THAT LEMONADE TASTES GOOD!!!

"I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next. Delicious ambiguity!" ~ Gilda Radner


2009 has turned out to be one of the most intriguing years of my life. If I would have tried to predict the course that it would have taken, I would have been SO wrong! If someone would have told me that I would partially tear and then completely tear my Achilles, that I would have had surgery, that I would not have competed in a single outdoor long jump competition, that I would not have competed in my 10th World Championships, that I would've experienced personal emotional ups and downs, that I would have joined Facebook lol or that I would/could go 8 months without working out at all and still maintain my 6 pack:-), I would have laughed at them over and over again and called them insane!

The fact is, not only have I gone through all that stuff, but I am probably happier than I have been in a long, long time. Sometimes it takes a huge upheaval or change in your life's plan for things to become clear. Our plans are not always His and sometimes without our understanding, we see the blessing that it truly is in the end. My injury forced me to slow down, literally and figuratively. To "smell the roses". To see what else life has to offer aside from track and field and long jumping and rest and lifting weights and traveling. For the past decade and a half, that's ALL I've known! Crazy, when you think about it.

I've become more social, I started playing the piano/keyboard again and I've joined the Women's choir at my church. I've met new people that have nothing to do with track in particular or sports in general. I've spent time with my friends and seen my parents a lot. I've been to dinner and the movies and bowling. I've been to every other comedy club in LA and laughed my head off. I've been to parties and the beach and I've had the time to develop some meaningful relationships.

I've become a Health & Wellness coach. Because of that, my nutrition, which I thought I knew a lot about, has improved significantly and I have to say is the sole reason that I attribute my current physique to. Who knew that you could be as lean and toned as you are from training 3-4 hrs a day just by following a particular nutrition program?? I certainly didn't but I'm so glad that I know now and I love sharing that with people. In that vein, I now co-run a Wellness program at an architectural firm in Santa Monica, with others to come and just got my proposal approved to run a similar program at my church where there is truly a great need.

I went to the Robin Thicke concert last night on a last minute whim and it was OK because I didn't have practice early this morning and so I could come home whenever. Ooooh that concert was fantastic! Love that guy:-) Yes, I've been inconvenienced by my injury and who knows whether my track career is officially over or whether I will be able to go out next year as I had planned, competing and enjoying my beloved sport and officially retiring at the end of 2010. I sure am gonna try but you know what this year has helped me to realize? That I will be OK either way. I've given my all to track and field and so in that regard, I have absolutely no regrets.

Life has a funny way of showing who's in charge and handing out those lemons. But I've made the heck outta some lemonade this year and I am REALLY looking forward to 2010. I know that bigger, better, even more satisfying and fulfilling experiences await me. New opportunities, new adventures, new goals. I'm excited to wake up every day because it just feels more and more like this puzzle that I call life is slowly being pieced together. And I am living and loving every moment of it!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YOU ALL!

SADE - SOLDIER OF LOVE

Back in the day, I used to LOVE Sade! Her music just made and still does make me feel a certain way:-) I've always looked at her and thought she was beautiful, exotic, mysterious, enchanting. It's been a long time since we've heard from her but she's back! This song Soldier of Love is the first single from her upcoming album Fair Use which is set to be released in February. Can't wait!! Maybe I can be like her when I grow up one day, lol!

In the meantime, wet your appetite with this beast of a song. If this doesn't get you feeling right, then I don't know what will....Enjoy!

BIG TIMER!!!!

So I know throughout the many posts that I've written, you've heard me mention the name of my friend, my boy, my pal Chris Spencer. Not only is he a great friend to me, but he's a great father and husband and he's a GREAT comedian! He always emphasizes the fact that he is NOT a comic, he's a comedian. The quote from Milton Berle that he says is, "Comics are people that say funny things. Comedians are people that make things funny".

Anyway, tonight @ 10:30pm at The El Portal Theater in North Hollywood, Chris will be doing the live taping for his upcoming Showtime Special "The Other Chris".



I'm SO happy for him! He's done so much in his career but usually he's the guy introducing everybody else, with mini sets in between the different comedians or he's hosting some charity event or dinner. The thing is, even though he doesn't usually headline, he is often the guy behind the scenes, being "The Other Chris", writing for many of the awards shows or writing jokes for Chris Rock and Jamie Foxx while those guys get all the credit.

Back in the day he hosted The Vibe Show after Arsenio Hall went off the air and he used to be on the Jamie Foxx Tv show. He's been in several movies and commercials on TV but tonight it will be his time to shine and I'm pretty doggoned excited about it. I'm not sure when it's gonna air on Showtime but you can rest assured that I will let you all know when that date is. I'm sure he's gonna be awesome!

If any of you live in the LA area, you might wanna check it out!

***This past week I decided to join the Women's Choir at my church, First AME. A long time ago, I used to sing in a couple different choirs and it's been something I've wanted to do again for a quite a while but someone has finally given me the motivation to do it, without them even knowing that they've inspired me so I just want to say thank you, thank you so much for making me remember how much I love to sing.***

POTPOURRI.....

So things have been going pretty well in the life and times of JE....I really can't complain. I'm pretty much done with my walking boot for the most part unless I have a lot of walking to do, which puts me a whole 2 weeks ahead of schedule and rehab has begun. Woohoo!!!

Last night, I attended So Phresh and So Clean which the one and only Chris Spencer hosted. (I was able to wear a pair of heels again - both feet!:-) It was a mix of up and coming singers performing and then comics doing stand-up between the different sets. One of my friends, Andre Pitre, was singing too and so it was good to catch up with him. Here is a pic of him for all you ladies out there.....



....and yes he is single, 6' 2", 33 yrs old, so if anyone is interested, please send me your resumes lol!! And he sings pretty good too....He'd probably kill me if he knew I had him all up on here like this LOL. Oh well....

My business partner Peggy and I continue to work on our current Design project/job which is still in the initial stages where we're doing drawings, presentations and a lot of the preliminary leg work that has to be done as far as health and business codes when it comes to Commercial Projects.

As much as I have really tried to avoid having any public opinion about the whole Tiger Woods situation, I have to say that I have been somewhat...ok maybe a lot irked by the media, press, tabloids over the past couple of days. First let me put out a disclaimer...****As woman who has been cheated on and lied to by some men that I have dated, I in no way, shape or form, condone, justify, accept, rationalize, tolerate what Tiger did to his wife. That pain cuts deep and the amount of pain, hurt and embarrassment that he has inflicted on her and his family is probably unfathomable and his life and image will forever be changed. As a fellow Stanfordite, I would expect this man to have some more sense, integrity, lol.****

HOWEVER...if my/your name is not Elin, Kultida (his mom), his kids, or Jesus, then I am of the opinion that it's nobody's business but his!!! He does not owe us an explanation regarding his personal failings. He did nothing illegal. He is not our pastor, President, leader, moral compass. He is not a judge, family counselor, or idol. He is a man, who is an athlete, who happens to be exceptionally good at what he does. End of story. If his sponsors require something of him, I could see that. But Joe Schmoe public, Please?? Does the multi-million dollar CEO of some Wall Street company have to go public and confess his extra-marital sins to the public? No, so why should someone else have to do it?

As for the chicks who have come forth with all these texts and the voicemail.....SMH...no comment!

Yesterday, Jim Rome on ESPN's Rome is Burning said that if Tiger Woods didn't want to have to explain his private life and if he didn't want people invading his privacy "he should've never picked up a golf club". REALLY? It just burns me up that people feel they have the right to people's intimate life just because they are famous/popular. Anyway, let me leave this topic alone, I think I've made my point LOL! All I can say is I hope he and his family are able to work everything out one way or another and find some peace and stability.

Well, I better start thinking about my Christmas shopping. I'm not really a last minute shopper but I also don't buy gifts in November either so I better get on it and get my ideas together.

Hope everyone is doing well, feeling blessed....

SO THANKFUL!

Even though we do not celebrate this holiday in the Bahamas, and in spite of the fact that regardless of the many years that I have lived in the US, my family and I have not really adopted the holiday, it takes nothing away from the fact that I have SO much to be thankful for! And at the end of the day, isn't that what Thanksgiving Day is all about. It's inception was somewhat dubious and should not be forgotten but in it's purest, simplest form, it is a beautiful day where we can all stop for a moment and be thankful for all the blessings we have.

I don't even know where to begin and end in an attempt to make a list of all the things that I am grateful for but let me just go off the top of my head.....

Family
Friends
Health
Happiness
Love
Opportunity
Peace of mind
Talent
Laughter
Cute Shoes:-)
Music
BBM
Joy in my life
Hope for the future
Options
A good education
The knowledge that God does answer prayers
Second Chances
My church/pastor
Successful surgery
A comfortable bed
Passion
My upbringing
Long eyelashes
Sports on TV
Smell goods (lotions, perfumes, body mists)
A non-flat booty, lol
Small feet
Books

Ok, ok......as you can see, I could just go on and on but I won't bore you with that lol because the list really is endless when you think about it. So for now I'll just say that I hope you all have a beautiful day spent with those you love:-)

HOW THE OTHER HALF LIVES

A couple days ago, a good friend of mine (who happens to be wealthy) was in town and we decided to go out for dinner. After hanging out for a bit, we ended up eating at this super fabulous Wolfgang Puck steakhouse named Cut that was right across from the hotel he was staying at. We didn't have reservations or anything and apparently at that place there's usually a two to three week waiting list for reservations, or at least so I was told. I would have no personal knowledge of this since I've never eaten there before.

However, him being who he is, he called down and as soon as they heard his name, magically a table was free:-/ Somehow, I'm thinking if I had called, we would've still be waiting lol. Anyway, so we go to the restaurant and we're shown to our table. Within 5 minutes of being seated, we're already being brought appetizers "on the house". The first was some tuna thingy and the second were these miniature Kobe beef burgers....de-lish!!!!!

We ended up splitting a salad because we knew that our meals were going to be filling. We both ordered steaks and sides of cream spinach and some of the most tasty mac and cheese you've ever had. I have to say that I was a little bit skeptical about ordering mac and cheese at this type of restaurant but Lord was it good!

He had a couple glasses of wine and I had a couple drinks. And that was it, no dessert or anything because we were both waay too full. I don't think I'm going out on a limb to say that it was perhaps the BEST steak I've ever had. My mouth is drooling now just thinking about it. So anyway, the bill comes and I glance at it .....$266!!!! My friend doesn't even flinch, meanwhile I'm sitting there quietly thinking WTH??? Who ate that amount of food and simultaneously, Thank God I don't have to pay for this because I might have to go in the back to wash some dishes lol. But seriously, the appetizers were free, we had one salad between us, two entrees, a couple of drinks each and no dessert. Crazy!

He calmly pulls out some $100 dollar bills and gives them to me to pay and I say "So do you just normally walk around with $100's in your pocket?" to which he replies that he has another friend who's even more wealthy than he his who gives him $20, $30, $50,000 cash every time he sees him just for no reason! Just because they're good friends!!! What??? Please try to picture the incredulous look on my face at this point and time. Why would one rich person give another rich person cash of all things? And why was our appetizer "on the house"? They know he can afford it! And why does he need complimentary champagne in his hotel room? All I could do is shake my head and say, "Must be nice!!"

I can't even begin to imagine a life like that, where cost is a complete non-issue and people just give you expensive, free things all the time. Just seems kinda backwards don't you think? Luckily, I'm not a materialistic person, but I have to say it sure is fun to see how the other half lives every once in a while....

We definitely had a great time but after he paid for my valet, which he insisted on, I jumped in my Chevy Equinox and happily drove back off to reality....truth is, my world ain't too bad either:-)

MY KINDA GUY

Over the years, I've dated a wide variety of guys. Those who know me, will know that the number of actual men is not high. I'm not sure why or why not. For some reason, I've just never been attracted to loads and loads of men. Call it picky, call it selective, call it unlucky, who knows? Some of my friends have the ability to find this guy attractive, and that one and the other one, any time, all the time. I would have to say that sometimes I've envied that. I could seriously go years without finding one guy wholly appealing - physically, spiritually, mentally, personality, manners - you know the whole package.

I have a lot of male friends, friends who I can totally see why someone else would absolutely love them and who on paper it would make perfect sense for me to be attracted to them, but maybe there's a faulty mechanism in my brain that only allows me to like one or two guys every 3 or 4 years lol. There was a period of time, between 2002 and 2005 where I only was "involved" with one guy that played tennis (and for those of you who read my blog that know who I'm talking about, please keep it to yourselves:-) and that was only for a couple weeks. THAT's IT! Not another date, not a nothing else. Sad, yes I know:-(

I think I've spent so many of my years traveling and doing the track thing with my whole heart and being that it's just never been a priority. During that time I have dated white guys, black guys, a hispanic guy and in-between guys. At Stanford, my first boyfriend ever was white - the quarterback of the football team - how cliche??!! Let me add quickly though that at that time, fresh off the boat from The Bahamas, I had absolutely NO comprehension of the game of football. Didn't know a quarterback from a running back from a hump back of Notredame. Seriously, no clue. That didn't stop the naysayers from claiming that I thought I was white and was only dating this guy because of his position on the team. If only they had known that a) I don't discriminate lol and b) that for all I knew he was just one of a group of men in similar uniforms who liked to play this game with no rules (in my mind) who just knocked each other down over and over for no apparent reason. By my senior year, thankfully I knew what was going on lol.

I've dated internationally too - a black model from France (worst mistake EVER), a white guy from Germany, an Australian, a Cuban and then my lovely American boys. For one reason or another, I've ended up dating a number of guys that are significantly younger than me. Not sure why. I will say I am not a chaser, so these young men have been the ones who pursued me and since they've been so lovely, what's a girl to do??

I've often wondered what exactly is my kinda guy. I don't really think I have a type per se, but there are certain things that seem to be more prevalent than not in the men I've loved. Tall (well mostly), athletic, intelligent, uber confident, great smiles, charming, funny - you HAVE to have a sense of humor, and they've been high on the handsome scale:-) It's not that I look for that specifically, it's just that these traits seem to be common to them all. However, because of these qualities, these men tend to have more "options" so to speak and a fair number of them have chosen to exercise those options if you know what I mean. Sometimes it's hurt a lot, sometimes not as much. But you just pick yourself up, dust yourself off and move on, knowing that Mr. Right is still out there, right ladies?

I know what I DON'T LIKE - selfishness, rudeness, men that are inconsiderate, who treat their mother's poorly, I can't do the vertically challenged thing - sorry - I'm 5'8 1'2 and when I put on heels, I'm bordering on 6ft so a guy that's also 5'8" or less, probably not gonna work. Unhealthy or unfit men, I don't like them. I love guys that take care of themselves or who workout. They don't have to be athletes as such, just athletic. Poor hygiene is a HUGE turnoff. Can you really get past consistent bad breath? I don't think so lol. Or someone with bad B.O.??? Ewwww! If you did not just finish working out, etc, there's no excuse. The ladies know there's a lot of bonus points out there for a good smelling guy!!! Get your Bath & Body on too please (if you need some help I highly recommend Warm Vanilla body lotion) and a little bit and I did say a little cologne (don't bathe in it). Just can't deny a great smelling guy! (That rhymed, haha...) Anyway, Oh yeah and cut your hair - no shaggy monsters for me (well maybe one time I went there, lol).

Can you have some table manners too? No smacking your lips while you're eating! Know how to use your fork and knife properly. Please don't talk with your mouth just loaded with food. Be kind to your waitstaff. I hate it when people are rude and pushy with the people who serve them at restaurants. Says a lot about a person's character or lack thereof. And can we talk about something other than hip-hop music or popular culture? I need you to know a little about what's going on in the world. Is that too much to ask for?

I know I'm all over the place with this post lol and I'm not sure what prompted the topic. I just know that I know that I like what I like when I see it. Can't predict it, can't explain it. My kinda guy is thoughtful and genuine and adventurous and honest and chivalrous and passionate and silly and intellectual. He's intense but laid-back, he's tough but gentle, he's serious and funny, he can dress up and he can dress down. The older I get, the more I know what I like...And who knows, maybe I've found him already:-) It's possible, but only time will tell.....

WHAT's HAPPENING?

Man, it's been about a week since I blogged last. I've been doing some work, having fun, and spending time with people that matter to me. It's been a bit of a whirlwind but I feel as if sometimes everything in your life happens for a reason and you end up in just the right place at just the right time.

I did finally get my cast off on Monday!!! Woohoo!!! I'm SO happy about that! After not being able to put my foot on the ground for 6 weeks, it's amazing how such a relatively small action could bring me that much joy, lol, albeit in a boot. The boot itself makes me feel as if I'm about to walk on the moon but at this point I'd wear anything on my foot as long as I was able to weight bear again. I've been using both crutches for the past few days but today marked the first day where I could use one for the most part.

My scar doesn't look too bad either. It's pretty long, but all things considered, it's healing rather well, at least in my opinion.


I think with some Mederma and cocoa butter, it will hardly be visible by the time all is said and done.

I've been out to dinner a couple times at two great restaurants, one Italian and a steakhouse. On Wednesday, I did something that I've never done before, thanks to the generosity of a good friend of mine. My BFF Peggy and I were treated to a day at a spa. We went to this place called Burke Williams - the Torrance location. We had facials, massages and pedicures and it was AWESOME and I have soft skin and pretty pink toes to prove it:-) I had NO idea that I was missing such luxury and I, Ms. Low Maintenance, will definitely go back at some point.

I saw the movie Precious and now I understand what all the Oscar buzz is about. It was moving and funny and sad and powerful and touching and uplifting and emotional all at once. If you haven't seen it, do yourself a favor and go see it.

I went to the bookstore and bought the Andre Agassi biography and am looking forward to reading it. Add to that a little shopping (bought a new pair of boots and a new purse), and a meeting for a new commercial interior design project that Urban Safari Design will be undertaking and this week has just flown by.

And I can't wait for the next one.....hope you all feel as blessed as I do.

THE SILVER LINING

Yesterday marked exactly five weeks since I had my surgery and if all goes according to plan, I should be getting my cast removed on Monday and getting a boot, which I will have to wear for another 6 weeks:-( To say that these weeks have not been trying and frustrating, at times humbling and other times aggravating, would be a great understatement. Anyone who knows me though knows that what I may lack in other areas, I definitely make up for in being able to make the best out of any situation. Maybe it's all my years of jumping and competing but I just seem to have an innate ability to not focus on the negatives and to just maintain a healthy optimism.

That ability has certainly been put to the test in these weeks. I did manage to still keep some portions of the schedule I had planned for myself prior to my injury and just refused to allow for too many moments of self-pity. For all the trouble it's been living in a 3 story apartment, having to go up and down the stairs every day, falling 3 times (twice very badly), I started thinking yesterday about all the blessings that I've also had during this time.

For obvious reasons, you are FORCED to just slow down figuratively and literally, and take a look at your life. I've been ripping and running for the better part of 15 plus years, never slowing down, never really looking around me to truly appreciate all that I've been blessed with. I began compiling in my mind all the things that I've come to realize and appreciate over the past 5 weeks. Here are my top 10 things, in no particular order:

1) Who knew that people were SO helpful?? Being on crutches has allowed me to see the best in people - I've had more doors opened for me, my gas pumped, errands ran, bags carried. If you think everyone around you is cynical, just break a leg or tear a tendon and get on some crutches, lol and you will see the true humanity of complete strangers.

2) I've met some REALLY outstanding people recently, just because I've been able to take the time to do a few more things socially - Events or outings I would have never gone to had I been on my usual busy/hectic training and travel schedule.

3) I've been reading some really good books.

4) I've had the chance to see my parents and my brother far more often than I normally would be able to just because I've had the time to.

5) I'm pretty sure I've caught up on all my beauty rest:-). When you train as hard as we do and travel all the time, your body just is completely over-extended and often exhausted and I am definitely rested lol.

6) I've been able to communicate/stay in touch with my friends a lot more frequently. Instead of just thinking I should call or talk to someone, I've just done it!

7) I think because I've been a pretty healthy person, I've taken for granted the fact that my body functions properly, arms, legs, mind, everything - when you're incapacitated yourself, you actually tend to realize just how many other people are in your same predicament, if not worse. The other day when I wasn't feeling too good because I had fallen, I saw this guy go by on crutches as well and was about to tell myself, yep there's another one just like me....and then I looked more closely and saw that he only had one leg! Whatever I was feeling vanished in an instant because the truth is, in a matter of weeks, I will be able to walk again. Not so for this guy. So....GET OVER IT Jackie!!

8) I've actually learned how to ask for help. I'm still working on this one. I like to be independent and feel that I get things done myself. Plus I hate bothering people, but I've become aware that there are simply times in your life when you just need help. Plain and simple. There are no awards being handed out for taking 30 minutes to get my laundry basket up the stairs myself to the laundry room when I could just as easily ask my roommate for help, particularly when she's told me to ask her for help whenever I need it. (Learned that one the hard way:-/)

9) I don't have to be going at 100miles an hour to be productive. I'm involved in some relatively new work and I've realized that I can be effective right here from my bed. Just have to think outside the box a little and that in and of itself is rewarding and beneficial in the long run.

10) I HAVE GREAT FRIENDS! They have been here for me in every way - in thought, in words and in deeds. And I have really seen that now more clearly than ever.

While I wouldn't want to have to go through this experience again....I have to admit that this cloud has had the most beautiful silver lining and I can't really ask for much more than that!!

HALLOWEEN '09

I haven't blogged very much lately because I've been pretty busy. Busy trying to get my leg better, busy with my friends, and just busy with the business of life. But last night me and my girls Erica and Peggy took some time out to go to a Halloween party at my boy Marcellus Wiley's house.

At first I could not figure out what to go as, given my crutches and cast. Should I just wear a costume and just hope people could look beyond the visual of me crutching around or should I try to actually incorporate the crutches into my costume in some kind of way. I couldn't think of anything myself so I asked for suggestions on Facebook and a relatively new friend of mine, MarcAnthony, came up with the winning idea. He suggested I go as a "sexy":-/ wounded soldier. What a great idea!!!

I had a camouflage jacket and mini skirt in my closet that I would never wear together in the real world lol, I had a pair of brown Puma boots that I've had for over a year but could never quite figure out why or when to wear them, I had the perfect cap and I had this belt that I'd bought in Germany years ago but hardly ever wore either. Add an ace wrap on my forearm and a bandage to my cheek, along with my cast and crutches and Voila!!.....Wounded soldier! Thanks MarcAnthony!!

Erica went as a sexy doctor and Peggy informed us that she was a fairy princess from the land of Mermaidia.....lol, whatever works right?? We got there at around 10:30 or so and let me tell you Marcellus went 100% full throttle with the Halloween thing. His house was fully decorated, lots of food, lots of drinks, good music and then of course there were the costumes. What can I say about the costumes???? I saw a little of everything pretty much - from scary, to sexy, to scandalous:-/, to clever, to funny, to "no you did NOT"!!!!

I only had one drink of the "witches brew". I figured since I already have a penchant for falling (I've fallen 3 times since I've been on these crutches) when I'm completely sober, I better not get inebriated. My costume turned out to be a hit, I'm happy to report. Everyone kept asking me if I was really injured or not. "Are you hurt for real? Cause if not, man you sure went all out!" I think I heard that at least 50 times, no exaggeration.

We ended up having a really good time and finally left at around 2 something in the morning and the party was still going full force and the host himself was in rare form:-) My poor left leg was exhausted though from all that standing around. Thank goodness for that extra hour of sleep this morning so I could make it to church on time and give thanks to the Man above for the fact that I only have one more week and one day in the cast before I get switched to a boot. Woohoo!!!

Anyway, here are just a few pics from our night of fun! If you click on them, you can see everything a little more clearly/in detail.

Me, Erica (Dr. Chocolate Love) and Peggy


Erica and Peggy


I thought this guy's costume was pretty clever - he was a "Cereal Killer", get it? LOL...


A pic from the room where people were dancing


Me and Cedric the Entertainer

IT'S ONLY SKIN DEEP!

While I was away, I had a pretty interesting conversation with my girls Kinta and Latika, the essence of which was as follows....For the life of me, I have never understood people who brag or boast or place such a heavy emphasis on how they look, most specifically, on how pretty or handsome they are. To me, it's actually a sign of insecurity or shallowness or the fact that something else is missing.

Cause let's be real, no one who is pretty or beautiful or fine had very much of anything to do with that fact. OK, so maybe you wash your face every night and drink lots of water so your skin is nice or you wear sunblock or you know how to apply makeup really well, but when it comes down to the raw basics, I'm gonna say you were just lucky! I say if you wanna brag or boast something, or thank somebody maybe you should thank your parents for having such great genes.

Thank God too, for genetic symmetry and for Him seeing fit to bless you with it. Beauty is not like a sport where you have to work really hard day in and day out to accomplish a goal; it's not an instrument where you have to practice consistently to be proficient at it; it's not a language that you studied really hard at in order to be fluent; it's not a degree that you worked for and so therefore proudly get to put those letters either before or after your name.It's not even like your body where you can actually really workout and sculpt it to achieve the look you want. Beauty is none of those things! You can't/don't earn it. And it is fleeting.

There will come a day when this crutch, so superficial and temporary, will fade and what will be left? I say work on the inside and that beauty which lasts forever. Give me an average looking person with a heart of gold any day over a stunner with that snob, better than thou attitude.

If you hang your hat on your looks and ride that so hard to the deficit of things that really matter in your life, it's really only a matter of time before the ugliness that narcicissm inherently fosters will show itself. And that is definitely NOT a good look. Now if you happen to have both, looks and character/personality, then more power to you. Who doesn't want to look the best they can? But it just shouldn't be THE feather in your cap. Your looks should not define who you are as a person cause guess what?.....it's only skin deep!

PS. After a conversation I just had, let me clarify myself lol. I think there's nothing wrong with being confident about your appearance and putting time and effort into making sure you present yourself well. It matters for sure. I'm just saying, if you are confident or proud of your looks, there's no need to brag about it or to feel that anyone else is less than you because of it. It should speak silently for itself.


****I had a WONDERFUL trip!!!! There's really nothing better than getting to spend time with your friends and people who you love and care about. Everyone took such great care of the cripple, lol, and I am so grateful. From great food (bacon wrapped scallops, wow!!!), great conversations, some much needed QT, a great movie (you gotta see Law Abiding Citizen!!!), and just great hospitality all around and lovely homes, I couldn't have asked for more. Thanks everyone:-)****

LORD HAVE MERCY......

If you have not yet heard Robin Thicke's new song "Sexual Therapy" you are definitely missing out and all I can say is Lord.Have.Mercy!!!! This is what I call "baby making music", lol. The song is beautiful and sexy and you could probably get into a whole lotta trouble if you are with that special someone:-) It has a Maxwell sort of feel. I don't really need to say much more except to say listen at your own risk lol.......



I went to the Dr. a couple days ago to have my cast changed and my leg is looking like a little kid's - not attractive, let me tell you! The incision is really long, about 4 to 5 inches but from the looks of things, my scar won't be too bad. I'm gonna be taking a trip tomorrow and will be seeing some of my favorite people while I'm gone. In spite of the hassle that I will have to endure with the crutches and being wheeled around in a wheelchair through the airports, etc, it's definitely going to be worth it!! I probably won't be blogging while I'm gone cause I'll be otherwise occupied.... Hope you all have a great weekend. I know I will:-)

RIDE OR DIE

Do any of you have a "ride or die" friend? Someone who you would do anything for and vice versa? Well for the past 8 days, my friend Joice has been here in LA visiting me. When we originally planned for her to come down, we had no idea that my Achilles surgery would have ended up being the day before her arrival. Once I found out, I made the offer to her to come at another time where she wouldn't be dealing with an invalid, but she said no, that she would be perfectly fine coming regardless.

To say that we had a lovely time would be an understatement...we had a really really good time! I cannot begin to express to her how much I appreciate her time, her friendship and her concern. Joice was the best caretaker a girl could ask for:-) I live in a 3 storey apartment and for a person taking Vicodin for several days, negotiating steps on crutches would not have probably been such a good idea. She did everything for me from making my breakfast nutrition shakes every morning, to driving us to and from everywhere we went, to carrying my bags for me, running errands with me, going to the dr with me, to getting things out of my closet that I couldn't necessarily reach. Joice you spoiled me and in fact you did SUCH a good job taking care of me that I haven't left the house since you left this morning because I think I've convinced myself that I need you:-/ (I think I was just going through withdrawals lol - I'll get out and go to church tomorrow).

She never complained about anything and really and truly showed me the depth and breadth of our friendship. I tried my best to show her a good time in spite of my incapacitation. We went to church, we went to The Comedy Store one night, we went shoe shopping (don't think a little surgery is gonna stop that!!), we went out to eat a bunch of times,we went to the nail salon for my 3rd ever pedicure, we went to Melrose Ave. AND we went to several drug and beauty supply stores.....Joice's all time favorite past time, lol.

Anyway, I just wanted her to know how much I appreciate the time she spent with me. It's something I'll always remember.The time flew by and my girl has gone and left me BUT since I will be in Atlanta next weekend, we"ll definitely be hooking up again.

Here are a few pics from our week together....

Ms. Joice herself


Me, Joice and my friend Kai


Me getting my pedicure


The end result...


Me trying on my new pair of shoes at the store (well one foot at least lol)


Joice doing the same


Close up shot of Joice's shoes (she didn't buy them, Boo!!:-/)


At a park in Culver City with my "leg weight" - this cast is SO heavy!!!!


Me and Joicie:-)


I miss you already my sister........

GOSPEL SINGING + JAPANESE CHOIR= ????

So yesterday I was feeling well enough to head out to church and since my girl Joice is in town visiting and doing her best "nurse Maduaka" impersonation:-), I really wanted to take her to my church so she could see where I spend my Sunday mornings and so I could go to the House of The Lord myself and give thanks to Him for bringing me through my surgery safe and sound. It was a bit of struggle - picture wearing heels on my left leg, a super heavy/thick temporary cast/splint on my right leg, trying to keep my purse on my shoulder and not look too crazy while crutching down the aisle to my seat:-( but it was definitely worth it!

It was a great service as usual at First AME Los Angeles but we had a special treat by a 100 Voice choir from Tokyo, Japan. Who knew they got down like that in Tokyo?? They sang two songs and I THOROUGHLY enjoyed their performances, so much so that I stood up on my crutches throughout their songs just so that I could see better and fully appreciated their talent.

I just checked on Youtube and luckily someone has posted some personal video clips of them singing yesterday. It's not the best quality but I just wanted to give you an idea of what they sounded and looked like. Try to watch it all the way through so you can see them work.it.out. lol! I'm sure it will bring a smile to your face because they were fantastic. Enjoy!

IN YOUR PRAYERS.....

"You've been more to me than a friend...
We've shared more than most people do--
feelings that time won't erase
No words can ever let you know
the peace I feel when you are near
In times of trouble, your eyes express
exactly what I need to hear
In times of joy, your smile says
you're sharing what I feel
In times of doubt, I always knew
I could trust in your loyalty
We've stood the test across the miles
and watched our friendship grow
I've come to learn, when it comes to friends,
there's no one quite like you."

---Marie Grady Palcic


Tomorrow is a pretty big day for me. I haven't talked about it all on here but most of my close friends know that about a month ago, unfortunately I had an accident and re-injured my Achilles tendon, this time tearing it....completely. I was 4 months into my recovery and things were going really well. I had been back in the weight room for about 3 or 4 weeks. I still wasn't 100% but I was getting there and then, SNAP, I heard it go one day when I moved in a way that I guess I wasn't ready to yet. The MRI confirmed that there is nothing left holding my tendon together. Even though I've been walking around since then, albeit extremely slowly and carefully, I've HAD to wear high heels all the time to keep my tendon shortened. I'm so over high-heeled shoes right now!!!

Insurance paperwork and delays and approvals have held me back from having surgery sooner but tomorrow at 11am I will be undergoing Achilles surgery to repair it. As nervous and apprehensive as I am, I know it's for the best but to say that I'm not a bit of a nervous wreck today and that my eyes haven't welled up a few times would be a grave understatement. I am praying for God's mercy and blessing and I'm praying that I will come out OK. I've been told that the risk of re-injury once someone has this surgery is very low so for that reason alone, I'll be glad to get it over and done with.

I will be 6 weeks in a cast/on crutches and then another 6 weeks in a boot:-( and I'm sure it won't be the easiest thing in the world but I refuse to let it hold me down and I'm gonna do my best to keep my chin up and get through it.

My friends have been HOLDING ME DOWN! and I'm SO grateful and beyond everything else, it's times like these that I really realize how much I NEED them and how important they are to me. Love and friendship are equal on my list and one would mean nothing without the other. So I want to say thanks. You know who you are....:-)

Keep me in your prayers blog family....I'll update as soon as I'm able.

BLOGGER FAMILY

I wrote a blog with this exact same title last year some time when I wrote about my friend Jewells. Initially, she was someone I only knew through commenting on one another's blogs, but last year when she was coming down to Orlando for a visit, we finally met and we have since become really good friends who chat frequently, laugh a lot and advise and counsel.

A couple weeks ago, another blog friend and family member, Kinta, messaged me on Facebook to let me know that she and her sister would be coming to LA for a few days for some fun, shopping and relaxation and that perhaps if time and schedules permitted, we should get together. It's been a pretty hectic week for me and I have a lot going on, but I definitely wanted to make the time to meet them both. Kinta has been a very supportive and consistent blog friend and has often commented on my blog, Dave's blog and Brianna's. Sometimes you can get a such a positive vibe from a person without ever even speaking to them, where you just get that feeling in your core that you are dealing with a good, sweet spirit. Such is the case with Kinta.

Anyway, last night after a VERY long day for me, I agreed to meet them both at the Xbar at the Hyatt Regency where they were staying. It was a really cool spot and we enjoyed great conversation, food and music and it felt as if we'd known each other for ages. She was how I imagined her to be....genuine and funny. She and her sister have such a great relationship and friendship and I was glad to share the time that I did with them.

We covered everything from The Housewives of ATL, to relationships, to track, to work and just had a good ol' time. I will be doing some traveling in the next few weeks coming up and one of the places I will be spending a few days is Atlanta and so we will definitely be getting together again. Once again, I just have to say how this blog has given me way more than I could have ever expected and I am grateful for that.

Here's a picture from our evening together last night.

FABULOUS FIGHT NIGHT!

So I am a huge fight fan. In fact, one of the things on my bucket list is to go to Vegas for a big fight and watch it live and in person and I am determined to make this happen. I had been looking forward to this Mayweather/Marquez fight for some time now and earlier in the week I was really trying to figure out where in the heck I was gonna watch the fight.

As luck would have it, my friend Marcellus Wiley text me on Thursday to invite me to his house for a fight party that he was having at his new home in Chatsworth. Perfect! I invited my BFF Peggy to go with me and my girl Monica, who as it turned out was already invited herself. She was also invited to another fight party but a) I didn't hear whose party she said it was when we were on the phone and b) I figured we'd go to Marcellus house first anyway.

The night started outed innocently enough. The three of us trekked over to his house and to say that we were impressed with his home would be a huge understatement!! The house was beautiful and grand and I guess that's how the ballers do it:-)...I'm guessing 8 to 10,000 sq. ft. Who knows? There were so many TVs too, lol. He told me there were over 20 TVs in the house and they weren't just put up for the fight. Anyway, we made ourselves comfortable, ate some food and had a drink. Cool. Let's sit and watch the undercards and get ready for the main event.

At some point before the main fight did get underway, Monica gets a call and her friend is telling her to come to watch the fight at the other person's house and she seriously wants to go. I look at her incredulously saying that I actually want to SEE the fight and that I don't really care where we are. I'm thinking can't we go to this other place AFTER the fight? Plus I'm not dressed to go anywhere else...I'm just wearing a T-shirt and jeans (albeit cute skinny jeans and silver wedges:-). Peggy is indifferent but I can tell Monica really wants to go so somewhat begrudginly I agree to leave....

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that her friend was at Eddie Murphy's house. Somehow Monica knows everyone it seems and she tells me that she's been there before when he had another fight party and that it was fabulous. Since I'm a slow driver:-(, I let her drive my car and we drive like bats outta hell to get there in time.

It's amazing what perspective can do. I thought Marcellus' home was so gigantic, to the point where I was saying I didn't think I could live there and then we arrived at Mr. Murphy's house!!!!!! GOOD LORD!!! I can't even guess the square footage but I can say that it looked like a resort lol. There were easily over 200 people there, TVs set up around the pool, the tennis court was tented and a huge viewing screen in there. Add waiters, food, open bars, a DJ and dance floor set up like a boxing ring and you can begin to get an idea of the scope of what I'm talking about.

The list of attendees included everyone from Magic Johnson, to Sugar Ray Leonard to Martin Lawrence to Eddie himself, John Singleton (who knew he was SO short), Arsenio and trust me the list goes on and on and on. Monica knows everyone but Peggy and I felt like we had our necks on a swivel lol. But we kept our cool and just enjoyed the ambience, the food, the fun. Why did I run into my boy Chris and his wife. He said to me "Hey, what are you doing here? I'm supposed to be your only celebrity friend". LOL!!

Anyway, as you all know the fight went as predicted. Money Mayweather won in a unanimous decision. I didn't really want to be the chick walking around taking pictures so I'm sorry I only took two. One of the three of us ladies and one when we had moved out by the pool and I could take a photo of the back of the house from where I was sitting. The whole house couldn't even fit in the lens so picture what you see times 3 or 4....SMH....

Once again, I had an awesome night, spent time with my girls, met some super cool people and had some good food and drinks. Sometimes you have the most fun when you least expect it....I had a ball!





Monica just sent me this pic so I figured I'd add it...

BLIND TO YOU

This is for all those of you who have haters out there....we all have them. Those people who just dislike you for no reason, just cause you're you, just cause you're doing well, doing your thing, livin' your life... and livin' it well. Call it jealousy, cause is self-dissatisfaction, call it whatever, it just is what it is....won't ever make or break my day. My mind goes back to a time earlier this year when this "anonymous" person did some shady stuff....still makes me SMH when you think of what a desperate person will do....You have to think if people were satisfied with their own lives, they wouldn't be worried about yours! Je suis toujours ici!

Anyway.....this is one of my favorite songs right now. It's by a reggae artist named Collie Buddz. He's a white guy from Bermuda and he is DOING IT!!! Yes, there are white Caribbean people:-) So for all the haters out there....I'm "Blind To You", lol....

(For all of you that know me personally, you know that I don't swear at all, so please excuse the cuss words in the song:-( I decided to post this you-tube version of the song with the words written even though they're not 100% correct for my friends who don't understand Patois (word for Jamaican slang), which is pretty much everyone lol.)




****Sidebar...I was just thinking....Do any of you know someone who can make your heart beat faster and slower at the same time? I do:-)****

JOHN WOODEN PYRAMID OF SUCCESS AWARDS

A couple nights ago, courtesy of my boy, again no other than Mr. Chris Spencer, my roommate Erica and I attended the 1st Annual John Wooden Pyramid of Success Awards, where Chris was once again the host. I swear this brother knows EVERY person in LA!!! I guess it helps that he's good at being a host, but I'm constantly awed and impressed by the number of times his services are requested.

It was a pretty formal evening and the event was sponsored by HAX (Hangar Athletic Xchange) and the HAX Foundation. The HAX facility is located in Hawthorne and is housed in a gigantic former airplane hangar and is fully equipped with basketball courts, volleyball courts, weightroom facilities, offices, screening rooms, training rooms, pretty much everything that you can imagine an athlete would need. Coupled with a great coaching staff and administrators, HAX is an awesome place for athletes of all levels from high school to the pros to come and have a great workout/training environment.

Coach John Wooden the former UCLA basketball and the all-time winningest collegiate coach was honored with the first ever Life Time Achievement Award which celebrated not only his philosophies but the influence he has had universally nurturing athletes, executives and community leaders alike. He is most noted for his Pyramid of Success



which many coaches have used over the years as a formula/guideline for their sporting programs and athletes.

There were several other honorees as well including among others legendary sportscaster Dick Vitale, Laila Ali (Muhammed Ali's daughter and former undefeated boxer), and Paul Pierce (Boston Celtic B-ball player). It was a fun evening and the food was pretty delicious. I met a few of the athletes and Erica and I basically just enjoyed ourselves (as we always do:-).

Here are just a couple pics from our night out....

Me, Chris and E-dub



E-dub and Chris



Me and Paul Pierce



View from my seat....



Me and Chris


Ms. Laila Ali on the big screen



PS. My outfit looked pretty good in person (in fact a few people told me so).....but not so good in the pictures for some reason lol, so I've saved you all the trouble of critiquing it and cropped myself in all the shots:-( Not sure what was happening in the photos....

POWER CLEANS/ LONG JUMP 101

A new friend of mine on Facebook from Great Britain sent me a link today that I have never seen before and it made me smile. The first clip is of me doing power cleans down in Orlando at the Wide World of Sports Complex at Disney with strength coach extraordinaire Randy Hadley:-) My technique is OK, not THE best but I get the job done. Looks like I'm putting up about 185lbs (82.5kilos) in this video.. Thanks Randy for all your help!




This next clip is of coach Brooks Johnson talking about the long jump and the physics involved. He sure does make it sound easy....lol...just stay in the air for one second, done deal!!

MADE OVER

For the past several weeks, Caster Semenya, the 18 year old girl that won the 800m at the recent World Championships in Berlin has been under SEVERE scrutiny about her gender. Specifically, was she born and is she a male or is she a female. The arguments and discrepancy has gone from everything including is she a hermaphrodite to does she have too much testosterone in her body to be eligible to compete with other females.

As much as I feel that the IAAF (governing Track body) needs to ensure an even playing field so to speak, I am not sure the manner in which they went about verifying her gender has been appropriate. For one thing, this is a young person, for goodness' sake, not an inanimate object. She is a human being and I think they could have been a lot less callous and a lot more discreet in their attempts to sort everything out.

Back in the day, up until the 1996 Olympic Games, ALL FEMALES had to take a gender certification test two days prior to the start of their event and upon verification, you were issued a credit card like card to carry around with you with your picture and personal statistics. I didn't think it was a big deal at all. And just in case you were wondering, no they did not make you drop your pants in order to check, lol, it was a simple swab in both sides of your mouth that took all of about 10 seconds. Here's my card that I still have to prove it. So yes, if you've ever wondered, I am definitely a female:-)



Anyway, Ms. Semenya has undergone numerous tests following her dramatic win in Berlin and so far, the only thing they've come up with is that she has 3 times the level of testosterone in her body than the average female. I don't know what is the limit that you're allowed, naturally or otherwise to still be eligible. I'm pretty sure I probably have more testosterone in me than the average female too though. There must be a reason why my body can gain muscle SO quickly. The body of a female track athlete just is not "typical".

Semenya has since gone home and been treated to a fairly major makeover and is appearing on the cover of a magazine looking decidedly more "feminine". Here are a couple pics - one of her at World's and one of her on the magazine cover.





Now I don't know what the outcome of this situation will eventually be. I pray for her sake that everything works out just fine. If it doesn't, then fair is fair and she should not be allowed to compete with other females. I guess time will tell but in the mean time a little empathy and compassion wouldn't hurt.

ALBUM RELEASE PARTY

So last night, I mustered up the energy and went with my friend Seun to Whitney Houston's album release party in Hollywood at Cinespace. I was a little tired from a pretty long day but I decided to go support my boy Chris as he was the host for the night. I ended up having a really good time. It was a nice mix of honoring Ms. Houston, Chris telling some good jokes, and some up and coming artists performing as well.

As usual, I met some pretty cool people. I was hanging out with this girl who's on Jamie Foxx's Sirius radio show called Foxxhole and actor Michael Jai White. We had a pretty nice conversation and he turned out to be a really nice guy. He's a black belt in seven different martial art forms and was in among other things Spawn and Tyler Perry's "Why Did I Get Married".

I would have to say though that the highlight of the night was when we were treated to a performance on the drums by Jay-Z's drummer, Tony Royster Jr. I cannot begin to explain to you how AWESOME and IMPRESSIVE he was!!!! I think I sat there the whole time with my mouth agape. Seriously. I didn't know someone could do that with some drums. It almost seemed as if he had 4 arms and 4 legs!! This isn't his performance from last night and to be honest this isn't quite as good as he was last night but just so you can get an idea of what I'm talking about you can check out a youtube clip of him playing here..



WOW!!

Anyway, the night was getting late and Seun and I were getting tired so we actually left before the lady of the night arrived. As much as I would have loved to have seen her, we decided to call it a night. Here are a couple pics though from our evening of fun.

Me, The Foxxhole Girl (I can't remember her name:-/), and Michael Jai


Chris, Seun, and me


One of the comics and Seun


A couple other new friends and me

SHE'S BAAAAACK!

I used to be a huge Whitney Houston fan, back in the days of "All At Once", "How Will I Know", "I'm Every Woman" and of course "I Will Always Love You". I could really go on and on about the songs of hers which I have loved over the years and the ones where you couldn't tell me that I didn't sound just like her, lol, as I sang along over the track. No telling what that would've really sounded like if someone had turned the music off:-/

However, somewhere along the way, she lost her way. Between Bobby and the drugs and whatever else she got into Whitney Houston was not Whitney Houston. She was so wholesome and sweet and beautiful and most definitely had the voice of an angel. By the time she was on the Whitney and Bobby reality show, I'm not sure who that person was.

Here's the thing though - we ALL go through trials and tribulations and ups and downs. Some more difficult and trying than others but when you have to live your troubles out in the public eye, it cannot be easy. Everybody judging you, pointing fingers, saying things that perhaps are not true, embellishing the truth and making the worst seem even worse.

Fast forward to today and Whitney Houston is BACK! She performed on Good Morning America today and while her voice might not quite be what it used to be, she is still beautiful and had a great spirit and her Mom, Cissy was still standing there, right there beside her daughter. And at the end of the day, isn't that what we all need? Our friends and family and those who really do love and care for us to be still standing there, when many others have disappeared, when times get hard and you need them most.

A couple days ago, I got some not so good news, which I won't get into now but suffice to say, when I needed someone to lean on the most, I knew who to count on. Distance or not. We all need people like that in our lives and I am TRULY grateful:-)

Whitney has that in spades. There are lots of people who care for her and want to see her do well and love seeing Old School Whitney, as I like to call her, lol , come back. I love the first two songs from the album that I've heard. She has weathered the storm and she is back!

Here is her performance of one of those songs from Good Morning America today. (Thanks to my boy Avard for the heads up:-) Enjoy....

PS. My friend Chris Spencer, host extraordinaire, lol, is hosting her official album release party tonight being thrown by Arista Records and he has invited me to come. I guess I'll clear the calendar and check it out. If I must, lol....just kidding. I'm really gonna try to make it and post pictures tomorrow if I can.

DANCEHALL QUEEN

When you think of the term "Dancehall Queen" the normal image that comes to mind is typically a Jamaican, black, 20-something year old. I saw this video posted on my friend Monique Hennagan's Facebook page several days ago and it brings a huge smile to my face because this little girl from South Africa is WORKING IT OUT!!! She's 7 years old and she would put many a grown up to shame! (Not me of course, since I am a closet dancing machine, lol, but you know I have to maintain my rep so I don't put all my skills out there:-)

She is pretty impressive!! How would you compare???

FINALLY FACEBOOK!

So I know I'm probably the last person on earth to sign up for a Facebook account, lol, and for that matter by now, maybe most people have already moved on to Twitter, who knows? I am accustomed to be the last to try out everything. It's just the way I am and I'm comfortable with that, but I finally bit the bullet and signed up about 2 weeks ago on the urging of a couple friends:-)

It's been a pretty fast, furious and interesting couple of weeks. I am amazed at how many people I have reconnected with so quickly. People from my college days at Stanford, friends from the Bahamas when I was in high school, lots of track friends, from back in the day and current. I actually didn't even know that I knew that many people!!! I also didn't know how quickly people would find out that I was on there. My blackberry has been buzzing off the hook. I think I need to remove the phone notification setting. Plus, I see so many more friends that I have out there that I'll eventually get around to sending friend requests to but for the time being it's been fun and I've been enjoying the experience.

There's definitely some stuff on there that I haven't quite figured out yet, like how to add more than one profile pic or how to stop people from seeing that you're online and stop them from starting "chats". I don't really get the whole poking thing and I think that some people spend waaay too much time on there. I think I'm up to about 150 or 160 something friends but if any of you, my blog readers are on Facebook and want a new rookie friend:-) then feel free to add me.

Hey, maybe Twitter will be next.....ahhhh, NOT, lol....at least no time soon!


***On another note, David made a successful return to competition after an almost four month layoff due to injury. He won his race in Tallinn on Tuesday night and I was pretty darned excited and happy about it:-) It's funny how you can get nervous about someone else racing. Anyway, there's an even bigger race coming up tomorrow in Zurich, Switzerland. It's the biggest meet of the year on the track circuit and the lineups are always impressive. Coming on the heels of the recent World Championships, all the recently crowned medalists will be there - everyone from Usain Bolt to Kenenisa Bekele to Sanya Richards will be competing... and so will Dave. It's gonna be a great race and I'll surely be watching!!!!

THOSE IN GLASS HOUSES.....

A friend of mine, Doc Patton, who was a part of that US men's 4X100m relay team that ended up getting disqualified writes a blog. He was the guy on the anchor leg who apparently touched the baton before entering the exchange zone therefore resulting in team USA's expulsion from the finals yesterday.

As I was reading his most recent post, following their disqualification, it occurred to me just how easy it is to criticize and chastise and belittle and point the fingers at what athletes should've and could've done in a particular situation. But having been the person who's been pointed at before, as we probably all have been, there is no disappointment or frustration worse than that which we feel ourselves. The armchair quarterbacks are heavy on the "how could he?" and "it's so easy, anyone could've done that" and very light on the empathy.

As he said, athletes are human, and therefore fallible and until one of us comes from a place of perfection then it's best not to point the finger so quickly. Yes, they made a mistake but who among us in our lives, our professions and careers hasn't? It just so happens that as an athlete, your blunders are often made in front of millions of people and who scrutinize and criticize mercilessly. We choose to put ourselves out there and yes we're professional but at the end of day, mistakes will happen and we, because our shoulders are broad and because of our innate ability to assess, regroup and be resilient, we get back up and as he said "we keep it moving"!! God bless u Doc! Those of us who were true fans of yours before, will continue to be. We know how talented you are and know that great things lie in wait for you.....

Click here to read his blog entry..

KONNICHIWA!! (Slightly Edited)

As perhaps you might guess from the title of this post, I am in Japan...Tokyo to be exact. Life is really so full of surprises and twists and turns. Ask me on Monday morning where I would have been on Tuesday and I would've told you in Culver City, CA doing some Health & Wellness work. However, God moves in mysterious ways and so we never know what His plans are.

So, on Monday evening at around 5:30 or so I was hanging out with my brother, when I received an unexpected phone call from the sports modeling agency that I do some off and on work with. I looked at my phone but as I was fully engrossed in a conversation, I chose not to answer, figuring I'd get back to them soon enough. Five minutes later, I get an email from them saying "Contact us ASAP regarding a direct booking opportunity!" So, I excuse myself from my conversation and call them back. Jeff, one of the agents at Sports Unlimited answers and proceeds to tell me that I've been offered a job in Tokyo but I have to leave on Tuesday. My immediate concern is what is it that they are going to want me to do, because if it's sprinting or jumping, then unfortunately I would not have been able to accept the job because of the incapacity of my Achilles.

I tell Jeff to find out the specifics of the job and to let me know. He does and as it turns out, they want me in spite of my limitations. Woohoo!!:-) By the time all the details are worked out, ie. travel, contact and hotel info, payment terms (which are pretty darned good!!), etc. it's around 7:30pm. I had already agreed to have dinner with a friend of mine and I didn't want to break that so I went to dinner and then began the task of packing to leave for my 5 day trip.

Due to my years and years of travel, I am an expert packer and so I get through the process relatively quickly and made it to bed by midnight. I still had to run a few errands in the morning and try to rearrange a few things in my schedule but I made it to my 1:13pm flight very comfortably. I've already met the other two girls who I will be shooting with and we start bright and early in the morning. Actually, it's 2:22am right now but I'm up because thank God, Track and Field is important over here too and they are airing the World Championships live on TV. GO Team Bahamas!!!

The only drawback to being in Japan is that they use a quadband phone service and so US phones don't work over here, so no BBM:-( I might go through withdrawals lol. It's ok though because I think it's good every once in a while to be detached from the constant buzzing and obligation that a phone inherently causes. I have Skype anyway so it's all good:-)

Anyway, that's it for now. I'll be sure to update with pictures etc whenever I get a chance. Until then, stay blessed....

****Due to legal reasons, no pictures will be allowed of the shoot...sorry!

****Also, my room is on the 30th floor of my hotel and about 5 minutes ago, I just felt a PRETTY STRONG earthquake:-((!!!! Not fun at all......

FUN IN THE SUN

This afternoon, I was invited to a pool party by ex-NFL player Marcellus Wiley. He was the host and the party was held at The Custom Hotel, a modern boutique hotel near LAX. I took my girls Peggy, Tasha D, and my roommate Coen with me to enjoy the afternoon of fun.

We got there around 2pm and there weren't that many people yet but knowing "our" people:-), considering the party started at 12, it shouldn't have really been too much of a surprise.



By about 3:30 though, the place was pretty packed with everyone from Paul Pierce from the Celtics, to Toccara (model from America's Next Top Model - she's a lot smaller than I thought she would be), to Jill Marie Jones from Girlfriends to Hosea Chanchez from The Game.



It's funny, cause I am the worst with names (I just had to look those names up). I'll remember a face in a second but ask me to tell you a name and I come up blank. The whole day we were like, isn't that so-and-so, lol, not knowing anyone's name but just knowing we had seen them somewhere in some thing before.

It never ceases to amaze me what some women will wear to these types of events. I know it was a pool party and all but do you HAVE to have all your business on display?? I saw some of the teeniest, tiniest swimsuits out there. Now some of these ladies looked great and in those cases, more power to them. BUT, there were definitely some decisions that let's just say, they should have been revisited, lol. Anyway, I really do have to give it up to women of all shapes and sizes who feel confident enough and comfortable to "let it all hang out" no matter what. That is definitely something to be admired (to a degree;-/).

We left a couple hours ago but the party will be going on till 2am but after 5hrs of fun in the sun, the ladies and myself had had enough. We met some really cool people, ran into some old friends, ate good food and thoroughly enjoyed just people watching.



Someone else invited me out tonight as well, but I'm pooped. Enough is enough. Plus I need to rest up so I can wake up and watch World Championships tomorrow online/on TV. They got underway today and the finals of the men's 100m and the showdown between Usain Bolt, Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell, if he runs to his potential, should be one to remember! I will definitely be watching.