9/30/08

Guess Who's NOT Coming To Dinner

I don't have to add any additional commentary to one of my favorite movie critics critiques of the Presidential Debates...he sums it up nicely...

Guess who's not coming to dinner

by Roger Ebert

I do not like you, John McCain. My feeling has nothing to do with issues. It has to do with common courtesy. During the debate, you refused to look Barack Obama in the eye. Indeed, you refused to look at him at all. Even when the two of you shook hands at the start, you used your eyes only to locate his hand, and then gazed past him as you shook it.

Obama is my guy. If you are rude to him, you are rude to me. If you came to dinner at my house and refused to look at or speak with one of my guests, that would be bad manners and I would be offended. Same thing if I went to your house. During the debate, you were America's guest.

What was your problem? Do you hold this man in such contempt that you cannot bear to gaze upon him? Will you not even speak to him directly? Do you think he doesn't have the right to be running for President? Were you angry because after you said you wouldn't attend the debate, he said a President should be able to concern himself with two things at the same time? He was right. The proof is, you were there. Were you angry with him because he called your bluff?


During the debate, Jim Lehrer repeatedly called upon both candidates to speak directly to each other. Obama looked at you. He addressed you as "John," which as a fellow senator is his privilege. His body language was open. You stared straight ahead, or at Lehrer, or into space. Your jaw was clinched. You had a tight little smile, or a grimace, or a little shake of your head.
I had to do two things at once while watching the debate. I had to listen to what was being said. And I had to process your rigid and contemptuous behavior. If you were at a wedding and the father of the groom refused to look at or speak to the bride, how would that make you feel? Especially if you were the father of the bride?


You made a TV commercial showing the moments Obama agreed with you. Everybody knows he did. Did his agreement show honesty, or weakness? It is significant that you said it proved he was not ready to lead. What is the better leadership quality: (1) Willingness to listen to your opponent, and keep an open mind? (2) Rigidly ignoring him? Which of the two of you better demonstrated the bipartisan spirit you say you represent? Was there anything he said that you agreed with? Could you have brought yourself to say so?

I'm not the only one who noticed your odd, hostile behavior. Just about everybody did. I'm sure many of your supporters must have sensed the tension. Before the debate, pundits were wondering if you might explode in a display of your famous temper. I think we saw that happen, all right, but it was an implosion. I have instructed my wife to exclude you from any future dinner parties

9/28/08

Shoe-aholic

Hi, my name is Lisa, and I am a shoe-aholic. Yep, that's me. I have it bad and I'm still at step 1 of the twelve step program to recovery (whatever those are) and there is no hope for recovery. My rate of recidivism is infinite. I simply refuse to capitulate. I simply can't stop. I will rotate shoes, I will replace old/out of date with new - at a rate of 2-3x the rate that I get rid of some.

Shoes004

The above picture is just a smattering of my shoes. It does not include the boots, which are in labled boxes, sandals, exercise shoes and other flats. Sigh. Ron is gonna get real mad if I ask for more closet space when I have most of it already. To top it off, I went to NY this past weekend and managed to get in some shoe shopping. I wanted shoes to wear with my new jeans and ended up with 3 new pairs. Ummmm, well, ah, what had happend was....

The icing on the cake was the arrival of a pair of shoes from my girlfriend Terri. She picked up these awesome brown shoes with 2 1/2 in heels and decided that she simply couldn't walk in them. I told her to practice, but alas, it just didn't work out for her - and since we are the same shoe size...HA...I got me some new hotness shoes. I love them, Terri. They fitta fine.

Shoes001

What is a shoe diva to do? I know...go out and get some hot new outfits to go with the shoes. Mmmmm, maybe I should hold off on that till I get me a job or we win a contract. Imma try. Imma try.

UPDATE FOR MARYLAND: Passive Electioneering

I got this information of the the Maryland State Board of Elections regarding Passive Electioneering:

Electioneering -How far away from the polling place must I be to electioneer?

A line will be established by the election judges and you must be behind that line. The line will be located as near as practicable to 100 feet from the entrance and exit of the polling place.

However, a voter may wear campaign paraphernalia (buttons, t-shirts,
or stickers) into the polling place while he or she is there to vote (the voter may not linger in the polling place after voting).
An election judge, challenger and watcher, or other person stationed inside the polling place or within 100 feet of the polling place may not wear or display campaign materials.


I have probably received about 10+ copies of an email that is going around warning me to not wear my campaign gear to the voting booth on November 4th because it is "illegal" to do so and I will, consequently, not be allowed to vote. Usually, I delete messages of this type because 99% of the time they are a email hoax and/or have a tiny bit of truth surrounded by a whole lot of lie.

Since this election is going to be a very important one, I decided to investigate further and see if I can find out some truth. First place I usually go to get some background on these type of emails is snopes.com. It is a pelthora of fact finding information behind all of these email scams that are going around. You will find out what part is true and what part is false.

I've looked this email up and it is TRUE & FALSE. The bottom line is (according to the website):


Election laws and regulations in the U.S. typically prohibit the practice of "electioneering" (actively supporting a candidate, political party, or issue) within or near polling places. Such rules have generally been applied to prevent overt electioneering: posting signs or banners; passing out pamphlets, flyers, or other literature; making oral exhortions, etc. Recently, however, movements in some states have sought to have bans on electioneering enforced against "passive electioneering" as well the wearing by voters of buttons, pins,t-shirts and other adornments bearing the names of candidates. The issue is a murky one because state laws may prohibit electioneering without defining the term, and the definition of "electioneering" may vary from place to place when the issue is left up to local election boards to define........

It's up to voters to be aware of what the regulations are at their local
polling places; if you can't get (or don't have time to find) a definitive answer about what constitutes electioneering where you vote, you may want to leave apparel (or other decorative items) bearing the names of candidates home on election day, or at least be prepared to remove it if asked. (For example, if you're going to wear an "Obama" or "McCain" shirt to a polling place, be sure to bring a change of shirt with you just in case.) In general, you should not be denied permission to vote for violating passive electioneering regulations; you should just be asked to leave the polling place and remove the items in question from public view before you re-enter. (Electioneering can be a violation of state law, typically a misdemeanor, so perpetrators run the risk of being detained and/or arrested, but this outcome is unlikely save for cases of flagrant violations.)



So, I would take heed to the warning. If you want more information or want to read the entire article go to http://www.snopes.com/politics/ballot/electioneering.asp

I'm so Proud

I am so proud of my man. Always am. He is an entrepreneur, a business man, a make it happen kinda man. Always has been, always will be. When he sees a business opportunity that will compliment or accent what we have already built, he seizes it. When he sees a way for us to make additional income utilizing our skill sets, that man works it out. Ron is a master networker, a shrewd business man...a man that takes care of his family.

This time he has taken what we have done in the private sector and leveraged those assets in the government sector. I'm proud of him, of his insight, and of the way he always includes me as his partner, as one of his advisers, as the keeper of the moola. The trust and respect he has for me, just makes me continue to want to be a better person, wife, business partner.

I put together our website for us. It's plain, but it has been working for what we need to do. Have a peek....


Pray for our continued success and blessings.....

Dare to succeed,

Charlee's Homecoming

While Erin and I were galavanting all over NY (not really) visiting Maia, Ron and my mother were sending Charlee off to Homecoming....

http://sandysprogress.blogspot.com/2008/09/charlees-homecoming.html

We did managed to get in some shoe shopping while also shopping for Maia. I mean, really, the stores were along the way. Now how am I gonna get all of this home. Good thing we are taking the train.

9/26/08

Random Thoughs/Sights from Manhattan

These are just some scenes and random thoughs/questions I had during my walk about downtown Manhattan and on the subway. Erin and I went shopping for Maia today and I just had to catalog a few sights/sounds/smells....

  • Toe nails so long and thick that they curl almost under the meat of the toe. Top that with crusty feet and you have NASTY.
  • Talking to yourself on the subway train.
  • Well dressed white children with black nannies.
  • Screaming and cussing ("you mother f*&&#ker.....") at the top of yoiur lungs on your cell phone.
  • No eye contact by anyone, especially on the subway.
  • Nail art galore
  • Lots of bad weave. Lord have mercy.
  • Nails so long they curl. eeeewwwww
  • Four very large (VERY) get on the subway car with us. Question? How did they get throught the turnstiles? Sorry, I diregress. Why do they have to be so gosh dang loud? Why. Loud and Ghetto fabulous. My eardrums almost burst.
  • Lord, I need to pay attention when picking a train to get on. Erin and I ended up in Queens. Oops. Good thing I can read a map.
  • Why do funky people not only smell like feet & azz but spicy too. What is that?

There was more but I got tired of pulling out my "handy dandy notebook" to write down everything I saw. I should have just recorded it on my phone. Hmmmm. Tomorrow is another day.

Isn't She Wonderful...

An uneventful train ride and the cab ride from the seventh level of hell and I made it to Val & Manny's for my weekend rescue of Maia Athena. She is just precious. She was fussy last night cause she is a little gassy, but Aunti Lisa figured out how to hold her so that she was comfortable. I got up around 4 am and resuced Manny & Val from a crying Maia to let them get a few hours of sleep. Maia and I watched CNN and she promptly went back to sleep. Aunti Lisa has the magic touch.

Today I'll take some video of our day so you can see my tiny diva in action.


9/24/08

Inspiration

I'd like to think that it was my diva inspiration that spurred my friend to start blogging. Not so sure but he's done it.....http://angry-black-man-va.blogspot.com/

Funny thing...he really isn't angry at all. I hope you will stop by and encourage him in his efforts....DESPITE THE FACT THAT HE LURKED HERE FOREVER without ever commenting on my site. Humph. Whatever. Imma support my fellow alumni and fledgling blogger with my endorsement and support.

SO MR. MAN! If you want me to comment on your blog, you're gonna have to stop lurking and comment here too. HA!
Friends and Family,
Though I have threatened for years without following through, I have finally started my own blog.Here I will comment on issues that I feel are important. I finally gave into frustration and needed a positive way to express it. When I look at America 2008, I am reminiscent of the Marvin Gaye song “Make Me Wanna Holler”. Our government has failed us…badly. If I really think about the nation that I have served for my entire adult life and what it has become in the past 8 years…I feel like crying. Never in my life have I not been optimistic about our future…today I am not. If we care about our future, we have got to stop doing the “same ol’, same ol’” . Too many of our people still are unregistered and not prepared to vote. We are being fleeced, in part due to our apathy. If you don’t think so…check out my first post.

I urge each of you to make a difference. Don’t sit on the sideline when the game is our future. I hope you will visit my blog and share your thoughts. I don’t care whether you agree with me or not…at least have an opinion… this is the most important election of our lifetime, so you CANNOT sit on the sidelines and watch. If
you think your vote doesn’t’ make a difference…ask Al Gore, he lost by the
equivalent of less than one vote per precinct in the state of Florida back in
2000.

If you feel you cannot afford tocontribute to a candidate, I would offer…you cannot afford not to. Even if it’s just $5…contribute. Get involved in a campaign and make a difference. I would not be so presumptuous to tell you who to vote for…but vote regardless of who you cast your ballot for, because too many of our people have sacrificed so much for the privilege.

So drop by my blog and leave your comments. Speak your peace. I don’t care if you agree with my opinion or not…just have an opinion! Also feel free to share the link with your friends and family. I promise to stimulate, provoke and inspire you
into doing something. Please click on the link below to get to my blog and read
my first post TheUS Economy on Life Support...$700 Billion Dollars Worth of Bad Medicine?. Thanks in advance for your interest and support.

9/23/08

Just Great People...

I have worked with a lot of people during my 18 years in the healthcare industry, but these guys and gals of the DC Power Team & Washington Federals (our district names) were just the greatest bunch of people to work with. Reorganizations, promotions and life have sent a bunch of us on our merry way around the country, but whenever one or two of us is in town (DC is our major meeting hub), then we try to get as many of us together as possible - even if it is only for drinks.

Stanley W came in town for the Career Fair at the National Black MBA and after 2 days of wrangling schedules we were able to get a smattering of us together for breakfast on Friday. All I can say is - WE LOOK GOOD! I love these guys. It was good to see my friends.

9/21/08

My Best Friend is a MOMMIE!!!!!!!

Welcome to the world Maia! Born on September 9th, 2008. In this picture, she is 10 days old. I'm coming Maia, hold on....Aunti Lisa is on her way! I can't wait till your old enough for loud toys, playdo and weebles that wobble (stuff it down the drain, Maia, stuff it down the drain - that's my girl). You already have the look of power Diva Shopping!

See ya on Thursday, pumkin! Get ready for your film debut.

P.S. Manny & Val - GIMMIE MY BABY!!!!!

9/14/08

102 Minutes That Changed America

I haven't stopped crying since this documentary about 9/11 came on tonight on the History Channel. I also can't take myself away.

http://www.history.com/minisite.do?content_type=mini_home&mini_id=60026

It was made from the footage of 10 different people, ordinary citizens, who were filming from their homes, the street, from rooftops. I am horrified, I am rivited, I'm still sobbing. If you get a chance to see the documentary, you must. If you can't then spend some time at the website. Let us not forget.

This is Your Nation on White Priviledge

Wow. I orginially saw this posted at SunFresh's site and then googled it to see the actual article written by Tim White. This is the stuff that just isn't said in the mainstream media. This is what a lot of us are thinking and either don't/can't say in polite company. This is just what a lot of people just don't get and/or don't want to get AT ALL.

Don't shoot the messenger. Get mad if you want to; discredit the author if you'd like...but think about it - do it ring true? The truth is the truth...and it will set you free.


This is Your Nation on White Privilege
By Tim Wise
9/13/2008

For those who still can’t grasp the concept of white privilege, or who are constantly looking for some easy-to-understand examples of it, perhaps this list will help.

White privilege is when you can get pregnant at seventeen like Bristol Palin and everyone is quick to insist that your life and that of your family is a personal matter, and that no one has a right to judge you or your parents, because “every family has challenges,” even as black and Latino families with similar “challenges” are regularly typified as irresponsible, pathological and arbiters of social decay.

White privilege is when you can call yourself a “fuckin’ redneck,” like Bristol Palin’s boyfriend does, and talk about how if anyone messes with you, you'll “kick their fuckin' ass,” and talk about how you like to “shoot shit” for fun, and still be viewed as a responsible, all-American boy (and a great son-in-law to be) rather than a thug.

White privilege is when you can attend four different colleges in six years like Sarah Palin did (one of which you basically failed out of, then returned to after making up some coursework at a community college), and no one questions your intelligence or commitment to achievement, whereas a person of color who did this would be viewed as unfit for college, and probably someone who only got in in the first place because of affirmative action.

White privilege is when you can claim that being mayor of a town smaller than most medium-sized colleges, and then Governor of a state with about the same number of people as the lower fifth of the island of Manhattan, makes you ready to potentially be president, and people don’t all piss on themselves with laughter, while being a black U.S. Senator, two-term state Senator, and constitutional law scholar, means you’re “untested.”

White privilege is being able to say that you support the words “under God” in the pledge of allegiance because “if it was good enough for the founding fathers, it’s good enough for me,” and not be immediately disqualified from holding office--since, after all, the pledge was written in the late 1800s and the “under God” part wasn’t added until the 1950s--while believing that reading accused criminals and terrorists their rights (because, ya know, the Constitution, which you used to teach at a prestigious law school requires it), is a dangerous and silly idea only supported by mushy liberals.

White privilege is being able to be a gun enthusiast and not make people immediately scared of you.

White privilege is being able to have a husband who was a member of an extremist political party that wants your state to secede from the Union, and whose motto was “Alaska first,” and no one questions your patriotism or that of your family, while if you're black and your spouse merely fails to come to a 9/11 memorial so she can be home with her kids on the first day of school, people immediately think she’s being disrespectful.

White privilege is being able to make fun of community organizers and the work they do--like, among other things, fight for the right of women to vote, or for civil rights, or the 8-hour workday, or an end to child labor--and people think you’re being pithy and tough, but if you merely question the experience of a small town mayor and 18-month governor with no foreign policy expertise beyond a class she took in college--you’re somehow being mean, or even sexist.

White privilege is being able to convince white women who don’t even agree with you on any substantive issue to vote for you and your running mate anyway, because all of a sudden your presence on the ticket has inspired confidence in these same white women, and made them give your party a “second look.”

White privilege is being able to fire people who didn’t support your political campaigns and not be accused of abusing your power or being a typical politician who engages in favoritism, while being black and merely knowing some folks from the old-line political machines in Chicago means you must be corrupt.

White privilege is being able to attend churches over the years whose pastors say that people who voted for John Kerry or merely criticize George W. Bush are going to hell, and that the U.S. is an explicitly Christian nation and the job of Christians is to bring Christian theological principles into government, and who bring in speakers who say the conflict in the Middle East is God’s punishment on Jews for rejecting Jesus, and everyone can still think you’re just a good church-going Christian, but if you’re black and friends with a black pastor who has noted (as have Colin Powell and the U.S. Department of Defense) that terrorist attacks are often the result of U.S. foreign policy and who talks about the history of racism and its effect on black people, you’re an extremist who probably hates America.

White privilege is not knowing what the Bush Doctrine is when asked by a reporter, and then people get angry at the reporter for asking you such a “trick question,” while being black and merely refusing to give one-word answers to the queries of Bill O’Reilly means you’re dodging the question, or trying to seem overly intellectual and nuanced.

White privilege is being able to claim your experience as a POW has anything at all to do with your fitness for president, while being black and experiencing racism is, as Sarah Palin has referred to it a “light” burden.

And finally, white privilege is the only thing that could possibly allow someone to become president when he has voted with George W. Bush 90 percent of the time, even as unemployment is skyrocketing, people are losing their homes, inflation is rising, and the U.S. is increasingly isolated from world opinion, just because white voters aren’t sure about that whole “change” thing. Ya know, it’s just too vague and ill-defined, unlike, say, four more years of the same, which is very concrete and certain…


White privilege is, in short, the problem.

SNL: Palin/Clinton Skit

This was an absolute scream! Just too funny...and why? Well, it wouldn't be funny if there wasn't some truth and irony in it. These two ladies have Palin & Clinton down pat. Funny.

9/12/08

Beauty is Expensive

This week I have spent what probably most people would consider a goo-gob amount of money on "Maintenance." Tuesday, I went with a girlfriend to the Red Door Spa & Lunch for a ladies afternoon out. We each had a mani & pedi. These two services took from 12pm-2 to complete on each of us....AND IT WAS WELL WORTH EVERY MINUTE. That was the best mani & pedi I have ever had from the srub to the paraffin wax to the arm & leg massage. However, when she rang me up, I almost fell out and had a stroke (I played it off though as if it was nothing but a thing). I cost almost 3x more than I would have paid at the little shop around the corner. Whew! I have to tell you that my hands and feel still look and fell wonderful, but damn.

Yesterday, I went to my salon (yeah, it's a salon - not a shop) to have my color done. My hair looked fantabulous when it was all said and done. This white girl (who just received her Master Red.ken Colorist Certificate) can do some hair! I asked her about the "Michelle Obama Relaxer" and she laughed and said I didn't need it. I haven't had a relaxer in my hair in over a year, thanks to my girl and her tutelage, and it still lays like I want it. She hooked up my "bob", recommend some products, and sent me on my way. LAWD HAB MURCEY! When they rang up my service & products, I had to call the bank to ask for a small biz loan. Da Hell! I can't even bring myself to say the total cost w/tip but it was WAY over a c-note.

But DAMN my hair looked good. Beauty Maintenance IS NOT cheap. Not by a long shot.

Here are some pics of the hair:


9/11/08

Total Se.xi.ne.ss for Women

Yeah, any of these would do it for me. LOL. On a couple of these, I would look at him like what alien space ship snatched my husband away and when will he be back or did he have a virus or something. Cute.






9/8/08

Broads Who Brunch

Yesterday, a bunch of ladies (Broads who Brunch) got together to celebrate CreoleInDC's Birthday. I don't know about anybody else, but I had a great time with these ladies. The food was great and the company even better. You simply can't help but keep your stride stank and take your game up a notch when you are surrounded by a bunch of fabulous women. I mean really...the birthday girl even brought thank you gift bags for everyone who attended and it was HER celebration. DAG NABITT. Humph. That's okay, I wore a Tiara instead of a hat...and my shoes were FIERCE. Don't hate, Participate! By the way, I loved my gift and it is in my purse as we speak.

Enjoy this little video an afternoon with The Broads Who Brunch....




9/6/08

Prince Jordan's Senior Pictures

Yes, my baby, Prince Jordan (heir to the Steptoe Empire) is a Senior. While I will admit that I am biased, I think he is the most handsome young man on the face of the planet and will fight you to the death if I even suspect that you question that fact.

I have been playing around with this new thingy I found Stumbling around called "Scrapblog". Check out a compilation of Prince Jordan's Senior Pictures. (If the music is crazy, sorry - my computer acted up and I couldn't hear how it sounded)




9/5/08

Community Organizers Go Home

There seems to be not much respect for Community Organziers by the GOP. Would that be because they are not that much interested in the community? I dunno, but I did find Roland Martin, Jon Stewart and Sen. Barak Obama's response on point.

"Jon Stewart Rips GOP over Community Organziers"


Obama's response to GOP attach on Community Organziers


Roland Martin's Slam back at GOP's slam on Community Organizers

The TravelDiva for President

With so much at stake, there is one candidate that may be able to make the difference. TravelDiva has surprised both Democrats and Republicans with a grass roots effort. This candidate has made many wonder: Who is The TravelDiva?

View the I News 3 report here to find out:
http://www.inews3.com/topstory.php?id=5468657c54726176656c44697661


9/3/08

Passive Agressive People - Part 2

You'll need to go back and read my original post on Passive Agressive People to get the whole story (and you might want to read the back story leading up to that rant and the post after that).

Here is a comment I received today on that post from months ago - from another passive agressive person (all Anonymous and ish):
Anonymous said...
With your aggressive language and attitude, it's no wonder people are passive-aggressive with you. Not blaming you for someone else's annoying behavior, but have you ever considered how your aggressiveness impacts the situation?

For those of you who know me and are my friends, who read here daily and don't pick and choose the posts (out of context at that), you know for a fact that I am not an agressive person. I may be direct, and to the point, but I am not the person my anonymous friend describes. Whatever. For the record, "people" are not, as a rule, passive-aggressive with me. The person I was talking about was that way and since her behavior and actions were done when I was not around, my aggressiveness could not have impacted the situation. You're very comment, anonymous and out of context, is exactly what I was talking about. Uggah.

If you find my writing here "aggressive" then don't read it. I wouldn't want to impact you in a way that made you a back-stabbing, ankle nipper passive aggressive.

9/2/08

Mother HotNESS

My mother was not to be outdone by The Handy HotNESS crew. After inspection of her work, she has been authorized to be a member of The Handy HotNESS crew. She is the Matriarch of Handiness.

Check out her work at Sandy's Place....