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Spring Fever…

Hello World, 

Today is the first day of spring! Hallelujah! It’s been a hard winter for most of the United States with all of the snow…Even the A had its fair share of snow this year! But all of that is over for 2011…At least I think so, but God is in charge…It’s time to thoroughly clean my house and get cotton candy polish painted on my toes. And it’s time to break out the happy music! So without further ado, I will post my Top 10 Songs to get me in the mood for spring! (In no particular order) And please let me know what music gets you in the mood for my second favorite season of the year! (Of course, summer is my absolute fave..how could it be any different for someone with Jamaican heritage?)

  1. “I Got A Man”  – Positive K. This flirty song gets me in the mood to get myself cute in the spring because summer is coming…And this song is one of the hip hop classics that did not need cursing & misogyny to get air play…
  2. “Happy Feelings” – Maze. This is the kind of song that makes you turn your windows down in your car and take in all of the sounds, smells & sights of spring…
  3. “You Brought The Sunshine” – The Clark Sisters. When you are getting ready for church in the spring, this is a perfect song to groove to…
  4. “Let’s Groove” – Earth, Wind & Fire. Another song to groove to in the car!
  5. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” – Nirvana. This is a great song to run to…Now that it is officially spring, I have no more excuses to get out there and pound the pavement! Hopefully, I will make it in the Peachtree Road Race since the powers that be have instituted a lottery system for the first time…
  6. “Lovely Day” – Bill Withers. This song always makes me feel better. It’s great for dancing to when you’re alone in your bedroom 🙂 And a great cool down song after an intense workout!
  7. “What a Wonderful World” – Louis Armstrong. No explanation needed. Sheer perfection!
  8. “Could You Be Loved” – Bob Marley. I just feel the sun on my back whenever I hear this song! I need to get back to Jamaica!!!
  9. “Everything is Everything” – Lauryn Hill. After winter, must come spring! YES!
  10. “Girls Just Want To Have Fun- Cyndi Lauper. A great song any time of the year, but particularly in spring when everything is coming to life again!

What’s your favorite song or songs to get you in the mood for spring?

Any thoughts?

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Signs of the Times?

Hello World!

I’ve said it before, and I will say it again – I am no Biblical scholar. I’m just another Christian trying to make it in…But last week’s tsunami and earthquake in Japan combined with the ominous regular updates about those nuclear reactors has got me wondering what is God up to…

From the earthquake in Haiti to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico to the unprecedented civil unrest in Arab countries, obviously something must be going on…Now this world has experienced disasters before, and some of them have been of our own making such as World War I and World War II…But that doesn’t mean that all Biblical scholars and intelligent people should not be pondering where are we in the course of world history…Here are some verses to consider…

“The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven. He replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’  and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” Jesus then left them and went away.” Matthew 16:1-4

Now in this passage, Jesus is rebuking the religious folk of the day for questioning His divinity when there were all types of signs that He was the Messiah. But I believe He also provides a framework for us to interpret what we see around us. I am notorious for carrying my umbrella with me even if I only see one cloud in the sky. Since I wear my locks in curls, and I don’t know how to maintain my locks, I refuse to be caught in the rain lest my locks lie limp until I see my stylist.  It ain’t gonna happen’!

So if I see a cloud and deduce that rain may be on the way, what in the world am I supposed to think when these last two years have brought so much pain to people here and abroad?  I’m not sure, but I’m glad I’m right with God because tomorrow is not promised…I don’t know why God allows bad things to happen to good people or natural disasters and on and on, but I believe there is no other way to survive in this world and be sane without a relationship with God…

Finally, all of this pontificating about the signs of the times doesn’t mean anything if we cannot help those around us who are suffering….If you would like to donate to Japanese relief efforts in the name of Jesus Christ, please donate to Samaritan’s Purse.

Any thoughts?

P.S. You know I had to post Prince’s song “Sign O The Times.” Man, I love Prince!

P.P.S. With all of this talk about radiation, I’m glad I decided last week to stop using microwaves to heat my food…

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What To Do When Your Friends Get Married…

Hello World!

One of my fave brides and her bridesmaids...Their friendship didn't change too much after Carrie got married...but this is fiction so...

It’s Hump Day! Yay! I cannot believe I have become one of those pathetic old fogies that lives for the weekends. Remember back in college when every day had the potential to be a weekend?..those days are so gone…oh well…

Speaking of college, I pledged Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated in Spring 1995! (Oo-oop Sorors!) I remember my roommate and one of my best guy friends at the time worried that I would change after I crossed (became a Delta). I assured them that I was once a geek and would always be a geek – even it I did secretly hope that I would be a better-dressed geek at the least. After I crossed, I was still cool with everyone – but I must confess that I did change. I traded in my thick braids for a short Halle Berry haircut, and I switched my glasses for contacts. And my wardrobe became more fly as well.  So my secret wish did come true with the help of my more fashionable sorors. But to my surprise, I changed on the inside as well. I did not shun my roommate or my best guy friend, but I did gain a whole new circle of friends – my line sisters and other sorors. As a result, I had to  divide my time between more friends which did not leave as much time as I once had for my roommate and best guy friend. (My guy friend accused me of walking around campus randomly chanting, “I love my DST!” LOL) I didn’t mean anything by it. It just happened…

So that was a long intro into today’s topic. In the last five years or so, friend after friend, guys and girls, are getting married…and I’m happy for all of them. But I must confess that I do feel a sense of loss. I called one of my newly married friends about a month ago, and she still hasn’t called me back yet. Instead of a call, a week or so ago, I received a thank you card which was actually a photograph montage of her and her new hubby from the wedding. So I guess it’s like that now, huh?

One of my friends just stopping hanging cold turkey many months before her and her new hubby got hitched. Another one of my newly married friends has moved away. She didn’t move away because she got married, but I cannot help but think she was more open to the idea of moving away because she has a new best friend that will go with her anywhere. I asked that same friend what she was going to do one weekend day, and she replied that her and her hubby were going to be in pajamas all day and just watch TV. Gag me with a spoon! (Just kidding!) One of my newly married friends is still pretty much the same. She still likes to kick it and hang and even talk on the phone, but she is the minority. Do I sound like I’m bitter? I’m not. And thankfully, I have a boyfriend or manfriend or whatever you call a guy you are dating after you are 35 who I get to get all booed up with too…but it’s still kind of weird to see all of this happen around me…So I have a few questions for you married folks, but sometimes I just don’t know how to act with y’all anymore.

  1. Should I assume that you no longer want to hang on the weekends anymore as a general rule? Let a girl know because no one likes rejection…
  2. When is a good time to call you? Are you and your hubby relaxing in bed as of 8 p.m.? Should I not call before 10 a.m. on Saturday mornings because you and your hubby are still in bed? Can I call you late at night if I have a problem and I need to vent?
  3. Do you now prefer your married girlfriends over me now? Do you still want to go on vacays with the girls? Or do you prefer your vacays with your hubby?
  4. Do you have dinner every weeknight with your hubby, or are you still available some weeknights for a quick dinner?
  5. If I leave a voice mail for you, how long will it take you to get back to me?
  6. Can you still go to slumber parties at your girls’ house? One of my friend’s husbands was not so excited about my friend staying out all night for the slumber parties that my girls have periodically…I think he’s over it now once he realized that it’s really harmless i.e. we are really not at the club looking for guys…we are actually just chillin’ in our pajamas at someone’s house…
  7. How long can we kick it at your house? Do we get kicked out by a certain time, or is your husband cool with us kicking it till the break of dawn?
  8. Can you still go to parties with your girls?
  9. Can I still discuss all of my single girl woes with you, or do you now want to only focus on married bliss?
  10. Do you still love me? LOL…

For real dough, it’s not that serious since my life is changing too, but these are questions that have my crossed my mind. So married people tell me what’s up…

Any thoughts?