"Keep smiling. It makes everyone wonder what you have been up to." (That's a sign that used to be in my maternal grandmother's home and I took it when she passed. I used to enjoy reading it and wondering what made her want to hang it up. Me? I know exactly why I have it.) Anyway, on to the ten for this week and the next:
1. Friends/family/co-workers who read my e-mails: I type 81 wpm so it's nothing for me to send a long e-mail. I've heard complaints, compliments and jokes about it. One guy I used to talk to said he'd slip into a bubble bath with a glass of wine and read my e-mails. An old friend/past co-worker used to tell me she'd read my "Bible" messages (meaning as long as the Bible). My mother cracks jokes about printing the e-mails out. Some folks complain about them, and so I try to keep my messages shorter for them (because if there's one thing I know how to do, it's to ignore people as quickly as they want to ignore me -- and when you start getting one word/sentence long responses from me, I truly just don't like you). But back to my brighter note: I asked a couple of buddies of mine about a guy situation in a three-part e-mail. Yes, those e-mails were lengthy, as in a page or two. Not only did they read them within 24-36 hours, I got long messages back. I love it when people are as interested in my life as I am theirs and make time to hear what's going through my mind. It takes me a long time to open up to people about my personal life (trust me, nothing on this blog is something I wouldn't say to a ballroom full of people), so if I share something with you and ask for your advice, I really want it. And I appreciate that they took time out of their busy days to see what was going on in mine. At the risk of being cliche and quoting rap music, *in my Jay-Z voice* "You could've been anywhere in the world, but you're here with me." And you better believe it's mutual. I read every single e-mail, Amazon comment, Tweet, letter, card and anything else that's sent my way. Hell, I even go through press releases from publicists who don't bother to make sure I'm the right person to send them to and reply back. If you sent it to me, you obviously felt like I should want to know so I'll respect that wish every time.
2) Behind the Music (Nas): I am relentlessly critical about his persistence with using the n-word, but I am still very much a fan. I remember seeing him perform live at DePaul University, and it only cost me $5. I have owned all of his CDs minus the untitled one (you already know what the name of it originally was). I had the beat for "Dr. Knockboot" as my voicemail in college for a couple months and used to rap that song (and Jay-Z's "Big Pimpin'" all the time). While watching "Behind the Music" last night (twice), I looked at him and Kelis and thought how friggin' cute they were together. I wish those two would've worked out because it was cool seeing how happy they looked, and I cracked up about him saying "gold tooth for no reason." I remember going back and forth with a high school friend about whether "Ether" was necessary and him blasting "One Mic" while we were headed to a party. Plus I still love and respect that song "Bridging the Gap." There are so few hip-hop songs dedicated to fatherhood, and I liked seeing him and his father showing off their talents. Okay, and yes, he's gorgeous (with and without the chipped tooth).
I had a really long blog here, but after reading through it, I realized I could sum it up in a couple paragraphs. Outside of places where you have no control over the people you're around (ex. work, church, public retail locations), if you're around someone and they don't make you smile as soon as you see them, ask yourself this question: "If this person was no longer in my life, would I care?" If the answer is no, it may be time for you to remove yourself from that person's social circle. If the answer is yes, make it known that you like/love this person and really appreciate him/her. There are certain folks in my life that I light up when I see them. I could hang out with them all day and never get tired of them (my mother, my grandfather and my four-legged, non-human friend Faith are at the top of this list). There are others who I don't necessarily see all the time, but even if we bump heads from time to time, I'm still happy to see them the next round. There are those who I'm totally crazy about but don't see enough (location is the only factor).
And then there are those who I cringe every time I see them no matter how long it's been since I last saw them or how far/close they live. So I stopped. You realize how very quickly your mood improves when you remove yourself from folks who make you miserable. Whether it's family you feel obligated to hang with because you share blood or friends because you grew up with them and used to be cool, the million dollar question is, "Do I want to be around you now?" If you don't, don't. If you do, do. And if you don't know, it might be time to have a talk with this person to see if you can at least improve the relationship so you can put him/her on that smile list. If it doesn't work, at least you can say you tried before you burned that bridge.
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!) BOOKS1. "The John Carlos Story" by John Carlos 2. "Is Marriage for White People? How the African American Marriage Decline Affects Everyone" by Ralph Richard Banks3. "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 Harper6. "Michelle Obama: The First Lady in Photographs" by Deborah Willis and Emily Bernard7. "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 MagazineCHICAGO (SURROUNDING AREA)1. Looking out the window on the #147 CTA bus at Lake Michigan 2. Walking the four-mile trail at Skokie Northshore Channel3. Walking the two-mile trail at Lincolnwood Channel Runne Park4. Quench! restaurant on 79th (Pretty inside with a seating area)5. Chi Tung6. Chicago Public Library7. The New 400 Theater8. RCN (cable)EYE CANDY1. Ian Somerhalder2. 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 Chestnut7. 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 Walker10. 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. Drake16. 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-Tip19. Evan Ross20. 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.)FASHION1. Multi-colored shell bracelet from Queen Ka'ahumanu Center in Maui 2. Ralph Lauren Polo Jeans Co. orange fleece3. Light yellow zip-up sweater4. Gray suede/sweater heel boots5. Brown suede/sweater heel boots6. Black sweater flat boots7. Black cape with gray lining8. Baby blue top with brown afro woman silhouette9. Multi-brown shades wooden bracelet from Maui10. 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.) FOOD1. Archer Farms salt and vinegar chips2. Thai tofu fried rice from China Hut3. Kona Hawaiian Blend Micro-Roasted Coffee (drank it every morning) 4. Gardein stuffed turk'y5. Gardein Mandarin orange crispy chick'n6. Chocolate martinis at Olive Garden7. Salad dressing from Olive Garden8. Mushroom ravioli from Olive Garden9. Fresh bread from Olive Garden10. Water with a splash of lemon juice11. Avocado slices with tomato slices12. Tortilla chips13. Granola, fruit and yogurt plate from IHOP14. Hot water cornbread15. Black eyed peas (vegetarian)16. Collard greens (vegetarian)17. Macaroni and cheese (my mother's)18. Dried apricots19. Archer Farms dark chocolate cocoa mix20. Open Nature's Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Heaven (granola mix)21. Green tea22. Brown tea with lemon juice and honey23. Grapefruit juice24. Grapefruits25. Red apples26. Strawberries27. Bananas28. Strawberry banana smoothies29. 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 chocolate32. Argo Tea iced coffee33. Corn on the cob34. Mashed potatoes from Ruby Tuesday's35. Simply Asia Spring Noodles bowl36. Watermelon37. Green grapes38. Red grapesFRAGRANCES1. Fergie's "Outspoken"2. Lady Speed Stick "Fresh Infusions"3. Cool Water4. Victoria's Secret "Heavenly" (original fragrance) HAIR1. Vitale Olive Oil relaxer2. Parnevu leave-in conditioner3. Silk wrap caps4. Pantene shampoo for women of color5. Pantene conditioner for women of color6. Distinctly Basics by Rachel Rose black ponytail holders7. My haircut from Donte's on 9/17/2011 (thanks Francine!) HEALTH1. Doing Beyonce's "Let's Move" routine for 30 days2. Swimming laps in the Maui Seaside Hotel pool3. 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 TeamBeachBody6. Julie's Health Club blogs7. 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 APPLIANCES1. Breville BEW600XL Hot Wok 2. Brother MFC-440CN multi-printer3. Insignia 26" LCD TV 720P4. Full-size bed5. All 18 pillows on my bed6. Labrador Retriever comforter with pillows on my bedHOME DECOR1. Looking at Halloween decorations2. 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 seat6. Wall photograph jewelry boxMEMORIES 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 Garden18. Hanging with Mom at Ruby Tuesday's and checking out our forgetful waiter19. Photograph of my mother and my godfather trying to look hip-hop (LMAO)20. Close-up photograph of Grandad and I at Real Men Cook21. Photograph of my mother and I on my 29th birthday with her leaning on me22. Seeing my op/ed tattoo piece on page 2 of the Chicago Tribune23. Posing for a bunch of family photos with my brother, mother, grandfather and father on Thanksgiving 201124. Getting a 365-day dog calendar from my mother, who knows I really want a dog25. 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 snowstorm28. My grandfather and father dancing in front of a crowd at Real Men Cook 201129. Fifth tattoo, fourth cover-up, love my roses (thanks Bobby Sax!)30. Dragging Fernie around to take the holiday photo for the Chicago Tribune31. 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 Hour33. 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 dark34. Going through my letter box, reading all the letters and cards I got from family and friends while I was in collegeMOVIES1. "Hachi"2. "Eight Below"3. "No Strings Attached"4. "Friends With Benefits"5. "Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned"6. "Tongue Untied" Wanda Sykes comedy7. "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 Thicke14. "Sexy and I Know It" by LMFAO15. "Birthday Cake" by Rihanna16. "Take Care" by Drake17. "Stay" by Tyrese18. "Syllables" by Eminem, Jay-Z, 50 Cent19. Obie Trice (everything) 20. Crystal Waters (everything) 21. Chris Brown (everything) 22. Rihanna (everything) 23. "Love Calls" by Kem24. "I Can't Stop Loving You" by Kem25. "I Like It" by Debarge family 26. "Perfect Day" by Jim Jones27. "Should've Kissed You" by Chris Brown28. "Dancing in the Dark" by Dev29. "Otis" by Jay-Z and Kanye West30. "Marry You" by Bruno Mars31. "Someone to Love Me" by Mary J. Blige, Diddy32. "All This Love" by Debarge33. "Love Me in a Special Way" by Debarge34. "Say Something" by Timbaland35. Drake (everything)36. "Complicated" by Robin Thicke37. "Lost Without You" by Robin Thicke38. "Pretty Young Thing" by Michael Jackson39. "Strangers in Moscow" by Michael Jackson40. "I'm Only Human" by Luther Vandross41. "Love Her Like She's Leavin'" by Brad Paisley42. "Somethin' 'Bout a Truck" by Kip Moore43. Afroflow (everything)44. "Woo" by Erykah Badu45. "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 McFerrin49. "Like We Never Said Goodbye" by Clay Walker50. "Better Than I Used to Be" by Tim McGraw51. "Radio" by Musiq Soulchild52. "Smack That" by Akon 53. "Back to Life" by Andrea Lewis54. "Run the World" by Beyonce55. "Motivation" by Kelly Rowland56. "Deuces" by Chris Brown57. "Look at Me Now" by Chris Brown58. "Fallin' Down" by Chris Brown59. "Cruisin'" by D'Angelo60. "Sergeant Louise" by Donnell Jones61. "Marvin's Room" by Drake62. "Doing it Wrong" by Drake63. "Show Me a Good Time" by Drake64. "Find Your Love" by Drake65. "Mahogany" by Eric B. and Rakim66. "Head to Toe" by Eric Roberson67. "Softest Lips" by Eric Roberson68. "U R the One" by Mos Def69. "The Panties" by Mos Def70. "Kiss Me on My Neck" by Erykah Badu71. "I Want You" by Erykah Badu72. "Collard Greens and Cornbread" by Fantasia73. "1, 2, 3" by Field Mob74. "Best Night of My Life" by Jamie Foxx75. "Yep Dat's Me" by Jamie Foxx76. "She Got Her Own" by Jamie Foxx and Ne-Yo77. Andre 3000 (everything)78. "Raindrops" by Jeremih79. "Leavin'" by Jesse McCartney80. "Ordinary People" by John Legend81. "I Ain't Going Out" by Jon B.82. "Pretty Girl" by Jon B.83. "What Goes Around Comes Around" by Justin Timberlake84. "Runaway" by Kanye West85. "Where Would I Be" by Kindred Family86. "Paris Tokyo" by Lupe Fiasco87. "The Show Goes On" by Lupe Fiasco88. "Human Nature" by Michael Jackson89. "Butterflies" by Michael Jackson90. "Smile" by Justin BieberNEWS1. Reading Clarence Page's column " Page's Page" 2. Reading Jon Yates' "What's Your Problem?"OBJECTS1. My birthday card from Dad, who wrote his own entries on the inside about the truth and myths of being 302. Mumble stuffed penguin (from "Happy Feet 2")3. Charlie Brown musical stuffed decoration4. Elementary school graduation photos of Xakir (super handsome nephew!) PEOPLE/ MANNERISMS1. People who hold doors for the people behind them2. Women who think nothing of complimenting other women (no cattiness)3. Men who know "hello/how are you?" go much further than pick-up lines4. 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 soPOLITICS1. The troops coming home from Iraq2. First Lady Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" campaign3. The Obamas' new family photoSKIN CARE1. Aloe vera (everything from first-aid products to lotion)2. Cocoa butter (everything from lotion to soap)3. Vaseline cocoa butter lotion4. Vaseline cocoa butter petroleum jelly5. Suave cocoa butter with shea6. Palmer's cocoa butter formula with Vitamin ETECHNOLOGY1. AmazonBasics 3-Button USB Wired Mouse 2. Smoke Silicone Skin case for my mp3 player3. Insignia Pilot mp3 player4. Kevin Hart's YouTube Channel5. Following @OchoCinco on Twitter 6. TiVo7. TiVo's website to record stuff when I'm not at homeTELEVISION1. " Whitney" 2. "The Vampire Diaries"3. Timbaland special on E! Entertainment4. 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"TRAVEL1. Maui Mall (walked over there every day for five days) 2. Maui Seaside Hotel 3. West Maui Mountains4. Riding the Sugar Cane Train in Maui5. Writing for Chicago Tribune's Taking Off blog6. 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 Hawaii8. American Airlines for giving me an extra 2 days free of charge after late flight9. 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 Sinbad11. Celebrity travel with Larenz Tate12. Updating the Trib's Hawaii travel story galleryTURN-ONS (physical)1. Goatees 2. Caesar haircuts3. Khakis/jeans that are loose but sit on the waist4. Shades of smooth brown complexions (from buttercup to dark chocolate)5. Clean fingernails6. Direct eye contact7. Carefree, white teeth smiles8. Slim-to-medium muscular build9. Tall in height (although I've dated guys between 5'8 and 5'11 who were just as attractive)11. Holding a bookTURN-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 way5. Paying bills on time6. Having your own place, with your name on the lease/mortgageWEBSITES:1. SoulVegFolk.com2. BlackMusicTube.com3. TeamBeachBody.com4. AOL's Listening Party5. AOL Radio6. Chicago Tribune7. Luis Gomez's "About Last Night"8. Twitter9. Jaehakim.comWORK1. 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 VIDEOS1. "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"
My mother (and the coolest woman I know) spent a couple days with me this past weekend. Our mission: See "Transformers." That evolved into a chocolate martini, a trip to Olive Garden, a trip to Loving Hut, a five-mile walk, plenty of bottled water, chatting about men and more specifically "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button." She'd never seen the film, but I had this feeling she'd like it. Although she cried through most of the film (she's such a sentimental sucker, gotta love her!), during our walk we had one of our usual super deep, super personal, philosophical conversations about our pasts. Of course I'm not dishing on anything she said. Everything she tells me goes to the grave, but I will dish a lil' bit on what I said. The question was: "If you were on your death bed, who would you want to read the raw truth in your journal? No friends. No family. Only a romantic partner. What would they find the most surprising?"
I read a Facebook status a couple weeks back about why black women should shut up about saying they don't "need" a man and how some of us do. I read explanations about how sistas are taught to not want to be in relationships and grow up independently. This isn't a new conversation, but it did strike me strange that there was so emotion about women who say they don't "need" a man. *shrug* I left it alone. Then, I look on Twitter today and see the hashtag #youdeservetobesingle. I wanted to hug @ wilfernandez through the computer screen for tweeting (and getting 35 retweets) " #youdeservetobesingle is a trending hashtag implying that not being in a relationship is a bad thing. Ever heard of #codependency?" I still didn't join in on the hashtag. But today I was browsing through Ebony magazine and thought it'd be fun to do the "Are you relationship ready?" quiz in the May 2011 edition. I got 34 points and ended up with Yellow Light results. Quite honestly, I was surprised I didn't get a red light. Matter of fact, with three points, I'd have been a Green Light. Why am I surprised? Mainly because I fit into the happily single crowd, and no, I'm not bitter nor do I "need" a man.
The May 2011 issue of Ebony magazine made me remember my elementary school days. There were two girls I talked to all the time when I was little, one of which was a friend of mine and the other was a pretty good associate. I can't remember the "friend's" name nowadays, and I don't want to murder the spelling of the other girl, but my point is that both of them were biracial. Friend was Mexican and black, but I remember mentioning her being biracial, and she immediately checked me on that and said she was black. I asked her, "Why don't you want to be Mexican, too?" and she got a little huffy. Apparently her Mexican father wasn't around much, and she felt like since her mother (a black woman) was, that's who she would identify herself as. However, she looked nothing like her mother and it was clear that she was of Latino descent.
When I read " With more white parents adopting black children, hair care for them is a needed lesson" last week, I cracked up laughing and remembered my college days. I had four roommates in college, three of which were white. My freshman year roommate was Margaret, and she is (to this day) one of the funniest people I've ever met. She was the kind of funny that didn't even try, and although she had some quirky ways (like wanting me to live with two kittens and two guinea pigs in a 12 x 12 room with her), she was cool. Outside of always wanting her boyfriend around (who I thought was VERY cool but I just wanted some privacy), the only thing that drove me nuts about her was she loved to brush her hair by the closet. I was always going to class yanking long, blonde hair off my clothes. I never did get her to knock it off, but she was so cool that I didn't care.
When I was leaving work tonight, I played Jamie Foxx's CD "Best Night of My Life," and I was listening to that single. It took me awhile to be able to get into this CD because I'm so used to him doing ballads. It was difficult to be able to get into an entire party CD from him. At first I felt robbed of his voice, but the more I listened to it, the better it got. This song is specifically one of my favorites because it's a feel-good track. Plus, it makes me crack up laughing thinking of Kevin Hart's comedy DVD "Seriously Funny," when he talked about how women don't like men to have a good time without them.
"I swear to God this is like the best night of my life."
"Do you, boo boo."
*cracking up* If you've never seen this DVD, please head to Netflix now!
Today has been a really relaxing day off. I raced to the post office before noon to get some good music (R. Kelly's "Love Letter" is the ish) I'd ordered, permed my hair, put away Christmas decorations, ate pizza and Sour Patch Kids for breakfast (not all vegetarians eat healthy all the time *shrug*), cracked up laughing at Steve Harvey as the host of one of my favorite television shows (and the only game show I'll watch) "Family Feud" and put the last money on my Chicago card before it expires. Basically I've done nothing useful but a bunch of fun stuff. I did finish the last few pages of a book called "The Summer Son" by Craig Lancaster. The book was kind of dark, but I'll be damned if it wasn't realistic.
All right, anyway, let's get to the point of the blog. While I was drying my hair I started thinking about what lessons I've learned from 2010 and what I want to take and leave for 2011. So here it goes.
Merry (late) Christmas, folks! I'm pleasantly surprised to report that my Christmas was way better than expected. I spent the entire weekend relaxing, defending my "Twilight" obsession to my older brother, snuggling up with my best friend/Mom, cracking jokes with my father and stealing his house shoes off his feet (I could've gotten my own shoes, but why should I when he's right there to bother?), gushing over how much my nephews have grown (one is now taller than me and both are pretty damn handsome) and yakking it up with my grandfather. I bounced between my parents' house to my grandfathers' house with my suitcase and bags in tow. I didn't check Twitter, my e-mail and I stayed away from work-related activities, too. I doubted I'd last a full weekend away from my laptop, but I did! And by the time I caught up with e-mails, I found out that a very good childhood friend of mine thought I was dead. No seriously, really dead due to that Digital Death blog below. Glad I got that straightened out!
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