Obama calls absent black fathers to task

I thank God for my amazing father. He has never looked upon me with shame, and he has equipped me with the tools necessary for survival. My dad is the most humble, loving man I will ever know.

Happy Father's Day to those who embrace the joy's of fatherhood and whose children are the center of their world. It takes an extraordinary person to be you.

Things to Consider When Seeking Employment...The Red Flags!

1. The company calls you back on your cell phone within an hour after you apply to set up an interview.



2. There is no company website.



3. However, when you google the site 3 or 4 articles come up in the search...that are Careerbuilder pages or fraudulent reports.



4. The company office is shared by what appears to be other fraudulent companies.



5. Those other companies whom share that office call you back to schedule an interview THE SAME DAY as your interview with the original company.



6. The interviewer asks you questions, that do not give you the opportunity to sell yourself.

i.e., "So you would consider yourself a leader?"



you reply, "Yes."



interviewer says, "Okay, okay. I can see that."

7. The person who calls you to set up an interview tells you how to dress, "Wear something business casual."

8. That same person tells you to bring your resume.

9. When you get to your interview, that same person says to you, "Oooh, I like your paper, nice!"
(Maybe it's just me, but I thought resume paper was made for...)

10. There is a company website or a job description that doesn't clearly state what the position is. Keywords can be tricky.


These are just a few thoughts. You'd be amazed at how desperate some of these employers are, to hire fresh, naive recent-grad.

I love me some Obama!

WAOD Reader RhondaCoca Graduates from Columbia University on Wednesday- Any Advice?

This is from the blog What about our daughters.
This past week has been my dose of reality, and this blog post came right on time.

Congrats to WAOD reader RhondaCoca, she graduates from Columbia on Wednesday. Though my colloquialisms and frequent typos bely the fact, I am a college graduate. So here are my observations/ advice regarding the transition you are about to experience.

1. Time passes faster. Now that you are not in school, there is no road map. NO schedules. That's good and that's bad. If you have kids, or plants or a calendar-driven job, you will notice the passage of time, but don't be surprised if you look up in January and suddenly realize its October, time seems to pass faster.
2. Keeping up with your friends will take more effort, but it is OH SO WORTH IT! Don't let the rat race make you lose contact. Don't take for granted that you won'tlose contact. A week turns into a month, months turns into years and the next thing you know you are getting an invite to their kid's college graduation. I mean who else is going to remember the time y'all piled five people into a Geo Metro to go on Spring Break? Or the time your home girl involved you some covert operations to check up on some guy who wasn't worth it in the first place, but you kept that to yourself because she was too far gone to reason with.
   
3. Don't live within your means, LIVE WELL BELOW YOUR MEANS. Let me introduce you to a man named Dave Ramsey. If you have an I-pod just go ahead and subscribe to his podcast. Friday's are the best. No matter how much you make or how large those student loans are, set aside something every paycheck for a rainy day. You might not be able to make 10%, start with 5%. If you can't seem to find the money, donate your plasma or recycle aluminum cans. That Ramen noodles foolishness is for the younguns with all of that sodium. Which takes us to your health...
4. Health insurance- Get it, keep it, use it. You will soon learn that STD is something else other than a disease. While you are at it look into LTD. You are not invincible, your body will get older. Remember those all nighters where you could stay up all night studying drinking Mountain Dew cramming for exams and then bounce back the next day...Your body will soon exercise veto power over your choices and in the event of a dispute, your body will win out. Never EVER force your body to get your attention, you will regret it! Know when to quit .... which takes us to the the word "NO."
5. Learn when to say "NO!"- No, N-O, Heck NO, Not in a million years NO, Under no circumstances NO. N to the iz-O, Nah, UH uh, Sorry but NO. When asked to explain your "No." Silence is an appropriate answer along with smiling with your mouth and not your eyes. You don't owe folks an explanation for the NO. Practice with us Nuh OH- NO! School no longer provides structure and boundaries, you have to establish those for yourself.
6. Live the life you were destined to live, not the one you planned or trained for. There may come a time in your life where the Universe will tug you in a direction other than where your training and education would logically lead. Don't be a slave to the college major you chose when you were 18 or 21. Don't be shackled by the expectations of others or yourself. If you find yourself frustrated and hitting a wall. Break the rules. No, don't go get arrested or something crazy like that, but reevaluate all the things you say you MUST do, the things you said you WOULD NOT EVER DO, and the things you thought you COULDN'T DO. You only get one life, this is not a dress rehearsal. Everyday you spend trying to live the life you think someone else thought you should lead as opposed to the one you were destined to lead is lost and gone forever. See #1- Time passes fast.
   
7. Get a bicycle!- These gas prices are no joke!

Y'all got any additional advice for a recent college grad? If you are about to be a college graduate and want to ask other WAOD readers for their advice about the transition, leave it in the comments.

Super heroes live in Tulsa

Dunt, dun, da dun!!!!

They came unexpectedly, in a big black mobular device.
She is tired, yet understands that they are a team and without her support he is nothing!

So she shall not sleep!

He says nothing, except for,"It ain't nothin major."
Which causes me to really, really die laughing inside, while thinking, "When did he start saying that...especially so frequently?"

*note to self, "Must learn more about this person."

We talk about the beetle blues.

I decided on May 15, 2008 that I would become independent. He decided otherwise.

I smiled really big inside.

They unhitched lil purple and hitched up old yella and drove off into...highway 45.

I wanted to cry, but I was really just speechless. My parents are rockstars, the whole world should have parent-envy for me.

This Shit is Crazy!

Today I was blessed enough to turn 23.

Today, I encountered 3 MAJOR CHALLENGES!

I refuse to sit here and share with the world the details of my agony and self-pity. However, I must say that the precedent that was set by this mornings events did not ferry well with the day that I was born. In other words, I was AFRAID to leave the house today for fear of what the rest of this day may bring.

So, this is where all the motivational speeches I've heard over time come in. And the "words of wisdom" I've given those close to me in dire time of need.

Man, the crazy thing is. I kept giving myself positive affirmations!

Despite incident #1 I chose to keep a calm attitude toward the enemy who was trying to stop me from achieving what is deservedly mine!

Despite incident #2 I chose to put on my birthday dress and glam up my look just so when people say, "You all dressed up," I can say, "It's my birthday."

BY incident #3 I chose to call my superman and cry while talking, you know like, "What's...snifle, snifle...the number?" and yell at tow truck drivers and anyone else who chose to look at me with curiosity. "OMG! Have you never seen a girl in such a cute dress on the side of the Katy Freeway, next to a smoking beetle, crying and clueless?"

Those were my thoughts.

My actions were similar. Those who KNOW me, I'm sure you've painted an amusing picture.

I'm 23. Daddy is tired, daddy should be able to retire soon. Daddy is not a mechanic!

I'm 23. School is no longer a crutch. Excuses just suck and life is just life.

I'm 23. And I've been over self-pity a long time ago. It's just not attractive.

Happy Birthday, to ME!

We Danced the Weekend Away

I know that I am insanely in love with my family because before they were even in town, I was saddened by the thought of them having to leave me again.
My family came into town for my graduation. They drove hours to see lil ole me walk across that stage. They cleaned my house, made a videography about my life, cooked, and just went out of their way to make sure that I had a lovely weekend. All just for lil ole me.
I found myself getting irritated by some of the little messes (usually made by daddy) and I laughed at how everyone tried to hide their messes because they know "the rules," as termed by my mom.
But I say this from the bottom of my heart that I would rather have their messes and throw out "the rules," just to be in their presence for one minute longer.
I would love for daddy to get oil on everything he touched, mommy to rummage through my wardrobe, and everyone else to just take over my house, if it meant that I could spend one more precious moment with my amazing family.
Words cannot express the ways in which my family has shaped me into the person that I am. My family has always believed in me and I live to make them proud.
My family has shown me how to be charismatic and outgoing, but all in good taste. The women in my family have shown me what it means to be a lady, but to be modest about your beauty. They've shown me how to be vulnerable without loosing your self-respect. The men in my family have shown me what exactly a man should exemplify. For that, I am grateful because I now know what I can have in a relationship.
It is the best feeling in the world to be loved, I thank my family for teaching me that early. My life has been driven by love.
I just want to thank my family, the Perry's and the Minor's for loving me so much. For allowing me to make decisions and trusting my decisions. For not allowing me to start "feeling myself to much," and ensuring that I stay humble.
I am certainly transitioning right now and I thank you for being proud of my accomplishments, and never making me feel pressured.
I thank God for you. I am truly blessed.