What happens when he works at Subway .....

I so could not wait to get home and write this blog. Before I write it let me tell you the back story.  I was on the phone with an associate who mentioned that she was talking to a new man. This man treated her good, he was nice and respectful and he took her out. BUT....yes there was a but and I waited patiently for it.  I could only imagine what the "dealbreaker" would be....was he a convict? Was he an abuser? Did he live with his mama? She eventually took me out of my misery and said "Girl I cannot talk to him because he works at Subway". Huh? Really? My response was well at least the brotha has a job. Seriously at least he is taking care of himself and not laying up on some woman's couch depending on her for everything or worse on the corner slanging or even worse knocking people over the head and taking their purse. Sure he cant buy you a Lexus or a Gucci or whatever the hell else you want but he's nice .... he TREATS YOU GOOD! Shouldnt that be taken into consideration?

Apparently nowadays no it shouldnt. I've met plenty of women like my associate and not enough women like myself. I've met women who only want a man who is capable and willing to "take care of them". They want a man who drives a nice car, wears nice clothes, can pay all of their bills with a 6 figure income and a generous hand. The problem with these types of women is that more than often, they have nothing to bring to the table. They are quick to turn their nose up at the man who works at Subway but bitch you're working at Burger King.  Money drives everything in their life and I hate to tell them but all of the money in the world wont make you happy. All of the money in the world wont make a person love you, respect you or cherish you.  I'd take the man who works at Subway and treats me right over the man who works at the law firm and is beating my ass on a daily basis, cheating or acting crazy. Personally I just dont think a job is a major factor like that. But like I said, there aren't a lot of women like me.

I work 8-3. I dont need a man to support me. See that's what I went to college for. Thats what I bust my ass for on a daily basis ....  TO SUPPORT MYSELF! Anything a man does for me is purely additional. Hell the way I see it if he works at Subway he should be able to hook a chick up with a sub. I love Subway! lol Thats just me though. I'm not picky like that. If you can offer a good conversation and treat me good without asking me for a damn thing, you're good with me.

I'm sure that this has been happening for a long time. I've always heard women talk about money but now that I am the mother to a son I pay more attention. My son is at the age where he likes girls and I see that when it comes to dating I'm starting to look at things from a male point of view more often. These type of women are the type of women that I want my son to stay away from! You dont need to be with anyone who 1. is not bringing anything to the table 2. is looking for you to support her because you're not her mom or dad or 3. someone who is merely looking at dollar signs. I want my son with someone who can stand on her on two feet (like his momma :) and is interested in my son for WHO he is and not WHAT he has or HOW much he makes.

So long story made short, my associate says she wont be talking to ole boy anymore. She is basically back at square one.......and someone who probably would've been a good fit for her is now out of the door...... out of the door because his job title just did not make the cut *shrugs* oh well. I'm hungry.  Subway anyone?

Happy Birthday Florida A&M University!!!!!!

On October 3rd 124 years ago Florida A&M University began. If you dont know, I truly love my alma mater.  Not only am I a Rattler but I am also someone who is very proud of my alma mater. In my mind and heart, WE truly are the BEST!

Believe it or not I grew up as a Wildcat. My father is a graduate of Bethune Cookman. Believe it or not when I was a senior in high school my dream was to attend Florida State University. I still remember when I got my acceptance letter. I was so happy. My father told me that I could attend Florida A&M or Bethune .... those were my only two options. His baby girl was going to a HBCU whether she wanted to or not. I know that may seem kind of harsh ... I remember shedding several tears about it BUT 11 years later I am thankful for my dad. Me attending Florida A&M University was one of the BEST things to ever happen to me.

Florida A&M is more than a school. Thats something that people who did not attend the university will never understand. Its more than a school. Its a way of life. Thats evident in the love, respect and devotion that its alumni have in it. Famu alumni are some of the best people that I've met since leaving Tallahassee. No matter where I've gone I've been in the midst of Rattlers. I remember driving down the street in Atlanta and a lady rolling down her window and saying GO RATTLERS. I remember attending a Buccaneer game and coming in contact with an "old" Rattler. We talked as if we had known each other for years.

Florida A&M has been a trailblazer for the past 124 years. The band, the different degree programs, the dedicated alumni......which Hbcu was the first to trend on twitter? Famu. Which band was selected to play in France? Famu's Marching 100. Which school was named the best HBCU in the US?  Famu.  I could go on and on and on with Famu's different accolades but you get the point.

There's a reason why the students and alumni love and cherish this university that sits on the highest of hills in Tallahassee. There's a reason why if you were to skim down the newsfeed on my facebook page you'd find Rattler alumni with Rattler themed avatars in celebration of the university's founding date. There's a reason why if you searched Famu on twitter you'd find 1000s of alumni confessing their love for the university. Simply put....its the best. Happy birthday to Florida A&M University!!!!! Thank you for all that you've done, are doing and will continue to do. We love you :)

Is the money really worth it? .... PWI's vs HBCU's

Last night I traveled to Tampa to cheer on my Florida A&M University Rattlers as they took on USF. The experience was one that left me with an angry, bitter feeling 24 hours later and also led me to question whether HBCU's should even bother playing against PWI's for pay.

This is not the first time that my beloved HBCU has played against a PWI. During the Randy Shannon era at the University of Miami we played the Hurricanes yearly. Despite what many people say about Randy I will always look at him with high regard. I mean seriously how many football coaches do you know who stress the importance of education? How many football coaches do you know who have graduated as many players as Shannon did? How many cared about the welfare of their players and coaching staff as much as Randy? Randy Shannon believed that HBCU's and their talented players were often overlooked by the Ncaa, NFL and media in general. He wanted to expose individuals who had no idea what an HBCU was to HBCU culture, bands, players and etc. It worked. The atmosphere at Sun Life Stadium when Miami and Famu played was one that could only be described in one word ... AWESOME. Yes Miami beat us every single time but I think that many Rattlers would agree that the energy was so positive and the environment so friendly that the lost never really hurt. Plus you would throw in the fact that our school made a ton of cash off of that one game. Randy always made sure that the Marching 100 were able to showcase what they were all about and the fans of UM enjoyed it. See ... it usually was a win-win situation for both parties.

That wasnt the case last night. From the moment that I entered Raymond James Stadium I didnt feel the same as I usually felt when we played Miami. The environment was different.  The workers were rude and the fans quite belligerent. There was a feeling of simply being uncomfortable and praying that the 100 would hurry up and play so that we could leave. The joyous dancing, clapping and singing that Famu alumni and students partake in was missing. Everyone just kind of sat there either watching our football team get murdered or texting on their phone. There was no genuine interest. The score at the end read 70-17.

I woke up this morning and wondered who was in charge at Famu. Who decided to put this game on the schedule? Who decided that we would play USF? And when they decided that we would play USF did they speak with USF to see WHY they wanted to play us to begin with OR were they simply focused on the big pay day at the end. All money is not GOOD money. We live in a country that believes that historical black colleges and universities are obsolete. They are useless, outdated and irrelevant. They should no longer exist. Not only do Americans who have no idea what an HBCU stands for or is feel this way but individuals within OUR own community also express such sentiments. When you're living in a place that has such a negative attitude towards HBCU's I wonder why someone would go and add fuel to the fire? All I heard last night and this morning was how Famu sucked. All I heard was chuckles last night and looks of pity. I feel as if that game not only set Famu as an institution back but HBCU's in general. Instead of showcasing Famu and exposing people to overlooked talent, the game only served to exploit the institution and further the notion that PWIs are better. As an athlete, student or band member, I would not have wanted to attend Famu after experiencing last night's game. I too would have been as ignorant as everyone else and believed that PWI's are white, so they ARE better.  This is what made this situation a winning situation...BUT only for USF. Metaphorically speaking Famu lost. HBCUs lost.  We got paid though. But in the end, was the money even really worth it?

Buccaneers vs Lions

Well unless you were under a rock OR maybe you just are not a football fan *gasp* you know that football season officially started last week. It was week 1 of NFL football and I was extra giddy because I was heading to Tampa to see my Buccaneers. No words can express how I feel whenever I see my Buccaneers. I'm a HUGE fan and am always all smiles when I know that I am going to Raymond James Stadium. Raymond James Stadium does not feel the same way about me tho :(

It never fails, every time I go to Raymond James something bad happens. This trip was no different. There was a huge accident in which 10+ people lost their lives on the main road leading from West Palm Beach to Tampa. We sat in traffic for a good 30 minutes before we were informed that the road would be closed for another 2 hours. It was time to insert plan B. I knew by going the other route that we would definitely miss out on tailgating but I didnt care ... just as long as we were there by kickoff I was good.

We werent. Even after going the long way to Tampa I was confident that we would make it. That was until we missed our exit and ended up in Pasco County. I've driven to Raymond James Stadium plenty of times and probably could drive there blind folded BUT on this particular day I miss my exit. That added another 20 minutes to the trip. Finally we get to the stadium and parking is gone. So another 5 minutes went into finding a parking spot. I guess good things come to those who are last because we ended up finding a FREE parking spot *booty pops* Gotta find the positives right?

By the time we actually made it IN the stadium it was the second quarter, the Bucs were losing and I was as excited as could be. We sat on the Lions side and I was amazed by how many Lions fans there were. Where did they come from? Did they drive down or do they reside in Tampa already?  I promise there were more Lions fans chanting than Tampa Bay fans. I was embarrassed. It got worse. In the 4th quarter Tampa Bay fans actually started boo'ing their own team. THEIR OWN TEAM!!!! What in the world. Now I will not sit on this blog and say that I was totally pleased with how Tampa played on Sunday because I wasnt. However I will NEVER boo MY Bucs...NEVER! That's MY team. What type of fan does that?

The "fans" also were yelling that the Bucs suck, Raheem(the coach) sucks and that THIS is why people dont buy tickets to see them. Really? First of all maybe I'm delusional but I never would say any of this...not about MY team. If they did really suck that is something that I would keep to myself. Even when my Bucs only won 3 games in an entire season I never uttered the words "they suck". What type of fans are these? I'm starting to think that Tampa Bay does not know the meaning of the word. Poor Bucs.

It wasnt all bad though. It was a perfect day for football. It was hot with a nice breeze. The 9/11 tribute was also very nice. I think I was in awe watching the military men parachute into the stadium. Days later I'm still looking at the picture and saying to myself "how awesome was that" . The late LeeRoy Selmon was represented well. When you didnt see light blue jerseys, you saw light orange ones bearing the infamous 63. I also got to see N. Suh and let me tell you this .... television does not do him justice. The dude is HUGE! I would be so scared to play against him. He looked like a giant while everyone else looked like midgets. That dude is the truth!

Despite two fights breaking out in the stands and my beloved Bucs losing, I still walked out of the stadium with a huge smile on my face. Something about Raymond James does that to me. If I would've been home I would've been highly upset about the lost. I would've been in a funky mood for the entire day but on that day I took the long walk back to my truck with the rest of the Buccaneers with a smile on my face and my head held high. I got to see my Buccaneers and even if we lost, seeing them made my day. Go BUCS!

What makes a GREAT mom

Yesterday I was talking to my son's teacher when she got a glossy look in her eyes, paused and said "Ms Johnson, I want you to know that you are a great mother. You are truly a role model for other young mothers. I am impressed and you should be very proud of yourself" It took me a minute to say anything and when I did all that could escape was a thank you. I've been told before that I am a great mom and every time someone says that it makes me choke up. I'm honored. Really I am.

I worry ALL of the time about my son. I worry if I'm doing everything right. I worry if I have done something wrong. I worry about what type of man he will grow up to be. I worry about if something that I said or didnt say, something that I did or didnt do will affect him later on in life. Child let me tell you, being a parent is a full time job and when you are trying to be a GOOD one its even harder. The fact that I do it all by myself makes being a mom one of the hardest jobs on this planet. My son is the most important person in my life. He has been that way since I found out that I was having a baby. I never wanted kids and its amazing that 9 months later this little person changed my mind and my life. All that I do, I do for him.

I had my son when I was 19 years old. You know, the age where you think you know everything but in retrospect how much do you really know? Being a mom or a parent in general does not come with a rule book. There are no "help" sections when you cant figure something out. Basically you have to wing it. That's all I've been doing for the past 10 years ... winging it. I've tried my best and given my all to be the type of mother that I would want. I've listened to my kid whenever he has something to say(which is always), I've put in my quality time with him, I've helped with homework and yada yada yada. I've sacrificed everything for that little boy and I've done it without ever wanting recognition for it. I've done it because hell HE IS MINE, I'm responsible for him and I love him. But I cant lie....on those rare moments when someone is looking and they comment on how great I am it makes me proud. For that brief moment all of the worrying goes away and I think to myself "Maybe I am doing this right" .... dont worry, 10 minutes later the worrying comes back lol.

What makes a great mom? I dont know. The criteria varies depending on the child. But I do know that I'm going to continue to do my very best and if you see something that you like let me know. Your encouragement will save me 10 minutes of worrying time and place a huge smile on my face :)

The things men do for an orgasm .... aka PEARLING

Here I was minding my own business when I came across a rather disturbing picture. Apparently men are inserting pearls within their penis to heighten the orgasm of their female and/or male partners. I dont know about you but one peek at the picture had my anal muscles tightening. This is just too much for me. I dont mean to be a Square Suzie but what happened to just doing "normal" things????? Can you not have fun being normal? I promise we are living in a time where people are just extreme with everything. Too many Lady Gaga's in the world and not enough Michelle Obamas. This ish is just crazy and if I ever meet a man with anything resembling this, he should lose my name and number pronto. The weird thing is that this practice is extremely popular within the prison system O_o How are they getting the pearls? *naive face* Within the system its called "speed bumping" I cant ..... I'm ending the post on that note. Look at the picture ... could you do it? O_o

The Help

I didnt want to see The Help. I have a million and one reasons why I did not wish to see it but the main reason is because I'm tired of movies like that. You know .... the magical white person comes and saves the Negroes .... type of movies. I was sitting in the theater waiting to see Jumping The Broom when the trailer premiered. I remember someone in the theater saying loudly "I dont want to see that shit. That's just going to make me want to punch someone in the face" My sentiments exactly but before I knew it all anyone was talking about was "The Help"

I cant start to count how many family members, friends and associates were calling me to tell me how good The Help was. Not one person understood that while I knew the movie was going to be good, I had no desire to see it. They were baffled by it. ME, someone who LOVES a good movie was NOT interested in seeing one of the BEST movies of the year? They didnt get it. The calls kept pouring in and eventually I broke down and went to see it.

First and foremost you should know that I had a major attitude walking into the theater. It was full and me and my companions were the only black people in the theater.  You cant go to a movie dealing with 1950's racism and be the only blacks in the theater. It makes an enjoyable experience awkward. When the film started off I remember saying "Here we go with this shit". I cant lie. It took me more than a few minutes to sigh, put my feet up, relax and get into the movie. It was everything that I expected it to be. Great cast, great acting, good storyline, good film.

I loved Minny's character but hated that she stuck with her sorry excuse for a man that was whooping her ass. I think Minny was an excellent portrayal of so many women that I know. You know the sassy mouth ones that are quick to put you in your place but cant do the same thing at home. I was so happy when she finally left his ass. I loved her for standing up to Hilly's character even though the way she did it was nassssttttyyyyyyy!!!! Ewwww! lol I never eat chocolate and I certainly wont be eating it after watching The Help LOL.  Speaking of HIlly,  I despised Hilly's character. She reminded me of too many people in my hometown and that took me down a road that I try not drive down very often. Just ignorant and miserable. How do I know she was miserable? Easy. You can tell a miserable person by the way they treat other people. Hilly was evil for no reason. I really thought that her maid was going to expose something scandalous about her like her husband was cheating or something like that. I was disappointed that her story only contained her eating Minny's shit. Oh well. I thought Abilene's character did an excellent job. The lady whom I believe is named Viola has been a great actress and one that I have grown fond of every since I saw her in Doubt. Her lines to the little girl ... you are smart, you are kind, you are important were lines that probably would've had me in tears had I not had a major attitude entering the theater. Skeeter is probably someone that everyone who saw the film loved but I rolled my eyes a lot when she was on the screen. A typical captain save-a-hoe. I had to remind myself that this is fictional...its just a movie.  However I wonder if she would have been interested in the help's story IF she was not gaining anything by it.  Now one white woman that I did love was Minny's boss, Celia. She seemed sincere and I loved the last scene where SHE cooked for MINNY. I think that was an excellent portrayal of the theme that everyone is NOT bad.  There are a few good people in the world who are nice and kind not for profit but because that is just what kind of people they are. It was crazy that Celia wanted to be accepted by Hilly and her clowns. One last thing .... Cicely Tyson. Is there a rule book somewhere that says that Cicely Tyson must have a part in all racial movies? When she first came on I had the craziest look on my face. Is that Cicely Tyson? Naw naw naw, thats not Cicely Tyson. Damn...that's Cicely Tyson. Cicely has been acting in racial films since Roots and it does not look like she's hanging it up anytime soon. I totally did not expect to see her in this film.

The movie is 2 hours long but you get wrapped up into it so the 2 hours fly by. It was kind of predictable. If you've seen one racial movie, you've seen them all. You kind of know what is going to happen. Everyone in the theater laughed and when we walked out, a few movie goers had red eyes from crying. I did not cry as everyone told me that I would. The crazy thing is that I am a huge cry baby. I also did not laugh...as everyone told me I would. I was pretty emotionless except for the anger that crept up every now and then.  It was a good film but not one that I would like to see again.  Seriously how many films like "the help" exist? Many! I grew up around racism. I come from a small little town where we just received our FIRST black head coach for football and our FIRST black assistant principal last year. And let me tell you, both positions have left many with mouths wide open. They are shocking. I dont have to see racism on film....I saw it daily growing up.

Anyhoo getting back to the film and off of my personal rant, I give the film an A. Heres the trailer :)

FAMU releases football schedule

Unless you've been under a rock somewhere or maybe you just really do not pay attention to me or my little blog *weeps* I'm a RATTLER. Yes my dear I graduated from the lovely Florida A&M University. *shakes my pom pom* I have been tripping for the past 3-4 years though. I've only attended one game per year in support of my Rattlers and that is the well known Florida Classic. I said this year that I'm stepping my game up and am going to attend at least 3 games this year. Keep your fingers crossed. Lets look at this schedule


2011 FAMU RATTLER FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

09-03 Fort Valley State (TBA) HOME/Bragg Memorial Stadium09-10 @Hampton University (TBA)* Hampton, VA/Armstrong Stadium
09-17 @University of South Florida (TBA) Tampa, FL/Raymond James Stadium
09-24 Bank of America Atlanta Football Classic Atlanta, GA/Georgia Dome
10-01 Delaware State (TBA)* HOME/Bragg Memorial Stadium
10-08 Howard University (TBA)* HOME/Bragg Memorial Stadium
10-15 @Savannah State (TBA)* Savannah, GA/Ted Wright Stadium
10-22 @South Carolina State (TBA)* Orangeburg, SC/Dawson-Bulldog Stadium
11-05 North Carolina A&T (TBA)* HOME/Bragg Stadium
11-12 @North Carolina Central (TBA)* Durham, NC/O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium
11-19 Bethune-Cookman (TBA)* Orlando, FL/Florida Citrus Bowl##
(*)-Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference games; (##)-Florida Classic


I decided that the three games that I will be attending are the Famu vs USF game, the FAMU vs Southern game and of course the FAMU vs BCU game. Normally we play UM. However this year, for some unknown reason, we are playing USF. Its cool though. USF plays at the home of my beloved Buccaneers, Raymond James Stadium, so I am excited about going to this particular game. I'm also excited about the Famu vs Southern game. I use to attend the Atlanta Classic yearly but *yawn* its just not as exciting as the Orlando Classic. For one we have played Tennessee State University for the longest *yawn* They are boring and so is their band....no offense. They just were never a match for my Rattlers. I'm glad that this year we are playing someone interesting. I'm pretty sure the matchup between Southern and Famu will be quite interesting. The last game of course is the BCU vs Famu game. *whispers* Believe it or not I love both schools. My father is a graduate of BCU and few people know this but my first year at Famu was interesting because I would actually wear BCU tshirts, shorts, etc around and my car had a BCU tag. It took me a lonnnnngggggg time to be a Rattler because I was raised a Wildcat.  As I tell many people though, despite the rivalry that takes place I believe  that there is a lot of love between Cookman and Fam. Cmon...we're BOTH HBCU's. We have to stick together :) This game is a tradition within my family. I cant ever recall not going although the weekend happens to fall on/around my birthday. This year is no different .... the game is actually on birthday this year. I think thats going to make it all the more special :) Go RATTLERS!

 

 

Shacking up? .... its against the law

As if I have not had an ummm "interesting" day already ... today I found out that shacking aka living with a man/woman who is not your husband/wife is a crime in the state of Florida. Yes, yes you've read that right. Sharing a living space with a man/woman that you are dating is against the law. As a matter of fact, its a misdemeanor.

Now those of you who attend church regularly already know that shacking is considered a sin in the bible. Here is my thing ... let God handle that. What is the state of Florida doing? This is such an unnecessary law and the fact that they are arresting people about their living environment is flat out ridiculous. What's next? Arresting the man or woman who is committing adultery? Is that not another sin within the bible?  I thought one big was not bigger than the other. What makes shacking up so special that it has its own law?

I've been convinced for a little while now that lawmakers and people who are "in charge" are some of the dumbest people in the world and yet they are the ones who make the decisions. Why? Is this a cruel joke or something? Who in their right mind would arrest a man or woman for living with someone? Thats not their place. That is a judgement that in my opinion is left up to God.

See this is the problem. Too many people, especially in America, are trying to play God. They are trying to pass judgements that they are not fit to pass. We as human beings want to be in control of any and everything. When will we ever learn? I personally look at everything that is going on in the world .... earthquakes in places that normally dont have earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, flooding, etc and say to myself God is trying to tell us something ... but are we listening? Obviously not.

I am someone who has no desire to ever marry again. I've been down that road and I do not wish to drive down it again. I guess I'll just have to pray that I'm not one of the 700 people who are charged with this useless misdemeanor. :(

Here is the article:

http://www.wjhg.com/home/headlines/Co-Habitation_Is_Illegal_In_Florida_128835483.html

Posted: 3:26 PM Aug 31, 2011

Co-Habitation Is Illegal In Florida


This may come as a surprise to you, but it is still illegal in Florida to live together as man and wife when you are not married. More surprising is that in the last twelve months, a hundred and four people have been charged with a misdemeanor.




This may come as a surprise to you, but it is still illegal in Florida to live together as man and wife when you are not married. More surprising is that in the last twelve months, a hundred and four people have been charged with a misdemeanor. One state lawmaker thinks the statute has outlived its purpose.

Think of the year 1868. That’s when it became illegal to live in sin in Florida. The law is still on the books. Which was a surprise to Abby, who moved in with her boyfriend two months ago, after being together for a year.



Abby doesn’t want us to tell you her last name because she doesn’t want to be arrested. “We’ve been together for a while and financially, it was better. And we love each other.”

Then we posed the question to these artists at a senior center: who knows someone living as man and wife without being married. Three of the nine hands went up. Sandy DeLopez’s says her 60-year-old brother-in-law is living with a divorcee.“They’ve been living that way for ten years now and they’ve very happy. And they’re in their early 60s.”

Nearly 700 people have been charged with misdemeanors in the last five years. 104 people have faced charges in the last 12 months. What we don’t know from those records is who they are, where they lived or what happened to their case.

State Representative Rich Workman has filed legislation to repeal the ban on adultery. While he says he doesn’t condone couples co-habitating, he says the prohibition has no place in the statutes. “A little piece of your liberty, a little piece of your freedom is stolen with all these laws that try to dictate lifestyle and are not necessarily enforced.”

New census figures show more than a half million couples in Florida that appear to be breaking the law.

Workman filed the same bill last year, but couldn’t get a vote because most lawmakers found it too sensitive of a political issue.

Basketball Wives ...... Whatcha think?

I am 29. I graduated from a wonderful college, cum laude. I have 2 post grad degrees. I'm currently working to obtain a doctorates degree and I WATCH BASKETBALL WIVES. *smacks lips* I surely do. I think everyone has a guilty pleasure ... no matter how much education you have. Mine just happens to be basketball wives......judge me. I'on care.  I complain and complain and complain ... yet every week I tune in. This week  a new basketball wives premiered...basketball wives LA. I've been hyped about it all week because of the cast. So here is what I think:

Jackie---lets be honest. Jackie is crazy. I dont know Jackie Christy personally ..... but from what I've seen, read, heard from her in the past few years I've come to the conclusion that Jackie is not working with a full deck of cards. Anyone who has a wedding EVERY SINGLE YEAR is a few fries short of a happy meal if you ask me. She's hood as hell too. I dont know how old Jackie is but I do know she is too damn old to be on this show. Its evident in the fact that she has a kid who is 21 years old. Cmon Jackie! I'm pretty sure Jackie is going to bring lots of drama tho. I mean cmon...she's Jackie Christy. Anyone who knows of her knows that Jackie Christy should've had her own reality show YEARS ago. She's had that man of hers on a leash mentally and physically for years. I believe they had their own reality show once upon a time and it just did not work out. Here is her second shot. I expect lots of drama from Mrs Christy this season.

Laura--first of all I would like to say that if someone like Laura Govan can land a baller, ANYONE CAN! Cmon now. I could've sworn Laura was better looking than that. I'm going to blame the cameramen LOL She looked a hot mess. Laura Govan is the sister of my favorite Miami basketball wives star, Gloria Govan....remember, shes the one that allegedly had the affair with Shaquille Oneal. She is hood as hell and does not even attempt to disguise it. What did she say on tonight's episode? She's a rat! Now who in the right mind would be proud of being a hoodrat? That tells you a lot about Laura already doesnt it. Plus she just had a baby 3 weeks ago and what is she doing? She's not home breastfeeding her kid. She's not combing hair and brushing teeth. No .. she's in a restaurant fighting other women. I expect lots of drama from her too.

Gloria-- Gloria Govan was hands down my favorite character on the original Basketball Wives series. I loved her because she was the only one willing to check Shaunie Oneal's shady ass. However I see already that I'm not really going to like her on this series. Why? because shes the new Shaunie Oneal mane. When did that happen? Gloria was anti-groupies on BBWs Miami but now she's friends with Draya. I cant say that I expect drama from Gloria this season. I dont know what I expect from her. Moving on...

Draya--Why is she on the show? They say she is the "Royce" of the show but how soon do we forget that although Royce could not mention Dwight Howard's  name, she DOES have a baby from a basketball player. She has some attachment to basketball. Does Draya have the same? I see in the preview that Draya's arrest for leaving her child home alone will be brought up. So what do I expect from Draya? DRAMA

Imani--*scratches head* I dont know who she is. She's pretty much irrelevant. The only thing that I can tell you about Imani from tonight's show is that she was engaged to a dude for 9 years and never got married. Here we go with this storyline again. Didnt we see this with Evelyn? What is up with chicks being engaged to these dudes for decades and ish? Who does that? Better yet who does it and goes on national television and says it. I'm not expecting anything from Imani either. We shall see

Tonya- *sigh*  I dont know about Tonya either. She's the educated, classy, Iyanla Vanzant chick. She does not seem like the type of person who will throw a punch so I dont know how relevant she'll be on this type of show. *shrugs* We shall see. I mean her husband is Jayson Williams*shrugs again* Moving on...

Kimsha-- When you're the exwife of Ron Artest aka Metta World Peace you have to be interesting. I'm just saying ... dude is a bit strange. His exwife .... well she is .... interesting. I'll say that. The chick is hood as hell and she has an obsession with assholes and shit. Seriously how many times did she reference both? Quite a few O_o Kimsha seems like the type of chick who will punch you in your throat for looking at her wrong. Thats what she seems like. Time will tell if she is actually that chick or just another water thrower

Malaysia--Should I refer to her as Malaysia or Lakeisha. Homegirl has a hood as name and an attitude to match. Everyone dislikes Malaysia and after watching 60 minutes of the show,  I still can not figure out why. She reminds me so much of Gloria Govan's character on BBWs Miami. What I loved the most about Malaysia is that homegirl is not afraid to throw a punch. She's like a little bit of Tami mixed with a little bit of Royce mixed with a little bit of Jennifer mixed with a little bit of Evelyn. She's all over the place. One thing about Malaysia is that those colored contacts must go. Those dont fly. Other than that she seems "likeable" *shrugs*

So I'm looking forward to this season. Are you watching? Whatcha think?   

Beyonce is pregnant .............................. AND?

First and foremost let me say that this post has nothing to do with Beyonce. In case you've been under a rock ... she's pregnant. I think pregnancy is a wonderful thing and if I knew Beyonce personally I would say congratulations. No this post is NOT a diss to Beyonce. This post is a diss to the idiots who worship Beyonce.

Beyonce is pregnant....AND? So is my neighbor Shakia. So is my cousin. So is some random woman that I dont know. People are acting as if they know Beyonce personally. They are acting as if Jay Z knocked them up. Its crazy. I've read too many facebook updates and tweets that have sounded like this "I'm soooooo excited" About what? For what? You gonna hold the baby? I wonder if these same people are that "excited" when someone that they actually know and should care about gets knocked up.

I just do not understand human beings. I dont. When I read some of the things that people say or hear it with my own two ears, I start to doubt who and what I actually am. I know everyone is different and everyone has their own opinions, etc but it is MY opinion that if your life revolves around a celebrity that much, that your life is actually pretty pathetic. I'm not holding anything back in an attempt to spare Beyonce Stans feelings either. Quite frankly, their feelings deserve to be hurt.  They need a fucking wake up call. Beyonce puts her panties on one leg at a time just like you. She didnt create you. She's not responsible for you waking up in the morning. She's not responsible for the food thats on your table. Beyonce has sins just like you. That bish is HUMAN just like you! Jesus died for her too ..... trust me, it wasnt the other way around.

What happened to just liking somebody? Why cant we just like somebody? When did all of  this worshipping start happening? "Stan'ing" thats what they call it and people actually brag about being one. A stan that is. As if that is a great effin thing to be. Its pathetic. I know I know ..... the word "hater" is going to be thrown around. *rolls eyes* Say what you want ... I have every Beyonce album. There is no "hate" being thrown Beyonce's way ... but to you effin Stans....youre damn right I hate you all. Get an effin life! *In my Missy voice* but for real ... keep reading my blog :)

Rise of the Planet of the Apes review ....... *possible spoilers*

A few weeks ago I was sitting in the theater with my son when I saw a trailer for an interesting movie about apes. I told my son "I really would like to see that". Yes the name, for me, was a bit weird but the plot seemed interesting and I really thought that this movie could be one of the best movies of the summer. Well it finally came out yesterday and I was not disappointed.

Before I review the movie I would like to share something about me. I'm a movie nerd. I LOVE going to the movies and analyzing every aspect of the movie. I'm the type of person who will go to the movies and spend the rest of the night reading about every part of the movie and talking about it too. I enjoying debating and hearing other people's views on that particular movie. I also am a softy. I hate seeing anyone mistreated and am known to root for the underdog. For example, in District 9 I rooted for the aliens and I damn near cried about how the humans treated them. All of this put together made Rise of the Planet of the Apes the perfect movie for a person like me.

The movie starts off in what I can presume to be Africa showing hunters capturing primates. This scene in my opinion sets you up to feel some sort of compassion for the primates. Imagine being in your home, running free and in the blink of the eye being forced into a cage to be experimented on. It tugged at my heart and made me Pro Primates from the start. The movie then moves onto a scientist who is trying to find a cure for Alzheimer's which his father suffers from. I found it weird that this is the second movie in a row(first was friends with benefits) that has dealt with this disease...a disease that I am familiar with :/ The scientist finds a cure in AZ112. He has been testing it on the captured primates. When it is time to show his findings to a pharmaceutical company that could pick it up, his main primate goes crazy and is shot. It turns out the primate is not crazy and has NOT had a reaction to the drug .... she was simply trying to protect her baby that she had recently given birth to. It doesnt matter. The company, who is only interested in making money not helping sick people, is no longer interested in the drug and the scientist is told to start over. He takes the baby primate(who is so freakin adorable) home and discovers that the drug was passed from the mother to the child and the baby is extremely intelligent. He names the baby Caesar and this is where the story begins.

The movie spends the first hour allowing the audience to get to know Caesar. We basically fall in love with him which also leads to us rooting for him in the end. Caesar is smart, caring and funny. The audience finds themselves awww'ing when Caesar does something cute and gasping when something gruel is done to him....like when the next door neighbor attempts to beat him with a bat for trying to ride his daughter's bicycle. I doubt many of us have ever owned a primate but somehow someway you tend to forget that Caesar is that. After his father gets worse and worse, the scientist decides to give his father the experimental AZ112. It works. His father improves and we see the scientist(I forgot his name), his girlfriend, his father and Caesar living happily ever after.

This is where the movie takes a turn. The father's immune system creates antibodies and fights against the drugs. Therefore his Alzheimer's returns and he gets sick all over again. This is a major plot development point for the movie. One day the father goes outside and steals his neighbor's car. He hits the car in front and the car behind him before the neighbor comes out(the same neighbor who attempted to beat Caesar with a bat) and drags him out of the car. He yells at the old man and calls the police. Caesar is watching all of this from a window. All he sees is the man hitting the old man .... the man who has helped to raise him and he is furious. He goes outside and attacks the man, attempting to protect his owner. Of course he takes it too far ... he chases the man down the street and bites his finger off. This sets us up for what we knew would always happen(or at least I did) ... Caesar is taken into custody and sent to a primate shelter.

The shelter looks like a good place for primates ... on the inside ... but once Caesar's owners leave the audience is shown what really happens to the primates. They are kept in small cages, they are fed slop, they are wild animals who beat each other. You cant help but feel sorry for Caesar. He has never been around other primates before and he stands out. He is the only primate wearing clothes. He appears to be the only primate who can communicate(we later find out an orangatan can also sign). He is the only primate who is not "wild". The owners dislike him because he is smart and abuse him. The apes dislike him because he is not like them. He is jumped on and I cant lie ... I was about to cry. I felt so sorry for him but I was also puzzled as to why Caesar did not tell his owner what was happening to him when the owner visited him.

In the real world the scientist creates a new drug...this drug is AZ113. He begins testing it on other primates in hopes of finding something that will cure his dad. While testing it on one primate that I will call Blue Eyes, something goes wrong and one staff member is exposed to the drug. We find out two things in this scene...1. the drug is now a spray and 2. it is fatal to humans. So when the scientist steals it to give it to his ailing father, the audience cant help but to scream "noooooo" We already know his fate. Meanwhile Caesar has stolen a knife from a human and he goes and releases a silverback ape by the name of Buck. Doing this not only gives Caesar(who is very smart) the ability to release his counterparts but it also provides him with a powerful ally. Caesar attacks the primate who has been harassing him but he refuses to kill him.  All of  the other primates witness this and now Caesar is in charge. He steals cookies for the primates and is seen as their leader. When his owner come to pick him up for good(because his father has died) Caesar refuses to go. He breaks out of the facility and steals the AZ113 releasing it into the facility. It works. When the primates wake up the next morning all have green eyes like Caesar. This is a characteristic of the drug. Caesar begins training them and they eventually escape. They rescue all of the other primates in the city, fight the police and head to the woods where they set us up for a sequel.

There were a few things that I was puzzled about. I understood the captured primates being smart because they were exposed to the drug but how did the zoo primates become intelligent? How did the other primates become intelligent too? Did Caesar give them the drug as well? That's the one thing that I needed explained to me and maybe it will be explained in the sequel. Overall the movie was really good. You couldnt help but to cheer for the primates. Yes some parts were a little predictable. I was not surprised when Caesar spoke. I have seen the other Planet of the Apes movies and was surprised that it took so long for him to speak.  I was also not surprised when old Blue Eyes killed Jacobs. I knew that was coming. Old Blue Eyes was a scary looking primate but I loved him. To me his character represented so much. The scientist thought he was a "good" primate because he never caused any problems. He had been experimented on sooooo much and it showed. He had scars on his face, different colored eyes and you could tell that on the inside he was an angry and hurt chimpanzee. I knew that given the opportunity he would kill the people responsible for him looking and feeling that way. I was a little surprised when Buck sacrificed his life so that Caesar could live and continue to be the leader. It made me question whether or not animals have feelings...do they have souls?

The movie is one that could spark several debates. How ethical is it to test on animals? Do animals have souls? Are humans often "playing God"? What are the consequences of such actions? I even found underlying themes of the judicial system and educational system in there. I still have not found anyone who has watched the movie that is willing to debate such subjects with me. My date kept saying "its just a movie" Ughhh how boring is that. Overall I give Rise of the Planet of the Apes an A. I really enjoyed it. Its one of the best movies that I've seen all summer after Captain America. My advice...go and see it. You wont be disappointed. :)

Rise of the Plant of the Apes  -  A

Friends With Benefits

I went to see Friends With Benefits today. Although I thought the trailer was cute, I really did not plan on spending money to see the movie. However after my son announced that he wanted to see Smurfs and Winnie the Pooh was unavailable, FWB became the movie for me. It was a very cute movie. There were only two people in the theater...me and a Latino guy....so we did the logical thing and watched the movie together. That made it even better. So I highly suggest going to see it with a member of the opposite sex. It'll give you plenty to chat about.

The concept of the movie is that two friends who each have gone through bad relationships and breakups decide to remain friends but have sex with each other. No emotional attachments. Yeah right. Anyone who is sexually active knows that this is nearly impossible. Not totally impossible....but nearly. Of course the dude catches feelings first....dont they always. Men are possessive. They do not want anyone being with the female that they are with....no matter what type of relationship they have with her. I've spoken to men who have gotten upset because their jumpoff was messing with someone. Their jumpoff!!!! Meaning they have someone else at home yet they are jealous over the mistress? Anyhoo I've digressed. You can spot this storyline from a mile away.......they are friends, they have sex, they catch feelings, they stop talking ..................... they get together and live happily ever after. While the storyline is predictable I still found myself choked up at the end. Yeah I cried and I felt like such a punk for doing so.  I couldnt help it. There were so many things about both of the characters that reminded me of ME.  And plus I'm a sucker for a fairy tale ending. :)

The movie stars Justin Timberlake who has the cutest ass ever. How do I know? Well they showed it about 10 times in the movie. If nudity offends you, well this is just not the movie for you lol. Its a movie about having sex with your friend so ummm yeah there is sex ... a lot of it :) Woody Harrison is also in the movie and he is one of my favorite characters. He stars as the homosexual coworker of Justin Timberlake. He is hilarious! "Dude no one wants to f*ck Obama! He has elephant ears" LOL! They definitely picked the right person to play this part.

I chuckled quite a few times throughout the movie and during the scene where the coffee is served(I dont want to tell the entire thing) I literally laughed out loud. I laughed so hard at that scene. Overall I enjoyed myself. It made me wonder about FWB. Is it a concept that could actually happen? Can you merely have sex with someone and not have any emotions attached? Sure you could, if you were a robot. Sex in itself is an emotional experience whether the male gender or female gender would like to admit it or not. Thats just the way it is but what do I know .... I'm an emotional Scorpio :)

I give Friends With Benefits a solid B-.(Official trailer below)

All hail the BUCS!

Every since the lockout ended I have been extra giddy about the upcoming football season. Trades, releases and deals made throughout the week have had me bouncing up and down with a huge smile on my face. I didnt think the smile could get any bigger ................ it just did.

Everyone who knows me knows that I am a HUGE fan of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I only consider myself a true fan of the Bucs and any other team that I cheer for merely fall under the category of "yeah I like you". My Buccaneer season is shaping up quite nicely. Next Saturday I head to Raymond James to attended the Brighthouse sponsered "Buccaneers at Night" event. There will be fireworks, the players will practice, cheap treats, free parking....yah yah yah! I WILL BE AT RAYMOND JAMES :) 

I knew I was going there. I also knew that I'd be attending the Tampa Bay vs Jacksonville game in December. My baby brother is a huge Jacksonville fan(God bless him) and I am the ultimate Tampa Bay fan so we are going together. This should be interesting. Truth be told I love Whatever-Jacksonville-has-named-their-stadium-now Stadium. I had fun the last time I went there to see the Houston Texans play. A Tampa Bay victory will make it sweeter ;) I knew I was going when I saw the schedule but what I didnt know was that I'd also be attending the Detroit vs Tampa game. I found that out today and I am super excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think the Detroit game is going to be very interesting. Two young teams????? I'm just happy that I'll be there to take it all in. So thats two Buccaneer games. My dad is going to the MNF game when Tampa plays Indianapolis. I wonder if he will need a chaperone???? Let me make a call ;-)

Football is back ............ GO BUCS!

Yay! Football is back. The NFL and its players finally came to an agreement and we fans have forgotten all about the past few months of nail biting and hair pulling that they put us through. We're just happy that its back. And so is the trash talking. I've already started talking shit whether its about fantasy football or about my Buccaneers being the BEST in the NFC South(and we are) .... the talketh of the smack has begun.

Yesterday I was trying to read about all of the updates around the league via yahoo, espn and profootball talk and my excitement got the best of me. I went into overload. So much information in such a short amount of time. I was literally like a kid in a candy store. I even downloaded a football app to my phone so the updates could chime in as they came in. A bit much? Probably but how can you NOT be excited????

The Buccaneers have wasted no time. They've already emailed their One Buc Club members with information about training camp,  practice times and event locations and times. I'm so giddy. I was supposed to go last year and unforseen events kept me from going. I plan on going this year. I am optimistic about our season although many people continue to sleep on our team and their capabilities. Thats ok. Keep sleeping. You will be pleasantly surprised. LETS GO BUCS!

Why Google will NEVER win .......... my review of Google+

I want to say that I love Google. I really do. Their email(Gmail) is the best out here. I have like 3 or 4 accounts but that is where my love with Google ends. When it comes to social networking Google needs to take a seat until they can come out with something that is original, creative and interesting. So far they are failing.

First Google came out with Google Buzz. If you did not happen to have a Buzz dont worry, you didnt miss out on anything. It was basically a bootleg twitter. It never caught on.

Now Google has Google +. I first heard about Google+ on my twitter timeline which says a lot in itself. I'm always one to try out a social networking site so I joined. Child boo! Google+ is simply a bootleg facebook in every sense of the word. There is NOTHING on Google+ that is NOT on facebook. Google should be ashamed of themselves for even putting it out. How do you copy and steal every single feature from another site and claim it as your own? I remember when Google+ first came out, people on twitter were commenting that facebook should be trembling in their pants. Why? I worked at facebook I'd be laughing my ass off. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery dontcha think? And Google+ is merely that......an imitation of facebook.

I asked one of my google+ friends what features Google has that facebook does not have. He never responded. I think he thought I was being sarcastic or even funny ... I dont know but  I was being serious. What does it have that other social networking sites dont have? What sets it apart? Nothing. And that my friends is why,  in my opinion, Google will never win. Until they can come up with their own shit they are going to continue to put out products like Buzz and Plus. The best thing about Google plus is that when I quit twitter, I was able to still talk to people from twitter through Plus. Thats about it. Its my new place to go when I am bored but hell its boring over there. Many of my circle friends dont post .... I guess they are too busy on facebook or twitter .... I wouldnt blame them. So my grade for Google+ is a D+. It going to stay that way until someone can tell me what they have that facebook does not have. Til then, do better google!

My fantasy squad....the HOTTEST players in the NFL

A couple of months ago I was chatting with a girlfriend when she made the statement "Football players are ugly". Now I love me some football.....the game and the men....so I was baffled by her statement. Football players are the sexiest creatures on Earth. She must be insane. She argued back that while they are sexy, they are not handsome. She challenged me to find enough handsome football players to make a squad...a fantasy squad. I cant lie, it took me months to find all of the players necessary to build this "fantasy squad" but it is now complete. So lo and behold here is my fantasy squad for the 2010-2011 season. My team may not be the most talented but damnit they certainly are the cutest :)

Offense:

Quarterback:
Hands down, this was the easiest position to pick. The cutest QB in the game is definitely Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers. I love me some Aaron and in another lifetime he would be my husband.

Runner up: Mark Sanchez from the New York Jets

Running Backs:
This position was a lil harder. There was a lot of sexiness going on but when I checked the face, many qualified as "tip drills" Anyhoo I could only pick two so my two are Kahlil Bell of the Chicago Bears

and Arian Foster of the Houston Texans

runner up: Matt Forte of the Chicago Bears

Wide Receivers:
Lots of potential in this position. Too bad I dislike most wide receivers.....but hey that's another post altogether. For my squad I selected Devin Thomas of the New York Giants

and Desean Jackson of the Philadelphia Eagles

Runner up: Bernard Berrian of the Minnesota Vikings

TightEnds:
I could only have one and without looking up anyone else I immediately went with Dustin Keller of the New York Jets. Talk about a cutie pie!

Runner up: Kellen Winslow of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Center:
I went with maurkice Pouncey of the Pittsburgh Steelers. I have no runner up. He is the cutest if you ask me *shrugs* And he has a twin :)

Guards:
It was hard, it was hard,  it was hard lol but I found MacKenzy Bernadeau of the Carolina Panthers. I'm suppose to have two guard but damnit I said it was hard

Tackles:

Yeah well I'm still working on this one. I refuse to give up lol There has to be at least ONE handsome tackle in the NFL. I'm keeping hope alive.

Defense:

Safety:

This position was pretty easy. We have Mr PrettyBoy himself Darren Sharper from the New Orleans Saints leading the way

followed by Troy Polamalu of the Pittsburgh Steelers....yumm!

Runner up: Bob Sanders of the Indianapolis Colts

Cornerbacks:

The corner position has the distinction of having a player who quite possibly might be the cutest player in the nfl. I'm speaking of Nnamdi Asomugha! Look at him!!!! *swoons*

and Tramon Williams of the Green Bay Packers

Runner up: Charles Woodson of the Green Bay Packers

Defensive Ends:
This is the hardest position ever. There was sooooooo many players who qualified as sexy as hell AND cutie pies! How could a chick only pick two? Huh? How could I?  First up, Raheem Brock of the Seattle Seahawks

and Dwight Freeney of the Indianapolis Colts.... Mr yum yum yum himself

Runner up: Kenyon Coleman of the Cleveland Browns

DTackles:

Tyson Alualu of the Jacksonville Jaguars

and  Ndamukong Suh of the Detroit Lions

Runner up: Darnell Dockett of the Arizona Cardinals

Linebackers:
This was the hardest position :(  Linebackers are FIONE! But they arent cute :/ I only had to find three and here are the three that I found....  

Caleb Campbell of the Cleveland Browns

Ray Lewis of the Baltimore Ravens

Aaron Curry of the Seattle Seahawks

Runner up: Jon Beason of the Carolina Panthers



So what do you think? Who would you add?



Its the HBCU Awards...

Well in case you've been on the moon somewhere and did not know, I am a proud graduate of FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY! Yes my dear people, I am a RATTLER! I love my alma mater and I love HBCUs. Historically Black Colleges & Universities run in my family. My sister is a Rattler, my brother is a Wildcat, my father is a Wildcat, my aunts attended FAMU, my cousins attended FAMU, my brother attended SCSU, my cousin is at Howard, and well the list goes on and on. While I love HBCUs I also realize that they do not receive the love nor recognition that they deserve(thats another blog post though). That is why I was so happy to run across an awards ceremony strictly dedicated to HBCUs. Now I am a little disappointed that my lovely alma mater was not nominated in every category but I will let this slide, this time :) Anyhoo if you love HBCUs like I do, check out their site http://www.hbcuawards.net/ and vote, donate funds or purchase a ticket to the ceremony which will be held at NCA&T(Go Aggies). The nominees along with my suggestions(Yeah I'm biased lol) are below:

HBCU of the Year

• Hampton University
• Saint Augustine’s College
• Jackson State University
• Spelman College
• Bowie State University
• Grambling State University
• Florida A&M University(Go RATTLERS)
• Texas Southern University
• Paul Quinn College

HBCU President of the Year

• Dr. Dianne B. Suber, Saint Augustine’s College
• Dr. Julianne Malveaux, Bennett College for Women
• Dr. William Harvey, Hampton University
• Michael Sorrell, Paul Quinn College
• Dr. Allen Sessoms, University of the District of Columbia
• Dr. Marvalene Hughes, Dillard University
• Dr. James Ammons, Florida A&M University(Yeah RATTLERS)
• Dr. Mary Sias, Kentucky State University

HBCU Student of the Year

• Russell Simon, South Carolina State University
• Bishop Walker, Johnson C. Smith University
• Tatenda Mujeni, Bennett College for Women
• Jazmine Miller and Jonecia Keels, Spelman College
• Jacques Pape, Morehouse College
• No RATTLERS? :(

HBCU Faculty Member of the Year

• Dr. George Acquaah, Bowie State University
• Dr. Goldie Byrd, North Carolina A&T State University
• Dr. Mirta Martin, Virginia State University
• Dr. Kuldeep Rawat, Elizabeth City State University
• Dr. Racquel L. Henry, Albany State University
• Dr. Tommie “Tonea” Stewart, Alabama State University
• *gasp* No RATTLERS? :( I know Thyria Greene-Ansley was available. Hands down the BEST reading teacher in the world.

HBCU Alumnus of the Year

• Dr. Shayla Nunnaly, North Carolina Central University
• Kamala Harris, Howard University
• James McJamerson, Grambling State University
• Janice Bryant Howroyd, North Carolina A&T State University
• Dr. Charles Mosee, Saint Augustine’s College
• Dr. Kase Lawal, Texas Southern University
• Jacqueline Beauchamp, Southern University
• Andrea Harris, Bennett College for Women
• I know plenty of RATTLERS who should've made this list :)

Best HBCU Athletic Program

• South Carolina State University
• Saint Augustine’s College
• Talladega College
• Xavier University of Louisiana
• Shaw University
• Bethune-Cookman University(Still #TEAMRATTLERS but hoping for a Wildcat victory)
• Albany State University
• Prairie View A&M University

Best Alumni

• Tougaloo College
• Florida A&M University(That includes me! :)
• North Carolina A&T State University
• Fort Valley State University
• Hampton University
• Spelman College
• Jackson State University

Best Research Initiative

• Tennessee State University – Discovery of New Exoplanet
• South Carolina State University – Reduction of Insect Infestation in Food Supply
• Fisk University – Strontium Iodide Crystal Refinement to Strengthen Bio-Hazardous Material Identification
• Claflin University – Nuclear Waste Disposal
• Hampton University – Proton Therapy Institute
• Alabama A&M University – Nanotechnology in Building Maintenance
• Texas Southern University – Campus Solar Demonstration Project
• Prairie View A&M University – Slave Cemetery Mapping

Best Homecoming

• North Carolina A&T State University
• Morehouse College-Spelman College
• Howard University
• Tennessee State University
• Jackson State University
• Savannah State University
• Bowie State University
• Florida A&M University

Best Academic Programming

• Howard University
• Hampton University
• Claflin University
• Texas Southern University
• Morgan State University
• Bowie State University

Best Student Organization

• Greer Dawson Wilson Student Leadership Program, Hampton University
• Student Government Association, Delaware State University
• Student Government Association, Grambling State University
• Student Government Association, Jackson State University
• Lionel H. Newsom Student Leadership Institute, Central State University

Best HBCU Student Publication

• Gramblinite (Grambling State University)
• Script (Hampton University)
• Campus Echo (North Carolina Central University)
• Famuan (Florida A&M University)
• Belle Magazine (Bennett College for Women)
• The Hornet Tribune (Alabama State University)

Best HBCU Alumni Publication

• Inside Spelman (Spelman College)
• Morgan Magazine (Morgan State University)
• The Flame (University of the District of Columbia)

Best HBCU Choir

• Livingstone College Gospel Choir
• Fisk University Jubilee Singers
• Morehouse College Glee Club
• Tuskegee Golden Voices Choir
• Morgan State University Choir
• Kentucky State Gospel Choir
• Seriously? No Rattlers? Cmon son

Best HBCU Marching Band

• Florida A&M Marching 100(is there any doubt here????)
• Bethune-Cookman Marching Wildcats
• Winston-Salem State Red Sea of Sound
• Tennessee State Aristocrat of Bands
• Norfolk State Spartan Legion
• Virginia State Trojan Explosion
• Alcorn State Sounds of Dyn-o-Mite
• Grambling State Tiger Marching Band

If Famu does not win all I have to say is

The Game, Episode 3

Hmmm well first and foremost, it took me forever to watch the third episode of the new season because it seems that the show is getting worst with each new episode :/ I'm really in no rush to watch the new episodes and only find myself watching them when someone sends me an email asking me why I have not blogged about it. Sad I know. So here is my review of the third episode

The Good:
Believe it or not this episode was not as bad as other episodes. I guess the producers have listened to me(yeah right) and I saw alot of questions that I had answered. For example during this episode we saw the return of the Sunbeams. Too bad it wasnt the crazy Sunbeams with drunk Kelly that we are use to but something is better than nothing. We also saw the return of the football players. I personally was glad to see Jovon and Jazz. Both are hilarious, especially Jovon. I laughed everytime he had a scene. Kelly and Jason were missing from this episode and normally that would be a bad but considering the story line involving these two, them not being involved is a plus.

The Bad:
Unfortunately the bad outweigh the good for this episode. I dont even know where to begin. I guess I'll start with Melanie's hair and acting. Both are horrible. WTF is going on with Melanie? I think I need to watch a few episodes of season one and two to figure out if Tia Mawry's acting has always been this horrible. Geesh I hope not. Luckily for her,  the acting by other people, TeTe and Malik, suck as well. Maybe its the script. I almost threw my remote during the scene where Tete confronts Malik. That scene was just awful. No other words can describe it. Tete seems to be struggling with his new dramatic role. Can we please have funny Tete back asap? During this episode we learn that apparently Malik has an addiction to pills. He is pulled over and arrested for driving while intoxicated. I'm sure there is some character development going on with Malik but seriously Mara is doing too much with his character for me right now. Now I know they must change and all of that but seriously, I am not getting nor liking what is going on with Malik's character. If you're going to change him into this drug addict, cruel, life-is-going-down-the-drain football player then at least let us know before hand. We see crazy things happening with Malik but we dont know why. You gave us everything plus the kitchen sink in the first episode so you should've shed light on Malik's situation too.

The Moral:
I totally saw where Mara was trying to go with this episode. We got a mini lesson on video girls NOT being role models and we also got a mini lesson on not judging people. I wish Mara would save the lessons and just give us a great show. I dont rememeber The Game ever having little "lessons" before. Lets talk about the first lesson. During this episode Melanie hosts an event for at risk girls. She is speaking with them about getting their lives together and refuses to allow Jazz, an ex video girl, to speak. Now everyone that I know dogged Melanie out for her  treatment of Jazz but for once I was on Melanie's side. Seriously, we're going to allow the ex video chick to speak to at risk girls about dancing in videos? Where do we do that at? Video girls are not role models for young girls. Hell video girls are not role models for anybody. If anything, THEY need a role model. I got where Melanie was coming from and why she made the decisions that she made. Maybe she couldve said it better and treated Jazz a little better but the thinking behind her decision was sound. The second lesson was about judging. Melanie spoke down to Jazz because Jazz was "simply "a video chick. Jazz ended up letting Melanie know that they both had similar endings(football wife, sunbeam) despite Melanie having degrees and a doctor label. i guess Jazz being a video girl, sleeping around and still being a wife made her equal to Melanie. Craziness I know but whatever. Jazz was right and this, in my opinion, is why Melanie needs to take her azz to work. Who struggles for years to become a doctor to merely sit at home and be a wife? You being a doctor means nothing if you're not doing anything with it. It was funny that even one of the teenagers brought this up to Melanie. You're throwing the title of doctor around when really you're just another football wife.

Finale Grade: C .....  I cant get over the acting. Lord its terrible. However the episode was not as bad as 1. people made it out to be and 2. the second episode. We shall see what episode four holds. :)

The Game.....2nd Episode

So we start the second episode off on some fracker-nacker-bull. Tasha is having a dream where she is confronted by Kelly. Hold up, we're still continuing with the Tasha is scared of Kelly plot? Why? Moving on.....we come to Tasha apologizing to Kelly while in a restaurant. Is it me or was anyone else offended by Kelly's "your people" comment. Your people? Bish werent' you just in love and acting a plum fool over one of "our" people.......furthermore why do we have Kelly talking and behaving like this? I guess its to set us up for her departure since she will only be featured in six episodes :/ Dang they could've done the chick better than this though...at least let her leave out on a "good" note. Either way I'm glad Tasha and Kelly are back talking.....I missed the three girls doing girl talk or at least I thought I did.

The next scene contained all three girls discussing Melanie's problem.....you know, the fact that she's trifling, took a DNA test on her husband's child and then lied about the results.....that problem. While I was glad to see all three ladies back, the chemistry from the previous seasons was not there. The acting was horrible, the lines were horrible, and the entire plot was just horrible. Three ladies sitting in the living  room topless....who thought of that? It seemed so forced. And while we're on forced...Melanie with the "I hate you girls" line made me cringe. When have they ever said girls.....what happened to bitch? Is that not normally what they call each other? I guess tonight's its suppose to be a comedy with Tasha threatening to shoot Kelly like the old Tasha would and Kelly & Tasha drinking but honestly I find the jokes to be corny and have not laughed once. Also how can I laugh and take Tasha's threats seriously when 1. I've seen Kelly knock Tasha the fuck out and 2. I've seen Tasha avoid Kelly because she was scared. Oh my bad, now we're back to being "bad" Tasha. Can the writers send out a memo? I'm getting confused.

Now we leave the women and the men finally have their screen time. Thank God! I actually laughed a little with the men. You have to admit Malik's "the real Derwin" joke was pretty funny. From this scene we learn that Jason has been dropped by the Sabers. Speaking of the Sabers, why do we never see them? Where are the locker room shots and convos? Why dont we ever see the other players? This is a football show so ummm why dont we ever see, I'on know, FOOTBALL? Anyhoo its pretty obvious Jason is a little bitter and the dimwit Derwin and narcissistic Malik dont make it any better. Jason goes on a television show and literally rips the Sabers apart. I dont know about you but I expected Jason to act a little, I dont know, CLASSY. Obviously these are not the same characters that we fell in love with a few years back. *shrugs* Moving on...

Derwin returns home to find Melanie patching up the wall. My thoughts; arent they like billionaires or something? Why is she fixing the wall? *confused face* but anyhoo the acting during this scene was so horrible that I wanted to fast forward through it. It was as if this was the crew's first acting gig and I know thats not true. Have I been in denial? Has the acting always sucked and I just never noticed? Although this is not an amusing scene I found myself laughing....especially when Derwin comments that Melanie is a "good" girl on the "good girl" list and that she'd never be deceitful or lie.....Has Derwin had one to many concussions in the past two years.....what Melanie is he talking about? The Melanie that I know does nothing but lie. Has he forgotten McHottie, Jerome, her trying to sleep with Malik, her lying and making him think she slept with Malik.....which Melanie is he referring to? Anyhoo a knock comes to the door and there we see an angry Janay. Before we can see what she wants, Melanie confesses that DJ is Derwin's kid and apologizes. Once again the acting during this scene is HORRIBLE.....I know I've said it before but I just wanted to remind everyone.

Janay informs Derwin that DJ is his, that they will be going to court for visitation and that she will be putting him on child support. I think I am the only woman in the world who totally felt Janay. Every woman that I've spoken with has called her a golddigger or another name as if she was the wrong person here. Hellloooo have we forgotten the chick named Melanie and what she did???? Because I am a mom I totally feel Janay. I wish my son's father's wife would do a dna test on him and THEN lie about it. Oh there would be some furniture moving up in this piece. Not only would I have placed him on child support BUT I also would not allow his "wife" around my effin child. You dont do ish like that. Thats trifling. And while everyone is defending Melanie I highly suggest you take two steps back and think about what YOU would do IF this was YOUR child and another woman tried that. You'd be pissed, just like Janay. I know I would. I for one was so happy to hear Derwin tell Melanie that SHE WAS THE PROBLEM. Thank you! How are you gonna be married to a man and then lie to him about something as important as the paternity of his only child? Melanie once again proves that she is selfish and low down. I personally would love to see Derwin divorce her ass and leave her alone for good. Oh and did I mention how horrible the acting was? lol

Next we're forced back to Jason. When did Jason become a hoe? I dont like that look on him. I prefer family man Jason. Oh but wait, the brother has no family. Ok...moving right along then. Jason has a party to celebrate his retirement from the Sabers and his new job on the show entitled Benched. Where do I even began? I laughed so hard at this scene that tears almost fell from my eyes. I didnt laugh because the scene was soooo funny, I laughed because the scene reminded me of LaDainian's Tomlinson's LT Glide......was it a parody????? While watching it all I saw was LT's wack azz song and dance. As a matter of fact while writing this blog I went to youtube and watched LT's video and cracked up all over again.




And now we find ourselves at the last scene and it ends with Melanie and Derwin. Ughhh more bad acting :/ This was the scene that I was waiting for ..... the one that everyone on my twitter and facebook pages were going on and on about. Frankly *yawns* it wasnt that exciting for me. It wasnt as emotional as my followers made it out to be. First and foremost IF I were in Derwin's position I would take the same stance with Melanie. Considering the fact that you lied about my child I would not want you to have anything to do with MY child because apparently YOU dont have MY child's best interest in mind. Damn the fact that she's his wife, I would not care. I would not allow her around my kid. Secondly I totally agree with the church thing. Maybe that's why Melanie and Derwin have so many problems. Derwin is deeply religious and from this episode I gather that Mel is not. How has this worked for so long? Derwin gets up to go to church and you do what, lie in bed? Hell no. I cant get down with that program. If I'm going to church weekly I need to be with someone who is interested in going weekly as well. If you cant  get down with that program then with me is not where you need to be.

Overall the episode sucked......BIG TIME. I held on last week with faith that it would get better but I just do not see it happening. I see Mara and her crew are going to be consistent with the bullshit this season. Its unfortunate for individuals like me who loved The Game and supported it for three years. The acting is horrible, the script is horrible, the plot is horrible. I'd rather BET just go ahead and take it off however I know that is not going to happen considering the ratings that have been pouring in. *sighs* What is a chick to do? Overall grade for this week: D