The reason I liked doing the "Five things I'm digging right now" was because it forced me to find the "bright side" of something. I need to do that more often and thought that was a cool way of doing it (original idea courtesy of Andy Cohen). So in the same spirit of it and since I'm done with that for 2011, I'm going to do a list of 365 things I've been digging all year. They're not in order, just the first things that pop into my head that I liked the entire year. (I started today as of 2:30 p.m. I finished on 12/31/11 at 10:38 p.m., in between running errands. HAPPY (almost) NEW YEAR!)

BOOKS
1. "The John Carlos Story" by John Carlos
2. "Is Marriage for White People? How the African American Marriage Decline Affects Everyone" by Ralph Richard Banks
3. "The Vampire Diaries" (Stefan's Diaries only)
4. "There Are No Children Here: The Story of Two Boys Growing Up in The Other America" by Alex Kotlowitz
5. "The Conversation" by Hill Harper
6. "Michelle Obama: The First Lady in Photographs" by Deborah Willis and Emily Bernard
7. "Change for a Twenty" (I genuinely enjoy my own books)
8. "Round Trip" (I've said repeatedly it's better than "Change for a Twenty")
9. "Love Your Life" by The Oprah Magazine

CHICAGO (SURROUNDING AREA)
1. Looking out the window on the #147 CTA bus at Lake Michigan
2. Walking the four-mile trail at Skokie Northshore Channel
3. Walking the two-mile trail at Lincolnwood Channel Runne Park
4. Quench! restaurant on 79th (Pretty inside with a seating area)
5. Chi Tung
6. Chicago Public Library
7. The New 400 Theater
8. RCN (cable)

EYE CANDY
1. Ian Somerhalder
2. Taylor Lautner (Facial hair compliments him; his athleticism makes him breathtaking)
3. Idris Elba (No matter how many times "Daddy's Little Girls" comes on, I watch it)
4. T.I.
5. Chris Brown (He's growing up to be really handsome)
6. Morris Chestnut
7. Justin Timberlake
8. Brad Paisley (Dated a guy who looked exactly like a light-skinned black version of him; started heavily listening to country music from November to December)
9. Paul Walker
10. Alex Meraz (very good-looking in person)
11. Ian Ziering (Didn't pay much attention to him on "90210" but when I saw him at Comic Con last year I was so surprised at how gorgeous he is. Age has done him well!)
12. Trey Songz (Super friendly and as attractive in person as he is on his videos)
13. Joseph Morgan (Klaus from "The Vampire Diaries")
14. The guy who lost his balance on the Red Line and fell on me (woke me RIGHT up, and his outfit was impeccable; I couldn't stop checking him out)
15. Drake
16. Richard Gere (He looks better with age, don't know how he does it)
17. Tone Kapone (Don't listen to the radio much but I saw him at the 2012 Real Men Cook and the Sprite StepOff a couple years ago. He's really cute and I never knew what he looked like before.)
18. Q-Tip
19. Evan Ross
20. Obie Trice (He's underrated in the hip-hop game and my gawd, THOSE LIPS! Every video I see with him in it, I look at his lips 75% of the time. He's kiss-worthy.)

FASHION
1. Multi-colored shell bracelet from Queen Ka'ahumanu Center in Maui
2. Ralph Lauren Polo Jeans Co. orange fleece
3. Light yellow zip-up sweater
4. Gray suede/sweater heel boots
5. Brown suede/sweater heel boots
6. Black sweater flat boots
7. Black cape with gray lining
8. Baby blue top with brown afro woman silhouette
9. Multi-brown shades wooden bracelet from Maui
10. Black hematite bracelet from The African Store (located in Ford City)
11. Kohl's shopping (When there's a coupon, I never leave empty handed.)
12. NY & CO shopping (Sale or not, I never leave empty handed.)

FOOD
1. Archer Farms salt and vinegar chips
2. Thai tofu fried rice from China Hut
3. Kona Hawaiian Blend Micro-Roasted Coffee (drank it every morning)
4. Gardein stuffed turk'y
5. Gardein Mandarin orange crispy chick'n
6. Chocolate martinis at Olive Garden
7. Salad dressing from Olive Garden
8. Mushroom ravioli from Olive Garden
9. Fresh bread from Olive Garden
10. Water with a splash of lemon juice
11. Avocado slices with tomato slices
12. Tortilla chips
13. Granola, fruit and yogurt plate from IHOP
14. Hot water cornbread
15. Black eyed peas (vegetarian)
16. Collard greens (vegetarian)
17. Macaroni and cheese (my mother's)
18. Dried apricots
19. Archer Farms dark chocolate cocoa mix
20. Open Nature's Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Heaven (granola mix)
21. Green tea
22. Brown tea with lemon juice and honey
23. Grapefruit juice
24. Grapefruits
25. Red apples
26. Strawberries
27. Bananas
28. Strawberry banana smoothies
29. McDonald's iced coffee (light ice, light sugar)
30. McDonald's Filet o' Fish (the only fish I can handle eating for Omega 3)
31. Starbucks hot chocolate
32. Argo Tea iced coffee
33. Corn on the cob
34. Mashed potatoes from Ruby Tuesday's
35. Simply Asia Spring Noodles bowl
36. Watermelon
37. Green grapes
38. Red grapes

FRAGRANCES
1. Fergie's "Outspoken"
2. Lady Speed Stick "Fresh Infusions"
3. Cool Water
4. Victoria's Secret "Heavenly" (original fragrance)

HAIR
1. Vitale Olive Oil relaxer
2. Parnevu leave-in conditioner
3. Silk wrap caps
4. Pantene shampoo for women of color
5. Pantene conditioner for women of color
6. Distinctly Basics by Rachel Rose black ponytail holders
7. My haircut from Donte's on 9/17/2011 (thanks Francine!)

HEALTH
1. Doing Beyonce's "Let's Move" routine for 30 days
2. Swimming laps in the Maui Seaside Hotel pool
3. Renewing my membership and working out at Bally Total Fitness (now L.A. Fitness)
4. The results from my yearly physical (everything is tip-top, minus weight)
5. Logging at least four workouts per week on TeamBeachBody
6. Julie's Health Club blogs
7. Chicago Tribune's Health page
8. LA Times Booster Shots
9. Updating @BlackHealthNews on Twitter
10. "Mistletoe may help kiss away some ills" article (fascinating because I only knot about it for kissing)
11. "Muscling past myths" (It forces me to get up more at work)

HOME APPLIANCES
1. Breville BEW600XL Hot Wok
2. Brother MFC-440CN multi-printer
3. Insignia 26" LCD TV 720P
4. Full-size bed
5. All 18 pillows on my bed
6. Labrador Retriever comforter with pillows on my bed

HOME DECOR
1. Looking at Halloween decorations
2. Black couple embracing and kissing (painting above my bed)
3. Ebony cover of Marvin Gaye about "black cool"
4. N'Digo cover of Pres. Barack Obama (Nov. 13-2008)
5. Mos Def photograph of him sticking out his tongue while in a car driver's seat
6. Wall photograph jewelry box

MEMORIES
1. Watching my 99-year-old Aunt Marguerite open her Christmas photo calendar
2. Solo travel to Maui to do what I wanted to do 100% of the time
3. Spa day in Maui (pedicure, manicure, head/back/shoulder/foot massage)
4. Going to Chi Tung with Grandad
5. Getting the surprise fruit basket on Christmas Eve delivered from my godfather
6. Having my mother home this Christmas, healthy and happy
7. Posing for photograph on the porch with Faith nuzzling my chin
8. Posing for photograph on the porch with Faith "smiling" and leaning by my face
9. Crying laughing about the health club story with Darcel
10. Kendell calling me up at work to invite me to his high school graduation
11. Watching Kendell walk across the stage for graduation (super proud of him)
12. Hanging with Mom, Dad and Grandad at Real Men Cook for Father's Day
13. Going to the midnight release of "Twilight: Breaking Dawn" with my mom
14. Walking Faith (I do it 99% of the time when I'm at my parents' house)
15. Cracking jokes and chatting about entertainment with Yonnie and Kendell
16. Seeing what's new and strange in the world of Crosley (sp?)
17. Chit-chatting with Mom in Olive Garden
18. Hanging with Mom at Ruby Tuesday's and checking out our forgetful waiter
19. Photograph of my mother and my godfather trying to look hip-hop (LMAO)
20. Close-up photograph of Grandad and I at Real Men Cook
21. Photograph of my mother and I on my 29th birthday with her leaning on me
22. Seeing my op/ed tattoo piece on page 2 of the Chicago Tribune
23. Posing for a bunch of family photos with my brother, mother, grandfather and father on Thanksgiving 2011
24. Getting a 365-day dog calendar from my mother, who knows I really want a dog
25. Mild flirting at the health club (may not amount to anything but it was inspiration to work out when I first joined)
26. Clearing snow away with a bucket because I don't own a shovel (my grandfather loves this story)
27. Working from home for two days after Feb. 2, 2011 snowstorm
28. My grandfather and father dancing in front of a crowd at Real Men Cook 2011
29. Fifth tattoo, fourth cover-up, love my roses (thanks Bobby Sax!)
30. Dragging Fernie around to take the holiday photo for the Chicago Tribune
31. Xephon adding me as a Facebook friend (very flattered by that)
32. Dad calling me up to tell me how he wouldn't participate in Earth Hour
33. Me taking Dad's call (#32) as an invitation to bumrush their house and unplug everything; he and I talked for an hour and a half in the dark
34. Going through my letter box, reading all the letters and cards I got from family and friends while I was in college

MOVIES
1. "Hachi"
2. "Eight Below"
3. "No Strings Attached"
4. "Friends With Benefits"
5. "Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned"
6. "Tongue Untied" Wanda Sykes comedy
7. "Higher Learning"
8. "Daddy's Little Girls"
9. "Something New"
10. "10 Things I Hate About You"
11. "New Moon"
12. "Twilight"
13: "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse"
14. "Sleepers"
15. "The Client"
16. "Runaway Bride"
17. "Iron Man"
18. "Iron Man 2"
19. "Transformers"
20. "Jumping the Broom"
21. "Never Say Never" (The shoveling scene is my favorite; Justin Bieber is eye candy but I just felt too much like a cougar putting him there until he's legal)
22. "Happy New Year, Charlie Brown"
23. "Losers"
24. "Gran Torino"
25. "Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest"

MUSIC (singles and artists)
1. "Prototype" by Andre 3000
2. "Cockiness" by Rihanna
3. Rihanna's "Loud" CD
4. "The Noose" by Tech N9Ne
5. The "99 Problems" remix in the movie "No Strings Attached"
6. Mos Def (everything)
7. "In the Morning" by Drake and J. Cole
8. "Can't Get Enough" by J. Cole
9. "5 o' clock" by T-Pain
10. "Nuthin'" by T-Pain
11. "Default Picture" by T-Pain
12. "Momma Told Me" by Crystal Waters
13. "Pretty Little Heart" by Robin Thicke
14. "Sexy and I Know It" by LMFAO
15. "Birthday Cake" by Rihanna
16. "Take Care" by Drake
17. "Stay" by Tyrese
18. "Syllables" by Eminem, Jay-Z, 50 Cent
19. Obie Trice (everything)
20. Crystal Waters (everything)
21. Chris Brown (everything)
22. Rihanna (everything)
23. "Love Calls" by Kem
24. "I Can't Stop Loving You" by Kem
25. "I Like It" by Debarge family
26. "Perfect Day" by Jim Jones
27. "Should've Kissed You" by Chris Brown
28. "Dancing in the Dark" by Dev
29. "Otis" by Jay-Z and Kanye West
30. "Marry You" by Bruno Mars
31. "Someone to Love Me" by Mary J. Blige, Diddy
32. "All This Love" by Debarge
33. "Love Me in a Special Way" by Debarge
34. "Say Something" by Timbaland
35. Drake (everything)
36. "Complicated" by Robin Thicke
37. "Lost Without You" by Robin Thicke
38. "Pretty Young Thing" by Michael Jackson
39. "Strangers in Moscow" by Michael Jackson
40. "I'm Only Human" by Luther Vandross
41. "Love Her Like She's Leavin'" by Brad Paisley
42. "Somethin' 'Bout a Truck" by Kip Moore
43. Afroflow (everything)
44. "Woo" by Erykah Badu
45. "Bag Lady" by Erykah Badu (Dr. Dre remix)
46. Big Daddy Kane (everything)
47. "Got My Country On" by Chris Cagle
48. "Don't Worry, Be Happy" by Bobby McFerrin
49. "Like We Never Said Goodbye" by Clay Walker
50. "Better Than I Used to Be" by Tim McGraw
51. "Radio" by Musiq Soulchild
52. "Smack That" by Akon
53. "Back to Life" by Andrea Lewis
54. "Run the World" by Beyonce
55. "Motivation" by Kelly Rowland
56. "Deuces" by Chris Brown
57. "Look at Me Now" by Chris Brown
58. "Fallin' Down" by Chris Brown
59. "Cruisin'" by D'Angelo
60. "Sergeant Louise" by Donnell Jones
61. "Marvin's Room" by Drake
62. "Doing it Wrong" by Drake
63. "Show Me a Good Time" by Drake
64. "Find Your Love" by Drake
65. "Mahogany" by Eric B. and Rakim
66. "Head to Toe" by Eric Roberson
67. "Softest Lips" by Eric Roberson
68. "U R the One" by Mos Def
69. "The Panties" by Mos Def
70. "Kiss Me on My Neck" by Erykah Badu
71. "I Want You" by Erykah Badu
72. "Collard Greens and Cornbread" by Fantasia
73. "1, 2, 3" by Field Mob
74. "Best Night of My Life" by Jamie Foxx
75. "Yep Dat's Me" by Jamie Foxx
76. "She Got Her Own" by Jamie Foxx and Ne-Yo
77. Andre 3000 (everything)
78. "Raindrops" by Jeremih
79. "Leavin'" by Jesse McCartney
80. "Ordinary People" by John Legend
81. "I Ain't Going Out" by Jon B.
82. "Pretty Girl" by Jon B.
83. "What Goes Around Comes Around" by Justin Timberlake
84. "Runaway" by Kanye West
85. "Where Would I Be" by Kindred Family
86. "Paris Tokyo" by Lupe Fiasco
87. "The Show Goes On" by Lupe Fiasco
88. "Human Nature" by Michael Jackson
89. "Butterflies" by Michael Jackson
90. "Smile" by Justin Bieber

NEWS
1. Reading Clarence Page's column "Page's Page"
2. Reading Jon Yates' "What's Your Problem?"

OBJECTS
1. My birthday card from Dad, who wrote his own entries on the inside about the truth and myths of being 30
2. Mumble stuffed penguin (from "Happy Feet 2")
3. Charlie Brown musical stuffed decoration
4. Elementary school graduation photos of Xakir (super handsome nephew!)

PEOPLE/MANNERISMS
1. People who hold doors for the people behind them
2. Women who think nothing of complimenting other women (no cattiness)
3. Men who know "hello/how are you?" go much further than pick-up lines
4. People who try to learn how to pronounce my name and don't give me unsolicited nicknames
5. People who say "let's go to lunch" and follow through with their plans to do so

POLITICS
1. The troops coming home from Iraq
2. First Lady Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" campaign
3. The Obamas' new family photo

SKIN CARE
1. Aloe vera (everything from first-aid products to lotion)
2. Cocoa butter (everything from lotion to soap)
3. Vaseline cocoa butter lotion
4. Vaseline cocoa butter petroleum jelly
5. Suave cocoa butter with shea
6. Palmer's cocoa butter formula with Vitamin E

TECHNOLOGY
1. AmazonBasics 3-Button USB Wired Mouse
2. Smoke Silicone Skin case for my mp3 player
3. Insignia Pilot mp3 player
4. Kevin Hart's YouTube Channel
5. Following @OchoCinco on Twitter
6. TiVo
7. TiVo's website to record stuff when I'm not at home

TELEVISION
1. "Whitney"
2. "The Vampire Diaries"
3. Timbaland special on E! Entertainment
4. Kathy Griffin's reenactment of her dog eating a used condom (hilarious!)
5. BET Hip Hop performance with Heavy D doing "Nuttin' But Love"
6. Somaya and X.O. scenes on "Love & Hip-Hop"
7. Open mic night with Kyle doing scat music on "Living Single"
8. Rudy meeting Stanley on "The Cosby Show"
9. "The New Adventures of Old Christine"
10. The "you lost to a girl" scene in "The New Adventures of Old Christine"

TRAVEL
1. Maui Mall (walked over there every day for five days)
2. Maui Seaside Hotel
3. West Maui Mountains
4. Riding the Sugar Cane Train in Maui
5. Writing for Chicago Tribune's Taking Off blog
6. O'Hare Airport (never appreciated how great it is until I compared it to LAX)
7. Maroon blankets that American Airlines give you for flying to Hawaii
8. American Airlines for giving me an extra 2 days free of charge after late flight
9. Yotel's Times Square in-airport cabins for overnight sleeping (cool idea, haven't used them but would have that time I had to sleep overnight in LAX, click here for more)
10. Celebrity travel with Sinbad
11. Celebrity travel with Larenz Tate
12. Updating the Trib's Hawaii travel story gallery

TURN-ONS (physical)
1. Goatees
2. Caesar haircuts
3. Khakis/jeans that are loose but sit on the waist
4. Shades of smooth brown complexions (from buttercup to dark chocolate)
5. Clean fingernails
6. Direct eye contact
7. Carefree, white teeth smiles
8. Slim-to-medium muscular build
9. Tall in height (although I've dated guys between 5'8 and 5'11 who were just as attractive)
11. Holding a book

TURN-ONS (mental)
1. Bookworms
2. Voters (in all elections, not just presidential)
3. Direct requests for dates (no b.s.-ing around)
4. Making money only in a legal way
5. Paying bills on time
6. Having your own place, with your name on the lease/mortgage

WEBSITES:
1. SoulVegFolk.com
2. BlackMusicTube.com
3. TeamBeachBody.com
4. AOL's Listening Party
5. AOL Radio
6. Chicago Tribune
7. Luis Gomez's "About Last Night"
8. Twitter
9. Jaehakim.com

WORK
1. Meeting the MoD team (some of the Breaking News team are very entertaining to work with)
2. Working with Colin (He's one of the coolest bosses I've ever had; he means business but he "gets" my personality)
3. Keeping in touch with my old bosses Sonja and Ruth (two other bosses I have nothing but good things to say about and still touch bases with to this day)
4. Going to lunch with Darcel (great person to vent and laugh with)
5. Going to lunch with Fernie (she's always got jokes)
6. Argo Tea Iced Coffee from Charlie to thank me for training him (nice surprise)
7. Training Charlie and Lauren when they were new (MoD team members both really cool people)
8. Trading dog stories with Molly (both of us are hardcore dog lovers)
9. Working with Danielle G. (She's always helpful since the day I started)
10. Working with Mike Z. (If I need a photo, he's got it. One of my favorite folks at the Trib for being so easy to work with.)
11. Chatting with Pam (Easy to work with, even easier to chat about everything from family to why we hate pants with words on the butt)
12. Creating and updating the "Relationship & Sex News Gallery" (Interesting and educational topic that people need to be informed about, especially STIs/STDs)
13. Working with Gilda Squire of Gilda Squire Media Relations again. She is one of the most professional publicists I've met, and I've worked with quite a few publicists.

YOUTUBE VIDEOS
1. "Puppy Christmas"
2. The last two boys on "I Told My Kids I Ate All Their Halloween Candy"
3. Halloween light show to "Party Rock"
4. "Rethink Breast Cancer presents 'Your Man Reminder'"
5. Ian Somerhalder with Aisha Tyler on "The Late Late Show"
6. Tahj Mowry singing John Legend's "Ordinary People"
7. Tahj Mowry singing Michael Jackson's "Human Nature"

I had an interesting conversation with a co-worker about surveys that ask for race. She said it shouldn't matter and she usually will put "Other" so she doesn't have to answer. I got where she was going with it; people shouldn't classify your responses based on race. I can't say I agree though. We jokingly talked about how I would not only check the "African-American" box but would put a grinning photo of myself next to it to make sure they know I am. Although I laughed, I'd have absolutely no problems doing it. I am as proud to be black as I am to be a woman as I am to tell my age, my political affiliation and even my religious affiliation (although I do tend to hesitate with religion because I know my response will more than likely turn into an argument, specifically within the African-American community who is heavily religious). For the record, I'm 29, black, female, lean more towards Independent than Democrat (and I've voted for Republican and Green party candidates but mainly for Democrats) and I'm agnostic.

So why is this stuff important? Who do surveys care? Why is it any of their business? And why do I always do surveys in person or via phone whenever anyone asks me to. My main reasons are because of my background: I took several psychology courses in college and I used to work for a radio research firm in high school. I realized how quickly people's opinions sway companies and studies.