Rants and Raves - www.WhitleyBrooks.com

Jun
26

I Told You That Shape-Ups Were BS!

Remember when I blogged about the evil of sketchers shape-ups? Well apparently I am not alone. The FTC has stepped in and determined that the studies that Skechers used to toute the benefits of Shape-Ups are flawed and false. I could have told them that! http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-57436508-10391704/skechers-shape-ups-why-the-ftc-called-companys-studies-deceiving/ Two of the studies were headed by a chiropractor who is married to the Senior VP of Marketing at Skechers. Um, conflict of interest much?

Now, there is a way to possibly get your money back in the settlement. https://skechers.action-settlement.com/ You already know I have submitted my claim!

But that’s not it! I went to an orthopedist and I have to have physical therapy twice a week for at least a month. Thanks Sketchers! I will definitely be getting my money back for those craptastic shoes of tomfoolery.

Have you ever tried those silly things? Ever tried a product that was overhyped or caused you problems?

1 Categories : Rants and Raves, Whitley's World

Feb
13

My 3 Essential Life Elements: Living My Perfect, Full Life

by Whitley Brooks

Everybody always talks about the keys to success, a healthy relationship or wealth. I like to focus on the elements that I have determined make my life full and make me feel complete.

I believe that if you have the life of your dreams, the keys will fall into place. This is what works for my life and works for me.

What works for you? Maybe your motivation comes in the form of one of those other elements. But for me I need and require the 3 things that I believe create a great life and the life that I dream of and deserve.

Do not interpret this as my life sucks. It’s actually pretty good. I just know and understand that I have goals, goals that I want to accomplish and what I need to get there.

My 3 essential life elements : happiness, fulfillment and dreams with action.

They sound very simple and happiness and fulfillment even seem very similar. However, I like to define specifically the things that make me feel happy and fulfilled. They are not always one and the same.

1.I need to be happy. I’m not unrealistic and understand that not everything will always be perfect. I also know that I’m not a person that likes negativity. It’s like a drain on my energy and I just can’t take it. I understand that people may have a moment where they’re down, hell I know better than most people. But I cannot stand a person who finds the negative in everything, complains constantly, is rude or has to put other people down. There was a time when I was engaged in that behavior, but it never felt good. And what was the purpose of all that negativity and anger? Did it make me feel better? Did it change some negative in my life? No, no and no. I like to be lighthearted, fun and intelligent. When I focus on the positive or force myself to find the good in this situation, I feel much better and much more balanced and motivated. I work harder and I enjoyed. I guess you could say that I need positivity, but I like to say I need happy. I also make sure that I surround myself with positive family members and friends, while eliminating negative people and folks who have nothing but negativity regarding themselves, you or other people.

2. Fulfillment is crucial for me. People say you can’t always do what you want. Some even say life isn’t fulfilling. But why not? You cannot truly expect someone to give their all when they have no interest or no passion for it. When times are hard and my back is against the wall, my passion and fulfillment along with my determination to pull me through every time.

3. Please read the 3rd one carefully. I said dreams WITH action on purpose. The whole thing is needed. You start with your dream, something you are passionate about and create a plan. No matter how great an idea is, putting it in writing will make it more tangible. Writing down your goals and dreams can make them .more real and hold you more accountable. Take your dream or goal and break it into pieces. Give yourself deadlines and even incentives because it may not always be easy. If you are doing something that others are doubting, for a while you may need to be your own support and encouragement. By creating deadlines and incentives, you are providing yourself with motivation. Most of all, that big lofty dream is now becoming more accessible.
Um, that’s not it. If we stopped there we would just have a nice little dream with a plan to execute but no execution. Now we have to follow through and start doing those steps that we broke down. And keep moving forward. If people doubt me or I hit a stumbling block, it motivates me to prove them wrong and find a way to make it happen. I don’t stop until I reach my goal and usually surpass. That is just an added pat on the back for me.
When I’m actively working on it and all 3 of these elements come together, you can’t tell me anything. Consequently because I value my happiness and fulfillment, I’m always striving to follow my passions. If I’m serious, I figure out how to make my dream happen and I don’t stop until I get it done successfully. I find that when I focus on making sure those 3 things are taken care of it becomes a skeleton key that easily opens those other doors.
Okay my hippie moment is over. Woo woo woo…

What are your most important life elements? What 3 things are needed to create the life you want or need? Am I a hippie talking about rainbows and unicorns and puppy dogs and candy?

1 Categories : Rants and Raves, Whitley's World

Feb
1

Turning 30 Soon: What To Expect When You Are Expecting To Turn 30

by Whitley Brooks

What Would Make Me Feel Better About Turning 30

I rarely tell my age. I don’t know why. One day, I decided to give myself an arbitrary age and its younger than what I actually am. But not like perverted young, just a few years younger. It is not like my age is some big secret, if you asked me I would tell you.

However I’m reaching a “milestone” age. Enough of a milestone where I will no longer be able to say I’m in my 20s. I’m turning 30 in March. It’s my 30th birthday.

I’m turning 30 in March? *blinks hard* It’s my 30th birthday??

There’s a lot of stuff I want to do and I thought that I would have done by the time I was 30. For example, I just KNEW that I would be married almost directly out of college and I would be done having kids by now. WRONG!

You may be beginning to notice that I like lists: Baby bucket list, 5 date night rules, another list of 3 coming tomorrow, and I would go insane without my to-do lists.

In honor of my 30th birthday, I’ve created a list called “30 for 30”. No, it’s not some sports challenge or a challenge at all for that matter. It is just a list of 30 things I want for my 30th birthday in a perfect world.

I don’t expect anybody to buy anything off of this list. Mainly because I have like 5 readers, 3 of whom I order to read my site.

However, if you feel so inclined please by all means purchase away. Isn’t it great that my birthday is conveniently during tax season? Also, for every gift purchased, I will do an hour of volunteer work with children. Tutoring, speaking with children and I am even up to some suggestions for community service activites.

So how did my list come together?

This is clearly a battle between my Whitley and my Freddie side. Some girly and feminine stuff, professional awesome lawyer like items, books, an electronic item or two (a girl can dream), some skincare products, smell goods (perfume) and assorted weaponry. Ok, there’s no weaponry on the list, but that’s another subject….

With the digital camera, I’ll be able to capture more of the amazing moments in my life (and share someone here). What about the iPad? Well I want one quite frankly and I could put it to good use. I wanted to add some good pieces and necessities to my wardrobe so there are a few shoes, jewelry, and clothing items

This list reflects me pretty well because it is a good balance of my wants and needs. Also, I like to believe that I’m not one to break the bank and am reasonable. Don’t believe me? Look at the variety of prices. I know the value of a good bargain or deal.

Special thanks to @BeautyByDesign1, @JWash5121 and @BigDEElight (who I harass for all questions dealing with electronics). Without them, I would not have completed this list. Each of them have varied obsessions with electronics, make up and trendy clothing, which I was able to use and pick out the best items based on my style.

What am I doing for my 30th? I will SHOW you when it’s time. Yep, I’m going to stop being scared and show some pictures from my 30th birthday.

How do you feel about birthdays? What do you do to celebrate? Have you created a wish list? What did it include?

Have you asked your friends for advise on what to wear? Tell me you story good or bad!

0 Categories : Rants and Raves, Whitley's Moment, Whitley's World

Jan
31

5 Date Night Rules

by Whitley Brooks

Hey honey bunnies!

I believe in having an active and fun relationship. There’s many ways to accomplish it, but one easy thing that BBKF and I love is our weekly date night.

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Pres. Obama and the First Lady Enjoy Regular Date Nights

Every week, we take turns selecting a place to go or something to do. It could be as simple as going out to drinks or catch a movie or something a little bigger like an impromptu to daytrip. (We are definitely going to take a trip to the gun range of one of our date nights sometime soon. This would be awesome. And we can follow it up with some drinks. Can you tell that I enjoy a good spirited beverage?) Our dates nights gets us out of the house to spend some time to focus on each other. A simple little date like back when we were courting. Except now we get to go home and have special fun time afterwards. (Don’t look confused, I don’t care what you say I was pure and innocent until my wedding night. I had a white wedding dress and everything so ha!)

Here are a few easy rules to help your date night go a little better:

1. Pick something within your budget. There’s no better way to ruin the romance than to count sheckles or go broke one evening. Get creative, it doesn’t have to be pricey. Go out for ice cream. Take a walk in the park. Find a new active hobby like hiking to get healthy together. These are not the best times financially for country. You know your financial situation. Don’t act like some magic leprechaun is going to regenerate the funds in your account, pay credit cards or your evil, soulless student loans. And check out things like Groupon and Living Social for awesome deals and new adventures. You to save money and do some new things. Win-win!

2. A surprise can be a good. If you know your mate as you should, then do you will know what they like don’t like. You know that your girlfriend doesn’t like midget strippers so why would you surprise her with a trip to the strip club with a very special dance from a midget stripper? Be smart. A good, thoughtful surprise even if it’s small can produce amazing results and mean the world to that special person in your life. If you are going to plan a surprise, give your love thang an idea how they should dress so they won’t be totally unprepared. Usually take her to Chick-fil-A (for the spectacular lemonade, yum!) but planned a surprise dinner at a five-star black-tie restaurant? You have no one to blame but yourself if she comes out of the house in leggings and the Flashdance style sweatshirt ready to go.

3. Do a phone stack. What’s the phone stack? How many times have you been out to dinner or at a group event or even a date where someone kept checking their phone? We are not looking for an easy out and they don’t have an emergency. They just feel the need to text, tweet and Facebook every single detail of what they are doing. Even worse is when the thing that they are so desperately desiring to communicate has absolutely no importance and nobody cares. Do not confuse this with being on a bad date looking for an easy out or finding ways to keep your sanity. This rule and the other rules apply to people in relationships.

Back to the phone stack. A friend of mine introduced me to this cool trick and it’s a surefire way to bring back the face-to-face conversations and put down the electronic trinkets. Everyone places their phone in the center of the table, either stacked on top of each other or lined up. Just in the middle of everyone and away from you. So what’s the point and how can you really stop someone from picking up THEIR phone? Well not only are you having real big people conversations because everybody is not buried in their phone, but it’s also funny to see people tempted to reach for their phone when they hear an incoming call, text, or tweet. And the incentive to leave your phone alone is beyond motivating: whomever picks up their phone, has to foot the bill. Or you can think of your own penalty, but this would definitely work for me because I’m not trying to pay the whole bill because I had to read the text that said “LOL” or “what are you doing”.

4. No arguments! This is supposed to be a fun time to reconnect and enjoy each other’s company. Everything else can wait until you get home or a more appropriate time and place. Could you imagine if the couple in the next booth were argueing during YOUR dinner date? You don’t want to make a spectacle of yourself in public and I don’t want to hear a bunch of crap while I’m enjoying my delicious meal. I’m a serious foodie and you want to piss off a serious foodie interrupt their meal and see what happens. And I would be remiss if I did not mention how stupid and ignorant you look. And your inability to exhibit self-control will lead to a “record the angry couple and post it on YouTube” session. You have been warned.…

Don't Let Justin Bieber Have More Game and Romance Than You

5. When you establish your date night schedule, be it weekly, biweekly or monthly, you must stick to it. No excuses, no exceptions. Well in a dire emergency you can rearrange some things. Generally, however, there will be no valid reason for canceling or rescheduling date night. Stop being rude, selfish and inconsiderate. It’s really not asking that much. With our busy and technology filled lifestyles a simple date night can keep the romance going or reignite that dimming spark.

What are your essential rules of people for date night? How do you keep the spice alive in your relationship?

1 Categories : Rants and Raves, Whitley's World

Jan
27

What Makes a Family? Khloe’ is a Kardashian, Now Stop It!

by Whitley Brooks

Hey honey bunnies!

Just in case there is any confusion, let me make this as clear as I possibly can:

Khloe’ is Robert Kardashian’s daughter. It does not matter if he is her biological father, adoptive father or anything else. Robert made it clear not only through his actions, but also through legal documents that he is Khloe’s father. This witch hunt is inappropriate, stupid and shameful. If you are confused, refuse to accept that Robert is Khloe’s father or feel some burning need to have documented proof of who her father is, please keep reading. I’m going to break this down as easily as possible.

Scandal is hitting the Kardashian family again. We wrapped 2011 by debating and analyzing whether or not Kim’s waiting with fake and how much of the show is scripted. After a sex tape, this short-lived and ill-fated marriage had run its course by the time the year came to an end.

Now Khloe’ is the target of a scandal. This scandal is even worse than any of the other Kardashian rumors or drama. Khloe’ is my fav member of the family, but do not believe for a moment that this status clouds my judgment. And FYI, don’t judge me because I have a favorite Kardashian. Love them or hate them, we all have a favorite for one reason or another.

Picture from Khloe's Private Collection via khloekardashian.celebuzz.com

So what is this scandal? Some people have made it their personal mission to make sure that everyone in the world knows or believes that Robert Kardashian is not Khloe’s biological father. Even the family has made jokes about how Khloe’ looks different than her sisters.

But people have taken it too far. 2 of Robert’s ex-wives have come out and stated that Robert told them that he was not Khloe’s biological father. You would think that would be enough however the media and blogs without ethics and morals (BWEM) have seemingly made a game of trying to determine who is Khloe’s biological father. Any man who even knew Kris Jenner during the mid-80s to early 90s has been mentioned as a possible biological father of Khloe’. O.J. Simpson, a waiter, a pool boy and many more. The latest biological father alleged is a man that has been Kris’s hairdresser for over 2 decades now. Side-by-side pictures of Khloe’ and any potential father are published anywhere, along with comparisons to potential half siblings.

Picture from Khloe's Private Collection via khloekardashian.celebuzz.com

Got it? Good.

I’m pretty pissed off that I even have to address this but I have yet to stumble across someone to express my thoughts and feelings. Someone may have very well said the exact or similar things to what I’m about to say but I have not seen. So I felt the need to share what I think about adoption, paternity, families and the labels attached.

You should know by now that I’m adopted. Stories like this in no way and affect me on a personal level because these labels and the ignorance of some people hurt. Since Robert and Kris were married when Khloe’ was born, he signed the birth certificate and loved and acknowledged her as his child, she is his daughter correct? Now let’s imagine that he is not her biological father , but Robert and Kris were married when Khloe’ was born, he signed the birth certificate and loved and acknowledged her as his child. Is he still her father? Yes. Does it matter if they don’t share that the same DNA? No. Is she still his daughter? Yes.

Picture from Khloe's Private Collection via khloekardashian.celebuzz.com

What makes a family:

Does a family only exist if the children are born to the parents? There are millions of children and adults who were adopted by the new spouse of their parent or people know connection to the biological family. Once that person takes on the role of parent and signed those legal documents, they are the patriot of that child. Genetics are sometimes irrelevant when determining what and who is family.

Khloe’ is Robert’s daughter. It doesn’t matter if they share the same DNA or he is her father because he signed the birth certificate and assumed the role of father. And according to his children, ex-wife and people that knew him, Robert was an excellent father to all of his children.

Picture from Khloe's Private Collection via khloekardashian.celebuzz.com

Many people also have the horrible habit of attaching labels to the relationships between child and parent, based solely on genetics. The media, BWEM and some unenlightened people feel the need to constantly specify the type of parent/child relationship counts the smallest level possible. The labels are most apparent when discussing adopted children. Think about it. How many times have you read about a celebrity who has adopted a child and even if the child is a teenager or an adult, they are referred to as Lando Calrissian’s adopted daughter. I don’t really know if Lando Calrissian has any children at all. That was as an example you, get the point. Or if someone said “My Spanish friends José has a pretty girlfriend.” Do you really need to say Spanish? Does it change who José is, what his girlfriend looks like or the type of friend? Nope. So stop it.

Bottom line, this desire to determine who a person’s biological father is or to place a label on the relationship is rude, inappropriate and hurtful. I don’t need to be Khloe’ to understand that it has to hurt the people want to question the relationship with their father.

The effects and implications of things like this run deep. Even if the person is strong and has a strong family. When people do things like that there is a large possibility for questioning, self doubt and maybe even self-esteem issues. This is especially true when it involves children. A child will recognize and remember when you referred to the child as the adopted son or daughter and their sibling as just son or daughter. It’s as if you were saying that they were a different type of child or less of a son or daughter then one that is the biological child. It’s really awkward and is taking something that is beautiful (bringing families together, giving children a loving home among others) and making it dirty and taboo. It also often draws a mental divide between the people saying and hearing it is sometimes even between family members. All because someone just had to know who is the biological parent or put their own label on the relationship.

Picture from Khloe's Private Collection via khloekardashian.celebuzz.com

This is ugly and unnecessary. What does it solve? What does it do? Think before you speak on someone’s family relationships, especially if you are not privy to the inner workings of the family.

If anyone has a right to question, it would be Khloe’. And if the rumors are true, it’s up to her to share it. However, we know that this is the Kardashians and if it is true there will be a special. So just chill out, be a little more aware of the things you say and people’s feelings and wait and see if there is a special.

2 Categories : Rants and Raves

Jan
25

Weight Loss Update: Skechers Shape Ups are EVIL!

by Whitley Brooks

Hey honey bunnies!

Remember that goal on my baby bucket list to lose 15 to 20 pounds and tone before I get pregnant?

No, I’m not pregnant yet.

So let me update you on how that weight loss goal has been going.

*le sigh*

I lost a few pounds and people have noticed, but I haven’t weighed myself. It also is important to mention that the weight loss is not from working out as I had planned. The weight loss is mostly due to eating a tiny bit better and getting just more physical activity than a slug.

What happened? It’s definitely not because I was lazy and unmotivated. Actually, I was quite excited and did work out for a little bit.

WHAT HAPPENED? I’ll tell you what happened: Skechers Shape-Ups happened!

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Look at this evil shoe foolery!

Let me 1st address is obviously on your mind. Why the hell did you buy Skechers Shape-Ups? Occasionally I can get sucked into some stupid marketing, even when I know better. That’s what happened with this. I was also so excited about losing weight I figured that I should take it vantage of every little thing that could help.

I was determined not pay full price for them so I did some of my savvy shopping and found them on sale at a remarkably awesome and affordable price. They were not defective and they were just like every other pair of evil Shape-Ups. I even took the time to read the little instruction booklet and made sure I followed the directions to a T. I was serious! So now that we have that out the way, let’s move on.

Skechers Shape-Ups, also known as the official footwear of Satan, messed my knee all the way up. It would swell, pop out of place and at times it was so sore that I couldn’t move it or straighten it. How am I supposed to work out with one leg? Do I just get the rest of my body together and have my right leg looking like a tightly packed sausage, Skechers?

Keep in mind, I followed the directions. I didn’t do anything out of the ordinary, no drop kicks or flying sidekicks. This directly interferes with my ability to train to be a ninja assassin.

How do I know that the shoes are the cause of my knee injury? Prior to using them, my knee was 100% fine. No issues, no pain and my knee definitely would not do one thing when the rest of my body was doing the exact opposite. Like when I was walking down the stairs and my right knee decides to lock in place while the rest of my body was continuing forward. I’m just glad I was holding on to the rail.

And it seems that I am not alone. While trying to navigate life with one fully functioning leg, I decided to just do some more research into these “shoes”. It didn’t take long to see many other women complaining of injuries and pain due to wearing Skechers Shape-Ups. We know most people don’t read or follow directions. But the tiny instruction booklet for these shoes is attached to one of the laces. They place a nice little booklet on there which you must remove unless you want to run around with the booklet on your shoe. Skechers took the time to make the booklet seem appealing by providing usage instructions, a guide to getting started, workout tips and what not to do in your Skechers Shape-Ups. So thanks to the nifty booklet and presentation of how to get the best results, people actually read it. This led to them using the shoes properly. Yet, folks are complaining of sore hips, hips popping out of joint, sprains and soreness that goes far beyond a typical workout. You know the pain that you get when you start working out and using muscles out that you are not used to using? Well that’s not the pain in this case. This is injury pain. I am hurt pain. This is not supposed to be happening pain.

My knee is getting better (finally and after much TLC and many embarrassing moments while attempting to walk in public) and my activity level is briefing. I can work out and clean up my eating even more and hopefully there will be no more problems.

Thank you Skechers for derailing my dreams of being a ninja assassin and delay my weight loss progress.

Yeah, I’ll be going to the doctor. And no, I will not wear those tools of torture ever again. I don’t care how convincing your little commercials are or what you promised that you can do.

Ever been hurt by something that was supposed to help you or an everyday item? Do you think I can still be a ninja assassin?

3 Categories : Rants and Raves

Dec
2

Featured Friend Friday: Thoughts on World AIDS Day: Moving From Shame to Acceptance

by Whitley Brooks

This is my awesome friend. Yesterday, on World AIDS Day he wrote a piece that allowed him to open up and share with the world. I asked him and he said that I could share it with you honey bunnies.

So, nearly 6 months since I posted anything on the original blog.

Having said that, I’ll be try to be concise as I can while I write this post. To put it bluntly, I am living with HIV and have been for some time now. Part of the reason I chose to write this post is because of World AIDS Day and the fact that I’ll be volunteering in some activity to help PLWHA – myself being one of them. I was diagnosed in 1998 and for the last 13 years or so, I had been very fortunate to not need medication as my body’s immune system had done a pretty good job keeping the virus in check. That all changed this year though; after many doctor consultations and discussions with friends who are HIV specialists, I elected to start HAART. I chose Atripla, which is one of the medicines that combines three classes of Anti-HIV agents into one pill.

To state that this process of taking medications (which I will now have to do for the rest of my life) has been an adjustment period would be an understatement. It has required some lifestyle changes as well as some outlook changes. I am fortunate to have a pretty good working knowledge of pharmacology as well as close friends who are stellar physicians. As long as I continue to take care of myself and make my health a priority, there is no reason why I won’t be able to live a productive life and accomplish all of the things I have purposed myself to do. This post is a bit cathartic in that it allows me to publicly declare my comfort with something that used to cause me much pain, angst and shame. It’s almost as if it is a second coming out and one that allows me to be free from my own judgments about what I considered a shortcoming. It allows me to function in complete honesty and candor about myself. Such is the case with self-acceptance and for that I am completely grateful. For anyone who may be missive of the psychological toll HIV takes on a person who becomes infected, it’s real and traumatic.

Another reason I chose to write this post and expose myself is related to the stigmatization that accompanies HIV disease. People still think of it as something that people get when they are behaving badly and to some extent, that’s right. If I had never engaged in unprotected sex with a person who was HIV positive, I would have never become infected. I did though; and I am though. However, the same can be said of lung cancer patients who are chronic smokers or the morbidly obese who suffer from hypertension and diabetes and continue to over eat or eat poorly. Others see HIV as a disease that prompts an almost permanent relegation to victim status. I don’t. They feel that HIV positive people shouldn’t have to be held to the same standards as anyone else who lives with and trudges through adversity. Let me be clear though, I still believe in the need for programs that are dedicated to improving the lives of HIV positive people, particularly since discrimination against people living with HIV is still prevalent. I think that after 30 years of this epidemic though, that their needs to be a push to focus on improving the lives of PLWHA through reinforcing the right to self determination instead of depriving them of it.

When I used to work in HOPWA housing too many people developed an over-inflated since of entitlement about many programs. Their idea was that the government owed them something as a result of becoming HIV Positive. At the beginning of the epidemic, when people were losing their jobs, homes, and social supports – all because of HIV infection (actual or perceived) it was absolutely necessary to create programs like those funded through the Ryan White Care Act. As a result, those who truly needed the help had to be turned away because those who could lead more independent lives chose to do otherwise… and were convinced that they were consummate victims and that their HIV diagnosis precluded them from being contributing members of society. I resented them for it because I have lived with the same disease for over a decade. I managed to put myself through college, matriculated with a BS degree in Biology and a minor in Chemistry, worked full time, maintained my own apartment without assistance from any program and did so because I’d have felt guilty siphoning resources that were already scarce and need by someone else who desperately needed them. I have seen people lose housing vouchers for failing to pay their portion of HOPWA rent, abuse food stamps and food voucher programs, or lie about their income to qualify for resources that weren’t eligible to receive in the first place. And whether you agree or not, these things reinforce HIV stigmatization more than any person’s belief about the disease.

HIV can be a disabling condition, but it does not have to be. And my diagnosis as an HIV positive person does not abrogate me from my responsibility to society to do everything I was doing prior to getting infected – to be a contributing functioning member of my community. It also means that I take a special interest in trying to prevent the spread of a disease that has devastated the lives of so many people. So while I commemorate World AIDS Day on Thursday, December 1, 2011, I do so hoping that HIV positive people take the lead in making changes to many of the programs that support HIV positive people by empowering them – not hobbling them by stigmatizing them as victims.

I had an interesting conversation with one of my professors about that changing landscape of HIV activism. She made an interesting argument about how the Breast Cancer movement was able to build itself out of removing shame and stigma associated with the disease, to one that empowers breast cancer survivors. How can we as HIV positive people do the same thing? How can we move forward? When can we celebrate AIDS in the same fashion we celebrate breast cancer?

I solicited a few thoughts from close friends of mine who are also HIV positive and the reponses were overwhelmingly positive, but still affected by stigma. I was going to publish them here, but will save them for another time because I want to tell their stories. For now, in celebration of World AIDS Day, go get tested. If you are positive, keep living life.
Things can only get better if you have an absurd determination to live.

What do you think? How can we get more people to be tested and be smart? What will it take to remove the shame and stigma?

You can follow him @BLKSeaGoat and check out his blog here.

4 Categories : Featured Friend Friday, Rants and Raves

Nov
25

Marsha Ambrosius, I Love You But….an open letter

by Whitley Brooks

Dear Marsha,

http://www.marshaambrosiusmusic.com/

Hey honey bunny! How are you doing? Good, good. Now moving right along….

I loved you with Floetry and I LOVE LNEM and basically anything that you do. But Marsha, we have a problem. I respect you enough to bring it to you and warn of the consequences of your actions.

By now, you are probably wondering (in that sexy accent of yours, but that’s for another letter ma’am) “What exactly is the issue? What did I do?”

Well Marsha, you are trying to impregnate me. Not literally with your special parts, but with hot and sexy songs like With You and Your Hands. I do not believe that you innocently made these songs without knowing the effect that you will have on folks’ sexy parts. I can’t even go to your show with my husband for fear of getting arresting for making sexy time in public.

You may be saying “Why listen then?” Because these songs are damn sexy and your voice is hauntingly lovely.

This also does not mean stop with the sexy songs.

But let’s discuss what it does mean: You will be held partially responsible if (when) I get pregnant. Translation: You will be Auntie Marsha. That’s right, by producing these titillating songs, you have volunteered to be Auntie/godmommy to the chap.

Marsh, (May I call you Marsh?) you will be an awesome auntie. But if you decide to sing songs to the baby, could you PLEASE avoid the songs that get folks hot and bothered?

In summary, I love your freak nasty songs and they are going to cause you to have an awesome niece or nephew. Got it? Yay!

Love ya,

Whit

You can find Marsha on twitter @MarshaAmbrosius and it’s still not too late to check out Late Nights and Early Mornings.

Do you have a song or an artist that makes music that speaks to you in a special way? What songs get you going?

You can find me on twitter @WhitleyBrooks

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