My Degrees Will Keep Me Warm at Night....Lol!

So recently there seems to have been an uptick in stories abut the plight of the single, black, successful woman. I blame Obama (just kidding!) (Seems like we blame the President for everything, so why not this?)  But seriously, you know the drill, the producer rounds up a couple of highly accomplished black women, who are more successful at acquiring degrees than they are at acquiring boyfriends :-) Then the producer rattles off a list of depressing statistics about how many black men are dead or in jail, usually followed by the women going on some sort of tirade about how "they won't settle."    I say, "don't believe the hype."

I'm not saying that dating prospects are exactly abundant, but I try not to be hung up on statistics. According to the statistics, I as the product of a single-parent home and fairly mediocre public schools, shouldn't be earning a Ph.D. So what the hell ever. Of course some single black women are lonely, but sometimes the loneliest people you meet are those in relationships. It seems like all these pieces do is instill fear in black women, and inflate the egos of black men, without ever addressing the root cause of the problem.  Watch the video at your own risk:

If a Tree Falls in the Forest...(aka If You Write a Blog and Nobody Reads It)

So clearly I'm not exactly consistent with my blogging.  Cut me some slack.   I'm working on a Ph.D., all while trying to be a better daughter, sister, friend, and person.  I am contemplating terminating the blog after a paltry seven posts.  I like my blog, and I feel like I have interesting things to say, but perhaps they are just interesting to me.  We'll see if a) I continue the blog and b) if I find a more specific niche for the blog, rather than trying to cover food, fashion and politics--all in one blog (especially since I"m yet to write a post about food). Ciao for now!

Now Why You Wanna Go And Do That Love?

I feel like I've lost my first love!  Cream of Nature has changed their shampoo formula!  You have to understand, I've used Cream of Nature products since I was a little girl  (I'm damn near 30 years old now).  Back before I knew anything about hair products and ingredients, I knew that Cream of Nature was always able to take the tangles out of my 'fro.  Fast forward to teenage years and adulthood, I still relied of Cream of Nature--whether my hair was relaxed, fried dyed and laid to the side, or sewn up under a curly weave, Cream of Nature always did the trick.

As I became more interested in hair care and beauty products, I learned on the beauty blogs what my hair had known all along--Cream of Nature Shampoo worked great on kinky/curly hair.  The product's uncanny ability to take out the tangles is due to the fact that it's sulfate-free.  Sodium Lauryl Sulfate or any other shampoo ingredient ending in "sulfate"strips hair of it's natural oils.  Anyways, the new Cream of Nature Shampoo formula contains sodium lauryl sulfate :-(  I feel like they've broken my heart.  Never mind the marketing and the slick orange bottles, the new stuff, is well, no good.

The new stuff is also not that new, as they changed the formula almost a year ago.  However, I had a 64 oz bottle of the old stuff, which enabled me to turn a blind eye to the new stuff, and live in ignorance.  Now that my bottle is gone, I'm on a quest for a replacement shampoo.  I'm sure I can find some sulfate free shampoos at Whole Foods or Trader Joe's, but the beauty of the old Cream of Nature was that it was cheap!  I really don't want to pay $25 for an 8 oz bottle of the latest leaves and berries organic shampoo.  I'll let you guys know what I find.

Seriously, I cannot believe I've dedicated such a long post to this topic, but like a woman scorned, I"m going on and on about my "broken heart."  Ciao!

Gabourey Sidibe: Star of the Movie "Precious"

OK. So I know it's been awhile since I've blogged, but honestly, there hasn't been much happening that has inspired me to blog. Plus, I feel like because I live in West Bumble, I'm behind the curve on a lot of things. For example, apparently I missed the ten-day window in which "Good Hair," played in this area. I have also missed the memo on all these juicy interviews, including Diane Sawyer's interview with Rhianna, and Robin Roberts' interview with Janet Jackson.

Therefore, I'm not even going to bother to review the movie, "Precious" in this post (although I thought it was a pretty good movie). My thoughts are that most of you have seen it already. Instead, I'd like to pose a question about the star of the movie, Gabourey "Gabby" Sidibe (sidenote: I have no ill intentions here). However, I am really curious as to whether folks think that the movie industry will pressure Sidibe to lose weight, now that's she's gotten major acclaim? Also, do you think she should lose weight, or is she fine the way she is?

In a recent interview with Oprah, Gabby said, "My first diet started when I was six years old." "I've never been a small girl. One day I had to sit down with myself and decide that I loved myself no matter what my body looked like and what other people thought about my body."


(January 16, 2009
- Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images North America)

Her confidence seems to have caught the director of the movie, Lee Daniels, by surprise. According to Daniels, "She is unequivocally comfortable in her body, in a very bizarre way. Either she's in a state of denial or she's so elevated that she's on another level. "I had no doubt in my mind that she had four or five boyfriends, easily."

Personally I really admire her self-confidence, particularly in a world in which there is a lot of pressure for women to be thin. However, is she as an arguably morbidly obese woman in a "state of denial" because she is happy with her body?

Like I said, there is no intention to be a jerk here, I'm just curious about people's thoughts.

Free Makeover from Estee Lauder

With the change in seasons you might be hoping to get your hands on some new makeup, but don't want to pay a pretty penny. If so check out Estee Lauder. Beginning October 16th, the company which owns other famous brands such as Origins, Bobbi Brown, and M.A.C. Cosmetics is offering FREE makeovers as well as glam/professional pics at select Bloomingdale's, Macy's and Saks department stores.

Pros: Free makeover for your profile pic, plus a 10-day supply of foundation to all participants, with NO (I repeat "NO") purchase required.

Cons: The offer is only available at select locations. Unfortunately for me, I can't find a participating location here in West Bumble. Also, the foundations come in a variety of shades that should be able to match MOST brown skin, but I'm skeptical that the colors will match very dark skin. If the names are any indication, I'm not too hopeful. Judging from what I've seen online "Truffle" and "Spice" are the darkest options (disclaimer: I haven't seen them in person). Check out their foundation finder and let me know your thoughts.

Obama Wins the Nobel Peace Prize?

So call me a hater, but what in the hell was the Nobel Committee thinking in awarding President Barack Obama the Nobel Peace Prize? Announcing the award, the Nobel committee cited President Obama "for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples" and said that he had "created a new climate in international politics." Not only is the award premature, but how does the committee justify giving the award to someone who is advocating the escalation of a war in which civilians are being killed on a near daily basis? I'm all about recognizing potential, but giving the award to someone because they pay lip service to change is just downright stupid. Please name FIVE things that President Obama has done that warrants his receipt of this award.
Also, I'm no Bill Clinton fan, but damn, even he deserved the Nobel Peace Prize before Obama. I bet Bill and Hillary are silently super pissed right about now. At least Clinton helped negotiate peace agreements in the Middle East and Northern Ireland! Granted, the Middle East peace was fleeting, but that's more than what Obama has done to date in that area. Listen, I campaigned for the man, donated money to his campaign, and I voted for him, but let's stop treating the man like Jesus! I'm also just really tired of people who act like if we are supposed to support him without question, just because he is "progressive," black, or whatever other shared identity I am presumed to have with him. Get a grip people! How can we ever hold the President and our government accountable if we behave like sheep?
Finally, I'm really annoyed by people on both the Right and the Left, who equate criticism of the President or the United States with being unpatriotic. I don't typically like to go around quoting slave owners, but I think Thomas Jefferson said it best, "Dissent is the highest form of patriotism." So if dissent or critical thinking are equivalent to "hating," then just call me "quirky black hater..."

Hateration

OK. So why is everyone obsessed with terming something as "hateration," or referring to someone as a "hater"? I am over this era of calling someone a hater, just because they dislike something or express a dissenting opinion. As a matter of fact, don't "hate" on me, just because I am a critical thinker. Sometimes so called "hate," is well founded criticism and an opportunity for self reflection. I feel like we've entered an age in which people don't ever think that their ideas or behavior should be challenged, because it's automatically assumed that someone is "hating" on them. Sometimes there are haters, and sometimes you just need to do better. Either way, it's an opportunity for you to examine yourself, and perhaps fuel your desire to succeed.

Blackwashing

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
The Word - Blackwashing
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Protests

I think Colbert is right on point with this! President Obama denies that the mob like behavior at the health care town hall meetings is indicative of racism. I disagree. The claims of "This is America" or "I want my America Back" are what we call in Political Science "coded language." This is just another example of African Americans not being viewed as "American" or loyal to these United States of America. I understand why President Obama cannot go around shouting claims of racism, but it still annoys me that he won't publicly admit that race is a factor in the discourse about health care reform.

BTW, what do you think about Colbert's use of black face? Did he go too far? I have to admit, I cringed a bit at that part.

Not So Dazzled...

     According to maccosmetics.com, dazzleglass is a "Lipcolour that dazzles with light and shine to bring an exciting dimensional pop to your lips. Large particle pearls reflect and refract light to mimic the brilliance of quartz and opal crystal."
    The colors are beautiful and are available in twenty different shades.  However, I find the dazzleglass to be a bit tacky (moreso than the regular lipglasses and lustreglasses).  In fact, I went to a party last night and saw a lot of friends who I had not seen in quite sometime.  Needless to say, I was doing a lot of hugging and kissing.  Unfortunately people's hair kept getting caught in my dazzleglass!  
    The other issue with the dazzleglasss is that I seem to be depleting it rather quickly.  I don't think I'm applying more glass than I usually do.  I think it has something to do with the consistency.   Has anyone else experienced this?  Thoughts on this?

Baby By Me?!

So please tell me that I'm not the only one who is bothered by 50 cent's new single, "Baby By Me."   The song starts off with a sample of the rapper's voice from "I Get Money": "Have a baby by me/ Be a millionaire."  Now, I could go on a long rant about how rap music isn't what it once was, but you've all heard that line before.  Bottom line, the song is socially irresponsible.  The last message that young girls need is that the way to making millions is to have a baby by a celebrity!  I can't say that I'm surprised by 50's foolishness, but I expected better from Ne-Yo, who is featured on the song.  The hook should be: "Have a baby by me/ Risk getting an STD."