Told You To Go Sit Down...

So I have proof that OJ is an idiot. You can recall from my previous post about him, that he sought to publish a book about how he "might have" killed Ron Goldman & Nicole Brown. The book and TV interview were cancelled. No harm done right? Wrong.

So OJ is now being sued by Ron Goldman's father for the money that OJ made in an advance for the book. He's asking for $1M. OJ still hasn't paid the $30M from the civil suit where he was found liable for the murders.

I'm not usually one to say I told you so, but...

Why not Obama?

So I was reading an article about Barack Obama running for President in 2008 in the LA Times. I'll be honest I don't really keep up with politics much, but I think it was a damn good piece with a lot of accurate points. Apparently many people are criticizing Obama, stating that he doesn't have a lot of experience. And I have to say that maybe that fact is a good thing.

Having experience would mean that he would be deeply entrenched in the way America has been doing things for the past 6-8 years. Honestly the country needs someone completely different, because I don't really think what we're doing now is working out so well.

But I'm afraid for Barack. I'm just not sure if America is ready for a Black president. While there maybe millions of Americans across the country that support him, it only takes one crazy person to bring it to an end...ask John F Kennedy. I dunno, maybe I'm just being scary, but I wonder what would be better first: a female president or a black president. A black female president would definitely be doing too much right now. Maybe if there was a female president with a black vice president then we wouldn't have to worry as much. Nobody is going to assassinate the woman so that the black man gets into office.

So maybe Hillary should run in 08 with Barack as her VP. Then after her terms in the White House, after the country is more comfortable with Barack, he could become president. We'll see how it goes, but I know one this is for sure...I can't wait for Dubya to be gone! Back to your ranch with ya!

Why Won't You Just Go SIT DOWN SOMEWHERE!!!!!

Certain events serve as defining moments of a generation. Past generations all remember where they were when JFK and MLK were assasinated or where they were when the Berlin Wall fell.

It's interesting though to think of some of the moments that define our generation. Where you were on 9/11 when you heard the news? Many of us remember where we were when 2pac and Biggie died, but can't remember where we were when Rosa Parks died. Many of us, especially those in Los Angeles, know where they were when the riots broke out after the Rodney King verdict. But there is one event that most of us definitely remember.

Where were you when OJ was found not guilty?

I was in high school, and believe it or not they broadcasted the verdict over the PA system at school. Oddly enough I even remember what class I was in. Spanish 2 with Mrs. Valdivia.

It was a shot heard round the world (or at least across the nation). It was also one of the most racially charged events imaginable. Black people celebrated and white people mourned, regardless of if we really believed he did it or not. Many black people were just overjoyed that a black man was free. We all were happy and sang out "If the glove doesn't fit, you must acquit".

I know you're all thinking, "why in the hell is Syreeta bringing this up 10 years later." Well I was reading latimes.com when I came across this article. http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-111506ojinterview,0,4959211.story?coll=la-home-headlines

In a nut shell, OJ Simpson has decided to write a book called "If I Did It" that discusses how he "hypothetically" could have committed the murders he was acquitted of. FOX will also air a two part interview about the book on Nov 27th & 29th.

ARE YOU CRAZY?!?!?!?!

Why in the hell would any innocent black man go and do some shit like this? That's like cheating on your wife or husband, having them accuse you of it, you getting them to believe that you didn't cheat and then a year later saying, "Honey you know if I had cheated on you a year ago, this is how I would have done it". WTF!!!

I still don't know, or care, if OJ really did it. But I'm so sick of him trying to find new ways to get back into the media. GO SIT DOWN SOMEWHERE!!!! If you didn't do it, don't put doubt in the minds of millions of people who had finally gotten over it by explaining how you might have done it. If you ARE guilty, why are you out telling all your business?

It's true that he can't be tried again for these murders. But guess what? If you tell everyone how you did it, and someone gets mad at you, they can come after you....STUPID. I'm sorry but I really needed to get this out because this man in CLEARLY AN IDIOT. Can't believe this man is a Trojan...

Sanctity of Marraige?

Again I'm being lazy posting things I saw somewhere else...but this one is good...
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Ronald Reagan - divorced the mother of two of his children to marry Nancy Reagan, who bore him a daughter only 7 months after the marriage. That means he cheated and got someone else pregnant, kids!

Bob Dole - divorced the mother of his child, who had nursed him through the long recovery from his war wounds.

Newt Gingrich - divorced his wife who was dying of cancer.

Dick Armey - House Majority Leader - divorced

Sen. Phil Gramm of Texas - divorced

Gov. John Engler of Michigan - divorced

Gov. Pete Wilson of California - divorced

George Will - divorced

Sen. Lauch Faircloth - divorced

Rush Limbaugh - Rush and his current wife Marta have six marriages and four divorces between them.

Rep. Bob Barr of Georgia - Barr, not yet 50 years old, has been married three times. Barr had the audacity to author and push the "Defense of Marriage Act." The current joke making the rounds on Capitol Hill is "Bob Barr...WHICH marriage are you defending?!?

Sen. Alfonse D'Amato of New York - divorced

Sen. John Warner of Virginia - divorced (once married to Liz Taylor.)

Gov. George Allen of Virginia - divorced

Henry Kissinger - divorced

Rep. Helen Chenoweth of Idaho - divorced

Sen. John McCain of Arizonia - divorced

Rep. John Kasich of Ohio - divorced

Rep. Susan Molinari of New York - Republican National Convention Keynote Speaker - divorced

So ... homosexuals are going to destroy the institution of marriage? Wait a minute, it seems the Christian Heterosexual Republicans are doing a fine job without anyone's help!If you agree, like we do, that hypocrisy and bigotry must end, repost this!

10 Things to Ponder...

Got this in an email today and I had to share...

Number 10 - Life is sexually transmitted.

Number 9 - Good health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die.

Number 8 - Men have two emotions: Hungry and Horny. If you see him without an erection, make him a sandwich.

Number 7 - Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day; teach a person to use the Internet and they won't bother you for weeks.

Number 6 - Some people are like a Slinky.....not really good for anything, but you still can't help but smile when you see one tumble down the stairs.

Number 5 - Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals dying of nothing.

Number 4 - All of us could take a lesson from the weather. It pays no attention to criticism.

Number 3 - Why does a slight tax increase cost you two hundred dollars and a substantial tax cut saves you thirty cents?

Number 2 - In the 60's, people took acid to make the world weird. Now theworld is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.

AND THE NUMBER 1 THOUGHT FOR 2006: We know exactly where one cow with mad-cow-disease is located among the millions and millions of cows in America but we haven't got a clue as to where thousands of illegal immigrants and terrorists are located. Maybe we should put the Department of Agriculture in charge of immigration.

In Steve We Trust

An article I just read today in the LA Times just confirmed why Steve Sample is the greatest University President known to man. Anyone who has been following the stories of an NFL team returning to LA should know that many are planning to put the NFL team back into the Coliseum, leaving most Trojan fans thinking what about us? Well good 'ol President Sample sent a letter to the NFL yesterday letting them know that they will not leave USC out in the cold and that we will continue playing football in the Coliseum.

I personally would rather just see the new NFL team move into some new stadium in Anaheim. Renovating the Coliseum involves pushing USC football out for at least two years, and when we return there will 12,000 less seats. Yeah and you know they're not going to cut 12,000 season tickets. So future students will have to fight each other to get into games because I'm sure that they will just sell fewer students seats.

Who the hell needs an NFL team in LA...we've already got USC! :o)

It's Starting Already!!!

Football Season! I know what you're thinking... Reet it's only May and the NBA playoffs aren't even over. But I tell ya that football is starting and I'm going to enjoy every bit of it. OK so right now there's just ridiculously early rankings speculation and NFL pre-season camps. But dammit it's football! Fox Sports has already started their 119 teams in 119 days preview of everything D-1 football. Of course right now they're previewing teams like Idaho, Kent State, New Mexico State and Florida Atlantic. And sure they won't be talking about a team from the Pac-10 until June 26th (and do even Husky fans REALLY care about football?) And it's very true they will not discuss my beloved Trojans until August 30th. But hey it's something to read. And since as soon as I get really excited about the NBA, the teams that I want to win will lose, I'll stick to just checking the scores every couple of games. I'll watch the finals as long as it's not the Spurs vs. Pistons (because really, we've already seen that, it's not exciting to anyone outside of Detroit & San Antonio). So I'll stick to enjoying my obscure stories about the USC depth chart, which number Reggie will wear in New Orleans and how Matty, Lendale & Darnell are doing in mini-camp. This should hold me over for a while. It's almost time for football people...it's a celebration bitches!!!

Why Ya Bullshittin...

OK so even though I'm really done with school, you know I'm tryna get all my grades back so that I know for sure that it's official. Why is everybody messin with me right now? One professor is saying that I'll get my grade next week and the other says that I won't be able to see my grade until May 30th and it won't officially post to the University until LATE JUNE!!!! Stop bullshittin right now, I need my degree to post. Whatever I'm done with these people, I just need them to stop prolonging the inevitable....I'S FREE! :O)

You Will Be Missed

Today USC freshman point guard Ryan Francis was shot and killed while visiting his mom in Baton Rouge. He will definitely be missed. I didn't know him personally, but I have heard nothing but great things about the guy and he was definitely handling his business on the basketball court. Along with his teammates he was bringing some life back to the USC men's basketball team. This year he was given the John Rudometkin Award, honoring the player who always gave 110% effort. From what I've heard of him he was a great player and person and the entire Trojan family sends our prayers to his family. Rest in Peace Ryan....

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2443805

One Down...Two to Go...

Got one grade back.... A-!!! Brilliant! One A- down, two to go...

I'M FREE CHEESY BREAD I'M FREE!!!!

It's official...I'm so done with this madness. I'm over here bouncing off the walls. OK well it's not officially over until I get my grades back but dammit if I don't get the grades I need I'm gonna need to just have some discussions with my professors cuz I'm SO done with school. Of course I had to go through the world's longest final to get to the finish line. How about I wrote 20 pages in 2 hours. My hand still hurts and that was almost four hours ago. Now I don't have shit to do with myself but kick it...and I'm loving it. I accept all types of gifts except rubber checks. :o)

IT'S A CELEBRATION BITCHES!!!!

One Step Closer...

So I just murder death killed my first final and I am one exam away from complete freedom. It's going to take all of the strength within me to not just blow off the test and feel like I'm free, but if I do blow off the test and I screw it up, then I won't be free. But I'll worry about that in a little while. For now I'm just extra happy that I finished another exam and that I feel like I got damn near every question completely right. If I didn't get an A on this exam, then I don't know what an A is...oh happy day.

Oh yeah btw.... Feliz Cinco de Mayo!!! :o)

My New Favorite NFL Teams

So I'm officially a New Orleans Saints fan. You knew that was coming...or at least you should have known by now.

I will also be cheering for the Arizona Cardinals and Tennessee Titans, when they're not playing the Saints of course.

I may be a slight Titans hater for a while because of the idiot from Texas that they drafted first, but in the long run I'm willing to overlook that decision. LenDale is playing with a chip on his shoulder and we all know what goes down when he's mad. God help the opposing team's defensive coordinators. I also now have a much better reason to watch Raiders' games again. Darnell is a Raider...YAAAAAY! I love the NFL draft. But now I'm sad. I have nothing football related to talk about until July at the earliest. This sucks.

Side note: I need the USC football team to get it together. Just because you lose a game doesn't mean you can lose your mind and go all to hell. I still see us going to a BCS Bowl. I prefer the Sugar Bowl or another trip to the Orange Bowl. At least this time I would have the money to go to the game. In Pete We Trust.

Broke Phi Broke....I Still Won't Have It

OK so I went to exit loan counseling today. No not therapy, although I may need it when I start repaying my damn students loans!!! After sitting in this session for almost 2 hours I realized that it was time to come face to face with the last 8 years of my life and the debt that I've accumulated as a student. Ladies and gentlemen, the results were not pretty. After looking up the loans that I've borrowed from 4 different lenders, the grand total of my student loan debt equals.....drum roll please.....$77,500 (give or take a couple dollars).

OK now that you've regained consciousness and picked your face up off the floor, you can understand my pain. Thank god for grace periods. Pray for me...

T-Minus 19 Days & Counting....

So I'm usually not one to countdown until something happens, but I just realized that I'm graduating in 19 days...like for real this time! Most of you know about the ridiculously long time that I've been at SC (8 years....stop laughing) but I'll FINALLY be done with my second degree in less than 3 weeks. For the first time since I was 3, I will not be attending school in the fall. No books, no registration, no syllabi, no new school clothes (Ok i haven't done this one in a while anyways), no financial aid packages....OH SHIT NO FINANCIAL AID....SCORE!

I originally was going to do absolutely nothing but enjoy the fact that I was done with school. I had no intention in participating in any sort of graduation hoopla. I just didn't have the strength, didn't feel like going through all of this mess again. I've done it all already (gotta love undergrad and my almost graduation last year). So I figured I would just take my finals, go to everyone else's graduation parties and celebrate being done FOR REAL with out all of the stresses and formalities. My how plans have changed...

So it started with the fact that I wanted to go to Black Grad. I didn't really want to walk, I just wanted to be in the building. Then I heard that there are a ridiculous amount of people walking this year and the chances of getting in without a ticket are slim to none. So I thought, well if I walk in black grad, then I'll have a seat. My parents agreed to pay for a cap and gown to rent (broke phi broke...I ain't got it) so I could do black grad. Simply enough right? Wrong

I went to speak to the grad advisor to turn in some forms and make sure I was really getting my degree in May. I've known her for a while and it's obvious that they get excited when minorities are really graduating. By the end of the conversation, I had somehow become the flag bearer for the Viterbi School of Engineering for the Commencement ceremony. I hadn't even planned on BEING AT Commencement. Then she explained that my guests would get front VIP seating. Guests? What guests?

My parents have seen me walk twice at USC and are just happy that I'm done. When I told them the situation, my dad automatically started making plans to drive down to LA. But my brother has a track meet the same day in the bay area. And my other brother has a bowling tournament in Reno. Now my parents decided that I need to pay black grad dues just in case they come. Another $95 dollars spent. At least I get a graduation stole now.

Do you see how quickly this all got complicated? I went from just sitting in the crowd at Black Grad to a full blown graduation extravaganza in less than a week. Now my parents want to stay at my apartment, which would involve me cleaning my apartment for real, something that I had been putting off for a while now. I'm getting a headache....

To Rent or to Buy....That is the Question

So I'm trying to figure out if I should move into another apartment or try to buy a condo. My dad wants to buy something (tax write-off) and I think it would be cool to own what I live in. So we could buy something together, but I don't think I'm "credit ready" just yet. So I could rent for another year and save up some money and pay off some bills. I don't know what I want to do. I just know I'm tryna get out of my apartment as soon as possible. I was just waiting to see where I would get a job so I would know where to move to.

To top it all off I REALLY want to go somewhere on vacation (not in the US) before I start work on July 17th. Why did I decide to start work in the middle of the summer? Because I want some time to kick it, but I'm extra broke too and I need to start making some dinero. But I don't even know what part of the world I want to visit. And I need someone to go with too...any takers?

Afternoon Sillyness

Don't even ask why this is so funny to me....it just is

Finally!!!

I got a job offer today.....YAY! I will officially not have to move home and live with my mommy and work at Best Buy. Thank God for Raytheon! Now all I have to do is finish these last few assignments, get through a couple of finals and figure out which island I need to go to on vacation before I start working....BRILLIANT! Now I just gotta find somewhere else to live cuz I hate my apartment and now I can move and stuff....it's a celebration bitches!

Stop Fuckin Up the Ratio

OK so last week I was having a conversation with some of the homies about why some black women hate seeing black men date outside of their race. This sounds like a really redundant topic but for some reason everytime I have this conversation, some completely new shit comes up in the convo.

Of course my male friends in this conversation decided that just to make the women mad they would rehash some of the stale, old ass arguments that some men like to make. You know the type: "Black women are too much work", "Black women don't appreciate us" blah blah blah blah blah. We came to the decision that these women do exist. However they are in the minority, their just the most vocal of us all.

Ladies you know what I'm talking about. For every cliche that people have about black women, you have a homegirl that fits the description. And she's the most vocal, out there member of the group. She's the one out there rolling her neck, nagging her man about every little thing, treating him like he's nobody but crying her eyes out when he leaves her ass. And all she's doing is messing him up so that he thinks every black woman he dates after will be just like her. She's messin it up for the rest of us. Ladies we have to stop this....put your girl in check!

If at this point in the blog you're officially offended, then you're probably one of the people I'm talking about. It's OK, because the first step to recovery is getting over your denial. So now that we've identified the problem we can go ahead and stop it. So if you've ever found yourself acting in the ways mentioned above....stop it! You're f&#*$ it up for the rest of us!

So now that we've discovered why some black men may tire of dating black women, let's explore why black women may get upset that black men don't want to date us. Many of us grow up with the idea that we will one day find a strong black man who will love us and we will love each other, get married, have kids and create a loving black family....you know like on the Cosby show. However if you look at the statistics, things don't look so good for us.

I once read that for every black man with a college degree, there are two black women with a college degree. One of us is just @$$ed out now aren't we? So with the ratios already not looking so great, if you are a black man dating someone who is not black and a black woman looks at you crazy, she's not necessarily mad at you....you're just messing up the ratio! Think about this:

• For every black man who dates a woman who isn't black, that's one less black man in the pool. That black woman eyeballing you may not necessarily be mad cuz she wants you, but now another black woman who DID want you is taking her man away. At least in this situation, if you break up with the girl, the ratio is returned to it's current state. There's still hope.
• For every black man who dates another man, permanent damage to the ratio has been done. Not only are you messing up the ratio by removing yourself from the eligible pool, but there's a slim chance that you're coming back. Black women aren't really that mad at you for being "on the down low". We're just mad cuz you're lying and cuz you're once again fucking up the ratio.
• For every black man dating another black man, you've royally fucked up the numbers. You've now taken two men permanently out of the equation, thoroughly screwing up our chances. Again we're not really mad at you personally, just know that you're messin it up for everyone else.

All this talk of ratios may not seem relevant in cities with large populations of black people like Atlanta or Washington DC. But for the rest of us, you understand where I'm coming from. So the the moral of the story is this....if you are dating someone because you truly find something in them that is attractive and you love being with that person, then do your thing. But please don't exclude entire races of people based on a few crazies you've encountered in your past. And please understand that if someone is looking at you crazy, it's not you....it's the ratio...

So Close...Yet Oh So Far...

OK this is my final full month of school as a Master's student.....it's a celebration bitches!!! I feel so close to graduation, but it's almost too close. For once in life I need to not get A.D.D. and start slacking off and let my grades nosedive. I have to recommit to my classes and finish as strong as I started.

So today I got up and go to campus by 11 for my 12:30 class. 30 minutes into class and I'm falling asleep. By the 1.5 hour mark in my 3 hour class we take a break. My professor asks me if I'm feeling OK, and when I respond in my extra raspy, barely there voice (thanks NSBE Convention for once again stealing my voice) she says that maybe I should go home and rest. I can watch the second half of class later online. I agree, pack my things and leave. Damn it's good having a woman professor that understands.

But I can't go home because I have to type my paper that's due at 6:30. So I'll just take a quick nap in my car and then write my paper. Three hours later I wake up and can barely move my left knee....fucking arthritis. I can't go to class like this, I can barely walk. Thank god it's my left leg, so I use my right let to drive home. Now I gotta explain to my professor why my paper was late and I wasn't in class. I'm off to a great start aren't I?

So if you call me and I don't call you back, or you wanna go kick it and I turn you down, don't take it personal....I still love you. But I honestly have no business doing anything except school and job search stuff until May 8th. After that....IT'S A CELEBRATION BITCHES!!!!

I Am Not My GPA

Slightly irritated in the world of job hunting. This is really starting to get old. I'm tired of companies telling me that my GPA is too low. It's not like I have a 2.1 or something. I think it's worse because most companies have this magical 3.0 GPA requirement and I'm just below that. All I can keep thinking is damn if I had dropped that one class I could have had the right GPA or man I wish I had gone to an easier school or picked an easier major. I had a company last week tell me they couldn't interview me because my undergrad GPA wasn't a 3.0! I graduated from undergrad 3 years ago! WTF...

I guess I'm thinking about it more because I've been interviewing a lot lately. I've been getting basically to the final rounds of these interviews, but people are responding after that. Like on Friday I was doing an final round interview at a certain aerospace company and the guy was like circling my GPA on my resume for five minutes telling me it was too low. If my GPA was so damn low, why did you call me in the first place. It's not like it was the first time these people had seen my grades. I knew I was in trouble when at the beginning of the day the announcement was made that the average GPA in the room was a 3.53.....ouch.

All I'm saying is don't waste my time with this madness and mess with my emotions if at the last minute you're going to pull back. Sooner or later I will find somewhere that will allow me to prove to them that my GPA is not a reflection of my intelligence and that I'm a committed person who can get things done. Otherwise I'm going to go work at Best Buy....oh wait, they said I was over qualified... :O(

Ghost Ride the Whip

On my final day in the bay, I thought it would be fitting to talk about how excited I am that Bay music is starting to get it's due all over the place. Most people think that nobody in the bay has made a hit since "I Got 5 On It" (which can still be heard almost daily on any bay area radio station), but the bottom line is the bay area hyphy movement has been in full effect for a while now. And with the release of E-40s newest album on Tuesday, people all over the country are getting a taste of what it means to be hyphy, go dumb and put ya stunna shades on yadidamean? :O)

This was confirmed today when I turned on MTV Jams (a channel I don't get in LA and will dearly miss) to find an E-40 video marathon on today. There were videos on there I didn't even know 40 had made. Did you know that Tupac was in the Player's Ball video? I didn't either, and I also just noticed Mack-10 in the background with his USC hat and t-shirt on...good lookin homie.

All this bay love will be capped off tonight with the show "My Block: The Bay" airing on MTV tonight at 11pm. Anyone who wants to check out how it goes down in the bay needs to check this out...ya smell me? Check out the article on MTV.com

Flavor Flaaaaaaaaaaaav!

OK so I knew there was something crazy about this. Why would a twenty something year old want to fight for the affection of a 46 year old burnt up ninja turtle? Why the F would Hoopz be so excited that she won Flavor of Love? She's a model, aspiring actress, whatever you want to call it. She was just smarter than the other girls and better at playing it off. Hell she deserves an Oscar for the performance she's given week after week on this crazy ass show. I should have known as soon as she hit the splits on that one episode that something wasn't right....

How do I know all of this? Take a look at this website http://www.mydarlingnikki.com/ and then you tell me with a straight face that she really loves Flav....HA! Whatever girl I can't knock your hustle, I just don't know how she could kiss him so much...just nasty. That's like kissing your dad.

Spring Break....

Is the greatest thing evented in life. I feel like everyone should get spring break, just because. I think that when I start working full time, I'm going to use a week of my vacation time every year in the spring so that I can continue to have spring break.

I'm not even doing anything, but I haven't gotten this much sleep since I don't know when. The bottom line is I'm sitting at home in the bay, doing things that I would normally do on any weekend. I've done all kinds of the NSBE stuff, watched TV and even done school work. But the fact that I don't have to do it if I don't want to makes it OK. I'm so relaxed right now cuz I don't have anything that I have to do and thats PHENOMENAL.

I think at some point in life I'm going to run for President of the US just so I can declare a national spring break so that everyone in America can have a week of relaxation. I think I'll also declare a national summer break and fall break. Who's with me?

What the...

OK so I've been "struggling" in one of my classes lately....or so I thought. I'm really new to this whole go to class read case studies and write replies to them, but two of my classes are totally like this. Actually in one class we just talk about the cases so I've been OK but the other class we have to actually write a response before we talk about the cases in class. Needless to say I've been feeling like I have no idea what's going on. I didn't turn in the first case and the second one was total crap. Today I turned in a third case that was only 2 pages long (supposed to be 5) and I'm convinced that I need to go to office hours to discuss with the TA.

Then the TA starts passing back the papers from the "crap" case that I turned in before. This one guy in the class that says something like every 4 minutes gets an A. I curse at him for being so smart. The next guy gets his paper with all kinds of stuff written on it followed by a B-. At this point I'm really feeling like I'm screwed. Just give me my D so I can take my break and get something to eat. Then he hands me back my paper, with nothing written on it except "Good Job - A". WHAT?!?!?! OK I spent all of 2 hours doing this whole assignment. If I got an A and you got a B-, what the hell did you write? Oh well at least now I know that I'm not completely incapable of still getting the A in this class that I need to get my GPA right. THERE'S STILL HOPE! OK now I have to go study because I just realized earlier today that our midterm is next Monday......ARGH!

America the Beautiful...

Food for thought...

36 have been accused of spousal abuse
7 have been arrested for fraud
19 have been accused of writing bad checks
117 have directly or indirectly bankrupted at least 2 businesses
3 have done time for assault
71 cannot get a credit card due to bad credit
14 have been arrested on drug-related charges
8 have been arrested for shoplifting
21 currently are defendants in lawsuits, and
84 have been arrested for drunk driving in the last year
Can you guess which organization this is?


It's the 535 members of the United States Congress.
The same group of Idiots that crank out hundreds of new laws each year designed to keep the rest of us in line.

Worst Commercials Ever

OK so was I the only one who was completely bored by the Superbowl commercials this year? The only thing I got out of them was that Grey's Anatomy is a great show which I'm now addicted to after one episode. Oh and I had fun counting how many commercials Matt Leinart was in before even getting drafted. The count got to three. His agent is doing a damn good job.

But what happened to the great commercials like the Budweiser frogs and the "wazzzuuup" ones. Those were great. Not only were the commercials crap, but thanks to Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake we will never again have an interesting half time show. Honestly how many of you actually sat through that entire half-time show? I started watching the "What Not to Wear" marathon and almost forgot to turn back for the second half.

I mean this isn't fair. It's already bad enough that no team that I was even remotely cheering for at the beginning of the season made it to the Superbowl and to be honest I didn't really care who won the game. I even tried to cheer for the team with the most Trojans. That ish didn't work. How do you pick between Troy Polamalu and Lofa Tatupu. Now I know why we didn't win the Rose Bowl. All of our damn defense was in the Superbowl. If Lofa had stayed we could've won the Rose Bowl. It's not like he got the Superbowl ring.

Brokeback Mountain...A Double Standard?

I was forwarded this article in an email today, and I gotta say that the author has a point. Read below...

This week's topic comes from SB user, Maisha Sullivan-Ongoza in Philly:

"I wake up this morning to find glowing commentaries in print and electronically that "Brokeback Mountain" wins numerous Golden Globe awards. According to people who care about these things, the Golden Globes could be a sneak preview of what the Oscar's will look like.

I have not seen the movie 'Brokeback Mountain.' Basically, I did not appreciate the marketing of this protracted male homosexual relationship of heterosexually married men as a touching love story. I have no problem with the homosexual part of the movie. If the homosexuality was portrayed as an open, consensual, honest and loving relationship, no problem. What I have problems with is the positive marketing of White homosexual male behavior that is viewed negatively in the media when Black males do the same thing.

My issues are racism and double standards. When Brothers do the same thing, we get a new vocabulary word just for them--it is called the "Down Low." What bothers me is that two White males married to females continue their homosexual relationships and folks flock to see it and find it so moving, heart wrenching watching them live a lie.

What bothers me even more is that Black males who do this same thing get no safe quarter in cinema, literature or communities. In no ones eyes is there one positive thing to say about this type of unprincipled behavior, it is certainly not award-winning..." (more)

What do YOU say?
Talk back!
http://www.seeingblack.com/board/viewtopic.php?p=139#139

Why Men Aren't Allowed to Vote

Throughout the NFL season, Fox Sports has been running a contest to discover who is the NFL's Sexiest Man. Players were placed into brackets and people went to foxsports.com to vote on the winners. I've been pretty interested to see who would win this site (since I figured more men would be on the site than women) and just as I suspected, men should not be allowed anywhere near voting like this. Right now the winner of the contest is being decided between two players: Brett Favre and Neil Rackers, the kicker for the Arizona Cardinals....WTF?!?!?

You mean to tell me of all the fine men in the NFL, all we could come up with is Brett Favre and the kicker for the Cardinals?!?!?! First of all I love Brett Favre and all but he's not sexy...sorry. Then upon closer look at the whole bracket I can't believe some of the people that were beat out in this competition. For instance, Brett Favre beat out Tiki Barber and Jason Taylor! Other people that were beat out include Ronde Barber, Dwight Freeny and even Tom Brady. Dude I'm not drooling over Tom Brady, but he got beat out by this random kicker from Arizona! Men please don't vote for things like this ever again or if you must please consult your girlfriend, sister or some other intelligent woman before voting so that we can avoid disasters like this in the future. I think I'm gonna create my own poll...

The Best Google Logo Ever...

I love Google...

What the Feezy?

On random days where I don't have as much to do I have a tendency to visit websites that I haven't been to in a while. Today I happened upon BET.com and now I remember why the hell I don't usually frequent the site. What kinda madness are we promoting here black people? This is supposedly to be the go to site for black entertainment. Let me share with you some of the madness that I found:

Lil' Kim's new reality show: "Countdown to Lockdown". ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?!?! Look I'm not mad @ her for tryna get her Martha Stewart on and make money while she's in jail but really? The show is basically just footage of everything that she did for the two weeks up until she went to jail. BET has officially run outta ideas for TV shows. This is crazy

Goldigger Quiz: Yes anyone can figure out if they know how to spot a goldigger on the street. And after you complete the quiz, you're directed to the BET dating site so that you can find your true internet love....WTF!?!?!

Flavor of Love: BET has message boards up about shows that are on other people's networks! The most retarded version of "The Bachelor" that I've ever seen has a group of women vying for the love of...Flavor Flav? Wow this is deep. I had to watch an episode just to see the madness. These women are crazy. They were really on national TV talking about how much they were feelin him while walkin around in short @$$ dresses, crying cuz they got eliminated when Flav didn't give them a clock! And BET makes it worst by putting up a message board. That's like a big @$$ banner that says "Don't watch BET, watch Vh1!" I don't care if you are all owned by the same people, at least act like competitors...humor us please.

P.S. some of the messages on this board are ridiculous. Here's my favorite:
"Another fool showin his entire u know what on tv. I liked the "Strange Love" series but felt like alot of it was staged. Who in their right mind would want that little burnt up ninja turtle? "

Classic

Broke Phi Broke...We Ain't Got It!

OK so I hate New Year's Resolutions because as soon as I call them that then they don't happen. So let's just say that these are my 3 goals for the year (yeah I know it's 2 weeks into the new year, but better late than never):

1. Stop being broke. The broke college student thing has run it's course and I'm really getting tired of this. By the end of 2006 I need to have a good paying job and a least one money making side hustle. I'm currently accepting ideas...
2. Stop being big. OK so I'm really losing weight this time. Last time the only thing that stopped me was my damn thyroid going outta wack again and messing up my metabolism, which is part of the reason I'm over weight in the first place. But that's in control and I've started eating right and working out. Note: water aerobics is no joke. Who needs free weights when you're surrounded by water. I've done the class twice in the last 3 days and body is screaming! But I'm still going back tomorrow...it's fun!
3. Stop being a student. I love USC and you all know that, but it's officially time for me to be an alumnus...again. It's just really time for me to move on. My classes this semester are really cool (damn when was the last time I said that) and I'm extremely confident that 14 weeks from now I will officially hold a Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering.

So there you have it. If you see me at any time and I'm slacking on reaching any of the above goals, sock me and make me get back to work. But don't hit me too hard...I'm sensitive =0)

Quick Thought

If you are at the gym to workout and get in shape, why do you use the elevator instead of the stairs?

Things that make you go hmmmmmmmmmm....

The Babies Are Leaving!!!

I hope Pete Carroll is recruiting his @$$ off right now cuz ALL THE BABIES ARE LEAVING. Yeah I knew Reggie and LenDale were leaving, but it's officially now and that makes me sad. Then I went to ESPN and looked at the list of players on the NFL Draft board. It's officially time for me to leave USC, cuz damn everyone else is! I didn't really realize how many people were graduating or leaving early. I'm not mad @ 'em though I hope they all end up somewhere great. I'm a little scared about New Orleans picking Matt Leinart though. Who the hell plays for New Orleans? Nobody wants to see that! OK I'm supposed to be all nice about it cuz of the hurricane and stuff even without a hurricane I think they're season would've been not so hot. Maybe they'll pick Vince so Matt can go to Tennessee and play with Coach Chow again. Now THAT'S real television!

Quarter Life Crisis

I'm posting something that many of us have already read, but I'm putting in here because I've been feeling like this a lot more lately. Could have a lot to do with the fact that I'm graduating in May (for real this time) plus I'm just tryna make a lot of life changes at the same time.

Started the weight loss plan for real today. I realized that I'm not as out of shape as I thought. I'm just lazy when it comes to working out. I don't ever wanna go work out but when I start I usually don't wanna leave. I said I was gonna work out for 20 minutes and left the gym today an hour later. I know I'm strange. And hopefully by the end of 2006 I'll be skinny too. I'm giving myself an entire year because I got on a scale today for the first time in a cool minute and realized that I have a lot more to lose than I thought.

Could also have to do with the fact that I'm taking classes in so many fields this semester not directly related to my field. I sat in a three hour intellectual property class on Monday and came out ready to apply for Law school. Who knows how I'll feel in May. Tomorrow is my first entrepreneurship class. Surround me with 70 MBA students and who knows what I'll start thinking about. Plus I just took one of those random internet quizzes that tells you what advanced degree I should pursue. Guess what the results were...yup an MBA. The only good thing about all of this is that I know that these options are still open to me should I decide to pursue them. Nothing worse than wanting to do something and then figuring out that you can't do them.

So here's to indecision and confusion! God I love being twenty-something!

Being Twenty-Something

They call it the "Quarter-life Crisis." It is when you stop going along with the crowd and start realizing that there are many things about yourself that you didn't know and may not like. You start feeling insecure and wonder where you will be in a year or two, but then get scared because you barely know where you are now.

You start realizing that people are selfish and that, maybe, those friends that you thought you were so close to aren't exactly the greatest people you have ever met, and the people you have lost touch with are some of the most important ones. What you don't recognize is that they are realizing that too and aren't really cold, catty, mean or insincere, but that they are as confused as you.

You look at your job... and it is not even close to what you thought you would be doing, or maybe you are looking for a job and realizing that you are going to have to start at the bottom and that scares you.

Your opinions have gotten stronger. You see what others are doing and find yourself judging more than usual because suddenly you realize that you have certain boundaries in your life and are constantly adding things to your list of what is acceptable and what isn't.

One minute, you are insecure and then the next, secure. You laugh and cry with the greatest force of your life. You feel alone and scared and confused. Suddenly, change is the enemy and you try and cling on to the past with dear life, but soon realize that the past is drifting further and further away, and there is nothing to do but stay where you are or move forward.

You get your heart broken and wonder how someone you loved could do such damage to you. Or you lie in bed and wonder why you can't meet anyone decent enough that you want to get to know better. Or maybe you love someone but love someone else too and cannot figure out why you are doing this because you know that you aren't a bad person.

One night stands and random hook ups start to look cheap. Getting wasted and acting like an idiot starts to look pathetic. You go through the same emotions and questions over and over, and talk with your friends about the same topics because you cannot seem to make a decision. You worry about loans, money, the future and making a life for yourself... and while winning the race would be great, right now you'd just like to be a contender!

What you may not realize is that everyone reading this relates to it. We are in our best of times and our worst of times, trying as hard as we can to figure this whole thing out. Send this to your twenty something friends.... maybe it will help someone feel like they aren't alone in their state of confusion.....

GOOD LUCK TO ALL OF US!!!!!

- Brenda Della Casa

Celebreality

Over the past year or so I've started watching Vh1 a lot more, not for the music really but more for the hilarious shows that these people have come up with. Although I'm extremely disgusted by all the shows that have included Flavor Flav making out with anybody (it's nasty) I do have to so that my favorite show is Celebrity Fit Club. Maybe it's because I enjoy watching fat celebrities struggling with their weight in the same fashion that I do...who knows. What I do know is that it actually helps me feel like getting up and excerising. It also makes me wish I had enough money to hire a personal chef to make all of my meals for me...le sigh.

But I digress. I wish that they sold the episodes of the show on DVD like every other TV show that has been on air in the past 3 years. But alas all they sell are workout DVDs and books with their diets in them. I'd love to buy one but I don't really feel like reading a big 'ol book about losing weight, just tell me how to do it. OK I'm being lazy on that one, I guess I'll just start by taking the stairs instead of the elevator. But now that a new season of Celebrity Fit Club has started, at least I have a couple of months to watch new episodes and watch fat celebrities melt the fat away....YAY!

Cleaning House

OK classes start on Monday (my last semester at USC...thank GOD!) and I'm determined to get my apartment clean before then. Not the "its good enough for now" clean where you take all of the papers and put them in stacks to deal with later, but really organized. I know I'm not gonna do it once school starts because I never do. It's time to start throwing away crap that I don't want or need. Maybe I've been watching too many episodes of Clean Sweep and Trading Spaces, but I feel like cleaning and decorating. I might as well take advantage of it while I can.

Yesterday I bought a five shelf bookcase and put it together myself. Just me, a screwdriver, hammer and the directions. Again I think I've been watching Trading Spaces too much, but hey at least I got the shelf together. When I started putting all my books in the bookcase I realized how many books I've bought that I haven't gotten a chance to read. Damn I miss those summers commuting to San Francisco on BART. That was quality reading time.

Anyway let me get up and actually start cleaning before I change my mind. Anyone wanna come over and help?

Mourning The Loss....

OK It's taken me almost 2 days to recover from what I will only refer to as the "Pasadena Fiasco". Although I've finally gotten over the fact that one of the greatest streaks in college football is now over, I'll still slap a Texas Longhorn fan in the streets of LA. You won...now go home. However I'm attempting to take our loss graciously as Pete Carroll would want us to. So I've decided to look at the bright side of the entire situation. So in my best Pollyanna impression, here are the best things about the "Pasadena Fiasco":

1. No more media coverage. I'll admit that I was the first prson on espn.com, foxsports.com, si.com and every other sports page reading everything they wrote about USC and how great we were. But dammit it really was overexposure. It was too much. Now the team can live in peace and just be college students.
2. Easier to get seats in the Colesium. Now that all of the bandwagon fans have jumped off and gone running after Vince Young all the way back to Austin, the real fans won't have to fight football groupies and celebrities just to get close enough to the field to see the game. Hopefully the prices of student tickets and season tickets go down a little too. Or at least they won't raise the prices again.
3. The end of one era means the beginning of a new one. Pete Carroll is loving this right now, because he gets to rebuild his team again and show how great of a coach he is. Let's be real about this people. We know Matt Leinart has to leave, and don't be shocked if Reggie and LenDale go too. All kinds of other players are graduating. It's a fresh start and Pete loves the challenge of being able to rebuild his teams. And as long as we keep beating UCLA, I OK with that.

And since the football team has started fresh, I think it's time for me to start fresh as well. I'm taking everything in life now as a sign of what's going on in my life. Last year at this time, USC had just won a National Championship and everyone was wondering how far we could take this streak. I remember thinking, man I wish I was gonna be a student next year so I could go to games and see them win. Next thing I know, I'm not graduating and I AM around to see them for another year (be careful what you wish for). But the "Pasadena Fiasco" has put an end to an era and it's time for a fresh start. Matt, Reggie, LenDale, and a host of other Trojan football players will get their fresh starts in the NFL. They've brought closure to it all, which means one thing....it's time for me to go too! I'm outta here in May no matter what. Hopefully I'll be in a city where I can watch at least one Trojan play in the NFL. I think I'll be paying more attention to this NFL draft more than ever before.