Parting is such sweet sorrow . . que the tears!

Wow, my blog is fairly new, yet I skip a few weeks of posting regularly & I receive so many nice & concerned "what's up with that" e-mails! How sweet of you to ask about moi! It's tres appreciated.

Actually, life is "gettin in the waaaaay of what I'm feelin", to quote the talented Jilly from Philly. If you don't know who Jilly is, STOP right there! Now, click on the link, take a look around & get acquainted. I'll wait..... Ok, you ready... let's roll.

So, I promise to return soon & update you with the latest this & that. It's an untimely departure with so much going on in the juicey world of entertainment. With the "Dancing with the Stars" finale fast approaching (go Emmitt!), Tom dissin Lady O (how dare he) & all the sad yet expected break-ups from Reese & Ryan (ok, that was surprising) to Britney & K-Dread (yeah, okay - that's about as surpising as Nicole Richie's secret gastric bypass surgery)

BTW, that K-Dread thing, that's all me - no duplication there, I came up with that, go ahead, share it but source U.B.A aiight?

Ok, till we meet again - better than ever - I leave with you with a few lyrical gems!



Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon. ~Doug Larson


When it comes to eating right and exercising, there is no "I'll start tomorrow." Tomorrow is disease. ~V.L. Allineare

Peep my Princess Style!

I'm not really a handbag kinda girl. I find the price of Coach, Prada & Gucci to be ridiculous because at the end of the day, it's just a bag! I know I'll get flack for this since some women LIVE for the latest release by these labels & there's hundreds of bag blogs to prove it! Anyhoo, according to this fun little quiz, I've got Princess style when it comes to handbags.

Check my results below & CLICK HERE to take the quiz yourself.

You’ve got Princess style!

Your regal hankering for handbags showcases the best of the high-low mix, much like Tinseltown’s fashionable royalty Jennifer Aniston, Teri Hatcher, and Paris Hilton. From designer satchels to niche-brand carryalls, you know how to put it all together for a classic, stylish effect.



Ok, moving on to some looks I'm feeling at the moment!


This dress is so classic but so versatile at the same time. Love it!

Laundry by Shelli Segal Matte Jersey Dress

This pump is sexy & sophisticated! You can easily pair it with a simple suit or lovely little dress for a business lunch. A nice clutch & some pearl earrings would add that "Breakfast at Tiffany's" feel. Tres adorable!

Being a lady all day can be exhausting for some, so slap on these suckers with a pair of dark denim jeans, a sexy halter chemise with a cute shrunken blazer, some hot hoops, soft curls & crimson lips for a fun night out! Toot, toot, hey, beep, beep!!! Remember that diddy? No, not Puff Daddy! Diddy as in song... nevamind

GUESS? 'Merri' Sandal

Now, these are LOVELY because I ADORE the color. Don't hide these under slacks. They deserve to be shown. Keep the outfit simple, grab a bronze clutch & dazzle em!

Salvatore Ferragamo 'Tiberia' Pump

I like these boots but I'm not 100% sure why. Maybe I'm just hesitant because their by Jessica..

Jessica Simpson 'Jacky' Boot

If these were a different color, would I think they were ugly? Hmmm

Jessica Simpson 'Sabria' Pump

I like this handbag. It's kinda upscale doctor's bag meets night out with the girls. Classy medicinal if you will?!

eElliott Luca "Luxe" Satchel

According to THIS, I'm a STRAIGHT SHOOTER when it comes to my guy! Tell me something I don't know. Although I loved the reference to 1940's movie banter, so my thing!!

Take the quiz to check your GF persona. Might be surprised!

Here's the rest of my girlfriend style:

The Straight Shooter:

You've got a good mix of sass and sensitivity. Sure, sometimes he annoys you. But you do your best to finesse it with a sense of humor and the knowledge that, hey, he's only human. You know a good relationship is like 1940s movie banter -- it's all about the back and forth. Balance is key to you, and you excel at being a peacemaker and solving problems with a firm, but loving, hand. (And, let's face it -- a hand with a nice manicure.)

Okay, so this is kinda old news but it's too sweet not to share!

WAIT !! I was all set to gush over the sweetness of this story since I've had it in my files for a minute but then I spotted this pic (below) & I wondered what bride would want to include what appears to be a 'CENTERFOLD SHOT' as part of her wedding album?? I mean, honestly, the wedding album is seen by so many people, like her family as well as the grooms!

Lawd, what in the world will Big Mama think?! Maybe that her baby boy is marrying a hussy?!

Then, I noticed not 1 but 2 nudy shots of Mrs. Tracy McGrady in their wedding video! I can just hear the elders snickering while watching the video at the family gathering.

"Hmph, & to think, she had the neerrrrve to wear white?" "I tried to tell that boy she ain't right."

Well, at least the featured song was classy. It's one of my favorites, sung by the great Diana Krall. But, after seeing the below pic of the bride & then another thong shot in the video, I wondered if "Laffy Taffy" would have been more appropriate? Dang, no wonder they didn't get married in a church! Ooops, did I say that!? Form your own opinion, click on the link below to check out the wedding video!

Click here to watch the wedding video & read the adorable write up on their nuptials below:


NBA player Tracy McGrady of the Houston Rockets married his longtime girlfriend, CleRenda Harris.


The couple, who dated for 10 years, were married in Los Cabos, Mexico, on the beach in front of 40 guests, including McGrady's teammate Juwan Howard. Pastor Kirby John Caldwell, who delivered the prayer at President Bush's inauguration, officiated.

The couple's daughter, Layla, 3, served as flower girl. McGrady, whose nickname in the NBA is "T-Mac," carried his 9-month-old son, Layman, down the aisle to "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star."

"It was the cutest moment," wedding planner Mindy Weiss tells PEOPLE. "The weather changed completely right before they walked down the aisle. It suddenly got cooler and a breeze came in from the ocean. It felt surreal. It exceeded any expectations. They're so excited to finally be married."



Defintely, NOT AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL:

And everyone thinks the life of a model is SOOO easy....... CLICK HERE for what has got to be a really tough day for one model in particular!



Till next time, enjoy this mint of a quote.. .. ..

The goal to turn a gold-digger into a housewife is one that is never successfully fulfilled. Women who seek a life of excess are the ultimate hustlers, with a game plan which rivals that of any pimp. Their intellectual savvy coupled with undetected manipulative game-play renders even the most carefully calculated player completely brain-numb. This is in fact the reason why gold-diggers never go out of style, for man will die in his relentless pursuit of this unachievable task.

For man, the chase is always so much sweeter than the reward. The reward being, an arm trophy, some eye candy, a lifetime of headaches and a helluva story to tell on his deathbed.

- Urbynpoet7

Chow baby!

Violence is NEVER the answer!

I'm against the war. I'm not overly political or religious & I don't label myself as a liberal although my views are considered far from traditionalist conservatism. I oppose war due to the fact that so many innocent people die. Any life lost is a tragedy no matter how despicable the crime or the perpetrator simply because everyone, whether idiot or saint, has someone who suffers when they die. Having said that, I understand the position of sacrificing one life in order to save thousands as in the case of the 911 terrorists. Unfortunate but necessary.

Another act of violence which disturbs & infuriates me is domestic (click on the above pic to view the cycle in its many forms). Every 10 seconds a woman is abused at the hands of her partner. The act of violence in itself is an issue of control & beating a woman is undoubtedly an issue of control fueled by insecurity. To feel so insecure in your ability to maintain your relationship that you have to succumb to violence is PATHETIC. When I recently heard about THIS STORY, I was sickened by the fact that a grown ass man would force his 13 year old son to videotape him verbally assaulting his wife before smacking her, throwing her to the floor and kicking her.

The assault resulted in 51 minutes of footage. Later that evening, the husband/father played the tape for his three kids to demonstrate why he beat their mother. He paused the tape several times to highlight moments where their mother pissed him off to the point of violence, which righteously justified the swollen bruises on her face & body! By doing so, he felt he was "educating" his kids, I guess.

In addition to the beatings, which unlike many abusive relationships, started almost a decade into the marriage, his wife was "timed" on how long it took her to return home after leaving work. She was also ordered to call her husband "master". She was slowly alienated from her friends & family. Fortunately, she had a concerned boss who kept detailed notes of each time she saw bruises on Susan and eventually helped her leave this arrogant, madman. The abusive asshole was eventually sentenced to 36 years in prison, which is the longest sentencing in New York history for domestic-violence in which the victim was not killed.

To date, the wife focuses on spreading domestic-violence awareness by presenting the video at police academies in order to put a personal face on this epidemic.

As I watched the footage of abuse, I noticed the son often turned the camera away from his parents at the exact moment his father slapped or kicked his mom. I could only imagine what must've been going through his young mind. Those images will never leave him, that's for sure.

It also saddens me to know that had the tape not existed, had her boss been less observant or concerned for her employee's life, Susan may not be here today. Her three children would most likely be parentless with a past filled with haunting memories of violence that lead to their mother's demise and a future dark with uncertainty. Not to mention, the extreme possibility that they too may repeat the cyle of either abusing or being a victim of abuse at some point in their lives.

I honestly don't think there's a single American family that has not been affected by domestic violence at some point in its history. We all have an aunt, cousin, parent, or distant relative who has been a victim of this senseless, controlling act brewed from insecurity. Whether it's talked about, swept under the rug or addressed head-on is the issue. It's such a touchy subject because intervening can be dangerous especially when so many women refuse to leave.

"Domestic violence does not only happen to adults. Forty percent of girls age 14 to 17 report knowing someone their age who has been hit or beaten by a boyfriend, and approximately one in five female high school students reports being physically and/or sexually abused by a dating partner".

Fortunately, my mother raised my sister and me (yes, that's grammatically correct) with a strong sense of self. I think that's important for every young woman to have. If you don't develop a sense of moral values as a young woman, you run the risk of leaving yourself open to being treated like shit as an adult.

I talk to my younger cousins & nieces all the time about the importance of respecting themselves and having self-esteem. If you don't know who you are and what's important to you, it's easy to find a chauvinistic man-child more than happy to provide you with that definition in the form of degradation, disrespect and abuse.

Remember the ole' saying, "If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything." Well, it's a fact and it's up to adults to educate the youth on respect for self as well as others. The state of our future depends on it!

This post is long enough as it is but I could say more about the legal system & how the laws against Domestic Violence are not strong enough. THE LAWS TO PROTECT WOMEN WHO LIVE AT THE HANDS OF AN ABUSER ARE NOT STRONG ENOUGH!! She basically has to be killed in order for a justifiable punishment to take place which further explains why so many victims are afraid to leave. Many abused women are so cut-off from a support system that they have nowhere to turn and with the justice system failing to provide a way out; they stay & continue to endure the abuse which will only intensify if she attempts to call the police for help. After the abuser is arrested and forced to spend 1 measly night in jail, what do you think will happen when he returns to the home that she can't afford to leave considering she had only one night to plan her permanent escape? C'mon now, she'll endure the beating of her life on top of the previous beating that lead to his arrest the day before.

The laws need to change, but with so many career politicians on their own agenda of false promises, corrupt politicking and lashing out at their opponents in an ugly merry-go-round of the "blame game", who has the time to tend to the REAL matters at hand? Our world is in so much trouble . . . but that's a topic for another day.

If you or someone you know is involved in a domestic violence relationship, or if you want to learn more about it, please call The National Domestic Violence Hotline, open 24-hours a day, at 1-800-799-SAFE or click here

I promise to return soon with something a lil less heavy. I just needed to scribe about this here topic, because in a less politically correct manner - thiz bullshit really pisses me off!

I leave you with these:

Quotes of the day:

Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.
Salvor Hardin

So, these political activities will create friction in and of themselves, and in this environment of friction there'll be additional violence.
John Abizaid

Chow

It's Friday.......... I need a drink!

How can a job that doesn't endanger your life make one so miserable? I promised not to turn my blog into a job-hate rant so I won't go there..... peep this little lyrical lovely for blog-groupies everywhere.

blog to me in a way that I’ll forever want to hold you

caress me with verses that seem to linger in my ear

you penetrate my thoughts with your blogetic presentation

leaving behind mere whispers of a voice I long to hear......

Now that's gangsta!

Before you right-click & copy/paste the above, know that it's COPYRIGHTED.

Seeing as how my work was recently boosted, yes, boosted! As in all-out stolen, thiefed, 5 finger discount, hope nobody saw that 'ish, tooked! Not by a commoner mind you, but a respected well-known member of black religious society. He stole it, he published it, he claimed it but I have the original. I ain't namin names & I ain't trippin since it was my fault I slipped & didn't acquire the rights to my work at the time. But KNOW this, I forgets nothing & it ain't over.... he knows who he is....IT AIN'T OVA!


She's Forever Your Girl!


Too bad nobody gives a damn.

What's the world coming to when Britney Spears can bite the hell out of a cheeseburger & it sells for $500. But Paula Abdul can't sell a date, a shopping spree & a trip to NYC? That's right, noONE bid on Paula's ebay date so the site pulled the listing after 4 days! Now, that's gotta hurt!

As in; Prom date shows up to the prom with someone else cuz he forgot he asked you HURT!

As in; Spending the day at the spa, new hairstyle, new clothes, professional makeup, mani & pedi only to show up @ the party, run into your ex & his new girl has on jeans & a t-shirt that says "Vote For Pedro" & somehow looks 10x better than your azz HURT!

Just sad!

Paula's a hot mess now & we all know it but in 1989, she was the 'ish & I was her biggest fan! Oh shut up... like you don't have someone famous who you're embarrased to say "I used to LOOOOVE them". Paula could dance her butt off & in HEELS at that!!!

Beyonce who!? Let's not forget it was Paula who first donned a pair of pumps & tap-danced, jumped around, & straight got her boogie ON! I loved "Forever Your Girl" but I saw the end coming when she went for album #2 & had a miserable performance (remember Vibeology) at the MTV music awards that left both of us feeling sad, depressed & ashamed. After that, I knew her 15 minutes had officially expired but it didn't matter because it was a hella of 15 minute experience... BTW Janet, Paula will take that "THANK YOU" any time you're ready.

Moment of silence to respect the technique!
Click the link, watch & be impressed....

CELEBRITY RIDDLE:

Q: What do Angelina & Madonna have that Britney supposedly wants???
A: I'll take "African Baby" for 500 Alex.

Ding! Ding! Ding! You are correct!!!

I really hope this news is false. Honestly people, African babies are not handbags, you can't shove them in the back of your closet as soon as they go out of style! If you're a danger to your own kids why screw up the life of a kid that you don't have to buy, oops, I mean adopt.

For some reason, I just see celebs going to third world countries visiting orphanages with their checkbooks out all "I like this one, no wait, wait, that one is soooo awesome!", "Does it come in a 5 or 6 month model cuz a 6 month model would be so perfect for my Vanity Fair photoshoot next month!" "I hear they photograph better".

One thing's for sure, when these kids get older, their going to have one heck of a book deal..


I LOVE BARACK OBAMA!!!


I would love to see him as the next president! Besides really caring about the state of the world, he is very comfortable in his own skin & knows who he is. Plus, he has a REAL family that doesn't just play one on TV. U know what I'm talkin bout. He is genuine & he certainly has my vote whether he runs or not!! No, that was not a typo or grammatical error... WHETHER HE RUNS OR NOT..


A new hotty-hot-hotness has arrived! Thank you Oprah!

(pic doesn't do him justice but it's the only one I can find)

I've been tuning in to the Oprah show every Tuesday to witness the adventures of her road-trip across America with her B-F-F Gayle King. I think Gayle is naturally hilarious by the way..

To meet her fitness goals, Oprah has a road trainer with her courtesy of Bob "boy-am-I-a-lucky-fitness-pro" Greene. The road trainer is Chris Robinson & he seems really easy-going with a great smile & an obvious love of fitness. Gayle's admitted she thinks he's a lovely distraction while O acts like she hardly noticed. Chile puh-leeze. Fine is Fine & HE is FINE! All I can say. Fine.


WHAT A LOVELY SURPRISE..... (personal moment interruption)

So, the other day, I had a rough day at work. Okay, every day is a rough day truth be told but as usual I vented to HIM. As usual, he listened, sympathized, praised my underpaid work achievements & so it went. Then, today at around 1:15pm, I received an e-mail from the front desk. The subject was FLOWERS & I immediately dashed out there to see a beautiful bouquet of roses in a pretty glass vase. HE sent them just because he wanted to brighten my day. What a sweetie! 10 years & he's still full of surprises. Okay, now that I've clearly sickened you, here's a pic of the bouquet & I promise I'll move on...




Before I bid you bonne nuit, I MUST share this:


HILARIOUS QUOTE OF THE DAY:

"We don't necessarily discriminate. We simply exclude certain types of people."
Colonel Gerald Wellman


Honestly, seemingly intellingent people say some of the dumbest 'ish you'll never hear!!

Okay, till next time

TGIAF!!

The weekend's almost here (Hallelu!) so why not post something laid back, fun & just because right!?!


Favorite things!

Words: Fantabulous (mine), Neo-Urban (mine), Tres, Upscale, Edgy, Vibe
** Update: okay, I found out I can't take credit for "Fantablulous" since I just found out I share the love of this word with a fellow blogger and sista-friend "Coco_fiere"... thanks for the comment!
Foods: The perfect steak fry, Lawry's Prime Rib (California Cut), Chicken Pastina Soup, Byron's Hot Dogs & a hundred other things I shouldn't have.
Thing: IPod, My bed
Places: They don't exist anymore but in memories.
Song: "Lost Without You" by Robin Thicke (Alan Thicke's kid, yes, THAT Alan Thicke), "If I Were A Bird" by Floetry.
Time: Toss up between 1980, 1989, 1991, 1993-1995, 1997-1998
Position: Self-employed (Hey, u read it like u want & I'll read it like I want)
Movie: Many but definitely anything with Carey Grant & Irene Dunne...whatapair!
TV Shows: "24", "Arrested Development", "The Office", "Greys Anatomy", "Chappelle Show", "What About Brian", "New Adventures of Old Christine", "Dancing With The Stars", "American Idol", "Kevin Hill" (best show ever to be canceled), "Fashion Police", "The Actor's Studio", "Entourage", "Weeds" & Sex In The City - (as if!) .... ya know, when I have time to watch TV & all : )
People: I have em, but they already know who they are.

October's Entrance brings Reflections o' Chi

So, what does that mean? Well, for us Chicagoans, it means it's time to haul out the winter clothes we so anxiously put away last May. When I was a kid, my mother would stock away our seasonal clothes in preparation for the new season coming up. For the first 8 years of my life, I had to share a bed with my older sister since we didn't have our own bedroom. (modest beginnings people, tres modest) Our clothes were neatly organized in a dresser located in my parents bedroom. With such little space, my mother would pack away our seasonal clothing into decorative tin cans that I believe originally held popcorn or something or other.

Well, 14 years later (or perhaps a few more, give or take) I still pack away my seasonal clothes and now I must unpack them because one thing October represents here in the W.C. is the "just around the corner" freezing cold weather that you never get used to no matter how long you live in the Midwest. I'm born & raised in this city and it never fails to surprise me how every year, it gets hella cold & every year we say the same thing as if it hasn't happened for the last hundred or so winter's in Chicago "wooo-weee it's cold out there!". We walk the downtown streets shoulders raised to our ears, hands hovered over mouth furiously blowing out white icy air, shuddering in disbelief that it could actually be "this" damn cold outside.

But that's part of what makes Chicago the great city it is, even with the freezing winters, high crime rate, cab drivers from hell & all the other wonders that make one think "relocate - sure, why not!" , I love this city - I grew up here and while California has it's warm weather, regular celeb spottings and is pretty much the pulse of all things "entertainment" and New York has it's theater district, Times Square, all things Fashion, chic magazine houses and is the place to pay your dues before going to Cali and blowin up, I'll take Chicago because this city has character, history, and most importantly, all things me!

From Grant Hospital (where I was born) to the house on Lorel where I spent the early, early years of my existance (all I remember is the cold basement floor & the long winding staircase with the black shiny banister) to sitting in my grandmother's kitchen on Kenmore. Before I was old enough to attend school, we'd spend our days people watching from her window, taking trips to the deli for corn beef on rye, a pack of grape bubble gum & big old fashioned buttery soft glazed donuts fresh from the oven. I loved the smell of Dove East Cleaners and the local butcher shop. Years later, I'd enjoyed handfuls of candy from the train station on my way to Swift every morning.

From there, we moved to the large building on Wolcott Ave, where every saturday morning, I'd grab my cabbage patch kid & walk with my mother to the Jewel on Lincoln, hoping we'd stop at Grocerland on the way home. There, I'd beg for the latest Barbie or Bop magazine. It was in this neighborhood, that I watched a girl get "jumped" into a gang, where I saw lots of crazy activity and heard the frightening sounds of domestic violence going on in the apartment above ours. The next morning, the same couple who caused me to cover my ears in fear, walked out the building and through the courtyard as if love had found them. He was unharmed. She had a cast on her arm. Frightening. It was here that I became a latchkey kid and discovered "crazy man". That neighborhood was brimming with chaos but I really liked the size and style of that apartment. It was huge with an old fashioned closet in the bedroom I shared with big sis. Finally, my childhood started (or so it felt) and ended with the two-flat on Ashland Ave. I was 9 when we moved in and 21 when I moved out. All the years in between were filled with a lot of laughter, silliness, fights, sadness, love, togetherness, life, death and all things that make a family whole.

So with all that I've experienced in this great city, I could never deny it! Chicago is my family's history, no matter where we all ended up, the details will forever be etched in the granite of this town known as the "City of the Big Shoulders" .... if you don't know..... now you know!

Listing - gonna give it a try!

Listing...
Have you heard of the art of listing? It's a simple way to "blog" without discussing anything in particular. Just start a list of as many random thoughts as you want.....

Here we go...

1. Beyonce's new CD isn't so bad afterall.
2. I'm reeeeally feelin Robin Thick's track "Lost Without You"
3. I think HE gave me a cold.
4. The weather in Chi-town is pretty funky lately.
5. Maybe that's how I got sick,
6. No, it was definitely him.
7. He was sick all last week.
8. I need to wash my hair.
9. I dread it because I have a lot of hair.
10. It's time consuming but I need to do it.
11. Grey's Anatomy & 24 are my two fave shows.
12. It always surprises me how easy it is to get caught up in a tv show.
13. Today is Day 1 of the detox.
14. That's not a show but it's what I'm doing to remove the toxins in my body.
15. We all have them so 6-7 weeks of healthy eating and CHT is on my menu.
16. CHT stands for Colon Hydrotherapy.
17. Don't knock it till you try it.
18. I'm doing it to cleanse my system, improve my health & increase my lifespan.
19. The added bonus of shedding pounds is a nice thought but not my reason for it.
20. No, honest.
21. I'm done listing.

Creating My Beauty Blog.....

I am in the process of finally putting this thing together. I'm only 51% computer literate so I hope to have it up & running by the end of the week. It's 11:25pm in Chi-town & yes I should be sleep for my 7am arrival at my 9-5. Buttt, I can't nod off so why not post right?

I just listened to Bey's (that's Beyonce for those not fully acclimated with chartopping, booty popping, hyperactive video speak) & I was surprised to find that two tracks I heard on the net aren't featured on the CD "B-Day". "Lost Your Mind" & "Creole" are 2 very upbeat tracks with a lot of yelling which seem to be the norm tempo for this CD. Nevertheless, they have both grown on me so I can't complain. I don't care what anybody says, ms. lady is getting some serious issues off her chest with this one. "Still in character" my foot, she knows that's all her, venting her feelings about ..... well, unless you live under a rock... u know who. Ok, nighty, nighty..... a beauty addict needs her zzzzzzz's!