The Key To A Happy Life
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White Terrorist Bingo: Planned Parenthood Edition
/Head over to your local news outlet and see how many of the key words they pull out during a mass shooting report. Get five in a row and you win
(adult and kid sizes available). Join the fun, folks. Because demonizing black and brown shooting victims and humanizing white domestic terrorists are all part of what makes America "Great."
(On a serious note: If you haven't already, check out the web series Decoded on youtube. MTV Decoded is a weekly series on MTV News where the fearless Franchesca Ramsey tackles race, pop culture, and other uncomfortable things, in funny and thought-provoking ways. Half sketch comedy, half vlog. New episodes every Wednesday.)
What I Am Reading: World War Z By Max Brooks
/Moving forward with my movie-to-book reading series, I am currently reading "World War Z: An Oral History Of The Zombie War" by Max Brooks. I heard a few things about the book after the 2013 movie of the same starring Brad Pitt premiered, particularly that the movie was an adaptation of the book in name only.
I am half way through "World War Z" and I can see why fans of the book were so upset about the movie. The book and the movie are thematically two different stories. The book is a series of different people's accounts of the worldwide zombie outbreak and war, as told to the interviewer/narrator. The movie (which I enjoyed despite my fear of zombies), is an action/adventure zombie movie, which features fast running zombies, armed forces fighting zombie hordes, a worldwide search for a cure, a plane crash, and a tense final scene set in a World Health Organization infectious diseases research laboratory.
I don't understand what Brad Pitt and his production company Plan B were thinking when they wrote, shot, and produced the 2013 movie, under the title "World War Z." The book's plot reminds me a more of Steven Soderbergh's 2011 multi-narrative "medical outbreak" movie "Contagion", which featured an all-star ensemble cast of Laurence Fishburne, Jude Law, Marion Cotillard, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Winslet, and Matt Damon, than the single-narrative "28 Days Later"-type ravenous infected/zombie movie that Pitt and co. created.
Because I was expecting the book to be an action-packed zombie thriller like the movie, I have been a bit disappointed with the book's plot and pacing. So far, there has been more stories of people's reactions to the zombie outbreak than of them fighting, encountering, or fleeing from zombies. But, there are some really interesting stories about people's encounters with zombies and the absolute ineptitude of some world governments in dealing with the initial outbreak of the zombie plague.
If you are planning on checking out "World War Z: An Oral History Of The Zombie War," I highly suggest you get the
newest audiobook version of this novel,
which features a star-filled voice cast including Common, Alfred Molina, Martin Scorsese, Mark Hamil, Rob Reiner, John Turturro, and many more.
Book Summary:
We survived the zombie apocalypse, but how many of us are still haunted by that terrible time? We have (temporarily?) defeated the living dead, but at what cost? Told in the haunting and riveting voices of the men and women who witnessed the horror firsthand, World War Z is the only record of the plague years.
The Woman In Me (Needs The Man In You)
/If I had to pick one song to describe my view on love, this song would be it. Shania says it all in this beautifully written and sung song from her first album. I have posted below the lyrics and the video so you can fully get the depth of emotion expressed in this song.
Shania Twain - Woman In Me (Needs The Man In You)
I'm not always strong
And sometimes I'm even wrong
But I win when I choose
And I can't stand to lose
But I can't always be
The rock that you see
When the nights get too long
And I just can't go on
The woman in me
Needs you to be
The man in my arms
To hold tenderly
Cause I'm a woman in love
And it's you I run to
Yeah the woman in me
Needs the man in you
When the world wants too much
And it feels cold and out of touch
It's a beautiful place
When you kiss my face
The woman in me
Needs you to be
The man in my arms
To hold tenderly
Cause I'm a woman in love
And it's you I run to
Yeah the woman in me
Needs the man in you
Yeah the woman in me
Needs the man in you
I need you baby
Yeah yeah Oh baby...
My Heart's Soundtrack
/I started off this blog talking very candidly about my love life, and my current journey of dating in my 30s (which sucks). If you know me off this blog, then you have probably heard the tales about my romantic-comedy/sex-in-the-city/Shonda-Rhimes-show love life. Ever since I discovered boys, and they discovered me, my love life has been far from dull.
Toya T loved the boys. And, when I was younger, I was like a wild horse, constantly seeking, running from one thrill, one sensation to the next. Having a boyfriend did not stop me from flirting or basking in the attention of another guy because I loved the feeling of being desired/loved/wanted/pursued. I craved that feeling, that intense yearning for new sensations. That is how I saw love and relationships. I enjoyed the ebb and flow of meeting a guy, flirting, exchanging numbers, talking, hanging out, making out, having sex, dating, and moving on to next guy/experience/sensation. I fell in love. I fell in lust. I got my heartbroken. I broke hearts and hurt feelings. I cried. I yelled. I forgave. I gave second and third chances. I loved hard. I learned, and I loved again.
As I have gotten older, my thoughts on love and relationships have changed. Mr. Wrong For Me (remember him from "
My Mother Doesn't Want Me To Marry 'My Father'
") chased me down and bridled my wandering spirit. Unfortunately, he had no intentions of riding me. He liked having me in his stable and I allowed myself to wander in and out of his stable for over 10 years. But that saga is a story for another day (if you are interested in how it began and how it ended).
In between all of these moments, I had great music providing the soundtrack to my heart. The songs I posted below are my heart's top 10. When I couldn't express how I felt, these songs said it all. Each one represents a different moment in my heart's journey, whether they were one of my great loves, torrid affairs, and/or wrenching heartbreaks.
Sit back and take a journey through my heart (they are in no particular order).
Dedicating this song to Mr. Wrong For Me...
Dedicating this song to Mr. O...
Dedicating this song to Mr. Wrong For Me...
Dedicating this song to Jersey...
Dedicating this song to Mr. Wrong For Me...
Dedicating this song to Mr. Wrong For Me...
Dedicating this song to Mr. Wrong For Me...
Dedicating this song to Mr. Wrong For Me...
Dedicating this song to Mr. Wrong For Me...
Dedicating this song to Jersey
***Happy Birthday to Mr. Wrong For Me***
What's Your Love Language?
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What is your love language? On a recent episode of
, podcast hosts Fran, Dustin, and Assante talked about the importance of knowing your love language and that of your romantic partner or your prospective romantic partner.
Of the many ways that people show their love to others, there are five love languages: Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Receiving Gifts, Acts of Service, and Physical Touch. I never really thought about the ways that I show my love to others or how the ways I communicate my love to others influences how I expect them to communicate their love to me.
Listening to Dustin, Assante, and Fran talk about their love languages emboldened me to find out my own. So, I asked my good girlfriend Google to help me and she directed me to the love language test posted below. After answering 30 short questions, I found out that
my love language is quality time.
Quality Time:
In the vernacular of Quality Time, nothing says, “I love you,” like full, undivided attention. Being there for this type of person is critical, but really being there—with the TV off, fork and knife down, and all chores and tasks on standby—makes your significant other feel truly special and loved. Distractions, postponed dates, or the failure to listen can be especially hurtful.
Take the quiz below to find out your love language.
How I Retwist My Locs with Pure and Fresh Aloe Vera Gel
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The season has changed, and that means it is time to give some extra TLC to my locs. I like the natural properties of the aloe vera plant. There are so many great uses for the plant.
In the video below, I show how I use aloe vera to retwist my locs. Aloe leaves my hair soft and residue free and it holds my locs in place pretty well (much better than some loc gels on the shelves).
