History in the Making ....

45 years ago, Martin Luther King stood at the Lincoln Memorial and delivered one of the greatest speeches of our time. In that speech he said:

We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency
of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take
the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the
promises of democracy.

How synchronistic is it that today Barack Obama, the first African-American with a legitimate chance to become President, will deliver his acceptance speech for the Democratic party's nomination? WOW! The now-ness and the urgency he felt so many years ago is exactly the way I feel today. I feel like I am watching history and in November, I with my fellow Americans will participate in history by voting in the most watched American election ever.

I always had an affinity for American history and politics. I love the democrat process we as Americans are granted. I celebrate patriotic holidays with vigor and pride. I wholeheartedly believe ever American should know the songs that built our country and sing them with pride. I relate to the red, white and blue even when the red signifies the blood and strife of my forefathers that were slaves. I stand for each and every civil liberty we have (yes I make a point to tell the airline officials I do not agree with their policies EVERYtime). And today these fundamental things that make me feel so connected with the pride of being an American reach a pinnacle.

There have been many a great political leader I have admired and truly loved. My affection for all things Kennedy have been evident since what feels like birth. Presidents Jimmy Carter and William Jefferson Clinton have made huge impressions on my life and the way I am as a citizen. Even Ronald Reagan has made me feel proud to be an American but there is something different and more akin with me and Mr. Obama.

If you think it is because we are both Black, that would be the obvious choice but that would also be incorrect. The thing about Barack Obama is his earnest belief in the power and responsibility of each and every individual to contribute to the positive change of our communities. It is the fact that he stands in the face of criticism, cynicism and ridicule with pride and honor. His belief in hope and positivity are shown not only through his eloquent speeches, but more so in the way he has lived his life. He is an example of the type of American I want to be. He is the man I want to lead my country to the tenants it was founded on and today he is one step closer to that. Barack Obama is the leader that can get us closer to the freedom Dr. King so visioned 45 years ago ...

And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:
Free at last! Free at last!
Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!

Sometimes It Just Feels Right ...

This week feels good.

I am reminded how in The Alchemist at one point things just seemed to flow together even though he had know idea of what was about to happen. I feel in that place - I don't know what is about to happen but I feel chance and growth and it feels good.

I'm really excited - scared too - but more excited. And courage is feeling that fear and doing it anyway. I'm doing some stuff ... we shall see!

Isn't She Lovely

I am in tears as I type ... happy tears, proud tears, hopeful tears! I just heard Michelle Obama's speech from the Democratic National Convention and I am proud to be an American, proud to be an African-American and proud to be a woman but most of all proud to be present at this point in our history.

She so eloquently spoke on her life and her husband and I am beyond excited for what the next page in history will be with him as leader of America. Change is happening all around us, major change. Gigantic shifts in how the world is viewing itself. Her speech spoke to that.

Who are we not to dream and then go after those dreams? Who are we not to pursue our greatness and find a way to give back to our communities and our families? Well I'll speak for me, who am I not to?

I am so excited about the America we are becoming with the leadership of the Obama's.

YES WE CAN!!!!!!!!!!

Playtime

I write a lot about being myself and wanting to just be me. Well today I am going to be honest with myself about myself. I believe before you can get what you want you have to be clear on what it is you want before you can obtain it. I know exactly what I want but in some aspects of my life, my wants are too "bad" or seem "not right." As a result I have created a pattern where I shy away from what I truly desire.

Case in point, my social life. I've always enjoyed a quite interesting social life. I've generally been in the best cliques and ran in the best circles. I like nice things and I've always been in the company of nice things and cool people. I used to say a lot in Indiana "I'm the coolest person I know and I know some cool people." Speaking of Indiana, I had a ball. Living in the middle of nowhere did not sour my social life - it enhanced it. Now that I live in one of the most fabulous cities in the U.S. and am pretty well connected, my social life sucks. Why? Because now in Hollywood, my social life merges with my career. Here is weird - for instance, in Indiana if I wanted to party and not be viewed as unprofessional, I just went to places where the athletes and folk from the athletic department didn't frequent. That way I could have the best of both worlds. I could go out and wild out and at work no one would be the wiser. It is not that way here.

Los Angeles is interesting ... well to be honest I don't live in L.A., I live in Hollywood and it is a whole 'nother species. Here it is all networking all the time. Even when I go out and have fun and "do my thing" I can't REALLY do my thing because there is always someone there that could be standing between me and that next level ... I am an assistant looking to cross over so I have to be careful about my actions and reactions at ALL times here. Even simple things like going to lunch on a weekend become a networking event - I'm always on.

Work DaVida is not the same as play DaVida (don't get it twisted there are numerous forms of DaVida: work, play, family, Louisiana, Houston, L.A., Miami, in a relationship, will whip your azz, nice as pie versions of DaVida's to name a few). I work extremely hard and when I am able to party I go hard ... REAL hard. I haven't been able to do that in sometime and I feel stir crazy. It is like the city is closing in on me. All of my friends from the Indy days are going back there soon for a bachelorette party but I can't go. It looks like I'll be at work on Labor Day so my plans to drive to Phoenix are not so good either. ARGH.

I seek balance. I know it has been said that you can be yourself 100 percent all the time and I that is true for some people but not so much for me in this town. Luckily tonight I'm too tired to care. Problem is there's been too many of those nights lately. And there's night's like tomorrow where I'm going out but I kind of have to so you know what that means - more networking which means more work DaVida.

When am I going to be able to come out and play?

Happy Bday Karla

Aaaahhh 5:00 and I am so bored at work because the phones have stopped ringing. I decided to check out Karla's blog looking for something about her glorious birthday was today. She had not blogged on it yet but she did bless me with a quiz/questionairre. That is so typical of Karla ... always giving even on days when she should be receiving. I love you Karla! Happy bday and many more!!!!!!!!!!!

On her blog, Confessions of a Former Hot Girl, Karla listed these instructions:

• Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions
• Bold all the items you've eaten
• Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
• If you've put it on your blog, or emailed it to friends, shoot me an email of your list or post a comment here linking to your results.
  
  The VGT Omnivore's Hundred:

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak Tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Frois gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar (well it wasn't THAT fat)
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat's milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut (best memory was w/Karla)
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald's Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S'mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs' legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel with lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

Ewwwww!

There are certain words in the English language that make me squirm. Someone walking around the office I work in just said one - Piss.

I hate that word. It is just so ewww!!! I don't like the different uses of piss either (pissy, pisstivity, pissed). I generally don't use any of those words because I get an instant memory of the first time I heard my mother say something smelled pissy. It is worse than a normal urine smell - pissy is like stale, old nasty pee. EWWW!!!!

Miss Independent

Every now and then a song comes along that I feel defines the woman I want to be come. The highlights of these songs have been hits like "Bossy," "Upgrade U," and even "Queen B*&ch" back in the day to name a few. Today I heard a song that I feel defines a little more of who I am right now. I don't usually listen to the radio, but today I tuned in on the way to the job. I heard Neyo's Miss Independent. This is my new cut!

This song made me so proud to be exactly who I am right now. There is something to be said about my independence - Neyo said there is something about a woman who can do for herself. That is right Neyo! I can take care of myself pretty well by now. He also says there is something about a woman who wants but doesn't need you. That is right! When I was younger I needed every guy I dated ... well I thought I did. Now I don't need a man, I can handle my needs on my own. I do want to be in a relationship. I want a man, but I'm not as needy or pressed anymore. Now I know that it'll happen when it happens and it will be right because I'm right. I'm a little more independent now!