Trayvon Martin

I don't watch the news, I find it too depressing. I know, to be informed, I need to stay up on current events. I have however heard the story of Trayvon Martin. We all have. We know that he was 17 years old. We know that he was carrying an iced tea and a bag of Skittles, when he was shot and killed for wearing a hoodie, in the rain. He was shot for looking “suspicious”. Although the president is Black, in America, suspicious is synonymous with black. Trayvon could have easily been my brother or my cousin. I am angered because we will never know his full potential. He could have been anything. He could have been president or attorney general. At 17, President Obama looked like Trayvon Martin. My father looked like Trayvon Martin.The most influential Black men in the world looked like Trayvon Martin. Let us not forget those who have suffered the same fate as Trayvon, like Emmett Till, Jay Parker, Sean Bell and those whose deaths failed to make headlines. I shed tears as I realize that Trayvon Martin's mark on this world will only be made through his death.

This Is Why I Don't Add My Little Cousins

Remember the good old days? When Facebook was only for people in college? Your aunt didn't have one, neither did her 13 year old daughter or Divorce Court? I miss those days. When it was all about connecting with people you used to know? I made a rule: that I wouldn't add any of my family member under a certain age. I unfortunately broke that rule and started adding my little cousins. Big mistake, these kids are posting things and doing things that are just wrong and way to grown for pre teens and pre pre teens. Sadly in the midst of the inappropriate pictures and statuses are heartbreaking updates that say things like, "so sad my mom isn't going to my graduation" or "my parents left me home alone again, they really love me" So what's a cousin to do?

Sigh...

I was going to write reviews on Limitless and Lincoln Lawyer but there was really nothing to say. They were good movies. That's all. Nothing spectacular. No big twists and turns. It was really nice looking at Bradley Cooper for an hour and a half and imagining what if there was a pill that gave you unlimited mental capacity. And the Lincoln Lawyer had a very good plot twist. I think it would have made an interesting series, though. A guy defending clients out of the back of his car, a confusing yet sweet relationship with his ex wife. Come to think of it, Limitless would make a good show too.

As I said above, I was going to write reviews on these two movies, but they were just good. I mean nothing to write about. I don't think I have anything to say that other reviewers haven't already said and to tell you the truth this makes me a little sad. What happened to the movies that we couldn't stop talking about? You went on and on about them, not even caring that you were giving away the ending. You and your friend re-enacted scenes. I need a new favorite movie. I'll even take an old new favorite movie. A movie I haven't seen but apparently everyone else has. So maybe you can give me any suggestions. And no suggestion is too crazy. I have yet to see Casablanca, Goodfellas, any Godfather movie, Boyz in the Hood, Crooklyn, Jungle Fever, New Jack City, Ali, Carlito's Way, Pulp Fiction... Need I go on?

New Me

Hi! It's been a while and I've been learning a lot about myself through the experiences I've had. So, the white guy? We went out, talked and flirted but I wasn't feeling IT. You know that...thing, that connection? I'm very down to earth and and he was up in the clouds. he's a hippie, so it was all about energies, auras and the universe. I know, right? Well, here I am trying to be mature and nudge him into the "friend zone."

My friends were telling me not to be negative and to hang in there. My friends (I honestly don't know why I ask them for advice sometimes) told me to "let him dip the tip", sleep with him, get it in! I didn't do any of that. I did try to get to know him, no, really I did... Until he confessed, y'all know this isn't good, we all learned from Usher. He has a girlfriend. Wait for it, a girlfriend of three years. I mean really? I was more upset that I'm trying to be diplomatic and nice and he's in a three year relationship. Fine, he confessed, via text message, and it was like nothing. I wasn't hurt, I wasn't even shocked because I live in NYC and if you met my friends... Nothing shocks me anymore. So I told him that if he really loves this woman than he shouldn't hurt her. I mean there are things you don't do if you're in a relationship. Don't send other women poetry, don't take them out on dates, don't make plans for future dates. I could go on but I won't. In the end it was an experience and it taught me to definitely take the time to get to know a person, before I jump into anything intimate. I keep imagining the conversation if I had slept with him and then found out about his girlfriend. Not pretty.

Anyway, what movies are you looking forward to? Because we all know that when spring and summer come the studios release the big guns. I'm looking forward to Jumping the Broom, I mean Laz Alonso? Oh, yessssssss! And you know I support Black romances. And I don't usually support sequels, but I will be there for Scream 4. Note to self: no makeup, since my face will be pressed into someone's shoulder. Yes, I'm a scaredy cat. And as much as I love to dissect Tyler Perry's movies my best friend and I will be seeing Madea's Big Happy family, hopefully not opening weekend to fight with the crowds, but she's weird.

I just saw The Lincoln Lawyer and Limitless and I liked them, one was definitely better than the other. I'll get you those reviews soon. I feel like I'm trying to cram too much into this post. I have to go cook, write to you soon!

Interracial Dating

I know, it's been a while. I've been working, making new friends, watching movies and re-entering the dating world. Now I consider myself open minded. You know how when you see the interracial couple and there's the Black girl that gives them the stank look? Well, I'm the girl yelling at the girl with the stank look. I'd never dated a white guy but what business is it of ours who strangers date? Black women complain a lot about Black men dating White women. And I believe that some Black men can be close minded, but maybe some of them are onto something. Maybe we as Black women should try and be more open to possibilities when we're dating. Maybe we should just date men instead of limiting ourselves to Black men. They sure aren't limiting themselves to us.

Recently, I did something that I honestly never thought I would have. I...went on a date with a white guy. I have to admit that when our flirtation started it kind of caught me off guard. I've been known to admire white guys, I mean Mark Wahlberg is too sexy. But I never thought about dating a white guy. However, as my cousin likes to remind me, no matter the color, men are men.

When I told my best friends about him, they didn't seem surprised at all. One of them even said, "Out of all our friends, you would be the one to end up with a white guy." I'm not even sure what that means. Do I give off an "interracial dating" aura? I know my blog usually focuses on entertainment but I decided to get this out. So what about you? Do you stick to your own race or do you just date? Is interracial dating even a big deal anymore?

For Colored Girls...

So, I saw For Colored Girls. My sister, best friend and I went to see it on opening night in the city. Yeah, that was some mess. Let me backtrack for a second. Earlier that day I read a couple of reviews for the movie in the paper. They were harsh. I mean, "anyone involved with the movie should be embarrassed" and "this movie is just begging for an award. They won't win." Ow! I mean, I didn't think people would think the movie was THAT bad, Tyler Perry's other movies didn't even get that poor of reviews. However, maybe they didn't think those movies were good enough to be reviewed.

Basically most of the reviewers complained about the fact that the movie was depressing. And it was. The main characters deal with HIV, sexual assaults, abortions, child murders, and cheating boyfriends. And unlike other movies that deal with these issues, like The Color Purple and Precious, there is no happy ending. The women just decide to deal with their issues.

Phylicia Rashad, Loretta Devine, and Whoopi Goldberg gave the best performances. Their performances screamed veterans. They were totally immersed in their characters and that made the movie so enjoyable for me. Now, the rest of the cast was amazing but these three stole the show. It was like whenever they walked onto the screen, the entire audience perked up.

And even though the movie is called, For Colored Girls, we cannot forget the performances of the good for nothing men in the movie. Michael Ealy, unsurprisingly, stands above the rest. He played a war veteran who turned into an abusive husband and father as he dealt with post traumatic stress disorder. His performance was stellar, just the right amount of unstableness and crazy.

There were some misses as well. I'm still confused as to Kerry Washington's point in the movie. I don't blame her, she could only work with what she was given. And Thandie Newton's accent? She must have gone to the Idris Elba school of Languages and Accents. What do I mean? Well, do you notice that no matter where his character is for whatever movie, he always has a Brooklyn accent? I digress.

Should you go see this movie? If you are easily shocked or offended, don't go see the movie. Wait, until it comes on television and they block out certain images. I'm not easily shocked and there were some moments where I had to shut my eyes, because there was just an overload of images.

I give the movie a B-, the performances were stellar and the monologues, which were NOT written by Tyler Perry (they were written by the author of For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow is Enuf, Ntozake Shange) were of course, amazing. However, the back stories of the women... Well, you know Tyler Perry. Overkill. Cliches. Too much, too fast. The end of the play is uplifting and powerful, in the movie it's all melancholy and sadness. But, that's just me, tell me what you thought.

Here's What I Love

I love when I meet new people and we connect. You know that vibe you get when you and someone just happen to click? I started a new job and there are a few of us who have just bonded. I love it.

I love the butterflies I get in my stomach from a new guy. You've just met and he hasn't said or done anything stupid yet. He hasn't "forgotten" his wallet, been talking in hushed tones to his "mother" or tried to get you to buy him an iPhone.

I love walking in the rain, by myself, with my headphones on blasting some 90s R&B.

I love reading a good book. It's so good, I start getting sad because its almost over.

I love an A Different World marathon. Whitley and Dwayne, need I say more?

I love a good conversation with a good friend.

I love hanging out with my little sister. She's almost 19 and has become one of my best friends. I love the conversations we have.

I love discounts and sales of any kind.

I love how I look after I've gotten my eyebrows done.

I love when I have a new story idea and my brain moves faster than my fingers can type or write.

I love having money in the bank.

I love coming home to my mother's cooking. Nothing else compares.

I love waking up from a good dream.

So these are some of the things I love, tell me some of yours.