Happy New Year!

Jan 2, 2019 / 0 Comments

It’s 2019 y’all. We made it! That’s awesome. Here’s to another 365 days.  I didn’t make any black eye peas (Google it) nor did I make any new year resolutions. I have some things I would like to focus on in the coming year but truth be told those things are  new day resolutions.  Some times I am focused and some times I lose my way. But my goal is always simple which is to be better than I was the day before. 2018 was a year of f*ckery both on the personal level and on a global level. There were things that I had hoped for and worked hard for that I wasn’t able claim in the end. There were things that I hoped for and worked hard for that I WAS able to claim in the end.  Some relationships flourished, others started showing the cracks. Some days I was really inspired and other days, actually a lot of days I struggled to get out of bed.  I won’t share what my goals are for 2019 because they are just for me but I will share what I wish for all of you. Health, happiness, love, and prosperity. Whatever your wishes and aspirations are for the year I hope they come true.  We’re still standing and although I may not express it outwardly, I do realize, understand  and appreciate what a gift that is. Don’t pay attention to the noise. Don’t let other people’s lack of vision hinder the vision you have for yourself.  Hold on to the people that love and support you.  Don’t be hard on yourself.  If it makes you feel bad, leave it behind. And lastly, always, ALWAYS follow your gut.

Let’s get started!

Binge Watching Season

· Netflix and Amazon Prime Video- The Gift that keeps on Giving ·

Dec 27, 2018 / 0 Comments

With a week off from work for the holidays, I have been netflixing and chilling (actually subtract the chilling) extra hard. (No I am NOT watching Bird Box) I do however, enjoy a good documentary. First up, “The World According to Dick Cheney.” This is an old documentary but since I am planning to see “Vice” within the next couple of days I thought I’d brush up on my Cheney Veep Snapple facts. The truth is, I didn’t know any of the facts. I never cared much about politics prior to events occurring in the recent years, and although I’ve heard that Cheney was a savage, I wasn’t aware of this while it was happening so this was a very eye opening movie for me. Now I understand why he was the most powerful Vice President in American history. Here’s what I know, President Bush was NOT running the show. President Bush was in the dark when it came to VERY important issues that arose after the tragedy of 9/11. Dick Cheney was wheeling and dealing and LIEING without the President’s knowledge. We went to war in IRAQ because of fake intel that Cheney provided to congress in order for them to approve us going to war. I always knew that the fight should have NEVER been in IRAQ, but what I didn’t know is that we wouldn’t have even been there if it wasn’t for Cheney. Let’s talk about surveillance. ILLEGAL surveillance. Bush didn’t put it in place. Cheney did because…. terrorists. Never mind that non terroristic Americans were being watched.  Never mind that when it came time to renew the surveillance program and the Justice Department refused to sign off on it because IT WAS ILLEGAL. Cheney decided to run with it anyway, and told Bush about it after the fact and that was only because he didn’t have a choice as ish was about to hit the fan. Let’s talk about torture. According to Cheney, simulating drowning does NOT constitute torture in his book. NUFF said. When asked if he had to do it all again would he do anything differently the answer was a confident no. SAVAGE. At least he owns it. (Kanye shrug) Now when I go to see “Vice” I will have an excellent point of reference. I’m not a fan of Christian Bale but the way he has transformed into this man is really remarkable and if this movie is anything like “The Big Short” it should prove to be very entertaining. I will report back.

Next up was Netflix’s “The American Meme.” This documentary left me feeling sick. I knew that social media fame whoring was bad but damn. Let’s be honest, I think we all want to be noticed in some capacity. Social media has made it possible for a person to become infamous over night. One woman named Brittany Furlan, was a Vine superstar. She did sketches and played different characters but from I saw from the documentary NONE of what she did was funny. She always wanted to be on the stage and after she tried to break away from her Vine persona and get REAL acting work, she found that jobs were not forthcoming. Wanna know why? Because talent on the innerwebz does NOT equate to talent in the real world. Paris Hilton was another person the film focused on. Aside from being rich, this chick adds NOTHING to the world, yet people were and still do follow her every move. She talks about being embarrassed about a sex tape that came out and hearing the sounds of paparazzi even when they’re not there. Boo *bleeping* hoo! She has turned her “misfortunes” into an empire which actually laid the ground work for another no talent hack who has done the exact same thing. There’s another guy who goes by “The Slut Whisperer” ( I can’t make this shit up) he actually could have put his talent in the arts to use but when he became an innerweb sensation by pouring champagne on scantily clad “ladies” and taking pictures of them he decided to run with that instead. He gets paid to party and he blackouts on the regular but is sad because when he wakes up in the morning, he wakes up alone. I know this review sounds snarky but this documentary is asking for you to feel bad for these people and I just… can’t. These people sold their souls for followers because it was easy and they got paid for it. So forgive me if I don’t shed a tear. I just realized this was a RANT!! Ha!

What are you guys watching? For the record I don’t watch anything scary because I am a wimp. That is all.

 

Becoming

· A Memoir from Former First Lady Michelle Obama ·

Dec 1, 2018 / 0 Comments

Life is always reshaping who we THINK we are. There are some facets of our personalities that are in place literally from birth and then there are some life experiences and connections we make with people that cause us to evolve. With that said, Michelle Obama’s story is not that different from most. The difference is HER personality, HER upbringing, and HER connections allowed her to become America’s First Black First Lady and so much more. In reading her book, there is really no surprise that she was destined for greatness. She has ALWAYS been highly motivated, focused, and determined. She comes from a family of hard working individuals and their influence and support allowed her the space to become the person she wanted to be. Even with her Ivy League degrees, and First Lady status she is relatable. She is funny, earthbound, smart and charismatic. As a black woman there is a lot in her story that matches my own. God forbid you reach for something BEYOND what others think you should be reaching for, and then to accomplish those feats on top of that? The nerve. To have people in your own community and your own family accuse you of “speaking like a white girl” simply because you don’t use slang and speak in complete sentences. (true story) To be the other only black person in a room of whiteness and going from wondering if you belong to KNOWING that you do. Even though her husband was the first black President of the United States, she still encourages women to know who they are before allowing one’s self to be swept away by someone else’s journey. Her commitment to being a mother, a wife and having a career is remarkable. A lot of women have that same commitment but imagine trying to be ALL of those things while people are watching and hoping to see you fail. Imagine trying to raise two little girls in the White House while trying to keep a sense of normalcy while the secret service is tracking your every move. Imagine campaigning in another state and still being home on time to tuck your babies in at night. The way she documents her and Barack’s time in the White House really make me appreciate how hard the job of President and First Lady is. In her talk on Thursday, Michelle spoke about the sacrifices that both her and Barack had to make to make their marriage work because really Michelle and Barack are opposites when it comes to upbringing and the approach to life in general. Michelle admits that she is box checker and when things don’t go according to her plan she is anxiety ridden and is a stickler about time. ( Same girl, same.) Barack gets more calm the more intense things get and was/is good for being late. She is CLEAR that a future in the political arena (2020 election ahem) is NOT part of the plan and after reading her book I can understand why. The audience was diverse which stands to reason because Michelle Obama’s story could be ANYONE’S story.

“For me, becoming isn’t about arriving somewhere or achieving a certain aim. I see it instead as forward motion, a means of evolving, a way to reach continuously toward a better self.”

-Michelle Obama

Sound in! Are you reading the book?  (The answer SHOULD be yes). Tell me what you think!