picasso, picasa...

anyone use picasa? or is all the world a flikr??

i've to admit that i've never used flikr to upload my photos. i've received a few invite to view albums but i've never actually been a subscriber. i choose picasa as my web album of choice. with much of the same core features as flikr, it gets the job done.

mostly, i use the site to put up pics for my family members to see. once, when a group of friends and i took a cruise together, we were all able to upload our pics to picasa and share with one another different perspectives of the trip. it was kinda cool to see the attractions and events that i'd missed while i experienced different adventures.

picasa is the web photo sharing environment for web 2.0 power house, google. so naturally, picasa albums have all the latest wiz-bang about it. you can link albums to corresponding greographic locations on a map, play back video, and (obviously) share photos with friends. you can even receive notification when your "favorite" friends make updates or post new photos to their albums. users can search public albums to see what random folks are up to and the staple 2.0 attributes, like tagging, are also features of the picasa albums.

another thing i find to be cool about picasa is that it will find all of the pictures on your computer and organize them for you. further, if you're using iPhoto (the mac photo application), there is a seamless interface between your iPhoto library and your picasa account (much like a lot of google applications). there seems to be quite the love affair between apple and google. do any of my fellow mac users concur?

any who... i thought i'd embed one of my albums here. we're currently renovating our basement. actually, finishing it. we're sharing the job with a few contractors that put up our drywall. from here out, however... it's all sweat equity. i enjoy watching it unfold step by step. what i don't enjoy is the muscle aches and pains after manual labor.

enjoy!

a new type of profiling

say what?

inauguration day, CNN, & Facebook

amidst all of the hoopla of this past tuesday's events, there was much to discuss, watch, see, take pics of, and just marvel in. unfortunately for me, however, i was stuck at my desk watching the inauguration festivities streaming over the web courtesy of hulu.com. surprisingly, the stream was awesome. it was like watching tv! long gone are the days of internet via phone lines. remember when you could here the dialing and connecting? or even worse... the waiting. these days, technology, and the web in particular, is so responsive and provides so much to its audience. for a split second, i was lamenting about how i was going to miss the inauguration and that i'd have to set my dvr. what was i thinking?!??! with google being one of my best inanimate friends, my momentary lapse in judgement quickly turned resourceful as i "google"d (yes, it's a verb these days) "streaming inauguration." BAM! therein lied my solution. whew! crisis averted.

so, after tuning into hulu for about two hours, i (figuratively) turned to the CNN stream of the festivities. CNN had the coolest sync with facebook! the window was split into two frames: the left being the streaming screen and the right frame of facebook status updates. users were able to view their friends updated status or all facebook user updates... real time! it was awesome to watch as folks updated their status. updates were posted in less than one second intervals. facebook reported its highest usage during the inauguration and status updates surpassed the one million mark. the collaboration made plenty of headlines peaked the interest of a lot of journalists... obviously.

yet another example of the internet platform bringing folks closer to events and other folks. in this particular case, the event just happened to be one of the most memorable, historic events of our lifetime.

toodles.

change of pace...

okay so... even though there are tons of wonderful things to write about here recently, i have to switch gears for a few weeks. i'm taking a special topics course on web 2.0 technology. i don't know much about the topic... hence my enrollment. so, in the weeks to come, (as part of a recurring assignment) i'll be talking about different emerging web technologies as i learn and gain exposure to said technologies. i'll also be asking for your opinion, feedback, and wisdom on the subject matter.

right... so... one of my first assignments is to create an alter in second life. racking (sp?) my brain on a name. stay tuned and i'll keep you posted on what i come up with.

(fast-forward a few days)

i created my avatar. i thought about whether or not i should go total beyonce and create an uber alter ego. but, alas, i decided to forgo anything that is dramatically different and i'll keep her rating in likeness to mine (G-PG). after all, this is for an assignment shared with academic peers. i named her (yes... i elected to remain the same gender) after my sister and the program provides the last names available for selection. so, cheyenne overland was born. i made

if no one has ever experienced the second life environment, you should check it out. it's mind boggling (to me) that folks have developed this environment to this extent! the options available to even create my alter being are endless. not to mention the gestures and all the movements that come along with the personality. it's going to take a while for em to get the moves down. in that arena, i feel as if i'm at a complete handicap. but, if i can get used to texting on the iPhone, i guess i can concur anything. well... so to speak.

i finally figured it out!

so i know... i'm slow at times... but i finally got it this morning.

i've been a democrat as long as i've had an opinion about politics and the way our country should be governed. i've voted democratic in just about every mayoral, gubernatorial, congressional, & presidential election since i was 18 (of course after extensive edification on all of the candidates). and never have i been so passionate, awe-inspired, and defensive about a candidate. i mean, down right ready to fight if anyone says anything negative about obama. and i especially go off the handle when the ignorant ass folks that i'm surrounded with everyday make unfounded negative comments. i like to tell myself that i'm not an obama fan because he's (categorically) black like me. but this morning, i realized... it sure the hell is the reason. lol. i mean, i agree with a majority of, if not, his entire platform and stance on the proverbial issues. but, dagnamit... he's a brotha! i mean, come on! THAT's why i get so worked up about this entire season. trust me, i was a clinton fan (before i could vote) and kerry was so-so. i was a gore supporter as well but i was never ready to go to blows for any of them! sheesh.

you know that anger in the pit of your stomach you get when you find out somebody's been messing with your younger sibling or somebody done said suttin' 'bout yo mama?!?! it's that kinda feeling and i finally realized, today, that it's because he feels like more than a candidate... he feels like family. he's managed to embody everything that i've been wishing politicians would say for years. he's not this over-privileged white kid that grew up to "be" in politics saying what he has to say to stay in the ol' boy's network... i REALLY believe what he says because our stories are so similar. i know i sound corny but politics have never felt so personal as they do these days... i've never felt such a close proximity to the white house as i do (vicariously) through him. it's amazing.

could this be true?

"so for some of you that have been praying that the conditions on your job can get better, you may be praying against the purpose of god in your life... because god may be using the adversity on your job to create an atmosphere for you to create his purpose and destiny... because god's strength is made perfect in weakness. many times, god will put you in a situation of uncomfortableness because god is not as concerned by your comfort as he is about his purpose and sometimes god has to make you uncomfortable now, so that he can ultimately bless you later. and if you were too comfortable in the position that you are in now, you would stay there too long and miss wherever god is getting ready to take you next. so he had to stir up the 'next' and trouble the water and create an atmosphere so that his purpose can be [fulfilled]."

-T.D. Jakes

imma let my "gift make room" for me. two snaps! i ain't gonna "pray away my opportunity."

for my md, dc, & va folks...

if you're registerd in any of these states/district, don't forget to do your research tonight (if you haven't already) and vote tomorrow.

smooches

what i've found...

http://www.insightmag.com/Media/MediaManager/Obama_2.htm

no lie (i can't MAKE this stuff up)...

a woman at my job said (paraphrasing starts here) "she's not a fan of hilary clinton because she's arrogant. she doesn't like obama because he's muslim. well, she likes him as a person but she doesn't think a muslim should be running the country given all the stuff that happened on 9/11. who knows... he could have been planted here by them years ago to run for president."

first off:
is obama muslim? or is it that his father was so, inherently, he is? like... "my dad's a jew and my mom's catholic so i'm both" typa thing? imma go google this 'cause now i wanna know.

for two:
who says that out loud?!!? and at work (for that matter)?!?! how does she know i'm not muslim or the person next to me or the person next to her? in the 5 years i've been here, never once have i claimed a religious affiliation. not once! y'all know my sentiments on religion and such so i tend to not have those discussions with folks. only thing i can figure is that she actually IS that ignorant and oblivious to say that without a second thought.

thirdly:
uh... did blatant racial/ethinc/culture/religious profiling come back in style and someone forgot to send me the memo? these days it's usually more covert, right? is it the 1960s again? you can't assume that every muslim on the planet is a terrorist.

sidebar: the more i write the more i just can't believe what i've witnessed.

this goes to show that you can't put anything past "folks." even the ones you think you know and are your friends. i've been to this woman's daughter's wedding... happy hours... strolls to the cafeteria. we even text each other when we're not at work on ocassion to make sure one another is okay or to warn one another about traffic detours in the morning.

how many other people in my daily life think this way? what's to stop them from not wanting me as a coworker or boss because i'm black, or female, or gay? i'm so mad and so sad at the same time.

it's like the time when another co-worker commented that "the gay problem in rehoboth beach really isn't that bad anymore. they just come right up to you and start talking like anyone else would." as if "the gays" (shout out to hashi tashi) are part of a zoo exhibit and they should bark like orangutan-princess in coming to america! wtf?

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.