Random Goodness.

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And I Wish You Joy And Happiness

I watched the entire Whitney Houston funeral today as I tended to some household duties today. We've all made the jokes, heard the jokes, believed the rumors, and said our "I told you so"s.
We are so shadowed by conflict, scandal and controversy that we forget to remember Whitney left behind a striking legacy and a heartbroken family. I will never forget when I graduated kindergarten at Alexander Montessori to her song "Greatest Love of All".
As they carried out her casket, they played her beloved "I Will Always Love You" and I could not help but tear up. As I watch everyone hug her mother and daughter each time they descend from and approach the altar, Whitney is once again humanized and we are reminded that she was a real person who loved and lost, who, herself, was loved and lost, and who will forever be loved but not lost.

God gave me a voice to sing with, and when you have that, what other gimmick is there?

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Happy Social Media Week!

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Cupid: A Fat Toddler With A Weapon

Happy Singles Awareness Day!
I hope you all have your pinks, blushes, fuchsias, and reds on today with chocolate in hand!
I love you all.


In other news, let's discuss what's been going on in our world the last couple days that I've been absent:

1. Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in NYC has been ongoing. You know how it goes. Some looks are absolutely grotesque and ridiculous, while others set the bar for this year's fashion do's.
2. Whitney Houston passed away at the age of 48. Terribly unfortunate. Her demise was unbearable and disappointing and her voice and impact can never be replicated. Sad to know that my children will miss out on a lot of icons that I was fortunate enough to experience throughout my life. Let's remember her in all her glory. Let's also see who they pull out of a hat to prosecute.
3. The Duggars' are "devastated" by their recent miscarriage of their 20th child. They will still try for more children. Um, I absolutely adore this family. I watch the show whenever I come across it and I support their Christian beliefs but I also know enough about anatomy and physiology to know that Michelle Duggar probably will not be able to have another child unless she has a spare uterus. However, I'd rather see the Duggars have more children than the Jolie-Pitt zoo over there.
4. For all my fellow York Peppermint Patty aficionados, International Delight has just released a York flavored creamer! (They also have a ColdStone Creamery flavor which is probably just as disgusting as their ice cream.) Creamers are my indulgence and the flavors make me happy. It's the little things guys.
5. The 2012 Grammys were Sunday night and Jennifer Hudson scrambled together almost overnight and paid a beautiful tribute to Whitney Houston. Lady Gaga did not win one award and probably regretted wearing the basketball net over her face in the meantime. That's what happens when you show up to the Grammys in an egg! Adele looked slimmer and glowing and took home six awards. I wish she would steer away from the black wardrobe finally. Foo Fighters came on top as well while Nicki Minaj's sacrilegious red carpet strut, and possessed performance placed her at the bottom.

   

6. Beyonce and Jay-Z recently published first pictures of their baby daughter Blue Ivy Carter. I don't 

    know if it's the fact that I have eyes or just my gut, but something about these pictures are off. You be the    

    judge. I'm just saying.

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RIP 1995-2012

RIP Windows Start Button.
Windows 8 will no longer need you, according to a leak of the version. You did us well throughout the years and we will never forget you in the bottom left-hand corner of our PCs. It was a great run.

Never forgotten.

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Awesome Girl Problems.

New book alert! We've all heard the viral expression "White Girl Problems" all over social media outlets, but Babe Walker has condensed this concept into a book that was just released January 31st. From all the stresses that life may present, Babe is the go-to guru on the topic. Check out her BabeWalker.com site, follow her on Twitter @whitegrlproblems (yes, there is no "i" in that one) and relish in her unique and hilarious interview posted below.

Can you describe BabeWalker.com in three words?
No, can you? That was three words, right?

Fill us in on your book White Girl Problems: your memoir, that comes out in stores on January 31,2012?
I was nearing the end of a 28-day rehabilitation program for a shopping addiction and I’d come to a crossroads in my life. Nobody was appreciating me/my struggles, so I decided to take a bunch of Adderall and write down all my grievances with the world. I wrote 250 pages in 48 hours. These stories later became my memoir.

Who are your top 5 favorite fashion designers?
Living or dead? Okay, let me think… Miuccia Prada, Nicholas Ghesquiere, Tom Ford, Phoebe Philo, Yves St. Laurent, Alexander McQueen, Diane Von Furstenberg, Riccardo Tisci, Jean Paul Gaultier,
Stella McCartney, Alexander Wang, Marc Jacobs, Sonia Rykiel…

Oh shit, that’s way more than 5. Sowwy.

Do you follow any fashion blogs religiously?
I love Fashion Gone Rogue, for all editorial images. I used to follow Fashion Toast, until Rumi got skinnier than me. Other than that, I read pretty much every fashion blog you can think of.

Do you know what you will be dressing up as for Halloween yet?
Every year, my best friend Genevieve and I go as famous mother/daughter duos. Two years ago we were Dina and Lindsay, last year we were Goldie and Kate, and this year we’re going as Tom and Suri.

What style advice do you have for all the problemed White Girls out there?
Don’t follow trends, wear what feels good, and if you think you could stand to lose a little weight, you’re probably right.

What should we look forward to in the future, for BabeWalker.com?
My brain is basically a crazy/chic/out of control/terrifying mood board, and BabeWalker.com will be the portal through which I share that mood
board with the world.

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Exclusive.

Where to begin with this one, where to begin....

It's a proud moment for my mischievous best friend William King from Holy Cross. I can't help but fuel his ego because it's only appropriate for me to be proud as well.

This is the same kid who likes to instigate, test, shake things up, is blatantly honest, is surprisingly sentimental, astoundingly corny, hopelessly romantic, and ridiculously too smart for his own good. We always laugh to each other wondering how different our college experience may have been if we did not know each other. Perhaps mine would have been a little smoother, but looking back, he kept and continues to keep me grounded. I guess he's grown up (a little) as he sits at his powerful and legally infused top New York law firm desk (usually Gmailing or group Facebook messaging me and his buds), chats up with his Columbia Law peers/superiors at countless open bar events, calls me with quick updates on his iPhone (always making sure to hold it like it's a microphone rather than a regular cell phone; this kid always thinks he's on stage), or drinks a beer atop his chic New York studio and breathes in the smoggy, busy, city air.

This is the kid who walked around Holy Cross in some sort of Pittsburgh Steelers attire, whether a Jersey, or mesh shorts, a peacoat, pencil and books in hand (I don't think he owned a backpack). The same one who ate chicken fingers and fries disgustingly smothered with ketchup on a daily basis and would rudely interrupt my five roommates and I "just to see if you guys had a beer". This is the kid who wore the #41 Holy Cross football jersey for years (interesting how the number was passed down) and made the difficult decision to retire the jersey. I mean let's be real, HC wasn't the all-star football team anyway, we did try our best though. He was chosen to study abroad in Washington, DC for a semester to rub shoulders with lawyers, politicians, and famous HC alum such as Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas in order to pursue completion of his English thesis and eventually apply to law school. This is the same thesis that I got the opportunity to proofread and make an appearance in. Of course I approved because I figured I'd be his campaign manager or his Chief of Staff one day. He's already establishing titles amongst his friends. I'm down to publicist now.

Upon his return from DC, he was a little sad. Missing the football meetings, missing the games, and lacking the massive amounts of muscle that once enveloped his athletic build. I'm always reminding him that he's getting too skinny. His nickname is "Pee Wee" after all, amongst other things...

So back to this proud moment. Not in honor of Black History Month, but rather just in honor of a historic year at my alma mater College of the Holy Cross, writer Diane Brady chronicles the relationship between a certain handful of Holy Cross students, and a hopeful University Dean who went on to lead remarkable lives.

The book titled "Fraternity" describes a racially tense Jesuit college in the wake of Martin Luther King's assassination in 1968, Reverend John Brooks, a white priest (who eventually became dean of the all male student body during those years) and his efforts to infuse diversity in the school. Unbeknownst at the time, Father Brooks helped enroll 20 African-American men who would quite frankly, go on to do big things. Diane Brady chooses to focus on five specific individuals, Clarence Thomas, Eddie Jenkins, Edward P. Jones,  Stan Grayson, and Ted Wells. She was fortunate to be able to personally interview and establish relationships with these men, even Justice Thomas opened up willingly because "Father Brooks asked [him] to do it."

Some people are awaiting the Disney movie adaptation of this book but let's delve a bit into these men and how their lives overlapped, intersected, and changed:

Clarence Thomas '71 - Supreme Court Justice, co-founder of Holy Cross' Black Student Union
Eddie Jenkins '72- drafted to the NFL to the undefeated Miami Dolphins 1972 Champions
Edward P. Jones - Pulitzer Prize winning author
Stan Grayson '72 - Lawyer and COO at M.R. Beal and Company
Ted Wells '72 - world reknowned defense attorney, a partner at William's firm (his superior and his friend)

Of course William had to be stirred somewhere in this mix. April of 2008, our senior year, marked the 40th anniversary of the BSU. I remember a packed weekend of events with distinguished alum, including those listed above, heart-warming reunions, and a certain debate between William and our peer on the topic of 'affirmative action'. I was in the hall to mingle with/stand in awe of the famous alum and show my support for my friend. I could not stay the whole time (which Will ever so kindly reminds me of) but he had quite the audience regardless. He brilliantly argued his side, and had no idea that four years later, would be described in such an interesting book.

At last, William, though anonymously described, we all know it's you and we all knew one day you'd be published. Congratulations. We know you already have Ted Wells' signature on your copy a couple days ago after cheering with him to the good life and your future successes and we know you won't live this one down. We'll be sending you our copies for your signature of course, as you've already requested. Four decades after their Holy Cross experience, you are part of their reflection with your own turbulent and interesting experiences. March is your month. See you as partner.
WE bleed purple. "As in royalty". As in Holy Cross.

William John Lloyd King IV '08, Justice Clarence Thomas '72, William C. King Jr. '75

Speaks for itself.

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