Things About MagnoliaDiva

I got the idea to do this from NerdGirl and Facebook.

1. I am a news nerd (I read 3 or more newspapers a day and scan others online). I also can watch the news for hours on television.

2. I secretly want to be a professional photographer (photojournalist and sports photography) or a investigative journalist/reporter.

3. I have three pet peeves: lying (UGH), staring (if you look that hard, SPEAK for crying out loud) and popping gum (just plain rude….NO ONE wants to hear what is going on in  your mouth…..No, we don’t…..really!).

4. I grew up in a two-parent home with a much older brother (8.5 years older) and sister (12 years older) and we ate dinner as a family every day, with whoever was home (seeing that my siblings are much older, some of them were off in school as I got older). So um, yeah…no one can tell me that I was planned……….WHATEVER!I KNOW I wasn’t! LOL….

5. I literally grew up on a college campus (Jackson State University) because my parents worked there and NEVER had a summer where I wasn’t in a summer program, working or taking part in practices for extra curricular activities (in other words, my parents never let me have in idle summer….BOOOOOOOOO!). Of course now, I appreciate EVERY MINUTE of those summer programs and “village” raising!

6. I play the piano (mainly classical) and organ (no, they are not the same play) and took weekly lessons from the age of 4 until I was 17. I cannot play by ear, but I sightread very well.

7. I am one of a few (very few) Delta’s in my family (others mainly via marriage). My Mom, sister, and a host of aunts and cousins are all AKAs.

8. Earth, Wind & Fire and Mint Condition are my all-time favorite bands. I love GOOD music.

9. I am an 80s rap head (minus the west-coast gansta rap). I love Run DMC, M C Lyte, etc.

10. I was born in the mid-west (Hoosier baby), raised in the deep south (Mississippi) and now reside in the mid-atlantic area of the US.

11. I am really an introvert……no, really…..I am….

12. I have been secretly called “The RainWoman” because I tend to know little facts about useless stuff (blame that on the newspaper reading)….LOL.

13. I am a STAUNCH manners and etiquette person…..those who know me best can attest to this! LOL..

14. I think that there is so much to be learned from people from other cultures, countries, and backgrounds. Diversity isnt’ just a buzzword for me…..

15. I suffer from ulcerative colitis (a form of Inflammatory Bowel Disease) and there is no cure. It is an auto-immune disease that attacks your colon and immune system. There are no REAL know causes and no current cure. Google it to find out more….

16. I am a Christian and try to live my life, daily, as I should from His teachings, but some of ya’ll make it REAL HARD ……………LOL!!!

17. I am a die-hard sports fan…….I subscribe to NFL Sunday Ticket and will apply a hurting on someone if they change the station when I am watching my teams play (no joke)…

18. I fell in love with volleyball, by accident, in junior high. We were in study hall with a mean teacher and an announcement came over the intercom for any women interested in playing volleyball to report to the gym. ALL OF US left out of the room (LOL). I ended up playing, for real, LOVED IT and played for 2 years! I still like playing beach volleyball, when I get a change (SPIKE!).

19. I am very interested in Web 2.0 and its tools and how they impact our daily lives….(there it is…..the nerd coming back out).

20. I am an engineer, by educational training (BS and MSEE), and am a techy to the core! Yes, I am an engineer, but NO, I WILL NOT FIX YOUR COMPUTER!! Call a technician! LOL….. Yes, I went to school and earned an engineering degree, but they don’t teach us how to FIX those things…..they teach us how to DESIGN THEM!! There is a difference, people!

21. I HATED, HATED, HATED being tall growing up (I was 5’6″ in the 6th grade)! I grew to 5’10” by the 10th grade. As I got older, I learned to LOVE it.  Now, I wish I was about 2″ taller…….no kidding. I LOVE being tall.

22. I love being challenged! I guess my parents and I had that love/hate thing going on when I growing up (LOL)!

23. I love my siblings more than they know…..we fight like cats and dogs and then play like puppies and kittens when it’s all over! LOL!

24.  I am afraid of heights. BUT, I have to have the window seat on airplanes. I can’t walk along the glass  half-walls at malls on the upper floors (where you can look down). I get light-headed.

25. I am DEATHLY afraid of guns……..can’t stand to be near them and

shake if I get close to one. I just need to go to a shooting range and get this all over with (the fear, that is…).

26. I love lemons in my tea and LOVE homemade lemonade, but don’t like lemons pastries and desserts and other lemon stuff (lemon pound cake, lemon tarts, pie, etc.).

27. I used to want to be a medical researcher (cardiologist doing research on non-invasive methods for heart surgery). That was until I took the MCAT……I stayed in engineering! LOL….

28. I used to sneak and eat the kids’ Tylenol that had the orange flavor. I thought it tasted good when Iwas a kid and would pull the tall chair in the kitchen up to the fridge and get in the cabinet and pop them like candy. Thank you for God’s grace and mercy because I should be DEAD after that…..

29. I wish people would stop relying on things of the past as an excuse to not do NOW.

30. I never realized how blessed I was being raised in Jackson and having a “village” raise me and look out for me when my blood relatives weren’t around.

31. Both of my parents hold PhDs. They actually had me when they were in their PhD programs (see #4). My Mom told my sister that she was preganant and my sister promptly told her, “That is impossible! We can’t AFFORD another child in this house!” because they were living on graduate stipends with 2 kids! LOL….. My sister, I tell ya….she’s a funny woman (back to this one in a sec……).

32. I thought my brother and sister hated me growing up because they never wanted me around them, in their rooms, etc. It wasn’t until I got to college they they “liked  me” (in my eyes)….

33. I was  an 80s music Night Tracks JUNKIE in junior high and high school! We had cable but the parentals REFUSED to pay for a cable box, so our cable went 2-13 (until cable-ready TVs came out). So, WTBS (now TNT) it was on Friday nights! Duran Duran, Brian Adams, White Lion, etc……..yeah, I was an 80s pop girl!

34. I love Faith Hill and her music. Yeah, I said it! We are Mississippi Girls!

35. I am a crier………..I am very emotional….

36. My favorite numbers are 9, 16 and 34.

37. I’m very observant…I don’t miss much. I may not say anything about what I see or have seen, but I am VERY observant.

38. I used to be a TERRIBLE pack rat. Kept notes from undergrad and grad school…..just threw them away last year.

39. I hate designer advertising. Like BeBe on t-shirts, the big ‘C’s on Coach bags, etc. I like A LOT of their stuff, but I refuse to be a walking advertisement. I purchase items because I like them and they are usually of good quality and will last, but that whole walking advertisement stuff………not me, kid…..

40. I hate pretentiousness. Who cares about where you live, how much money you make and where you work and what kind of car you drive?! No, really?! When we die, God isn’t going to ask those questions.

Parent – Child Relationship II

So, I posted this story/rant earlier this month. Well, I’ll be danged if something else didn’t come up to make me go, HUH?!

The Jonesboro High School Dance Team Get Suspended @ Yahoo! Video

I am so old school, but I think kids <—- (you are under the age of 21, you have NO REAL FULL-TIME job with benefits, stay with someone (i.e., parent, aunt, grandfather, etc.), and are most likely, still in school somewhere) these days just are exposed to too much sexuality in videos, games, ASSOCIATES, etc. My bet is some of this fast-tail girls have done this routine for some ole’ tack-head BOY already, for attention and God knows what else….

I can’t believe this show wasn’t stopped by an adult…..

If EVER there was a time for mentoring kids and teenagers is now!

Parent – Child Relationship

Growing up in our house, there was never a question of who was the parent and who were the children. None of this “let’s all be friends and talk to our parents like we would our peers”. Don’t get me wrong, I thought my parents were some devil-sent people who wouldn’t let me have my way, until I got in high school. Then, I guess I started growing up and realizing that our parents are PEOPLE that we can go to with our troubles for their opinions, chew the fat or whatever.

When the Columbine High School incident occurred, it was a sad day. BUT, I often say that something like that would have NEVER happened in our house for several reasons:

1. We could never be in our bedrooms with our doors closed UNLESS we were changing clothes. I was once told that when I started paying bills in the house, I could be in my room with the door closed.
2. Our parents were always “walking by” or having to PHYSICALLY come in your room when speaking with you about something, while side-eyeing everything in your room (Mom and Dad, you are not SLICK!).
3. We all sat down and had dinner TOGETHER, as a family (we still do when we come home for visits) and things of the day were discussed.

So, our parents knew our every move, what was in our rooms, where we were going (though I tried that “lie-about-where-you-were-going bit and it BACKFIRED…..never did it again), etc. We also knew that they were our parents and that we should respect them as such.  They reviewed homework, answered questions (if they could…if not, they sent us to those 1962 encyclopedias in the study…LOL).

I said all of that to say this:  YOU SHOULD ALWAYS CHECK YOUR CHILD’S HOMEWORK (see below).

Commitment

Commitment.

(NOTE: This was in my draft folder and was never published from July 2008 )

I received several emails, texts, etc., this morning about the potential membership acceptance of Michelle Obama into Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. If she accepts, I say kudos to her. If not, life will go on. If she accepts, I hope that she can be committed to the organization and serve, as that is something that all members of all greek organizations lack in this day and time. Commitment.

I have the utmost respect for Mrs. Obama. She is a full-time working woman with a family to look after, too. Being a mother is a full-time job in itself (hats off to all of the working Moms out there……..love you!). ANY woman that can carry a full-time job and be a mother and be a wife, HATS OFF!

When I person is TRULY committed to something, I’ve usually seen a display of tact and class associated with it. We all understand that passion plays a large role with commitment, but how you CARRY yourself during these times is also a huge part.

For example, my Mom ALWAYS shows tact and class (unless she was angry with me…another story for another day). She is consistent in her speech and how she treats others. She is fair. No matter the skin color, age, pedigree, etc., she is by the book and consistent. My Dad, as silly as he may be at times, is the same way: class and dignity (unless he has a joke going with a crowd…..after that, give it up). They are both COMMITTED to exemplifying how one SHOULD carry themselves, knowing that at all times, they represent God, their family, organizations, etc. They are committed to improving their family and community and what is around them.

My Mom, sister, a few cousins and aunts are members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. I chose a different route. I sought membership, was accepted, after my 2nd try (first time via my undergrad institution and the second time via an alumnae chapter), pledged and made a commitment to another sorority, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Why, as so many have asked, would I “break” tradition? It’s not about breaking tradition. It’s about how I want to serve the community and how I observed it to be served by various organizations. As for me and my character and how I wanted to serve, I liked how members of Delta were committed to serving the campus and communities they were located in. Not saying that others were not (please don’t go there). I just saw more consistency from members of Delta. Know that all of the Divine Nine are in this SERVICE commitment TOGETHER.

My parents and family showed me how to be COMMITTED to something through their service to their respective organizations and work (church, AKA, Kappa Alpha Psi, The Links, Jackson State, etc.). I look at how they were dedicated to serving, not for prestige and fame, but because it’s the fabric of who they are. That fabric continues to be woven with their children, grandchildren, students, and the lives that they touch. Their commitment exemplifies that we should all bring someone else (if not more) with us as we travel UPWARDS.

May I make a suggestion to everyone? Before you join something, check our commitment meter and look WHY we are looking to join certain organizations.

Whether we wear red, blue, green, or whatever, know what your calling is and SERVE, not look to be served. Stop haggling on past failures and issues. Move on knowing that you stand on the shoulders of many and it’s your job to pull other along with you who are lagging.

Real Women

I was raised by a mother who, at all times, was fair, poised, tactful, beautiful, graceful and FIERCE. When I look at other women, 99% of the time, I compare them to my mother and the other real women in my life. You know, those women who are articulate, street smart, hard-working, and the like.

I was watching Michelle Obama’s speech at the DNC last night and throughout her speech, it was if my Mom was speaking to an audience. See, we all know that we aren’t alone in our daily walk (God is always with us) and that the road we are taking has been laid by someone else (how else would it get there?!). That road may not be the exact same path that someone else took, but the ground has been graded for the road to be paved, if it isn’t already. We all stand on so many shoulders and owe the next generation what our prior generation gave to us and better.

Michelle Obama spoke of family, shared values, hard work, determination and the future. These are all the things that I heard (and still hear) from the real women in my life. Not to say that the men in my life haven’t expressed the same concerns, but this post is about the women in my life.

My parents didn’t come from money. Didn’t receive a huge financial inheritance when their parents passed on, but the values that were instilled in them is more than any money could buy. They have passed on those values to us.

My Mom was (is….LOL) always telling me to think before I speak. Hold your shoulders back and walk tall. Do good in school and take in all that you can. Life isn’t fair, but work hard and you’ll move forward. She always was dressed to the nines and professional at all times. Classy, elegant and poised…..yeah, how a real woman should look and act.

Here is to all of the real women who are in my life and who have been in my life….I want to say THANK YOU for all that you’ve done, you do and continue to do for me and others.