• All on a Mardi Gras Day…while sober

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    I was sober this Mardi gras as part of my year-long commitment to sobriety. Everyone was very concerned for me about how it would be without alcohol; how difficult it would be to just drink water (I don’t drink soda) while everyone else was in their own giggling, tipsy world. But it really wasn’t a big deal. I was armed with some cans of...

    February 22, 2018
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    Thrive

  • The Impact of Police Violence is Far Reaching and Long Lasting

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    Last week I, as many others, looked for every update that could be found about Erica Garner. Horrified at the possibility of police violence claiming yet another victim. Hopeful that she would pull through. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. At 27, a woman who had to watch her father get choked to death on TV just 3 short years ago–who had to constantly relive...

    January 7, 2018
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    Question

  • The Lost Art of Writing

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    Remember when we used to write to each other with a pen on a piece of paper? We wrote notes and letters in our everyday communication, we sent cards for every occasion with personalized messages in addition to whatever was pre-printed, and we actually wrote out thank you cards? Everything is electronic now, the art of writing has faded from the practice of just...

    November 12, 2017
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    Reflect

  • My Real 90 Day Fiancé

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    WAIT–What’s a 90 Day Fiancé? If anyone has watched the TLC show, they have some notion of what a 90 day fiancé is. Except, if you’ve watched the show and know nothing else, your idea would be very skewed, melodramatic, and scripted since the way those couples were portrayed–their relationships and finances–wouldn’t pass the sniff test at the interview to even be granted the visa...

    March 16, 2016
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    Feel, Love

  • Our Humanity Is Worth More Than Their Bottom Line

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    I hadn’t planned on updating my blog yet. I’ve had something else in the works but wasn’t ready to release it yet. But in the wake of this disgusting, though unsurprising, decision not to indict Darren Wilson, I had to disrupt my plans. We all know the stat…every 28 hours a black person is killed at the hands of police, security, or vigilantes…and apparently,...

    November 29, 2014
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    Question

  • License to Kill: The Illusion of a Free and Democratic Society

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    I have a difficult time describing to people from other countries why I don’t love my country. Why I don’t uphold it to that same beacon of hope and social inclusion that it’s portrayed to be. Why I’d almost recommend that immigrants, especially of African descent, go to any other developed nation but ours, even acknowledging the rampant racism throughout Europe. The next time...

    July 13, 2013
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    Question

  • Face Fear

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    “Fear is temporary. Regret is forever.” That statement couldn’t be more true. It’s the motto at face adrenalin–the bungee jump at Bloukrans Bridge in South Africa, which holds the Guiness World Record for the highest bridge jump in the world (216 m/709 ft). This past weekend I faced one type of fear (sheer terror, to be precise), and jumped off the bridge. I have...

    August 13, 2012
    Comment 1
    Reflect, Wander

  • Hand Signals & Calculators

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    Stop for a moment and think about all the personal encounters you’ve had in the US with non-English speakers or have witnessed, and think about the level of impatience or complete dismissal you may have had with that person, or again may have witnessed. We are as a nation pretty ridiculous. As are some other nations when it comes to non-speakers of their language....

    May 12, 2012
    Comments 2
    Reflect