Procrastination Station.... :-(

I am supposed to be studying for a final exam..... however, I obviously am not.  I feel tired, distracted and tired... (did I mention tired?)

Anyways, what's better than online window shopping to pass the time?!?

That's right... absolutely nothing. (slight exaggeration)

Now I wanna buy these shoes!

Absolutely Gorg!

Now excuse me while I go back to being unproductive....and in debt.  lol *cries a little*

What makes for a bad day?

Today started off quite normally.  Woke up at 6am, went to class, lab, home, homework....etc.  Nothing out of the ordinary.  Then out of nowhere things began to roll downhill.  I picked my daughter up late from cheerleading, picked my dinner up only to discover the order was wrong, my block was then occupied by fire trucks and ambulances so I couldn't get home....

WHAT THE HELL....  How did all of this happen so quickly?!?

I found myself getting extremely annoyed, really fast.... BUT I decided to pull my own coat tail.

"LaToya" (I said to myself)... It isn't THAT bad.  Get a grip.  ...and you know what, the more I focused on all the things that DID go well today, the LESS I thought about the stupid crap that went wrong.

Sometimes we can make mountains out of mole hills... and it's ok, as long as you have the ability to check yourself when it gets out of hand.

Today wasn't so bad afterall!

 This song makes me feel good!  :-)

Media Cleanse - Day 3

I guess I should have blogged when I contemplated going on a media cleanse, but that may have ruined the spontaneity of it all. :-)

In any case, I've decided to embark on a quest for a clutter-free life (in all of it's associated meanings).  The media cleanse arises out of the desperate need for mental clarity.  Each day I am an empty receptacle waiting to be impressed upon, converted, persuaded, influenced and programmed as I sit lifelessly, in front of a television or computer screen.  For this week I have decided to be influenced by my own thoughts and make choices as a result of those under used thought processes.  Also, the free time I gain by opting myself out of television programming, facebook, twitter, talk radio, gossip blogs, youtube, video games, news papers and/or any other news outlet, I will immerse myself in music with meaning, literature, poetry, cooking, exercising, spending time with loved ones and just thinking.

I am on day 3.  The load I bear is light.  Mentally I feel less obligated than usual.  No daily assignment of mindless, lifeless entertainment and I get to CHOOSE what I want to see and hear.  The freedom this fast provides is uncanny.

I am afraid for how good I may feel on day 7.  I may never return to that place..... I'll keep you posted.

My Mind This Week.... A Pictorial.

...and the meek shall inherit the earth.

People think that this word "meek" means many things.  Many people use it synonymously with the word poor.  However, the dictionary defines it as "Quiet, gentle, and easily imposed on; submissive"

Just something I thought was interesting and something I'll think of whenever someone uses this verse to claim inheritance to this earth.

Do you measure up? 

Claire....

I met a woman yesterday in the hospital (where I work), I'll call her Claire.

She radiated light.  91 years of age and never a complaint.  Only smiles and thanks to go around.  We chatted in passing several times throughout the day (and by "in passing" I mean me going in and out of her room to assist her since she couldn't walk).  During our final conversation (since she was being discharged), we talked a bit longer.  She spoke of being the last person alive in her family.  No siblings, cousins, in laws... no one left.  She told me she wasn't supposed to even be here (here as in on this earth) since she was born with a condition that caused her to lose mobility in her legs and need several surgeries throughout her life.  Not being able to walk she took to reading.  She loves to read.  Her face lit up as she talked about her library.  I agreed being a bit of a book worm myself.  She told me she read deeds for a living.  20 years of reading (her love) for a living.  She couldn't ask for more.  She lived a full life, even in the presence of her disability.   It was only until a few years back, when she had a fall that she was unable to care for herself.  Even in the midst of being alone, she found the strength to smile.

I told her before I left the room, how much she inspired me.  I touched her hand.  With my eyes locked to hers, I thanked her for sharing her story with me.  I saw true happiness within her.  So many people are blessed beyond measure and still find ways to be miserable.  I met someone who is alone, but not lonely.... disabled yet still able to do so much.  This blog is for her.  Thanks Claire for putting things into perspective for me.

A Culture of Death...

I've noticed over the past few years that our society has become increasingly inundated with images and music that involves death.  There has become an unhealthy obsession with this grim concept and lately I have been wondering why...  Every song mentions death or dying EVEN when the very concept of the song has NOTHING to do with it.  Younger (and trendier) popular folks wear skull and cross bones on several articles of clothing, in the name of what is "cool".

Some might say, what's wrong with that?  To them, I would say.... be careful what you allow to manifest in your life.  On the surface it may mean nothing... but every trend isn't a good one and this is one I feel very uneasy about.

I challenge you all to become an observer and watch the trends.... where do you think they're going?

Just a few examples....

"You be killin' em"

Listen to all the ways he describes how he'll die for his love

"Suicidal...Suicidal"

So the world is going to end, what should we do?  Party.  :-(

World ending again.... Party, AGAIN.

Til Death do we party....

I have heard plenty other songs that are promoting this "culture of death" or showing blatant disregard for life. 

Listen around for yourself...

Semesters OVER!

O V E R!!!!!!  I am happy to come out ALIVE, lol.  School is tough.  (Not as tough as trying to live life without a skill, but tough none the less)

So now I have a LIFE again *singing* Hallelujah!

The FIRST fun thing I am going to do is some recreational reading.  (NO MORE SCIENCE BOOKS, PLEASE!)

I just got Hill Harper's "The Conversation", since I seem to be infatuated with the dynamic between black men and women and he has quite an intellectual prospective.  How do I know?  I watched him on the ABC Prime time summit on "Why single black women can't find a good man"... (or something like that).  That conversation in and of itself could have gone to the left many times. (As it did when they took a 10 minute sidebar to discuss Sherri Shepard's strange requirement of her potential mate.  It involves her weave, yuck!)

  

Hill was the only one who spoke in a manner that didn't incite a riot and caused me to think a bit... so I bought his book.

I'll post a review as soon as I finish.

What do YOU think about the ongoing debate between black men and women?

RAW Vegan Cleanse....

I like to cleanse with the change of the seasons.  This year has been a bit tough to find the time to do so since I am completing my first year of classes in my major.  However, now that the semester is coming to a close, I am looking to cleanse myself once again.

Now usually I do a combination of the Master Cleanse with the Salt Water Flush...

BUT... I really don't feel like (in the long run) it will be an effective cleanse, since the two weeks of starvation will most likely lead to a cycle of binge/starve.  A truly undesirable effect...

So today, I decided to find an alternative that will not only cleanse, but HEAL me from the inside out, and so I decided on a 21 day RAW Vegan Cleanse.  Juices, Nuts, Seeds, Fruits, Vegetables and Sprouted grains.  Being a vegetarian (who eats primarily vegan), adding the Raw component and dedicating myself to this for 3 weeks feels perfect. 

Eating foods high in vitamins and nutrients, not compromised by heat or processing, is the logical solution for a fast.  After all,  it's probably how we should eat anyway.  

I'll keep you posted.

In the meantime, HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY. :-)

Ok, I love this girl.... take a look...

Supernatural - KING

KING-The Story

These ladies are redefining soul music.  I heard this song on Eric Roberson's blog and I was blown away.  Please support independent artists and purchase their EP.  I look forward to hearing great things from these three.

Arbitrary Statistics!?!?

I am in the process of reading the introduction of what seems like a wonderful book.  "Post Black: How a New Generation is Redefining African American Identity" by Ytasha L Womack, is a book I happened to pick up at the library on a whim.  While reading today, the author spoke of the statistics regarding the black male prison population and the black male high school drop out rate.  Statistics that are daunting (to say the least) and VERY out of date.  These statistics "make for good sound bites" as the author makes clear but I wonder why WE as African Americans don't vet this information any better.  We hold on to these stats as fact and spew them to the world when in fact, they are nothing like the more "boring" realities.  

Are these stats pushing us to do better as a race or creating a heavier burden for the down trodden?  Do they do anything at all?

Just a few questions to explore...

Documentary Day....

So I spent the majority of the day watching documentaries.  Why?  I get tired of being bombarded with mainstream viewpoints and.... documentaries scratch my curiosity itch that arises every now and again. :-)

I got to watch four exciting docs (a little old, most of them but.... I just got Netflix, lol)
"Freakonomics", "Food Inc", "Capitalism: A Love Story" and "The Listening Project".  My Oh My, lol.

So as you can tell, I didn't get much studying done but I did learn a few things and in typical LaToya fashion, I'd like to share them with you.

1)  Incentives are NOT the strong motivating force that I thought they were.
2)  There are almost NO safe food options anymore :-(
3)  Greedy people make capitalism a bad thing and not the other way around. (feel free to argue)
4)  The majority of opinions about America (from beyond our shores) are POSITIVE.  (Contrary to what I have heard)

Lastly, I've learned re-realized (not concerned whether this is a word or not, lol)  that there is a spin put on EVERYTHING.  No matter how "unbiased" the lens claims to be, communication is always tainted with the slant of human experience.  We ooze what we live and we desire to share those things that mean the most to us.  ...and guess what, THAT'S OK.  As long as we remain open minded, continue to grow and respect others, the myriad of opinions that exist make the world more interesting.

...and I for one ENJOY spending a lazy Saturday hearing each and every one of them...
    

No Promises.

Ok, so one posting a year is obviously not a blog.  I understand.  Has it stopped me from attempting to try again?   Nope.  Why?  Because I'm persistent.  I don't give up very easily, so plan on seeing me around for a while.

What's up with me....  well i'm on a diet, in school, in a relationship, a mom, an armchair social activist, active on campus, and overwhelmed.  but it's GREAT!  I love being busy.  If I had to sit around all day and do nothing, I think i'd pull my hair out.... one by one.   (I'd be in too much pain to realize how bored I was).

I decided to start blogging again because I realized that there is too much crap going on not to talk about it and thus..... my blogosphere is born *sighs*  

Hopefully, I entertain you, but more importantly I am seeking to enlighten and if nothing else.... release the rantings that scream inside my head from time to time, lol.

Until next time.... be blessed