Over The Hill-ish

I’m going to be turning 40 this year. The big 4-0. 20×2. 4 centuries. You get the picture.

I know I know. I don’t look a day over 25. Good genes I guess. Black don’t crack and all.

I almost never celebrate my birthday. I may acknowledge it but never have any type of thing or shindig around it. It’s just another day. This time is different. I’m going to celebrate my birthday and the new year in Ghana! Yes you read that right. I’m going to Ghana for my birthday and I’m going to be living my best life!

I need to do things for me. Do things that make me happy. Be a little selfish. I deserve it. Especially after the end of last year and first half of this year has been going. I need that pick-me-up.

I Can’t Unsee It

So this new haircut got me outchea looking like a grown up Franklin from the Peanuts Gang…

Where I’ve Been – Work Edition

Okay so remember earlier when I said I’d explain more about where I’ve been later? Well here’s the work part of it.

Picture it. Atlanta 2018 *in my Sophia Patrillo voice*. I apply for this job with company that shall not be named. The position I applied for is in DC. It’s cool. Well they decide that they want to fill the position internally. Cool, no problem. The recruiter tells me that even though that position is no longer available there is another position that I would be perfect for but it’s overseas. Pretty much same position just in a different country. Overseas you say? I’m perfect for it? Okay let’s do it!

So I go through all the formalities; physical, shots, passport updated blah blah, quit my job sell all my goods and move to DC expecting to be here for 2 months for training and on my way to Qatar.

I arrive and from that moment I should have known this was not the right move. First off, I couldn’t contact my recruiter. Then when I finally got in contact they kept pushing my start date back saying I need to do this or that first. I would do what they want and ask if there was anything else and they would say no. Then later would say oh yeah we need this or that. Jjusr a big run around. I was supposed to start in November then that got pushed to December. Then the shutdown in January. After the shutdown all of a sudden they don’t have the funding and they pulled the offer.

Get this, they didn’t even try and find me another position within the company after they knew they jerked me around for the last few months! I ended up finding a different job at the end of January.

I still can’t believe that this happened. It also helped to cause my relationship to fail. Well that and other issues as well but that really caused a lot of strain on us.

The Black Godfather

This documentary follows the life of Clarence Avant, the ultimate, uncensored mentor and behind-the-scenes rainmaker in music, film, TV and politics.

I’m Back. Here’s Where I’ve Been Pt. 1

So it’s been a rocky and tumultuous time since we last spoke. Got a job offer overseas that didn’t pan out. Moved to DC to be closer to my girlfriend, and I was supposed to be in DC for training for the overseas job too, but we broke up. Got depressed. Got out of it. Now I’m living my life. New job, new city and new dating apps.

Since the breakup I have been working on getting out there more and doing things for myself. I joined Meetup and I’ve gone to a few and it was cool. More to come…

History of Watch Night Services

The Watch Night Services in Black communities that we celebrate today can be traced back to gatherings on December 31, 1862, also known as “Freedom’s Eve.”
On that night, Blacks came together in churches and private homes all across the nation, anxiously awaiting news that the Emancipation Proclamation actually had become law. Then, at the stroke of midnight, it was January 1, 1863, and all slaves in the Confederate States were declared legally free .

When the news was received, there were prayers, shouts and songs of joy as people fell to their knees and thanked God. Black folks have gathered in churches annually on New Year’s Eve ever since, praising God for bringing us safely through another year.

Can’t Afford To Live…

Diabetic ketoacidosis is a terrible way to die. It’s what happens when you don’t have enough insulin. Your blood sugar gets so high that your blood becomes highly acidic, your cells dehydrate, and your body stops functioning.

The price of insulin in the U.S. has more than doubled since 2012. That has put the life-saving hormone out of reach for some people with diabetes, and has left others scrambling for solutions to afford the one thing they need to live. I’m one of those scrambling.

Most people’s bodies create insulin, which regulates the amount of sugar in the blood. In the U.S., the roughly 1.25 million of us with Type 1 diabetes have to buy insulin at a pharmacy because our pancreases stopped producing it.

Rationing insulin is a dangerous solution. Still, 1 in 4 people with diabetes admits to having done it. I’ve done it. My first vial of insulin cost $24.56 in 2010, after insurance. Eight years later, I pay more than $100.

the list price for a single vial of insulin is more than $250, without insurance. Most patients use two to four vials per month (I personally use two). Without insurance or other forms of medical assistance, those prices can get out of hand quickly.

Something should and needs to be done about it before even more people die simply because they can’t afford this life saving and needed medication.

Well Hello There

Wow. I can’t believe I haven’t posted anything here in a few months. Sheesh. Life, I guess.

Well how has everyone/anyone been? I’m good. Fair to middling…

News You Can Use – Travel Bans and Warrants

This week we tackle a few issues:
1. The Travel ban aka Muslim ban ruled legal and what it means going forward.
2. Justice Anthony Kennedy retires
3. The Connors are coming back to ABC
4. Joe Jackson passed away on 6/27/2018

Thanks for rocking with me and feel free to subscribe and share by telling a friend to tell a friend!

When You Believe…

sem·i·co·lon

ˈsemēˌkōlən,ˈsemīˌkōlən/

noun

a punctuation mark (;) indicating a pause, typically between two main clauses, that is more pronounced than that indicated by a comma.

Every tattoo on my body has some personal meaning to it. This is a marking that, unless I have it covered, I will bear for the rest of my life as a message to the world as to what I am about or was going through at the time. This is my newest addition.

As an mental health advocate and survivor of suicidal thoughts and depression I chose the word believe with a semicolon replacing the letter ‘i’.

This tattoo encourages me to bel;eve that things will be better and that this is not the end of my journey.

It’s one thing to just say aloud or to myself that even though times are hard that they will be better and things will be okay. It’s a total difference when you actually bel;eve that things will be better or different.

The bel;ef in a better way is what makes it happen. When you truly bel;eve that you will be okay, you will be. You have to bel;eve.