Thursday, February 09, 2006

Morning Edition - 2/9/06

Granny Grammys
The 48th Annual Grammy Awards made their three-hour plus appearance on CBS last night. Opening the show was icon and mother-of-two, Madonna. The double-decade success has apparently made a pact with the devil because she has the shape of a 20-year old. Sporting a new svelte physique was nominee Alicia Keys who presented the first award of the night with Stevie Wonder. John Legend performed his Grammy award winning song Ordinary People and was everything but ordinary – Legend is the vision of class, elegance and humble success. Mary J. Blige and U2 did an odd rendition off of Blige’s Breakthrough CD, One Love. Blige gave you ghetto fabulous rocker chick – now, can we get rid of the braid? Later, we saw the opposite of humble when Kanye West took home the Grammy for Best Rap Album. Sporting a Soul Train meets Men On Film ensemble, West alluded to not having any idea he would win the award, but had a pre-printed, computer-generated “Thank You List.” Proving American Idol is churning out true music artists, Kelly Clarkson took home a couple of Grammys herself. The shy, teary-eyed Clarkson couldn’t contain her tears when picking up her first award of the night. Sadly, her fashion sense doesn’t quite match her vocal talents. While performing, Clarkson wore a red peasant dress that screamed, “La Isla Bonita” and even pulled an Eric Benet by leaving off the shoes. I love her – that said, while being interviewed on the red carpet for the Grammy Awards, Mariah Carey disputed whether she had loaded on the weight and simply said she is the size of a normal human being. While singing two of her Emancipation hits Carey appeared unusually breathy and I suspect some portions were prerecorded. Say it isn’t so Mimi! Also, I wanted to pull her aside just to whisper, “the my-little-mermaid look is out baby.” Paul McCartney and Jay Z? What the heck was that all about? Aren’t you both retired? For the record, we’ve had enough of the meshing musical genres for the delight of onlookers. It doesn’t always fly. Now, for amazing vocal range, remarkable precision and flawless pitch, Christina Aguillera tore the heck out of A Song For You with Herbie Hancock running through the keyboards like only a 10-time Grammy Award winner can. All-in-all, we love to see our icons of the past making comeback performances, we even love to watch a couple of new-comers belting it away with a sure-fire hit, but for the love of good music, please highlight the current talent more. This year’s Grammys were more like the Grannys.

Flat Abs; Maybe Just Not You
Yes, I’m in a consistent struggle to get my flat abdominals back. It’s been five weeks since I began the strenuous cardio workouts, the healthier diet and the painful toning exercises. Everything in moderation someone once said and getting in shape happens slowly – sometimes as slowly as it was to gain it. Unfortunately, flat abs and the coveted six-pack are not as easy to attain as many folks think. The truth is that doctors have found that most people find getting a six pack almost impossible for good reason. First, your diet may require you to eat more to sustain your body which would prohibit you from seeing those beautiful muscles poking from your abdomen. Another cause is a lack of consistent and rigorous cardio exercise. If you’re not burning that wall of fat hiding those muscles in your midsection, don’t expect to see them anytime soon. Finally there are those dreaded genes. Some folks are not genetically predisposed to easily show a six-pack. So before you kill yourself looking to have your abdomen look like fresh baked bread before summer, find out if your efforts will even be worth the strain.

Maybe It’s Just New York
The U.S. Census Bureau says that 50% of adult New Yorkers are unmarried. This is the highest percentage of unmarried folks for any state. Is it the NY-titude that has Apple dwellers going home to an empty home? No definitive reason is given for the disproportionate number of New Yorkers that are single.

On Blast
Being single can be a drag and navigating the dating scene can be daunting. Where should your single friends go to meet worthwhile people? What do you believe are the most important personality traits to put on display when socializing in the single scene? What are definite no-no topics of conversation when meeting prospective partners?

Keep passin’ the open windows…

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Well one no-no topic for me is talking about sex. Don't come to me "hypothetically speaking" about what my favorite position is etc...That is the biggest turn off to me. Oh and please stop asking me when am I going to take you out or grabbing my lunch as if I bought it for you. I am an old school girl who lives by old school rules court me, take me out make me want to switch it up.

Unknown said...

My comment was not to be taken as stay home barefoot and pregnant. I said court me meaning approach me with respect. I am a lady and should be treated as such. Now as far as speaking in defense don't say nothing to me. In reading other of your post I have found that you don't seem to understand what most people are saying you take stuff out of context and turn things around. So I am going to say this as simply as possible. I don't like you, I don't know you, I won't be reading what you write because I feel that you are a hypocrite and a phony. You say rude nasty degrading things to people and then try to engage in an intelligent conversation with someone as if you did not say the horrible things that you have said. I am simple saying however public this blog is I don't have to respond to you and you do not have to respond to me. The only thing you can say to me is when your plane, train or autmobile gets in so that you can stand up for yourself.

Family: for those that know me on a personal level I do not take kindly to people who are like him and I don't have the patience for simple people either. So I apologize to all of you now if I offended any of you in any kind of way.

Peace

Unknown said...

Where you meet folks is less about the place as it is about how comfortable you are in an environment. For example, if clubs and bars make you uneasy, you’re less likely to be relaxed enough to be yourself, so they probably wouldn’t be the optimal place for you to meet potential people to engage. Some people would say church or the grocery store, but since I’m hardly ever in a church and run through the grocery store like a track runner, chances are I wouldn’t be meeting folks there. Find where you feel most at ease and that’s where you will show your best you. I find that where I meet folks always depends on how I’m feeling. I’ve recently met folks on the train ride home, at the gym, at private parties, etc., but I also realize that at the time, I was feeling in my zone. I tend not to treat anyone like potential dates or f*ck buddies when I meet them, so that eliminates the jitters that come with meeting folks. I try to be myself, keep it light and smile a lot. This usually puts others in the right mindset. As far as no-no conversations: Never, ever, ever, discuss previous relationships when meeting people – especially when those relationships ended in disaster. Nothing turns potential dates off like hearing about your past on first meetings. Definitely stay away from verbally bashing anyone in the immediate vicinity of you and the intended person – if there’s someone acting a fool, simply laugh it off and act as though the crazed maniac making a spectacle is amusing. Folks love to see that you put things in perspective and take it light. Don’t seem overly defensive about any comments the new person makes. If something sounds odd or off-color, politely ask for clarification. Don’t be a prude – you’re out to have fun, not to assert yourself and show how powerful you are. Be cool, be easy and be fun. Save the rules for another time – especially when you don’t know where the initial meeting is going. Most of all, it’s okay to meet folks and realize you just want to be friends – hey, don’t forget that these folks have friends they can introduce you to as well.

Unknown said...

Eartha Kitt's Champagne Wishes is definitely one of my favorite songs - all my friends know this. Caspar, cut the shyt. ...and since when did you start calling me Koochie? Do I need to have a meeting in the ladies room?