Should I Keep Watching?

So, I was thoroughly disappointed with the season premiere of “The Game,” which aired on BET last night at 10pm PST. It opened with a warning that there were sexual themes and language, and this wasn’t even an accurate precursor to what was about to unfold…

It began with Derwin walking through a barrage of photogs snapping pictures of him on his way to his photo shoot with his wife Melanie for the cover of a magazine. So I’m assuming after two years Derwin is now the “big man on campus,” oh gah. Anywho, Melanie and Derwin’s baby mama seem to be getting along just fine, even though at the end of the last season, Melanie didn’t seem to like the idea of Derwin having a child with another woman one bit. We soon find that this is a front that Melanie has put up for Derwin, and that she secretly thinks the other woman is out for what he and Melanie have (i.e., fame, fortune, the perfect life).

Then, we have Malik who is banging the the team owner’s wife, with no regard to when or where they, aheem, get it on, may it be the mens bathroom sink at a club, or the hot tub at Malik’s ridiculously lavish crib. It only gets worse from there people!

Kelly and Jason are at each others throats the entire episode, with each one trying to sabotage the others career, character, life, you name it. Kelly has some ridiculous reality television series about life after her divorce from her overbearing and frugal husband. By the way, they’ve also changed the daughter Brittney, or Brit Brit, to some skanky looking teenager with an attitude. Jason is trying his hand at sports casting, but is so cynical and irritating that I see that won’t last long. Oh, but it gets worse.

Tee Tee, Malik’s cousin/b**ch, has his own, wait for it…wait for it…chicken wang restaurant on wheels, whom he co-owns with his new love interest. The love interest, who seems interested in TeeTee, eventually falls for Malik after, oh maybe, one day in sitcom time, and ends up in Malik’s hot tub.

Oh wait, there’s more, Tasha, the new cougar on the block, has fallen for 106 & Parks own Terrence J, who may well be 15 years her junior, if not more.

The show is rounded out by the lie of the century, told be Melanie, who has given baby DJ a secret paternity test. After Melanie’s friend tells her the baby isn’t Derwin’s, she doesn’t really hesitate to tell Derwin the truth, and causes a rift in their relationship. When she finds out that the test is inaccurate, she decides to spare Derwin the details, in hopes of keeping the baby mama at bay. Oh Melanie, when we will learn, lying never helped anyone.

Well, all in all, I wasn’t surprised that the creators took the show in a more raunchy direction, but I am surprised at the great lengths they went to, to make blacks look even more ignorant than they are already portrayed on other television shows (i.e., Cops, America’s Most Wanted, The First 48… I could go on for days). Mara and Salim, I am hoping that you turn this show around, and fast, or you may lose a long time viewer.

TTFN

To Bake Or Not To Bake?

I’ve been doing a lot of soul-searching lately and have come to the distinct realization that I need an outlet for all these ideas pinned up inside of my head. Sitting idly by and using “being a  mommy” as a reason to put a few of my dreams on hold is not going to cut it anymore. My dad sent me a large box of goodies over the weekend (I was really touched, to say the least). It consisted of tons of baking equipment (i.e., spatulas, serving spoons, mixing bowls, baking cook books, baking pans, etc.), literally, all the things needed to bake until you drop.
I’ve enjoyed baking and cooking, ever since childhood; I have fond memories of licking the spoon while my mom poured the cake batter. Cookies and cakes for my family have been the norm, but I end up being the one who eats the better half of it, but nothing gets me going like being in the kitchen, mixing up something good for everyone. I’m sort of a food connoisseur, yummy food gets me excited, and I really want to find a way to put my passion for food to good use, while sharing my talents with others.
Writing about it is probably the only way that I am going to be able to quiet this idea in my head. So, get ready for it, Coming Soon to “jensjewels” a recipe sharing page for new and old recipes from my kitchen . Being up in the middle of the night thinking about what I want to cook has caused many restless nights, and I just want to get some sleep.

It's A New Year

It’s a new year, and new day, and I am ready to start actively posting about my journey through this life. I have taken the, Chris Brogan, three word challenge, and decided that they will be Fitness, Focus and Fun.
Fitness: I will dedicate myself to losing 15 pounds and toning up my baggy, flabby arm and thigh muscles. I will force myself to give up soda, and start to drink more water. I will also give up beef and pork, and stick with chicken, turkey and fish. This will be hard at first, and it has proven to be just that, but I know the end result is totally worth it; I am ready and willing to devote myself whole-heartedly into this regime of diet and exercise.
Focus: It’s time for me to start thinking about where I want my career path to take me. I already own a home, but is it really the home I dream of living in forever?, absolutely not! I want a bigger home, with granite counter tops and crown molding, but who doesn’t? In order for me to do this I need to grab life by the horns and try to get my career started. I have taken enough classes to sit for the RE exam, but I need to get some studying done. As soon as I am ready, I am going to pay that $60 fee and get my Real Estate license. It’s time to make grown-up money.
Fun: I always say this every year…I’m going to do something fun, adventurous even, but I always spend the whole year sitting at home on my bum, not getting out and experiencing life. Well, you know what, I’m tired of sitting on my bum. This year I am going to travel. I know it’s a little cliché, but the first stop is Las Vegas baby! Once that’s out of my system, it’s off to bigger and better things. I already have a trip to Virginia in the works for May and who knows, maybe I’ll end up in Europe this year.
In essence these words are the three pillars that I am going to try, and I do mean try, to live by, whether I succeed is up to me, but if I don’t, it won’t be for lack of dedication.
TTFN

Oh The Holidays

So yesterday I realized how much I love my kids, I mean, I already know I love them unconditionally, but I went above and beyond yesterday. I decided to go to Toys'R'Us to purchase some toys for Christmas, which just happens to be one of my favorite holidays, since I came into some extra money. My daughter has been asking me for all types of electronics, so I figure she's at the age now where she wants to start experimenting with video games. I couldn't for the life of me remember where the store was, so I looked it up on my iPhone, and if you have one, you know it has this neat little feature that maps the location of your search destination. So, naturally, I did that, and started to drive. This has never failed me before, and it seemed to be leading me in the right direction, so I kept going. Once I got close to the destination, everything started to look familiar, but I couldn't quite put my finger on the exact location, I needed the last coordinates to pinpoint Toy'R'Us. This is where my iPhone hit an epic #fail. It kept telling me to get on the 215 heading towards Riverside, which I found out was not what I was supposed to do. I jumped on the 215 and hit traffic, but my little dot on the screen was telling me I was driving away from the store. I got off on the next exit and headed back towards the location where the store was on my screen, but I couldn't figure out where it was. If you live out here in the boonies, you know that some things are just really hard to find, because these are new developments, and haven't been mapped out correctly on GPS. After about 15 minutes of searching, and searching, and searching...I remembered that instead of getting on the freeway, there is a street that takes you along the side of the freeway to some hidden stores. I actually think I cut someone off when I realized where it was, just so I could turn before getting on the freeway. I was so happy to have finally found it, that I didn't even care how long it took me. Happy to report that I purchased a Leapster2 and a video game to go with. Despite the grueling journey, I think my daughter will be happy this Christmas. Jewel of the story...sometimes the iPhone really #sucks.

I Need A Vacation

I've been trying to figure out something to write here for the past week and I couldn't seem to come up with anything and that means that I probably need a mental vacation. I have been working on a mind-numbing assignment for the past couple of days now, and I think that it has caused my brain to shrivel up a little. My friend invited me to a weekend get away in San Francisco for her birthday in January, and all I can say right now is "halleluyer." That got me to thinking about International travel too, because I've always wanted to go on vacation outside of the US, and I want to go while I'm still young. I printed out a passport application and filled it out, but it asked what my proposed destination overseas would be, and I drew a blank. So I started doing some research on prices of travel to several places like London, France, Australia, or Germany. I think after thorough pricing and investigation London then to France is the most economical choice and I wont have to stay for more than a week to see all that London and France has to offer. Also, I'll be killing two birds with one stone and crossing off an item on my bucket list, it just can't get any better than that. I just haven't decided if I am going to make this a family or solo excursion, I love my family, but my husband has been a real pain lately and I just can't imagine letting him ruin this for me. Jewel of the story...everyone needs a vacation sometimes.

Be yourself

Sometimes I just sit back and watch others self-destruct because they are so concerned with trying to be someone they are not, and they try to keep up the facade, but deep down inside they know they are living a lie. It must be real hard to not be genuine, I wouldn't know, but it seems like it would take a lot if energy and effort. Working that hard to be someone else has to be painful, because you essentially have to really hate who you are, to want to be someone else. What has the world done to people to make them feel like they can't be anything like their true selves, to gain friendship and love. I don't want to put myself on a pedestal, but I try really hard to be true to me and no one else, because in the end all you have is who you really are. When the people you are trying to impress aren't around, who are you really? When I smile at you, it is because I truly mean it, and the same when I frown. When I laugh at your jokes, it's because I think they're funny, and the same when I don't laugh. When I hug you, it's because I love you or I am trying to comfort, when I don't it's because I need a hug. When I yell it's because I'm angry, and when I don't it's because I am truly hurt. I love all the emotions that embody me and make me the person I am and I wouldn't change for the world, or the promise of more friends. Jewel of the story...are you really who you want to be?

Feeling Very Unproductive

So, it has been one tough couple of days, I've been trying to come up with material for my book, but I have come up quite short lately. I usually let words run off my lips freely throughout the day, despite the fact that it annoys my husband, but for some reason I am drawing a blank lately. It could be that I can't seem to focus when I am at home, but even when I try to sneak in a chapter or two at work, I get a big fat nothing. I got discouraged last week when I realized how much research this book was going to require, so I have been trying to come up with fillers until I can take a trip and get some authentic material first hand. I would have to actually travel to Louisiana if I want my book to have any shred of credibility once I start sending it to agents or even publishers. Considering traveling right now is completely out of the question due to finances, I am left to my own devices, my vivid imagination, dreams and accounts from what I see on TV and the internet. That just isn't going to cut it though, because I am somewhat type-A and would be rather embarrassed to let anyone read anything that I wasn't 100% satisfied with. So I shall truck on in the hopes of finding more material for my book, minus travel to the southern part of the US. Jewel of the story...don't let yourself get discouraged, because it will affect your ability to get things done.