"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).
Update: Sunday (March 11)
Man, I'm totally behind on doing these weekly blogs but still determined to do them. Even if I'm the only one that reads them (not true considering I see my web visits per day, thanks for visiting!), it's therapeutic to think of things that make me smile. There have just been so many high and low moments in the past month so some will be from February and others from March.
1) Talking to my godfather, Elvin: I spent two hours on the phone with him today. There is 100% chance I'm going to hear some great stories, laugh more often than not and then we'll go into deep conversations about society and probably touch on finances. I can talk to him about anything, and he'll give me the raw, uncut version. Crazy about him (and his southern accent when he says "Monnie").
2) Watching Hugh Laurie on the deaf teen episode for music vibrations: The "House" scene was to find out if the guy who had a hearing impairment could somehow feel better with music. Now normally people would think House would come in with classical music or maybe some random pop tune. Nope, he comes in with his cane, a big boombox and is dancing to Public Enemy's "Fight the Power." I died. I loved that scene so much that I rewound it to watch it again and again.
1) Celebrating my great great aunt's 100th birthday: Although she has a habit of "I'm old. I'll say anything I want" and we both have very strong personalities, I love her. I asked for Feb. 8 off to make sure I was there the morning of her birthday. I can count on one hand the number of people that I'd go to breakfast with at 8 a.m. after being at work from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m., but I was up. My mother and I took her to breakfast and then my great great aunt talked me into coming back for a senior citizen party she had at 3 p.m. By the time I went home, I was good and delirious, but it was worth it.
2) Talking my grandfather into coming to my great great aunt's party: Before he was married, he would hit up every "tavern" from Hawaii to Chicago. He'd traveled to so may locations around the world that his map of tacks were crammed together. But at 88, a party animal he is not. I can get him to go to China Hut and occasionally we'll go shopping, but he's not the type to be at big group events excluding his own family reunion. However, he said "yes" to coming with me to her 3 p.m. party. And let me tell you my grandfather is the best date ever! I was glued to his hip the entire time, and we were over on the side cracking jokes and having a good time eating chocolate cake and ice cream. My great great aunt did some mild flirting with him, too, and he threw it back at her. Those two! Wow!
I know people shouldn't wait for a new year to have goals, but why not use it as a little push to get the show on the road? So here are my seven new years resolutions for 2012.
1) Stop checking work e-mail from home: Unless it's something personal or for fun, I'm going to stop working from home. I've had two bosses plus my boss's boss tell me to enjoy the weekend. I'm a bit of a workaholic (and get it from my mother), but I'm going to make a point to enjoy myself 100% off the clock.
2) Eat out at fast food restaurants less: Vegetarian or not, I eat too many fatty, greasy foods (like French Fries) from fast food places. My wallet and my body will thank me. My goal is to only eat out twice per month. That's reasonable and realistic instead of once or twice a week like I've been doing.
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"
Chicago weather is killing me and I have a cold I'm living in Bally's trying to sweat out. Other than that, life is good. I'm behind on this rundown so I'm combining two weeks of "Five things I'm digging right now." 1. One of the front desk attendants at Bally's: He's a cutie. I come to work out, but it doesn't hurt that he's usually at the front desk and nice on the eyes. He knows my name without me telling him, and that's always a bonus plus he's a friendly guy. I dig good customer service. 2. Breast cancer video with hot guys: I first saw this video while updating a Booster Shots blog for the Trib. I felt super weird watching it at work, but my neighbor behind me had no shame about watching it and showing another co-worker so then I had to see it. I love this video.
Since I was on vacation last week (from Wednesday afternoon through the weekend) and it's been awhile since I had steady days off (for awhile I worked weekends in Breaking News), I've got a whole lot that I'm digging right now so I'm doing my five dig countdown right now.
This will be the five things I'm digging during my vacation:
1. Not worrying about sleep habits: I went to sleep when I wanted to (and turned my house and cell phone off) and woke up when I wanted to. I knew I got the right amount of sleep because I didn't wake up until I was good and ready. The right amount of sleep can leave a person feeling refreshed even if her body clock is used to waking up early.
2. Walking my parents' German Shepherd, Faith: I love their dog. As much as I love my apartment eventually either the location or I am going to have to give. I want a dog, and not one of those little dogs that jump on the couch and bark with a super thug complex (those are the dogs they allow). I want a Marmaduke sized dog--German Shepherd, Labrador Retriever, Doberman Pinscher, Alaskan Husky, that size dog. But in the meantime, I was on the south side for a bit and I dropped by my parents' house to grab the leash and walk their dog around. (Funny enough my father panicked and thought someone stole their dog because he came home before I could return her. In my defense, my car was parked right in front of their house and I left a message on their answering machine but he paid no attention to either. Poor Dad. He looked so relieved to see me walking up to the front gate and telling Faith to stop harassing the mail carrier.)
It's been a minute and a whole lot of experiences within this past month so I'm just now making time to do the "Five things I'm digging right now." Since it's been three weeks, it'll be 15. 1) Cosi's Hummus & Veggie sandwich: I used to go to Cosi's when I temped for a real estate company, but I hadn't been there in years. This past summer, I was a "guide" for a Tribune intern and I took him to lunch at Cosi's. It made me remember how much I loved their bread. I got the sandwich and since then got it a few more times. 2) Tayari Jones' "Silver Sparrow": Check out my review on the Trib's site here.3) Olive Garden salad dressing: Seriously, I like eating salad but the salad dressing they use is better than any I've ever tasted. While dining with my mother, I found out this past weekend that they sell it. Looks like they'll have two regular customers!
I had a debate on Facebook that went from being civil to completely ignorant with one user, and while I won't focus on how the forum did not go the way I originally planned it, it's still on my mind. So, I'm going to voice my opinion about how I feel about the topic of hair and health here where I can do it without somebody testing my patience. Of course comments are always welcome.
The original comment was from a user who mentioned someone saying something offensive about her natural hair. My mother wears her hair naturally and I like it. My brother does, too, and I like his. I can see the beauty in natural hair as well as relaxed hair, and I unapologetically have no desire to not have a perm. It's a preference. But I thought the comment that was made to the person who started the forum was dumb. There's absolutely no logic in insulting someone for the way she chooses to wear her hair. If she likes it natural, she's not bothering you. If I like mine relaxed, I'm not bothering anybody either. But I made a couple points:
#1 I'm running into women who wear their hair naturally who somehow have convinced themselves they have the golden key to happy life, like women with relaxers are somehow lost and don't accept ourselves.
#2 I'm really getting tired of sistas spending so much time worried about their hair. I wish this type of energy would be focused on our health. I've seen too many women with beautiful hair and their health (sexual health, diet, blood pressure) are shot to shit.
After so many years of being beaten over the head with advice on drinking more water, I was completely surprised by this article " Drinking six to eight cups of water called 'nonsense' in editorial." If you drink eight cups of water, you may be interested in reading this. I'd never heard of hyponatremia (low sodium levels in the blood) before. Anyway, I drink a daily cup of green or brown tea and enjoy an occasional cup of iced coffee, but I still have an issue with drinking a bunch of water. It's so much easier to do while exercising than it is just sitting in a newsroom or flopping down on my couch. My colleague Barbara Mahany helped me out with suggestions like adding lemon (I use lemon juice) to make it a little more tasty. Her " feeding hungry jocks" article definitely made me more enthused about drinking a few glasses of it. It's been around 100 degrees all this week, and because I'm hard-headed and completely ignore newscasters, I've spent everyday this week either jogging or walking my regular four miles in parks. It's therapeutic and gets my mind off of any type of stress. (I ended up sitting under a tree for an hour because I was so hot, but it was still a stress reliever.) And guess what? It makes me drink water. Exercise = wanting to drink water, not too much, just enough.
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