I recently blew the dust off of my book collection and stumbled upon a book that I had purchased nearly 3 years ago. I’ve always been interested in alternative medicine and treatments so I thought it would be cool to research the art of eating the right foods. I was extremely interested in this book. It was written by a doctor who had compiled the findings of archaeologists, doctors, scientists, and nutritionists in order to come up with an eating plan for a person according to their blood type. In the book, he goes through great lengths explaining the food-blood type connection. I felt like it was worth trying except for one problem—I didn’t know my blood type. “Well that’s easy to fix” I thought. I knew my doctor could tell me. I would just ask her. Somehow I would never remember to ask her when I had blood work done. Three years later, I see it again in a box of books that I packed to move into my present house. I read it again. “That’s right! I wanted to get my blood type!”, I remembered. I called Dr. Nelson and asked her about it. “Oh we have to order that when we send your blood work in, Paula. I wish you had said something at your last physical. Just come in and we’ll order a blood type test”. I asked her how long it would take and she told me a week or two depending on the workload in the lab. I decided that I wanted to know sooner than that and I didn’t want to have to pay a co-pay to get it. I decided to donate blood. I know I had a selfish reason, but at least I could help someone in the process. I got up immediately and drove to my nearest Lifeblood in Germantown. I simply walked in, told them I wanted to donate, and they happily obliged. That was last Wednesday. I had almost forgotten about it, when I saw the book again on the table. I called them and sure enough they had my blood type. I anxiously came to the front desk and asked the nurse. My blood type is B+. I hurried to the car to look up my diet and discovered that CHICKEN MAKES ME FAT!!!! Ugh! Can you believe it? An American staple is to blame for my thunder thighs?! That’s not all… Tomatoes, Ketchup, Shrimp, Black Pepper, and [gasp] all wheat products!!!! No Bread?!!! There must be some mistake! What kind of meat is beneficial to me, you ask? Oh, Lamb, Mutton, Venison, and Rabbit… All the cute cuddly animals that I wanted as pets when I was little. That’s like eating Roast Coleman or Marinated Cody! I took a deep breath and decided that I would try it… I made curried lamb and rice today. It wasn’t as bad as I thought. It will definitely take getting used to. I’ll let you know how it’s going.
If I had to, I would consider my self highly introspective. I’ve pretty much always kept in touch with what was going on with me. I tend to be extremely hard on myself and sometimes err to the side of extreme perfectionism with a hint of hysteria. That being said, I’ve been really trying to understand the underlying reasons behind many things I do or don’t do. Up until my Dad died in 2003, I was pretty chill, and laid-back. His death caused a huge paradigm shift of sorts and I’ve been working my way out of a hole of dispair ever since. For some reason, triumphs just weren’t as sweet and even defeat lost some of its sting. I was just numb. Awakening from the numbing effects of the death of a loved-one can be really painful. It’s kind of like having an epidural before childbirth. While everything is going on, you’re numb. You know somthing is happening, but you have not awakened to the feelings of it yet. You sit there feeling your way through only to discover hours later what you knew… THAT HURT IT LIKE HELL!!! That’s kind of how I would describe my experience since Daddy died. No that’s ABSOLUTELY how I would describe losing my Dad. It’s amazing how much one person can represent in your life. There is hardly a day that goes by that I don’t think about him, or quote him, or borrow some of his mannerisms. A lot of my raw feelings came back after Isaac’s [Hayes] death. For some reason, everything came back to me. I’ve been trying to make sense out of everything and one thing I know for sure is: Change happens… You either adapt to it or perish. With swirling bad news about the economy and the state of the world at large, it would behove people to take inventory of their lives and find out what REALLY matters to them. I am making an earnest effort to do just that. With that being said, I’ve made a short list things that were priceless to me just this morning.
1. Giving affection to my dogs
2. Cooking breakfast for my family
3. Having some quiet reflective time
4. Saying good morning to my husband and getting a warm hug.
5. Talking to my mama
6. Taking Quinton (my cousin) to school and wishing him a “great day”
As long as I live, I want to keep my life in perspective and never forget the “little” blessings that I get for free.
I got back yesterday (Sunday) from Jersey. I have one word for my experience - A.W.E.S.O.M.E!! It was what I thought it would be and more. I got to meet the rest of the band and the tour producers. Everyone was so nice and the band is like a family. After a painfully long flight, I made it to my destination. Once I was shuttled to the hotel, I got to meet everyone. I had my own beautiful suite overlooking this awesome hotel. I was kind of nervous so I took a long bath and chilled until it was time for the lobby call. Once we got in the Lobby, everyone was hugging me and saying that they had heard so many things about me. I was very humbled by all the compliments that I was told Mr. Hayes gave me. Once we made it to the venue, they showed us to our trailer (trailer!). It was stocked with food, water, towels, and a comfy leather couch. Because this was a music festival and the temp was about 95 degrees, we made sure that we drank plenty of water before the performance. One of the other singers took me to the back of the trailer to go over the choreography to some of the songs. I could feel myself getting more nervous by the minute. Someone came to our door and said “15 minutes til showtime, guys!” I was thinking, “this is what you always wanted to do, so don’t go out there half-steppin”. Once it was time for our segment, We stood on stage for what seemed like seconds and all of a sudden you could hear “MR. ISAAC HAYES!!!” Everyone started screaming at the top of their lungs and it was on. The crowd was the BOMB. They gave off so much energy!!! I was crunk. I put my performance face on and let it rip. I caught the glances of a few fans in the front row and waved. They were looking like, “oh my God, she waved!”. An hour and a half later as we hit the last note of the finale, “Shaft” I was dripping sweat and breathing hard like I was on “Solid Gold”….
side note: You remember on Solid Gold when the acts would finish their performance and when the song ended they would just be standing there staring into the audience with their chests heaving like they had really worked hard? I used to LOVE that!
I digress…
So I was looking like that and I wanted to laugh but I kept a straight face. When we left the stage people were screaming while we were making our way to the trailer. I was smiling and waving. It felt nice. They probably were screaming for Isaac, but it was nice nontheless. Back at the hotel, there were fans in the lobby talking to Isaac and snapping pictures like crazy. I walked past the mob, trying to go unnoticed to my room when Isaac made eye contact with me. He held his hand out for me to grab it and told me, “you were blowing, girl!”. I was like “thank you, sir. It was an honor” He smiled and squeezed my hand while the fans watched me walk away. I thought to myself, Isaac is a really nice guy. After all, HE’S the celebrity. If he hadn’t said anything, that would have been alright with me. He had already paid me nicely and put me up in a great hotel, gave me spending money and fed me. I thought that was “thank you” enough. He still took out time to say thank you to me while he was being admired by adoring fans. I learned a valuable lesson that night. Needless to say, the mad respect that I had for this man has like multiplied 1000 times. I leave for Brooklyn Thursday. We’ve got to do 2 shows - One in New York and one near Chicago. I’ll keep you posted. Big Ups to Mr Hayes for treating his band with such dignity and respect.
Heading to New Jersey this weekend for my first show with Isaac… Very excited… Kind of nervous… Just got some braids… Head hurts… I’ll give details when I come back. Peace
“Why” questioned answered! I’ve been seeing the term “viral video” lately, and for the most part have been ignoring that term and viewing the videos anyway. Then this morning I saw the headline “In the latest viral video, NBA star Kobe Bryant “jumps” over a pool filled with snakes”. Then I thought to myself, why in the world is that called a “viral video”? So I asked Google and this was the answer:
“The term viral video refers to video clip content which gains widespread popularity through the process of Internet sharing, typically through email or IM messages, blogs and other media sharing websites.”
So then I was like, “Oh, okay…thus spreading like a virus… still stupid”. I can TOTALLY see the connection between a popular video and an ultramicroscopic infectious agent that replicates itself only within cells of living hosts!! How silly of me!
So I just thought I would define that for all the people who, like me thought that by opening a “viral video” you would get sucked into the computer screen by a slimy green hand and afterward there would be a sickening laugh that would last for 10 minutes! (mooha ha ha ha ha…)
Another foolish thing to confound the wise, I guess.
Why does the same dog that DETESTS when you blow in his face, get in the car and hang his head out the window while you’re going like 75 MPH on the highway?! I tried to ask Coleman, but he was unavailable for comment.
Well I finally took my Sunbeam Food Steamer out of the box for the first time today. I got it as a wedding gift about 4 years ago and found it while I was going through my kitchen cabinets. I opened it and decided to give it a try. I steamed some frozen spinach in it and it turned out great. I cannot believe that I haven’t used this wonderful appliance before now. I am so excited about it that I plan to try to steam some salmon and veggies over rice. It’s “stackable” so you can cook more than one dish at a time. You can steam your rice in one container, while your veggies and meats are cooking in their own separate containers. I looked it up online and it sells for about $40 -$50 brand new. Who knew? All I know is that after I tasted my wonderful steamed spinach, I smiled and silently said a heart-felt “thank you” to the person who blessed us with such a neat steamer.
Well, I’m back in the “lab” working on my music. It feels good. I’m kinda having some allergy issues, but that won’t keep me from doing my thing. A couple of Isaac’s [Hayes] producers are flying in to Memphis this week and I will probably be introduced to them. I’m still very excited about this tour. I’m excited about traveling, and meeting new people. I’m excited about performing to different crowds and feeling the “rush”. I’ve been up since about 7:00 A.M. listening to my songs and coming up with more lyrics. The reason I call this day “terrific” is because in the whole scheme of things, there’s nothing to complain about. I’m just calling it like it is. For real. I’m getting things together that I will need on the tour like:
1.Some cool clothes—most of the venues are outdoors
2.A nice versatile haristyle– I was thinking braids or a weave… Something that won’t expand in humidity
3. Some exotic teas — to soothe my voice
4. A high-quality camera—to capture it all and share
5. Cool books— for plane rides and during my downtime.
That’s all I’ve thought of so far. I’ll keep you posted on my progress.
Yeah, that’s right. I’m officially one of Isaac Hayes’ backup singers. I am so excited to be performing with a man to whom my dad tried to send a demo tape. He is such a legend and he is very humble and down-to-earth. I auditioned for him and he told me I was “the bomb” (which may or not be true, but DUDE, Isaac Hayes…come on!!). The tour starts in two weeks. We have a lot of rehearsals to come but I will love every moment of it. I feel like this an experience of a lifetime. What better way to get a soul music experience than to be on the same stage with one the soul music pioneers! Anyway, here are the dates that I know of so far: Maybe someone would like to check us out:
June 7, 2008 Rhythm & Blues by the Brook at Cedar Brook Park
Plainfield, NJ
June 12, 2008 Celebrate Brooklyn Festival @ Prospect Park
Brooklyn, NY
June 13, 2008 The Ravinia Festival
Highland Park, IL
June 26, 2008 Isaac Hayes with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
Heinz Hall
Pittsburgh, PA
July 3, 2008 Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival
Portland, OR
My prayers and thoughts are with the many survivors in China who are grieving so heavily right now. It is utterly heart-breaking to see parents wailing for their lost children. In a country made of single-child families, it is impossible to imagine that type of grief. This is a tragedy for the world… [Silence]
Posted by Paulasoul on May 11, 2008 in Family Love
To all the mom’s out there. I especially want to love on MY MAMA today. I love you, mom. Can’t wait to spend some time with you today!
Mothers are the place that we call home. On them we rest our heads and close our eyes. There’s no one else who grants the same soft peace, Happiness, contentment, sweet release, Erasing nighttime tears with lullabies, Restoring the bright sun that makes us bloom.
I woke up to this today. My 1 yr. old German Shepherd, Coleman picked the WRONG day to mess with 5 yr. old Cody!!! Few People know that Cody is a trained killer! Check the “ninja” noises he makes…
Back in December I submitted some of my songs to the Song of the Year contest and I got an email saying that I had made “honarable mention”. Of course the grand prize was $10,000. It’s nice to get honorable mention, but the cash would have been nice. Anyhoo, I’m grateful for what is, considering that the contest receives entries from all around the world, and the judges took notice of my songs. Among the many judges were American Idol’s Randy Jackson, and Beyonce Knowles… Pretty cool. They gave me a page on their server. You can check it out HERE.
1. Really enjoying Oprah’s new book club pic and loving the online classes.
2. Learning to disassociate my ego from the REAL ME.
3. Learning greater acceptance of myself and others
4. Still cleaning… getting ready for a “very special” merge. Stay tuned…
5. Enjoying personal time with my mom.
6. Enjoying the company of a very special little girl (Michalyn).
7. Reading “The Power of Now” and “A New Earth”
8. Not watching TV much, just being with myself. It’s really nice.
9. Writing songs.
10. Loving where I am at this moment.
Is it me, or is the phrase “unsolved Mystery” redundant? Unsolved as opposed to a solved mystery? I mean, if a mystery were solved wouldn’t that make it NOT a mystery anymore? What’s the point in calling it an unsolved mystery? I’m just saying…
One thing that I learned from Daddy was the art of the “side hustle”. Now I’m not talking about anything illegal or incriminating, here. Just good, old-fashioned hustling. He would always tell us “You got what you need, to get what you want, just use what you got”. In a day where jobs are here today and gone tomorrow, it’s good to know that what God has placed within you is still in demand. One thing I’ve learned is that you can’t put all your eggs in one basket. You need to get several baskets. Let’s suffice it to say, I’ve got a few hustles brewing over here and I’ll let you know how they turn out. I think Daddy would be proud. God wants to get something to us, he just needs something in which to put it. If I haven’t made a place for it, where will it go?! Somebody say “Yeah!!!!!!!” That’s enough… I almost got full right there.
This year, I’ve been really thinking about race relations, religion, and mankind in general. I’ve recently recommitted myself to pursuing peace with all types of people. I’ve taken a long, hard look at my own prejudices and am actively endeavoring to deal with them. Prejudice is so cunning and so crafty that it can go unchecked for a long time. It’s not limited to race of course. It can have to do with economics, religious beliefs, sexual preferences, physical beauty, or the lack therof. When I die, I want to be remembered as a person who loved God and His people- no matter how different from me they are. I don’t have enough time or enough words to share how I’m feeling at this moment. There will be more as I figure out how to articulate my sentiments on prejudice and what Dr. Martin Luther King stands for in my life. Jesse Jackson, Rev. AL Sharpton, Rev. Kyles and a couple presidential candidates gathered with two of the King children to pay honor to their father and the legacy he left 40 years ago. Born and raised in Memphis, I am no stranger to a racially charged atmosphere. Though it seems like blacks here are going backwards in a lot of ways, I still remain optimistic that things are going to get better. I was deeply moved yesterday by this speech given by Bernice King, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s youngest child…
How to Tell if a Child is Gifted
by eHow Parenting Editor
IntroductionMost parents think their child is the smartest, most charming, most well-spoken and quickest learner on the block. In today’s society, there’s so much pressure on parents to have super-achieving children that many parents invest untold sums of money in early learning aids and educational tools. However, giftedness is an innate quality that a child is born with. No amount of money or encouragement will “make” a child gifted. Read on to learn more.
Instructions
Intellectual CharacteristicsSteps
1 Step One
Observe whether the child reasons well. Were you, for example, able to give your child multi-step directions at a young age and have him carry them out successfully?
2 Step Two
Listen to the child’s speech. Did she say her first words at an early age? Did she start speaking in full sentences before her peers? Does she have an advanced vocabulary for her age?
3 Step Three
Ask yourself whether your child is an avid reader. Children who begin reading independently at an early age or who revel in being read to for long periods of time by caregivers may be gifted.
4 Step Four
Watch for signs that your child learns quickly and retains information easily. Fast learners with good memories may be gifted.
Emotions and Judgment
Steps
1 Step One
Examine whether your child is highly sensitive. Are his feelings easily hurt? Is he unusually compassionate for such a young child?
2 Step Two
Identify whether your child is perfectionistic. Oftentimes, gifted children hold themselves to super-high standards of perfection. Some even get frustrated or angry when they cannot immediately master a task.
3 Step Three
Observe whether your child is morally sensitive. Does she have a preoccupation with justice and fairness? Does she tend to question authority when she feels the rules are arbitrary or inconsistent? Gifted children tend to clash with authority figures whom they believe to be rigid and unfair.
4 Step Four
Determine whether your child exhibits mature judgment for his age. Most gifted children behave as if they are much older than their chronological age. Gifted children, for example, may identify the content of a TV show as inappropriate for them and flip without being told to do so by an adult.
5 Step Five
Notice whether your child either prefers the company of older children and adults to age peers or whether your child is able to relate exceptionally well to people of all ages. The gifted child will often identify better with older people who are more mature than his age peers. Others are able to easily nurture relationships with individuals of all ages.
Interests, Creativity and Drive
Steps
1 Step One
Watch for signs that your child has a “rage to master” something. The rage to master is a classic sign of giftedness. For example, while many young children are interested in construction equipment for a period of time, a gifted child will know the names and functions of even the most obscure pieces of construction equipment. Parents may find themselves visiting heavy equipment dealers and driving through construction sites repeatedly to meet the child’s insatiable thirst for experiences.
2 Step Two
Observe whether your child has a high degree of energy and ability to pay attention to things that interest her for an extended period of time. While gifted children often exhibit a high degree of energy and spiritedness that parents and teachers may find hard to manage, one telltale sign of whether your child is gifted or has a condition that requires treatment is whether he can redirect his energy to tasks in areas in which he has have a deep interest.
3 Step Three
Recognize whether or not your child has a strong curiosity, sticks with certain interests over a long period of time and/or has a wide range of interests. These all are signs of giftedness. Most children ask, “Why?” Gifted children ask, “Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?”
4 Step Four
Identify whether your child is highly creative. Kids with excess creativity are often keen observers with active imaginations rich in detail. They tend to be dramatic, musical or strong in the visual arts. For example, if your child draws abstract, detailed pictures, she may be gifted in the visual arts.
5 Step Five
Enjoy your child’s sense of humor. Gifted children often have a very developed sense of humor that seems old for their chronological age. They often make wry observations or point out the irony in situations, or they may play with words in humorous (sometimes embarrassing) ways.
Resources
* Hoagie’s Gifted Development Page has resources on identifying gifted children.
Well, I recently read that George Michael just released a CD called Twenty Five. The title marks George’s 25 years in the music business. It is interesting to note that in these 25 years that he has only released 5 CD’s and on of them was a greatest hits CD. This CD is a collection of his famous covertunes like Careless Whisper, and Wake Me Up, and Faith and some new tunes which are remakes of other people’s songs. I love George Michael and I am glad that he’s trying to make a come back, but I just want to hear some new music from him. I want to hear his evolution as a person and an artist. Well anyway, if you ever loved George Michael, it’s hard not to be wooed by his earlier music. He’s so adorable when he’s dancing, and his hair is always coifed to perfection. At any rate, congratulations George on 25 years. Here’s him with Marey J Blige singing Always. Check out his cute dancing at the end…
