Happy Veteran's Day

to all the Veteran's and their families. And to my own personal veteran,my brother, Marcus. I know joining the military was a difficult choice but you made it work for you. Thanks for your 20 years of service - Your favorite sister :)

Its Monday

"No one is ready for a thing until he believes he can acquire it."
Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich



I trust everyone had a great weekend. My weekend was ok. I did the usual - clean, study and I did it all tired. Emotionally and physically which left me in a rut of some sort. I went on a search for motivational blogs and found this. It seems to match how I was/am feeling.

I say I want graduate school but do I really? Of course, the answer to that question is a big fat YES ! But I have to admit just replaying the process over and over in my mind is messing with my dream.

I am at the point where I need to push forward, need to give it all I got to get to the next level and I am basically playing de azz as some in my family would say. I think the proper phrase is fearing success. Go figure that one out!

Here's hoping you are all in better spirits than me. Have a great week.

Rain Rain Go Away...

.....Come again another day. Its been pretty gloomy and to make matters worse it seems to have contributed to the death of prominent attorney John O'Quinn here in Houston...This happened about mid-day today so additional details are sure to emerge later and the days following. See the initial report from local ABC Channel 13 here.

Aside from wishing the rain away, I am doing pretty well. My schedule is busy with school and the like and there are times I just feel overwhelmed. I am having a bit of that feeling today. As much time as I put into studying I always feel like I am behind. It didn't help that I went out of town last weekend without my laptop. UGH! I accidentally left it and when I realised it, it was too late to turn back. Needless to say when I got back, I had LOTS to do. I hate being behind. For the next couple of days, I plan to just throw on some sweats, pack a nice lunch and some snacks and spend the ENTIRE day in the library. My mom is headed to Trinidad for a month so hopefully while she is gone I can implement my plan of attack on the last month of school. Wish me luck on that. We will see.

For your reading pleasure

I read a lot of blogs. A LOT! I love love love when I come across a blog and they are giving praises to another blog. Seems like a no brainer to me - hyping up someone eles's creativity, giving them props -but I do not see it being done alot. Afrobella, one of my favorite bloggers aways gives shout-outs to others doing there thing. Here's hoping I can effect small change within blog land and if nothing else introduce you to somethin new.

I first got wind of his work when someone forwarded an email to me back in 2007. He did an awesome slideshow of a couple's engagement that went viral. I swear I watched that proposal like 20 times. His name is Ross Oscar Knight and on his blog Ross Oscar Knight Photography, he gives great details about photo shoots, destinations and any thing that made an event special..Spun between discussions of photo shoots and destination discussions, he talks a lot about family and his decision to take up photography. On top of all that he also hosts a photography class for amateurs...Hopefully one day I can partake. He definitely makes me think I can....

I also like his "keeping him honest" blog posts and the fact that he answers his email. I contacted him once and shamefully never followed up. In that time, he has evolved into so much more that I became intimated..I may try again because I love his work. Enjoy and tell him I sent ya!

Have a great week!

Its Monday

Hope all is well with you in blog land. I am hanging in there. Still taking my paralegal course - I am in my 3rd of five tracks. I am also still going strong with my post-bac classes. We had midterms last week and I survived - THANK GOD!!! There was a point where I was taking my Methods midterm and my mind went completely blank. I had to take a couple deep breaths to regain my focus...Talk about weird. My policy midterm wasnt too bad. I am really hoping I did well.

I don't have much coming up. I need to focus on getting some graduate school applications underway. I say I want to go but I have done nothing to facilitate the process. The hardest thing was compiling a list of things to get done and I did that weeks ago. Procrastination is going to get. me. no. where.

Checking In

The fall semester is in full swing and I am hanging in there. I am taking to post bac classes on top of my paralegal course and enjoying every minute of it. Work is work things are going fairly well. My mom is on the tail end of another trip and I am looking forward to seeing her soon. I told her I am beginning to forget what she looks like she is gone so often. Here's a pic I took of her after she had her makeup done at Dillard's earlier this summer.

I really like the picture but she wasn't too crazy about it. Hot stuff I tell ya! She knew she looked good!

Also tomorrow is the anniversary of September 11th. In remembrance of those who lost their lives...

What?.... Its been how long?

Hi all i iz alive! It has been a minute. Sometimes I sit back and wonder, where has all the time gone. I looked back at my last post and it seems like July 7th was just yesterday. Since then lots has happened. My favorite bakery -Three Brothers Bakery- finally opened up after the hit it took from Hurricane Ike, so while there was no birthday cake for me, somebody else was able to get not one but TWO. My mommy turned 73 this year and managed to make it home for her birthday...Retirement is the ticket, I tell ya! Since I was small we have always celebrated her birthday on two days the 22nd & the 23rd. Why you ask? Because my grandmother said she was born on one day and my grandfather said it was another. Since we don't like to argue (and more importantly since we weren't there) we just go with the flow. So for her birthday we had two cakes! Yummy!
I had forgotton how much I missed Three Bros. Much fun was had by all.

The summer wasn't packed with birthdays alone. As I mentioned in my birthday post, I started paralegal school. Talk about kicking but that is a separate post all together. I am actually quite happy I decided to take the course. I struggled with the idea for about a year my only regret is that I didn't do it sooner and finally, on top of the paralegal school, I decided to take some post-bac courses for a possible masters. Wish me luck....

Today was not about controversy....

said ABC Nightline anchor Cynthia McFadden, as I got in tonight from class. And that was my sentiment as I watched or should I say listen to Michael Jackson's funeral earlier today. I think his daughter really put a human touch to the service. Talk about emotional. See it here in case you haven't.


I now know my coworkers and I weren't the only ones BALLING our eyes out

Jennifer Hudson was on point.
This is by far my favorite song by him and come to think of it most of my favorite songs by MJ are the inspirational ones. She killed it. The little dance they did around her was nice too. I had the volume on most of the time and was able to go back and forth.

I also want to say to CNN and Facebook that was one of the best uses of technology I have seen - that may not be saying much but I loved the opportunity to be logged in to Facebook AND watch (actually listen) to the service. See CNN discuss the partnership here.

Happy 4th All

Here's wishing you guys a Happy 4th of July. I spent the entire day doing nothing that I should have. Also, today is President Obama's first daughter, Malia's birthday... Happy Birthday to her.

Lastly, just found out Steve McNair passed away or should I say was killed today. No real details at this point but thoughts and prayers go out to his family.

Happy Monday to Ya

Reading the paper this morning, I came across an article about a site called Book Mooch where you can exchange books for FREE and get this - if you like the book you can keep it! You can also request books from other countries. All this while helping charities like Library Fund and African Literacy. I feel as though I am the last to find this out but I am glad I know now. I sat there shaking my head thinking why didnt I think of that?....What a great idea. I buy books all the time Abebooks is my current fave for out of date or older books. Amazon is another favorite for obvious reasons. Truthfully, I always feel like a book should be mine. I hate borrowing books from people and more importantly HATE lending. Money has changed a little of the last year so I am definitely going to be checking this out very soon. Any opportunity to save money is most welcomed. Just a quick note if you decide to use the site be sure to first search for your book on Amazon, then follow the link to the site. That's how they are able to offer this type of service.

I also let this go under my radar how I am not sure. It has been a year since NBC Meet the Press Commentator, Tim Russert died. It feels like just yesterday I heard the news and kept logging on to see if it was really true. I really enjoyed watching him. I loved the way he would break down complex political questions for viewers and also get politicians to answers the question asked....You are definitely missed Mr. Russert.

Well that's it for now.....Here's hoping you have a great week...

Its Monday

Hope the weekend was good to ya! I definitely had a good one, though I have to admit, I havent quite gotten the hang of being off on the weekend. I woke up Saturday thinking I was late for work....I got that thought out of my mind with a quickness.

Friday night kicked off with me going to a graduation dinner for my girlfriend Kim pictured above. She got a masters from Columbia in May. Congratulations again Kim. I took this with my iPhone so its kinda dark - cut me some slack. I still like it though because its the only one I have of us together.

Afterwards, I went to First Fridays....that was a lot of fun. Either I haven't been out in a while or ...well anyway, the DJ was on fiyah - trust.  

What did you do this weekend?

Life is really really good......

I found this picture and I just love it..I was testing one of my cameras and asked my mom to pose. At first she was like, "Why?" I told her. Then she was like, " I am not dressed properly." I was like yes you are. Then, I pretended to walk away and she was like "Okay, okay." and she posed...Reverse psychology...works everytime. Her smile says life is good you know?


Hope all is well with you in blog land. Today was just one of the days where I was happy to be me. School is going well. Three nights a week until 10:00 is eventually going to kick my butt but its cool for now. The classes are really cool and I have already made friends. Other than that I am good.

What's going on in your world?

Cause to celebrate

I have been at this a while. Sometimes I am on it and sometimes I probably leave you wondering where I am. Its a lots of things this blog of mine but most of all it is a work in progress - a writer in training as I see myself. One day I will be able to kick out post after post about any given subject....but until then, here's to the world of writing opportunities past present and future and my ability to capture it.

Happy birthday to me...

It my birthday and no, I don't have anything planned. I didn't even get a cake, mainly because the place I normally get cakes from is STILL closed down due to Hurricane Ike. So it goes I guess...... I think when you get to this point in life you are just happy to see another year and welcome low-key type celebrations. This year there will be no celebration. I have worked part-time for the last year and am pooped. In addition, I am starting a paralegal course within the next week and just don't have energy to give it all I got. So in the essence of giving it all I got at this point, I thought I'd post one of my absolute favorite songs from back in da day....I was reminded of this song in explaining a situation to a student that in life you gotta give it all you got. I then commented that that little saying is a rap song from way back when and he looked at me and laughed. I flipped into I will show you mode and logged into You Tube and found this video . He proceeds to tell me, "Oh, that's Fergie's song!" I almost slapped him. Needless to say he got schooled before he left my office. Hope you enjoy the song. I think I am going to adopt this attitude for the upcoming year...

Enjoy

Its the weekend baby..

So did you see the Rockets last night? I told you they were gonna make it a seven game series. Again, I haven't really been into the series but I am very happy for them. 

So I have been saying I was going to write about this for a couple of posts now but something else always seemed more interesting.  Last Tuesday evening, I bought a palm for my apartment because I felt my place needed something. Honestly, I didn't quite know what my place needed - furniture, a painting- I just couldn't make up my mind. Well, I went into work and they put me to finish out a shift in Outside Gardening. Though I hate going out in the heat - you do what you are told. Plus - though I would never admit it -  kinda serene being outside with all those plants. While out there I saw this palm and for some reason I just had to and I mean had to

 have it. I scanned it to see the price and the price was right. Plus number 1. So I asked the guy working in the garden area if the palm could be an inside plant and he said yes. Plus number 2. He said all I have to do is give it maximum light and add some palm soil ( really, palm soil?) and feed it every so often and it would grow nicely. I was, for some reason,  so happy. Don't ask me why I was so happy because I have no idea. I have never been a plant person. Even plants people have said I couldn't 'possibly' kill I did. Anyways, getting it home was no easy feat. I had to drive like 20 mph on the freeway. Also getting it upstairs wasn't too pretty either - thank goodness my neighbor was also just getting in. I had planned to photograph it and post it for Wednesday- well as you know plans change. Here is the pic of my new palm. And yes, the space around the plant is temporarily cluttered.  

On a sad note....Waymon Tisdale jazz musician and former NBA Baller has died. 

It's Wednesday

Happy Hump Day everyone! Its been a great week thus far- Well, not for the Rockets they lost last night's game by 30. Not sure what to make of this - but this I know for sure- its not over yet! They are going to take it to 7!

I had planned to write about something else but I will save that for later in the week ( Am I teasing my writing? :)). 

I got a quick call from my girlfriend Michelle. We normally check in with each other regularly but since I decided to pay it forward ( this will come later as well) with Lisa Nichols book to her for Mother's day, we have been on the phone for brief boosts of positive energy four and five times a day for the last couple of days. This morning she asked me if I had ever heard of the Optimist's Creed from the Secret, which Lisa Nichols is also featured. She said she thought I would love it and encouraged me to look for it sooner rather than later. I got off the phone with her and decided to look it up while I had my coffee.  I thought it was a great push for the rest of the week. Enjoy 

I Promise Myself

 

To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind. To talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person you meet. To make all your friends feel that there is something worthwhile in them. To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true. To think only of the best, to work only for the best and to expect only the best. To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own. To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future. To wear a cheerful expression at all times and give a smile to every living creature you meet. To give so much time to improving yourself that you have no time to criticize others. To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble. To think well of yourself and to proclaim this fact to the world, not in loud word, but in great deeds. To live in the faith that the whole world is on your side, so long as you are true to the best that is in you.

~ Christian D. Larson

 

 

Happy Monday

...Happy Mother's Day -a day late- I know but its the thought that counts! Hope everyone enjoyed their weekend. The only bad thing about the weekend  is it just goes by sooooo fast. Since I had to work all day Sunday, my mom and I decided to hang out on Saturday. We went to the Lisa Nichols book signing - which btw was powerful (more on that later) and had a wonderful time. After the book signing we went to dinner and because I had to open Sunday morning went straight home. Short but sweet. Here's a pic of her after signing our books.  All I can say is graduate school, law school - No Matter What! 

In basketball news the Rockets have not taken their last breath just yet.....They won last night and for some reason even though I am not into the series,  I am happy for them..They have a tough road ahead......gotta love the underdog....Go Rockets!!!!

This is week 3 of the Cougar Challenge. Last week, I logged 39 miles last week walking. Hopefully, I can increase this as the weeks go on.  I wanna win a prize!

Well that's all for now...Have great week ! 

Its the weekend baby...

I don't know if it's the anticipation of the weekend or what but somehow on a Friday morning  I can never ever evah sleep late....and by late I mean at least until 7 a.m. This Friday morning was no exception. I was wide-eyed and bushy-tail, ready to get the show on the road before the alarm went off.  

I don't have any big plans for today nor the rest of  weekend. I do however plan to attend the Lisa Nichols book signing on campus Saturday with my mommy. Its going to be Mother's Day for us cuz I have to work ALL day on Sunday. 

I found this article in the Houston Chronicle about Mrs. Obama and her bringing back the cardigan. I am glad she was able to because every time I wore one somebody would call me Mrs. Rogers - as if that's funny. I have thick skin when it comes to my cardigans so I would basically brush my shoulders off. I have them in solids only. I haven't quite mastered the prints yet - though some of the ones I have seen her in I LOVE.  The article also offers some tips on how to wear a cardigan if you're new to the latest fashion statement. 

While I am on the topic of the First Lady, I have been waiting for the PSA of Mrs. Obama on Sesame Street to surface on YouTube and I found it. I didn't know Sesame Street had a YouTube channel. Here it is - enjoy. Hope your day got off to a great start! 

Happy Thursday

I can be a selfish reader sometimes. I often find really good articles and keep them to myself. The last couple of blog posts I have tried to step out of that and share with you a little of what interests me. I came across this a while back in the New York Times and kept the link to go back and forth, mainly to keep looking at the roti and bake and shark featured. It is titled, Tasting Trinidad and it was done back in 2007 but, even today, the images still bring about a good feeling.

Have a great Thursday! 

P.S. On a totally random note....The Rockets lost the 2nd game to the Lakers last night. Let's just say the Lakers are something else - and that Derrick Fisher. I am so shocked by what he did in the game. I didn't know he was that kinda player. And Kobe - just a leetle reminder - Artest is not going to let you push him around! 

Happy Hump Day

Isn't this a fabulous image to start hump day? I thought so. The image of course if  of Mrs. Obama on her first visit (as first lady) to NYC giving the opening remarks at the Time Magazine's 100 gala. She was also being honored as one of the 100 most influential people. And yes, the President made the list too.   I really liked the image where you could see the entire dress but she wasn't smiling so I opted for this one. Oprah wrote the piece for Time. See it here.  Also, there is a blog post in the Chicago Tribune about whether or not her image is changing. See that post here. I personally don't believe her image has changed. I just believe its how its now being interpreted. I for one has seen her as fabulous as she was the day her husband announced he was running.  

Also, in signing into my gmail, I noticed one of my old college classmates (and good friend) has a new article up so I thought I would post the link to it here - way to go Kim! Love seeing your name in the bylines

Well here's hoping you enjoy the rest of the day. 

Happy Cinco de Mayo...

to all who celebrate it..... The White House held a celebration a day early.... 

Here's the video 

President Obama Celebrates Cinco De Mayo from White House on Vimeo.

Also, my plan was to post something on yesterday but, for some reason I just couldn't write. The words were just not flowing....Kinda weird. Anyways, in an attempt to hold myself accountable, a little update on some of the things I said I would start doing for at least 100 to make the plan become habit. I know the list below is short - just keep in mind its just the 5th of the month so don't knock me....be supportive of my little progress :) 

In my challenge with my girlfriend Nikki to lose 25 pounds by the 25th of December, I have been logging my steps. The pedometer that was issued to me for use during the Cougar Challenge is a little light and tends to fall of with a quick movements. I have tried to shift it in different spots to prevent this but it has happened at least twice a day. Hopefully as I get used to having it, it will stay put. 

I have been writing - just not here. I have made several journal entries in my journal. I am currently writing in a really cute journal with custom pages but I think I will be happy when I move on to one with just lined pages. Some days I just want to write MORE.

I have been clearing out email as it comes in. No easy task - trust.  Between ads for bigger male parts and becoming a better this or that, you would think that I would immediately hit the delete button but for some reason in my mind, ignoring them seems to work. Enough was finally enough. 

Have a great day....

100 days-

 ............its finally here- President Obama’s 100^th day in office.  Everything thus far is very matter of fact- his staff is not trying to make to huge a deal out of it, with Press Secretary Gibbs calling the benchmark a ‘hallmark moment’- not really that big of a deal- but you have to acknowledge it. Er'one has an opinion as to how he’s doing and by reading and reviewing articles yesterday and today, it appears most everyone feels the same- he is doing well! See some of the articles here, here & here.

While most feel the President is doing well, there are those who don’t quite see it that way. Since this is my blog, I prefer not to acknowledge the hate mongering because it’s just not necessary. Many of those who are critics seem to forget where we were a couple of years ago today. I don’t recall seeing tea parties or such a huge outcry of the President’s actions during the last administrations’ eight years but then again - most people have a very short memory.

I honestly feel the most important thing he has done for us as a country since he has become 44 is make us all take a closer look at our lives. How we are living, our performance, our relationships and most of all -what we value. Having him in office just makes me want to perform at a 150% instead of just the extra 110. It’s just a great feeling.  

In my perusal for articles about today’s benchmark, I came across one on the Huffington Post website and it talks about accomplishments and what can we (you and me) do to incorporate the 100 day marker in our lives to bring about as they put it – lasting change. Honestly, I did not know it takes approximately 100 days of consistent practice to ‘anchor newly learned behaviors’. They also talk about making S.M.A.R.T. goals. To find out what those are, see the article by Dr. Judith Rich here.

I have a couple of things that I would like to work on and have tried time & time again but because they are difficult, I always fall off the wagon at some point.  I definitely didn’t make S.M.A.R.T. goals J But I never stop trying!

Yesterday, my girlfriend Oneka came up with the 25 by 25 (25 pounds by December 25th, that is) and I plan on taking her up on that.  100 days from now will be 8^th of August, 2009. I will attempt to blog about where I am in the process since I want it to be that lasting change she mentions. I am also doing a challenge here at work to take 10,000 steps a day. The first day was kinda hard but the second day I hit it on the mark so we will see.

 What’s your 100 day plan? 

Also before I leave you, click on this link I found yesterday with images of the President and his family since the inauguration. Or you can just go to The White House.gov. 

 

Where have YOU been?

I know I know- its been a minute. All I can say is life has been happening. I have been working alot to clear up bills that seem to be popping up out of no-where.....It seems like when you pay one off here comes some other company saying oh  yea you owe us too! It seems never ending and with my desire to have at least 75% of my debt paid off - I am watching this stuff like a hawk. I used to write about my desire to be debt and clutter free on my 43 things page but that too has gone by the wayside.  I met with one of my favorite professors and he suggested I start  journaling again to help me get back to blogging. I have followed his advice so that has been in the works for a couple of weeks now.  I have also been picking up weight.  I have tried to overlook this and hope it would go away on its own but to no avail. I will have to put a plan in place for that as well. One of my girlfriends in San Antonio wants we to go on a 25 by 25 (pound by December 25th that is!). I am seriously thinking of taking her up on it. Though for work reasons, I can't really focus on this right now,  I did the math and it works out to be less than a pound a week. I think that's doable - but it is definitely a challenge. I am not going to put any undue pressure on myself but it has been nice to put thoughts to paper. I would say I'd keep you posted but...

Anyway onto the news. The swine flu has gotten a lot attention lately and with due reason people are dying and it seems like this came out of no where. I was watching Dr. Oz on television yesterday morning and he said we will know within a week whether or not this flu is cause for panic. While many of us are in cities where there are no known cases, we should still be aware and utilize the preventative measures that have been mentioned - washing your hands frequently and use of sanitizer. Also for reasons I can quite pinpoint, I am bothered my the name swine flu and apparently so are others. Because of Muslim and Jewish beliefs regarding pigs, a Jewish official felt the name of the flu be changed to the Mexican flu. Read the article here. While I don't think that solves the problem either, I can definitely understand where they are coming from. Needless to say Mexico wasn't too thrilled about the proposed suggestion. 

Also, today is President Obama 99th day in office and the stories regarding tomorrow began weeks in advance. We have been hearing about this benchmark day for what seems like forever and all the major networks are planning on giving us all day coverage marking the day. CNN plans to review the day with coverage similar to that of election night. To top it all off coverage starts at 7 p.m. tonight. ...yea, I said tonight. I wont be taking any of that in tonight but I can't wait to get home tomorrow so I can plop in front of the TV and take it all in. I want to hear the good and the bad, the pretty and the ugly. On a side note- can you believe he went to Trinidad and I didn't blog about. I am still mad at myself for that one. CNN has a short clip of the First Lady's 100 days.  




Just fabulous! 

We are a bit distracted here in Houston with surrounding areas flooded.  It rained all night and under passes and certain side streets around the area are impassable.  And to make matters worse they are expecting more rain. Keep us in your prayers. 

Well that's all I have for now

Happy Sunday-

Even though my blog has been around since 2007 , I am still getting the hang of writing and more importantly writing consistently. Today is one of those days where I don't really have a whole lot to say but thought I'd just say Hi and wish you all a great Sunday.... I have come across several blogs that I have fallen in love with and will share them with you soon

Have a great week!

Happy Valentine's Day

To all the lovers out there. Yes, I know, its quite commercialized but its nice to hear those three words - especially if  you don't have someone, as it may be obvious as I write this. I believe everyone deserves love in their lives. Enjoy your day lovers....to the rest of you single, loving it/not loving it, here's a song for you. The chorus is simple,

I wanna be loved

Not for who YOU think I am 

Nor who you me to be

Could you love me for me - Real love

Better yet here's the video.Enjoy.

Hump Day- Blog love

Hi all. Its hump dayyyyy. For some reason I am in a particularly good mood and can't really pinpoint why. Its kinda early in the day and not much is really going on so I thought I would drop in say hi and follow through on one of my unwritten goals for the year - introducing you to a blog. In this case actually, its actually a site. 

With interest in the politics, government and, of course, the President at an all time high, I thought I'd showcase a site that's all things politics. Politico is actually an organization based in the D.C. area. I began hearing their name early in the campaign and saw their reporters alot on MSNBC. Visit their site and you can find everything POTUS and my favorite FLOTUS. Be sure to click on the tab Politico 44. Its the Obama Presidency. Minute by Minute. their words - not mine. The even have his calendar updated every day. 

Articles for your reading pleasure.

Hope you had a great Super Bowl weekend. I had no intentions of watching the game but my mom definitely did. When I got to her house I could hear the TV as soon as I got out of my car. I thought surely the  Cardinals - after the two touchdowns were gonna win - so much so I left early in the fourth quarter only to hear the Steelers came back. Gotta love it! Congrats to them. 

I have come across some really great articles over the last couple of days.  Here a three of them. 

The first article is from USA Today and is based on a poll showing half, yes HALF of all Americans want to live somewhere else. Count me as one of those. More on that much much later in the year, for now check out the article here.

The second article is an opinion piece from the New York Times. It delves into your identity and what life is asking of you - not the other way around. Thought-provoking. The comments on this article deserve an equal amount of time as well as people debate both sides of the issue. See it here. 

This last article, from USA Today, looks at exercise over 40. And no I am not there yet - but i am really really close. See it here.

Comments are welcomed. Let me know you are out there. Have a great day!

It was cold out there

This is more about my DC trip....just a leetle rant

When I was in DC for inauguration festivities, they say the temperature was in the 30's but honestly, it felt like it was in the teens. Attempting to prepare for the cold was ludicrous. Word to the wise - you can't evah prepare for that type of cold. EVAH! Rarely do we see those types of temperatures in the south and when we do, we do much prepping for it. Because we drive everywhere, cold days go a lot like this; out of the house into the car, out of the car and into the building. No standing allowed. To top it all off, people were calling me like crazy wanting to know where exactly I was, who I had seen what were my plans etc. Answering the phone was....well...tricky. Sometimes, depending on where my iPhone ended up, under all those layers after the last call - in my jeans pocket,  coat pocket or even my purse, it was races to answer. Some calls were simply not answered because by the time I actually got to it under all the aforementioned layers or figured out where the ringing was coming (phones were ringing al around and obviously none of us were very original, we all had the same ring ) from then attempt to touch the answer button or slide the answer bar on the phone, only to remember that I can't do that with GLOVES on, the call would be gone.  I was looking through the web version of the Wall Street Journal today and I see this article. The article is about gloves and to add insult to injury, it was written over two weeks ago! The article isn't about gloves in general but, get this - gloves for iPhone users! Who woulda thunk it? IPhone compatible gloves!  If I had only seen this before my trip. Have a great Wednesday everyone.....

News...or is it?

I came across this article in Saturday's Houston Chronicle and I just couldn't decide how I felt about it? Maybe someone out there in blog land can tell me; why is this news? From all accounts this man is mentally ill. He is in jail for a heinous crime against his family and now he is doing harm to himself. Where is the advocate for this individual? Why is he on death row? Was it press coverage that got him the mental assistance he is now receiving? While I hate hate hate comparisons, especially ones involving sex and/or race, why wasn't this case handled similarly to the Andrea Yates case? Why was it clear to them that she was mentally unstable and its just the opposite for this young man? His crimes were committed about three years after the Yates case so in my opinion they had a point of reference. In her original case, they did convict her and gave her life in prison -not put her on death row. In a subsequent trial, she was found not guilty and sent to a mental institution.  I hope he is afforded the same opportunity.....

A Note of Thanks....

...to the Blog Action Day and the KivaB4B Project teams for sending me Tom Watson's new book CauseWired: Pluggin In, Getting Involved, Changing the World! 

Last October, as part of Blog Action Day, I joined thousands of bloggers using their blogs as instruments of change regarding  poverty. You can check that post out here. A month or so later, Blog Action bloggers were notified of the opportunity to get a copy of this book - gratis.  I replied and got my copy yesterday.  It has been getting decent reviews over at Amazon.com but I wont be able to actually tell you how good a read it is for a while, so look out for that post. I am currently reading Oprah's Book Club pick, The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski. Hopefully, I can have it read by the 26th January webcast.

Hump Day

Ok, so I have to admit, its getting a little easier to get going as the week progresses. Part of it could be because on a chance, I logged into Continental.com and just happen to see tickets to the Caribbean starting at  $99.00. Talk about a mood booster! Needless to say, I purchased a ticket and one for my mom too!  I can't wait to see my Dad and my sisters. I am so excited about that trip...Sing along with me,  "I am going to Trinidad for Carnival". * insert winer girl dancing here*. (Repeat 2X's or how ever long it takes to get YOU in my great mood)  I am counting down the days. And while I wont be actually there for Carnival Tuesday per se, there are other events taking place. More on that later. 

Right now, I am counting down the days for my trip to D.C. for the inauguration and all the things that go along with traveling - and by bus no less. Can you believe in just a little under two weeks we will have a new president? While I am excited to actually SEE this event, I am also looking forward to the many events surrounding the inauguration of a new president. I would love to be able to check out the Smithsonian or the Newseum,  which will have extended hours that weekend.  As I mentioned, I am going by bus so there will be a need for individual entertainment (books, iPod, movies, GRE word list), snacks (fresh fruit or packaged ones) and pillow choices until we actually get to D.C. There is also the need for new luggage. During my last trip to Trinidad my suitcase didn't fare so well.   So much to do so little time.

While perusing websites I came across a neat idea being done by the Root.com.  For those of you coming to D.C. with no itinerary short of seeing the inauguration of President-Elect Obama, there are tons of things you can get into. You could do the normal D.C. sight seeing, you could possibly visit one of the sights I mentioned or you may want to have a day with purpose to add to your trip. You may want to consider spending the day before the inauguration, Martin Luther King Day, volunteering. Officials over at the Root.com see it as a day to revive public service.  If you want more information, check out the article written by Natalie Hopkinson here or if you are totally into social media check out their Facebook page here. If you don't need any more information that what I have provided, email them at therootdayofservice@gmail.com and hit my comments and let me know how the day went. Kudos to the Root.com for trying to make an EVERYDAY difference.

And a bit of sad news- many of you may have heard that several programs have been cut from National Public Radio's lineup. One of those programs is News and Notes and it featured news and issues from an African American perspective. It is based in Culver City, California and has been hosted by Ed Gordon of BET News fame. It is currently hosted by Farai Chideya. Well News and Notes will be going off the air in March- March 20th to be exact and like most people, I thought sure this type of show would be front and center for the inauguration mainly reporting on the cultural significance but also on this being the news factor of the year. 

Well that will not be the case. Citing budgetary issues, executives at NPR decided that any reporting done on the election would have to be done from California. So upset by this, Ms. Chideya decided to leave the show the Friday before the election. See the article written about it here at the Maynard Institute's Richard Prince's journal-isms.  What do you think? Personally, I am offended by the statement,  "... program not attracting sufficient levels of audience".  Albeit I listened from the web, I think that should've counted for something.  I also think that their presence at inaugural events would have closed the show on a high note and made the time spent working with the show that much more memorable. At the very least, I think they should've considered ending the show let's say a month earlier and reallocating those funds to the inaugural show that Tuesday. Surely there is space in the D.C. studios for Ms.  Chideya and Tony Cox to air ONE hour! Tsk tsk NPR. 

I would like to wish Ms. Chideya well in her endeavors. The article mentioned she has a book entitled, Kiss the Sky coming out so I guess we can look for her on tour. 

Lastly, I'd like to introduce people who read my blog to check out other sites/blogs. I view it as an opportunity to visit a site you may have never heard of or may not have thought to visit. Today that site will be Chookooloonks.com.  If you have a moment head over there. Every Thursday is love Thursday and I am sure she will have something wonderful to share tomorrow. Your comments are always welcome. Let me know what you think.....

Mel

Still in the thoughts of the New Year

As least partially anyway. I still have things to do on my list that were from last week and as one of my unwritten New Years resolutions (NYR), had planned to compile smaller, doable lists and not take things past a day or so. I wonder, does this count as falling off the wagon? Anyway,  I, like most people, returned to work today and let me just say up front - it was NOT easy. It was cold. I was groggy and slow moving. And to top it all off, I forgot part of my lunch. As you can tell I made it through the day.  I practically ran out of work trying to get home today. 

I got home in time to see ABC News. Though I miss Peter Jennings' delivery of the news, I love Charles Gibson.  He was good during the campaign and the election, so I keep tuning in and since I no longer have cable, this will be my choice for stories leading up to the inauguration. This being the start of a new year has no bearings on world issues. Bad and worse stories seemed to plague all the tops spots. Honestly, I wish I were able to decipher what exactly can be done to heed any further incidents and more importantly deaths in the Middle East. Even with all the stuff I have read, I still don't get it.  I don't know how anything can be done if someone doesn't call a cease fire. Then to make me roll my eyes, President Bush decides to place all the fault on the Palestinians. BEFORE you leave any nasty messages, I do not have a position on this issue. I just don't see this as something our President should openly and blatantly take sides on. I think his response should have been a bit more diplomatic, similar to that of his Secretary of State. But in a couple of weeks that will be neither here nor there. ***smiling proudly****

Also in other news that went totally under the radar. Mr. Claiborne Pell was buried today... pause, no think...Yes, you DO know who he is. Well indirectly anyway.  He was the person instrumental in creating the pell grant. Get it, Pell grant. He actually died on New Years Day. See an article done by the New York Times about the former Senator here. As a recipient of several pell grants and one who never thought twice about where it came from when I received it, its nice to be able acknowledge the man who paved the way for thousands of university students like me to be able to afford an education.

Well tomorrow is another day. Let's hope it goes a lot smoother than today....

Happy New Year!!!

Time is a thief, or so the saying goes. I had planned to post this earlier today and well you know the end of the story. Here's wishing you all a safe, healthy and prosperous New Year. May you accomplish ALL that you set out to do in the coming days weeks and months. 

For those of you shooting for a better YOU and are planner type people searching for a way to stay organized, check out my planner, made by Planner Pads. They are fairly inexpensive and easy to use. You can either check out the website here or if your still in looking mode and  want to know more about it from a user point of view, you can listen to a podcast done by one of my favorite bloggers Julia Coney of All About the Pretty and a few of her friends Kimberly Wilson & Joanna Lo explaining how they use their planner pads here.  I will definitely be checking Ms. Wilson's site out on the regular. Also another quick note...if you live in the DC are Ms. Coney  and Ms. Lo are planning a Makeover and Takeover class. Check out her 28 December post for more information. Gosh I wish I could pop into DC for that. 

If paper is not your thing,  check out a few podcasts that I have come across including morning coach.com and my thought coach.com.  I accidentally came across a few of these referencing something else - Ms. Wilson's Tranquility Du Jour to be EXACT ! Some of them are lengthy but worth it. Unfortunately I don't know how to link it. Just head over to iTunes and do a search in the podcasts. They have been pretty informative so far,  a good thing to come across on my break.... 

Lastly, I tried to think of the one thing I would like to do most in 2009 and I realized the reason I couldn't come up with that one thing is because there wasn't one and they were all intertwined with each other. I decided the best way to sum it all up was the chorus of  T.I. and Rihanna's  Live Your Life.  And yes, I know you know that I know that I could have come up with another way to say this but hey go with it....

 

Go out and live YOUR life in 2009... See you on that road 

Mel