R.I.P. Harrison Wright

Awww, say it ain't so?!? Columbus Short who plays the widely popular Gladiator in a Suit, Harrison Wright on ABC's "Scandal" is out for season four. Short's real life scandal's have spilled over into his professional life. The powers that be (aka Shonda Rhimes and ABC exec's) have given Short the heave ho. I cannot say I didn't see it coming. His personal life is messy. There have been arrests for a bar fight, the divorce drama, and just moments before the season three finale, there was the murder-suicide knife threatening of his wife. That was just too much. I loved Short's character for his stylish suits, amazing one liners and the fact that he held Olivia Pope to task. Now, who's going to give the "Gladiators in suits" speeches? 

What I have noticed is that Black males do not fair well on Shonda Rhimes' shows. Could be a coincidence or not. There are never an abundance of Black actors on her shows but lead male characters who just happen to be Black are few and far between. I am truly sad to see Short go. He was one of my faves. I do think this will be the catalyst to get Liv back to OPA and fixing things. I think she is going to flip out when she learns that her Dad was the puppet master who killed Harrison, Lil Jerry and Adnan. Oh and that he has her Mom locked in the hole. Dysfunctional family is dysfunctional. Sad about Short's firing. But, I will be tuned in early for the premier of season four of "Scandal." We had three good seasons of Mr. Gingham himself, Harrison Wright. R.I.P. Brolivia Pope, us Gladiators will miss you. 

Ladies Love Lyrics: "What Do I Do With The Love?"

This song has been on my heart and in my head for some time now. I never truly understood it until recently. Makes all the sense in the world to me. Get into these lyrics and vocals. I miss Dru Hill. 

"I can put away the letters 
Hide them in the drawer 
I can even forget what you sent them for 
And I can take your name out of my book 
I can put away the pictures 
I can put the dreams aside 
But I just can't seem to put you out of my mind 
So tell me now, oh 

What do I do with the love, tell me baby 
What do I do with the memories of 
What do I do with the nights 
Without you by my side 
They used to be your's and mine 
Without you, what do I do with the love 

I can go out every night now 
Stay out til the dawn 
Do whatever I want to 
Anytime I want 
And I can make believe we never met 
I can clear out all the closets 
Leave your things outside the door 
But I just can't seem to not love you anymore 
So tell me now, tell me now, what do I do?"

Because it's Tuesday...

• New music makes me happy. If you are looking for something new and different, check out SZA's "Z" EP. I love it. Also, random but she is gorgeous. Her hair and those freckles are everything. I gave Kelis' "Food" project a listen. I wasn't that impressed with it. 
  
  
  
  
• I finally saw "Captain America The Winter Soldier" a few weekends ago. And,  loved it!!! I am a huge fan of the Marvel Superheroes movies. Love them all. I was particularly interested in this one because of Anthony Mackie as Sam Hill aka "The Falcon." Great movie. 

• I also read Chimamanda Adichie's "Americanah." It was a wonderful book. I loved the storyline and the two main characters. I loved the writing style of Adichie. She is awesome. It was a love story but there were so many other layers. It was interesting to read about the experience of a Non-American Black's experience in America. Love transcends all groups and labels. Adichie's book exemplifies this. I would suggest this book to everyone. Great read. 

                                                

• Last night's season premiere of the final season of "The Boondocks" was a tad disappointing for me. I am a fan. I have been since it was a comic strip. The absence of Aaron McGruder was felt heavily. The episode was entitled "Pretty Boy Flizzy" and it is Chris Brown inspired. The episode seemed dated and lame. Also, it wasn't even as good as the Usher/A Pimp Named Slickback episode of season 2. There wasn't many scenes with Huey, Riley or Granddad. I will watch another episode but I am sad. I feel like the show is going to go out without a bang. No McGruder snarky sarcasm and quick wit makes for a slower paced show.            
  
• Saw a pic on FB and felt like I needed to see it. Also, felt like I should pass it on. Get into it and your goals for this year. 
  
• I am severely annoyed and I really need to shake this feeling. I'm just not really sure how to do so. Also, I have the overwhelming feeling that a certain conversation is going to happen sooner than later. And, I won't like the content. I think I have to start mentally preparing myself for the fuckery because it is coming. 
                                           
• So, to shake all of this off, I am gonna soak in a hot bubble bath, drink a glass or three of wine and turn the music up loud. That will change my mood. Happy Tuesday again. 
  

"I Get So Emotional Baby"

It has been said that women are emotional creatures. I agree with this to a point. I think that both women and men can be emotional. We are all human beings capable of feeling emotions. I believe that it is more widely accepted for women to express those emotions. It is more than ok for a woman to cry whereas a man is perceived by society to be less than if he does. How silly is that? Crying is a normal human reaction. We are all equipped with tear ducts. To me, that means that crying is something we're supposed to do. Why are we expected to bottle all of that up just to make it through the day?

I abhor being too emotional. I cannot control my emotions and that is not a good thing for me. Now, I will say I have gotten much better at keeping my emotions at bay in most instances. I do not fly off the handle about any and every thing. I've grown. I am a woman who likes to be in control of things. It is why emotions are not my cup of tea. I dislike that I can  control so much but there are instances that I cannot. Certain people and events bring out the most emotional side of me. It is the worst when it happens because of someone I love. They are the people I care about most in the world and that gives them the keys to pushing my buttons. It sucks to be truly vulnerable with people and have them use it against you. How exactly am I not supposed to get emotional?

I have found a way to cope. I am no longer only ruled by what I feel. I count to ten in my head before I react. I write things down a lot when it comes to my emotions. I have learned that no one cares about a person, place or thing in the exact same manner I do. So, why get worked up about it? Even when it comes to love and someone hurting you. Why would I continue to tell someone how I feel when it means nothing anymore? Simple: I won't. I keep it to myself. I'm no longer comfortable expressing every thought in my mind or emotion on my heart to everyone. Some will never see things my way or feel how I feel. Others won't ever get it, get me. That's more than ok. I understand myself perfectly, even when I am super emotional. Maybe this has to do with the fact that I'm a woman. I wasn't raised to believe that I have to hide what I'm feeling. I had to learn the hard way that the world does not truly appreciate this. I was not born to please the world. So, I will continue to live life on my terms. Oh, yeah, and will change the rules at any given moment. Pay attention!

French Quarter Fest 2014

Today was the second day of the French Quarter Fest here in New Orleans. It is one of my favorite festivals. We have a ton of them yearly. The weather was absolutely gorgeous today. It was about 75, sunny and a nice breeze off of the Mississippi River. There were a ton of people out there as well. There was a ridiculous amount of food and drink vendors. From poboys to sliders, anything you could imagine to eat was available. Today was one of those really good days that you couldn't plan if you wanted to. I enjoyed myself immensely. 

 

There was an insane amount of people out there. There was more food than anyone could eat. We sampled a lot of places. My hands down favorite was a Creole Crawfish Sausage po boy from Vaucresson Sausage Company. It was $7 and worth it. I also had a Crawfish Pie from Mrs. Wheat's pies, and boiled crawfish from Rouse's. I also enjoyed Creole Cream Cheese ice cream on a waffle cone from Quintin's Ice Cream, King Cake Hurricanes and a snowball from the Plum Street Snowball vendor (best snowballs in the city, hands down). Everything was so good. I was full in no time. I wanted to try the BBQ shrimp and grits from Cafe Reconcile, the lamb sliders from Three Muses and Crab and shrimp alfredo from Barreca's. Oh well, there is always tomorrow. This was a great way to spend Saturday with my family. The weather was perfect, the live bands were amazing and the food was the star. French Quarter Fest 2014 was a success. 

April 10th Is...

...National Siblings Day! I am the proud older sister to 5 of the dopest people I know. I have 3 sisters and 2 brothers. They range in age from 28 to 18. All different and unique in their own way. I love the relationships I have with each of them individually. Would not trade them for the world. These are #tbt pictures as well. I couldn't have prayed for a better group of men and women to call my own. Happy National Siblings Day to all the siblings out there. 

Back Down Memory Lane

When I saw this on Tumblr, it resonated with me instantly. This quote is incredibly true. Our memories have a way of hurting us. We, in general, have a habit of romanticizing history. Memories always seem greater, bigger, better than they actually were. I have a bad habit of strolling down memory lane. Reminiscing over what was is really not healthy. All it does is make me sad all over again. It is a horrible habit I haven't figured out how to shake just yet. There is a time and place for everything, even reminiscing. Memory lane IS a terrible place to visit if you are still in your feelings about the situation. Which is my current situation. I try my best not to go there but I cannot help it. I end up there way too frequently. It's a problem.

There are things that literally hurt to remember. They were good times that don't exist anymore. The ache of a moment can kill you. I try very hard to not visit memory lane. It takes me to a place I no longer reside. Memories are great when you are far removed from them and your feelings are no longer an issue. I am so not there yet. I want to be though. I pray for that deliverance daily. I'd like to not feel anything about a lot of things in my past. I no longer want to cry about things that have happened in my life. I want to be so far removed from those memories that I can smile and let it go. I can think about my Dad, who died almost 16 years ago, without crying. But, it took me years to get there. In general, I know that my  head and heart both work at their own pace. That quote about memory lane really stuck with me. I think I would be a better version of myself if I stopped visiting it. I cannot move forward if my head is always stuck on what was. This is more about keeping myself accountable. Memory lane is not a place one can reside. Focusing on the future great memories that I will make allows me a peace I cannot quantify. 

April Showers

• Coursea is offering free online courses. I have signed up for four so far. One about the Bible, one about English/writing, one about Nubia and one humanities one. I love to learn. This piqued my interest so I am giving it a try. 
• I won this dope basket from a raffle. There was the most delicious Cucumber Melon lotion/bubble bath in it. I am currently in lust with it. Also, bath fizzes are my new favorite thing ever. I indulge in bubble baths way too often now. They make me happy. 
• Collateral damage. It's a term I have been thinking about a lot lately. I never thought of people falling into this category until recently. It is, however, very fitting to the situation.
• The more I think about it, the more I want purple hair. It would be so dope. I just cannot logically do it. But, the pictures I see online of beautiful Black women with natural hair dyed purple will always make me very happy. I want. 

• My bestest friend ever sent me the sweetest card. I cried. It reminded me of our fave show, "Sex and the City." The above pic is the sentiment of the card. Love my Ticker lots and lots!!
• Ok, one more wedding to attend next weekend. After that, I am all wedding-out. I love Black love and love for others. But, as for me, it's too much. I have, however, avoided catching any bouquets. I no longer believe in the whole marriage & happily ever after anymore so I don't even stand up for it. Oh well, it is what it is. 
• There truly is no such thing as anonymity on the web. Being found by people who used to know me is funny, surprising and surreal. I don't know if I truly like it. It's the gift and the curse of being so social via social media. 
• Last but not least, people please remember that WORDS MEAN THINGS!!! I do not know why people seem to forget this. Your words matter. Everything you say or write mean exactly what you said. Words have definitions for a reason. In short, mean what you say and say what you mean. The end. 

True Story!

BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL!! Period. There is nothing else that matters. In a world where Black people are bombarded with images and words that insist on telling us that black is synonymous with ugly, dirty, and less than, we need to know how beautiful we are. There is something so special about melanin. I love my Black skin and my Black people. We are beautiful. From our hair to our skin and down to the way we walk, Black is beautiful. I just need people to know that. We need to love ourselves, embrace each other. We need to protect Blackness at all costs. We are the change we need to see in the world. I have never wished to be anything other than my Black self. I love the color of my skin. I love the range of skin tones in my family. Love it. Our skin is kissed by the sun and blessed by the Most High. Also, my love for all things Black is not a swipe at whiteness or otherness. I am just partial to who I am and what I came from. Everyone should get into it.  Black IS beautiful.