Movie Review: "Beasts of the Southern Wild"

I can admit that I was championing the star of "Beasts of the Southern Wild" little Ms. Quvenzhane' Wallis without watching the movie. But, I felt that a 9 year little Black girl deserved to be championed. I finally sat down to watch her debut film. I was intrigued by it because it was filmed in my home state. Although the area is unfamiliar to me, I just wanted to know more. The movie was so good. Better than I thought it would be. I loved it. This film is based on the very unique relationship between the father Wink and his daughter Hushpuppy. They are very poor financially but rich in family and love. The town they live in is called "Bathtub" and it boasts a population of 87. IT seems to be a place where everyone knows everyone else. The film opens with Hushpuppy talking to the audience, telling her story. My favorite line has to be one that Hushpupy states twice in the film:

"I'm recording my story for the scientists in the future. In a million years, when kids go to school, they gonna know: once there was a Hushpuppy and she lived with her daddy in The Bathtub."

 My favorite scene in the movie.

Throughout most of the film, Wink is very hard on Hushpuppy. She has no mother and only has him. She is very smart and resilient for a six year old kid. They weather a huge storm and a quarantine. She is very scrappy. She lives in a "house" across from Wink's house. I did not understand that. She cooks for herself. She gets herself up and off to school.  She spends almost all of the film with wild hair and dirty clothes. The ending made me cry. I didn't expect that. It was a really great film though. I would recommend it to everyone. After watching it, I still believe that little miss Quvenzhane' Wallis was robbed of her Oscar. She was amazing in this film. She was only five years old when this was filmed. She is not a trained actress but she showed so much strength in her acting. She has amazing control over her facial expressions and emotions. I cannot wait to see what else she will do. "Beasts of the Southern Wild" gets an A+ from me. It is definitely a must see. 

Hush Puppy and her Daddy, Wink in the Bathtub. 

Lazy Days

I crave my Saturdays. I look forward to them all week. Especially when I know I don't have a thing to do. Just lounge around, watch mindless tv, and enjoy it with HIM. Lazy is the perfect way to describe yesterday. It was the perfect Saturday. I swear I didn't get a thing accomplished. Laundry, vacuuming, and all other household duties will be relegated to a Sunday thing. My Saturdays are full. I watched a good movie that made me think about Hurricane Katrina, which I hate. The movie was "Hurricane Season" and it was my first time watching it. I also watched a ton of HGTV & Food Network, two of my favorite channels. I was supposed to start reading my book "The Four Agreements," but somehow got sidetracked by the extreme chill and laziness of the day.

What is it about doing nothing all day that makes one so tired? It's strange how that works. I've done nothing but I cam barely keep my eyes open. I guess that's also the sign of a good day. So today I was a bum and I'm more than ok with that. I deeply enjoyed myself. And now, I'm going to watch "The Hangover" until sleep comes for me. My perfectly lazy day is over. I needed this. It was greatly appreciated. My day started and ended with Love. The perfect lazy day. Everyone should make sure that they take time out to have days like this. Days where nothing gets done but so much more is accomplished. Trust me, you need it.

Get Into It: My Fair Sweets

The power of social media sites is real. I've been introduced to plenty of new small businesses via Twitter. (By the way FOLLOW ME!) There are an array of business from jewelry, pastries and clothing. The newest business that I can personally cosign is My Fair Sweets. I kept seeing tweets about the company and its owner, Kandace. I am always hesitant of online ventures. I have, thankfully, never had a bad experience though. Food is a whole 'nother story. I was weary but very intrigued. So I decided to check out her website. What a great decision that was! Followed by the even better one of ordering from the site.



The website setup is very cute and pink. It's all gourmet desserts. My Fair Sweets specializes in cupcakes in a jar, cheesecakes in a jar, dipped apples, Twisted Kisses (pretzels and chocolate). I love chocolate so I was in heaven. I ordered the Chocolatier (chocolate cupcake with buttercream frosting in a jar) and a sample pack of Twisted Kisses. This is where Kandace's excellent customer service comes into play. I received an email from her that told me my goodies had shipped and the expected delivery date. I received them on that date. I also received an email that morning from Kandace inquiring about my package and my satisfaction. We emailed a few times back and forth. I was just impressed with her professionalism and overall sunny nature. She has a repeat customer here. She even did something totally unexpected but totally appreciated.



Now, let me discuss the actual product. Everything was amazing. I am a huge fan of Twisted Kisses. I mean with pretzels and chocolate, how can you go wrong? They were so good. I didn't want to stop eating them. I didn't eat the cupcake for a few days. It was still moist and sweet and good. The smell of the cupcake was intoxicating. I have never ordered food from folks on Twitter. I don't know what made me try My Fair Sweets. but I'm so glad I did. Just about the best cupcake I've ever had. The fact that it was still moist days after being received is beyond a good look. That alone is worth it.



Customer service and a great product are always an incredible way to get and keep consumers happy. Kandace and her "My Fair Sweets" has this in the bag. I can honestly say I'm truly addicted to the Twisted Kisses. I need some more in my life asap. I was so happy with my experience I posted on her Facebook page, tweeted about it and now I'm blogging about it. I've been telling my people about it as well. Take some time to check out My Fair Sweets. From products to service this company has you covered. Great affordable sweets for you alone or to share. What could be better? Get Into It!

My Friends

So, I finally had a chance to catch up with one of my best friends. We'll call her Roomie. She and I have been friends for about 11 years. We have been there for each other for everything. My conversation with her got me to thinking about real friendships. Friendships can change and grow in many different ways. If you're lucky, you will be blessed with a few. I love the fact that I don't have to speak to them everyday but nothing changes. Conversations flow just as easily as if we spoke everyday. That is a beautiful gift to share with someone. I cherish it.

My friends are amazingly hilarious. They make me laugh, cry, keep me sane and encourage me at every turn. They are the people who know me the best. They've seen me at my lowest and they never turned away. We've been through it all with each other. I love that my friends never judge me. They give me reality and truth no matter what. How many people do you know that will do that? My friendships span 31 years with them. How blessed am I to have them? Sometimes we can get so caught up in our own personal lives that we forget to nurture these friendships. I am guilty of this. There are a few friends that will always check me quickly on this though (Hi Ty and Mike lol). I'm getting better at it.

My friendships are important to me. These wonderful people are my family by choice. That is a great thing. Life is short so why not surround yourself with awesome people? I pray that I'm as good a friend to them as they have been to me. I may not call all the time, but they know I'm good for a text or ten!! I dedicate this blog to Ty, Reese, Chuck, Mike, Niaga, and Shan. I'm so lucky that you guys love me for me. An that you all walked into my life by accident but decided to stay on purpose. I love you. I'm always here for you.

Teacher's Teach Us

Happy National Teacher's Day! The first Tuesday of May is always National Teachers Day. This is the day to celebrate all of our wonderful educators in the world. I personally believe that teachers should be celebrated on a daily basis. But, I do think this holiday is a great one. I have a group of friends who are educators. They are so dedicated to their craft. It is not their job, it is who they are. That is a great thing. The students can only benefit from great teachers like this.

Without teachers, good teachers, where would any of us be? Teachers help mold young and old minds alike. They are some of the best driving forces in our lives. I've always believed that it takes a special someone to be a teacher. One has to have a fire for children and education. It is not a profession that one should enter into lightly. I remember the teachers who pushed me and help me discover my talents. Mrs. Rodriguez, Mr. Williams, Mr. Block (RIP), Mrs. Valente (RIP), Mr. Shannon, Ms. Barousse are the ones I will never forget. Happy National Teacher's Day to all the wonderful teachers...


...especially Mr. Benson. This certificate is for you. Your students are so lucky to have a teacher as dedicated as you :)

This Reader's Review: Part I "Decoded," "Chasing Harry Winston," "Platinum," & "Getting to Happy"

There is just something about books that makes me happy. It could be the fact that I love words. Or that a great journey in a book can take me far. Or it could just be my love for libraries as well. A good day will always involve a great book for me. It's my happy place. I read really fast. As if I'm in a rush to live through it. I get a rush from reading, same feeling I get when I write. There is nothing that comes close to that feeling. I just love books. They are just about my favorite thing since I am big on words. I've read some really great books this year. thought I would share them with you. Enjoy!

* "Decoded" - Jay-Z & dream hampton

An amazingly in depth look at Jay-Z's lyrics and aspects of his life. I love the way dream was able to pull such intimate stories from Jay. The book is a great read. It made me a bigger fan of Jay as an artist and as a man. dream worded the book wonderfully. This is a must read for any true Hip-Hop fan such as myself.

* "Chasing Harry Winston" - Lauren Weisberger

This was a whimsical tale of a group of women trying to get to their happily ever afters. It is witty and comical and honest. I love the author's point of view of the characters and their individual stories. I am a fan of Lauren's work. Her books always make me happy though from beginning to end.

* "Platinum" - Aliya S. King

Probably the best peek behind the Hip-Hop elite's curtains. Aliya spins a great tale of these great Hip-Hop artists and the women who love and put up with them. The author has a way of writing that makes you root for even the most awful of characters. I saw a lot of characteristics of real life big time artists within the pages of this novel. The viewpoint of this novel is that of the wives, girlfriends, fiancees, and side chicks. She is currently working on the follow up to this novel. It is entitled "Diamond Life" and its written from the viewpoint of the men in the first book. I cannot wait to catch up with these characters that I love.

* "Getting to Happy" - Terry McMillan

This is the follow up to "Waiting to Exhale." We get to see what has become of our favorite women. There is a lot of bitterness and sadness in this book. It was a great read but I felt conflicted. In a book entitled "Getting to Happy," one would think that there would be a whole lot of happiness in it. That is not the race for the most part. It was nice to find out what happen after WTE and there is supposedly a movie in the works. I will go see it.

This is just a short review of the things that I have read recently. Peep them out. Let me know what you think as well.