Blog entries

Heidi Klum, Seal and the Importance of Good Friends

jeanette0113@yahoo.com — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 04:40:07 +0100

This morning, I glanced at the trending topics and read that Heidi Klum and Seal are divorcing. Curious, I scanned the article and read that it’s amicable...they’ve just grown apart. I sighed “who cares?” and kept it moving so that I could stay on my morning ritual pace. It’s not that I’m not sad about Heidi & Seal’s split, although I’m really not, it’s just that I’m not surprised, nor do I really care. They’re both rich aRead More...

Beyonce, Blue Ivy and the Chocolate Glazed Donut

jeanette0113@yahoo.com — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 05:14:30 +0100

Today, my favorite over priced coffee emporium had scribbled a sign and posted it on the door stating that they only offered one type of brewed coffee. The near empty parking lot should have been my first clue. The barista who wrote the sign spelled inconvenience incorrectly, yet another example of the text crazed-”who needs to know how to spell when you have spellcheck?” culture. Unfortunately, the brew that was posted doRead More...

Christmas Scrooge? Blame it on the Internet

jeanette0113@yahoo.com — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 20:55:39 +0100

For the most part, I’ve always managed to avoid the pull of peer pressure and not follow the herd. Remember an earlier blog where I shared that in college I wore a fashion challenged white acrylic hat with a purple ball attached to it because it fit my head, while my more stylish co-eds donned more fashionable head gear? I learned early on to “do JC” and not really care what others thought about what tRead More...

Cheetos, Yoga and the Power of a Good Bra!

jeanette0113@yahoo.com — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 00:16:07 +0100

If I could eat crunchy Cheetos every day and still remain slim, my fingers would constantly be stained orange. Because of this, my downward dog “almost” barked in yoga. I’d eaten one small 100 calorie pack of Cheetos, and my rump was threatening to betray me in a room full of Ashtanga yogis, so I clinched my cheeks like a muzzle on a pit bull. I’m a nRead More...

Universal Love or Lust at Borders?

jeanette0113@yahoo.com — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 02:29:14 +0100

Last week, while reorganizing the car console, (or clearing the contents from a seasonal purse, I can’t remember which) I stumbled upon a Border’s gift card. I recognized it as one that had been gifted to one of my heirs a few years ago. I flipped it over to see if a name had been written on the back. It was blank. I did a happy dance! Why? Because the laws of the universe that govern my “finders keepers” moral code Read More...

What would Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King think of the movie "The Help?"

jeanette0113@yahoo.com — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 06:17:12 +0100

He was born in 1993, with blonde hair and blue eyes. When he walked in for his arraignment, he wore a bright pink Ralph Lauren polo shirt as though he’d just played a round of golf at his family’s country club. The shirt looked freshly ironed. It was a bold color choice for such an occasion.

In 1993, with two years of marriage under my belt,Read More...

Martha's Vineyard and the Inkwell

jeanette0113@yahoo.com — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 22:21:22 +0100

It was a simple question, with a simple answer, or so I thought. Surprisingly, my friend chose not to answer the question, pretending that she didn’t know. Later she shared that she wasn’t in the mood to have “that” discussion. I was disappointed. I wasn’t there, because had I been there, I would have answered the woman’s question.

I’m wrRead More...

BTW's Christopher Dean Should Embrace His Inner Lady Gaga

jeanette0113@yahoo.com — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 02:12:11 +0100

Think what you will about her antics, Lady Gaga is unarguably a multi-talented artist. She writes most (if not all) of her own music and lyrics, plays multiple instruments, sings and dances; often expertly keeping pace with her background dancers while wearing outrageously high platform shoes. A super star with international appeal, she is the total package. She has also managed to brand herself with the finesse of a suRead More...

Why the Casey Anthony Trial and the Miami Heat are Must See TV

jeanette0113@yahoo.com — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 00:32:08 +0100

There's a song by Glenn Frey called "The Heat is On." The lyrics in the chorus repeat as follows: "The heat is on. The heat is on-on. The heat is (drum, drum, drum, drum) - on." The four drum beats create an exaggerated pause for effect. You can thank me later when you find yourself humming "The Heat is On" throughout the Read More...

Maria Shriver and the Skank

jeanette0113@yahoo.com — Wed, 18 May 2011 07:50:30 +0100

There is an inverse relationship between privacy and fame. The more famous you are, the less privacy you have. Kate Gosselin, made famous for inviting cameras into her life to chronicle the raising of eight children, is a prime example. Because she’s “famous,” her privacy is invaded every time she leaves the house with or withoRead More...

Jumping the Broom & Mother's Day

jeanette0113@yahoo.com — Sun, 08 May 2011 04:10:55 +0100

Last night, at my request, my family jump started my mother's day weekend by seeing "Jumping the Broom." Earlier this week, on the Steve Harvey Morning Show, Rev. T.D. Jakes (one of the film's producers) suggested that the film was "family friendly" so I decided that my family of five would help support the Akil Production Company's efforts to show strong box office numbers on opening night. In the interest of full disclosure, I must confess that I hold a very, very casual, gossamer like aRead More...

The Royal Wedding: How to Tranquilize and Tag a Prince

jeanette0113@yahoo.com — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 00:42:53 +0100

On a hot day in the middle of summer, I remember setting my alarm so that I could awaken at dawn to view the Royal Wedding of Lady Diana Spencer and Prince Charles. Sleeping bag and pillow in hand, I watched with glee as her long train trailed down the aisle, wondering if I were the only one of my friends who had awakened to witness the event live. I found out later that I was. When my friends learned of my early wake uRead More...

Jackie Robinson and the Supreme Court

jeanette0113@yahoo.com — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 00:41:03 +0100

On Friday, the world celebrated the 64th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's historic first major league baseball game. On April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson donned a Brooklyn Dodgers jersey with the number forty-two across his back, walked onto the field and de-segregated the nation's (then) favorite pastime, baseball. Amid boos and death threats, where the "N" word was thrown at him like candy from a Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade float, Jackie Robinson boldly and bravely walked on to the fielRead More...

Elizabeth Taylor's Eyes Will Always Be More Famous than Kim Kardashian's Butt

jeanette0113@yahoo.com — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 21:37:53 +0100

When I was five or six, I absolutely adored Tina Turner. “Proud Mary” was my anthem. Not lacking in the performance chutzpah category, I would perform for my parents’ friends at the slightest suggestion, wrapping a yellow towel around my head to mimic the long blonde wig that Tina wore. Lip synching and dancing with a Soul TraiRead More...

Chris Brown & Lululemon Workers Should Study Yoga

jeanette0113@yahoo.com — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 09:55:45 +0100

In the state of Illinois there is a statute (law) [§ 730 ILCS 5/12-12 et seq.] that defines aggravated criminal sexual abuse as sex “...with a victim between age 13 and 17 by an offender at least five years older.” In the state of Illinois, the age of consent is eighteen. Even if the relationship is deemed "consensual" by both pRead More...

Charlie Sheen, Bad Behavior & the Image Award

jeanette0113@yahoo.com — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 02:19:21 +0100

I love shopping, and I come from a long line of "quality" shopaholics on the paternal side of my family. By quality, I mean that we search for the best value at the most economical price. When entering any of the swanky retail establishments on North Michigan Avenue, we instinctively scour the clearance racks first and never pay full price for retail for anything other than shoes. Some of the women in my family wear quads (AAAA) and those seldom go on sale. For me and many of my relativeRead More...

The Monkey and the Pink Tutu

jeanette0113@yahoo.com — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 04:58:15 +0100

In February, our nation makes a concerted effort to recognize and highlight the contributions of African Americans in the United States. In classrooms, corporations and cities large and small, many people are participating in Black History programs out of a sense of obligation and outright disdain. For many, this brief twenty-eight day pause is misunderstood and deemed unnecessary.

At our children's Christian school, many of their classmates make comments such as: "I don't undersRead More...

The Link Between Babies and Tattoos

jeanette0113@yahoo.com — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 08:34:54 +0100

The mystery was solved the day that my husband and I brought our first child home from the hospital. I’d always heard women describe childbirth as the most quickly forgotten pain. I’d ponder this mystery and wonder how it was possible to forget pain that is often said to be the closest that a woman will come to death withoRead More...

Why There's no U in Service

jeanette0113@yahoo.com — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 21:51:59 +0100

Today our nation celebrates the birthday of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK); the man who was the leader of the Civil Rights Movement and whose selfless sacrifice and obedience to follow a dream placed on his heart by God is the reason that civil rights exist in the United States. Dr. King's actual birthday is January 15th, but the nation always celebrates it on a Monday. There will be no mail delivered today, and no services performed at organizations who have a federal connection iRead More...

My Last Two Dollars

jeanette0113@yahoo.com — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 10:37:00 +0100

When we lived in Chicago, I enjoyed listening to a local radio station's Sunday evening blues segment. Chicago is the home of the blues, and I'm from Chicago, but I'm not a big fan of the blues. My dad loved the blues, so I thought that the blues was an acquired taste like beer, and that I just hadn't acquired the taste yet.

So, each Sunday afternoon while cooking dinner, I would switch to the blues station, trying desperately to gain an appreciation for this art form. "My Last TwRead More...