doors can shut, to make new beginnings ((let that story go!!))

doors can shut, to make new beginnings, a photo by notsogoodphotography on Flickr.

Well.. I watched Oprah's life class for the very first time last night and only because my sister sent me a text to tell me it was on. I knew about the show, but would usually watch reruns of Martin or whatever "wives" show is on instead.

This time, I 'm glad I did.

Iyanla Vanzant (whose name I have been spelling wrong all this time) was on and I usually enjoy her, so I buckled on down and paid attention.

The main thing that I held on to after the show went off was how she told er'body to "let your story go." What I got from that was to stop holding on to that sob story of HOW you got in your current situation and focus on the here and now. Let it go!!

Stop leaning on the "past" as an excuse to why you can't fulfill your goal or vision or dream. Stop the "I can't because this happened..." or "This happened to me back in the day so.." and another thing she said (which I wish I could remember verbatim) was targeted at us single mothers.. Stop saying "I'm a single mom so I can't.." which flows out of my mouth constantly.

If you are into self-improvement and all that jazz.. I do recommend you check this episode out when it rebroadcasts or is available on-line.

Peace!!

Haven't Whined About This In Awhile..

After another exciting Friday night of Pinterest, Netflix topped off with Jimmy Fallon, it occured to me that dating is just like the old TV game show Press Your Luck.

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You meet a decent person who seems to have common sense. ***No Whammy!!**

Go out a couple of times and find that they are funny, smart and love to have a good time just like you. **No Whammy, Please!!**

You find that you both have a plethora of things in common and start to think: "Ok.. this could lead to a little something." **I'm almost to the big money, No Whammy! Please!!**

Then, BAM, you find that they are full of games and the both of you are NOT on the same page. Whammy!!

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So, then you pick your face back up off the ground, square your shoulders and get yo swagger back. You look in the mirror and remind yourself that:

"You is kind. You is smart. You is important." - Aibileen (The Help)

(I hope this video is decent. Can't preview it from my work computer..)

Remember.. Love is still in your face!!

Had To Take Things Up a Notch....

Another weight loss post....

I think I may have mentioned this before, but I am attempting to be fit by 40. Achieve stone cold foxiness by the time I reach my next decade of livin'. For some reason though, I cannot stay motivated. I have managed to fit in two, yes TWO, workouts in since we started Season 2 of our Biggest Loser "Beach Body" challenge at the j-o-b on March 2nd.

So, I made the hasty decision (which is how I make most of the important decisions in my life) to hunt down some weight loss "supplements."

I walk into GNC looking desperate as ever and the sales guy spotted a sucka immediately. He tried to get me to buy some program that included cleansing, meal plans, work out plans and stuff, but anything that requires me to follow a routine will not be done. So, I bought a bottle of some thermogenic pills Total Lean Burn 60 and   a bottle of water pills. Here they are - da pills

I tried the Burn 60's yesterday evening and they did manage to help me complete an entire workout. What is considered a workout in my book? A walk-away-the pounds dvd. Specifically this one. It may seem lame, but believe me you will be sweating your arse off by third mile.

Let's see how this new plan pans out...  If this doesn't work, than it's on to EURO-TRAINING!!!

Give Me That Thug Love!

For someone who has Lil Wayne's Carter IV, Watch the Throne and YoungBloodz featuring Lil' Jon in constant rotation on my music player and will watch movies like King of Paper Chasin' in a heartbeat, I am a huge, bourgeois book snob. I'm one of those people who would literally turn my nose up at the so called "urban fiction" that is displayed in Wal-mart's book section. I mean who wants to read an entire book about some girl from the streets who falls in love with a drug dealer, blah, blah, blah.  The Coldest Winter Ever by Sister Souljah (which is da bomb) was the closest I came to reading anything similar and that's where it stopped.

Well, I finally got around to using a Barnes & Noble gift card I received for Christmas and ordered these books:

The Loom by Shella Gillus. The type of book I normally read because I love to read historical fiction. Specifically any story set during antebellum slavery to 1950's or 60's. Couldn't explain why, but I get all caught up.

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Gathering of Waters by Bernice McFadden. After J. California Cooper this is one of my all-time favorite authors. This woman could re-write Green Eggs and Ham and I would read it.

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Ok so, I started reading The Loom this weekend when I ran across the book White Lines by Tracy Brown.

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 I cannot put this book down. I done left a southern plantation in 1847, took it the streets of New York in the 90's and can't find my way back. Yes, the main character is from the projects, was getting beat down by her step-father, is hooked on crack and...(ok, I won't ruin it for those who plan to read it). Let's just say, the book has 496 pages and I am only on page 97. I feel like I've watched an entire season of The Wire after the first couple of chapters. Love it!

I don't know yall, it might be hard for me to go back and try to read the copies of Toni Morrison's Love or Love in the Time of Cholera that I've been meaning to get around to after "slumming" it for a couple of days.

**now adding other books from Triple Crown Publications to Amazon wish list. A Hustler's Wife, A Hustler's Son...the list goes on**

First Day of Spring

dahlia 4/18/08, a photo by the1pony on Flickr.

Although Dallas is receiving more rain than we can handle, I love that today is the first day of spring. The season of rejuvenation, rebirth, regrowth and renewal. And any other "re-" you can think of.

I decided I needed to "re-up" my blogging and start posting everyday again. My slacking skills kicked in and it's time to release those.

"It is better when you kill us..."

I'm not an activist by any means and I never stand up for "a cause." **hangs head for a second** However, I got word of a documentary that's gone viral on YouTube from the Invisible Children folks who are trying to bring some attention to the atrocities being handed out by Joseph Kony. This summamabitch is the leader of the L.R.A in Uganda. (That's Lord's Resistance Army). He has no reason or cause why he does what he does, but for the past 26 years he has kidnapped approximately 30,000 children and turned the boys into rebel soldiers and the girls into sex slaves.

The header is a quote from one of the young boys in the documentary below. He would rather die than stay here on earth. That hit me like a brick, so I had to post something. I may be flying well below the radar, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to do my part to bring some attention to this travesty.



"Where you live, shouldn't determine if you live."

Stay blessed. Because if you are able to read this, than you are doing a whole lot better than many others.

Gotta Love New Music from Good Artists

There are two things that bring little moments of excitement to my life, new music from an artist I really like and new books in the mail.

While checking out a few of the blogs I normally frequent, I discovered two new songs posted on the blog Soulbounce.com (Good blog to check out if you love music as much as I do.)

Tamia has been holding her own for quite awhile now, but it wasn't until her 2006 album Between Friends that I really became a fan. I wore those tracks out!  I would play the entire thing over and over. I'm happy she is returning with a new single "Beautiful Surprise" which is right up my alley. A song about being in love from a woman in love.



Next, we have Q Parker from the '90's group 112. I have to admit I was never a fan of that group; but after listening to this single from Q, I may have to go back and listen to a few of their hits again. A song from a man trying to prove his love is better than the next dude's is always a winner in my book.  Props to Q-dog.



And that's all I have to say about that.

Have You Seen Her? (Putting Myself on Blast)

Well, today is the first day of part 2 of the Biggest Loser Challenge at the job. I did manage to get a little jump start on Saturday evening by walking for an hour, but topped the weekend off with movie theater popcorn and pork chops. So, there's that.

Here we are at day one. I decided to try something new by searching on-line for inspirational pictures to keep me motivated ( i.e., photos of celebrities who pay thousands of dollars a year to keep it tight). Since that is a tab bit unrealistic, I just decided to pull up some old photos of myself from 5 years ago when I was a regular walker and non-lover of fast food, snack cakes and didn't drink sugar laced coffee every morning.

You see what had happened was, I had a big wake-up call back in mid to late 2006. I was on a sorta, kinda weight loss thang back in 2005 then the whole Katrina brouhaha ensued and I made my way to the DF-dub. If I wasn't trying to figure out if I was going to stay in Dallas or not, I was probably eating. When one day, I realized I was about 5 pounds less than mi papa. Oh hell to the naw! I started walking 5 days-a-week followed by free weights every morning, immediately.

I went from here:

I can't believe I'm posting this...Vegas August 2006 



To here:

early 2007 maybe. 4 dress sizes down.

2007.. started going downhill from here, but I was still 6 dress sizes down.

I got hired at my current job and it all went downhill from there. The walking workouts went from 5 days-a-week to 1 or 2 days-a-week to nothing.  Picked up a pack of cookies and never put them back down. Before you know it, the 40 pounds I lost had done crept back up on me. Give or take 5 pounds. 

I am now here:

Friday, March 2nd..I am 2 sizes away from the first pic ...sorry for the graininess

I can live with it, but my midsection done extremely overlapped and in my mind, with the size of my arms I look like I should be playing fullback for the New Orleans Saints. Since I plan on hitting up a couple of water parks with the kids this summer, we can't have this. 

So there you have it. My own inspiration board. I didn't use pictures of Beyonce', Janet or Toni Braxton (you see where I'm going with this? Whose abs and legs I would kill for.) Just found some pics of plain ole me to prove to myself that the excuses are some b.s. 

Operation Fit by Forty is in full effect. Let's do this!

Biggest Loser "Funky Cold Medina" Edition - Epic Fail

I'm not sure if I mentioned this before, but I was the initiator and instigator of a weight loss competition at da j-o-b. There was a financial incentive to be won. It started back in January and ended yesterday. I started off strong. Was talking a bunch of smack, as only I can, to my coworkers and just knew the greenbacks would be mine at the end.

That didn't even happen captain.

I get on the treadmill and eat "correctly" for about two weeks then someone asks, "Are you losing weight?"  For some reason, that question always leads to my backsliding and I start to think I look like this:



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Now,  I know I don't look like that in the real world, but all it takes is one decent compliment and I give the treadmill the side-eye when I pass by.

Well, I have a chance to redeem myself. We are starting round 2 which I have titled "Beach Body" biggest loser and we raised the amount cash to be won.

Here's my plan:
8 - 10 glasses of water a day. No matter what.
Workout 5 days a week (early a.m) - No excuses!
Treat cookies and ice cream as if they are loaded with crack. No allowances until I complete a 12 step program for junk food junkies.

I figure this will help me get back on the wagon.

If you can load me up with some other tips, feel free. (especially if they advise me how to lose 10 pounds a week and develop a 6 pack in a month. Keep dreaming, you say?)