Well, it's H-o-m-e-c-O-m-i-ng, it's Homecoming ya'll!

My wonderful alma mater Winston-Salem State University (North Carolina) will host its homecoming this weekend along with NCA&T and NC Central University. I will not partake of the exciting festivities this year as I am trying to hold things down financially.

It doesn't seem as though it's been three years since I graduated on that extremely hot summer day on May 5, 2006!

It's so hard to be a Ram!

Wow, so this is how it feels? I just asked a guy that I was involved with for forgiveness. He actually asked me for forgiveness first. You see, until him I NEVER dated a guy without a job. I would say things were okay in the beginning. This is slightly true - he actually had a little bit of money in his pocket. When I first moved into my place he bought a pizza and one time after that he bought groceries for me. I guess everything dried up because it stopped. Then came him asking me get his hair done, at the time he was growing baby dreds which he has since cut off! Also, if he came to visit me I had to pay his bus/Metro fare back home. Last but not least, he thought he could sit around in my apartment, watch my television, and eat my food. He actually saw nothing wrong with it. Not only did this become old, but it became stressful.

I've read Steve Harvey's book and all, and I tried to be there for him but I believe you have to be humble at this time of unemployment. He seemed to struggle with that. Anyhow, my stress level soared due to the fact that he wasn't working and actually wasn't trying to look for honest work. So, I started to put the press on him about finding a job and helping out around the place. Putting the press on him led to me just having an attitude and snapping for no reason which wasn't good. After doing some soul searching, I kindly sent him a Facebook message :) stating how I felt we were incompatible and that we just weren't going to work. He gave me a call and we discussed it briefly and reached an agreement in my finding. In retrospect, thinking back to how I treated him made me feel real bad. Thinking of the new wave of books and topics dedicated to relationships between black males and females (Act Like a Lady, The Conversation, etc.) I felt convicted to ask him for my forgiveness. But wait, since when did asking your man to get a job mean that you were being disrespectful or treating them poorly? Has this situation taught me just stay away from guys who aren't working? Yes, I've been known to overanalyze and even for being the 'N' word - Nice.

At any rate, I asked him to forgive me. He did saying it wasn't a big deal, well it was to me. I want to begin to be a better friend and girlfriend in the next relationship I find myself in. I think we all should strive to work on that thing which gets the best of us: lying, stealing, miscommunication, trust, etc. At the end of the day I feel so much lighter and that I can move on to looking at the [wo]man in the mirror.

Hello World!

It's been a while and it is now fall, it was summer when I last let you inside my world. A lot has changed, definitely for the better! No longer working in the government contracting world, I'm now in the not-for-profits arena and so far it has been a blessing. In September, I became the administrative assistant for the T. Howard Foundation. The Foundation provides media and entertainment internships for women and minorities wheAlso, I'm proud to say I am a former intern who had the opportunity to intern at Satellite Brodcasting and Communications Association in N.W. DC.

In addition, I've become more visible and local in my volunteering aspects. Past posts have mentioned that I am a part of NAMIC, this is a great organization for meeting people in careers that you aspire to one day work a part of or gain a better understanding of. The organization also holds great panel sessions from Digital Marketing to Tapping into Ethnic Consumers in Cable., one in which I helped coin a title for. What I'm most proud of is helping out in my community in that of Charm City. I've been told I was nominated to sit on the community board - what position? IDK. Thanks for the nods though :).

This has been a year of change and I have welcomed it wholeheartedly. I will admit it seemed the storm would never be over regarding a few things, but, so far I am sticking to my New Year's Resolution of Pursuing My Happiness!

A Learning Experience...

Always looking to advance or hone my writing skills and learn about different approaches to writing I agreed to write a section of a proposal regarding Customer Relations. I was very happy about the experience and I still am! Anywho, I wrote to what I thought the proposal was asking for- even the director gave me positive feedback and did make some edits, and revisions. So, a meeting with all of the writers was held and I was told the meeting did not go well. Several people had to rewrite their sections because of various reasons. My section was one, but, I didn't do very much of the re-writing! I guess I really blew it! But, I feel that in this I was walking out of the will of God. Once again I've pitched my tent, and got comfortable somewhere I am not supposed to be. It was example of me not trusting God and man have I learned my lesson! Going back to the day when I told Him I would trust him with my life it should have been a closed case, but nooo! I had to get involved and do things my way. I was just wondering how will I learn if I don't get experience? No one will give me a chance. I must always trust in him and then rest in him as he is the master. I learned that it can be costly walking outside of the will of God. I am a little embarrassed, but, oh well. I am still happy that I gave it a shot and failed, versus being upset not having given it a try.

Allowing Yourself to Trust Him

Man has this been a job in itself! About two weeks I surrendered my will to God's will. This was hard to do as we want things to happen when we want them to and how we want them to happen. Already saved, I'm trying to put off my ways and allow more of him. I'm trying to trust God in all areas of my life- especially in my finances and my career. A few times I have noticed myself anxious a few days over the past two to three weeks. It was revealed that I had not been trusting God or that I don't trust him. I can remember pacing the floor and going over in my mind how to take matters into my own hands. My head would hurt and I became restless. Looking back it was tiresome when knowing there is someone who wants to take on our burdens. When we decide to take Him up on this offer it is then that we can rest. As long as we walk uprightly he will give us the desires of our heart. So many people reference this scripture, but forget the part about us having to walk uprightly and display righteousness. This doesn't come for free, nor is it obtained easily because of our fleshly; earthly desires.

God I pray that you will continually allow me to trust you in all areas of my life!

By the way- I suggest you check out the Power of a Praying Woman, by Stormie Omaritan! I bought the book in the earlier part of the year, I put it down because of other books, other distractions. I just came back to it after someone brought it up- I left off about half way. I can admit when I first bought the book I was not ready for it, but after picking up with the book it is right on time for this season in my life. I highly recommend this book!

The Last Week of Class and the Controvesy of Marketing

During the last week of class, my professor offered in a post for the class to take part in providing photos or clips that created a PR crisis for an organization or an individual. All of my class members chose moments of the infamous New Yorker cover of the Obama in ethnic garb and military fatigue doing the fist bump to the Beijing Olympics. I chose IndyMac, the bank who recently collapse after word spread of plummeting stock prices and a possible seizure from the Feds.

A classmate in particular chose the United Colors of Benetton. I have been in the store from time to time, never bought anything, and visited their website. Until the classmate's post, I was unfamiliar with UCB's style of pr campaigns ranging from animal protests to world hunger. I was new to the thought of controvery marketing or what I like to refer to it as "shock" marketing. My professor mentions that companies make money or creat publicity through this type of marketing and proceeded to share this article by David Frey. I could not believe what I read regarding why companies retort to this style of marketing and to learn that it actually works. I think I may give one of those a shot. Be sure to check out 5 Methods of Creating a Storm of Controversy Marketing.

www.MarketingBestPractices.com

Last Friday I receive a personal invite to attend Women In Cable and Telecommunications PAR Initiative on the Hill. I must say it was a great event! Women from all over America met on Capitol Hill to hear Cong. Diane Watson, chair of the Congressional Entertainment Industries Caucus mention the launch of bill that would require women to receive pay equal to men.

WICT's PAR Initiative is that of:

Pay equity where women receive equal pay to those of men
Advancement opportunities where women are represented to numbers equal of men at every level
Resources for work/life where companies work/life support practices enable the ongoing advancement of women at all levels.

The president of WICT, Benita Fitzgerald Mosley served as moderator to a decorated panel of executives in the media industry. There were about 200 people in attendance, the event was held in the Senate Hart Office Building in N.E., Washington, D.C. from 11:30 am to 1 pm on Thursday, July 31.

The panel discussed ways that companies work to retain its best and brightest managers; helping entry-level advance to greater levels of responsibilities and ways companies market to women minorities.

It was a great opportunity to hear women's concerns of wanting equality across the board in the working world. I'm glad I was there. WICT seems like it may be a great organization and I am considering joining. Here's how you can learn more!

www.wict.org
http://www.wict.org/WICT/Research/PAR/2008/default.htm- PAR Initiative