When it rains...

...it definitely pours. This past month has been one of the most tumultuous of my entire life. I am by no means a drama queen and believe me this is not an exaggeration.  mid-October through mid-November 2010 will be remember as the four weeks of turmoil for me. It's pretty crazy that all the mishaps and sadness seem to have come to an end right around the Thanksgiving holiday.

So much has happened and I can truly say that like every year I have so much to be thankful for and it seems to be in the forefront of my thoughts more so this year because in the past 3 weeks I've lost an aunt and  another aunt nearly had a stroke and to top it off my nephew was in a car accident.  All of these incidents compounded with the other drama that happens in day to day life seems to much to handle at times.

So not only is it raining in my life, it's pouring. Pray for me....please!

The Holy Grail of vanilla cupcakes

If there are 2 things my New Orleans born and bred grandmother taught me, they are;

1. Don't trust anyone that buys frozen seafood
2. Don't try recipes you haven't tested before on guests

Well, I broke number 2 this past weekend, I hope she forgives me. A few week ago I was on the LA Times website, poking around the food section when I came across an article: 83 recipes for your favorite restaurant dishes. My first thought was, "yeah, right these aren't going to taste anything like the originals". One recipe in particular caught my eye.

The recipe was for those heavenly vanilla cupcakes from Joan's on Third. For those unfamiliar with Joan's, it's one of the best places for lover's of gourmet food in the city - visit immediately!  I was cooking Sunday dinner for my family and decided I'd make the recipe for the first time for dessert. A big no, no in my family since I would be tasting the final product for the first time with my guests. I decided that I would make homemade ice cream in addition to the cupcakes (merely a precaution in case the cupcakes ended up tasting like crap). The recipe that the Time's provided appeared too simple to end up tasting any good. I will be the first to say I was oh so wrong. I whipped that batter together so fast your head would spin. I popped them in the oven and within a matter of minutes the kitchen was smelling - to take a term from the Campbell's soup dictionary - M’mm M’mm Good!

Within 20 minutes I had the most beautiful vanilla cupcakes I'd ever made. I used the frosting recipe the Time's provided as well and the finished product was to die for. I enjoyed them and more importantly my guest did too. I plan on making them for my annual Halloween party with orange frosting instead. At 456 calories a pop I won't be pigging out on these. Although they aren't the healthiest cupcakes they are the some of the tastiest! I'm willing to workout to enjoy one of these. The recipe & nutrition information is listed immediately below along with photos of the finished product. Enjoy!!!

Servings: 12

Note: Adapted from Joan's on Third

Cupcakes

1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons (5.84 ounces) flour
1 1/8 teaspoons baking powder
Heaping 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 pound (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
1 cup (7 ounces) sugar
2 eggs


1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin cups with paper liners.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour with the baking powder and salt. In a small bowl or measuring cup, stir together the milk and vanilla extract. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a large bowl using a hand mixer, cream the butter. Gradually add in the sugar, beating until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
4. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, until fully incorporated. Beat in the flour and milk mixtures, alternating one-third of each at a time, until each mixture is fully incorporated and the batter is smooth.
5. Fill each muffin cup three-fourths full of batter. Bake the cupcakes until puffed, set and lightly golden, and a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 18 to 20 minutes.
6. Cool the cupcakes before frosting.

Frosting and final assembly

1/4 pound (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
5 cups (1 1/4 pounds) powdered sugar, sifted and divided
1/4 cup milk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat the butter with one-half of the powdered sugar until combined. Beat in the milk and vanilla, scraping down the sides of the bowl, and beating until smooth.
2. With the mixer set to low speed, gently beat in the remaining sugar until combined. Increase the speed and continue to beat until the frosting is light and fluffy. This makes about 2 1/2 cups frosting.
3. Frost each cupcake with a generous 2 tablespoons frosting.

Each cupcake: 456 calories; 3 grams protein; 75 grams carbohydrates; 0 fiber; 17 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 77 mg. cholesterol; 64 grams sugar; 116 mg. sodium.

2010 MTV VMA's aka 2 hours of television that sucked ass!!!

If you're like me and you watched the MTV VMA's last night you're probably pissed off. First of all; the ass clowns over at MTV - which doesn't show any fucking videos any more had their annual fake awards show. It was terrible. Chelsea Handler is much funnier on her show than she was on the VMA's. I doubt they will ask her to host again. Here's a quick recap: Gaga won everything and Justin Bieber got some shit at the end -LOL

The performances sucked for the most part except for Drake featuring MJB and Alicia Keys' baby day, B.O.B featuring Haley Williams and Florence and The Machine. Justin Bieber and his daddy (aka Usher) were the lip syncing king and prince of the night. I understand that they both really enjoy dancing but how about you combine the dancing with some real live singing every now and then.  Taylor Swift needs a swift kick in the vocal cords because that bitch can't carry a tune at all. Speaking of her tunes, that song she wrote and performed about the Kanye incident was - to take a term from the Kris Kross dictionary - Wiggedy Wiggedy Whack! Kanye was only slightly better than America's favorite blond haired, country victim. That red suit he wore made him look like an anorexic version of the Kool-Aid Man. I did love his song, I've been toasting douche bags ever since he performed it last night.

Hopefully, now that Kanye and Taylor have both sang their peace we can move on from what has now become the biggest beef in the music Industry since the East Coast-West Coast rap feud. And when the hell did Jared Leto join a band? Where the hell have I been?

My 2 cents on some of the fashion:

Katy Perry - awesome dress

Lady Gaga - avante garde and fabulously unique as always. The meat dress was a little weird but hey that's her style, she wouldn't be Gaga without getting a little crazy.

Ciara - the ostrich called and wants its feathers back

Ke$ha - wore a dress made out of trash bags which was fitting because she is GARBAGE

Usher - fire your stylist ASAP. Those boot with that suit and the hint of pink with the handkerchief - No, no and no

Drake - looked dapper as ever

Justin - looked more bad boy than boy band which isn't a bad thing

Will.i.am and Nikki Minaj - 2 words for these 2 - Gruesome Twosome (not the looks because Nikki is a beautiful girl but that outfit and fake booty are not the business unless your a drag queen from outer space)

Ashley Green - looked absolutely stunning (more than I can say for the other chicks from Twilight that usually look out of place and in ill-fitting clothes at awards ceremonies)

Jersey Shore - They're from Jersey. Just because your state is next door to the fashion Mecca doesn't mean any rubbed off on you.

Amber P. Riley - she's always styling on them hoes: fat, skinny, young or old. Go Girl!

Jane Lynch - This coat looked like K-Swiss made a cloak for Harry Potter. No, no, no.

Emma Stone - It looks like they used the rest of the garbage bags that where leftover from Ke$ha's dress

Pharrell - he is always rocking the homeless chick look. WTF is up with those medals he's wearing?

Selena Gomez - Dressed by Reynolds Aluminum Foil

Jackass - Trailer Park. Their name says it all. I wouldn't wear this to take out the trash.

Jesse Williams - He's so hot he could wear farmers overalls and I wouldn't have a problem with it.

Anyhow, I will just upset myself even more if I go on about those awards.

On a final note: MTV should take a hint from the Emmy's and Golden Globes and have the show live nationwide. Since the creation of Twitter these events are ruined by East Coasters who live tweet the show, but this show was ruined even before it started.

Arrivederci.

What a difference a year makes

One year ago today my niece Madison was born. She was 3 months premature and weighed 1 lb. 9 oz. The hospital said hope for the best but prepared for the worst. They even tried to prepare my sister for the unimaginable but she wouldn't hear of it and neither would we. I remember the book the hospital gave her about dealing with the loss of a child. I also distinctly remember telling my sister to throw the book away, being the person I know she is she hadn't planned on reading it anyway. We come from a strong Christian family and we knew that no matter how skilled the staff was that ultimately things were in God's hands.

Madison had to remain in the NICU at Long Beach Memorial for 3 months and finally came home on what was her original due date. She endured surgeries on her heart, eyes and a number of transfusions, not to mention being connected to all sorts of machines and poked and prodded day in and day out. It was all for her good but you couldn't help but cringe at the thought of everything. She was often times heavily sedated so she wouldn't pull out any of her tubes and be in too much pain. The NICU staff was amazing and Madison's parents got to visit her each day. The swine flu was in full swing so we couldn't visit her for a while, but we were provided updates and pictures daily.

When Madison finally came home she was surrounded with all the love a child could ask for and more. I consider myself especially lucky because I've been able to spend a portion of almost every day with her since she came home. She is our miracle baby and living proof that God answers prayers.

So to Madison, on your first birthday you dear sweet little girl, I wish you many more happy birthdays and lots of love.

I thought I'd seen it all...and then there was this

I have been to different countries but I've never seen anything quite like this. A one stop shop for hair, nails, tatoos and eyebrow arching - in the middle of the street!  It's Jamaica's Street Side Salon. I guess it's kind of like the places here in Los Angeles that are beauty supply stores, salons, jewelry stores and clothing stores that also sell lottery tickets. Major difference - it looks like you might need a tetanus shot after visiting the Street Side Salon.

A day with my nieces.

.

Well June is finally here, that means summer is just around the corner. I had a fab day with my nieces. We went to the park got chased by a dog and had to run home. Funniest shit ever, especially because the only time I run is when I'm being chased.

Madi got on a slide for the first time and her cousin was more than happy to hold her on the way down.

All in all it was a great day.

Sliding was a bit too much for little Madi, she spent the remainder of the day on a blanket in the shade.

This oil spill and BP's response (or lack thereof) has raised my BP

I don't know why more people aren't outraged with what's going on in the Gulf of Mexico. I guess I feel personally collected because my family is from Louisiana and I spend a few weeks a year in New Orleans and consider it my second home. I keep up with the news online from the Times-Picayunne and on a blog maintained by Jared Serigne. The pictures and videos alone are upsetting and add to that the fact that 11 people lost their lives because of a companies failure to ensure that safety mechanism were in place, this is downright right outrageous!

Photo credit: National Geographic

Photo credit: Daniel Beltra/Reuters

BP has a Twitter account setup to inform people of the steps they're taking to correct this problem which doesn't seem like a whole lot because all the oil is still gushing into the Gulf. It would be almost laughable if this event weren't so tragic. I took the time since the incident occurred on April 20, 2010 to read through any and all info I could find on BP.  I ran across their 2009 Sustainability Review and found three items at the very beginning that really disturbed me, especially because if they were true I wouldn't be writing this post.

Today I read the transcript of BP America's president, Lamar McKay's, testimony to the US Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. And all I can say is now I'm even more outraged. If you visit BP's website they go on and on about how they research prior to drilling and how safety and the environment is their number one priority. I call BULLSHIT on that because they're a company like any other company and we all know the number one priority is revenue! Well, McKay, said all the right things, but all I have to say is words without action are worthless. He seems to have a ton of questions too, the same ones I find my self asking:

First, what caused the explosion and fire on board Transocean’s Deepwater

Horizon?

Second, why did Transocean’s blowout preventer – the key fail-safe

mechanism – fail to operate?

Of course McKay and BP are not going to be taking the blame for this. They're trying to dump that on Transocean who they hired to drill the well. Transocean also owned and operated the Deepwater Horizon rig. and as McKay puts it "Transocean, as owner and operator of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, had responsibility for the safety of all drilling operations." If that isn't deflection I don't know what is.

This is a story of failure. A corporations failure to properly protect it's employees and the environment and that same corporations failure to have the proper safety protocols and redundancy in place to minimize damage and loss of life.

In his closing remarks McKay went on to say:

No resource available to this company will be spared. I can assure you that
we and the entire industry will learn from this terrible event, and emerge

from it stronger, smarter and safer.

It's unfortunate that the Gulf Coast of the US had to be the classroom that this lesson was taught in. There are thousands of people who make their livings fishing those waters, there are generations of people who have fond childhood memories of frolicking in those waters and there are those who where dragged kicking and screaming during their summer vacations against their will to Breton Island and ended up marveling in the beauty of the Gulf Coast.

The cost to the environment cannot be associated to a dollar amount. The damage is irreversible and will affect our planet for generations to come. BP better get their shit together and get it together soon. While the people of the Gulf Coast are welcoming, cordial and accommodating we don't take well to people mucking up our waters.

Dorothy Irene Height (March 24, 1912 – April 20, 2010)

Today was the funeral of Dr. Dorothy Height and I cried during every minute of it. She was a pioneer of the Civil Rights and Women’s Rights movements. She was fierce, stylish, classy and intelligent. She was fearless, a leader, a soldier and a voice for those who couldn’t speak up for themselves. She was everything I wanted to be.


I remember (and shall never forget) the first time I met Dr. Height, I was a freshman at Howard University and we were both attending the same event. I was introduced to her and this woman whom I had learned about in US History and seen on TV donning some of the baddest hats ever simply said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, you’re adorable”, I was speechless, I shook her hand and mumbled something to which she replied, “Honey, speak up I can’t hear you”. We talked for about 10 minutes and headed to our respective tables. I would see her many times over the next couple of years and she always remember who I was and she always had on a different hat. She was always encouraging and asked me how school was going. Dr. Height wasn’t one of those people who pretended to care how you were doing she actually cared.

She would share her stories of the Civil Rights movement and always stress the importance of women, especially Black women, to carry themselves with dignity and grace – always! She spoke of the importance of education and how it should be accessible to everyone regardless of race and social standing. When I was in DC for the inauguration of President Obama it warmed my heart to see Dr. Height sitting there, she was a big part of what went on that day long before Barack Obama was even born. Her life was lived in service of others; she was always doing her part to make things better for the next generation.

She received every civilian honor imaginable and countless honorary degrees and where most people would have been haughty and snobbish she was always humble and classy. Dorothy Height was phenomenal, she was fabulous, she was caring and compassion. She was loved and will be missed.

No hat she ever wore on earth can compare to the crown she received when she made it to Heaven.

Dr. Height's funeral service is available for viewing online here.

Relationship & Infidelity Rant

The prospect of marriage is not only out the window but if recent celebrity break ups are any indicator it’s probably dead. Sandra Bullock’s husband Jesse James cheated on her. Tiger Woods cheated on his wife – numerous times. Sam Mendes tells Kate Winslet that one relationship isn’t enough for him and there are a number of other high profile break ups. Not to mention most of the women these men are seeing are far less attractive and much less successful than their current wives and girlfriends. Hello, when you’re looking to trade in, you should try trading up instead of down. There are so many people that I know whose marriages have failed or one or both spouses are currently having affairs. It causes one to wonder if monogamy died right along with chivalry.


I know plenty of men and woman who profess to be Christians and who made vows “till death do us part”. I have to wonder if that death referred to emotional death and not physical. Others will say if you aren’t happy then just leave. I have a problem with people not keeping their commitments. My grandparents were married for well over 40 years and while I’m sure it wasn’t always a walk in the park I’m convinced they were deeply in love with each other until their dying days. Were there ups and downs? Of course there were but you worked through it, you talked your problems out, and sometimes that talking would become yelling but you faced the problems – together. The husband didn’t run to another woman and the women didn’t run to another man. I’m not so jaded to believe that talking problems out will prevent infidelity but I know that open dialogue in any situation is more productive than not saying anything at all.

When people get married they should be marrying someone they love, feel they can live with and unfortunately die with. Too many relationships are built on lust instead of love nowadays. I know so many people that cheat and are cheated on and I wonder what leads to this and what if anything is gained by it. Sure, there’s the whole thrill factor but doesn’t that get old? One of my friends had an affair with a married coworker for over 3 years and bore him 2 children. His wife also had 2 children while he was having an affair. This guy had 4 kids in 2 years; his first child was born to my friend - his mistress. During the entire relationship he swore he never loved his wife, he planned on leaving her and constantly told my friend she was the love of his life. Now, over 3 years later he’s still with his wife and hasn’t spoken to my friend since May 2009, my friend gave birth to his 2nd daughter on December 31, 2009 and the guy’s wife gave birth to another daughter on March 4, 2010. Looking back on all of this I wonder what he was thinking? Was it a thrill, did he ever love my friend and more importantly did he ever love his wife?

One of my married friends and I were talking the other day over lunch about relationships and cheating spouses and she told me how glad she was to be married and didn’t know what she would do if she were single and dating right now because the prospects are so poor. I told her I was glad to be single because if I were married to some of my friend’s husbands I would have probably cut the guys throat or slit my own wrists.

I read a tweet the other day about how hard it is to date in today’s world and I’m starting to wonder if it’s harder to stay married than it is to date. So to all those married people feeling sorry for us single girls, keep your sympathy and take a good look at your own relationship cause the single girls are doing just fine and some of them are doing just fine with your husbands.
How many marriages end in divorce today? How many spouses have cheated or are contemplating it? This is a real issue and if it weren’t shows like Cheaters wouldn’t have so many viewers. Each time I turn on the TV or look at a news site I’m bombarded with facts, figures and articles on infidelity from everyday folks to politicians. It’s truly sickening. So here’s to being single for the rest of my life and being happy with someone who’ll love me forever – ME!

Go For What You Know

I have never been one of those people that buy knock off anything; that goes for handbags, jewelry, hair (yes, there are knock off extensions) or anything else. You do have those people that say the off brand stuff is just as good as the regular stuff, you're just paying for a name. Well, to those people I say kiss my ass and you get what you paid for. I got more than I paid for! I ended last evening as I do all, I washed my face prior to getting in to bed. I don't care if I've washed it in the shower even 15 minutes prior, I still wash my face before going to sleep. That's just me, I have always taken care of my skin. From middle school through most of high school I battled with acne and acne usually won. I tried every product for the market on acne from the low end to the high end, over the counter to prescription and nothing worked. My senior year of high school my doctor suggested I try another product from the shelf, I began using Johnson & Johnson Clean & Clear products and noticed immediate results. My skin cleared up within a matter of days. No matter how the weather was my skin remained clear as long as I washed it daily with Clean & Clear. This product kept my skin clear through harsh east coast winters and extremely humid summers.

Last night I decided to try the CVS equivalent (but really it's not equivalent) to my beloved Clean & Clear. The product texture was a little different, it appeared to be kind of greasy but I figured I'd still give it a try. I followed the instructions and used it on my face. I woke up this morning and my cheeks were itching. Not just a regular itch, this was me wanting to dig my nails into my skin and scratch itching. I immediately jumped out of bed and headed to the mirror. To my absolute horror and amazement my face which was smooth and blemish free the night before now resembled the face of Edward James Olmos (I love his work but let's face it, that guy has some serious dermis issues).

I ran through everything that happened the previous day to see what I could have come in contact with that could have done such a number on my skin. I went through food - that list was short since I only ate rice and a Boca patty that day. I didn't put anything out of the ordinary on my skin...except that CVS clearing scrub. I consulted my sister, who just the day before had remarked on how well my skin looked and unfortunately she used the same CVS clearing scrub to see how it worked and she suffered the same fate as me except her skin looks even worse.

Pictures of the damage are immediately below. My right and left cheeks have darkened in under 24 hours and are both covered in some sort of rash like, chemical burn thingamajig (that's not the technical term for it). This has been an ugly lesson that I have learned but I am definitely never using CVS brand products again. I am now in the process of trying to get my skin back to its former glory and glow. Just so you don't think I'm being dramatic, I am including the pictures of the damage. In a word – catastrophic!

I wasn’t even trying to save a buck; I just wanted to see if the product was the same. When I find a brand I like I am loyal to it but I’m willing to try something new if the product guarantees me the same results/performance. In this case it didn’t! I have contacted CVS and am hoping to receive a response from them soon, next call is to the doctor. The lesson here is the same as the tile of this post: Go For What You Know. Stick with the brands and products that have always worked for you or you may suffer the consequences I did.

A whale of a tale

So by now everyone has heard about the unfortunate circumstances that led to the death of a trainer at Seaworld in Orlando. If you are living under a rock or at the bottom of the ocean you can read about it here or watch the news story here. To make a long story short; On Wednesday a killer whale grabbed a trainer (Dawn Brancheau, 40) with its mouth and thrashed her around a bit and drowned her. Her official cause of death will likely be listed as multiple traumatic injuries and drowning. The whale known as Tilicum or Telly is a nearly 30-year-old male and weighs 12,300 pounds. A number of park visitors witnessed the incident. Now people are saying the whale should be euthanized. I mean are they serious?

This is a wild animal and I am almost certain it wasn't aware that it was killing the trainer. While I can appreciate places like zoos and theme parks wanting to educate the general public and give them access to animals they may not normally see, we have to recognize that at the end of the day these are business. All businesses have one thing in common - the bottom line. I am very sorry for Dawn Brancheau's family and it's unfortunate that she's dead but this was not some vicious attack on a person by another person. A wild animal was being held in captivity and that's the reason this happened. When was the last time you heard about something like this happening at sea? And now people are saying the animal should be put down. Last I checked whales and humans do not have the same mental capabilities, if that were the case Shamu would be Governor of California and not Arnold Schwarzenegger. Come to think of it California might have been better off if Shamu were elected governor. Seriously though you cannot hold an animal accountable for attacks on humans the same you would hold a human accountable. Similarly, the story involving Travis the Chimp early last year is another sad case of folks making wild creatures part of the family. People need to stop trying to domesticate & train wild animals.

Bottom line, leave these animals be - in their natural habitat - and these incidents wouldn't occur. Common sense should tell you that someone 150 pounds shouldn't be playing with an animal that almost 10 times their size. We tell older children not to be so rough when playing with younger children because they can easily hurt them because the younger children are so much smaller. Why wouldn't we apply these same principles to everyday life and interaction between animals and humans? I am well aware that there had been previous incidents involving this whale and those are unfortunate cases too but people need to leave these animals alone, the only time I can see animals being held in captivity is if they are endangered and attempts are being made to repopulate the species. This was not the case with Telly, he was an attraction being used to make money for Seaworld.

I remember watching Free Willy back in the day and thought the whale was adorable but I didn't make any plans to see it up close or decide to train orcas. Even if the animal doesn't intend to kill someone, it's massive size alone is enough crush someone or drown them. In Seaworld's defense they do take very good care of the animals and their employees but no one can gauge how or when a wild animal is going to react in a situation.

My point is simply this: wild animals should remain in the wild!

Arrivederci

A Lent Well Spent

Usually I only blog about religion a few times of the year and this is one of them. Well, it’s Ash Wednesday and you know what that means. It’s the first day of Lent. The period beginning the day after Mardi Gras leading up to Easter, the holiest day on the Christian Calendar. It represents the time Jesus spent in the wilderness being tempted by Satan. Lent is extremely important to me and I don’t look at it as a huge task or obligatory undertaking. I see it as a time to bring me closer to Christ by giving up something (or things) that I normally can’t seem to go without - this year it’s all meat and alcohol -, through prayer and reflection.

It seems of late that Lent has become trendy and people completely forget about the religious and spiritual aspect of the Lenten Season. People are “taking up things instead of giving them up”. While I think that is wonderful people are taking the time to do something during Lent I don’t agree with people doing something “good” for 6 weeks and then stopping it. I look at every day of my life as a chance to better myself and those around me in some sort of way.  Religious significance of Lent is being replaced with a social trend. I’m glad Jesus didn’t look at the sacrifice that he made for humanity as a trend because he could have easily changed his mind and I don’t even want to imagine the world if he hadn’t made that great sacrifice.

When Lent is over you should reflect upon the period and see some personal growth. I reflect daily during Lent and pray for the continued strength to remain on the fast for the entire period. It may seem like a huge struggle at times but compared with the struggle of Christ it truly pales in comparison. So whether you’re giving something up or taking something up; remember the true significance of this important time.

A Lent well spent is a lent spent praying, fasting and encouraging others.

Arrivederci

Why Valentine's Day Sucks

So it's February 14th, again. Another Valentines Day, another reminder that I'm still single but unlike some people I'm not miserable. I'm single by choice not by force and I celebrate every February 14th but I celebrate it as Anti-Valentine's Day. I spend time a week or 2 ahead of the big day selecting images and crafting verse to make the perfect card.

It's not that I'm against the theme of Valentine's Day. I'm against the day itself. I'm all for loving people and letting them know it. But I'm about doing it and showing it everyday through words and actions not one day a year through cheap cards and candy.

Valentine's Day sucks because it's not about love it's about dollars and cents. It's commercialized romance, it's prepacked hearts instead of words from the heart. People are spending money on worthless baubles instead spending time creating priceless memories showing people how much they appreciate them. It's become more about Pre Fixe menus at overpriced restaurants than spending quality time with that special someone.

I know so many people - men and women - that cheat on their spouses/significant others. They lie to them, hide money from them and God knows what else. But on this one day of the year they head to Hallmark and pick up a card, swing on over to See's Candy to grab a box of chocolate and head to the flower shop to buy roses that are marked up 300% and will die in a week. These deeds and a few I loves you's and people think everything is grand forgetting that the rest of the time it's horrid!

Why not do something for the person you love on June 12th? Just because it's not a day society requires you to do anything. The important thing about relationships is what happens the other 364 days of the year not just on Valentine's Day.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

We Are The World 25 For Haiti

So, last night the 25^th Anniversary edition of the hit We are the World debuted during the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. The good thing about this song/video is that proceeds are going toward the Haitian Earthquake relief efforts. It was nice to see an updated rendition with many of today's stars but it just didn't have the same feeling as the original did for me. This one was just a little bit to Hollywood but it's for a good cause so I won't knock it. The vocals for the most part are good, I wouldn't have let Justin Bieber do a solo at all but that's just me. Quincy Jones is a hit maker so maybe he saw something that I didn't. Also, I know Miley Cyrus is popular but her voice didn't do it for me either.

All in all I hope it moves people to continue giving to help the Haitian people during this tragedy and beyond. They will need our support for decades to come.

The Saints of New Orleans – Not just a team but saviours of a city.

When most fans see their team playing in the Super Bowl they're totally excited, but not New Orleans Saints fans. We were more than excited, we were over the moon - and still are and may remain there until next Super Bowl. Why you ask? Because, the Saints were the Bad News Bears of pro football. You remember the movie with Walter Matthau and Tatum O'Neal about a misfit little league team? Disclaimer: In no way am I comparing the amazing Sean Payton to lazy ass Coach Buttermaker though.

The Saints were for the most part the joke of the NFL, the poster children for the term “you could always be worse off than you are”. To the millions of Saints fans in Louisiana and across the country they epitomize the spirit of the city they represent. Things may not always be ideal but you wake up every day and do your best. After years of being the joke of the league, the Saints are the kings of the NFL today, victors, and Super Bowl champions.

When New Orleans was devastated by Hurricane Katrina (most folks in New Orleans simply refer to it as The Storm) in 2005 we didn’t know if we would even have a city not to mention a football team. Now 4 ½ years later we have both and a Super Bowl championship to go along with it. The Saints don’t just play in New Orleans, they live there, they’re part of the city, and they give back to the city.

The season was amazing, some call it miraculous and refer to our quarterback Drew Brees as Breesus. I don't know how many people were praying, how many were rubbing lucky rabbit and chicken feet and I don't know how many people went down to the deep recesses of the bayou to visit voodoo priestesses, but what I do know is that something was at work in south Florida on behalf of the Saints. The season that began with the suicide of Drew's mother culminated in a sea of confetti, shouts and tears. It couldn't have been written better by Shakespeare.

If you haven't been to Louisiana, specifically New Orleans, you can't begin to understand the closeness of team and city. It's a special bond that I don't think any other franchise has with it's city, the closest in mind would be Green Bay and the Packers but even their bond isn't the same. There's something different about the Saints and New Orleans. You can feel it in the air when the Saints are playing at home or away, there's just a different feel. There's a calmness to the city, when the Saints are playing everything stops in New Orleans, everyone's on the same page. This team rallied the city and the city did the same for the team.
The only thing that can be said about these New Orleans Saints is that they are AMAZING! They went undefeated for most of the regular season.

These Saints have redeemed our city and their franchise. Drew Brees, who was counted out years ago, gave a stellar performance against the Colts and Peyton Manning. Manning is usually referred to as the greatest quarterback in the league but last night he and his Colts were no match for Brees and the Saints. Even Garrett Hartley - who was in my book the vilest Saint after missing a kick in the game against Tampa back in December - proved himself over and over. The rest of the game was like something out of a movie right down to Tracy Porters interception return for a 74 yard touchdown. The naysayers were finally shut up because the Saints, that’s right those Saints, that team from New Orleans are #1 not just in New Orleans but in the World.

The 2009 Saints will be canonized in the city of New Orleans for generations to come. Champagne bottles were popped, Gatorade dumped on folks and tears flowed like the waters that once drowned our city. Nine days before Mardi Gras and almost 5 years after The Storm, New Orleans has reason to celebrate. The Saints went marching in as underdogs and came marching out as champions. So until someone comes and knocks us down, we are the champions and although folks from south Louisiana usually don’t brag, we’ve waited a long time for this so we’ve earned these bragging rights.

The city of New Orleans is going to party from now until Mardi Gras; we have a city that is flourishing again and a football team that’s on top. Everyone who didn’t know what “Who Dat” meant on Sunday morning knew what it meant on Sunday night. If they had never seen a 2nd line or heard Iko Iko they have seen and heard now. Laissez les bons temps rouler

Everyone that knows me well, knows how much I love New Orleans and the Saints (especially #88 – Jeremy Shockey), so here’s my tribute to this group of Saints.

This is for a city that was nearly wiped off the map by floods and torrential rains
A city whose team played so bad they were once known as the Aints
Just in case you missed it, here’s the entire story
Of how the New Orleans Saints came to bask in this Super Bowl Glory
So back in September those Lions came to The Dome
We scored 45 to their 27 and sent them back to their Detroit home
A week later it was off to Philly to face those Eagles, and boy what a game
We were already beating them pretty badly then Sharper’s 97 yard TD really put them to shame
Then we were off to Buffalo to face the Bills
A victory that I’m sure made all their fans ill
The next game we faced another team from New York, the Jet’s came to town
We did what we’d done in our previous games and shut them down
Thankfully the next week we had a bye, time to reflect on the four games in a row we’d won
On October 18 we faced the Giants and beat’em by 21
Then it was off to Miami to face the Dolphins, we lost to them in a pre-season game
We left Miami with a “W”, making sure the Dolphins would remember the Saints
That’s about the time that people started noticing that these weren’t the same old Saints
We’d already won 6 games in a row, no longer called the Aints
It was now time for us to face those Dirty Birds
We plucked the feathers from the Falcons and we didn’t even have to score in the 3rd
After that we took a quick trip to St.Louis and faced the Rams - it was a really close game
But we treated them like we did everyone else and the results were the same.
There was more talk, were the Saints really 9 & 0?
Could they finally make it to the Super Bowl, Say it ain’t so
November 22, we were back in Florida but this time in Tampa Bay
The final score: 38-7 there’s really nothing more to say
Next we faced the Patriots; the New England boys took a trip down south
Our victory over them took the words out of everyone’s mouth.
The Saints were still undefeated, 11 & 0 just to be clear
We hadn’t won 11 games in about 17 years
The next game would be played in the cold weather of Washington, D.C.
The Redskins scored 30, but the Saints scored 33
We headed to Atlanta to face the dirty birds again
The result was the same as before, Saints would win
That’s where the regular season victories would end
We lost to Dallas and Tampa Bay and when we faced Carolina we only scored 10
The Who Dat Nation wasn’t worried the Saints were headed to post season games
The Cardinals and Vikings both fell to us and went home in shame
On January 24th we became the NFC champs and were closer to our goal
The New Orleans Saints were finally headed to their first Super Bowl
Making it to the big game wasn’t enough, we had to win
On Sunday, February 7, that’s just what those Saints did.
The game had been hyped - Manning and the Colts can’t be beat
They didn’t know that those boys from the bayou had something up their sleeves
When the game started the Colts were the first team to score
The redeemed Garret Hartley gave the Saints 6 on the board
Brees threw to Thomas giving the Saints their first TD
But then the Colts scored and they now had 17
Here comes Garrett Hartley again with another perfect kick
A touchdown by Shockey and 2 point pass to Moore & those Colts fans were sick.
It was 24-17 and the Saints were in the lead
Tracy Porter intercepted and that was all we would need.
Counted out more than they’ve ever been counted in, but the Saints fought on
And the Lombardi trophy is headed to my Louisiana home.

The Saints, My New Orleans Saints, the team from that city that almost wasn’t anymore are victorious. God Bless the Saints and God Bless the city of New Orleans.

The Saint Go Marching In…..Finally!

My entire life I had hoped to witness what I witnessed yesterday, Sunday, January 24, 2010. The New Orleans Saints, the team from my families ancestral hometown, the team from the city I love, the team that had been counted out more than I count, at long last are NFC Champions and headed to the Super Bowl. New Orleans (along with Miami) has hosted more Super Bowls than any other city yet our team has never played in one. That is no longer true.

In what can only be called a moment of redemption, Garrett Hartley kicked the game winning field goal in overtime that gave the Saints their victory over the Vikings. Garrett Hartley missed a field ago a few weeks ago and the Saints were handed a loss by the dismal playing Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Hartley was a Saint among Saints when he made a 40 yard field goal. Words cannot express the joy I felt as the ball went between the uprights. Every Saints fan in the nation and in the Super Dome let out a yell.

How fitting that this game was played in the Super Dome that almost five years ago had been battered, beaten and soaking wet by Hurricane Katrina. Last night The Dome was wet again but this time with tears of joy from loyal members of the Who Dat Nation who at long last are going to see their Saints play in a Super Bowl. I only wish my grandparents were alive to see their team play in 2 weeks.

Although they didn’t have a perfect season as we had hoped they still performed spectacularly overall. There is only one word to express my feelings for Drew Brees and the Saints and that word is PHENOMENAL. The team was in it to win it from game 1 and as I sit here in what still feels like a dream I can only imagine what the players feel right now.

The Saints have had more downs than ups over the years but since the first snap of the season I’ve been saying it on Twitter, Facebook and to anyone that would listen, “Win or lose the Saints are my team and they are going to the Super Bowl”. When Dallas handed us our first loss and fair-weather fans jumped off the bandwagon and critics and naysayers questioned if they could recover, I kept the faith. I constantly think back to a sign I saw in front of a church on Carrollton Avenue in November that read

“God is victorious and so are his Saints”. I cried when the Saints won last night and I’ll be crying on February 7, 2010 when they claim their first Super Bowl victory over the Colts.

Is it possible to have Mardi Gras twice in one year? Well, that’s what it’s gonna be like after we defeat the Colts. A second line down the 50 yard line complete with umbrellas and a brass band. I know that my grandparents, Buddy D and all the Saints fans that have passed on were cheering in heaven yesterday and will be cheering on Super Sunday when the Saints go marching in to Dolphin Stadium as NFC champs and go marching out as NFL champs.

Que Dieu bénisse les New Orleans Saints

Disaster in Haiti

On Tuesday, January 12, 2010 the tiny island nation of Haiti was stuck with an earthquake that measured magnitude 7.0 - the most powerful earthquake to hit the country in a hundred years. The quake struck just before 5pm EST. The epicenter was roughly 10 miles south of the capital of Port-au-Prince.


Living in California for most of my life, I’m very familiar with earthquakes, but none of the earthquakes I’ve experienced could compare to the damage and devastation that Tuesdays’ quake caused in Haiti. Within moments CNN was on the air reporting and the Twitterverse was all abuzz. Pictures started rolling in on social networking sites and that made the tragedy all the more real.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words but the pictures coming out of Haiti leave you speechless and all you can do is weep. Bodies are piled in the streets. The living sleeps and eats among the dead. The streets of Haiti are now home to its citizens whose homes lay in ruin. There are still an unknown number of people trapped beneath the rubble some are still alive. Time is running out and more help needs to be sent to get the people out.

The roads need to be cleared. This is a Murphy's Law situation – Anything that can go wrong will go wrong. Haiti is the worst possible place in the world for something like this to happen. The infrastructure was virtually non-existent prior to the quake and what little infrastructure that did exist has been completely obliterated. At this point all we can do is pray that hope arrives to save some of the people that can still be saved and that the necessary supplies are delivered and that more casualties aren't created as a result

Who will care for Haiti’s children, the thousands that were orphaned prior to and the thousands more that are now orphaned because of the earthquake? There are so many people in need of help and the help is not coming soon enough or in the amount necessary to prevent further death. I was watching CNN this morning and Dr.Sanjay Gupta had to perform brain surgery on a young Haitian girl because there were no other neurosurgeons. The basic needs of the earthquake victims are not being met and this is appalling. No person in any country should have to endure what the Haitian people are enduring.
Enough is not being done. Anderson Cooper is rescuing people and Sanjay is performing surgery. Where is all the help? It needs to get there immediately. If you cannot donate any money please pray.

If you would like to help please see below and do whatever you can

Text "HAITI" to 90999 to donate $10.00 to the Red Cross
You can visit http://www.cnn.com/impact for a list of aid organization and relief agencies.

Hair Changes

Aaaaahhhh! I am screaming because I am doing something that I haven't done in about 10 years. I am taking my extensions out and wearing my natural hair for a period of time that is longer than two days. If you know me well, you know that's a huge step for me because I can't stand combing hair! So, I've decided that it's time for more change...beginning with my hair.  I have taken out my beloved extensions.  For how long? I don't know yet.  I'm going to try wearing my natural hair out for a while. We'll see how it holds up especially since I plan on working out starting tomorrow. It'll either be good or very bad. If it holds up it'll be a miracle, if it doesn't hold up well under all the perspiration and activity then I'll probably end up looking like Don King. In fact that's sort of who I resemble right now. I washed, deep conditioned and blow-dried my hair and now I'm waiting for my sister to get here and straighten it for me.

I am not white so I know that this is going to be a daunting task. I don't have wash and wear hair. I've got wash it, wash it again, condition it, condition it again, leave in condition it and dry it and that's just half of it. I'm not complaining. I wouldn't change my hair texture for the world but sometimes it can be unmanageable…really I'm just lazy sometimes. I pray that I can stay up long enough to get it straightened, my neck is killing me and I've got sinus problems. Damn, I should have bought a wig. Not really, but I am rethinking my decision now and I want to give my hair a little break from the extensions for a few weeks.

All this talk lately about "Good" and "Bad" hair got me to thinking about why I wear extensions. The reason is really because of convenience. Unlike some people I love my hair. I love the kinky texture that can stand up to bitter heat and extreme colds. I like that I can straighten it, wear it curly or get it braided and it looks awesome in any style. I know a lot of African Americans prefer to have their hair straight because they figure it's more appropriate and professional but I love my hair and I would wear and afro if I didn't have to pick it out with a comb. Seriously, I started wearing braids in high school and would get it braided every 2 months. My friend Nana used to braid it for me and it was really convenient with school and all my extracurricular activities. In college it was even more convenient because I didn't really know how to take care of my hair. When it wasn't braided in high school my grandmother would comb it for me so I didn't have to learn how to press, curl or anything else. Thankfully when I went to college I met a bunch of cool chicks from Detroit, New York and DC and they all knew how to "do" hair. They taught me tricks that I still used to this day – ask me about a microwave ponytail. Anyhow, enough of the reminiscing I gotta do something with this hair.

 

Let the hair saga begin. My next post will include before and after pictures, maybe.

Happy 2010!!!

This is my first post of the New Year and I'm excited. 2009 was a good year and I expect 2010 to be a great year. First off I ended 09 with a cold and started 2010 off with one. The first half of my NYE was spent at Torrance Memorial Medical Center where one of my besties was giving birth to her fourth child. Piece of cake for her since she's a pro, actually it was a c-section so she just had to lay there. LOL. The latter part of the evening was spent with my family at a small NYE party I threw. We had a great time and rang in the New Year together.
I am continuing my daily "Thought 4 the day" postings on twitter and Facebook which gives daily words of wisdom and thoughts to ponder…you know, things that make you go hmmm. I don't make New Year's resolutions I have resolved to make necessary changes immediately instead of waiting until a new year begins. What's the point of waiting 12 months when you can affect change now? See my point? So I am continuing to lose weight and continuing to work on a few literary pieces.
Each new year brings with it a breath of fresh air, like anything is possible…that usually lasts all of 4 weeks and by February 1^st people are back to their old ways. Which is why I make resolutions all year long and aim not to ever make them at the beginning of the year unless I have no other choice. This is basically it for now. Keep my New Orleans Saints in your prayers. We are hoping they reach the Super Bowl. If that does happen I will be partying most of February, first at the Super Bowl and then the following week at Mardi Gras.


May you all have a blessed, prosperous and fabulous New Year!!!


Arrivederci.