Song yet Sung

I just finished James McBride's new book Song yet Sung. Its a gritty novel based in the antebellum south about a slave who has visions of the future. On one hand, she wants to stop struggling for freedom because the visions she has not hopeful. She sees music videos, drugs, shootings... a lot of the negative images that she doesn't understand. But she comes to know that her existence is vital to the future. It's an emotional and inspiring novel of survival. I definitely recommend.

Is Church Necessary?

I was at the basketball court playing with one of my good friends, just shooting around remembering the glory days of past. *sigh* Anyways, somehow we got on the subject of religion. Here is part of our conversation:

Me: But I'm a good person and I pray everyday. And I put my trust in God and I love him.
Him: I know, but how often do you miss church?
Me: Well...
Him: Do you ever miss work? I bet you're there on time everyday.
Me: Yes, just about...
Him: But you can't make it to church once a week? What do you think that says to HIM?
Me: But is it that big a deal? Why is that so important?
Him: Because you can't do it by yourself.

This just really got me thinking. On one hand I don't believe you have to go to church every Sunday to be a good Christian but on another hand, I see what my friend was trying to say. Being a Christian is not easy. I mean I fall down everyday. But you have to have some support system so that when you do fall or stray away, you come back. Because it is a personal journey doesn't mean you do it alone. You need some type of accountability partner, like a church, bible group, or a loved one. Someone to knock you over the head when you're being a selfish and judgemental and say "Snap outta of it!"

This also made me think of a great book I read recently, called "Blue Like Jazz" by Donald Miller. It's tagline is Non-religious thoughts on Christian Spirituality. It's a beautiful semi-memoir of a young man's thoughts, conflictions, and realizations of the Christian faith. This probably won't be the last time I write about this book. I don't believe eveything he says, but a lot of it really touched me. Here is a quote:

"I was watching BET one night and they were interviewing a man about jazz music. He said jazz music was invented by the first generation out of slavery. I thought that was beautiful because, while it is music, it is very hard to put on paper; it is so much more a language of the soul...

...It is a music birthed out of freedom. And that is the closest thing I know to Christian spirituality. A music birthed out of freedom. Everybody sings their song the way they feel it, everybody closes their eyes and lifts their hands..." pg.239

Trash your television!

No not literally...but try turning it off awhile. By default, I do have a T.V. but I don't have cable because I've been too lazy to get it installed. But did you know that average American watches 4.5 hours of t.v. a day, which equates to roughly 32 hours a week! Think about what you could be doing during that time! Now I know you've heard people say turn off the T.V. and start living, but that exactly how I feel. Since I've been without cable, I:

1. Exercise more (no couch potato here)
2. Read more
3. Sleep better (no more falling asleep with the t.v. on!)
4. Spend less $$ (I'm not as persuaded by the slick marketing ads)
4. Have an overall better sense of well-being. Since I stopped filling my head with all the mindless crap they show (i.e. reality shows, even the news at times), my head feels clearer and I'm more focused. I come to my own conclusions without being influenced by outside sources.

Now I do rent movies because I appreciate well made films. But I think there's a difference between being hooked on good movies and being hooked on Dancing with the Stars. This is not to say that I don't sometimes slip in my sister's room and watch a show or two with her because I did grow up on T.V., its just that afterward I feel like it was such a waste of time. So as a recommendation to all, I suggest turning your television off, embracing the silence, and doing all those things you've been meaning to do for so long. I guarantee you'll find yourself happier!

Beyonce's Wedding Ring

The buzz is that Beyonce's wedding ring is 16 carats! Can you believe that? I know I shouldn't be dedicating a whole post to Beyonce's wedding ring...but I can't get over it! I mean is that really neccessary? Maybe I'm just a simple girl but that's a little tawdry I think. And people thought JLo's 6 carat ring was big...

Is America Ready?

An article today says that 76% of the country believe America is ready for a black president. The interesting part is of those surveyed, 78% of whites believe the country is ready, while 69% of blacks believe the country is ready. Of the blacks, that optimism is higher among males than females.

Alot of that skeptism can be attributed to life experiences of blacks...which makes sense. Yet I wonder why females are more skeptical than males? Does that mean we are more doubtful and suspicious of the world than our male counterparts? Do we not give the world enough credit? Should we? Hmmm

I think the country is ready.

You can read the article here:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/04/03/poll.black.president/index.html#cnnSTCText?iref

Running for a Cause

As discussed before, I am a avid consumer of sugar laced coffee and white wine. Combine this with sitting in a cube all day and the resulting figure is not cute. So over the last 2 months I've gotten off my ex-track running bum and back in the gym. I mean, we can't slack on our health right? And I'm loving the natural high and stress reduction I get from it.

Today I signed up to run a 5K on April 26th. One of my co-workers is a road warrior, so she served as a inspiration for that decision. I feel like it gives me something to work toward. And the money goes toward a non-profit organization that provides food to families in my hometown. I'm pretty excited about it!

Condi as VP?

I think the upcoming presidential election is so interesting. One of my co-workers just informed me that this morning on NPR, they discussed that Condi Rice is being considered as a potential running mate for John McCain. So I looked it up and sure enough, it’s true. Now I don’t completely identify as a Democrat or a Republican… but I do lean more so toward the LEFTIST side. And for some reason, a sense of “delight” swelled up inside of me. That a black woman, like me, is being considered as a desirable VP nominee made me look at the GOP a different way. I don’t deny that I do disagree with a lot of the policies that she is a stanch supporter of, but overall I believe she is a remarkable woman. Is it wrong to feel a sense of pride that she’s being considered? Does that make me a traitor? I wonder how Democrats will feel about it?

Noel Gourdin

So I'm loving this new artist named Noel Gourdin. One of my bfs put me on to him a long ago, but I'm just getting around to looking for his CD. I ran to Target and Best Buy to pick it up and both tell me I have to order it. I really want to support him so I guess I'll do it.

He reminds a little of John Legend and Anthony Hamilton. But there's something in his voice that's thick and sweet, like molasses over biscuits on Sunday morning. So soulful. I really hope he gets the credit he deserves.

You can visit his website here : http://www.noelmusic.net/

Update: I just checked two websites and the cds are $34.99! Can you believe that? I never heard of a cd being that much. I guess I'll have to wait for the prices to come down.

Living life on the bright side

Why do I describe myself as a cynical optimist?

Because I choose to believe that the best will happen. BUT I'm very aware that the worst could and that people are innately selfish and contemptuous. But I choose to believe that good will prevail. I believe happiness itself is a choice.

On a good note, it appears that people who are optimists live longer--about 19% longer than people that are pessimists. That's a long time when we're talking about lifespan!

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=50849

Great book for you career climbers!

To all those career climbers, I want to recommend a book I found extremely insightful. "Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office" gives you 101 unconscious mistakes women make to sabotage their careers. It pretty short and an easy read. I found I do a lot of things that I should consciously stop doing. Here are my top 4:

1. Wanting everyone to like you
2. Failing to capitalize on relationships
3. Speaking softly
4. Sitting on your foot (Yes I do this because it's comfortable. But apparently it gives the impression that you are little girl rather than a professional woman. Makes sense.)

It really points out things we as women do that may be percieved as weaker to the opposite sex. And I just found out that it's being made into a t.v. series! Not bad for a self help book!

Emotional Baggage

It's been exactly almost exactly two years since my last relationship. Do I care? No. I moved on a long time ago. Plus, I love going on dates, meeting new people, having a reason to dress up, and being completely selfish. I love that feeling of liking someone, and finding out they like you back. I also love the notion of LOVE. But why am I finding so hard to love someone back again?

Anyone that knows me knows that I am completely infatuated with a guy in the beginning. But approximately 3 months or so into the "getting to know you" process I'm looking for a way out. It's as if somewhere in the process a sense of heaviness sits on me. It overwhelms me. Am I ready to open myself up to someone new? Am I ready to care again? I've been contemplating this for awhile, but I think I know why. I have emotional BAGGAGE. It doesn't start weighing on me until I feel myself getting close to someone. It's like I'm dragging luggage through the airport, and it's easier to just drop it than continue on. Don't get me wrong, I love myself and I'm a stronger person since that last relationship. But I've denied for a long time that maybe it did leave me somewhat scarred.

When does this feeling go away I wonder? Have I just not met the right person that makes me want to tredge the distance? Or is it something I have to face myself before starting something new?

Jayonce

So looks like the hip hop couple finally decided to tie the knot last night. Good for them. Although I seem to have a love/hate relationship with Beyonce (more love than hate), I like them together. Would she have been with him if he wasn't a mogul? Probably not. But I can't fault her for that. She's pretty and damn good entertainer. "Dangerously in Love" is probably one of my favorite modern love songs. They've been dating since 2002 so it seems about time right? I've always been impressed with the way they've been able to stay mum about their relationship. Must work...other celebrities should take note.

Cheers to Jayonce!

1st Post

I'm pretty excited about this new project. Last time I started a blog I was dealing with a lot of feelings I wasn't used to so it was basically an outlet. When I got over it I stopped blogging. This time I have no agenda in particular, just a place I can write my thoughts, inspirations (or lack thereof) , and daily observations. I hope you enjoy!