...::UhSista's Commentary::...

Tsotsi :: A story of redemption

2006-03-22T15:45:00.000-05:00

In the bible REDEMPTION means salvation from sin, and that’s what the South African file (( and winner of the academy award for best foreign film )) TSOTSI is about…REDEMPTION.

Tsotsi means “thug” and that is exactly what the main character is…a thug filled with hate and no remorse for his actions…then a baby enters his life and his hateful eyes finally sees unconditional love, and even though you start off hating this man…the more you learn about him the more u understand why he is how he is. But you know that there is no way his crimes should go unpunished – he must pay for his actions even though he is on the path of change.

This was a great movie and the acting was fabulous…GO SEE IT...Then discuss it!

Boys of Baraka

2006-03-19T22:30:00.000-05:00

This evening I went to check out another independent film…this one was called

The Boys of Baraka. This film is a documentary that follows the lives of 13 young teenage black boys from the ghettos for Baltimore, Maryland as they enter into a middle-school that takes them to Kenya, Africa. I have to say, I was very disappointed. The film begins by building the hopes and dreams of these children and after a year in Kenya the programs is halted because of security concerns and the closing of the Nairobi US Embassy. As one of the children said in the film…”How come they can’t just do the program here in Baltimore?” Good Question??? How come they couldn’t continue the program in Baltimore? That shows the children were more excited about learning then they were about being in Africa.

So after one promising year of the boys making good grades, the honor roll, writing poetry the program was halted and they were sent back to the overcrowded public schools in Baltimore.

The ending of this documentary was very disappointing and I left there wanting to slap every selfish administrator of the Baraka School Program. They built the hopes and dreams of these children, only to disappoint them…..as if they haven’t been disappointed enough.

Livin' in the Land of Dixie?

2006-03-12T12:11:00.000-05:00

Last night I saw an indie film titled CSA :: Confederate States of America. The basic synopsis of this movie is a fake history film about what the United States would be like if the South won the Civil War. Now I have to say that this movie isn’t for people that are uncomfortable with racist images (( because this movie is loaded with them )) but I would say that this movie did spark some interesting conversation with some of my friends that went with me to the movie (( that happen to be white )). I noticed that the whites in the movie were more uncomfortable with the racist images than we ( meaning us blacks ) were. It seem so absurd that we were in there rollin’.

Some of the key changes that were addressed in this fictional alternate history were::

Slaves were never freed and remained slaves all the up into the new millennium. In fact they were able to purchase slaves via the SSN (( Slave Shopping Network)).
Harriett Tubman was caught and executed for trying to smuggle Lincoln (( who was in black face)) to Canada.
Lincoln was jailed for treason and exiled to Canada after his released. Where he died.
The Confederated States of America ( not the United States of America) became allies with Hitler and convinced him to use his Jews as Slaves instead of cooking them.
A majority of the freed blacks populated Canada.
A government agency was created to locate blacks that were trying to pass as white.
John F. Kennedy was assassinated for trying to emancipate the slaves.

Because I live in Georgia I am curious to know just how many whites actually attended this film thinking it would be good to see how things could have been if THEY had won the war. The film was actually produced and directed by two black men…Spike Lee and Kevin Willmott.

Would I recommend this film??….Hummmmm **scratching my head**

Rent the video instead. It was first released in 2004 so there should be a video out there somewhere. I know the film is still making its rounds at indie film theatres so maybe u can catch it at a matinee.

Killin' our Roaches!

2006-03-07T16:47:00.000-05:00

My very first blog entry on blogger was in December 2004 and it was titled Do u have Roaches? In it I referred to Bill Cosby’s controversial comments about the black race. This week a rap group won the academy award for a song about pimps, some of the lyrics include::

You know it's hard out here for a pimp (you ain't Nigga)
When he tryin to get this money for the rent (you ain't Nigga)
For the Cadillacs and gas money spent (you ain't Nigga)
Because a whole lot of bitches Jumpin ship(you ain't Nigga)
Will have a whole lot of bitches jumpin ship (you ain't Nigga)

It looks like our roaches have once again been exposed….We like to call ourselves bitches, hoes and niggas and we don’t care how knows it!

So I say to my lovely black people….don’t be shocked when your white co-worker rolls up to u and says “what’s up my nigga” OR your co-worker refers to u as a “bitch”. Or your boyfriend treats u like his hoe.

NO ONE is going to respect us until we respect ourselves!

2006 Objectives

2006-01-07T11:00:00.000-05:00

I can’t believe how long it’s been since if updated this blog. It’s January 2006 and my objectives for this year are as follows::

I plan to implement the 7 priciples of Kwanzaa into the way I live my life.

I plan to surround myself with people that will encourage and assist me in obtaining my personal objectives.
I plan to become stronger in my faith :: Nichiren Buddhism - and assist my district is their mission for peace.
I plan to treat my body with respect.
I plan to use my time effectively.

I hope 2006 is as good (if not better ) than 2005.

Is there a Racist in your Closet?

2005-11-03T12:00:00.000-05:00

This blog has been suffering from neglect! Since I started bloggin’ via Yahoo 360 I have almost forgot about this blog. There is so many things going on right now that its been hard to keep my thoughts organized. One very important thing is my best friend of 6 years got married this weekend. While in New Jersey I had the “pleasure” of meeting the best man’s wife..KRISTY (both the best man and his wife are white). Kristy, my bloggin friends, is a racist and let me just say she is one on the worst types of racist. She is the racist that doesn’t realize she is a racist. She is the racist that as she talks her ignorance digs her deeper and deeper into a hole.

What makes me call Kristy a racist? Here is just a sampling of her comments::

“Don’t get me wrong my father LOVES Anthony…But he is Black”
"My father has THOSE PEOPLE working in his restaurants.”
“My kids came home from school with head lice, and it’s not even a public school!”

My list of “Ignorant Kristy Comments” could go on and on - because the more she drank the more ignorant her comments got.

Kristy and her husband Andy (whom I like) live in a lovely home that’s sits on 1.5 acres. They have two beautiful (but bad as hell) daughters that thinks is fun to bark like dogs in people’s faces – I was so tempted to slap one of these children that every time they came into a room all I could do was walk out. Kristy seems to think its cute that the older daughter abuses the younger one. She showed us Hanna’s battle wounds after surviving a war with Skye. She also added how Skye says she HATES Hanna! Is this shyt suppose to be funny? The humor in this is lost on me, cuz I didn't think the fact that Skye abuses Hanna was cute OR funny. But another ignorant comment from Kristy was..."What am I suppose to do?" Get a clue and whup Skye's ass!!

This is a special note to
Rachel and Anthony:

I love the both of you like I love members of my own family. Your love is a special one. Your home may not sit on 1.5 acres but your home is warm and built with love. If you run across anyone that is trying to break your spirit it’s because that person wants what you have….Happiness.

Peace, UhSista

Afterburn :: Zane

2005-09-17T20:40:00.000-04:00

I just finished reading the book Afterburn by Zane; I won’t go into too many details about the book just in case someone is planning on reading it, but i wanted to share my feelings about the book. Those who are familiar with the author Zane know that her books are very erotic and sexual. I enjoyed this book, I couldn’t put it down!. By chapter four I was cheering for characters Yardley and Rayne and hoping that they would find true love and each other. By the end of the book I was faced with an intriguing question…. Is it REALLY better to have love and lost than to have never loved at all? I mean TRUE LOVE! Meeting the person that you’ve dreamed about since you saw your first fairy tale, the knight on a white horse.

One thing I truly appreciate about this book is the fact that Zane didn’t sugar coat the fact that sometimes your TRUE LOVE may come with baggage. SHE may have commitment and trust issues or HE may have psycho ex-girlfriends. But if your heart tells you “This is the one!” sometimes we have to just listen.

Lyrics Diva :: Poetry Collection (part 1)

2005-09-14T14:30:00.000-04:00

Last night was a happy night for me; I found some of my old poetry. I used to write all the time, if I wasn’t reading I was writing (this was before the days of blogs). I read someone’s blog the other day and I thought “ I remember when I wrote a poem about that” . So when I got home from work I was dead set on trying to find it. Which I did, and I found a shit load of other poems I wrote too. So I wanted to share.

Please, Don’t hate me because I love myself…
You see it has been a long hard process to get to this point.
There’s been so much wasted time putting other people in charge of my happiness
Looking for happiness and love in every face
EXCEPT the one staring at me in the mirror.
Then one day ..As I stood in front of my mirror,
I saw myself and my inner beauty and I said…
I am a beautiful black woman and I love myself.
Look at those eyes, those lips, those thighs, those hips
I am truly a beautiful black woman
I am intelligent, honest, dedicated and loyal…and I love myself.
And you see it was a long hard process to get to this point.

Up to this point I was allowing society to control my mentality and I allowed society to brainwash me into thinking that I was not beautiful.
Societies definition of beauty did not include me
My hips are too big, my breasts are too large, my legs are too slinky, and my hair is too kinky
So believe me when I tell you it was a process to get to this point.

Don’t hate me because I love myself….
I am a beautiful black woman
And I am not ashamed to say it, sing it, write it, or speak it
Trust me…It’s been a long hard process to get to this point
So please don’t hate me…start loving yourself.

Peace & Blessings
Angela Yvonne © August 1998

Sept 11, 2001 :: When I was PROUD to be American

2005-09-11T20:27:00.000-04:00

Even in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and the devastation that the event caused our southern states, I wanted to take a minute and remember the time that I was proud to be an American and the fact that I am a BLACK American made absolutely no difference. SEPTEMBER 11, 2001.

The days after Sept 11^th we heard stories of courage, love, unity and sacrifice and I was so proud to be an American. I am STILL proud to be an American, BUT the days following Hurricane Katrina -a time for us to bond together as Americans - I don’t get that warm fuzzy patriotic feeling anymore.

Hurricane Katrina :: Pictures that moved me.

2005-09-06T19:51:00.000-04:00

Most of us probably have spent most of the week watching CNN and seeing pictures of the devastation that Hurricane Katrina has caused. Here are a few of the pictures that moved me to tears, so I wanted to share.

Peace, UhSista

Hurricane Katrina:: Real shit VS Bull shit (Part 1)

2005-09-05T10:37:00.000-04:00

The devastation in Mississippi and New Orleans has had me speechless. Each day I find it increasingly difficult to even watch the news. I wonder how this shit could happen in

America

! How could our “President” allow the bodies of American citizens to lie around the streets as if they were pieces of shit!!! Are you fuckin’ blind? I turned off my CNN text breaking news alerts because each alert confused me more than the next…here was my last 2 text alerts:

First I receive…….

AP: Army Corps of Engineers says police killed some of its workers as they crossed a bridge on the way to repair a canal.

Then immediately after that I received…….

AP: Army Corps of Engineers says its contractors were not killed by police, but gunmen who fired at them were killed.

Less than 4 hrs after I received these CNN alerts the complete stories were no where to be seen on CNN. Now I am confused! Was it the Engineers that were killed or was it the gunmen that were killed? Who were these gunmen? I truly have to question the integrity of the type of news that I received from US news media so I went to the BBC (international news tends to be a tad more truthful), and I found the story headline:

US police in the hurricane-stricken city of New Orleans have shot eight people, reportedly killing five, as a massive rescue effort continues.

Clearly the events in New Orleans are despicable and it gives a very clear view to me how our current administration not only views blacks BUT how they view our lower to middle class US CITIZENS. I haven’t heard shit from the Democrat representatives that we have put in office to support out views ((not a damn thing)) and if they say anything now all I can say is TOO FUCKIN LATE! Next election year it looks like I may have to take a closer look at our Independent candidate!

His Father, Our Son

2005-08-29T13:18:00.000-04:00

My son started high school today! So after my ex-hubby dropped him off at school he decided to call me at work and give me the “blow by blow” of this morning’s activities. As he started to explain how mature and well prepared DaSon was for his first…he started to cry. He said….”You have done such a great job raising him….I appreciate you so much for sending him to live with me, so that I could have the opportunity to be a good father”. Then I started to cry. He went on to explain how his friends would comment on how it much it must be a “burden” to suddenly be responsible for raising a teenage son, he explained to them how, “…it’s not a BURDEN, it’s a HONOR”.

This is not a dig on single mothers (you do what you do because you have to...trust me I was there), BUT if you are raising a son please find it in your heart to allow his father to BE A FATHER. It’s not about child support checks or what ever bullshit drama that happened between the two of you, it’s about allowing a teenage boy and a young father to become men, REAL men.

My Life as a "Strong Black Women"

2005-08-17T11:20:00.000-04:00

I started reading a book this weekend called The Real Lives of a Strong Black Woman. The first few chapters had me very intrigued, mainly because I could see myself in some of the women interviewed. I’ve always considered myself to be a “Strong Black Woman”, when I was married; I worked full-time, went to school full-time AND took care of my family full time! (During that time my husband’s household contributions were his paycheck and the PlayStation). But that wasn’t always the case, when my husband I first married and I had my son, I was a “stay at home” mom. For about 2 years my only job was to take care of my son, my husband, and my home. My husband loved it! I often look back at my marriage and I try to pin-point the exact moment it all fell apart…and it was right around the time I became a “Strong Black Woman”. It was when I went back to school, when I got a job that paid more than him, when I wanted him to start taking on more household responsibilities. I was doing it all and my husband didn’t feel needed anymore. The only thing he could do was start to tear me down, mentally, and soon we separated.

As times passes and I continue to excel mentally, professionally, and spiritually, I will only become a Stronger Black Woman and all I can say to my brothas is……..

CATCH UP!!!

always a bridesmaid...

2005-08-13T09:30:00.000-04:00

In October I will be in New York to be in my homegirl's wedding, she has been planning this wedding for over a year and the time is almost near. Now this is my third wedding that I’ve been in BUT this is the first wedding I’ve been in at my current size. I used to average a size 12-14 now I am a size 16-18 and what a difference a few dress sizes make. She sent me to David’s Bridal in Gwinnett to try on the dress style number she selected. I get to the store ask for dress number XXXX in a size 18….I get in the room and the dress REFUSES to go pass my breasts (38DD) the salesgirl comes in the room and says…..”You look like u are a size 24!!” … BITCH! I am a size 18 …. She goes on to explain that the sizes tend to run very small…WTF!! Then she comes back and says…”Sorry we are sold out of size 24!” So I call the Puerto Rican Princess Bride in NY and tell her about the dress. She says her sister had the same problem and she was thinking about selecting a new dress. So dress #2 worked out much better…in this dress I was a size 20 and there was a scarf for the arms…cool.

What I don’t understand is this….If the average size of women is a size 12, why are designers basing their average dress sizes on women that are a size 8? WTF???

Vegetarianism Defined

2005-08-08T14:15:00.000-04:00

Over the pass few weeks I’ve been exploring becoming a vegetarian as part on my mission for Healthy Living 2005. But with me being ME, I couldn’t just jump into it without doing some research first….and let me just say….I am 10 times more confused than ever. There’s your …

© Vegans:: excludes animal flesh (meat, poultry, fish and seafood), animal products (eggs and dairy), and usually excludes honey and the wearing and use of animal products (leather, silk, wool, lanolin, gelatin...). The major vegan societies all disallow honey, but some "vegans" still use it. Some "vegans" also refuse to eat yeast products.

(( Let’s see, if I choose this option it’s bye-bye to my COACH purse collection, half my clothes, and all my leather shoes…as Whitney would say “ Hell to the Naw!”))

o Ovo-Lacto Vegetarian: same as VEGAN, but also eats eggs and milk products.

o Lacto Vegetarian: Same as VEGAN, but also eats milk products.

((if i choose these options its bye-bye to all my favorites ; Crab legs, sushi, catfish, salmon, shrimp, and lobster. “Hell to the Naw!”))

((looks like we have a winner))

Wow, so much to remember, so many rules, what do I choose? I am not against killing a cow or a chicken ( I honestly could care less). So in an attempt to embrace a healthy eating habit that fits into MY lifestyle I am going to attempt to live as a Semi-Vegetarian or Pesco Vegetarian, I plan to say good-bye to red meat and chicken BUT I will continue to eat fish, eggs, and dairy products. WISH ME LUCK!

Buddhism is NOT a cult....

2005-08-04T10:26:00.000-04:00

Why do I get so offended when someone “assumes” that everyone should be Christian? Because only Christians are arrogant enough to think that everyone should be Christian! Ok let me correct myself…not ALL Christians. Just the ones that have “sinned” all of their lives, spend Friday and Saturday nights drinking, whoring around town, then it takes all the strength they have to drag their hung-over ass out of bed on Sunday to go to Church! Then they have the audacity to tell me I would have a better life if I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior! Please don’t get me wrong I don’t want to offend anyone that is Christian (Hell, all of my best friends are Christian). But I get really upset when I run across a Christian that feels it’s his/her duty to “convert” me from Buddhism to Christianity. Like Buddhism is some sort of cult. I don’t try to force feed my religion to anyone BUT I do make it a point to make sure people know that I am not Christian. I do that for a few reasons…

1) so people that may be interested in Buddhism and would like additional information about it know that they can come to me.

2) so that I don’t receive those annoying Jesus Christ Superstar emails.

3) so people know that, YES, there are Black Buddhist.

Everyone finds a spiritual path that is perfect for them. For some it’s Islam, others Christianity, for me it’s Buddhism. I am not perfect and yes there are days that I come to work and forget my Buddha-Nature in the car. I am still a spiritual work in progress, but with Buddhism I have a spiritual foundation that truly puts me at peace

So my friends, when your stress level is high, and you are at your wits end, take 5 minutes and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, when I chant this phrase it affects me in countless positive ways, from the very core of my life. It might just so the same for you.
Peace!

LEO's Party in Review

2005-07-31T18:42:00.000-04:00

This weekend was great! The LEO BIRTHDAY PARTY was hella fun! I have to admit, at first I was nervous. I didn’t think my home owner’s association could handle our clubhouse and pool area filled with close to 100 black folks, but everything went over far more classy than when they have the white folks in the clubhouse. There was just one “incident”, some balloons were let loose and they got caught in the vaulted ceiling fan…I was afraid my homegirl may not receive her full deposit back because of it…BUT they went and rented a 10ft ladder and we removed the balloons today. So if anyone is looking for a cool place to have a classy party in the Chastain Park area, you are welcome to rent my condo’s clubhouse. Stay tuned for party information for us SEXY SCORPIOS!

Restaurant Review :: Café Dupri

2005-07-27T02:13:00.000-04:00

This weekend while hanging out with my “Sisters from another mother”, we had our monthly Sunday Brunch at Jermaine Dupri new “restaurant” Café Dupri. Before I fire off about what I hated about the restaurant let me first say that I enjoyed the FOOD. Unlike Justin’s (where I thought both the food and service were horrible) the food at Café Dupri was pretty good. There were about 15 of us (yeah that’s how we roll…lol) some of us opted for breakfast, while the rest of use opted for lunch. I had the Steak Burger with Garlic Mashed Potatoes (Mmmmmm good). One of my “sisters” had the turkey burger which she also enjoyed. Now, let’s talk about what I didn’t like….

The service SUCKED! We had two waitresses that were twins and there wasn’t a personality between the two of them. It was only 2:00 PM but they acted like they had just worked a 12 hr shift.

No ambiance! The walls were drab, the tables were plain, the light was bright (like at a hospital). It looked like a cafeteria.

Ventilation! The kitchen filled the dining area with smoke. I couldn’t wait to get outside into the HOT Atlanta weather just so that I could have some fresh air.

Will I return to Café Dupri? Yes. But I know now what to expect. Good Food…Bad Service…The same ambiance as a Waffle House ….and bring an oxygen tank.

Here cums da judge...

2005-07-18T22:09:00.000-04:00

All I wanted to say is that.....
I think Judge Greg Mathis is SEXY as hell!!

WHAT u have WHEN u have it

2005-07-16T09:58:00.000-04:00

My handsome, wonderful, awesome son is here for two weeks. DaSon just got here yesterday and already I fear that two weeks just won’t be long enough. He is at least 3 inches taller than me (and that I without the 2 inch afro) and so handsome. He starts high school next year, my ex-hubby and I were commenting to each other how amazing it is that WE are parents of a high schooler!!

At dinner last night DaSon made a comment about being the only child, he said that sometimes he wishes he had a brother or sister BUT that his best friend (who is the youngest of three) always wishes he was the only child. I told him that we always think the grass is greener on the other side. It is hard for us to appreciate the things that we have….WHEN we have them. Instead we waste our time and energy wanting what someone else has.

Funny, as I was sitting there explaining to my son how fortunate he is and how he should appreciate what he has…I totally missed that fact that we “grown-ups” are just as bad. We don’t appreciate the friends we have, family we have, the car we drive, the home we live in. We tend to think that our mission in life is to always have something better OR to have what our neighbor has. When the truth is….the grass is NOT always greener on the other side, so love what u have – when u have it.

I was a teenage asshole...

2005-07-14T00:47:00.000-04:00

Now I am going to be a coherent as possible, I am blogging at 12:30 am after 3 glasses of vodka and cranberry juice (with far more vodka than juice). My son will be here on Friday morning (5:00 am) for his 2week summer vacation. Now those who know me know that I sent my son to live with his father in January, 2005. It wasn’t a surprise; we agreed at separation that he would live with his father when he turned 14 yrs old. My world revolved around my son for 10 yrs as a single mom and to be honest I didn’t think I could handle life without JTB. Now lucky for me my ex hubby and I get along fairly well, our primary arguments are over money BUT when it comes to our son, disciple and education – we usually agree.

Now, I don’t know who is reading this blog, If u are a parent of a teenager then u understand what I am about to ask…..DO U FIND IT HARDER AND HARDER TO COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR TEENAGER? I am trying to think back to when I was a teenager…Did I hate it when my Mom asked me a simple question like “How was your day?” Was I offended when my Mom asked me “Who was that on the phone?” And a simple answer to that question was…YES. I was a teenage asshole, now my son is following in my footsteps. I read a blog today about the Karma u create for yourself. When I look at my son and his general attitude to his father and I, all I can do is think about the teenager I was. Now don’t think for one second that negative Karma can not be changed. So when JTB arrives on Friday my mission is to change not only my Karma in dealing with him…BUT to get him to open his heart and mind to changing his own Karma. I do not want to be the mother of a teenage asshole like my mother was.

This is MY Community

2005-07-11T16:59:00.000-04:00

The last post about my friend Najee Ali had me thinking about how different my life is here in Atlanta than it was in Los Angeles. In Los Angeles I was an activist and a poet. My life was very different. I was either, coordinating press conferences, working at my son’s school, working on a political campaign (I am glad to see Antonio Villarosa win this year) or up late playing chess in Leimert Park or at Magic Johnson’s Starbucks. I hardly ever saw a “club” or even went “clubbin”. Since I’ve moved to Atlanta, I am surprised to see how selfish and self-centered I’ve become. My weekends in Leimert Park (a neighborhood in South Central Los Angles) were spent doing something for that community (which I loved). My weekends here are spent shopping, eating, clubbing, and then shopping again. I was supposed to evolve… Instead I’ve digressed. So it’s time for a change. So I am currently looking for new volunteer projects. It’s time that I starting embracing Atlanta as MY community, Like I did with Leimert Park.

The friends u love to hate

2005-07-09T10:45:00.000-04:00

It appears as though I haven’t blogged anything of substance for a few weeks. There is so much going on it’s hard to know where to start.

The other night I got a late night call from my mother in Los Angeles. She called to tell me that my old next door neighbor and friend was arrested for protesting a racist stamp that is being used in Mexico. Now I wasn’t surprised that he was arrested that’s one of the downfalls of his position in Los Angeles, Community Activist. When I first met Najee Ali I thought he was a pathetic little man on disability, no car, fresh out of jail, always coming to my house to borrow food. I even disagreed with him on a lot of the issues that he protested. But I still assisted him with organizing protest and press conferences. I was always rude and mean to Najee but he always kept coming over.

Soon after I met Najee, I lost my job. My boyfriend at the time was supporting me as much as he could but I soon fell into a deep deep depression. I am sure my family was unaware of this BUT I turned to getting drunk every night. It was soon harder and harder for me to get my ass up in the morning to take my son to school. One morning there was banging on my gate….constant banging. My son eventually got up to get the door, it was Najee. He says to my son “how come you are not in school?” and my son replies “Mama didn’t take me……” Najee then says “get dressed; I am taking you to school!” He takes J to school then comes back…..”Get yo ass up!!” he yells. To which I reply, “Get the fuck out!”

A lot of people have negative things to say about Najee Ali. He stays in the news in Los Angeles for one reason or another good and bad. But although I may not always agree with him, he will always be my friend. For 3 years, he was my rock, my babysitter, my maintenance man, my bank, my neighbor and my teacher.

2005-07-04T20:42:00.000-04:00

When I grow up.....

The Shirley Finney / Carmine “Big Ragu” Ragusa Theory

2005-06-25T17:58:00.000-04:00

So I am watching an old episode of Lavern & Shirley and this question pops in my head…Exactly what are Shirley Finney and Carmine Ragusa to each other? Are they just dating, do they have an open relationship, are they “friends with benefits”? In the entire run of this series their relationship was never defined. Shirley would openly date other men and Carmine would date other women yet they would kiss and make-out like they lusted after each other. Yet oddly enough their friendship survived (at least in TV Land). Not that I am taking any lessons on dating from old episodes of Lavern & Shirley, I just thought it was amusing that as I sit here and analyze my own dating habits and issues with commitment, that I never noticed that the original “friends with benefits theory” was based on the “Shirley Finney / Carmine “Big Ragu” Ragusa Theory”.

I am not such a mystery

2005-06-23T21:34:00.000-04:00

My ex-husband is also my best friend at times.
I get paid the 1^st of the month but I am broke by the 5^th.
Sometimes I REALLY don’t feel like going out.
The last time I was sloppy drunk was at the SkyBar in the Staple Center in Los Angeles.
My father is a drug-addict with no address.
My brother is my mother’s favorite.
My brother is MY favorite.
Talking on the phone with my teenage son is like pulling teeth.
My molester died last year.
My mother belittles me every chance she gets.
I fear that if my Grandmother dies I may fall apart.
I moved from Los Angeles to Atlanta to get away from my family.
I enjoy being alone.
I ran away from home when I was a teenage 2 times. One time I was gone for almost a month the other time I was gone 2 weeks.
I moved out on my own when I was still in High School.
I wear granny panties.
I wish my brother would date black women.
I don’t believe in heaven or hell.
I’ve been shot at more times than I can count.
I’ve never been arrested but I have been “detained”.
It’s the little things that piss me off most.
I have a teddy bear that I’ve had all my life.
I used to drive expensive cars that I couldn’t afford gas for.
I spent $100 for a bottle of wine and never had an occasion nice enough to drink it.
The longest I’ve gone without sex is 3mths.
I used to be a popular poet in Los Angeles and we even recorded a CD.
I used to play chess for money in Leimert Park.
My son has a better chess strategy than I.
I never finish what I start…….

Brad Pitt and Africa?

2005-06-07T23:08:00.000-04:00

I am watching Brad Pitt on Primetime Live. I must admit I was looking forward to this program because (dare I say it) I am a big fan of Brad Pitt and he’s given very few personal interviews. So I tune in expecting to hear dirt on Jennifer Aniston and Angelina Jolie but instead I am educated on hunger and illness in Ethiopia and other parts of Africa - and how little it would take for the U.S. to send aid to the African countries. Brad Pitt says he became involved with Ethiopia and their plite while meeting with U2 front man Bono and his organization (http://www.makepovertyhistory.org). How much does the U.S. actually contribute to Africa? Less than 1%. Brad Pitt commented that if sharing tad bits of his life sheds any media attention on the needs required in Africa then so be it. Then I thought how cute, he really thinks he can change the thinking of current Bush administration…He even gives out a website for us to contact the president to motivate a change…. BUT WAIT…within minutes of the airing of the Primetime Live story I log onto CNN and I see the headline
Bush, Blair push African debt relief President pledges additional $674 million for humanitarian aid
I am speechless. I am confused and perplexed. Did Brad Pitt actually motivate a change in our selfish, self righteous Bush administration? WTF???

Mexicans to receive Reparations!! GOOD FOR THEM!

2005-06-01T16:45:00.000-04:00

The discussion of the day in one of my groups was the Bill recently passed in California for Mexican-Americans to receive reparations for being mistakenly deported between 1929-1944. READ ARTICLE HERE. I was somewhat surprised to hear some of the remarks from the discussion about Mexicans taking this and Mexicans taking that Mexican not learning English etc…etc….(NOTE:: Some of the deported were AMERICAN citizens deported for having a Mexican name).

But one person did make a good point by mentioning that the Republican administration is bending over backwards for the Latin race as a ploy for the Mexican votes….Based on their comment I wanted to blog my reply:

That's a good observation...But ask yourself this question...when Democrats had political power why didn't they think of that. Wow, didn't we learn anything from the movie CRASH?
Here is the awful truth as UhSista sees it.........

1. We blacks should have united with the Mexican population a time long ago. Instead we hopped on the white man's band wagon, accused them of stealing our jobs and our welfare. When the fact is the jobs they took WE didn't want...maid, day laborer, gardener, cook, or bus boy. And the welfare they offered we had too much pride to ask for OR were too lazy to obtain.

2. Why are we blacks complaining about them receiving something that we couldn't organize ourselves to obtain. They received reparations and an apology. Good For Them!! Blacks are so busy telling whites we don't want shit from them...so that's what we got...SHIT.

3. When I lived in Los Angeles I was president of my son's school parent organization. When we had parent meetings.......2 black parents would show up and 25 Mexican parents (mothers AND fathers) for a school that was majority black THAT was embarrassing. Mexican parents were raising children that knew better English than them...they were working 2-3 jobs, trying to learn English AND still making it to the parent meetings just so that they could understand what their kids were bringing home.

4.The average Latino household in Los Angeles has 2.5 families living together. Why...to save expenses. Black children are too busy trying escape home by 17 and black parents are too busy trying to teach our kids tough love sending them into the streets by 17 when we know they aren't ready.

5. Why don't YOU learn Spanish? It won't hurt. When Maria or Julio learn English (and they will) they will become more marketable than you...being bilingual is a plus in today's diverse job market.

I have love for my people....BUT let the truth be know if we united enough to do our simple duty as US Citizens and VOTE we would have an administration in office that will look over OUR needs and OUR agendas. Black ministers convincing their congregation to vote Republican...because of the republican moral agenda...well u get what u pay for.

Peace, UhSista

Over 30 & Single: A Black Man's Perspective

2005-05-25T18:53:00.000-04:00

I just read an article recently about the male’s perspective of being over 30 and single (Over 30 & Single: A Black Man's Perspective). Now he mentioned in this article that if a person says that they are happy being single then they are lying, he compared it to when people say they are happy without money, they can survive without it BUT they are certainly happier when they have it. He goes to mention the “myth” that most black men crave plentiful casual sex or multiple detached affairs with the flesh of beautiful women.

Since I’ve recently entered the dating world. This article was refreshing and it gave me hope. I know I am guilty for saying in the past I much happier I am being single (of course that was after 10 years of marriage), but when I am ready to settle down again, I know - there will be someone out there for me. I am not going to give up on my brothas.

Peace, UhSista

In Honor of the Convicted

2005-05-20T22:59:00.000-04:00

What the hell is our government up to now? It appears as though on May 2^nd they raised the bounty on Assata Shakur from $150,000 to $1,000,000 You say u don’t know who she is…(naw she’s not Tupac’s mom) well let me tell u; Assata Shakur is a former Black Panther and on May 2, 1972 her and 2 friends were pulled over for a broken tail light on the New Jersey Turnpike---long story short—The end result of that simple traffic stop resulted in the death of one on the car’s passengers and a police officer. Shakur was shot and she was arrested. At trial, three doctors testified that the first gunshot shattered her clavicle and the second shattered a nerve in her right hand. That testimony proved that she was sitting with her hands raised when she was fired on by police. Further testimony proved that no gun residue was found on either of her hands, nor were her finger prints found on any of the weapons located at the scene, so she never fired a weapon. But she was convicted by all-WHITE jury and sentence to life in prison---But after serving 6 years, with the help of her friends, Shakur escaped and is now living in Cuba under political asylum.

In 1972 I was fairly new on this earth---but I know enough about the 70’s to know that if you were a Black Panther during that time the FBI was going to watch your ass like a hawk and wait for an opportunity to jail you. Interesting that same theory applies in 2005. NOTE the 2004 conviction rate. Hummmmm white folks are committing the most crimes BUT blacks and Hispanics have a higher probability of being convicted (much higher…).

	Count	Conviction Rate(based per 1000)
White	317,400	160
Black	275,400	765
Hispanic/Latino	108,300	262
Other	12,900	88

Source: UU.S. Department of Justice · Office of Justice Programs

Statistics like this make me wonder just how many bothers and sisters ---Like Assata Shakur was --- are sitting in jail innocent, and unlike Assata Shakur they don’t have the blanket of political asylum to protect them. Stay up YoungBloods!

Peace, UhSista

Where's that BLACK bride?

2005-05-14T09:46:00.000-04:00

I’ve discussed this topic several times with my friends, but in a since sharing this info with them would be like "preaching to the choir". In recent news the media has been obsessed with covering stories of the "Runaway WHITE Bride" and the missing WHITE children. In a discussion with my INTELLECTUAL friends we've come to the conclusion that white media simply doesn’t care about missing BLACK brides or missing BLACK children because they simply can’t relate. When they hear stories of WHITE missing people they are involved because it could be THEIR sister, wife, and child. Equality my ass!

In this editorial written by Cynthia Tucker for the Ajc – Ms. Tucker addresses what she calls the media “black out”. She sites a similar situation last year where Stacy-Ann Sappleton disappears in New York only days before her wedding. Her fiancé tried frantically to get the media involved with her search – no dice. She was missing 3 days before her body was found in a NY dumpster. THEN (and only then) the media wanted to speak to the family about their lose. Let’s just say the fiancé at that point was like – fuck you – you didn’t what to speak to me when there was hope that she could be alive so why speak with me now that she’s dead.

This reminds me of the closing argument from the movie A Time to Kill, as the lawyer describes the gruesome acts committed on this child to an all white jury – imagine a child being raped, beaten, her mangled body tied to the back of a pick up truck and dragged through a wooded field, her body then tied to a tree and left for dead….can u see her? Now imagine her WHITE. My message to all media … before u deny to cover the next missing BLACK bride or child take a moment and imagine her being WHITE.

Visit the Omega 7 website and support in their fight for missing African American adults and children.

Peace, UhSista

Living Single 2005

2005-03-20T12:19:00.000-05:00

I find it very interesting that men find it hard to understand when a woman says she is HAPPY (yes...happy) being single. After 2 long term relationships with co-dependent men, at 35 - I am finally happy living single. I enjoy my dates with very nice and educated men, and I enjoy my quite and private nights alone. I enjoy my own company and that's why I am good company to be around. My message to the co-dependent women out their looking for a co-dependent man to fill a void in her life...Enjoy being alone.

Why settle for the company of ONE man when you can enjoy the company of many. Men live by that philosophy all the time ---
peace

Healthy Living 2005

2005-02-04T13:06:00.000-05:00

My cousin died last week. My cousin didn't have cancer, he wasn't shot, and he didn't die in a car accident. My cousin was fat! He weighed over 500 lbs at the time of his death. He has always been fat ... In fact in my hometown (Compton, CA) They called him "Big Ike". He was well known in our neighborhood not only for his massive size, but also for his massive heart. That was quite apparent when I attended his funeral service. There were people in balconies, and we had Crenshaw Blvd shut down as we made our way to the burial. But his massive heart in theory, just wasn't massive enough to continue to beat and on January 25, 2005, his heart simply stopped.

For years I would say to him.."Ike if you don't lose that weight you are gonna die!" to which he would reply..."We are all gonna die Angee." But I can't help but think that my cousin never truly had an opportunity to live. His weight kept him from enjoying so much. He could not travel, he couldn't play with his kids, he couldn't go to restaurants, he couldn't ride rollercoasters, and in his final months of life he couldn't walk or even bathe himself.

His death has prompted me to enter 2005 with a mission, a mission for healthily Living. Before I die I want to where a size 9 dress, be able to climb the stairs to my 3rd floor condo without breathing hard, and go to Aruba wearing a swimsuit that doesn't make me look like a whale.

I loved my cousin and he will be missed, but if his death has motivated me and other members of my family to change the way they live and eat, then his death won't be in vane.

Rest in Peace Ike Pugh Jr. I love u cuz!

dating...sex...friendship OH MY!

2005-01-17T13:09:00.000-05:00

Wow...dating, love, sex is getting much harder in 2005 than it's ever been for me. I know that I am dating much more since DaSon has moved in with his father, but the drama is much more than I can handle. #1- I don't like putting myself out there when I am dating someone, it sucks and I just don't like doing it, that is why I make it a point to be as honest as possible. #2 How can anyone expect a woman to commit to a relationship after 3 dates? #3 What happend to the good ole days when "just sex" meant just that..."just sex".

I know I am partly to blame because the truth is I don't really know what I want. I knowI want to be loved...but I don't want to be hurt. I know I want to share my life...but I don't want to loose my space. I know I want a relationship ...but I also want my freedom. I was aruguing tonight with a guy I've been dating for a year, and he was like "You know how I feel for you but the only way I can make u believe me is if I move in". Now he knows How I feel about my space...YOU move in with ME.....are u kidding???

I am a selfish woman, I know that about myself. I feel sorry for the man that truly loves me. I am trying to change, but like a man caught in a woman's body, communication is very hard for me but honesty isn't.

Peace & Love, anGee

Do U have roaches?

2004-12-15T13:07:00.000-05:00

I hate to have to go here but i will.....Bill Cosby is telling the truth! We are spending money on Roca wear and play stations on our kids that are failing school. We are making babies with men we KNOW won't be around to support us, and being forced to raise our sons and daughters without fathers. Men....if your babies mama asks you for $20 ...she's not not trying to use you...Brotha she is trying to feed your kid (s). Brothas...sending money for child support does NOT make you a parent! If we contiune to breed fatherless sons and welfare dependent daughters we will never overcome.

If you get pissed off at what Mr. Cosby says then you must have seen yourself in his words...i know I did. If you know your kitchen has roaches don't be angry when someone tells you...Just grab a can of RAID and kill'em.