To Brooklyn, with love

As I stood there looking at it, I was thinking, "You must be crazy.  And it's raining too." I had always promised myself I'd do it.  But at this moment,I stood frozen. Frozen with fear, frozen with thoughts of the unknown, frozen because I didn't know how long it would take and frozen because I didn't know what would happen along the way.  Anyway, I took a deep breath, pullled the belt around my coat a little tighter, put on my gloves and began my journey.  This journey would take me across the Brooklyn Bridge.

Like many parts of my life, my journey across the Brooklyn Bridge was not without its challenges.  On this particular day, the day I had planned to walk across the bridge, it was raining and extremely cold.  But since I was only going to be in New York for three days, I figured it was now or never.  I try to visit New York at least twice a year.  And everytime I take that trip I promise myself that I will walk across the Brooklyn Bridge.  So how is it that seven years have passed and once again I was sitting in my hotel room, in Tribecca, blaming the weather as the reason why I would not walk to Brooklyn.  However, this time as I stared out of my hotel room window, I could here my mother's voice saying, "Cheney, life doesn't always happen the way you plan.  These setbacks should not stop you from accomplishing the things you want to accomplish.  Now get an umbrella and get your butt across that bridge."

 A few blocks from my hotel, was the entrance to the bridge.  The night before I made my journey, I had attempted to cross the bridge.  However, since it was dark and I couldn't see the path ahead of me, I decided it was not a good idea to make my journey when I wasn't sure what was ahead of me.  Life sometimes happens in the same way.  I've hesitated in making decisions because I didn't know what was waiting for me.  It's said, "the journey of a million miles begins with one step."  Well, in this case I don't know about a million miles, but I took that first step.  About 10 minutes into the walk, the winds and ran started to pick up and I wanted to turn around.  I figured this would be easier than continuing across because it was so cold.  But I could hear my mother's voice and my determination wouldn't let me quit, so I continued on.  Half way across, I got some extra shelter and was able to get a few photos of......the foggy sky.  It was so foggy outside, I couldn't see anything for miles.  So after catching my breath and arranging my umbrella and purse I continued on to Brooklyn. 

 

Twenty-seven minutes later, cold and wet with soaked trouser socks, (and the hem of my trouser pants) I walked 2 blocks to a restaurant where I would stand at the counter and joke with the Italian guys behind the counter about why Chicago's pizza is better than the pizza in New York.  Next, I would spend twenty-five minutes talking to a man, about 80 years old, who loved my hat because it reminded him of one he'd had for 50+ years.  He reminded me of my grandfather and I guess he noticed something, as he looked at my teary eyes because he asked, "What are you thinking about?"  "You remind me of my grandfather," I would tell him.  "Well I'm sure he's thinking and loving you wherever he is," the eldery man said to me.  I told him that my grandfather had been killed when I was five years old so just sitting and talking to him made me think about how I'd wish for moments like this with my grandfather.  "Well he can still love you from heaven, can't he."  Smiling, I sat thinking if I'd never taken that journey across the Brooklyn Bridge, I would've missing hearing my grandfather telling me he loves me.  And even though I already knew that, it felt really good to hear it anyway.

Undercovers

Undercover, a new NBC drama, starring Boris Kodjoe. Boris Kodjoe.....daydreaming.....Boris Kodjoe. Oh wait, where was I going with this. Oh yeah, a new drama, starring Boris Kodjoe and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, tells the story of husband and wife, Steven and Samantha Bloom, who own a small catering company in Los Angeles.

The couple used to be CIA spies but retired 5 years earlier when they fell in love. When a fellow spy and friend, Nash(Carter MacIntyre) goes missing while working a case, Steven and Samantha are reinstated by CIA boss Carlton Shaw (Gerald McRaney) to locate and rescue Nash. The pair returns to their old life of being CIA spies as they follow leads that take them around the world -- and the Blooms realize that this supercharged, undercover lifestyle provides the excitement and romance that their marriage has been missing.

I surley hope this show makes it. The previews look good and Boris, well, you know, he is just FINE. I'm tuning in just to see his face and hoping that this show is really a hit with some longevity on NBC.

Its All About Max

I was one of those people who used to think that people's obsession with their pets, particularly dogs was insane.  I mean really, who would take their dog everywhere with them, buy them clothes and doggie daycare..........FORGET ABOUT IT! 

Well, September 7, 2007 I became one of those people.  On that day, the most precious thing was delivered to me.  At only 10 weeks and 3.6lbs Max entered my life and I haven't been the same since.  I must admit, I've become one of those people I used to talk about and call crazy.  And now it all makes sense, to me anyway.  Max goes everywhere with me, he has all the freshest clothes and yep he's a doggie daycare regular.  He brings me so much joy.  When I'm away from him, I miss him and can't wait to see him again.  He makes me laugh, he makes me cry, he calms me and knows the right things to do to get on my good side (even those times when he's knocked over the grocery bag to steal the turkey jerky).  There a saying that goes something like, "people and their pets are the same."  Well it must be true because together, Max and I will sleep the day away.  I am not a morning person and Max well, sometimes I have to wake him up.  I get so jealous when I have to wake up early and he stays sleep the entire time I'm getting dressed with that "better you than me" look on his face.  I have medical issues and Blum Animal Hospital knows me on a first name basis because Max is there so much.  With everything (including the cost) that comes with caring for Max, I wouldn't trade him for anything. 

He's a very smart dog, a sharp dresser and very good looking!  One look at the face and whatever I'm stressing about goes away.  Yes, he sleeps wild, wants to play ball too much and passes gas that stinks all to be damned but I love him.  Whenever God decides to put a man or a child into my life, they will have some stiff competition because Max will be all over them, making sure they are right for me. 

Love All Over Me

This has been a great year for Monica.  And she's back with another great video for her song, Love All Over Me.  Although I was wishing for either Stay or Go or The Mirror to be the next single released off of her album, I do like Love All Over Me and this video is making me like it all the better.  Now the ending...........well, you'll see.

UPDATE.....video below is with the new ending.

Forget What the Critics Say

What were they thinking when they gave Sandra Bullock a Razzie award for Worst Actress in the movie, All About Steve. Maybe its the hopeless romantic in me (and I love romantic comedies) but I watched that movie on late night cable (unemployment = insomnia) and I thought it was a good movie.   But could it be I'm a huge Sandra Bullock fan and it could actually be a bad movie, but I lover her so much I was determined to see it as funny. 

I'm that consumer that reads every review on a product before purchasing it. Usually if the reviews aren't good, I may skip on buying a product or search for a close alternative.  I mean sometimes I spend 1-2 days researching and reading reviews on products before I make a decision on whether or not to purchase.  Now movies are a different thing.  I just don't trust what these so called expert critics have to say.  Yes, I know its only their opinion but movie goers look to these reviews before making their weekend plans for going to the movies.  And the Oscars are no different.  There are so many people that should have received an Oscar and did not and then there are those who received them when the space they chose to display the award should be empty. 

Here are a few of my favorites that were missed during Oscar season:

MALCOLM X - now who was smoking crack that year when both Denzel Washington (Best Actor) and Spike Lee (Best Director or Best Screenplay) did not win.  Denzel was nominated for Best Actor and Ruth Carter was nominated for Best Costume Design.  See the movie's award nominations and wins http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104797/awards 

WHAT'S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT - Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne (think he was still going by Larry back then) BECAME Ike and Tina Turner.  During the summer of 1993 I was on a hunt for Laurence Fishburne just to give him a beat down for what he did to Angela Bassett.  For the longest time, I think people believed Tina Turner was going around impersonating Angela Bassettt.  They were just that good!

DREAMGIRLS - I think the Oscar's voting committe picked the wrong drug addict.  Surely Eddie Murphy's character in Dream Girls should have won over Alan Arkin's character in Little Miss Sunshine.  I mean how long was Alan Arkin even in the movie before his character died?  Don't get me wrong, I thought Little Miss Sunshine was a good movie but not enough for Eddie Murhphy NOT to win.

PRIMAL FEAR - "There never was an Aaron."  Oh I loved Edward Norton as Aaron/Roy in this movie.  His performance was outstanding.  He was nominated for Best Supporting Actor, but Cuba Gooding, Jr. took home the Oscar for his performance in Jerry McGuire.  Norton would go on to be nominated for Best Actor, in 1999, for his performance in American History X. 










Then there were some of the times the Oscars got it right. *this list may not include each performance, if the actor has won an Oscar multiple times. 
Jamie Foxx - Ray
Hillary Swank - Boys Don't Cry and Million Dollar Baby
Denzel Washington - Glory and Training Day
Jennifer Hudson - Dream Girls
Mo'nique - Precious
Forest Whitaker - The Last King of Scotland
Morgan Freeman - Million Dollar Baby
Sean Penn - Mystic River and Milk
Dustin Hoffman - Rain Man
Tom Hanks - Forest Gump
Jodie Foster - The Accused
Kathy Bates - Misery
Charlize Theron - Monster
Whoopi Goldberg - Ghost
And of course Sandra Bullock - The Blind Side

And finally, there are those I just don't understand. 
Halle Berry - Monster's Ball.  Sorry, but I still (to this day) don't understand that one. 
Penélope Cruz – Vicky Cristina Barcelona.  Too many other great nominees who's performance was better than Penelope Cruz (Viola Davis, Taraji P. Henson, Amy Adams and Marisa Tomie).

Some of these movies, actors and actresses received good reviews, from critics, and some received bad reviews.  That just goes to show you that sometime you have to forget what the critics say. 

What were some of your favorite movies you feel was missed over during award season?

Learning to love my hair

I’ve been natural for almost 6 years now. However, when most people see me they think I’ve just done the BC (big chop). My natural hair story began in October 2004, the last time I got a relaxer. In December 2004 I decided I would not get another relaxer. My hair stylist thought I was crazy because my hair was too thick (“it’s like a mop,” she would sometimes say) and because I am totally unskilled in the matters of hair, she believed there was no way I’d be able to control my hair. Despite that, I moved forward in my journey. It took me 1 year and 2 months to completely transition. It was February 2006 when the last of my relaxer was clipped from my hair. During this time, I wore my hair in micro-braids, rods, corn rolls and sometimes got it blow dried straight. I liked the protective styles (braids, rods, etc.), because it was easy to manage and it was like a horror movie trying to deal with the two different textures of hair. Then the unthinkable happened…..my stylist, who’d been doing my hair since high school, was moving to Georgia. What was I going to do? Back to braids, it was. For almost a year straight, I wore my hair in braids because I couldn’t find anyone to do my hair the way I wanted. As soon as I sat in most stylists’ chair and they’d touch my hair, that familiar face would soon show, followed by the question, “do you want a relaxer?” If not that, I had to pay extra to have my hair blow dried straight because I had natural hair. I never understood (and still don’t) the rationale behind charging someone extra because they don’t have a relaxer! After a few years of frustration, I finally found a stylist, in Chicago, that did natural hair (I was referred to her by another natural sister that wore her hair straight). Even though my hair was natural, I still continued to wear it straight or in rods, because I still hadn’t figure how to fight that beast of humidity or sweat that would make my hair swell up to an untamed afro.

Fast forward to July 2009, I saw a picture of Halle Berry’s pixie cut and less than a week later I was sitting in my stylist’s chair getting my hair cut. With scissors in hand, she kept saying, “are you sure you want to cut your hair that short?” I was positive and confident in my decision. I figured its only hair so it’ll grow back. So as I’m sitting looking at all my hair on the floor I’m thinking, “Damn, maybe that wasn’t such a good idea.” But when she turned me towards the mirror I couldn’t help but smile because this cut looked good on me. This style usually only lasted a week before my roots would wave up so after that I’d wet it and just wear it in its curly state. After about 7 months, I was tired, not of the cut, but getting my hair blow dried straight. So I returned to my dependable braids. As my frustration continued to build I knew there was something that had to be done about my hair and my ability to take control of it. Enter the world of YouTube and natural hair care blogs. And thank God I discovered them because I begin to learn so much about natural hair, which led to my own research on what worked for my hair, different hair care products, different styling techniques, etc. I’ve never read so many books and done so much research I felt like I’m back in grad school working on my master’s degree project. But I realize that caring for my hair is mine to own and no one is responsible for it but me. It’s still a work in progress and I continue with my research, trying different products and regularly logging onto different forums and blogs, as well as checking out YouTube.

I’ve never been as happy in my hair life as I am right now. My family and friends have begin to call and e-mail me about what to use in their hair, why their hair looks a certain way, what oils works and why and the list goes on and on. And not to mention, I’m becoming a pro at mixing stuff together for my hair using the stuff in my kitchen. While I am happy where I am now, I do wish I had this knowledge and known about the different forums and blogs, like Curly Nikki, in the past. This would have prevented years of hair frustration and hating my hair because I didn’t know what to do with it. So now I am wearing my hair short, in its natural state, and caring for it while it grows out. I used to think I am not my hair because I didn’t believe my hair defined who I was but I realize now that YES I am my hair, because it is everything that I am…..strong, confident, bold, natural and beautiful.

Here’s a few pictures of my hair over the years (in each photos where my hair is straight I don’t have a relaxer, instead it was blow dried straight.)

Me today

Weight loss mission - The beginning

At some point we all battle with our apperance.  Whether its our hair, weight, clothes, shoes or whatever, at some point we want to see a difference.  Well, my weight is one of those things.  I constantly struggle with getting my weight where I want it to be.  So yesterday I'm watching new videos from one of the people (NikkiiDior) I subscribe to on YouTube and she starts talking about a weight loss mission that she would begin today.  It only took me one second to know this was something I wanted to be a part of.  As a sat in those Marc Jacobs jeans that I couldn't fit last year, I knew that modifying my eating habits wouldn't be a struggle because I've learned how to eat healthier without sacraficing the things I like (my sweet tooth is in constant overload).  Now working out is another issue.  I HATE IT.  But I know if I really want to maximize my weight loss, I need to start back working out.  So today, after an hour long stare down with my workout clothes, I got off the couch and put my EA Active  into my Wii console. 

I cursed and fussed the entire time I did the Athlete in You workout.  Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to do the "HARD" version on my first day working out when I haven't worked out in a while.  I made it all the way through the work out so I give myself a pat on the back for that.  So tomorrow, I look forward to working out again.  Once I get started I'm a beast!  Where I often lose the war is when I'm fighting the battle to stay motivated after a few weeks.  So I'm on a mission.  I can't see the light at the end of the tunnel yet, but as the saying goes, "a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step."  Let me lace of my Nike and get started.