The Template From Hell

ok...

I have been having some MAJOR ism's with my blog.

Correction....

I have been having some major ism's with the last template I was using...

I thought that maybe it had something to do with the modifications that I made to the template itself... you know adding my favorite blogs or adding the snow effect on my blog this past weekend (that was major).

So I went into my settings and reset everything... And my blog was still jacked up! (READ: My side bar contents would still load at the bottom of the page). I'm all excited about getting things back to where I want them and you know what... The shyt was still jacked up! So then I had another bright idea... Let's create another blog under the same name and just transfer my posts to it... well that was a good plan... Until... I actually did it... I took a look at the blog and it hadn't changed for the better at all...

If you know anything about Taurus women you know that we want what we want when we want it. I wanted that damn pink template... I'm an AKA afterall! LOL Well as you can see I didn't get what I wanted.

C'est la vie!

If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world."--C.S. Lewis

Spreadin' Rumors

If it wasn't in the news... I would have thought someone had made it up. We hear rumers all the time about various things. I love going to the Urban Legend site to see the latest tale spinning via those Gawd Awful Chain Letters... Just this past week there were all types of rumors going around about 50 Cent getting his hand severed by the Lamborghini doors that he had on his escalade... Boy the Yahoo Groups were burnin up with speculation...

But this takes the cake... (I pray that it isn't true)

AS seen on Consumption Junction ( a really sick adult humor site... proceed with caution) (I got this article as an email but the wouldn't load for some reason but I linked it to the title of the article below)

Woman Drowns in Beach Sex Romp

A sexual romp at a popular Darwin beach ended in the death of a 25- year-old woman, who drowned while performing oral sex on a man, the Northern Territory's Supreme Court heard. The woman had sexual intercourse with Christopher Sean Payne, 34, in "a number of
positions" in the water off Pee Wee Camp beach, before she voluntarily submerged to perform fellatio on him. Prosecutor Michael Carey told the court that while the woman was performing oral sex, Christopher "became excited and put his hands on her head and kept
her down there." The prosecutor said Payne told police that he noticed something was amiss when the woman stopped performing fellatio. He wondered what was going on, so he let her up.

"He says that she did not try to get up, she wasn't kicking or splashing, and that he really didn't do anything except let her up as soon as she stopped sucking on his penis," Prosecutor Carey told the court. He said that when Christopher realized the woman was dead, he "freaked out," dressed, and drove away.

Christopher, who has been in prison since two days after the drowning on October 11 last year, pleaded guilty to committing a dangerous act on October 11, 1999. His counsel, Suzan Cox, told Justice Sir William Kearney that her client still had "recurring nightmares" about the
drowning. "He keeps seeing it while he tries to sleep at night," Ms. Cox reported. She said a psychiatrist found that Christopher had a deep sense of shame about the incident. He had required treatment for nervous outbreaks of boils twelve times in the past year.

Ms Cox said that before Payne and the woman went into the sea, they had drunk 11 750-ml bottles of beer, and an autopsy found that the woman had a blood alcohol reading of .287 - almost six times the legal Australian driving limit. "She might have just passed out under
the water. That might explain why she didn't struggle," Ms Cox told the court.

She said that although Payne had an alcohol problem, he was considered a quiet, shy, good-natured and considerate person by his employers and friends. Ms Cox said the unusual nature of the case meant there was no need for Justice Kearney to consider imposing a harsh penalty on him to deter others.

My Sister's Are Bloggin'

Check Out My Two Sistahs...

FlawedDymond's is The Random Thoughts Of A "Good Girl" Gone Bad...

SxySugarLips's is Synopsis Of A Sassy Woman

They are two of the best women you will ever meet.

Loathesome People

One of my sorors posted this site to a listserv that I belong to... You gotta take a look for yourself but here's ones that made me think back and chuckle at the sheer lunacy of it. Larry King could hardly keep from falling apart on this one...

Check out the full list at The Beast. If you got any comments or opinions and want to send the directly to the author email him here.

11. Dan Rather

Crimes: Along with Cronkite’s so-bonkers-it-might-be-true comment that Karl Rove must be behind Osama bin Laden’s timely October video release, has given the rabid right enough fuel to maintain their bogus “liberal media” charge for years.

Smoking Gun: Made Peter Jennings the most credible anchor in the business.

Punishment: Life sentence as the liberal whipping boy on “Hardball with Chris Matthews.” (wonder how we could arrange a joint session for the presidential cabinet LOL I'm sure Chris would enjoy it... and Cheyney's twisted ass prolly would too... CTHU!"

FYI on the whole Cronkite statement...

In a TV interview on Larry King Live, veteran (retired) CBS anchorman, Walter Cronkite, intimated that Bush political strategist Karl Rove was behind the tape:
CRONKITE: What we just heard. So now the question is basically right now, how will this affect the election? And I have a feeling that it could tilt the election a bit. In fact, I'm a little inclined to think that Karl Rove, the political manager at the White House, who is a very clever man, he probably set up bin Laden to this thing.... (CNN, Larry King Live, 29 Oct 2004)

Of course none of this is analyzed by the US media.

Snowy Sunday's

It's Snowing Right Now... I haven't slept all night because I was watching the snow fall. I can sit for hours normally and watch the rain fall... Thinking about everything and nothing at all. I thought I'd share a bit of it with ya by bringing it (the snow... I know you noticed it... LOL) to my page... Enjoy. If you want the real thing.. Pack up come to Philly and please take this Snow, Sleet, and Ice with ya! LOL

Wish I had my very own BK Snow Bunny To Cuddle With.

Sigh...

Who's In Charge Here

As the nation approaches the one-year anniversary of the Super Bowl XXXVIII tragedy, an FCC study shows that millions of U.S. children were severely traumatized by the exposure to a partially nude female breast during the Feb. 1, 2004 halftime show.

The tragic wardrobe malfunction occurred approximately 360 days ago, during Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake's performance of "Rock Your Body," when Timberlake tore Jackson's costume, accidentally revealing her right breast.

"By the time CBS cut to an aerial view of the stadium, the damage was done," said Wasserbaum, who has also worked extensively with orphaned and amputee children in Third World war zones. According to the 500-page report filed by the FCC, more than 90 percent of the children who saw the exposed breast said they were "confused and afraid."

Come on now... I saw worse things than that growing up in South Philly (maybe that's the root of my ism's LOL). The FCC has been pressured for years to put the screws to big media corporations like Viacom and Janet gave them the amunition that they needed...

They basically held "Middle America's" young impressionable children for ransom when the basically said "Either we keep quiet when events like this take place or we have to make a blanket policy across the media board.

So for the past 11 months they have to keep a running tally of who says what where with renewed vigor.

The focus has been on dirty words that have found their way onto broadcast television/radio with increasing frequency:

* U2 rocker Bono (whom I not so secretly love) uttered fuck at last year's live Golden Globes show on NBC.

* Nicole Richie said shit and fuck at last year's live Billboard Music Awards show on Fox.

* Diane Keaton on Jan. 25 spoke shit on the live Golden Globes broadcast on CBS.

WHERE WAS THE PUBLIC OUT CRY...LOL

Does the FCC truly belive that the media has sole control over America's young people? When will we begin to make parents responsible for the upbringing of children... Yes there are times when I have viewed something on television during primetime and said... "I can't believe they have this on at this hour".

But you know what...

When I have my niece over for a visit and I give her a little time to watch television (she earns tv time by doing a variety of things) I program what she can view. Sometimes I even watch it with her... I had no idea that Sponge Bob Square Pants was totally set underwater... LOL. We were watching it one evening and I asked her... what are all of those circles on the screen... Yasi (my Niece) looked at me and said... Auntieeeeeeeeeeeeee... They gotta breathe sometime! I felt like and idiot. But that's another post for another day.

But I digress...

The point is I try to the best I can to keep things that I feel that she is not equipped to handle/understand from her. In the event that we/she encounters something that she has a question/comment about we talk about it as best I can in terms that she can understand. Yes it's a bit simplistic and no I don't have any children of my own (not ruling out having a family of my own though) but this is working for me at this moment. I guess if all else fails you could always make a video and get Super Nanny to come to your home...

Side Bar Slump Day 2

Ok so I figured a way around the whole sidebar issue... I can only let Three days at a time show on my page... So if you missed a day or so... look to your right and click on a title... I'll see how this works out till I can figure out the coding issue....

I gotta work tomorrow (overtime) so I'll holla...

Sidebar Slump...

Here I am thinking I'm some type of HTML guru... (well actually I am... LOL) I over here helping my good sista friend setup her own blog and I go inside my template to send her some code to add to her page... Well I must have move/deleted/offended some line of code because my sidebar fell way south on my page...

Now I don't know how to bring it back... So I either wait for the powers that be at blogger or one of you fine bloggers to help a sista out...

Come On... You know you wanna!

I changed my settings to allow non-bloggers to post comments.

Selfish Motivations...

You know I have a problem with people who make decisions for themselves and could care less how they affect other people...

Take this fool in Glendale, California for example... He decides that he just cannot go on and parks his SUV on some train tracks. After much thought he then decides that he doesn't want to go through with it. There's only one problem... He can't get the damn truck off the tracks... So what does he do... He leaves it there... causing an accident that ends the life of at least 12 people and injures at least 180 others...

I can't imagine going through something so traumatic that I actually act out on a plan to end my life. But this is certainly a case where this guy not following through with his plan to end his own life has drastically altered the lives of at least 200 families.

Now he can look forward to at least 10 counts of murder...

I bet he wishes that he followed through.

Hot Mess

I love music... I LOVE MUSIC!

Couldn't imagine my day with out my fix of hip hop beats, R&B grooves and a few other genre's in between. Some of the artist/songs that I listen to are derogatory, sexist, racist, and sometimes just plain rude...

But I choose to listen to it so there!

My email was flooded with messages complaining about a particular morning show that aired in NY. If you live in any metropolitan area you more than likely have a hip hop/r&b morning show. Sometimes the content is derogatory, sexist, racist, and sometimes just plain rude (sound familiar... LOL)

BUT... (There's always a but)

This recent airing of the "Miss Jones In The Morning" Show has pushed me past my tolerance level. They played this skit that made light of the Tusnami disaster that has permanately changed the lives of millions of people.

The skit was so bad that the morning show team was suspended and the station posted an apology on their web page. I suspect that it was more for their

Here it goes:

Statement from WQHT-FM, HOT 97
New York City - Miss Jones and the HOT 97 Morning team have been indefinitely suspended for the airing of a song that made light of a catastrophic event, as well as comments made at the time the song was aired.

Earlier this week, Miss Jones said on the air "I apologize to all who have been offended by my poor decision to go along with playing that insulting (to say the least) Tsunami song. I should have known better and I didn't. So I'm sorry and hopefully we can move forward from this, or I can move forward from this being a better hostess, because I am better than that, and I know better than that -- and you deserve better radio than that."

While Miss Jones has apologized on the air, in the media and on the HOT 97 website, station management felt that stronger action was necessary to demonstrate the severity of the situation.

Emmis Radio and HOT 97 will not tolerate such derogatory and racially insensitive content. This incident in no way reflects the spirit of HOT 97. The station has a long-time and well-known reputation for community involvement and support.

Emmis Radio President Rick Cummings said, "What happened is morally and socially indefensible. All involved, myself included, are ashamed and deeply sorry. I know the members of the morning show are truly contrite. They know their actions here are inexcusable."

We would like to clarify that no company advertising on our station had any connection to the Tsunami Song and no company advertising on our station endorsed or sponsored the offensive material aired on the "Miss Jones in the Morning" show. We apologize for any misunderstanding that may have caused listeners to believe that anyone, other than the morning show staff, was responsible for the material that should not have been aired.

Tre' Club...

I stole this from a Yahoo Board...

There really isn't any original Thought Out there... LOL

Three names you go by:
1. Char
2. Ms. Audacity
3. Puffy (Please Don’t Ask)

Three screen names you have:
1. Audacity08
2. Nu_AKA
3. NubianFem

Three things you like about yourself :
1. My Smile
2. My Legs
3. My Bosom (yeah I went there... LOL)

Three things you hate/dislike about yourself:
1. Not being able to ask for help when I really need it…
2. Not exercising regularlly like I want to... Too lazy.
3. My tolerance level for BS is at an all time low.

Three things that scare you:
1. Ending Up Alone
2. Ending Up Unfulfilled
3. Ending Up With Too Many Regrets

Three of your everyday essentials:
1. Columbian Roast with French Vanilla Creamer
2. Conversation with my Girls
3. Connecting with My Baby

Three things you are wearing right now:
1. A Smile
2. My Quasi-Chanel Eyeglasses
3. My AKA necklace

Three of your favorite bands/artists at the moment:
1. MeShelle NdegeOcello
2. Donnie
3. Jay Z

Three of your favorite songs at present:
1. Get Right (Jennifer Lopez)
2. Lovers and Friends (Lil Jon ft. Usher)
3. Wasted Time (MeShelle NdegeOcello)

Three new things you want to do in the next 12 months:
1. Love Completely
2. Find Work That I Love
3. Organize My Apartment

Three things you want in a relationship:
1. Communication (Mental, Physical, Spiritual)
2. Honesty
3. Refer to I Corinthian 13

Two truths and a lie:
1. I Am A Morning Person.
2. I Have A Male Best Friend.
3. I Have A Gadget Addiction.

Three physical things about the opposite sex that appeal to you:
1. Distictive Lips
2. Signature Scent
3. Quality Shoes

Three things you just can't do:
1. Eat Okra
2. Walk In Grass
3. Get Dressed Without Playing Music

Three of your favorite hobbies:
1. Watching Movies
2. Surfing The Internet
3. Talking On The Phone (T-Mobile Loves Me!)

Three things you want to do really badly right now:
1. Chill With My Baby
2. Get Back In Bed
3. Eat Breakfast

Three careers you're considering:
1. Human Resource Analyst
2. Vocational Rehab Counselor
3. Online Store Owner

Three places you want to go on vacation:
1. Spain
2. Canada
3. Italy

Three kids names:
1. Madison
2. Taylor
3. J.R. (if I ever have a boy he would be a junior)

Three things you want to do before you die:
1. Hold Season Passes for both the Eagles and Sixers
2. Get Married And Own My Home
3. Retire Early And Travel

Dream Engagement Ring

I took this quiz and the results were very close to what I would have picked... My dream ring is actually an Emerald or an Asscher cut diamond but it is certainly not a deal breaker...

If the man I love (don't get skurred... Not droppin' any hints... LOL)came to me with a string to tie around my finger (ala The Count Of Monte Cristo) I would be very pleased and just as much in love as it he had given me the hope diamond. Don't get me wrong... every woman wants a little bling on her finger no matter how modest she is... But it isn't the most important thing on the planet.

Here are my results from the quiz...

Your Dream Engagement Ring...

Has a Princess Cut Diamond!

That doesn't mean you're a princess though. Far from it :-)
You're modern, sleek, and more than a little bold at times.
You prefer that your old fashioned ring fit into your modern life.
A streamlined princess cut ring is like a work of architecture and 100% perfect for you.

What's Your Dream Engagement Ring? Take This Quiz :-)

Find The Love Of Your Life

Flashback Friday...

I received this as an email and thought that I would share it with the masses... Check out the site U Thrill Me for more things to reflect on.

Close your eyes...And go back...

• Before the Internet or the MAC
• Before semi automatics and crack
• Before SEGA or Super Nintendo... Way back...
• I'm talkin' bout hide and go seek at dusk.
• Red light, Green light.
• Playing kickball & dodgeball until your porch light came on.
• Mother May I?
• Red Rover
• Hula Hoops
• Running through the sprinkler
• Happy Meals
• Wait... Watchin' Saturday Morning cartoons Fat Albert, Road Runner, Smurfs, Picture Pages, G-Force & He-Man Wonder Woman & Super Man
• Underoos Playing Dukes of Hazard
• Catchin' lightning bugs in a jar
• Christmas morning...
• Your first day of school
• Bedtime Prayers and Goodnight Kisses
• Climbing trees
• Getting an Ice Cream off the Ice Cream Truck
• A million mosquito bites and sticky fingers
• Jumpin' down the steps
• Jumpin' on the bed
• Pillow fights
• Runnin' till you were out of breath
• Laughing so hard that your stomach hurt
• Being tired from playin'
• Your first crush...
• Rainy days at school meant playing "Heads up 7UP" in the classroom Remember that?
• I'm not finished yet...
• Kool-Aid was the drink of the summer
• Totting your friends on your handlebars
• Wearing your new shoes on the first day of school
• Class Field Trips
• Remember when nearly everyone's mom was at home when the kids got there.
• When a quarter seemed like a fair allowance, and another quarter a Miracle.
• When any parent could discipline any kid, or feed him or use him to carry Groceries, and nobody, not even the kid, thought a thing of it.
• When your parents took you to McDonalds and you were so cool.
• When being sent to the principal's office was nothing compared to the fate that awaited a misbehaving student at home.
• Basically, we were in fear for our lives but it wasn't because of driveby shootings, drugs, gangs, etc. Our parents and grandparents were a much bigger threat! And some of us are still afraid of em!
• Didn't that feel good, just to go back and say, "Yeah, I remember that!"
• There's nothing like the good old days! They were good then, and they're good now when we think about them.
• I want to go back to the time when... Decisions were made by going "eeny-meeny-miney-mo"
• Mistakes were corrected by simply exclaiming, "do over!"
• "Race issue" meant arguing about who ran the fastest.
• Money issues were handled by whoever was the banker in "monopoly"
• Catching fireflies could happily occupy an entire evening
• It wasn't odd to have two or three "best" friends.
• Being old, referred to anyone over 20.
• The worst thing you could catch from the opposite sex was cooties.
• Nobody was prettier than Mom
• Scrapes and bruises were kissed and made better
• It was a big deal to finally be tall enough to ride the "big people"rides at the amusement park.
• Getting a foot of snow was a dream come true.
• Abilities were discovered because of a "double-dog-dare"
• Spinning around, getting dizzy and falling down was cause for giggles.
• The worst embarrassment was being picked last for a team.
• Water balloons were the ultimate, ultimate weapon.
• Older siblings were the worst tormentors, but also the fiercest protectors.

Fantasies...

What Is It That You Fantasize about?

• World Peace... (yeah right... LOL)
• International Fame
• An Oscar
• Pulitzer Prize
• Nobel Peace Prize
• MTV Music Award
• Meeting some genius hunk, obstensibly bad but simmering with an uncontainable passion for... Something

Fantasies have to be unrealistic... because the moment... the very second you get what you seek you can't/don't want it anymore. In order to continue to exist desire must have it's object perpetually absent... It's not the "it" that you want... It's the fantasy of "it".

So Desire Supports Crazy Fantasies... One cannot exist without the other. It seems, as Pascal has said, that we are only truly happy when daydreams are about future happiness...

You know the old sayings...

• The hunt is sweeter than the kill...
• Be careful what you wish for...

Not because you'll get it. But because you're doomed not to want it once you do.

So basically Living by your wants will never make you happy. What it means to be fully human is to strive to live by ideas and ideals and not to measure your life by what you've attained in terms of your desires but those small moments of integrity, compassion, rationality, even self-sacrifice. In the end the only way we can measure the significance of our own lives is by valuing the lives of others.

Open Letter To My Babe...

Antithesis Of My History
Satisfying In Every Way
Radiating This Positive Energy
Obscuring The Negativity Of The Day
Don't Ever Comprimise Who You Are
For I am Dazed By Your Masculinty
Aggressive And Self Assured
Without Negating My Femininity
Imperfections Made Beautiful By Way Of Honesty
Wanting To Please And Feel Free
Letting Yourself Get Caught Up In The Moment
So Longing For It To Be With Me

Defining The Obvious...

This question is inspired by a recent episode of Sex And The City (Love That Show!) that I watched and the countless number of Girl Talk sessions that I have during the course of a week.

The Eskimo have 100 words for the word snow and we probably have three times as many for relationships... In a world where you can:

Have a date (and be dating) without ever having sex

• I remember dating this guy. Had many of the outward characteristics that I find attractive. He was God fearing, tall, dark, employed, took care of himself, no baby momma drama and he had a beautiful smile. We had these great conversations over the phone and he would send me the greatest emails. But I had no desire to take it any furthur than that. (That decision probably came from the fact that I realized that he was socially retarded.) Finally I decided that we shouldn't see each other anymore exclusively. Sadly that friendship dissolved not long after that.

Screw (sorry if this is crass) without ever going on a date

• I have a girlfriend who is dating a guy and has never been on a date with him. And yet she considers him her man. I couldn't imagine claiming someone I never see or talk to outside of the bedroom. Well I guess she does talk to him if you count the phone call that actually sets up the booty call.

Maintain a friendship with former partners

• One of my ex-boyfriends lives in West Virginia. He and I are friends now... there were a few years in between us breaking up and being able to rebuild a friendship with me. One of the things that ruined our relationship was dishonesty. I cannot tolerate liars... Now I'm not talking about the "Oh that outfit looks good on you" type of lie. I'm talk about the "Oh, I love you and would never cheat on you" type. But like I said we have move past that talk every once in a while.

I guess my question is:

What Really Defines A Relationship?

Is it the feeling you have when you think of that person. Do you have to see that person the a set number of times in order to consider it a relationship? Or is it something else all together for you.

Email Me Your Response or If you are a Blogger Click on Comments

Shrinking Daylight

Daytime is now 2.68 microseconds shorter because of last month's tsunami.

The massive force unleashed by an earthquake off the coast of Indonesia altered the shape of Earth in a number of minute yet significant ways, NASA scientists have determined.
In data released this week, NASA determined that the Dec. 26 earthquake moved the North Pole, which constantly jiggles slightly, 2.5 centimeters--about an inch--in an eastward shift that is part of a long-term seismic shift.

Earth also became slightly more round, as the planet's oblateness, the quality of being flattish on top and bulging at the equator, decreased by a small amount. Further, daytime decreased by 2.68 microseconds because Earth now spins slightly faster on its axis. The phenomenon is similar to a figure skater in a twirl pulling his or her arms in slightly closer.

All earthquakes affect the shape of the planet, but the force of the recent tsunami-inducing quake--the fourth-largest recorded in 100 years--was particularly strong. Benjamin Chao of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center compared the impact of the quake to the potential impact of the Three Gorges Dam project in China.

If filled, the massive gorge created by the dam would hold 40 cubic kilometers (10 trillion gallons) of water. That shift of mass would increase the length of a day by only 0.06 microseconds and make the Earth only very slightly more round in the middle and flat on the top. It would shift the pole position by about two centimeters (0.8 inches).
"Any worldly event that involves the movement of mass affects the Earth's rotation, from seasonal weather down to driving a car," Chao said in a statement.

The Human Clock

I've been playing around on the net this weekend and am just laughing my behind off at some of the sites that are out there...

If you are one of those people that like to watch the time pass... (you know like those last few minutes before you clock out at work.. Counting down the seconds... Well here is a mindless activity that could get you through...

Check out the Human Clock. For every minute of the day they have at least four pics for you to look at. The pictures are of every day people doing everyday (and not so every day) things all over the world. The one thing that they have in common is that they show the exact time for the moment that you are looking at it.

Assholes are scandalous

Got this from another blogger (TTABlog) and thought that it made me chuckle.

A trademark applicant tried to register a mark for Asshole's Guide to... (think: [topic here] For Dummies), and the Trademark Office rejected it as "scandalous", so they appealed. The Appeals board agreed that it was scandalous too, based on an old doctrine in trademark law that trademarks can't be scandalous (i.e., can't trademark American flags on condoms, and so on). But in the "oh-sweet-irony" department: Wal*Mart sells one of the books in the Assholes series.

And to think... I used to think of them as the moral majority... Don't they censor quite a few titles/items in their stores because the don't think believe that they should be available through their stores?

97 Years And Counting...

Most people who know me know that I'm an AKA... (and those that don't just chose to forget).

Special Shout Outs to my Line Sisters and Starria (#1 Exuberance , Samantha (#2 Non-Chalant), Ms. Audacity (yes I'm giving myself a shoutout... Tre' Club reppin), Adenike (#4 Simplicity). It's been four years for us and we are still ticking.

Here is a bit of information on My Beloved Sorority...

In 1908, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority became America's first Greek-letter organization established by Black college women. Her roots date back to Howard University, Washington, D.C., where the idea for formation was conceived by Ethel Hedgeman Lyle of St. Louis, Missouri. She viewed the Sorority as an instrument for enriching the social and intellectual aspects of college life by providing mental stimulation through interaction with friends and associates.

Through the years, however, Alpha Kappa Alpha's function has become more complex. After her incorporation as a perpetual body in 1913, Alpha Kappa Alpha gradually branched out and became the channel through which selected college-trained women improved the socioeconomic conditions in their city, state, nation, and the world. In a world in which materialism is pervasive, and technology and competition have decreased the need for collaboration and cooperation, it is critical to have an association that cuts across racial, international, physical, and social barriers to help individuals and communities develop and maintain constructive relationships with others.

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority is that vital organization.

Alpha Kappa Alpha is a sisterhood composed of women who have consciously chosen this affiliation as a means of self-fulfillment through volunteer service. Alpha Kappa Alpha cultivates and encourages high scholastic and ethical standards; promotes unity and friendship among college women; alleviates problems concerning girls and women; maintains a progressive interest in college life; and serves all mankind through a nucleus of more than 170,000 women in the United States, the Caribbean, Europe, and Africa.

Candidacy for membership into Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority is open to women of high ethical and scholastic standards who are pursuing or have completed courses leading to a degree in an accredited college or university. Our official headquarters is in Chicago, Illinois

If you are not familiar with Black Greek Letter Organizations you should get on a search engine and check them out.

A Message To My Sistahs....

Love is a powerful thing...

Just got off the phone with one of my Sorority Sisters and she is having some serious relationship issues. She loves the man that she is dating. But he doesn't respect her thoughts, her time, or her body for that matter. He doesn't call when he says he will, he never takes her out unless he was already planning to go out already, AND she has never met one member of his family. They have been dating for six months.

There are good brothers out there. Not all of them are thuggish or punks. BUT, you DO have to groom them, regardless. I'm the LAST person with any patience to make sure that a man knows all of the little things that denote a good dating relationship, but sometimes you have to remind a brother that - in order to be with you - he'll have to handle things a certain way. I told her that she teaches him how to treat her. If you just accept the crap that he gives that's all you will get from him.

We (READ: Women) gripe and groan to one another about whats bugging us with our significant others. I often wonder how much of it is said to the one that matters. If we just suppress all that is botherring us and not share it with my significant other are we being true to ourselves and our relationships?

I have never been one to ask a man out on a date. (It really is a moot point since I'm off the market now but you get the point) My philosophy has been "If you are waiting for me to ask you out you will never see me". Once a man understands this, he can either accept it, or move on. No sense in wasting hours on the phone with someone who isn't capable of being the strong person you want him to be. But if all other indications are that he's a suitable companion, this may just be the one area where he needs a little CLARITY. LOL

My honey-do is a laid back, loving Taurus man and very often he shocks me into silence with some of the things he says (or doesn't say). However, he's also an extremely caring and responsible soul who would move heaven and earth for me. So, if I have problem, I address it IMMEDIATELY ... Regarding a date, a mean statement, a misunderstanding or whatever.

If a man cares about you, he'll listen and try to figure out some compromise to soothe the rough spot. After all, you're worth it!

Giving Back...

THIS MONDAY IS A DAY "ON"FOR MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY ON JANUARY 17,

JOIN THE FIGHT AGAINST POVERTY!

SPECIAL STUDENT OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE PHILADELPHIA:

Consider this: just one person who volunteers once a week during the 13-week tax season of January-April 2005 returns over $30,000 to local, low-income families!
Last year, United Way volunteers helped families receive $15.1 million in Earned Income Tax Credits, just by filling out their tax forms! Help working families make the most of their earning power.

Join Campus Philly and over 400 other volunteers, helping low-income families find their way through the tax-filing maze.

To attend a volunteer training on the 10th Annual Martin Luther King Day of Service, January 17, 2005, e-mail mlkdayofservice@uwsepa.org or call 215-665-2475


BTW...

If you haven't heard yet... Apple is giving back to those of us who couldn't contribute to the recent Iopd craze. They have come up with an Ipod Shuffle. It is smaller than a pack of bubblelicious (telling my age now... LOL). It supposed to go for less than $100.00 and hold 512 MB of music! How cool is that.

Which One Are You?

Food For Thought.

You will never look at a cup of coffee the same way again.

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil, without saying a word. In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.

Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me? What do you see?" "Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied. Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg. Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma.

The daughter then asked, "What does it mean, mother?" Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity... boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?" Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength? Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart? Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor.

If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level?

How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy. The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches. When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling.

Live your life so at the end, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.

We are what we repeatedly do.

Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.

"Work it Girl!"

I got this from Curvy Chick. This outfit came under $150.00. Not sure if I would pair these pants with the rest of the outfit... but you know I am loving that pink and green!

Finding clothes to wear to work can be grueling and repetitive. Give your style a boost with this work week look that won't break the bank.

• Pink Fantasy Long Sleeve Asymmetrical Top ($42, Sizes 1x-4x www.sizeappeal.com)
• Stretch Twill Jacket (in Aloe $58, Sizes 1x-3x www.nordstrom.com )
• Zip Side Stretch Pant ($19.99, Sizes 14-26 www.avenue.com )
• Karla Faux Croc Heel ($17.99, Available in Wide Widths www.payless.com )
  

Have fun this work week and work it like only a curvy chick can.

Shrinking The Darkness...

With all of the Black Media Empires being absorbed by non-black companies I thought that I would post the links to some of the remaining Black Media Companies that are still around. There are plenty more I'm sure so if you know of any drop a comment in the box!

TELEVISION
1) Black Family Channel
2) TV One
3) Jericho Broadcasting

RADIO
1) Reach Media (Tom Joyner)
2) NuOpp Inc. (Steve Harvey)
3) American Urban Radio Networks
4) Radio One

MAGAZINES
1) Johnson Publishing (Jet Magazine)
2) Johnson Publishing (Ebony Magazine)
3) Upscale Communications (Upscale Mag)
4) Turning Point Communications (Turning Point Magazine)
5) Earl G. Graves, Ltd. (Black Enterprise Magazine)
6) EMG (MAMi Magazine)

WEB SITES
1) Reach Media (BlackAmericaWeb.com)
2) Diversity City Media (BlackNews.com)
3) Rabercom Enterprises (EURweb.com)
4) NNPA, Inc. (BlackPressUSA.com)
5) Grandlin Interactive (HBCUconnect.com)
6) IMDiversity, Inc. (IMdiversity.com)

Darwin's Back

You all know about the Darwin Awards. It's an annual honor given to the
person who improved the "gene pool" the most by killing themselves in
the most extraordinarily stupid way. Last Year's Winner was the man who attempted to wash his own 'balls' in a ball washer at the local golf course...

As always, competition this year has been keen. And the candidates this year are.............

* According to police in Windsor, Ontario, Daniel Kolta, 27, and RandyTaylor, 33, died in a head-on collision, thus earning a tie in the game of chicken they were playing with their Snowmobiles.

* In Detroit, a 41-year-old man got stuck and drowned in two feet of water after squeezing head first through an 18-inch-wide sewer grate to retrieve his car keys.

* A 49-year-old San Francisco stockbroker, who "totally zoned when he ran," accidentally jogged off a 100-foot-high cliff on his daily run.

* In Buxton, NC, a man died on a beach when an 8-foot-deep hole he had dug into the sand caved in as he sat inside it. Beach-goers said Daniel Jones, 21, dug the hole for fun, or protection from the wind, and had been sitting in a beach chair at the bottom Thursday afternoon when it
collapsed, burying him beneath 5 feet of sand. People on the beach, on the outer banks, used their hands and shovels, trying to claw their way to Jones, a resident of Woodbridge, VA, but could not reach him. It took rescue workers using heavy equipment almost an hour to free him while about 200 people looked on. Jones was pronounced dead at a hospital.

* Santiago Alvarado, 24, was killed in Lompoc, CA, as he fell face-first through the ceiling of a bicycle shop he was burglarizing. Death was caused when the long flashlight he had placed in his mouth (to keep his hands free) rammed into the base of his skull as he hit the floor.

* According to police in Dahlonega, GA, ROTC cadet Nick Berrena, 20, was stabbed to death in January by fellow cadet Jeffrey Hoffman, 23, who was trying to prove that a knife could not penetrate the flak vest Berrena was wearing.

* Sylvester Briddell, Jr., 26, was killed in Selbyville, Del, as he won a bet with friends who said he would not put a revolver loaded with four bullets into his mouth and pull the trigger.

HONORABLE MENTION:

* In Guthrie, Okla., in October, Jason Heck tried to kill a millipede with a shot from his 22 caliber rifle, but the bullet ricocheted off a rock near the hole and hit pal Antonio Martinez in the head, fracturing his skull.

* In Elyria, Ohio, in October, Martyn Eskins, attempting to clean out cobwebs in his basement, declined to use a broom in favor of a propane torch and caused a fire that burned the first and second floors of his house.

* Paul Stiller, 47, was hospitalized in Andover township, NJ, and his wife Bonnie was also injured, when a quarter-stick of dynamite blew up in their car. While driving around at 2 AM, the bored couple lit the dynamite and tried to toss it out the window to see what would happen, but apparently failed to notice the window was closed.

RUNNER UP:

* In Tacoma, WA, Kerry Bingham had been drinking with several friends when one of them said they knew a person who had bungee-jumped from the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in the middle of traffic. The conversation grew more heated and at least 10 men trooped along the walkway of the bridge at 4:30 AM. Upon arrival at the midpoint of the bridge they discovered that no one
had brought a bungee rope. Bingham, who had continued drinking, volunteered and pointed out that a coil of lineman's cable lay nearby. One end of the cable was secured around Bingham's leg and the other end was tied to the bridge. His fall lasted 40 feet before the cable tightened and tore his foot off at the ankle. He miraculously survived his fall into the icy river water and was rescued by two nearby fishermen. "All I can say" said Bingham, "is that God was watching out
for me on that night. There's just no other explanation for it." Bingham's foot was never located.

AND THE WINNER:

Overzealous zookeeper Friedrich Riesfeldt (Paderborn, Germany) fed his constipated elephant Stefan 22 doses of animal laxative and more than a bushel of berries, figs and prunes before the plugged-up pachyderm finally let it fly, and suffocated the keeper under 200 pounds of poop!

Investigators say ill-fated Friedrich, 46, was attempting to give the ailing elephant an olive oil enema when the relieved beast unloaded on him. "The sheer force of the elephant's unexpected defecation knocked Mr. Riesfeldt to the ground, where he struck his head on a rock and lay unconscious as the elephant continued to evacuate his bowels on top of him" said flabbergasted Paderborn police detective Erik Dern. With no one there to help him, he lay under all that dung for at least an hour before a watchman came along, and during that time he suffocated. It seems to be just one of those freak accidents that proves that "Shit
happens!"

He Answers Prayers

Just two days ago I was on the phone with two of my best girlfriends. We were talking about the show called Starting Over. The basic premise of the show is to have women accomplish a major goal in their lives... The catch is you have to pack your bags and move to Cali for 8 - 12 weeks. That means temporarily leave your familiy and friends, taking a leave of absence from your job, and be totally focused on what ever goal (or goals that you set for yourself). That's a really simplistic view of the whole process but you get the point.

I was thinking of what I would want to work on in my life and the first thing that jumped out at me when I looked at the questions on the Starting Over website was this one:

Lost track of someone important? Looking for a long lost love? An estranged parent or sibling?

Instantly I thought about my Sorority sister (who is so much more than that to me)! I hadn't spoken to her in at least 18 months. We were so close and then I let life circumstances just get in the way. So last night, I'm online watching music videos and Law & Order reruns on AOL and my MSN Messenger box pops up saying that someone wants to add me to their IM list. As soon as I see her name I pause, feeling a little nervous I guess, accept her request and add her to my list as well.

Naturally we started talking and couldn't stop... It was well after 3am when we hung up the phone. You know what I noticed... Even though we had not communicated for all those months we just fell right back into the groove of our established (and tested) friendship.

God works when we need it even if we are too proud to say it.

This Too Shall Pass...

You know... If it wasn't for unlucky events what would we have to compare our joyous moments to?

I got home from work yesterday and began what I thought was going to be a painful process. I turned on Sydney (that's the name my niece and I came up with for my PC), and for about 10 seconds after it finished loading I couldn't do a thing. Not even use the keyboard (which was key in keeping me from completly losing it the day before).

I took a deep breath and restarted Sydney again.. *saying a prayer that I would be able to do "something" when it loads up again. So as windows did its thing. I changed the batteries yet again in the wireless mouse and reset it to the router (or whatever that thing is called). Well by some act of God my mouse funtionality worked! On the flipside though... my keyboard wouldn't respond... LOL Instead of trippin over the keyboard I decided to work that mouse before it decided to revert back to not responding to my command! LOL

I restored my system back to a week ago and then ran the ultimate virus scan on my entire drive. It found the last lurking trojan and I was at peace. I was a surfin' fool last night!

Trojan Army...

No, it's not what you think...

Well if you're a techie then maybe it is. I was surfing last night into the wee hours of the morning I was trying to stay up to catch the latest woot item. While I was picking and poking around the net I had a shareware program working in the backgroud downloading a software program that I have been wanting for a minute.

Five hours later the program completed and was ready to install. I was so excited about it that I couldn't go to sleep before I had installed it. So around 2:00 am I took my tired but satisfied behind to sleep. Got up this morning around 7:15 am (way later than my normal 6:30 wake up time). I guess I should have taken it as a bad omen.

As I stumble over to my desk and turn on my monitor (I let my media player run during the night to listen to Me'Shell NdegeOcello's Bitter) I realize that my optical mouse isn't responding. I was so confused over this fact that I neglected to see that my virus scan was trying to tell me something. It had found 5 (F.I.V.E.!) trojans on my pc! It also stated that it had gotton rid of four of them. And gave me instructions on how to take care of the last one. But remember my original dilemma, I couldn't use my mouse. Instantly my stomach began to ache.

So here I am sitting there trying to master using my ALT key to navigate around my desktop (an act that I had just clowned a friend of mine for doing just the day before). So you know I had to call him and enlist his help... Unfortunately for me I didn't have enough time to figure out what is exactly wrong with the dang thing because I still had to get ready for work.

Upon opening my email (at work) I found this email and decided that it would be my Woooo Saaaa moment for the day. It's by one of my favorite inspirational speakers Ralph Marston.

About to get better

When things seem to be getting worse, there's a good chance that they're actually about to get better. The night is often at its darkest just before dawn begins to light the sky.

When difficulties that have been looming break free and begin to run their course, the moment they will end suddenly begins to grow closer. When problems come out in the open where everyone can see them, that is when they are most likely to be solved.

When the challenges grow bigger, so do the opportunities for positive progress. When everything is going wrong, that's when you become the most highly motivated to make things right. When the world looks bleak, do not despair. Instead, take the highly charged energy of the moment and turn it in a positive direction.

When the situation is at its worst, that's an excellent opportunity for you to be your best. That's when you can make the biggest positive difference. The opportunities to move forward are always there, especially when they don't seem to be. When times are tough, that's when positive, focused action truly pays.

-- Ralph Marston

Pray that my postive direction doesn't lead to my computer flying outside the window!

Do Overs...

You ever say or do something that you wish that you could take back or do over? I know that I have. Think long and hard... I'm sure you can come up with a few things yourself. There are a few things this week alone that I wish I could go back in time and I am sure that is how the Prosecution team that presented their case against Andrea Yates.

If you haven't heard already heard...

The appeals court overturned her conviction due to false prosecution testimony. How well did the prosecution voir dire these witnesses. I mean you have this dude ( a forensic psychologist no less!), talking about a Law and Order episode that hadn't even aired yet! So then the bumbling prosecution team decides to make idiots of themselves by further diggin' the hole they were making by suggesting that Andrea Yates watch the episode and then decided to emulate it by killing her children.

What this basically boils down to is that Andrea is granted another trial.

Chief's world

Just had to share my baby's Blog... You will know why I'm loving this one once you read it... LOL I know I'm a little biased but I can do that ... This is my establishment! LOL

Chief's world

Okay... Now back to work... 2.5 hours to go!

Getting' Grown

I was on the phone with one of my best girlfriends in the very wee hours of the morning. She just happened to be looking at this little 14 year old girls key ring... You remember back in the day when you got your first key don't ya... We would go out and get all types of key chains to add on to the point that when it actually came time to use that key you were searching all over the place!

Little SideBar... I can remember when I used to get home from school and have this sudden urgency to use the bathroom. You remember the little dance you do when you really have to go right away. Well I must have some type of internal clock that would sound off when I got within a block of my house. LOL

Well anyway, the very inappropriate keyring stated this:

1. PLEASE DON'T TALK TO MY BREAST, YOU WON'T BE MEETING THEM.

2. IF YOU WANT TO CONTROL SOMEONE, SLEEP WITH YOUR REMOTE.

3. I ALWAYS CHOOSE CHOCOLATE OVER MEN.....ALWAYS!!!!!!

4. 51% LOVE GODDESS, 49% BITCH

5 MY SEXUAL PREFERENCE IS "NO"!

6. MY BODY IS A TEMPLE, NOW GET ON YOUR KNEES AND PRAY.

7. IT'S NOT THE SIZE THAT COUNTS, IT'S...NO...WAIT....SIZE DOES COUNT.

8. REMEMBER, YOU HORNY PIECE OF DIRT...GIRLS ARE MADE OF SUGAR AND SPICE AND EVERYTHING NICE.

9. MEN ARE LIKE HARDWOOD FLOORS. LAY THEM RIGHT THE FIRST TIME AND YOU CAN WALK ALL OVER THEM FOREVER.

10. SAVE YOUR BREATH FOR YOUR INFLATABLE DATE.

Now I don't have any children but I do carry some maternal instincts that I tap into every now and again. My question is... Would you allow your child to carry around this key ring. Children are growing up so fast these days. My 9 year old niece just asked me if she could have a cell phone for her 10th birthday! I had to take a really long look at her. We have to pay attention to more than their food, clothing, and shelter needs. I am sure there are many things that kids see that I can't imaging seeing when I was growing up in the '70's.

Just my early a.m. observation...

BTW... Today's Woot item was a Wenger Standard Issue Ladies Watch Model 70200 and it sold out at exactly 12:24:46 AM CST. That means that I gotta get in on the action late at night since I live on the East Coast... I'll let you know if I have any success!

Have a productive Day Y'all. I'm off to save the world!

Calling Out

I just got my DSL hook up today yall... You know that I am living on a cloud now! I was sitting at my desk this morning at the eleventh hour trying to come up with an excuse to not go to work... Man if I didn't feel so guilty I would have been a surfin' fool today... LOL

When this little email arrived in my mailbox today I just had to laugh. I knew it was meant just for me as I tried to come up with a believable fib to tell upper management. So I figured on a damp, dark and cold Philly winter evening you may want to chuckle too.

Ten Common Full-Time Employee Illnesses For 2005

1. The Macy's One Day Sale Flu.
2. The Drivers License Renewal Appointment 24-Hour Virus.
3. The Friday-Afternoon-Start-The-Weekend-Early Sudden Unbearable Stomach Pains.
4. The I'm Looking for a New Job and I Don't Know How Long It's Going to Take, but I Want To Stay On The Payroll Until Then Mysterious Infection.
5. The My Boyfriend's Got the Week Off So Suddenly I'm Too Contagious To Come In To The Office Disease.
6. The I Need a Hair Cut and My Stylist Doesn't Make Evening Appointments Bout of Influenza.
7. The There's No Federal Holidays for Two Months and I Want a Day Off Sickness.
8. The It's Spring Break and I Want To Pretend I'm a Teenager Again General Ailment.
9. The I've Messed Up Royally and I Won't Come In To Face the Music Terminal Illness.
10. The I Really Am Sick and I've Got The Doctor's Bills and the Completed Medical Expense Reimbursement Forms to Prove It Infirmity.
    

Not One Damn Dime Day

Have you ever heard of such a thing... There are people out there in the world that want to boycott all of retail for an entire day... Inauguration Day. Here's the scoop.

"Not One Damn Dime Day" - Jan 20, 2005 - Inauguration Day

Help Make a Difference... Please mark your calendars now..."Not One Damn Dime Day" - Jan 20, 2005 - Inauguration DaySince our religious leaders will not speak out against the war in Iraq, since our political leaders don't have the moral courage to oppose it, Inauguration Day, Thursday, January 20th, 2005 is "Not One Damn Dime Day" in America.

On "Not One Damn Dime Day" those who oppose what is happening in our name in Iraq can speak up with a 24-hour national boycott of all forms of consumer spending. During "Not One Damn Dime Day" please don't spend money. Not one damn dime for gasoline. Not one damn dime for necessities or for impulse purchases. Not one damn dime for nothing for 24 hours. On "Not One Damn Dime Day," please boycott Wal-Mart, Kmart, Target... Please don't go to the mall or the local convenience store. Please don't buy any fast food (or any groceries at all for that matter). For 24 hours, please do what you can to shut the retail economy down.

The object is simple. Remind the people in power that the war in Iraq is immoral and illegal; that they are responsible for starting it and that it is their responsibility to stop it. "Not One Damn Dime Day" is to remind them, too, that they work for the people of the United States of America, not for the international corporations and K Street lobbyists who represent the corporations and funnel cash into American politics.

"Not One Damn Dime Day" is about supporting the troops. The politicians put the troops in harm's way. Now 1,200 brave young Americans and (some estimate) 100,000 Iraqis have died. The politicians owe our troops a plan - a way to come home. There's no rally to attend. No marching to do. No left or right wing agenda to rant about. On "Not One Damn Dime Day" you take action by doing nothing. You open your mouth by keeping your wallet closed. For 24 hours, nothing gets spent, not one damn dime, to remind our religious leaders and our politicians of their moral responsibility to end the war in Iraq and give America back to the people.

Sights and Sounds...

In case you've been living under a rock, The first black congresswoman died today at age 80. I can only hope to live that long AND have as full and rich a life as she had. We are losing so many great people these days... I can only imagine what our leaders of today will look like in 20, 30, or even 40 years down the road. Count your blessings folk!

With the holiday season past us now. Most retailers are coming up with ways to get folk out there shoppin' Well now adays "out there" isn't that far at all. Every now and then I come across a site that I bookmark and shop on... Today it was Woot.

http://www.woot.com/


For those that don't know about this site, WOOT highlights one item per day. Sometimes, it's electronics and other times it might be a toy or clothing item. The prices are awesome. But once and item is sold out that's it. You have to wait until the next item is posted and available for purchase. A new item is introduced each night at 12:01 a.m (CENTRAL TIME).

Today's Item is one after my own heart. CooksEssentialsCoffeeOnTheGoSystem. Unfortunately for me I got to the site too late for this deal. Keep your eye out for something special.

We Wear The Mask...

Paul Laurence Dunbar put it nicely in his poem...

WE wear the mask that grins and lies,
It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes--
This debt we pay to human guile;
With torn and bleeding hearts we smile
And mouth with myriad subtleties.


As far as my musical tastes, I consider myslef a "Granola Chic". I am a big fan of "neo-soul" artists such as Me'Shell NdegeOcello, Dwele, Angie Stone, Tangible Truth, Floetry, Erykah Badu, Kem, Fertile Ground, Stephanie Renee, Jill Scott, India Aire, John Legend. The list could go on forever. I mention this because on the flip my alter ego... Ms. Audacity loves her some hip hop (read: Jay Z with a sprinklin' of other artist).

I have been blasting Jay Z's latest release titled Collision Course for the last few days. He collabed with Linkin Park and put out an awesome release. If you haven't heard of it don't be surprised. I happen to be channel surfing and landed on MTV2. What I saw stopped me in my tracks. Jay was on stage with with Linkin effin' Park! I couldn't believe it... Jay was rockin' it out WITHOUT an entourage'. A novel idea if I ever heard of one especially in Hip Hop.

Oddly enough it got me to thinking about love. And love ALWAYS leads me to truth. I know… You are wondering WTH?!?!?!?! How can you get that out of a blend of hip hop and rock. You'd be surprised as to how my mind really works. Remember I’m a peculiar individual. I don’t follow the norm with most things.

"When I pretend everything is what I want it to be I look exactly like what you always wanted to see When I pretend, I can't forget about the criminal I am Stealing second after second just cause I know I can but I can't pretend this is the way it'll stay I'm just Trying to bend the truth I can't pretend I'm who you want me to be, so I'm Lying my way from…" Jay Z/Linkin (Park Dirt Off Your Shoulder/Lying From You)

We wear masks in the various areas of our lives. Where we pretend to be all the things that are expected of us. You know what I'm talking about. The one you wear for your family (mine is always the dependable good girl, daughter, sisiter, auntie... you get the point). Then there are the ones you wear at work. The mask you have for your supervisor and upper management as the hard working employee always smiling and agreeable, the one for your coworkers, and then the one for your close friend at work... You see where I'm going?

If you had to pick one "mask" to wear permantely which would you choose... Do you think that it would be your true self (what ever that means)? Or... do you think that it would would be denying who the many facets of you...

Just pondering things that are floating in my head...

New Things For A New Year...

A Day Of New Beginnings

Okay, I get it... 2005 has arrived. Happy New Year. I've been checking out tons of blogs on the net and most of them are reflecting on the year known as 2004. It got me to thinking... I can do that. I always have something to say about something... I usually send out this mass email to my friends and I'm sure some of them would think to themselves... This girl is crazy! I'm not crazy... I just have wide and varied opinions on things that people normally over look. I am a cynic at heart... seriously. I look for Murphy's Law's in all areas of life... Not saying that everything goes wrong but I can usually find an applicable law...

So what will 2005 bring.. Hayell I don't know! Ms. Cleo tried to predict the future and you know where she ended up! LOL. I have plenty of tasks that I want to check off of my list as completed but there are four major ones that I am set to accomplish. Buy A House, Pay Off My Student Loans, Find A Different Job, and Find Some Interesting Things To Do Around Philly.

Three Things About the Bloggin Newbie

Currents:

1. Movie: Bourne Supremacy
2. Book: Redemtion Song by Bertice Berry
3. CD: Bitter by Me'Shell NdegeOcello

Favorite IM Aliases/Personalities

1. Nu_AKA on Yahoo
2. Audacity08 on BlackPlanet
3. NubianFem on BlackVoices

Favorite Sites

1. When I need to find out about something I use either Google, AOL, or Yahoo. Recently I have become an avid user of a site called About. They have this great site with newsletters, consumer reports, and weekly listservs for any subject that interest you.
2. I cannot log on to the net without going to some retail site. Sites that I viewed this week are Lane Bryant (they have the cutest Side-Tie Kimono top), Best Buy (I am planning to get a set of speakers and a subwoofer for my PC these Altec ones look good but I'm still looking), Nick Jr (my niece loves this site), The Avenue (I love their City Stretch line), Staples (software and speakers), Dr. Tech (my CD-ROM is trippin' right now), Direct TV (am I the only person on this planet that can't live without TIVO?.
3. Another guilty pleasure of mine is YahooGroups. It seems that every person I know is in at least one group. Be careful though... these groups are like pringles... You can't have just one. They range in subject, depth of conversation, and quality of subject matter. A few of my favorites are Sassy, Lil Blaque Book, Louisiana, PPP, and Shades. There are many others but you'll just have to check them out for yourself.

Tonight I am going to hang out with my gurls... We are finally going to exchange Christmas gifts.... Have a few Jello Shots and watch movies... Don't know what I would do for my gurls Cutese, Sugar, Lydi, and Elle. They keep me grounded when I often want to seclude myself I love you gurls!

Well I'm off to bake a loaf of bread with my niece and get ready for tonite... Catch ya later!