April 2003 Archives

I went to lunch @ Cafe Mambo with about 16 colleagues from work. As the festivities wound down, some of us started singing: "Kumbaya Lord." Now I can't get it out of my head.

Kumbaya Lord. Kumbaya. Kumbaya, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh. Kumbaya Lord. Kumbaya. Kumbaya.

Somebody needs you Lord Kumbaya. Kumbaya, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh.
Somebody needs you Lord Kumbaya. Kumbaya.

Somebody’s praying Lord Kumbaya. Kumbaya, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh.
Somebody’s praying Lord Kumbaya. Kumbaya.

Oh-oh-oh-oh. Oh, Lord. Oh, Lord.
Oh, Lord Kumbaya.
Oh, Lord. Lord Kumbaya.

I need a blessing Lord. Kumbaya. Kumbaya, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh.
I need a blessing Lord. Kumbaya. Kumbaya.

I need a miracle Kumbaya. Kumbaya, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh.
I need a miracle Kumbaya. Kumbaya.

Oh-oh-oh-oh. Oh, Lord. Oh, Lord.
Oh, Lord Kumbaya.
Oh, Lord. Lord Kumbaya.

My younger sister who I raised after our Mom died, got married on March 24th. She finally told me today. A full month later. After helping her pick up the pieces after her first failed marriage, I was sure she would be more cautious before agreeing to get married again. At 21, she has a young daughter and is trying to finish college. I even told her that when she finally met her soul mate and she agreed to get married, I would help her (meaning pay) for a proper wedding. I was hoping that would be years in the future. But no, after 6 months of knowing this guy, she’s run off again to City Hall and gotten married. So I sit here feeling like a failed parent. Every piece of advice I've given her, she's ignored...yet she constantly seeks my approval. For her sake, I hope it works out. I'm suddenly feeling really tired.

[Update 9:10pm]: I email our older sister to tell her what I've uncovered (talking about it is too upsetting) and she wrote back:

"She is such an idiot going through with it. Good luck to her. All the lies and the deliberate things she forgets to tell us will eventually catch up with her again. I hope she doesn't need anyone to rescue her from this situation. . . "

My (our) younger sister is not a bad person. She just makes poor choices. Unfortunately, other people (mostly me) have to come in and clean up the mess. So promising myself now, that I'm staying out of it. The last go around was just too exhausting.

I'm up to my ears in Michigan activity this week. Last night was programming committee meeting at Jake Melnick's. Thursday night is happy hour for the softball team I'm trying to organize. Hopefully I'll have enough players as the first game is this Saturday. I also need to send email to recruit for Beach Volleyball team! Then next Monday is a board meeting. Oh, and let's not forget the work I have to do for Big Ten Night. Am I complaining? Never! I love Michigan.

HAIL TO THE VICTORS!!!

I've found the perfect boyfriend substitute. It's a cute video game called: Incredible Instant Adoring Boyfriend. Premise of game is that after coming home from work, I can pop in a video and have my beau greet me with flowers, stroke my ego with numerous compliments, tell me he's done all the chores and even has dinner ready. Of course, this is only a short-term solution as nothing beats the real thing. But for those lonely nights, it would be nice to come home to a boyfriend who says things like:

-- "All my previous relationships were totally meaningless. . . . They weren't particularly nice people, so I can understand your saying mean things about them."

-- "I can understand why you have to try on 25 little black dresses before you settle on one. The perfect body deserves the perfect dress."

-- "I used to be such a terrible person before you came along and made me change my ways."

Restless night of sleep! Sick again with a cold. I need someone to take care of me. I'm failing miserable at this task.

One of my best friend's sister is directing tonight’s episode of Six Feet Under titled: The Opening. If you missed tonight's episode, you can watch via HBO on Demand. Karen Moncrieff (the name of the director), is making her directorial feature film debut, this May with film titled: Blue Car. Movie tells the story of an 18 year old girl who turns to her high school English teacher for comfort after she is "abandoned by her father and neglected by her overworked mother." I saw Blue Car at Chicago Film festival last fall and can't wait to see again when it comes out officially. It's a great first effort.

I spent most of yesterday afternoon shopping. Shopping for things that I don't really need (shoes, shower curtain, wine, etc). That was followed up by excessive drinking. It probably isn't excessive to most people, but to me it is. I'm not sure what really came over me. It started at a friends’ house who was having an Open House. Actually, he's a colleague from work, and as quite a few coworkers were there, we talked about our current predicament. That led to a lot drinking in a short span of time. If I had to guess, would say I had about a bottle of wine. As the party wound down, we headed off to Justin's. There, I switched from drinking Chardonnay to my signature bar drink -- Corona. Not the greatest idea in the world, but drinking wine in a neighborhood bar simply isn't cool. Having reached my limit around 1pm after 3 Coronas and 3 shots, I decided to leave. On the short walk home, decided to call my best guy friend. He had actually called me on Wednesday night but I hadn't returned the call. I'm pretty sure I woke him and his girlfriend up....oops! Hopefully, he’s not too upset – we still haven’t really worked anything out. If I'd had a certain other person's number, I probably would have called him too. Instead I came home and sent an email asking for clarification about a comment he left. Something tells me that's going to go unanswered. Gosh, I've really got to stop making a fool of myself. Now I’m lounging around the house nursing my hangover.

Finding it difficult to comprehend the actions of some US military personnel and journalist. It appears that a few are trying to leave Iraq with "war trophies." Now why would they want to bring shame to themselves and the organizations they represent? I say throw the book at these idiots.

Excerpt from Newsday article: WASHINGTON -- Members of the news media and U.S. soldiers are being investigated for taking art, artifacts, weapons and cash from Iraq, with criminal charges already brought in one case, federal officials said Wednesday.

At least 15 paintings, gold-plated firearms, ornamental knives, Iraqi government bonds and other items have been seized at airports in Washington, Boston and London in the last week, according to the bureaus of Customs and Border Protection and of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

None of the items displayed at a news conference were priceless antiquities looted from Iraqi museums. Still, Customs and military officials stressed there will be no tolerance for American service personnel or civilians bringing Iraqi souvenirs or war trophies back to the United States.

"This is theft," said Jayson Ahern, a senior field operations official at the Customs and Border Protection bureau. "We are there to liberate. This must cease."

So far, only Benjamin James Johnson, who worked as an engineer for Fox News Channel, has been charged. But officials said more charges could be brought and more seizures of stolen items are expected in what is being dubbed "Operation Iraqi Heritage."

"This activity is clearly illegal," said Michael T. Dougherty, operations director at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement bureau.

Link uncovered via Oliver Willis.

Before I head off to the SPA, just wanted to post link to another article written by reporter for Sacramento Bee about Army Brig. Gen. Vince Brooks. If nothing else, you have to check out link so you can see high school picture of the General. As with a fine wine, he gets looks better with age. I've posted a copy of this picture to original post about the General which still continues to get many hits.

Excerpt: Brooks comes from a family of generals. He is a one-star general, as is his brother, Gen. Leo Brooks Jr., commandant of the cadets at West Point. And their father, the former commander of the Sacramento Army Depot, was a two-star general at retirement.

[Edit 8:40pm] To the left is another picture of General Brooks wearing "I Love New York" t-shirt sent to him by Governor Pataki.

I went to movies last night to see Laurel Canyon. Plot revolves around Sam (Christian Bale), and his fiancé, Alex (Kate Beckinsale), both uptight Harvard medical school graduates, who return to Laurel Canyon area in Los Angeles where Sam can finish his residency in psychiatry. There, they live with Jane (Frances McDormand) who is Sam's mom. She wasn't supposed to actually be at the house, but a record she was producing got delayed and she gave her other house to an ex-boyfriend (tough life). What follows is the unraveling of each character. Sam falls for a beautiful second year residency student but resist the urge to deflower her. Alex becomes attracted to Jane's rocker boyfriend and almost has sex with the two of them. Talk about no boundaries. It was really hard to root for any of the characters as they seem totally self absorbed and uncaring. Plus the movie ends just went it appears that the characters are about to have a breakthrough. So to me at least, the story seems unfinished. Not that I wanted to see a more hollywood ending. I guess as with most things I've read or seen lately, I walk away wondering what the heck happens to these people. So maybe in that sense the film was successful in achieving its goal.

I'm at home today. I woke up this morning and didn't feel like going so I called my boss and said I was taking a vacation day. Everyone else in my department has been taking crazy vacation days, so I figure it was time I to take another one. Plan is to spend most of morning lounging in bed, then mid afternoon I'm going to the gym and then the SPA. I'm badly in need of a massage. My body is wicked tense. Changes are happening at work which I'm not really excited about and since I have no control, I'm trying to play along. But it's difficult I tell you...just difficult.

I spent most of the morning planning my end of May vacation to New York. My aunt is actually graduating from Vassar so that's the real reason for the trip. I haven't been to New York in about 5 years, so I'm really looking forward to going. I'm spending two nights in upstate New York, then two nights in the City @ the Millennium Broadway Hotel. I can't wait! Finally, I have something to look forward to. I'm badly in need of a vacation. This is my first out of town vacation in over a year. Hopefully, I'll get to take another out west this summer.

Drinking in the middle of the week is simply not a good idea for me. I was totally worthless yesterday at work. But after work, I did manage to finish reading The Vines of Desire by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. This novel is the follow-up to Sister of My Heart, which I read a few weeks ago. The story/character development isn't as great as the original, but that's not really unusual considering it's a sequel. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed reading about the adult lives of Sudha and Anjou were young girls in Sister of My Heart. No longer in Calcutta, the girls reconnect when Sudha visits Anjou in Southern California after she has a miscarriage. Their relationship and love for one another is tested when Anjou’s husband decides he can no longer repress his romantic feelings for Sudha. Let’s just say that it’s quite an absorbing story line. So now on to reading a third book by this author titled: Arranged Marriage: Stories.

I had a wonderful evening last night. I was going to meet up with fellow Chicago bloggers at Black Beetle for drinks, but one of my friends called me yesterday afternoon and invited me to dinner and Keb’ Mo’ concert at The House of Blues. Part of me wanted to decline the invitation since I was really looking forward to meeting the other bloggers, but once she told me it was for one of her clients, I couldn’t resist. This friend of mine works for the largest spirits distributor in USA and are famous for showing clients a great time. I was not to be disappointed. We had drinks and dinner in the swanky Foundation Room and watched the concert from box seats. Prior to the concert, I’d never heard of Keb’ Mo,’ but I really like his unique blues sound so I’m going to buy one of his CDs. All in all, I had a great time but I drank way too much and now I'm trying to nurse my hangover.

The season of smelt fishing is upon us here in Chicago. This made me think about my efforts a few summers ago to learn how to fly fish. This was shortly after my big trip out west to the Grand Canyon. I fell in love with nature again, that I wanted to increase my outdoor hobbies. Thus, after I went to a Wisconsin BOW (Becoming An Outdoors Woman) weekend, I settled on learning how to fly fish. Not the easiest (or cheapest) sport in the world, but it's a lot of fun. I got so engrossed that I bought gear from ORVIS and went on a few trips, mostly to Wisconsin. At the time, my goal was to perfect my skills so I'd feel confident about going out West to fish one of the big rivers in Montana. I haven't made it out there yet. Hopefully I will one day soon. I still have my Orvis rod and reel, so maybe I'll practice my casting technique when it get warmer down at the lagoons. As Norman Maclean wrote in A River Runs Through It, fly fishing

is performed on a four-count rhythm between ten and two o'clock. . .the rhythm, of course is functional. The one count takes the line, leader and fly off the water; the two count tosses them seemingly straight into the sky; the three count was my father's way of saying that at the top the leader and fly have to be given a little beat of time to get behind the line as it is starting forward; the four count means put on the power and throw the line into the rod until you reach the ten o'oclock - then check-cast, let the fly and leader get ahead of the line, and coast to a soft and perfect landing.

Just checked my BankOne balance and noticed that the IRS has already deposited my refund into my account. Yippee!!! Now if only the other important mail I was expecting would arrive. I keep looking out the window for the postman, but he's still not here yet. Oh well! I suppose I just need to be patient and maybe distract myself by researching possible vacation options.

I miss my best guy friend. I haven't talk to him since late March. Oh sure I called and invited him to the Cubs season opener, but when he said he couldn't make the game, ended the conversation as I needed to find someone to go with me. Now its weeks later, and we still haven't talked. We initially stopped talking after a lengthy phone conversation. Frustrated by the phone call, I wrote a post titled painful choices. After that post, we exchanged emails. He thought I was trying to blame him for certain failures in my life and I tried to explain that I just wanted him to see or acknowledge the other side of things. Suffice to say we never really resolved anything and our friendship is still in limbo. I want to call him but I haven't. I miss talking about politics. I miss talking about Michigan. I miss having him give me boy advice. I miss all the inside jokes. Having said that, I don't necessarily want to reengage the friendship right now -- but I still do miss him.

So I didn't make it to church today. I woke up late and didn't feel like waiting in line to get in church with no guarantee that I would get seat in the main sanctuary. Quite annoying for a regular churchgoer like myself to be displaced by people who go to church twice a year. Oh well! So much for me definitely going to church on Easter. I did end up going to dinner at a friend’s house. She's a Martha Stewart in the making so everything was just fabulous. There I got the chance to meet her future parents-in-law, only they don’t know it yet. Her and her finance got engaged a few months back but they haven't told his parents yet. Strange. I think they're waiting until they get the ring. Personally, I couldn't imagine keeping such a huge thing from my family. Her in-laws seem really nice and so I'm really happy for her. She's had a rough 18 months. Shortly after moving here from Seattle, she lost her job and she's been on a roller coaster ride ever since. So I'm really pleased that she found someone wonderful to share her life with. All in all, it was good to spend this "holiday" with friends since my family is scattered across the globe.

Is it possible to start liking someone who you've never met or even seen a picture of or spoken to? Is it really possible when you're only exposure to them is through their written words? I suppose on some level that's what I do when I read most novels….I fall in “like” with the authors words. But what about when the author is a bit more real than that? I know this is cryptic, but I don't really want to explain. I can't even believe I'm writing about this. Dear God, please stop me from making a fool of myself! Something is in the air. Then again, maybe it's just wishful thinking.

Earlier this evening I went to dinner with a friend. Main topic of conversation was her dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs in her life. While she has a relatively good job, she's not completely happy. Plus she's feeling frustrated that she's still single. This is the same friend who at beginning of year set a goal of being married by end of year. I feel for her but I'm not really sure what to say. I can completely relate to what she's going through, but I guess I'm not so panicky about things. She's 41 and really wants to have kids and ideally with a husband. So she's talking about shaking things up in her life. I try to be support but I'm not really sure how to help her. If it's one thing I've learnt is that you really can't rush these sorts of things. Not to get religious, but I truly believe God has a plan for all of us so we have to just sit back and enjoy the ride even if we are frustrated with how things are going. Well this is what I tell myself.

After dinner at Cafe Luciano (yet another fine Italian restaurant), we went to movies to see Phone Booth. Considering our dinner conversation, found plot to be quite interesting. Story revolved around a NY publicist whose life was completely out of control. He lies to everyone around him, is rude to almost everyone and cheats on his wife. His life gets shaken up when he answers a phone in a phone booth. The caller is not happy with the way the publicist has been living his life and he wants him to change his ways. First on the agenda is confessing to his wife. You wouldn't really think that this basic premise would make a good movie, but the actors do a really good job of pulling it off.

In case anyone is wondering, I'm still here but I'm bored senseless. I'm not really doing much of anything. Just waiting for the weekend to begin! Later, I plan to go the movies to see Raising Victor Vargas. On Saturday, I'll do a bit of shopping. On Sunday going to Church (of course!) and then dinner at a friend's house. Beyond that, I hope to start and hopefully finish one of the books I purchased last night at Borders:

Arranged Marriage by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
The Vine of Desire by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Atonement by Ian McEwan

Hmmm, my life needs some more excitement. I'm starting to bore myself!

I am trying to wear my hair natural and feeling somewhat frustrated. It is thick and nappy and almost untamable. I am not trying to make a political statement, I am just sick of paying so much to get my hair done. I use to have a perm, but I got tired of that and wore braids to let the perm grow out. Now, just to get my hair washed, conditioned and hot pressed (blown straight) cost like $55 and that doesn't even last more than a week sometimes, particularly if I am being good about going to the gym. Lately, it has been one of the main excuses for not going to the gym; I do not want to sweat my hair out. Crazy--but true! So I am trying to see if I can wear it natural. But having done it for three days, I am aggravated and I just do not know if I can make it work. On Monday I went to work wearing an afro puff (better known as bun). I simply wasn't ready to let it all hang out. Then on Tuesday, I left wearing the afro but by the time I got to work, it was all over the place that I put it back in the ponytail. It was so windy and my hair did not lay flat that I looked like a crazy woman. Same for Wednesday. So I'm trying to figure out what to do. I don't want to give up so easily. But not only am I having difficulty figuring out how to wear my hair, also stressing about which products to use to tame my hair. In the past week alone, I wasted so much time doing research at sites like Nappturality and Motowngrl, it's not even funny. I suppose I just need to give it time. I really want this to work.

I haven’t talked much about my job lately, because there really isn’t anything good to say, so I figure why say anything at all. But I just had to share this one – people in Chicago office are so discontent that management has formed a “moral committee” to review the matter. I’m not on the committee but oh to be fly on the wall when they have the first meeting this afternoon. I can’t wait for colleagues to report back. Personally, I think the only way to really cure the morale problem is for us to sell more business and in this economy that is a really tall order.

Ok, so I failed to mention the maylay at White Sox game last night. I must confess I was too busy chatting it up with the other people in the suite so I really didn't see when the fans rushed the field…only watched security trying to chase them down. During that time, I really didn't hear many boos. Most people were cheering. Of course, I left shortly before the ninth inning when yet another fan attacked the first-base umpire. Personally, I think things just got a little out of hand because it was the first night game and it was 80 degrees here in Chicago -- so some people probably got a little too wasted and acted foolish. Oh and let’s not even talk about the Miguel Asencio and Frank Thomas situation. Something was definitely in the air last night. Either way, it sucks that the White Sox lost since they lead most of the game. More importantly, it’s sad that people choose to misbehave when they go to a ballpark.

It’s been a long day. In fact, just got back from White Sox game. As part of their marketing efforts to fill Comiskey Park (oh wait, U.S. Cellular Field), White Sox management is organizing BIG TEN NIGHT and tonight was about courting the 11 schools. So lured by box seats with an almost unlimited supply of food and drinks, I volunteered to be representative for U Of Michigan Club of Greater Chicago. To be truthful, I volunteered long before I knew about the box seats. I just thought it would be another way for me to expand my network and meet more people here in Chicago. Everyone who showed up was actually nice despite the fact that we were all really obnoxious about our own school. One school that shall remain nameless was pledging about 600 people for the game. I’d be happy if we got 40-50 people. We never have problems getting people to Chicago Cubs games, but for the White Sox it’s a whole other story. Maybe it’s because Comiskey Park doesn’t have any of the charm or character that makes old ballparks like Wrigley Field so appealing. Whatever, the reason, I’m still going to try and rally the troops for this one. So if anyone out there in blogland wants to be part of my posse on Big Ten Night, let me know. Yes, this is a genuine invite! No you don’t need to be a Big Ten alum. Night chosen is Tuesday, July 1st where White Sox will play Minnesota Twins. More important, tickets are only $12 (they are normally $24). If the people who showed up tonight are any indication, I’m sure it will be a great time.

Btw, picture at right is of Nellie Fox bobblehead given to 2002 season ticket holders. This was one of the gifts we received tonight. I don't collect baseball memorabilia so maybe I'll sell it on Ebay. Then again, maybe I'll hold on to it for awhile.

Sometimes I wonder why I really blog. Oh sure I want to get things off my chest, but I think deep down I just really like the attention it brings me. Not all of it has been good, but some of the attention is so positive that it makes me want to keep this up for years to come. Earlier today I got an email from someone who tells me that they "really" appreciate what I've written about a particular subject. I'm pleased as can be. Sorry I can't be more specific. I'm honoring their request to remain anonymous. :)

Choo-Choo and and about 20 other pets are featured today at The Daily Rant. Go check them out. They're all so cute! Of course, Choo-Choo is the cutest. Hey, I'm his mommy!!!

A bouncer died this past weekend after trying to enforce New York's recent ban on smoking in bars and restaurants. What a waste. I myself don't care to be around cigarette smoke but it's just one of those things I tolerate when I go to a bar. At restaurants though, I get really annoyed. I want the environment to be as smoke free as possible when I'm eating.

By ERIN McCLAM, Associated Press Writer, Sun Apr 13, 8:11 PM ET

NEW YORK - A bouncer at a Manhattan nightclub died Sunday after he was stabbed in a brawl that police said began when he tried to enforce the city's new ban on smoking in bars and restaurants.

Dana Blake, 32, died about 11 hours after the late-night fight in an East Village nightclub.

Police arrested two brothers, Johnathan and Ching Chan, shortly after the fight and charged them with assault. Prosecutors had not decided Sunday whether to upgrade the charges because of Blake's death.

Blake approached the men about 2:30 a.m. to tell them they could not smoke in the bar, police spokesman Michael O'Looney said. It was unclear whether one or both men were smoking, he said.

Harsh words were exchanged and the brawl began when Blake tried to eject Johnathan Chan for disorderly behavior, witnesses told police. Blake was stabbed in the fight, but it was unclear who stabbed him or with what, O'Looney said.

The smoking ban took effect late last month.

link via Yahoo News.

I'm freaking out. Not only did I decide to wear my hair au natural tomorrow (the first time ever in over 20 years), but I found my first gray hair. I suppose it's all downhill from here. Mon dieu! I'm only 32.

I'm laughing so hard, that it's almost painful. One of my readers, who I won't identify, sent a note asking me to clarify my sexual preferences. It appears that there was a grammatical error in my "Not Quite 100 Things About Me Post." I wrote that I was single and awaiting my Princess. She was confused because I also have a post detailing what I'm looking for in a boyfriend/husband. I wonder how many other people were wondering about this as well? Well it should have read PRINCE. This has since been corrected. I can't believe I didn't catch that. More importantly, I can't believe that my friends (including my best guy friend), who reads this daily didn't point this out to me. Oh well. I suppose that explains some of my readership. But for the record, I'm not a lesbian. I'm not bi-sexual either. Sorry ladies. I'm as straight as an arrow and only interested in dating men. Having said that, I don't have anything against gays and/or bi-sexual men and women. I'm good friends with quite a few gay men and if you look up the folks on my blogroll, you'll find that quite a few swing for the other team. My motto is live and let live. I'm interested in having quality people in my life, I don't really care about sexual preferences. Having said that, it would be nice to get email from some of my male readership who are straight! Wink! Wink!

My nose is so stuffed up that I didn’t go to Church today Palm Sunday. So I spent most of morning in bed watching the news. Was pleased to see/hear about the 7 POWs being rescued. But I got tired of the war coverage (there’s really only so much you can take), I started channel surfing. I ended up watching Waiting to Exhale movie. I know most men think it’s a man bashing movie, but I enjoyed watching the movie again -- even if it made me cry -- as I can relate to the experiences of the main characters. Most of women at one point had a relationship with a married man. I’m ashamed to admit (but I will), I did too about 4 years ago. When I initially met him, I didn’t know he was married. During the time we were getting to know each other, I asked a lot of questions about himself and his family, but at no time did he mention his wife and his 2 daughters. I even said things like, “I’m surprised that someone like you is still single,” but he never corrected me. Later when he confessed, I was angry but I didn’t end the relationship. I was so emotionally involved that I hung on for a few more months. Plus he claimed they were separated and getting a divorce. Thankfully, his job required him to move to San Diego and so things fizzled. But I still continue to hear from him -- even as recently as two months ago. But I want no part. He’s still married – he claims for the sake of the children – whatever!!! I can’t believe how foolish I was put my faith in a man who would deny the existence of his family. Having watched my mom deal with a similar situation, I should have known better. More importantly, I should have ended the relationship as soon as he told me the truth. Oh well. Lesson learnt. I’ll never do that again. I’d rather be single and alone than compromise my integrity that way again.

I ended up going out to dinner last night with my friend and her Mom who was visiting from Texas. We went to yet another fine Chicago restaurant. Bin 36 can best be described as serving a wide variety of American Bistro type appetizer food. Part of their charm is that they list several wine recommendations next to each food choice. In addition, instead of ordering a full glass of one particular wine, you could order a 2.5oz glass so you could sample more of the wine choices. Quite a nifty idea. We sampled quite a few items from the Tavern menu with about 6 different wines. My favorite was the Maryland Crab Cakes which I had with a small glass of 2001 Von Buhl Pfalz Armand Riesling Kabinett. The wine was so delicious that I was tempted to buy a bottle (for $21) from the wine retail store, but I decided to wait and see if I could get it cheaper at my local liquor store. All in all, a great dinning experience. Great place to go if you want to learn more about wine and food parings and don't want to deal with a pretentious Sommelier.

In the last two weeks many people (mostly women) came to my site after I wrote a post about wanting to clone Brigadier General Vincent Brooks. Below is a great story from Newday on America's new "unwilling star." Btw, for more great pictures of Brig. Gen. Brooks, click here.

Unwilling 'Star': Army spokesman adjusts to instant fame.
Written by Verne Gay for Newsday
April 9, 2003

In this thoroughly modern TV age of videophones, embeds and live coverage through the day and night, a big war can yield big TV stars. And if these stars could be split into two camps - those embracing the bright lights and those not - Vincent K. Brooks belongs to the coalition of the unwilling.

By now, you may know Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks, deputy director of operations for the U.S. Army, and spokesman for more than a quarter-million U.S. troops. His Central Command briefings air weekday mornings, and have become a fixture of morning television. His pronouncements are repeated throughout the day on cable, and often punctuate the lead story of every evening newscast.

Day in, day out, Vincent Brooks has more face time than Dan Rather, Peter Jennings and Tom Brokaw combined.

Other facts: He is African-American, age 44, usually ramrod straight, and tall (well over 6 feet), although the effect of TV makes him appear somewhat shorter to viewers back home. He occasionally bows his head, and peers sternly and blandly at the assemblage of reporters that fills the Centcom briefing room in Doha, Qatar, just after 7 a.m. EST. He is the not entirely forthcoming professor, and they are the eager and not particularly satisfied students.

One more abundantly clear fact: Exactly three weeks into the war, Brooks has arguably become the face of the U.S. war effort, both here and abroad, thanks to the all-pervasive tube. Yet, by some accounts, this is a job he reportedly did not campaign for nor seek, but then neither did his boss, Gen. Tommy Franks, commander of the coalition forces, who is famously allergic to the limelight.

Franks has four stars. Brooks has one, and so.... Now, Brooks must suffer the wages of instant fame. Centcom headquarters in Doha has received dozens of requests for Brooks' profiles - all spurned. "He doesn't feel it's appropriate for him to go out front," a Centcom representative explains. "It's not about him." Even West Point - from which Brooks graduated in 1980 - has been swamped with requests to speak with Brooks' brother, Leo Brooks Jr., the academy's commandant in charge of cadets. When his father, Leo, was contacted and casually asked how many other reporters had called, he sighed and said: "Oh, Lord. ..."

Vincent Brooks has received, for the most part, accolades. "From what I've seen, he's quite candid and forthcoming," says Joseph Lorfano, former U.S. Navy Commander, who held the daily press briefings in Saigon in 1967 and 1968. "I think he's great. He looks great and talks great, and that's part of it. You have to get the press to have confidence in what you're telling them."

Last night I read book titled: Sister of My Heart. Story is about two cousins (Sudha & Anju) who are born into a Calcutta family on the same day after their mothers find out about the death of their fathers who were off in the jungles searching for rubies. What follows is a story where secrets, lies and half-truths are revealed. This novel also offers great insight into the world of forbidden love and arranged marriages in India. The supporting casts of characters are well developed and while I’m not familiar with the Indian culture, I had no problems picturing or understanding what the author was describing. I really enjoyed her writing style and so I plan to read other novels by Chitra Divakaruni.

It’s official. I’m sick. I’ve got a sore throat and runny nose so I'm drinking tea spiked with Brandy to try and feel better. But I have no energy or appetite. Not good since I’m suppose to have dinner with a friend and her Mom tonight. Hopefully, I’ll feel better later. Despite being sick, I’m in a good mood. My nephew finally called. He couldn’t really talk about his training because it’s classified -- but he did confirm that he’s currently in Texas and it doesn’t look like he’ll be deployed to the Middle East which makes me happy. He on the hand would have like to have been there. When I asked him if he wasn’t afraid to die, he said “no, you have to die sometime.” Not exactly what I wanted to hear, but I suppose its appropriate coming from a military man.

I’m also on a high because I spent some time at my favorite bookstore last night. After work last night, I decided to forgo going to movies, and just go home to rest. I stopped off at liquor store to get bottle of Brandy for spiking my tea. Since my favorite bookstore (Bookman’s Corner) is across street, decided to stop in. There I spent about 2 hours talking to the Proprietor, John Chandler. Our conversation totally cheered me up. Plus it was good to see some of the other regulars or point potential customers to a particular section of the bookstore. Books are stacked to the ceiling, some lay on the floor and they are not organized alphabetically. They are just stocked in the appropriate section (fiction, law, pets, etc.). So it’s somewhat unorganized, but that’s part of the charm of the place. I never really know what I’m going to find but it’s never wasted time. Plus I always leave feeling like I got a really good deal. You know, most people have a favorite bar "where everybody knows there name,” I have a bookstore. Oh what fun it would be to own a bookstore of my own. So maybe I’ll get John to teach me more about the book business. I tried last year when I was unemployed. But I don’t think he took me seriously. But considering I always have a great time whenever I’m in a bookstore, maybe this is something I should pursue. I'd really love to own someplace like a bookstore, that helps people: "take a break from all their worries."

For lyrics to the Song, "Where Everyone Knows Your Name", read below.

I'm coming down with something. Trying my best to fight it off, but I already have a tickle in my throat. Not good. I hope this isn't a repeat of last fall where I had this cold that I couldn't kick for over a month. Oh, I just hate getting sick. I'm wicked cranky!

I had lunch with my most recent ex-boyfriend yesterday. I didn't really want to, but he was in town visiting from Colorado and after three voice mails, I finally called him and agreed to meet for lunch. His behavior yesterday further confirms why he is the ex. He was 30 minutes late after insisting that I meet him promptly at 11:30am. Then he claimed he wasn't hungry so I had to eat with him watching me. Plus he didn't even offer to pay for my lunch. Sure I can pay for it myself, but when someone invites you to lunch, they should at least offer. Also, what is the point of inviting someone to lunch if you're not going to eat? Why not say, let's just meet for coffee. I was so agitated by his behavior that I couldn't wait to leave. Thank goodness I didn't agree to meet for dinner.

Isn't he the cutest? I think so!!!!

The Drudge Report links to story in Times newspaper about woman age 65, who recently gave birth. The woman conceived through in-vitro fertilization. If correct, she would be the oldest woman to give birth. While I would never say that it should be illegal for a woman after a certain age to be given this sort of fertility treatment, I think doing so is morally and ethically wrong.

Udate (4pm): Serenity was curious about my views on this matter, so I thought I would provide a few reasons why I have problems with a woman who would want to give birth to a child at age 65:

1. The older a woman gets the more likely she is to suffer complications during pregnancy. This puts both the woman and child at risk.

2. Older women (even early 40s) run a higher risk of having children with genetic disorders, such as Down's syndrome.

3. At age 65, you are heading towards the end of life on earth. Oh sure, a woman could live for another 20-30 years but the chances that she'll be able to fully participate in the child's life decreases. That's not fair to the child or to the people who untimately end up raising the child.

If a woman really wants to have a child at a later stage in life, they should just adopt. There are enough children in the United States and across the world who are looking for a loving home.

A sure way to waste valuable time is for a novice like me to try and figure out the proper way to post pictures via MT. Oh sure, I can easily upload. What is hit or miss is getting the pictures to wrap correctly around the text. I am using the "align" image tag, but it doesn't work all the time. Thinking it has something to do with the amount of text to wrap around the picture, but I'm not certain. So I think I need a tutor. Any volunteers? Then again, perhaps I should just go back to only posting text. Things were so much easier then. But then, a pictures as they say is worth more than a 1000 words.

Below is another great article written about General Brooks published by Africana.

Who is Brigadier General Vincent Brooks?

"We are role models to a lot of young people, not just African Americans and soldiers," Brooks says. "People can see the achievement and how hard work leads to it."


By Tanu T. Henry

Delivered with a cool that's more Hollywood than Pentagon, Brigadier General Vincent Brooks' daily briefings — telecast worldwide from the US Central Command outpost in Qatar — have brought instant celebrity status to the handsome military spokesman. Tall, confident, witty and articulate, Brooks, 44, distills the coalition's progress, setbacks, strategy and vision in a sober tone. He's one of the most trustable faces of Operation Iraqi Freedom (given the competition, perhaps that's not a difficult designation to win).
But Brooks' sudden wartime high profile symbolizes much more than the Army's much-touted diversity, though it's nice to see his face there, reminding us that African Americans served and thrived throughout the branches of the US military long before the country's private and public sectors caught up. And Brooks' above-par record of academic achievement matched by his professional success challenge the notion that his selection might be the strategic plucking of an amiable black figure to ease the digestion of a controversial military mission to a global public already suspicious of the war's racial undercurrent. Throw in the fact that his father, Leo Brooks, is a retired US Army Brigadier General, and that his brother, Brigadier General Leo Brooks, Jr., serves as a commandant of cadets at West Point, and it's easy to see that Vincent Brooks is used to representing more than just himself.

The Brooks present an enviable family tradition, the rare instance of two brothers serving as generals in the army at the same time. And for African Americans, theirs is a profoundly uncommon example of three generals hailing from the same family.

Standing at a podium, translating dispatches from the Joints Chiefs of Staff to roomfuls of reporters — and their audiences beyond — is a new duty for Brooks. He earned his general's star in 2002, the youngest nominee that year. It was just the next step in an already meteoric career. Brooks was the first black brigade commander (the top-ranking cadet) during his undergraduate years at West Point, from which he graduated in 1980. Brooks later earned a Master's Degree from the school of Advanced Studies at the US Army's Command and General Staff College. A National Security fellowship at Harvard followed. His military assignments have carried him to almost every corner of the globe: Panama, Europe, Korea, Kosovo and the Middle East.

Growing up in a military household, the decision to be a soldier seems natural. But more than just trailing into an established family tradition, Brooks showed his zeal for armed service early on. In an interview with The Augusta Chronicle (Georgia), Leo Brooks said he knew Vincent was bitten by the army bug and bound to follow his footsteps when a very young Vincent donned his older brother's military academy uniform during one of Leo, Jr.'s visits home from West Point. "That night when we went to bed I said I thought he was hooked," he remembers.

In spite of hard-earned distinctions, and a reputation for being a hard-nosed, no-nonsense leader, Brooks displays an amazingly humble side. He's known to credit people close to him for his many successes, although he never downplays the merits of his own discipline and determination. "We are role models to a lot of young people, not just African Americans and soldiers," he told reporters last year. "People can see the achievement and how hard work leads to it."


First published: April 9, 2003

About the Author

Tanu T. Henry is a staff writer at Africana.

I purchased a six pack of Malta Goya last night and I'm trying my best to drink in moderation. If you're not familiar, Malta Goya is a "rich, non-alchoholic soft drink, brewed from barley and hops." You typically only find these at ethnic grocery stores. They are so delicious. Yummy!!!!

With the war coming to an end, trying to figure out why 30,000+ Russians were out in the streets today protesting. Do they not have televisions over there? Do they not see the conflict is coming to an end? I myself was late to work this morning as I sat clued to the television watching the American soldiers in Baghdad. Thankfully the soldiers were able to capture much of the city while keeping the number of civilian deaths low.

Stopped by Oliver's blog and found out that The Daily Rant is hosting Pet Blogging Day on April 14th. Pictures no larger than 400 X 300 can be submitted for posting to pets@jaycaruso.com by April 13th. There is some other information you need to provide, so go check out The Daily Rant. Now the search begins for the perfect cutest Choo-Choo picture.

It’s been a long exhausting day. I went to work but left around noon to head to Wrigley Field where I was to meet my sister promptly at 1:15pm. I got there at 12:30pm. She showed up at 2pm. So I missed the first 3 innings of the first ever opening season game I’ve been to. I was so peeved. Luckily I was able to watch at a nearby bar until she arrived. Once she did, we headed into the stadium which was not even halfway filled. I’m assuming that many people who had tickets for yesterday, simply couldn’t get another day off. Plus, it was wicked cold today. Temperature at game time was 32 degrees. So despite the fact that I was wearing a hat with three layers of clothing with a blanket thrown over me, I was still freezing. It really felt like I was at a football game. But unlike my experience being in Michigan’s Big House with 107,000+ screaming Wolverines, the wind factor in a almost empty Wrigley Field made things almost unbearable. So instead of drinking beer, I was guzzling hot chocolate. That didn’t do much though. So after the 7 inning stretch with Cubs leading Montreal Expos 6 to 1, we left. But it was good to sing, God Bless America and Take Me Out To The Ballgame with 29, 000 baseball fans. So with Wrigley Field less than a mile from my house, I know I'll be back for a few more games during warmer weather this season.

Following the game, I went to visit my sister’s new apartment. It’s huge but since she’s such a packrat, the apartment already looks cluttered about less than a month of living there. I tried to encourage her to get rid of things (mostly clothing), but everything has sentimental value. I suppose it’s like me holding on to a TV/VCR combo that my mom purchased for me in 10th grade. It doesn’t work anymore but I can’t bear to get rid of it. So it sits in my office taking up valuable space. After the apartment tour, we went shopping for groceries and household supplies. Didn't get home until 9pm. I’m exhausted. I really thought today was going to be relaxing, but sitting in the cold for hours zapped all the energy out of me.

Below are the 2003 Pulitzer Prize Winners for "Letters, Drama & Music." I haven't read any of books that won, but they look interesting. To see list of winners for journalism category, click here.

FICTION - Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides (Farrar, Straus & Giroux)
DRAMA - Anna in the Tropics by Nilo Cruz
HISTORY - An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa, 1942-1943 by Rick Atkinson (Henry Holt and Company)
BIOGRAPHY OR AUTOBIOGRAPHY - Master of the Senate by Robert A. Caro (Alfred A. Knopf)
POETRY - Moy Sand and Gravel by Paul Muldoon (Farrar, Straus & Giroux)
GENERAL NON-FICTION - "A Problem From Hell:" America and the Age of Genocide by Samantha Power (Basic Books)
MUSIC - On the Transmigration of Souls by John Adams (Boosey & Hawkes)
Premiered by the New York Philharmonic on September 19, 2002 at Avery Fisher Hall.

While at the Michigan networking event earlier this evening (which I'll write about later), I managed to score 3 tickets for the Chicago Cubs home opener. Game got rescheduled from today to tomorrow and the person who had tickets now can't go. Even thought it will be cold, I'm really happy to get the tickets as I've never been to the season opener. But now I'm panicking....no one is picking up their phone. More importantly, trying to figure out how to tell my boss that I'll be leaving early to go to baseball game. Something tells me he's not going to like that very much. Oh well!

A scandal is brewing in the blogging world. Allegations are flying that Sean-Paul Kelley of The Agonist has been lifting stories from company called Stratfor without any sort of credit. I initially saw story about this at Oliver Willis who linked to Ken Laye who linked to Instapundit, which got me to lengthy WIRED magazine article. Considering that the Internet makes it easy to uncover plagiarism, not sure why anyone would do it over and over and over again (once I could brush off, but doing it 5-6 times a week is unforgiveable). If you don't have original information and don't want to give credit where credit is due, don't blog.

My blogger code is: b d t+ k+ s++ u-- f+ i o x e l c-
Don't know what that means? Click here.

Below is an example of why I obsess about my weight. So frustrating that Hollywood still tries to get away with crap like this.

MIRAMAX ADMITS QUEEN LATIFAH’S BODY WAS ALTERED IN AD FOR “CHICAGO” TO SHOW A SVELTE IMAGE Wednesday, April 2, 2003

Miramax, the distributor for the Oscar-winning “Chicago,” admitted to Inside Edition Queen Latifah’s body was altered in a print ad for the film, blaming it on a “ratio mistake.”

Inside Edition reported Wednesday that when it contacted Miramax after noticing a lithe Latifah in an ad, the company admitted it altered her body, saying it was an error.

A day after Inside Edition’s inquiry, Miramax changed the “Chicago” ads, and they now show Latifah in all her plus-sized glory.

Ad Week's national editor Jack Feuer told Inside Edition he wasn't surprised by the alteration. “It happens all the time, especially in movie ads.”

Feuer added, “I assume a ratio mistake is what we in journalism call spin.”

It's wicked cold here in Chicago. Currently it's 36 degrees and there's talk of snow tonight. That might spoil the Chicago Cubs season home opener. I don't have tickets to the game, so it really doesn't affect me. But it sure would be nice if spring would come and stay. Last week there were a few days where you could get away with wearing open toe shoes. Tomorrow you'll need winter coat and boots. This is simply not fair. Why can't spring just come and stay? I hate being teased like this.

Speaking of the Cubs, can't end without congratulating Sammy Sosa for hitting his 500th home run. Less than 20 players are in the 500 Club so any ballplayer (i.e Mets pitcher Steve Trachsel) who is trying to downplay the significance of this milestone is simply jealous. As Sammy himself said, "A lot of people say it's nothing. But in the whole time since they started playing baseball, only 17 (now 18) guys have done it. If it was so easy, there'd be 100 people who did it." So I say, stop raining on Sammy's parade.

Over the years, I've taken quite a few pictures. So earlier this week I accepted a friend's invitation to attend a scrapbooking class. Sponsored by a consultant from Creative Memories, I was amazed by all the tools now available to manage/organize ones pictures. Once you get started, I could see how scrapbooking could get totally addictive. After coming back from the four hour beginner session where I spent more money that I had planned, I spent more time looking at my albums and thinking of ways to reorganize. Next on the agenda is to write my grandaunt and ask her for pictures of me as a child. Can you believe it; I don't even have one baby picture of me. So I've got to get that corrected. I want to start at the beginning. In any event, I look back on the pictures I do have and beyond thinking about how thin I looked through the years, I smile because I'm remembering all the good times.

I’m really surprised by the growing number of people who are jumping on the boycott French products bandwagon. In listening to talk radio station WLS 890 this afternoon, heard Bob Brinker, the host of Money Talk indicated that he supports a indefinite boycott of all French products. He goes on to say, “if not for the United States and Great Britain, it’s very possible that France would probably be speaking German now.” That may be true, but does a country not have a right to vote in a way that they deem to be in their best interest, even if it means going against country that liberated them 50+ years ago? I hate to say it, but I think so. A caller asked Bob, if they should also boycott German and Russian products? He responded that he was not going to because these two countries are not permanent members of the Security Council. I really don’t know about this boycott business. Sure France behaved badly. They make promises behind closed doors to Secretary Powell that they did not ultimately keep. Plus they tried to strong arm delegations from the “middle six” countries (Angola, Cameroon, Chile, Mexico, Guinea and Pakistan) to vote against using force to remove Saddam Hussein. But I’m not sure that boycotting French products is an effective way to deal with this situation.

Yet another chain email from my former boss. She writes: "This is one of Graces (her dog) old baby pictures. Now she pees on my stero equipment." It's not really her dog. But really can't believe a dog would do this. More importantly, can't believe that whoever took this picture didn't try and get the dog off the computer.

I hate getting chain letters, but here is one from a former boss I thought I would share.
**********
Can you imagine working for a company that has a little more than 500 employees and has the following statistics:

29 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 are currently defendants in lawsuits
84 have been arrested for drunk driving in the last year

Can you guess which organization this is?

Give up yet?

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.

Choo-Choo turns 7 sometime this month. I'm not sure of the exact day, so every day this month will be his birthday. What this means is that he gets twice as many Pounce Treats each day.

I hadn’t really planned on going to the movies tonight, but ended up seeing two movies. Both were horrible. Started off the evening watching Head of State starring Chris Rock. Premise is that the Democratic nominee for President of United States of America gets killed in a plane crash and with only 7 weeks to go before the election, the party chooses to put up Chris’ character who is an Alderman from Washington DC. Yeah! Like that would ever happen. Ok, maybe someday. In any event, for the next 95 minutes, what you get is Chris being Chris and he is not at his best. Much of the slapstick jokes fall flat. Having made one bad movie after another, maybe Chris Rock should just stick to doing comedy. He’s my generations Richard Pryor. He a great comedian but he’s a horrible actor. I know that's a bit harsh but I've yet to see him in a movie that successfully takes advantage of his comedic talents. So feeling cheated, I snuck into another movie. Thought I had chosen theatre showing Phone Booth but ended up watching sci-fiction action movie The Core. Yet another awful movie. Premise of this movie is that the core of the earth stoped spinning and they have three months to come up with a solution before the earth reverts back to the stone ages. It just so happens that a "mad" scientist who lives in the desert has been building a machine that can actually get to the earth’s core without melting to pieces. Once they get there, mission is to detonate a device that will reactivate the core. Whatever! The whole foundation is not even the lease bit believable. If the core of the earth did indeed stop spinning, we’ll all be dead immediately. I could spend more time writing about all the other scientific flaws in this movie, but I won’t. I just end by saying, don’t waste your money on either of these movies.

Saddam's latest TV appearance contained clues that would suggest that he is still alive. Darn!

Ms. Barbra Streisand has a blog. Her most recent is titled: "All Children Deserve a Decent Education." Thinking that's something we can all agree on.

I am experiencing writers’ blog. So much to talk about but having difficulty putting into words. Maybe that's because I'm so tired. I haven't slept much in the last few days. Plus there continues to be a huge moral problem on the sales team which makes things even more stressful. Then I saw my nutritionist today and confirmed that I haven't lost any more weight. No real surprise there. Despite the fact that I've made significant financial commitments to loose weight (nutritionist, gym membership, weight watchers), I haven’t stuck to the plan. Maybe it's because I've totally over extended myself. Almost every night, I've got something to do. I haven't really made loosing weight a priority. Which brings up another issue, I'm feeling really lonely. Not just boyfriend lonely, but lonely all around. Quite a strange feeling to have when I have a solid network of girlfriends and I'm actually on speaking terms with most of my immediate family.

Yesterday was a blur. Today is turning out much the same.

Today is one of my favorite bloggers birthday. Happy Birthday Amit!

I went to dinner tonight at Magianno’s to celebrate another friend’s birthday. We ate family-style which was not really a good idea with only 5 people. The food was delicious but there was enough to feed at least 10 people. I tried to keep myself in check but it’s time like these that make it really difficult to loose weight. I know, just another excuse right? But you have to admit that restaurant portions are really out of whack.

Oral arguments began today at US Supreme Court re Michigan affirmative action cases. The recap provided by NPR is worthy of review. I really like the fact that you can listen to the questioning by the Judges. If you’ve been reading me awhile, you already know where I stand on this issue. So really won’t comment further until Court makes a decision sometime this summer. With that said, can’t wait to meet University of Michigan President Sue Coleman next week. She’s speaking to the Chicago alumni group next Monday. Stay tuned.

Only in Chicago would the Mayor who was recently re-elected by 78% of the vote be able to close down an airport in the middle of the night without consulting or informing any of the powers that be (ie. the Governor, FAA, etc). The current war in Iraq gave him the political cover needed to justify the closure. I myself don't like seeing planes flying over the city. So while The Friends of Miegs Field are getting some press, this will all die down in a few weeks/months and the Mayor will really get to build the park he really wanted.

So a female colleague at work was asking our opinion about whether or not she should go out on a third date with this guy. She was hemming and hawing and really looking for a way to back out. Normally she would have politely declined the invitation without hesitation but since they had mutual friends she was struggling with the decision. Then she blurted out that the third date is the "sex" date and since she wasn't really attracted to him she didn't feel like being bothered. When I told her I had never heard that before, she wanted to know how long I normally wait. When I informed her that I usually like to wait at least 2-3 months, everyone started laughing. One guy in the group indicated that after 3-4 dates if no action came his way, he was so out of there. I was really surprised because most of the others in the group seem to agree with him. Considering we live in an age where you can catch sexually transmitted diseases so easily, I'm shocked that people still continue to be so free with their bodies. Don't get me wrong; if the sexual attraction is intense, I'm not saying that I wouldn't have sex by the 3 or 4th date. But for this to be the standard expectation, I'm simple not down with that.

I'm amazed at the number of people in the United States who do not have bank account. I remember how proud I was opening my own savings/checking account as a freshman in high school at Bank of Boston (now FleetBoston Financial). Over the years I've gotten so spoiled to the services offered, that I can't imagine life without a bank account and more importantly, my debit card.

According to Treasury Department, over 35million people lack access to banking services. No wonder I see so many check cashing places all over the city. I really hate those places because I think they just take advantage of poor people. If necessary (and it's not) I'd rather pay a monthly service fee to a FDIC bank than pay a check-cashing fee to these rip off plays. So it good to see that many banks are now catering to the "unbanked." To read an interesting article about what banks are trying to do to help "the unbanked" click below. Article from The Economist is titled: Reaching Out.

I want to clone Army Brig. Gen Vincent Brooks. I don't know what it is, but I've always been attracted to a man in a military uniform. I even dated one for a while and thought he might have become my future husband. But it was not to be. He's now a JAG. I have no regrets about the relationship ending because deep down I wasn't really thrilled about becoming a military wife. As much as he wanted to make me number one, I never was. That did not sit well with me. He was extremely committed to being becoming an officer at the Naval Academy and so loving him meant accepting all the limitations on our romance. It was really hard to compete with the military. In the end, I just stopped. I knew I would never win. Having said that, I still really like what I see when I look at Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks. Here's a bit more about General Brooks:

Race: African American
Current Age: 44
Where Born: Anchorage, Alaska
Marital Status: Happily Married to a African American woman
High School: Graduated in 1976 from Jesuit High School in Sacramento
College: Graduated in 1980 from West Point where he became "first captain," or leader of more than 4,000 cadets in his senior year.
Graduate School: Master's Degree from the school of Advanced Studies at the US Army's Command and General Staff College. Also, National Security Fellow at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Military Career: His military assignments have carried him to almost every corner of the globe including such places as Panama, Europe, Korea, Kosovo and the Middle East.
Current Position: Deputy Director of Operations for the U.S. Army & Spokesman for more than a quarter-million U.S. troops. (United States Central Command aka CentCom)

[Edit 4/9/03]: Post Who is Brigadier General Vincent Brooks? article originally published by Africana.

[Edit 4/11/03]: Post current picture of General Brooks taken by Paul J.Richards (AFP) as the General declared a list of 55 Iraqi individuals wanted by the coalition forces.

[Edit 4/12/03]: Post article written by Verne Gay for Newsday about the General.

[Edit 4/25/03]: Post 1976 high school picture of General Brooks. This was uncovered via Sacramento Bee article. Even back then, he seems destined for greatness. Quote below high school picture goes as following: "Determination determines success. He who progresses announces to his impediments, 'Pardon me, sirs, I'm coming through.' "

[Edit 5/1/03]: Post another article about the General written by George Curry, Editor-In-Chief for The National Newspaper Publishers Association. Curry is the first reporter to be given a one-on-one interview with the General.

[Edit 5/21/03]: Post article by George Curry titled: The Question Sisters Ask About Gen. Brooks.