Royal Giveaway at Ju'lia Catherine

I am hosting my first give away at my other blog. Hope you get a chance to swing by. The hat giveaway is in honor of the Royal Wedding.

Hope to hear from you.

My love affair with Starbucks

 

So I went to Starbucks today and like always it was a wonderful treat. I am just discovering the petite treats and boy were they a treat. I only got one but tomorrow I will get more. This treat is like a rocky road cake and it made me very happy. You should check it out. 

Be sure to treat yourself. This was my reward for editing and finals.

Rihanna Rolling Stone Interview

The cover of Rolling Stone is sure to catch the eye with Rihanna on the cover. Supposedly the interview has left many people wondering if the singers confession about S&M may have been inappropriate given that Rihanna in so many ways has become the young face for domestic violence.

“I like to be spanked. Being tied up is fun. I like to keep it spontaneous. Sometimes whips and chains can be overly planned – you gotta stop, get the whip from the drawer downstairs. . . . I’d rather have him use his hands.”

She later gave advise about sex toy shopping  "“Don’t go to a sex store tipsy.”

While her interests may appear to be a contradiction to a troubling time in her past, what does it say about a woman's sexuality that after leaving an abusive relationship that she can not discuss her sexuality. If society really did feel that her interests were that inappropriate, why inquire about it knowing what her societal role was suppose to be? (a survivor of domestic violence.) What are your thoughts? Should Rihanna scale back her interests or not have them at all?

What are your thoughts?

Eight bodies discovered in a missing woman case

Photo from New York Post

According to a report from CNN, eight bodies have been discovered in a search for Shannan  Gilbert. She has been missing since last May.  According to the report, Shannan was a prostitute and the bodies that have been discovered are believed to be the bodies of other prostitutes.
Here is an excerpt from the article.
"As authorities searched for clues concerning her disappearance last year, they uncovered a total of eight corpses found in various stages of decomposition."

 "The first four bodies were discovered stuffed into bushes on a quarter-mile stretch of waterfront property on Oak Beach, indicating “they were dumped there by the same person or persons,” said Richard Dormer, Suffolk County Police commissioner, in December. “It’s too coincidental that there were four bodies in the same location.”The remains of the fifth body were found about a mile from where the other corpses were discovered, he said, refusing to disclose exactly where the three additional remains were found on Monday."

Read the actual article 

Misadventures in cooking

I tried ditching the coffee today for french toast. Make sure that you are eating breakfast.

New post coming later today. Posting schedule coming soon as well. Be sure to mark your calendars once you see the schedule.



Be informed,
PS-

French toast recipe: Never doubt simplicity

Ingredients 
1 egg (per slice of bread)
Cinnamon
Butter

Extra Virgin Olive Oil



Directions:
Break egg into a bowl and whisk the egg
Dip bread on both sides into the whisked egg
Into a hot skillet 2 tbsp of butter
1 tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
While in the skillet shake cinnamon onto the bread. Do this to both sides
Cook until light brown


A lot of recipes have the cinnamon mixed in with the eggs as well as vanilla. I just think it takes a way from the cinnamon flavor.

Discussion: Perfectly Imperfect

Fear is possibly the most dangerous emotion a person can feel. It possesses the ability to cancel out rationale and if we allow it, can render us helpless. We submit to being doomed before we even try to do anything, when we are operating in fear. In the past few days, I have found that fear manifests in the imperfections of my life. I suppose I should take a step back. I don't want you to stop reading this post. I am hoping at the end of all of this you take something from my post that you can apply to your own life, should anyone read this post.

I am now stepping back. Are you ready? I am getting older and I am not ashamed of that. I have always been a person that is focused on growth and advancing in the things that truly matter, to me. For me, I desire peace first and foremost, then there is wisdom and then there is success. For a long time, I regarded every thing as a lesson. Then I came to college and for some reason I just believed that I was growing, and that it wasn't something that solicited intense analysis and meditation on my part any more. I adopted a very dangerous mentality to have when obstacles in your life occur. I began to think that I was responsible for anything that happened in my life.


The reason I say that sense of control is dangerous is (at least in my case) because that stringent delusion of control over every aspect of your life can conjure a very unique form of fear, if you allow it. In my case it made me feel helpless when things were not going my way. That sense of helplessness quickly becomes anxiety. I am realizing that even with prayer, life happens. The one thing that prayer secures is the peace, the calm and the agility needed to withstand the storm. It took my older brother reminding me of that. The other thing that prayer secures is that it will all end well, but the bumps on the way to the happy ending are inevitable.

So maybe I am writing this more to myself than anyone else, but if it can speak to anyone else that would mean a lot too. Don't allow the things that are not perfect in your life stop you from appreciating the good things that are in your life. It is a very sneaky trick to accept that everything in your life is going to be perfect. It creates false expectations. Life is perfectly imperfect but don't let that stop you from appreciating the beauty of life.

This isn't a sermon. I encourage you to believe in whatever you want to believe in. But I encourage you to seek peace and employ an appreciation for the things that are right in your life. Even if it is not exactly your ideal version of right. It makes weathering the storm much easier. We cannot control everything that happens to us, that is not what separates the winners from the losers. It is about standing firmly enough to get through the storm. The emotions that follow are ok (I must reassure myself of that) but do not allow them to control you and never allow them to keep you from pushing forward. So whatever you are going through the outcome will already end your favor. Just focus on getting through the obstacle.

Quotes for encouragement

Totally just watched "Eat Pray Love" and my favorite quote has to be: "Ruin is a gift on the way to transformation."

Another great movie with a great quote is from "The Day the Earth Stood Still:" "You say we're on the brink of destruction and you're right. But it's only on the brink that people find the will to change. Only at the precipice do we evolve. This is our moment."

Written in love
xoxo

Marion Jones on the Monique show: Review

 

She was a legend. She was known as the fastest woman in the world and her legacy was destroyed, or questioned rather when Marion Jones admitted to taking performance enhancing drugs. Jones appeared on the Monique show on BET and was very open about her decision to lie about her use of performance enhancing drugs in 2007. What was different about this interview was that it was not the typical "I am sorry" interview. Jones embraced her six month punishment and described it as fate to be sentenced to prison. She admitted to having to defend herself while she was in prison. She said that experience brought her closer to God and made her a better woman. Since serving her sentence she has become an advocate for prison reform, which is something she never saw herself doing, she said.  Monique joked with her and asked, "since you were the fastest woman in the world, you never thought when you were going in 'I should just run out of here? They won't be able to catch me.'" At the end of the interview it seemed pretty apparent that Jones still has a lot that she intends to contribute to the world. Over all it appeared to be a good interview. Thoughts on the athlete? Can she come back? Was her attitude refreshing?

Juvenile Fight Club

The reports are alarming. According to recent news reports, a teacher admitted to running a juvenile fight club. Here is an excerpt from an article from Pacific Coast News that I found on Bossip.

I understand that young men need an outlet. I even love the film Fight Club I am watching it now. However, young men who are still growing up should not be taking part in this. It isn't safe they have to learn how to control their temper. A fight club is an unhealthy outlet for young men that does not allow them to maturely address the issues in their life. You can't fight everyone. Here is the excerpt. Thoughts?

"A math and science teacher has admitted holding a real life ‘Fight Club’ for his teenage pupils – organizing brawls in class.

Stephen Wesley, 44, was arrested for staging fights between boys who he ‘matched’ for their size and strength.

Substitute teacher Wesley hand-picked picked students before letting them fight in class – often with their shirts off.

He would stand in the door of the class and watch out for passing teachers while the boxing-style bouts took place.

Wesley laid down certain ‘rules’ such as how long to fight for and instructed them to avoid blows to the face that would leave signs of injuries.

Prosecutors say his ‘Fight Club’ was inspired by the 1999 film starring Brad Pitt and Edward Norton who held open brawl nights for men.

Wesley also urged his pupils not to discuss the fights using the iconic movie line – ‘The first rule of Fight Club is, you do not talk about Fight Club’.

Pasadena Courthouse in California heard he helped organize the fights while working as a teacher at a juvenile probation camp.

Wesley, of Winnetka, Illinois, was caught after some of the fights were caught on a security camera in August 2008.

He pleaded no contest to six felony child abuse charges and is expected to be jailed for 180 days when he is sentenced on April 15.

The incidents happened while he was an employee of the Los Angeles County Office of Education at the now-closed Camp Karl Holton in the San Fernando Valley.

He matched up boys from rival gangs of boys aged between 13 and 17 but after a video was found he immediately quit his role."

Via PacificCoastNews

Celebrating Martin Luther King Jr.

Photo taken from Washington Post.

According to a report from the Washington Post the Obama's stayed true to the dream of Martin Luther King Jr., today. Today was a day of service for the family.

Today should mean a little more than just enjoying the day off. Take a moment to appreciate the sacrifices that were made for ALL people and appreciate the dream. Be sure to read the article from the Washington Post

Washington Post Article