said, "OK I'll get out your life now." I smiled, and told her that actually I needed to hear exactly what she said. I even wrote it down...
This word we use, "random," - the funny thing is, a lot of the time we use it to describe something that was meant to be, meaning it actually wasn't "random" at all...

I Need a Word From You

The other day my bf was telling me about an experience he had. It was one of those things that seemed bad, but he wasn't upset about it at all. Said just the opposite - that he was kinda relieved, actually.

Don't wanna go into detail about his business, but his reaction to the incident really surprised me. And I came to this conclusion: A lot of times when we're looking for God to speak to us, it may not necessarily be a voice we're listening for. Sometimes it's just a feeling that you get.

You know what I mean? Ever got that sudden sense of peace, like a wave that just washed over you outta nowhere? Or a happy feeling even though you were looking at an impossible situation? Or a feeling of extreme gratitude?

Forgive this tangent, but I think about how in Tyler Perry movies, there's ALWAYS this motif of having to forgive someone who did a great injustice to you in order to move on. And even though it's cliche (in his films), it's absolutely true that once you make peace with a situation, it's a freeing experience. I don't care if it's being fired from a job, or having to move back home or going through a break up or not getting something you really wanted or having a fight with someone you love or even something like failing a test.

We as humans can be pretty hard on ourselves. Disappointments can lead to regret, guilt, hostility and even depression. But once you analyze a situation and make some sense out of it, you're really able to move on. You might even walk away knowing that you'll never understand a situation, but you gotta find a way to be OK with that, too. Because then, what others view as failure won't feel that way to you. What other people think should make you sad won't even affect you anymore - because you will have CONQUERED it. In other words, learning to "keep it movin" is one of the most important things you can do, for your sanity's sake and for the sake of your own happiness.

Work...Work...Work... Pt I

I promise, this was Froot Loop Week at work. ALL the whacky people coordinated with each other to bring their insanity to my job, and they didn't spare anyone.

*One lady went off on a coworker because she wanted a withdrawal and he asked how she wanted her money back.
*One man (in a jail jumpsuit, no less!) attempted to open a bank account without a state ID or address, just a gift card, and cussed the manager out when she said she needed more documentation.
*Another man keeps calling me "Kenyatta."
*And yet another man got man at me because he wanted his tax refund, but he had an overdraft of $10.16 so I couldn't give him the full amount. ("What do you mean you can't give it to me? See, this is why I don't like dealing with you people. Get me somebody else! Get me a manager right now! I'm not gonna wait; go get me somebody else!")
*Then another woman today said she hates coming to our bank because we talk about her every time she comes up there.
*And we won't talk about the lady who had a bag FULL of crumpled up cash, then asked my coworker if she could count any faster because she had somewhere to be.

And people, that wasn't the half of it. I'm learning not to be bothered by it, I'm just sharing cuz it's funny. Today we were giving away popcorn (in an effort to make the sales pitch about our latest product less annoying), and this man walks up to my window and wastes popcorn all over - and leaves it there, like I didn't see it.

Then this older woman said she couldn't hear me because she took her hearing aid out at the salon. What did she do next? Opened up her purse, found those aids and plugged them in her ears right at my window. Heard her tuning them up and trying to find the right frequency (or whatever) and everything. Toooo funny! And not exactly sanitary, either.

Match Made in Heaven

Wouldn't you LOOOVE to see Erykah Badu in a Tyler Perry movie? It just seems like a good match in my mind.

I'm not sure if she's acted before, but we all know that's not a prerequisite to be in a TP flick.

Couldn't possibly be less entertaining than Cicely Tyson (in this last movie)or MJB.

Takeaways

U have so many experiences in life that leave u feelin like, "WTF?!" or "Wow, that was a colossal waste of time."

Some people live by the philosophy that everything happens for a reason. I.....don't know, sumtimes there mite not be a "takeaway"; maybe you just plain went thru sum BS.

But for the past month I've been working at a credit union (it's like a bank, if you don't know), and here's what I'm taking away:

* Not quite a mastery, but increased competency, in the (whack) art of small talk.

* Recovery practice.(People really do expect you to know everything, and to do everything w/lightning speed. If you don't know how to do something or it takes longer than it should, you have to put people at ease and skillfully save face.)

* A confirmed desire to be an entrepreneur. I see the business owners come in every day with their checks and cash deposits, and I just imagine what a freeing experience it must be to generate your own stream of revenue, to set your own prices, to have something to fall back on, to plain be your own BOSS! I don't care if you have a dog-washing business; that belongs to YOU!

And while I'm speaking of the credit union, what's amazing is that this is the FIRST and ONLY job I've had where I genuinely liked ALL of my coworkers. Managers, everybody. I'm not used to getting to be myself at work, if you know what I mean. I even walked in with baby blue fingernails and yellow hair yesterday, and the manager said, "You just like me, don't know what u wanna do with ur hair." Much better than what I thought she would do...

Dear Maxwell,

Thank you Sir, for showing these artists how a comeback should look.
Moving major units, going #1, winning Grammys, going on tour, and still singing w/substance. You've given hope to many artists with latent careers.

Unlike Usher, who wants you to put hands in folks' pants. Unlike Teena Marie, who still won't let Rick James die. Unlike DMX, who won't stay out of jail long enough to drop an album. Eminem did OK, but we ain't really checking for him like we were checking for you. Charlie Wilson...I guess he did OK, but anytime your grandpa still rocks cornrows and sings love songs written by R. Kelly, there's a bit of an identity crisis to conquer. Jaheim? He's clearly for the over-30 set, now, and Toni Braxton? *bowing my head in shame* look at her old, stank azz in a sheer cat suit w/half her head shaved off on theybf.com, and you will be speechless as well as saddened.

Who's left? Aah, I know who Black America (and others) are really waiting on and praying for. I mean, if these people were to come back, ppl might just camp out at the record store like white ppl waiting on iPads and iPhones.

And while I hate to be the bearer of bad news (aka The Truth), let me just announce, for the record, that LAURYN HILL AND DE'ANGELO are too far gone. They will never make records again. Face the facts, my friends. Some people just have that one-and-done thing going on - they drop a masterpiece and that's all they got to give. I know Ms. Hill is so talented it's ridiculous, and she has more stories to tell and more songs to sing. But her mind is gone and her heart's not in it, and so NO, she will never be coming back. Pour sum out of whatever you're sipping right now.