Take Note...

It was the announcement that overshadowed this year's VMAs.  Beyonce and Jay-Z are having a baby.  Great for them.  Congratulations.  As usual, Beyonce's stans couldn't contain themselves.  People starting comparing how she looks as a pregnant woman to other formerly pregnant stars, made a fake twitter account for her fetus, even asked where they could send her gifts.  (Not that she'd want or need anything you'd send her because the heffa and her husband are paid.  That baby will be pooping in silk/Egyptian cotton blend diapers.  Pacifier? Probably made of platinum, pearls, and diamonds.)

Now don't get me wrong, I love some of her music, I like some of her movies despite her lack of acting skills, and I can admit she puts on a hell of a show.  But I feel like the world is over saturated with Beyonce.  It even went as far as one person saying that we should "take notes" of Beyonce and Jay-Z's courtship, marriage, and pregnancy.  Really? I mean it is great that they did things the "old fashion way" (first comes love, then comes marriage, then comes Beyonce with a baby carriage) but take note on them?  THIS is what is wrong with America, and particularly the black community.  Worried about the wrong things.  There are so many other things that are relevant and important of which we should take note.  I made a list:

1) Education.  Everyday on twitter someone posts some new ignorance.  A girl spelled "faucet" as "phosite" today.  One guy posted about a woman being on her "minstrel cycle."  I even had a follower try to shade Drake's lyric's about the square root of 69.  Drake said it's "8 something" this guy said it was 7.  The last time I checked 7 squared was 49.  George W. Bush said "no child left behind" but clearly not only children but some grown asses were left stranded.  Our kids aren't reading or taking school seriously. Barely passing is enough to them, but what happened to striving for excellence instead of settling for mediocrity?  Maybe they should have taken notes of what their English and Math teachers had to say.

2) History. Today there was an awesome (though brief) tribute to MLK on BET.  "Martin Luther King: Alpha Man."  He's great.  But the youth today? They don't appreciate what he and others did for us.  They don't even know how Emmett Till was or why he is important.  A few weeks back I saw "Who is Emmett Till and what's wrong with his face?"  Seriously? If you don't know your history, you repeat it, and we are already there with James Anderson being killed in Mississippi.  But I bet no one is taking notes on that.  They aren't even TALKING about it.  I posted links to the article on Facebook.  I got hardly any comments.  I post a picture that someone made as a joke of what this Bey-Z baby will look like and I got several comments and "likes" within 10 minutes.  Martin Luther King did not have a dream that one day little girls would "take note" of Beyonce and her lacefronts and onesies.

3) Politics.  It's complicated, sometimes it's boring, but we should still pay attention.  Take note of which of your state's congressmen vote for or against certain bills.  Which ones were willing to let our nation default to make President Obama look bad.  Which ones are against helping the unemployed.  What is going on in your city and your state.  Are you paying attention to your local police, school systems, etc?  Are you registered to vote and exercising your right to do so?  Or are you the person who doesn't vote but then wants to bitch when the politicians are doing things you don't like? Take note of that.

4) The economy. It sucks.  People are struggling financially.  But how many people are even making good financial choices? How many people were in line with the Cool Greys came out-- spending their rent money? How many people are spending their money to wear brand names they see celebrities wearing (a lot of times celebs are gifted items by the designer they don't even pay for that stuff) but your kid is walking around looking like Annie before she met Oliver Warbucks?  How many people are living beyond their means to try to impress others, instead of living within? How many people have plans for their financial future? Take note of that.

5) Our children.  I mentioned education, but the youth of this country are just... well I have no words.  The guys wear their pants hanging off of their asses so low that they have to hold them as they walk.  The girls are 12 dressing like they are 21.  People are becoming grandparents in their 30s.  Kids are dying, selling drugs, going to jail.  They don't have real mentors.  I see people say that they hope their child has athletic abilities "so he can go to the NBA or the NFL."  Is that all we see in our children? You don't want your child to be a teacher, doctor, lawyer, or the next president? You are fine with your child's role model being Beyonce, Keri Hilson, Lil Wayne when it should be you, the teacher, the engineer? Why aren't we taking note of what is going on with our youth?

I don't want anyone to take this rant the wrong way.  I have celebrities that I love.  I'm a fan of certain singers and actors/actresses, but there comes a time where people need to pay attention to the real issues of life. And I realize there are people out there who are aware of the more important things in life, and I salute you.

Can't Give Up Now????

**This is probably the most personal I've ever been, and will ever be in this blog.**

I just can't give up now, I've come to far from where I started...  But what happens when you start a journey in life and somehow end up right where you began?  You technically haven't come that far, so is it okay to give up then? Is it ever okay to give up?

One day I saw a tweet from Joel Olsteen.  I saved it, and eventually added it as a favorite quotation on my Facebook profile.  "God would not have planted those dreams in your heart if He had not already given you the ability to see them come to pass."  At first the quote gave me some hope, made me feel better.  I thought I'd be feeling better and able to pick up the pieces of my shattered dreams and start putting them back together.  But then, I started to get... angry.  Well not angry but I don't know what to call the emotions I was feeling.  God gave me a dream.  That dream was being fulfilled, then it was snatched away.  I remember being a child and being told not to question God and his work.  But as a human, I can't help it.  I wonder why me? Did I do something wrong? And if so what was it? Where do I go from here? How do I get through this.

Over the years I will admit my relationship with religion has changed.  I still believe in God, and prayer, and I know he can do great things.  But I'm not that into church and all the traditions of religion.  I sometimes wonder if I've lost faith, but if I had, I wouldn't pray for my friends and family, because if I didn't have faith, what would be the point? I am just at a point where I'm not sure what to do or think anymore.  People say "let go and let God" or "stop worrying."  Always easy to say when it's not you in a situation.

So what now? Do I keep striving for what I want, even though I have to start from scratch? Do I give up and settle for a life that's not what I want, just because? How do I deal with watching people around me continuing with their dreams while I'm having a setback?

I'm sure that whatever happens, I'll be alright eventually... but what do I do in the meantime? 

There's always one....

The ugly friend/soror/ls/sister/frat/lb/member of a group that hangs out sometimes. There is always one. Look around. Don't see the ugly friend/soror/ls/sister/frat/lb/member of a group that hangs out sometimes? It could be you.

Ask yourself these questions. Are you ever:

1) left holding purses and watching drinks at the club while everyone else dances with cute guys/girls?

2) forced to pay to get in while everyone else gets in free?

3) standing in the back of a picture even though you are short?

4) always taking the picture but never IN it?

5) cropped out of pics on Facebook?

6) paired with the ugly person everytime a group of the opposite sex approaches your group?

If you answer yes to one or more (or likely all) of these, then I must inform you that you ate the ugly friend/soror/ls/sister/frat/lb/member of a group that hangs out sometimes.

Are you ready for some football?!?!?!

My answer? Eh. Whatever.

I am a college football fan.  Specifically the SEC and really specifically Auburn (WDE!).  If you live in Alabama you kind of have no choice.  You have to choose between Auburn and Alabama early in life.  I never really liked or understood football, but I always leaned towards the orange and blue, and after going to school for 4 years in the same town as Alabama, my hatred of that school grew strong and my love of Auburn grew even more.  But I digress.

Today starts the NFL preseason.  I only know this because of twitter because I honestly don't give a damn.  Growing up I never really had an interest or an understanding so while the rest of my family, mom included watched football, I played with my toys, read, slept, did homework, whatever.  As far as professional football goes we were always Saints fans, probably because they are the closest professional team to us, and their colors are pretty (which is how I pick sports teams- don't judge me).

What's crazy though is that I see a lot of guys now saying their wife must love and know football, or that a real woman actually knows something about the game.  Seriously? I think that's a load of bullshit.  So what if I don't know all the rules, the players or even give a damn about football? It certainly doesn't make me any less of a woman.  I think guys are worried because some women have a reputation of being football haters- trying to change the channel while they are watching, or not "allowing" them to invite their boys over for the game. Just because a woman doesn't like football doesn't mean she's a party pooper! I'm not married but if I were I'd have no problem w/ my husband watching football.  Hell I will make you wings and bring you cold beer if that's what you want.  But don't reduce my womanhood to whether or not I like sports because there's so much more than that.  And if you are a guy who says his future wife MUST LOVE sports, well.... BYE.  Because other than my Auburn Tigers (WDE!) I can't be bothered to watch.

I Wanna Be Brown!

Last night I watched the latest episode of TLC's "Toddlers and Tiaras."  I have a lot to say about the show in general, but that's a whole other blog post.  On last night's show there was a little girl named Allyson.  Allyson only picks out "brown" dolls for herself, and she prays for God to make her "brown."   Her favorite celebrity is Beyonce, and when she goes to get her spray tan, she takes a picture with "brown" skin to show how she wants to look.

I honestly don't know how to feel about this.  At first, I thought it was cute.  At the very least it's nice to see a little Caucasian girl who thinks that Black is beautiful.  At first I figured maybe her love for "brown" skin was only for lighter shades, but then they show her complementing another pageant contestant on her beauty.  This contestant was a little Black girl who was darker than Beyonce.   I can't help but wonder why this little girl doesn't love her OWN skin.  I love that she thinks Black is beautiful, but praying to God to make her "brown" seems like she doesn't love "the skin she's in."  I already worry about these girls in the pageant world, especially at such a young age, and how not being the best every time will affect them, it seems like her mother should be doing more-- not to make her dislike the brown skin that she loves so much, but to teach her that in addition to loving "brown" skin, she can also love the skin that God gave her.

What do you guys think? Leave a comment.