Arrogance.............Not Logic.

On Friday, I listened to the Mayor's radio response to the scandal on WMXD 92.3 FM.

I still think arrogance, not logic is directing his actions.

I am not surprised that he claimed that his personal rights were trampled by the Free Press revelations of the text messages. Even though it still may be detrimental to the image of Detroit, I am glad to see the secret agreement (Confidentiality agreement) brought out in the open along with others, because he and his chief of staff did not think that the City Council should be privy to it, although he and the Council are elected by the people to serve the people.

Apparently the Mayor has never directly worked for a major corporation. I have done so, and did know from the time I accepted the offer of employment, any use of their equipment is subject to review. Every year that corporation would remind their employees of that fact also. That means all my computer/Internet use could be reviewed by management at any time, and could be used for dismissal. They could also review the cellular calls made on the company issued cell phone too. I also was informed that if a dismissal was the result of any illegal activities and resulted in a monetary loss or public embarrassment to the corporation, those records, which belong to the corporation, could be used against me in court and to recoup any losses suffered by the corporation as a result of my actions.

I may not have a law degree, but I clearly understood the implications of any personal use of the company issued equipment. I knew that if my personal use of their equipment landed me in trouble, I could not pretend that I was a “victim,” and that I had to deal with the consequences. I definitely think that our Mayor believes that the citizens of Detroit are either ignorant, blindly loyal, or just have low standards. When Mayor Kilpatrick indicated that he will consider running again for the office, I just shook my head in exasperation.

Right now I can't help but feel only this about our Mayor Kilpatrick:

“Like a blood sucking pimp or vampire, he sure ain't letting go of Detroit”.

"Mad Money" Co-stars

My kids dragged me to see “Mad Money” on Sunday. It wasn't that I did not want to see it. I had set my sights on "The Great Debaters", but it was not playing at that theater at the moment. However I am glad that I did see it. It opened my eyes up to how certain extenuating circumstances can get you caught up to the point doing something illegal no matter how moral and honest you are. It also made me glad to see certain actors getting more prominent roles, and showed some actors that are under the radar who are really great actors. The casting was perfect with the well known actors: Diane Keaton, Queen Latifah, Katie Holmes, Ted Danson, and Christopher McDonald.

Stephen Root is one of those actors that constantly amaze me. As soon as “Office Space” came on video, I bought it immediately. It is a hilarious movie, and when I needed a laugh, it never failed to deliver. The ex liked it also; he kept it after the divorce. Although I have watched that film a dozen of times and saw Stephen Root in other features, I never realized that he was the Milton Waddams character. I had a duh moment when my daughter pointed it out to me. Apparently she must have watched Office Space recently, or her memory is sharper than mines. I enjoyed him also in the movie “ Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story,” and the NBC series "NewsRadio," which was not the same after the death of Phil Hartman. Besides being one of the voices for one of the characters on "Finding Nemo," "Ice Age," and “King of the Hill,” Stephen Root seems to keep busy. Currently he is featured in an AT&T commercial reading the Cable Fairy tales as he extols the virtues of AT&T over cable.

Finesse Mitchell: I thought he was good playing the wise cracking security guard foil alongside Roger R. Cross' straight guy. I have occasionally watched him on Saturday Night Live, but never was enthusiastic about the characters he played on the show. I do like his column in Essence Magazine, and feel that he does have a bright future, providing that he finds an unique angle or role that helps him break out of the general black comedian genre.

Roger R. Cross: I have seen him play so many agents, military captains, cops, guards, undercover men that I wondered if they would let him show some emotion, although he still was a bit repressed in the movie. I recently watched him again in “The Chronicles of Riddick.” But when I saw him in the “Mad Money” movie all I could think was: “About time he played somebody's love interest!” Although I felt that they did not really allow enough time for him to smooch with Queen Latifah, I was so happy that they gave him a chance to shine.

Tress Enticers and Tamers.........

When the budget is tight, I have to resort to my old standby mix of olive oil, shea butter and cocoa butter. However, I am all for produced hair products that are produced by Black Folk. I have tried products from Carol'sDaughter, Oyin, Miss Jessies, and Nappy and Happy. As a product junkie, I admit I enjoy trying products when the pocket allows me to do so. Carol's Daughter products are the bomb, along with others. But I enjoy most when the proprietor has sample packs, because that allows me to check most of their products at one time, instead of individually. They do understand that their customers may not like their most popular product, but may fall in love with another product. Nappy and Happy has some nice invigorating and “deep cleansing shampoo with rosemary and clary sage”, called Baby Dreadz. Their Herbal Growth Formula felt nice, but my hair sucked it up without much change. I did like the shampoo, but was won over by Oyin's Grand Poo bar.

I have also tried Miss Jessies's CURLY BUTTERCREME. It had a nice consistency, but I did not like the scent. My hair must have a mind of its own because it did not curl up like the models' on their website did. After spending about forty plus bucks on that hair product including shipping and handling, I gave it to my niece who loved its ability to help mold her hair down for her ponytail. My product sampling was over with the company mainly because I couldn't afford shelling out that kind of money to try a product. But recently I found out that they now have a sample pack. It's about time! I still want make another attempt again to check out more of their products and with their value pack, I can do so without going broke. Basically I will get six products for what I paid to try the Curly Buttercreme. I might try it next month.

I came across Oyin three years ago, and was enticed because they, like Carol's Daughter, did offer a sample pack for a newbie to try.

I truly love Oyin's Greg Juice, and Honey-Hemp Conditioner because of the scent, and how they make my scalp and hair feel. Wintertime can really cause itchy scalp for me and I was relieved to be able to order some of their product recently. My hair really responds to those products as well as Carol's Daughter's Hair Butter, Tui Oil, and Khoret Amen Hair Oil. Their hair butter is the only pomade that I like to wear in the summer. My daughter likes it year round. Now that they are also being sold in Macy's, I'm able to get some without waiting for a shipment. I can't wait to get my shipment of Oyin so I can play in my hair.

Make it fun.............

As a regular reader on Belief.com, I am continually enlightened when I read the daily inspirational quote and story. An aunt and I used to take some exercise classes together last year, and when the weather became colder, we both dropped off. Recently I saw her at a family gathering and she encouraged me to meet her again at the center so we could get back on track. At times I felt clumsy and uncoordinated during the class, but her sense of humor made it fun. Seeing this article reminded me of her request, and I definitely will be there next week.

How to Keep the Energy Going

Avoid "resolution backlash" and keep motivated with these two simple steps.

By Winn Claybaugh (From Belief.com Inspirational stories February 1, 2008)

I love the beginning of a new year. It's a time when many of us think about instituting positive changes in our lives. It's not as if we can't decide to start all over in July and then reinvent ourselves again in November or any other month of the year, but January seems to be the time when most of us decide to make those necessary shifts.

I used to notice that the gym was always packed on January 2, filled with people who suddenly decided it was time to get fit. But by the end of the month, that was no longer the case. Maybe it's because we sometimes view the process of improving ourselves as a chore. If we make things drudgery, will we stick with them? No. They've got to be fun.”.............continued on Belief.com