SHOUT OUT TO ALL THE BASKETBALL WIVES....

FUNNY SHIT.....RESPONSES TO BEYONCE'S PREGNANCY....

WHICH IS BETTER....REMIX OR ORIGINAL VERSION....THROWBACKS.....

GIVE ME BODY.....

OLD SCHOOL HOUSE.....FEELING IT....

BEFORE BEYONCE....HAUNTINGLY SIMILAR SWAGGER....

CLASSIC....DIN DA DA....

STILL CLASSIC.....

Lay
Oh Lay
Oh lay, oh lay, oh lay, oh lay, oh lay your head down girl
Lay your head down, lay your head down tonight
Lay your head down, lay your head down tonight
Lay your head down, lay your head down so I can work it, work it, work it, work it
Oh lay, oh lay, oh lay
Oh lay, oh lay, oh lay
Oh lay, oh lay, oh lay, ooh ooh
Oh lay, oh lay, oh lay, ooh ooh
Your head down girl

I WANT TO LOVE LIKE THIS....

I've been so many places in my life and time
I've sung a lot of songs I've made some bad rhyme
I've acted out my love in stages
With ten thousand people watching
But we're alone now and I'm singing this song for you

I know your image of me is what I hope to be
I've treated you unkindly but darlin' can't you see
There's no one more important to me
Darlin' can't you please see through me
Cause we're alone now and I'm singing this song for you

You taught me precious secrets of the truth witholding nothing
You came out in front and I was hiding
But now I'm so much better and if my words don't come together
Listen to the melody cause my love is in there hiding

I love you in a place where there's no space or time
I love you for in my life you are a friend of mine
And when my life is over
Remember when we were together
We were alone and I was singing this song for you

You taught me precious secrets of the truth witholding nothing
You came out in front and I was hiding
But now I'm so much better and if my words don't come together
Listen to the melody cause my love is in there hiding

I love you in a place where there's no space or time
I love you for in my life you are a friend of mine
And when my life is over
Remember when we were together
We were alone and I was singing this song for you
We were alone and I was singing this song for you

FRAGRANT NIGGAZ....

GET INTO THE LYRICS....4 AM....MELANIE FIONA

Sitting here feeling kinda crazy
But not just any crazy
It’s the kind you feel when you love somebody
And I know that my baby
Is calling somebody else baby
And I can’t sit still
Look how gone it got me

Who knew that my heart could ever bruise
You see this scar here on my chest
I’m hurting and he don’t even care

It’s 4 AM and my lover won’t answer
He’s probably somewhere with a dancer
Sippin’ champagne while I’m in his bed

It’s 4 AM and I think I might lose it
This motherfucker thinking I’m stupid
He must have bumped his head
I only know it’s 4 AM

Standing here and i’m getting heated
Pull me up a drink I swear i need it
I think I’ma about
About to hurt somebody
Swear this man is begging me to leave him

Getting sick of being so mistreated
Another night without
Without his arms around me

Who knew that my heart could ever bruise
You see this scar here on my chest
I’m hurting and he don’t even care

It’s 4 AM and my lover won’t answer
He’s probably somewhere with a dancer
Sippin’ champagne while I’m in his bed

It’s 4 AM and I think I might lose it
This motherfucker thinking I’m stupid
He must have bumped his head
I only know it’s 4 AM

I don’t deserve this life
I’d make the perfect wife
And I know love’s a sacrifice
But who’s gonna sacrifice for me and give me all the time that

Who knew that my heart could ever bruise
You see this scar here on my chest
I’m hurting and he don’t even care

It’s 4 AM and my lover won’t answer
He’s probably somewhere with a dancer
Sippin’ champagne while I’m in his bed

It’s 4 AM and I think I might lose it
This motherfucker thinking I’m stupid
He must have bumped his head
I only know it’s 4 AM

SAMPLING AT IT'S BEST....

HURRICANE IRENE THREATENS SUNDAY'S MLK JR. MEMORIAL DEDICATION....

Celebrations scheduled for Sunday to mark the opening of Martin Luther King, Jr's memorial on the National Mall are being threatened by Hurricane Irene, as it hurtles up the Atlantic.

Officials watching the storm now say it could threaten to postpone or delay the dedication ceremony. The storm, currently a Category 2, could reach landfall in the US by the end of the week.

But the skies were still blue over Washington today, as visitors streamed into the Martin Luther King Memorial as it opened to the public for the first time this week ahead of Sunday's dedication ceremony.

Nearly 50 years after his iconic "I Have a Dream" speech on the National Mall, MLK Jr's memorial is joining some of America's most influential figures carved in stone there -- Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson and George Washington.

"It feels like it's long overdue that a man who's contributed so much to the people of this country and to the world is finally getting his justice," said Jeri Green of Washington, who visited the memorial.

"At a time when African Americans are hurting so much by the economy and continued challenges, not withstanding having our first African American president, it's just so befitting and it's a mixture of emotions," Green said.

Inspiration for the design came from a line in King's "I Have a Dream" speech, which he delivered 48 years ago on the National Mall during the March on Washington: "Out of a mountain of despair, a stone of hope."

"King becomes the stone of hope, so it's designed to be that he himself, the man, the image of King emerges from that stone that comes from the mountain of despair," said Thomas Luebke, secretary of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, a federal design review agency.

Visitors can walk to the main memorial through the "Mountain of Despair," a large rock cut in two. At the center of the memorial stands the "Stone of Hope," with a statue of King on the far side, overlooking the Tidal Basin. Encircling the monument are marble walls on which 14 of King's most famous quotes from his speeches, sermons and writings are etched.

But missing from the quotes lining the memorial is his iconic "I Have a Dream" line. The architects say they chose to not include the line since so much of the memorial was already based on the speech, and they wanted to highlight his other celebrated passages.

The memorial was 15 years in the making, beginning with a resolution signed in 1996 by President Bill Clinton to establish a memorial "honoring the life, the dream and the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr." on the National Mall.

The ceremonial groundbreaking for the memorial took place on Nov. 13, 2006, and the dedication is scheduled for Sunday, the 48th anniversary of Dr. King's "I Have A Dream" speech, which he delivered from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963.

Gloria Coles, a 73-year-old Washington native who took part in the March on Washington with her 13-year-old daughter, visited the memorial Monday to honor King's accomplishments.

"I did a lot of protesting at the monument when it was happening before, so I follow Dr. King, his history," Coles said. "This is history-making. The memorial itself, just to be here on these grounds, downtown here, means a lot. Didn't put it on the outskirts, put it right here where everybody else is."

While the memorial provides the public with a way to honor King's legacy, some controversy arose over the course of its construction.

Lei Yixin, the sculptor chosen to mold King's figure, is Chinese, not American, and some have taken issue with his depiction of King.

Ed Dwight, a sculptor who worked on the project, said Yixin's design does not properly portray King's peaceful nature. "He totally missed the boat here. Dr. King didn't look like that. He never wore clothes like that," Dwight said. "People are upset about his arms folded, the very strong look he has on his face.

"If you flew in here from Mars you'll never know what he did, because there's nothing on the memorial that says what he did -- nothing about Selma, nothing about Memphis," he said. "Maybe rightly so they wanted to use these elevating, high lofty sayings, but I was more concerned about young kids walking in there and not being able to interpret what all that means."

Because King's family has copyrighted the civil rights leader's words and images, the memorial foundation had to pay more than $800,000 in fees to use King's likeness in the memorial.

The King memorial is the only one on the mall that does not celebrate a president or honor a war, but many visitors said Monday that the civil rights leader deserves to be there.

Bill and Barbara Frame of Medford Lakes, N.J., bring a group of middle school children for a tour of Washington each year and said they look forward to adding the MLK memorial to their tour itinerary.

"It's about great people in our country's history. It's not about whether you're president or not. You could pick out great presidents, and you could pick out mediocre presidents, but this man was just a great man," Bill Frame said. "It's a way for them to reflect back to the legacy to remember. The Vietnam wall when it opened there was controversy, but now it's a must-see place to go and I believe this will become that also."

Tyrone Ward of Woodbridge, Va., brought his 10-year-old son Branson to teach him the importance of King's life.

"It means steps in the right direction. This was an intangible dream initially, but it's become tangible through time, through understanding, through cultures accepting one another's lifestyle," Ward said. "I implore everybody to bring their kids. You can't just let Martin Luther King be in the history books. This is a tangible honor of who he was."

The nation's capitol will celebrate King, his legacy and leadership in the civil rights movement, and the new memorial throughout the week. The memorial organization plans luncheons Wednesday and Thursday to honor civil rights pioneers, as well as the women leaders of the civil rights movement.

A concert honoring the music of the civil rights era, "The Message in the Music," is scheduled for Thursday night, and Saturday evening is the Dream Gala, followed by the official memorial dedication Sunday afternoon.

President Obama, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, King's family and other key figures from the civil rights era are all scheduled to speak at the dedication ceremony Sunday.

CLASSIC THROWBACK....

AT LAST....WHEN DREAMS BECOME REALITY.....

THE OPPORTUNITY IN DISAPPOINTMENT....

Sometimes a disappointment can be the best thing that could happen to us. It's difficult when things don't work out as we expected, and yet it can also be a source of new opportunity. A cold, hard dose of reality, in the form of a disappointment, will sting at first. And then what happens is, we get stronger. Disappointment brings us face to face with some of our most pivotal weaknesses. That provides us with the awareness and the opportunity to grow stronger in ways that really count in our lives.

The experience of ineffectiveness will often help us see new ways in which we can be more effective. When we're definitely clear about what doesn't work, we are closer to understanding what does work and what not to do. There is positive value in every experience. That is especially true when it comes to disappointment. Let us begin to look at the disappointment as our chance to come back even stronger. Then pick yourself up and do precisely that. Because we know, All things are working together, In Jesus Name.

Learn how to be a commodity.....

A commodity is a good for which there is demand, but which is supplied without qualitative differentiation across a market. A commodity has full or partial fungibility; that is, the market treats it as equivalent or nearly so no matter who produces it.

The Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial is a memorial scheduled to be dedicated on Washington, D.C.'s National Mall on August 28, 2011, the 48th anniversary of King's "I Have a Dream" speech. It will be located adjacent to the FDR Memorial, between the Lincoln Memorial and Jefferson Memorial, and will honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's national and international contributions to the American dream—a dream he spoke of in terms of possibility and hope—and its pillars of freedom, democracy, and opportunity for all.

King will be the first African-American honored with a memorial on or near the National Mall area and the the only one not of a President or a war. The King Memorial will be administered by the National Park Service (NPS).


The memorial will officially open to visitors before the actual dedication, with designated visiting hours Monday-Thursday, August 22-25, 2011.[32]

The official dedication is scheduled to take place at 11am Sunday August 28, following a pre-dedication concert at 10am. There will also be a post-dedication concert at 2pm.

President Barack Obama will deliver remarks, and performances will include Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder. The ceremony will include many other individuals in various roles, including members of the King family; civil rights leaders John Lewis, Jesse Jackson, and Andrew Young; actor Jamie Foxx; and filmmaker George Lucas. Predictions are that a crowd of as many as 250,000 may be present at the dedication.

In addition to the August 28 ceremony and concerts, an interfaith prayer service is scheduled at the Washington National Cathedral on August 27, as well as a day-long youth event and gala/pre-dedication dinner at the Washington DC Convention Center, also on the 27th.

The two companies selected to spearhead the Martin Luther King Memorial Dedication Ceremony week of events are GEP Washington and Susan Davis, international.

29 Ways to increase your feeling of self worth....

1. Write down 7 minor goals for the week and tick one off each day as you achieve it.
2. Read a book a month. Reading a book is actually an achievement in this technology and media driven world and reading a full book is a great way to achieve a sense of accomplishment.
3. At the end of each day before falling asleep write down something you feel proud about, either on the day or in the past.
4. Tell someone else how much you appreciate them, being able to be open and honest is great for self worth.
5. Say no! Learn the skill of saying no without offending the person asking.
6. Everything you do, do to the best of your ability even if it cleaning the toilets or something equally as mundane, develop a reputation as someone who takes pride in their work.
7. Walk tall and proud. walk as if you’ve got somewhere to go and you need to be there now, never run just walk tall and quickly.
8. Dress as smart as you can for each occasion, whether it be work, meeting a friend, or going for an interview. Take pride in your appearance.
9. Do something for yourself every day.
10. Learn a new skill or take up something you’ve always wanted to and stick with it.
11. Speak up for yourself in every area of your life, this might be hard to do at first but the first time you do it will be immense and if you carry on your self esteem and feelings of self worth will soar.
12. Sing at the top of your voice, not outside but in the house and really give it loads (I love singing Free Fallin’ by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers at the top of my voice, ah! such a good feeling.)
13. Forgive yourself! (You know what I mean)
14. Get rid of the people who are dragging you down (I don’t mean kill them, I mean just stop having them in your life.)
15. Work on your strengths. A lot of people focus on building up their weaknesses, instead get better at what you are good at.
16. Take a walk in the rain………..Why?………..because you have the power to decide!
17. Listen to other people and what they are saying.
18. Reward your successes. As soon as you achieve something reward yourself.
19. Never let anyone force you to break your core values.
20. Stop the gossiping!
21. Don’t read a newspaper for a week and gauge how you feel about yourself and the world around you.
22. Help other people who need it.
23. Always, Always, Always be honest with yourself and others. There is no need for lies and the energy it takes to continue a lie is unbelievable.
24. Take a chance and take a risk or two. You don’t have long to live so just get up and do it.
25. Listen to your self talk and slap the little person criticising you, I mean it, imagine there are two people one on each shoulder, the one who criticises you give them a slap or a punch in the mouth and start to pay attention to the one who is praising you.
26. Don’t be afraid to accept help from other people, it means they respect you enough to help you with something.
27. Start changing your thinking to be more optimistic about yourself, instead of ‘…I can’t do that….’ say ‘..I’ve never tried it, but I’ll give it a go…’
28. Face your fears. Nothing will send your self esteem soaring more so than facing your fears and eventually conquering them.
29. Always leave comments on a blog you like :)

SPOTLIGHT.....THE 100 BLACK MEN OF AMERICA

100 Black Men Of America is a men's civic organization and service club whose stated goal is to educate and empower African American children and teens. As of 2009 the organization has 110 chapters and over 10,000 members in different cities in the United States and throughout the world. The organizations's mission statement is "to improve the quality of life within our communities and enhance educational and economic opportunities for all African Americans. " The organization’s mottos “real men giving real time” and “what they see is what they’ll be” describe the organization's goals of providing positive role models and leaders to guide the next generation of African Americans and other youth. The members are predominantly African American professionals, businessmen, civic leaders and administrators, educators, as well as people from other walks of life.

100 Black Men consists of over 110 local chapters (each named after their respective region, e.g., 100 Black Men of New York, 100 Black Men of Atlanta, etc.) 100 Black Men of America is the overarching organization that provides a national governing structure, charters new chapters, and provides for inter-chapter coordination. 100 Black Men is a non-profit 501 c3 organization and has no political or religious affiliations or ties.

Membership procedures vary by chapter; generally speaking members can apply to a local chapter at specific times of the year. Candidates are screened and then interviewed by a panel to ensure that individuals have the character and standing to serve as community role models and youth mentors. Members generally refer to the organization simply as “The 100.”


100 Black Men has four principal program areas: Mentoring, Education, Health and Wellness, Economic Development. As of 2009, 100 Black Men has roughly 100,000 students enrolled in its mentoring and outreach programs.

Mentoring The organization provides youth mentoring that addresses the emotional and cultural needs of African American children aged 8 – 18. Members are trained to become mentors and advocates for youth who may have few or no other positive role models in their communities. Programs vary from chapter to chapter and range from informal one-on-one mentoring programs to complete youth academies.

Education Seeks to provide support services to schools and educators in the form of volunteerism, “teacher for a day” programs and extracurricular activities. This element also works to influence policy set at the local, state, and federal levels to ensure that all youth have equal access to education.

Health and Wellness The organization has extensive programs which are designed to encourage physical fitness and healthy eating habits among youth as well as increasing public awareness of the specific health issues and risks facing African Americans (e.g. heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, sickle cell, etc.). 100 Black Men hosts numerous track meets, athletic events, public outreach and health screening events.

Economic Development Seeks to empower African American individuals and enterprises through financial literacy training, small business training and seminars, as well as forums to connect African American businesses with each other and to the larger community as a whole.

HOT NEW MUSIC.....SHE ALWAYS COME WITH THE HOT SHIT....

OLD SCHOOL THROWBACK...WHEN MUSIC WAS MUSIC.....

NOTHING ELSE NEEDS TO BE SAID.....

We can make love in the bedroom
floating on top of my waterbed
I'm kissing you
Running my fingers through your hair
In the hallway
Making our way beside the stairs
We can do it anywhere...
I can love you in the shower
Both of our bodies dripping wet
On the patio we can make a night you won't forget
On the kitchen floor
As I softfully pull your hair
We can do it anywhere, anywhere...

BEING COMPLETELY OPEN....

"Most of the people who are in relationships, whether it be with friends or a spouse/lover, are simply alone together. They open themselves up in some ways, but since they don't even know who they really are (they're too scared to really go there) they never truly open themselves up—there is always stuff tucked away, deep down, in the boxes marked "avoid"—out of fear of losing what they (think they) have."~ Robert Walker

WORDS OF WISDOM.....

"Never date or marry someone who dosen't bring out the best in you."

Thanks Rickey Smiley

GOTTA GIVE LOVE WHEN IT'S DUDE...SEXY COMES IN ALL COLORS....

THIS IS WHAT THE CORPORATE WORLD THINKS ABOUT BLACK MEN....THOUGHTS???

The ad, which is in national magazines, shows a clean shaven, nicely dressed young black male who is in the process of metaphorically launching his old, unkempt self. In his right hand he holds a head with an uncombed natural afro. The ad copy reads: ‘Look like you give a damn.’

Miss Jia reports that Twitter.com is in an uproar over the ads. But was Nivea wrong or are they just presenting us with the image that we present to the world? Would the ads cause the same uproar if the dude was dressed with his pants sagging off his butt?

Nivea is simply holding a mirror up and forcing us to look at ourselves as society sees us.

IT'S NOT ABOUT COLOR...IT'S ABOUT BEHAVIOR....

'They're standing on the corner and they can't speak English.

I can't even talk the way these people talk:

Why you ain't,

Where you is,

What he drive,

Where he stay,

Where he work,

Who you be...

And I blamed the kid until I heard the mother talk.

And then I heard the father talk.

Everybody knows it's important to speak English except these knuckleheads. You can't be a doctor with that kind of crap coming out of your mouth In fact you will never get any kind of job making a decent living.

People marched and were hit in the face with rocks to get an Education, and now we've got these knuckleheads walking around.

The lower economic people are not holding up their end in this deal.

These people are not parenting. They are buying things for kids.

$500 sneakers for what?

And they won't spend $200 for Hooked on Phonics.

I am talking about these people who cry when their son is standing there in an orange suit.

Where were you when he was 2?

Where were you when he was 12?
Where were you when he was 18 and how come you didn't know that he had a pistol?

And where is the father? Or who is his father?

People putting their clothes on backward: Isn't that a sign of something gone wrong?

People with their hats on backward, pants down around the crack, isn't that a sign of something?

Isn't it a sign of something when she has her dress all the way up and got all type of needles [piercing] going through her body?

What part of Africa did this come from??

We are not Africans. Those people are not Africans; they don't know a thing about Africa
I say this all of the time. It would be like white people saying they are European-American. That is totally stupid.

I was born here, and so were my parents and grandparents and, very likely my great grandparents. I don't have any connection to Africa, no more than white Americans have to Germany, Scotland , England , Ireland , or the Netherlands . The same applies to 99 percent of all the black Americans as regards to Africa. So stop, already! ! !

With names like Shaniqua, Taliqua and Mohammed and all of that crap ......... And all of them are in jail.

Brown or black versus the Board of Education is no longer the white person's problem.

We have got to take the neighborhood back.

People used to be ashamed. Today a woman has eight children with eight different 'husbands' -- or men or whatever you call them now.

We have millionaire football players who cannot read.

We have million-dollar basketball players who can't write two paragraphs. We, as black folks have to do a better job.

Someone working at Wal-Mart with seven kids, you are hurting us.

We have to start holding each other to a higher standard...

"We cannot blame the white people any longer."

Dr.. William Henry 'Bill' Cosby, Jr., Ed..D.

It's NOT about color...

It's about behavior!!!

THE HELP BOOK REVIEW.....PRETTY ACCURATE....

It has been forever since my last review and I am elated that the movie I am returning to, is the Help.

Set in Jackson, Mississippi, in the 1960s, the Help explores the issues of civil rights and poverty through the lives and eyes of black maids in the heart of the Jim Crow- a strong female cast brings a fresh perspective to these issues.

It stars Emma Stone as Skeeter, the daughter of a prominent family, who has just graduated from Ole Miss, somewhat rebellious, and unlike other young women in Jackson, isn't too concerned with the ''trappings'' of marriage and motherhood. Skeeter is rather indignant at the level of racism she observes, largely due to the fact that the woman who raised and cared for her was a black maid. Skeeter devises a plan -one that is very daring and dangerous to have these maids tell their stories and have them published in a book.

In an effort to accomplish these,she convinces Abilene (Viola Davis) and Milly (Octavia Spencer) and eventually many of others to recount their experiences.


What's Good about the movie:

Superb acting from an amazing cast. Viola was excellent and delivered a magnificent performance-I sense Oscar nom. She was totally captivating and every emotion was clearly felt and conveyed and one couldn't tell where Abilene ended and Viola began.

Other good performances were also delivered by Emma Stone and Octavia Spencer.

What's Bad about the movie:

Though it was well written and well acted, it felt as if the creative forces played it a bit safe and it turned out to be somewhat predictable.

I also felt like there was more they could have done with Milly (Octavia Spencer) to show a bit more range. She was very present during her scenes but was a bit too one dimensional.

Overall Grade: A, a very moving and emotional film that is definitely worth seeing.

MUST SEE MOVIE OF 2011...."YOU IS SMART, YOU IS KIND AND YOU IS IMPORTANT."

10 KINKIEST CITIES IN THE US....OF COURSE ATLANTA IS ON THE LIST.....

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FOOD FOR THOUGHT....

It is better to be thought as a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt... Author unknown....

Sometimes it just best to be seen and not heard.....

THEME SONG FOR ALL THE FOOLS FOR LOVE OR THOSE WHO HAVE AT SOME POINT....(EVERYBODY AT SOME POINT IN YOUR LIFE)

SOME THURSDAY INSPIRATION....CLASSIC BLACK BOX....

GETTING MY MONEY RIGHT....

Ever since I turned 30, everyone wants to know how it feels and I tell them, so far, it’s the same as when I turned 29. But even I know 30 is one of those ages people think about long before we get to it. I don’t know exactly where I wanted to be when I turned 30, but I’m pretty sure I didn’t want it to be here, broke, still trying to make ends meet. But I’m a writer, I kind of signed up for this struggle, and I refuse to give up on it because I see too many successful writers who have made a career for themselves, bought houses and cars and supported families off the strength of their craft.

I wrote about this to some extent a couple of weeks ago, acquiring the skills to learn how to make this craft of mine a viable business. So I won’t dwell on it here. But rather, I want to talk about my next process I plan to undergo, it’s starting with a fast I was inspired to do after attending church yesterday, and it will carry on for about the next month.

For the next 30 days, I am not eating anything I don’t cook or make at home or at someone else’s home. I am also not drinking anything but water and juice. If I’m at a bar, it’s ice water. If I buy a bottled water, it’s a huge bottle I can take home with me and have for later. As for food, absolutely no eating at restaurants, not even carry-out or food trucks, and not even Chipotle, which is way harder than any of you non-Chipotle people think it is.

Obviously this is to save money, but this is also to discipline myself into no longer making halfhearted, foolish purposes. Nobody loves to go out to eat more than I do, whether it be at the hottest new spot in the city or that one whole in the wall that is half watch store, half sandwich shop down in Chinatown. I will travel far distances to experience an establishment’s offerings, but for the next month, I am only traveling far distances if I have to go to a specialty shop to get some spices for a meal I’m cooking at home.

This process will also go beyond food. I won’t be purchasing tickets to any events and will only be attending parties where I can get in free of charge. I won’t be buying any new clothes or accessories, something I rarely do, but must tell myself not to do for the next month lest I see a fly hat. The only upgrades I’m spending money on will be haircuts and dry cleaning and washing services. Of course, dating is being put on a serious hiatus as well, which is fine with me. I’ve been active enough as of late, so it’ll be good for me to chill out with the one whom I’m most comfortable, and if she has the urge to get a bite to eat somewhere, she already knows: She can take me and pick up the bill or take a friend and go half with him or her. I’m not about to break this fast for anyone.

Because what I’m all about these days is maintaining some sense of self-control. I don’t have my money right and I’m 30-years-old. This is fine but only because it’s temporary. If I don’t have my stuff together right now, so be it, but 30 is the age where I’m pro-actively trying to get it all in order. The fasting from making purchases and spending money for things I don’t take home with me a is a drastic first step in doing the one thing I have been putting off for far too long and that’s getting my money right.

As the title of the post implies, I’m doing whatever it takes to curb my spending, find a way to budget my income and effectively manage the debt I have. I’m tired of waiting for the big payday to come via some six-figure book deal or some huge cover story. I want to start focusing on the little money I do make and figuring out what’s the best way to manage it. I’m one of those people who swears they’re always broke, which is much more a state of mind than it is a state of wealth. What I’m trying to discover is just how broke I am and what I need to do to fix it. And as one of my mentors who has a healthy freelance career once told me, “Being a better business person makes me a better journalist.”

This is why in addition to the fast, I am sitting down with a friend who is a financial adviser everyday for an hour to go over my entire financial state. I chose the length of time because it is exactly how long I devote to exercise.

I tell people all the time, the biggest benefit that has come out of me exercising and getting in shape was the ah-ha moment. When I first started exercising and eating differently, it was a struggle, until the struggle flipped, and now if I don’t exercise for some reason or I eat something on the day I shouldn’t, my whole body and mental state feels out of wack. It’s a transcendent moment when you realize your mind and body have become used to do something good and the minute you go against it, you don’t feel like yourself.

I’m trying to get there with this whole saving money thing. Saving money for me is not natural, it actually feels counter-productive. I feel like when I have money it’s time to spend it, and most of the time that’s for something useful, but a lot of times it’s also for something frivolous like the same Chipotle order I make up to three times a week sometimes. Chipotle is good and all, but it’s not three-times-a-week good. Or wait, yes it is, but still, so is crack and I know not to do that ever. So what am I saying here?

Just because I like to go out to eat, doesn’t mean I need to do it all the time. I want it to feel like an exception, not a rule, and most importantly I want to feel like I deserve it. With my fitness, I went to such extreme lengths to keep everything in check that I actually lost too much weight. As a result, now and then I’ll eat something I probably shouldn’t, but my metabolism is fine tuned enough to break it down quicker, and I’m not feeling the effects of it as much as I used to. So what I’m hoping to do is when I go out to eat at a restaurant, I don’t feel as bad about it because I know most of the week I have cooked for myself or eaten at home.

I have no idea if this is going to work, but I’m willing to give it a shot. Look out for periodic updates on the blog, similar to what I was doing with the fitness updates. For those who want to join in on the struggle with me, feel free and for those who don’t, buy me a taco. Oh and if you see me with a Dunkin Donuts cup in my hand out in these streets, smack it out of my hand and punch me in the arm. Thanks in advance.

TRIBUTE TO ALL THE SAGGERS....

JONESBORO,GA BANS SAGGING.....(I'M KIND OF SAD)

Last week, while shopping at Lenox Square mall here in Atlanta, we noticed there were far fewer thugs wearing their pants sagging off their butts.

This new change could be attributed to the fact that gaggles of gay men descend upon Lenox Mall in droves every weekend — and, they too, wear their pants sagging off their butts.

So you can imagine the dilemma faced by young girls who can’t tell the difference between the thugs they admire and the gays who admire the thugs.

The hilarious result is that more and more thugs are pulling their pants up these days to set themselves apart from the gays who roam the malls admiring them.

But that didn’t stop the Jonesboro City Council from approving a new ordinance to ban everyone from wearing sagging pants. That includes the gays and straights.

“People in Jonesboro don’t want to look at other people’s drawers,” said Mayor Luther Maddox, according to AJC.com.

The mayor noted that our young people’s lack of home training was affecting tourism in Jonesboro, a suburb just south of Atlanta.

“Jonesboro is home to ‘Gone with the Wind’,” said Maddox. “We get visitors from all over the world, and we don’t need to show them our underwear.”

We concur.

HOT NEW MUSIC STARRING A BLAST FROM THE PAST....

WHAT'S YOUR PRICE TAG???

If you're NOT being treated with love & respect, check your "price tag". Perhaps you have marked yourself down. It's you who tell people what you're worth BY WHAT YOU ACCEPT. Get off the "clearance rack" and get behind the glass where they keep all the "valuables ." The bottom line is....."value" yourself more. Re-post if you like...You might help someone get off the "clearance rack"

HAPPY 100 YR ANNIVERSARY TO THE MEN OF OMEGA PSI PHI FRATERNITY, INC...SHOUT OUT TO THE BRUS...

OFFICER SHOOTS 20 YR. OLD WHO REJECTS HIS SEXUAL ADVANCES IN DC....

You will have to read this one for yourself and draw your own conclusion. Only the two men involved know what really happened on July 2nd the night 27 year old Officer Gene Gillette met the victim/suspect 20 year old John Hall.

UPPER MARLBORO, Md. - Former Mount Rainier Police officer Gene Gillette has been indicted on 12 counts, including attempted murder. The charges stem from a July 2 shooting at his home.

According to investigators, Gillette lured the victim, John Hall, to his home with a promise that he was going to be in a porn video. But when Hall arrived, there were no girls. They say Gillette told Hall to give him sexual favors and when he refused and ran away, Gillette shot him several times.

Gillette initially said it was an attempted carjacking

The victim/suspect's father, Irving Hall, said his son was simply walking down the street when Gillette approached him and invited him to a party at Gillette’s house on Glacier Avenue in Capitol Heights, Md. Gillette allegedly promised there'd be girls there and they'd make movies. Gillette offered a ride and Hall’s son accepted, but when they got there, no party was in progress and there were no girls, Hall said.

Gillette gave Hall’s son alcohol and touched his genitals, Hall said. Hall’s son ran from the house and tried to use Gillette’s vehicle to get away, but Gillette pistol-whipped him and shot him twice, Hall said.

“He threw him on the ground and dragged him,” Hall said. “His whole arm is all messed up. And then he shot him in the back.”

Gillette was charged with 12 felony counts, including attempted murder, sexual assault and false imprisonment. He turned himself in to police at about 7 p.m. Tuesday. In court Wednesday, a judge ordered he be held without bond. John Hall continues to recover from his wounds.

Officer Gillette, an Iraq vet and 2 time Officer of the year, originally said that he had shot the victim in self-defense while he was being carjacked. He later claimed that the relationship was consensual and he acted in self-defense because he was being robbed. source

What do you think happened that night? Was it a sex deal that went way bad? Did Hall plan to rob the officer the entire time? Or was Hall simply an unsuspecting victim?

FYI: Gillette was already being investigated for another incident where he allegedly discharged his weapon in his home.

In that case, the claim is that Gillette tussled with a man who he’d lured to his home on the false pretense of a Go-Go concert after-party.

The victim claims that when he realized Gillette wanted to perform fellatio on him he tried to get away, sources say.

A fight ensued, sources says, and the man discharged Gillette’s weapon. Nobody was hit.