Like many of my peers (particularly those who are college educated and/or of color), I have felt frustrated by the repetitive course the plots of many of his films and TV programs take. I felt like his work was stereotypical and “one-note,” telling the story of a Black woman who was beaten or victimized in some way then “saved” by a male “knight in shining armor” who helps turn the woman’s tattered life around. I also felt conflicted by Madea’s character, the pistol-toting, Southern-accent having elderly woman with one-liners and a short fuse. While I was humored by her unnecessary “r” annunciations in certain words and boisterous attitude, I also felt like we were going back in time with characters like her to days where Blacks were forced to portray such stereotypical, demeaning characters if they wanted to perform in the entertainment business. I was not so put off by his work as to call it “malt liquor for the masses,” however, it has been a while since I’ve bought tickets to a Tyler Perry film and I have not DVRed an episode of “Meet the Browns” or “Love thy Neighbor.”

I watched and listened for his response to Oprah’s questions, questions where she quoted critics and challengers of his work and it made me think of his work a little differently. He responded to the critics by noting how he lived and was raised in the South and was merely telling stories from the perspectives of those he knows or has observed, writing what he knows. Thinking about his work made me think about my writing and the way I tell stories. I am a city girl who’s been shaped by my Black culture but also by the social, political and cultural diversity of New York City and that affects the way I write and tell stories. It would not be impossible for me to write about the plight of someone from the rural South though it would take extensive research and it would not come naturally to me. Needless to say, creative writers who write realistic fiction (i.e. not science fiction or other genres that rely heavily on the imagination) usually tend to stick with writing what they know.

I agree that his work stands out to the point where people either love it or hate it because there aren’t as many other stories of Black families being told in film or on TV. So perhaps instead of judging him for the stories he tells, it’s better to work toward figuring out how Hollywood can be more effectively diversified so that more stories of more people can be told in hopes of breaking and shifting stereotypes.

Did you watch the Tyler Perry interview? What were your thoughts on it and how do you feel about his work?

via New York Daily News

The emotions felt when I first heard the news of the explosions at the finish line on Boylston Street–a street I have walked down many of times, and where some of my friends reside–reminded me of what I felt junior year of high school on September 11th. Shock, panic, fear, relief, an inexplicable mix of emotions. I heard about the events from my aunt in New York because I was in my own world getting ready to head to school to do some work. And after hanging up with her, I made sure check in with friends and classmates who may have been in or at the event.

Fortunately no one I personally know was injured or harmed, but this does not take away from the aftershock of it. It does not take away from the compassion I feel for the 8-year old boy’s family or for those runners and spectators who lost limbs or lives as a result of such hatred.

While it is true that people are killed every day outside of this country in war, genocide or just plain cold-blooded murder, that does not and cannot invalidate what happened in Boston yesterday. Any life that is unjustifiable cut short is valuable. My prayers are with the families and friends of those harmed. While New York is home for me, my heart hurts for Boston. I admire those who ran toward the chaos to help. I admire the police officers and those called in to work and repair this city from their homes or vacations. This is a tough city and though it will take time, it will rebuild itself from this.

On a brighter note, I got a Facebook invitation for a “Run for Boston” event. While I am not what you call a “runner,” I am working on improving my health, and I am considering taking on this mission to run the distance in support of the Marathon and for those harmed yesterday. It is more than just running, I think running for Boston is a message of courage, support and fearlessness. It may take me a month (maybe more) to get through all 26.2 miles, but I’m down for the cause.

Who else is with me?

What You Need:
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp organic sea salt [the recipe recommends fine sea salt but I didn't have fine sea salt and it still came out okay]
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
2 cups of organic unsweetened vanilla almond milk [you can use the milk of your choice: dairy, soy, or otherwise, but if you do, add 1 tsp vanilla if your milk doesn't have vanilla. Also, if using vanilla milk, make sure it's unsweetened so you're not adding extra unneeded sugars. If you want to make waffles instead of pancakes, use 1/4 cup less milk]
2 eggs
2 tbsp raw honey [or you can use brown rice syrup or coconut nectar, warmed in microwave for 10 seconds. I used local pure/raw honey]
1/4 cup extra virgin organic olive oil [plus a little extra to rub on the pan/griddle]

What To Do:
In a large bowl whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg until thoroughly combined. In a separate bowl whisk the eggs and oil until smooth, add the milk, honey and vanilla (if you didn’t use vanilla milk). Mix well. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and beat only until large lumps disappear. The batter should be fairly thin (thicker for waffles). Put a little oil on the griddle and rub evenly with a paper towel. Heat to medium high. Pour 1/8 cup (or more for larger pancakes)  batter onto the griddle in four even circles.  When small bubbles appear flip over and cook until the steam stops.

If you have a sweet tooth, top with sliced fresh or thawed frozen fruits and 100% pure maple syrup. For a more savory breakfast/brunch, add low-fat turkey bacon or sausage with eggs.

What’s your favorite thing to eat for brunch?

There’s a saying that it takes thirty days to make a habit. After that it becomes routine. Well, today is day thirty for me. I cannot believe I have gone from not really enjoying exercise to doing it almost daily (I take one rest day a week). I cannot believe I have gone from finding EVERY excuse I could not to exercise or make my physical, emotional, and spiritual health a priority to making the time in my busy schedule to fit it all in.

I have learned a lot about myself and my body in the past month. Since my first day, I have learned that I actually like blueberries (I hated them when I was younger). I’ve also learned that my body needs more food than 1200 calories. I’ve learned what not drinking enough water can do to my body and I am still trying to get a set sleep schedule going (but finals are on the way so I don’t see that happening until the summer).

I have learned that when it comes to fitness, I stay motivated by others, by reading about my friends’ health journeys, by having a group of people to share and remain accountable with.

I am learning not to focus on the scale (or even the tape measure). This is more than a numbers game for me because if healthy for me means being a certain dress size or number on the scale, I’m fine with whatever those numbers may be (though it doesn’t hurt to set goals anyway). I’m not striving for “skinny” because my heritage and culture is about embracing curves and because skinny doesn’t necessarily mean healthy (just look at some high fashion models or actresses, for instance). Yes, the scale has moved down a few small notches, but what’s more rewarding for me is that I am able to comfortably wear clothes that I haven’t been able to in a long while.

What’s more rewarding is having more energy to get through my long days of classes, and having reduced stress levels to push through piles of schoolwork. It also feels great to notice my body getting stronger and more flexible with each day of movement.

I’m okay with the slow progress because I am not looking for a quick fix since quick fixes are temporary. Instant gratification is not always lasting or worth it.

So I will continue to do dance my way to a better, healthier body. The foodie in me will continue to experiment with new recipes and ways to make healthy foods taste great (I refuse to eat bland foods). I can’t wait to see how things have changed when I get to Day 60, but in the meantime I’ll enjoy this journey.

It is a fruit that can be eaten whole, sliced with a salad or mashed. According to Mercola.com, it is also one of the safest foods you can buy if you can’t go organic due to its thick skin protecting the insides from pesticides.

One of my favorite ways to eat it is in guacamole Here’s a great guacamole recipe I found online by Alton Brown:

What You Need:
3 Haas avocados, halved, seeded and peeled
1 lime, juiced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt [I usually use sea salt instead]
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 medium onion, diced
1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 clove garlic, minced
[If I don't have the tomatoes and jalapeno at the time, I'll just use medium or hot all-natural chunky salsa]

What To Do:

In a large bowl place the scooped avocado pulp and lime juice, toss to coat. Drain, and reserve the lime juice, after all of the avocados have been coated. Using a potato masher add the salt, cumin, and cayenne and mash. Then, fold in the onions, jalapeno, tomatoes, cilantro, and garlic. Add 1 tablespoon of the reserved lime juice. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour and then serve.

For leftovers: Slice red onion into fairly big pieces and put them in the bowl or dish with the remaining guac. For some scientific reason, red onions work wonderfully in keeping avocados fresher for longer (I’d say a day, maybe two but that’s pushing it). When you’re ready to eat the leftovers, just take the onion pieces out and serve.

What’s your favorite recipe?

Restart your New Year’s Resolutions:
If you set goals for 2013 and have fallen off the wagon, you can pick them back up again. Or if you aren’t the “resolution”-type, here are a few tips for giving up bad habits:

• Start small. Quitting 20 bad habits cold turkey will probably require a major lifestyle change and make you likely to fail. Instead, select 2 or 3 to stop first.
• Reward yourself for your success. Did you make it through a day without eating something bad for you? Reward yourself with a nonfood treat.
• Don’t beat yourself up for going backward. We’re all imperfect, and we’re all likely to screw up sometimes. Instead of being hard on yourself for falling back into your old ways, try to understand why you did it so you can prevent it from happening as often in the future.

Detox your body and flush out the toxins for a fresh new start:
Herbal teas are a great way to help begin to detoxify your internal organs from the damage you’ve done to them. Try these three great ones:

• Ginger Lemon Herbal Tea: This flavorful tea offers a two-in-one blast of goodness. Ginger is an ancient homeopathic remedy used to reportedly rid the liver of toxins and disease, while lemons offer a healthy dose of the antioxidant vitamin C. It’s really easy to make yourself. Simply boil a pot of water, slice up ginger root into very thin pieces, juice a lemon, and pour the boiling water over the ginger in a cup. Allow it to steep for 5 minutes, then add lemon, and even a little honey if you would like to sweeten up the taste.
• Green Tea: Green tea provides the body with catechins, compounds that increase metabolic function to help burn fat. Some research suggests you can burn 35 to 43 percent more fat during the day when you drink 4 to 6 cups of green tea.
• Yogi Detox Tea: This tea helps your liver and kidneys. Yogi detox tea uses organic dandelion to support the liver and juniper berry to promote kidney function. It also includes a traditional Ayurvedic cleansing blend called “trikatu” (ginger, black pepper, and long pepper) that is said to support blood flow.
• Even if you have the best intentions, odds are that you’ve picked up some toxins via your diet over the year. These may include heavy metals and compounds you absorb from pollution, cleaning products, and plastic food containers. Some of these compounds may increase the free radicals—damaging molecules that can speed up aging—in the body. Beachbody Ultimate Reset will help flush these from your system and also re-acquaint you with the nutritious foods your body needs for optimal health. The three-week program features a supplement regime along with a series of delicious recipes designed to progressively cleanse your system without shocking it. It’s 3/4 of a month well spent!

In what ways to you give your life, your space, or your body a fresh start?

Another reason why this health and fitness journey is so important to me is because I do love myself now. I have a lot more confidence and belief in myself and I have done a lot of work on the inside. So now I’d like my inner self to reflect in my outer appearance (even though what’s inside is still so important). Some people have the reverse problem where their outer self is so perfect and put together (hair, clothes, body, makeup) that they neglect the inside and it’s reflected by what they say or how they behave towards others. So there does need to be balance.

I am excited to watch my body change. It will be a long journey but this time around I’m enjoying the journey and not getting caught up in how quick (or slow) results come. If I wanted a quick fix, I would not stick to the good ol’ lifestyle changes of healthy eating and daily exercise because those take time.

I am in the middle of my second week with Hip Hop Abs and drinking Shakeology and I really do feel great. While my numbers have not changed much yet, I have noticed some other physical changes. I have clear skin (for the most part) but I noticed that my skin feels softer and clearer than it’s been in a LONG time. I also notice that my body is getting stronger with each day that I work out. While I don’t see any changes in my body, my family and friends have pointed out to me that they notice positive changes, so that’s encouraging.

This Twitter chat was hosted and run by Her Agenda, a online resource dedicated to discussions regarding professionalism and female empowerment. It acknowledges women in various career fields who share their experiences and lessons and addresses issues that affect young professionals. The topic of the chat was #thegenderagenda and featured expert advice from Tabbi Biddle, an author, writer and strong feminine voice.

It lasted for about an hour and @HerAgenda spewed seven questions that participants could provide input:

1. The gender problem seems so huge and so embedded, what can millennial women do individually to address these issues?
2. Are women as unified in achieving gender equality as we should be? Is the gender agenda on every woman’s agenda?
3. Is this true: “[the] main barriers to further progress toward gender equity no longer lie in people’s personal attitudes & relationships”?
4. Do you believe there is an ambition gap? Are we, or are you, not bold/ambitious enough?
5. Millennial women, do you have mentors? Do you have problems finding sponsors/mentors?
6. As a woman, do you at times underestimate your own ability to succeed? How can we overcome that & become leaders?
7. Are there enough resources avail (workplace/school) for leadership advancement for women?If not, how do we change that?

The answers turned out to spark a vibrant discussion where we shared our own experiences, pitfalls, and resources that worked for us (“millennial women”) in the professional world as we strive to continue break through those glass ceilings that still exist. As a law student, I know that a forum such as Her Agenda and #thegenderagenda are still necessary as women still deal with various issues in the workplace such as salary negotiation, mentorship, and competition. And don’t get me started on race-gender intersectionality (that’s another blog post altogether). That is why student organizations such as the Suffolk Women of Color Law Students Association are so necessary (because female attorneys of color are still so underrepresented), and why online communities like Her Agenda are so uplifting.

Here are some of my biggest takeaways from the chat:

@T_Lloyd on the “glass ceiling”:
“Even a glass ceiling is still made of glass”

@tabbybiddle on the progress of gender equity:
“I think gender equity all lies in people’s personal attitudes. It all starts there. The personal is the political.”

@__DaveyJones on the ambition gap:
“No, I think women are hungrier than we’ve ever been; however, it’s hard to stay hungry in a discouraging environment.”

@CamDominica questions our motives for mentorship:
“Are we getting the RIGHT mentors for ourselves? or are we going after someone because of their status?”

@tabbybiddle on the availability of women’s leadership resources:
“For entrepreneurs, there’s a lot. In corporate, my concern is the programs are still from a patriarchal paradigm.”

I’d love to continue the discussion here: What are your thoughts? How would you answer any of the seven questions above?

Here some more clean eating insight from another blogger:

“Eat Clean” seems to be a recent buzz term that all fitness pros, and relative newbies like me preach. Eating Cleaning doesn’t mean washing all foods and your hands before consuming, although I would hope you do! Eating Clean is a relative term, which I explain by viewing food in terms of its nutritional value over all other categories. Other categories being: taste, price, preparation, smells, appearance  etc.

It doesn’t take a doctor, or rocket scientist to know that our bodies need food. Food, is our fuel and it gives us energy to do…, well, everything. We often forget that the differences between good fuel and bad fuel exist, and that not all food is equal. The concept of “Eating Clean” means to fill your body with foods that have nutritional value, as opposed to junk. Opting for the premium fuel to keep you strong, energetic, and happy.

Eating Clean quiz - It’s 3 p.m. you are at work and hungry – your options are a green apple, or a doughnut left from the staff meeting. Ask yourself, what is the nutritional value of both? Which one will give my body long term energy? Which will add fat to my love handles?

For some eating clean can taken to extremes with organic only, vegan only diets – to each their own. For me “Eating Clean” means staying away from processed foods (e.g. canned foods), artificial flavouring (e.g. sports drinks), sugary items and fast food restaurant junk. Basically focusing on food that have one “step” away from the earth so, vegetables, fruits, meats, nuts.

Because I am constantly reminded of the consequences of an unhealthy lifestyle. Obesity is not just some epidemic I hear about or watch on the news, it’s what I see in my family and throughout my hometown. I’ve visited too many family members in hospitals due to health issues and a lot of these issues are either caused or perpetuated by weight, lack of exercise and unhealthy eating habits.

I don’t want to live my life taking daily medications if I can avoid it. I don’t want to have to worry about having a heart attack, sugar levels, or not being able to move freely on my own.

I want to live a full and LONG life as healthy and fulfilling as possible. So I need to work on getting it “right and tight” while I am young so I don’t have to be as concerned with the health issues that plague my family and the Black community (cancer, heart disease, diabetes, the list goes on) as I get older.

All it takes are a few small changes that can eventually make a big difference.

What or who motivates you to live healthier?