word

shout out to the bamma that stole my catalytic converter. may you have a wonderful holiday and a more blessed new year.

status

"...waiting for some magical moment that would prove to me 'forever' will be fine..."

another perspective on the "black family" and interracial families

being a part of an interracial family, i'm always intrigued by how others are affected by their mergings of life, culture, and the like. a (black) friend of mine from high school is featured in the Aug issue of Latina Magazine along with his new, brilliantly gorgeous (in and out) family. check out the article. his name is marrice... her name, yahaira (pronounced ja-HAD-da.. you know...with the spanish tongue roll thingy).

interesting read...

aren't they just stunning??

5 minute management course

(another one from gramps...)

Lesson 1:
A man is getting into the shower just as his wife is finishing up her shower, when the doorbell rings. The wife quickly wraps herself in a towel and runs downstairs. When she opens the door, there stands Bob,the next-door neighbor.Before she says a word, Bob says, "I'll give you $800 to drop that Towel."After thinking for a moment, the woman drops her towel and stands naked in front of Bob After a few seconds, Bob hands her $800 and leaves.The woman wraps back up in the towel and goes back upstairs. When she gets to the bathroom, her husband asks, "Who was that?""It was Bob the next door neighbor," she replies."Great," the husband says, "did he say anything about the $800 he owes me?"

Moral of the story:
If you share critical information pertaining to Credit and risk with your shareholders in time, you may be in a position to prevent avoidable exposure.

Lesson 2:
A priest offered a Nun a lift. She got in and crossed her legs, Forcing her gown to reveal a leg. The priest nearly had an accident.After controlling the car, he stealthily slid his hand up her leg.The nun said, "Father, remember Psalm 129?" The priest removed his hand.But, changing gears, he let his hand slide up her leg again.The nun once again said, "Father, remember Psalm 129?"The priest apologized "Sorry sister but the flesh is weak."Arriving at the convent, the nun sighed heavily and went on her way.On his arrival at the church, the priest rushed to look up Psalm 129 It said, "Go forth and seek, further up, you will find glory."

Moral of the story:
If you are not well informed in your job, you Might miss a great opportunity.

Lesson 3:
A sales rep, an administration clerk, and the manager are walking to lunch when they find an antique oil lamp. They rub it and a Genie comes out.The Genie says, "I'll give each of you just one wish.""Me first! Me first!" says the admin clerk. "I want to be in the Bahamas, driving a speedboat, without a care in the world."Puff! She's gone."Me next! Me next!" says the sales rep. "I want to be in Hawaii,relaxing on the beach with my personal masseuse, an endless supply of Pina Coladas and the love of my life."Puff! He's gone."OK, you're up," the Genie says to the manager.The manager says, "I want those two back in the office after lunch."

Moral of the story:
Always let your boss have the first say.

Lesson 4:
An eagle was sitting on a tree resting, doing nothing. A small rabbit saw the eagle and asked him, "Can I also sit like you and do nothing?"The eagle answered: "Sure , why not."So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the eagle and rested. All of a sudden, a fox appeared, jumped on the rabbit and ate it.

Moral of the story:
To be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sitting very, very high up.

Lesson 5
A turkey was chatting with a bull. "I would love to be able to get to the top of that tree," sighed the turkey, "but I haven't got the energy.""Well, why don't you nibble on some of my droppings?" replied the bull.They're packed with nutrients."The turkey pecked at a lump of dung, and found it actually gave him enough strength to reach the lowest branch of the tree.The next day, after eating some more dung, he reached the second branch.Finally after a fourth night, the turkey was proudly perched at the top of the tree. He was promptly spotted by a farmer, who shot him out of the tree.

Moral of the story:
Bull Shit might get you to the top, but it won't keep you there.Lesson 6A little bird was flying south for the Winter. It was so cold the bird froze and fell to the ground into a large field. While he was lying there, a cow came by and dropped some dung on him.As the frozen bird lay there in the pile of cow dung, he began to realize how warm he was. The dung was actually thawing him out! He lay there all warm and happy, and soon began to sing for joy.A passing cat heard the bird singing and came to investigate.Following the sound, the cat discovered the bird under the pile of cow dung, and promptly dug him out and ate him.

Morals of the story:
(1) Not everyone who shits on you is your enemy.(2) Not everyone who gets you out of shit is your friend.(3) And when you're in deep shit, it's best to keep your mouth shut!

THIS ENDS THE 5-MINUTE MANAGEMENT COURSE

"if only...

...we'd stop trying to be happy we could have a pretty good time."
- Edith Wharton

sideways

i always find comfort in knowing that, fundamentally, "what will be will be." sometimes that's the ONLY comfort you can find. no matter our actions, our destinies will always be.

email forward (ugh... but funny nonetheless)

(and yes... i left the little email forward carats in and everything. what!!!)

>This is a true story about a recent wedding that
> took place at Clemson University . It was in the local newspaper and even Jay
> Leno mentioned it. It was a huge wedding with about 300 guests.
>
> After the wedding, at the reception, the groom got up on stage with a Microphone
> to talk to the crowd. He said he wanted to thank everyone for coming, many from
> long distances, to support them at their wedding.

> He especially wanted to thank the bride's and his family and to thank his new
> Father-in-law for providing such a lavish reception. As a token of his deep
> appreciation he said he wanted to give everyone a special gift just from him. So
> taped to the bottom of everyone's chair, including the wedding party was an
> envelope. He said this was his gift to everyone, and asked them to open their
> envelope.
>
> Inside each manila envelope was an 8x10 glossy of his bride having sex with the
> best man. The groom had gotten suspicious of them weeks earlier and had hired a
> private detective to tail them.
>
> After just standing there, just watching the guests' reactions for a Couple of
> minutes, he turned to the best man and said, "F--- you!" Then he turned to his
> bride and said, "F--- you!" Then he turned to the dumbfounded crowd and said,
> "I'm outta here."
>
> He had the marriage annulled first thing in the morning. While most people would
> have canceled the wedding immediately after finding out about the affair, this
> guy goes through with the charade, as if nothing were wrong.
>
> His revenge--making the bride's parents pay over $32,000 for a 300 guest wedding
> and reception, and best of all, trashing the bride's and best man's reputations
> in front of 300 friends and family members. This guy has balls the size of
> church bells.
>
> Do you think we might get a MasterCard "priceless" commercial out of this?
>
> Elegant wedding reception for 300 family members and friends: $32,000.
>
> Wedding photographs commemorating the Occasion: $3,000
>
> Deluxe two week honeymoon accommodations in Maui : $8,500
> The look on everyone's face when they see the 8x10 glossy of the bride humping
> the best man: Priceless
>
> There are some things money can't buy, for everything else there's MASTERCARD!
>
> "Life isn't like a bowl of cherries or peaches, it's more like a jar of
> Jalapenos--what you do today, might burn your ass tomorrow..."

i hear that!

yo...my mans is a fool

(but i'm with 'im... for real)

"Like a blind man in an orgy, I'm going to have to feel my way through this one."

words of wisdom (hope she doesn't mind)

"kind of a crazy reality check, but dig this story. there's a [co-worker] at my job. late 50s i'd say. been married for about 25 years. two teenage kids. sweet little... lady. since i've been there it's been known that her husband was sick for several years. but i had no idea how serious. yesterday, the job calls... and tells us she decided to sign a "Do Not Resuscitate" waiver if his heart stopped because he was in so much pain and wasn't going to get any better. today, he passed away.

now that's an extreme situation. but i bring it up because the way she used to talk about there time together when he was well, and how supportive she has been since he's been ill warms my heart. unconditional love personified. and it sort of put everything in perspective. i think a lot about how much energy i waste on catering to my imagination and being hateful because i've been hurt, and going so far out of my way to protect myself from being hurt again. and it's sad. i believe logic can still be there. it has to be. we're not dumb women. and it's a plus that we know how to protect and take care of ourselves. but it shouldn't be to the point where we can't enjoy who we're with. esp when the person we're with brings us undeniable happiness.

is it possible for heartbreak and betrayal to happen again? of course. it happens to the best of us no matter how hard we try to block it. and nope, it won't hurt any less. but why dwell on it? you don't want to risk pushing [them] away. don't be scared to need [them]. cuz i bet [they] need you twice as much. enjoy the blissful time together.

just love [them]. enjoy and be happy. life is short and can be taken away at anytime. the world is crazy and chaotic and upsetting and unforgiving and disloyal. and if you have peace and love in your home, and you really believe in it, nurture it. nurture it to the fullest. there's nothing better than knowing that everything is alright with the world when you can go home and your love is there.

i hope that helps a little. i'm working on it too. we need to turn our imaginations off sometimes. how sad would it be if our over-analytical brains kept us from being happy."

in seeking solace, accordance, reassurance, and (frankly) a "good talkin' to," i found this. swift kicks in pants does a girl wonders sometimes.

oh and...

"I gotta work out. I keep saying it all the time. I keep saying I gotta start working out. It's been about two months since I've worked out. And I just don't have the time. Which uh..is odd. Because I have the time to go out to dinner. And uh..and watch tv. And get a bone density test. And uh.. try to figure out what my phone number spells in words." - Ellen DeGeneres

my grandfather sent this to me in an email

The Virgin Mary is not called " Mary with the Cherry"

happy easter :)

thanks, carlendra

(i know y'all get tired of hearing my preachy ass. but this time, it wasn't me...)

Definitions
By LYNETTE CLEMETSON
WASHINGTON
NEW YORK TIMES

SENATOR JOSEPH R. BIDEN'S characterization of his fellow Democratic presidential contender Senator Barack Obama as "the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy" was so painfully clumsy that it nearly warranted pity.

There are not enough column inches on this page to parse interpretations of each of Mr. Biden's chosen adjectives. But among his string of loaded words, one is so pervasive — and is generally used and viewed so differently by blacks and whites — that it calls out for a national chat, perhaps a national therapy session.

It is amazing that this still requires clarification, but here it is. Black people get a little testy when white people call them "articulate."

Though it was little noted, on Wednesday President Bush on the Fox News Channel also described Mr. Obama as "articulate." On any given day, in any number of settings, it is likely to be one of the first things white people warmly remark about Oprah Winfrey; Richard Parsons, chief executive of Time Warner; Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice; Deval Patrick, the newly elected governor of Massachusetts; or a recently promoted black colleague at work.

A series of conversations about the word with a number of black public figures last week elicited the kind of frustrated responses often uttered between blacks, but seldom shared with whites.

"You hear it and you just think, 'Damn, this again?' " said Michael Eric Dyson, a professor of humanities at the University of Pennsylvania.

Anna Perez, the former communications counselor for Ms. Rice when she was national security adviser, said, "You just stand and wonder, 'When will this foolishness end?' "

Said Reginald Hudlin, president of entertainment for Black Entertainment Television: "It makes me weary, literally tired, like, 'Do I really want to spend my time right now educating this person?' "

So what is the problem with the word? Whites do not normally object when it is used to describe them. And it is not as if articulate black people do not wish to be thought of as that. The characterization is most often meant as a form of praise.

"Look, what I was attempting to be, but not very artfully, is complimentary," Mr. Biden explained to Jon Stewart on Wednesday on "The Daily Show." "This is an incredible guy. This is a phenomenon."

What faint praise, indeed. Being articulate must surely be a baseline requirement for a former president of The Harvard Law Review. After all, Webster's definitions of the word include "able to speak" and "expressing oneself easily and clearly." It would be more incredible, more of a phenomenon, to borrow two more of the senator's puzzling words, if Mr. Obama were inarticulate.

That is the core of the issue. When whites use the word in reference to blacks, it often carries a subtext of amazement, even bewilderment. It is similar to praising a female executive or politician by calling her "tough" or "a rational decision-maker."

"When people say it, what they are really saying is that someone is articulate ... for a black person," Ms. Perez said.

Such a subtext is inherently offensive because it suggests that the recipient of the "compliment" is notably different from other black people.

"Historically, it was meant to signal the exceptional Negro," Mr. Dyson said. "The implication is that most black people do not have the capacity to engage in articulate speech, when white people are automatically assumed to be articulate."

And such distinctions discount as inarticulate historically black patterns of speech. "Al Sharpton is incredibly articulate," said Tricia Rose, professor of Africana Studies at Brown University. "But because he speaks with a cadence and style that is firmly rooted in black rhetorical tradition you will rarely hear white people refer to him as articulate."

While many white people do not automatically recognize how, and how often, the word is applied, many black people can recall with clarity the numerous times it has stopped them in their tracks.

Melissa Harris-Lacewell, professor of politics and African-American studies at Princeton University, said her first notable encounter with the word was back in high school in Chester, Va., when she was dating the school's star football player. In post-game interviews and news stories she started to notice that he was always referred to as articulate.

"They never said that about the white quarterback," she said, "yet they couldn't help but say it about my boyfriend."

William E. Kennard, a managing director of the Carlyle Group and a former chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, recalled that in his days as partner at a Washington law firm in the early 1990s written reviews of prospective black hires almost always included the words, "articulate and poised." The characterization was so consistent and in such stark contrast to the notes taken on white job applicants that he mentioned it to his fellow partners.

"It was a law firm; all of the people interviewing for jobs were articulate," said Mr. Kennard, 50, who is also on the board of The New York Times Company. "And yet my colleagues seemed struck by that quality in black applicants."

The comedian and actor D. L. Hughley, a frequent guest on HBO's "Real Time With Bill Maher," says that every time he appears on the show, where he riffs on the political and social issues of the day, people walk up to him afterward and tell him how "smart and articulate" his comments were.

"Everyone was up in arms about Michael Richards using the N-word, but subtle words like this are more insidious," Mr. Hughley said. "It's like weight loss. The last few pounds are the hardest to get rid of. It's the last vestiges of racism that are hard to get rid of."

Sometimes the "articulate" moniker is merely implied. My colleague Rachel Swarns and I chuckle wearily about the number of times we have finished interviews or casual conversations with people — always white, more often male — only to have the person end the meeting with some version of the statement, "something about you reminds me of Condoleezza Rice."

Neither Rachel nor I look anything like Ms. Rice, or each other for that matter, so the comparison is clearly not physical. The comment seems more a vocalized reach by the speaker for some sort of reference point, a context in which to understand us.

It is unlikely that whites will quickly or easily erase "articulate" and other damning forms of praise from the ways in which they discuss blacks. Listen for it in post-Super Bowl chatter, after the Academy Awards, at the next school board meeting or corporate retreat.

But here is a pointer. Do not use it as the primary attribute of note for a black person if you would not use it for a similarly talented, skilled or eloquent white person. Do not make it an outsized distinction for Brown University's president, Ruth Simmons, if you would not for the University of Michigan's president, Mary Sue Coleman. Do not make it the sole basis for your praise of the actor Forest Whitaker if it would never cross your mind to utter it about the expressive Peter O'Toole.

With the ballooning size of the black middle and upper class, qualities in blacks like intelligence, eloquence — the mere ability to string sentences together with tenses intact — must at some point become as unremarkable to whites as they are to blacks.

"How many flukes simply constitute reality?" Mr. Hudlin asked, with amused dismay.

Well said.

in case you didn't know

(found this out from my employer)

"Due to the passage of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the dates for the change to Daylight Savings Time and back to Standard Time in 2007 will differ from previous years. The time change this spring will take place on March 11, which is three weeks earlier than normal. During this three-week period (March 11 to March 31), the time in the US and most of Canada will be one hour ahead of what it would have been in past years. This change will affect computers and other technology, including PDAs and cell phones in several ways."

check it out!!!

hopkins names two black women as deans in the new nursing school :)

http://www.son.jhmi.edu/newsevents/news/news.aspx?id=493

ha!

Where lipstick is concerned, the important thing is not color, but to accept God's final word on where your lips end. - Jerry Seinfeld

well...

...first off
"Anybody caught selling macrame in public should be dyed a natural color and hung out to dry."
- Calvin Trillin

other tidbits...
i think my schedule is starting to wear on me. i'm lovin it (don't get me wrong) but a sista is tired. tired but overwhelmingly content. no doubt!

school... coasting along. i'm getting by...

rehearsals... uber productive and i'm excited about the show...
-http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/stage/bal-to.race21feb21,0,406100.story
-http://www.citypaper.com/arts/story.asp?id=13275
-http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?show=localnews&pnpID=812&NewsID=784744&CategoryID=9786&on=1

dating... leaves me speechless!

's all i got for now. bises babies

sniffles

i have a serious cold. put me outta commission for two days (feels like it might go 'head and become three). it came outta no where... literally! one second watching the L word, pettin' the k-9... the next *achoo... snort....ugh* wtf? no warning. the next morning it was curtains! comfort was a no-go and would remain so til... well... the present.

aside from that...

ain't gots no valentine :( is it that serious? not really. i have work then class on v-day. so no time for an official "valentine's day date." *sneezing* fuck! at any rate, doesn't mean i'm not "adored" or loved. doesn't mean i ain't doin' no adorin' of my own. just means i don't have to pay twice the price for roses for one day in the middle of february to say so (i guess). lol. not knockin' y'all that actually get to celebrate v-day in the least bit (DN, tell "tha boy" he betta ack like he know! shooooot)

*breathing outta my mouth 'cause it's the only option right this second*

what else?

school is going okay. i'm getting "B"s and i don't like it. but, imma have to rap to the prof to find out what really tickles his fancy so that i might actually get a friggin "A," man! (lol... that cracked me up for some reason) oh, and... work is crazy busy, the "group" is amazing, and self is peacefully breathing in gratitude.

goin' night night (well, after finishing this assignment)...

paradigms (as of late)

"The United States is a nation of laws: badly written and randomly enforced."
- Frank Zappa

in other news...

i'm super content... maybe even *gasp* happy
apparently, i suck at friendship. is that something you work on and cultivate? or should it be something that just effortlessly exists? i'm on the fence with that one. thoughts?
bee & tash are crusin' next week. uber jealous while ecstatic for 'em
i'd pick obama over hilary
and i have a new obsession...HONEY! tasting, sniffing, or smelling like it. okay so it's not new but it's recently gotten out of control :\

so...

"I wanna hang a map of the world in my house. Then I'm gonna put pins into all the locations that I've traveled to. But first, I'm gonna have to travel to the top two corners of the map so it won't fall down."
- Mitch Hedberg

r & r

rantings:

• why do some folks still try to chump me at my job because i'm the youngest (melaninly endowed) person in the office. "yes," you can walk into my cube and ask me why some process might not be running smoothly. "surely," i can give you my input/perspective as to why. "definitely," i can give you advice on how to rectify it. but, "hell nah, " you can't instruct me to follow through on trying to fix YOUR process gliche. "no," you'll not instruct me to contact this person or that to pass on the resolution. "yeah," i'm YOUR boss and i'm gonna tell you to handle it yourself. and, "you most certainly will not," have any lip. lol. folks be trippin!
• uhaul & the city of baltimore are in cahoots (sp?) and clearly on a mission to piss me off royally... not feelin it!
• somehow i've been swindled into starting a 100-crunches-a-day regimen. damn womanly wiles :\

ravings:

• i'm finally in step with life here. none of this two steps behind business.
• it'll be spring soon!
• the vicki's swim catalog is out :p hot damn!
• gotta love early 90s slow jams (insert your choice of any "public announcement" or "shai" song here).
  bwahaha! some geekbox just called my extension and said he's "in a bit of pinch." lmao! who says that?!
• i'm "sweet."
• my baby puppy turned a year old this week.
  
  

happy new year wishes & ramblings

• "searching for self in separate rivers... and ending up in the same waterfall"
• separation anxiety, though healthy/wonderful in some cases, still sucks ass majorly
• i'm uber excited about the year to come. for one, i plan to put major life moves in action... securing my future type stuff. for two, things can't be any worse than last friggin year.
• happy crying spells make me... well... happy!
• turning over new (life) leaves, while in theory are excellent ideas, doesn't mean shit when you trample all over them :p
• this year, i will be issuing instant "scram cards" to anything or one that attempts to bring negativity my way or tries to hinder my "progress" in any way, shape, or form.
• "I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, It's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, And that enables you to laugh at life's realities." - Dr. Seuss

oh, and... happy new year, my babies! mwah