It’s a cinch that hundreds of thousands of teens have seen D’Jango, the fictionalized account of slavery, and have begun to glamourize Jamie Foxx’s character. Therefore, D’Jango seems like a good place to start the conversation with black children about Black History month. Let’s begin the discussion with, there were no D’Jango actions back then that didn’t go unpunished.

Finally, Chicago’s winter wind is often called “The Hawk”, a term long popular in the African American community. The first recorded citation of Chicago being dubbed “The Hawk” is from the Chicago defender, October 20, 1936: “And these cold mornings are on us—in other words ‘Hawkins’ has got us.”
Lou Rawls’ recording of “Dead End Street” explains “The Hawk” pretty well. I love the line when Lou says, “I had to get fully dressed before I could go to bed.” By the way, Lou Rawls is an alum of my alma mater, Dunbar Vocational High School.

Say no to deliverymen’s requests for drinking water, pop, or the restroom. These people aren’t your friends and they are getting paid for what they’re doing. Don’t allow them to call you if they are ahead of schedule and just want to pop in at their convenience. If my mom was watching “Jeopardy” or “Wheel of Fortune”, I wasn’t stopping her pleasure for someone else’s convenience.

The roommate from hell who almost made you dropout of college your freshman year didn’t change. She just grew into a mean woman and now she’s your boss. Unfortunately she brings the same messiness to her team or a department,. Those messes are a result of her inability or unwillingness to dialog professionally in order to communicate her vision. She may also have some issues with compromise. If you don’t manage the situation in a way that makes her value your contribution, before long, she will use antagonism and negativity to manage you.

If you’ve been with me for a while, you know that I like to post pictures of my summer garden as well as what I see in my neighbors yards from walks around the community. Well, during summer hiatus, one of my favorite sites is houzz.com. Today I thought I’d share some of my favorite garden and flower pictures from them. Please enjoy your tour.

I am on my way to the gym this morning! Not that it has anything to do with a New Year’s Resolution. As my body gets older and the joints get tighter, I need to move it around in order to keep things working. Also, as a retiree, I need to get up and get moving. It is so easy to sit in my comforttable chair and watch the news, or read, or surf the net. This morning, I’m reposting an article about 74 year old Ernestine Sheperd. This amazing woman didn’t even begin working out until she was 56. Now, she is winning body building championships, modeling, and teaching fitness. The bible teaches, “We can do all things through Christ”. I hope this inspires you, too.