Black and Blue stars Naomi Harris as rookie cop, Alicia West, in New Orleans, who's idealism does not quite fit in the post-Katrina corrupted landscape. The film also stars Tyrese Gibson as Mouse, Mike Colter as Darius, and Frank Grillo and Malone the more than crooked, crooked cop. West finds herself in a life or death situation because she accidentally witnesses a narcotics police officer killing some neighborhood street kids. She has nowhere to run or hide as the community is not willing to help her because she is a cop. I knew from the first few seconds of watching the trailer that I was going to see this movie, mainly because Naomi Harris was playing the lead. I was first introduced to Harris when she played a role in 28 Days Later, a horror movie about a virus that turned humans into deadly monsters. This movie was released in 2002 and Harris was a badass. I then watched her in Sky Fall, Collateral Damage and, most recently, Rampage. I really enjoy her as an actress and

A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots. -Marcus Garvey If there are no roots then there is no growth, and we as a people, are meant to grow. There are so many quotes out there about forgetting the past or how we should let go of the past or how it has nothing to do with us. I cringe whenever I read those quotes or hear someone speak so carelessly of our past. I understand the sentiment behind it but it seems that sometimes the essence of the message gets lost or jumbled. Knowing who you are and where you come from, goes to along way to help you in building stress resilience. The past has contributed and molded us into the beings we are today. If you wish to understand your current situation, you have to look to the past to understand what actions, choices, and emotions led you here. More importantly, you have to have an understanding of how and why the landscape of your lifes is presently the way it is. The only way

Words make you think a thought. Music makes you feel a feeling. A song makes you feel a thought. -E. Y. Harburg I love to post about the songs that I am listening to because that is one of the things that I use to help manage my day, life, mental stability, and stress 😜. Music is an easy tool to have in your stress management toolbox. Janet Jackson has put out so many great albums that I thought I would take a listen to one of my favorites. Janet Jackson All for You Janet Jackson's All for You album was released on April 24, 2001. That's a whole teenage adult ago. Much has happened over the last 18 years but this album is still fire. I do think the album did not get as many accolades as her previous releases. The album has a little bit of something for everyone. It has sexy (Love Scene, Would you Mind), dance (Doesn't Really Matter), hurt (Truth), fun (All for You) and pissed off (Trust A Try, Son Of a Gun). My favorite dance track is Doesn't Really Matter

Roses by Gashi (who sounds like Post Malone or Post Malone sounds like him IDK 😄) is this hot track that I recently added to my 2019 playlist. I have a thing for smooth laid back beats and melodies. At first, it really sounds like a sexy joint. The lyrics though had me thinking about how people find themselves in a repeating cycle of hurt and pain in the name of love. I think the title is on point because it correlates with the roses (honeymoon) phase in the cycle of abuse. Are we not allowing ourselves to be abused emotionally when we continually allow someone to hurt us and when they come back with apologies, roses, and gifts we forgive them and let them back in only to do it all over again? http://www.safetynetnipissing.ca/what-is-abuse/ The theory behind the idea of falling into a cycle of abuse is that there are three or four periods. Boy meets girl and it's great, lovely and all is right in the world. Then at some point, an incident happens. Sometimes it starts smal

The latest journal article I read from Psychology today helps to put a different perspective on self-esteem and behavior.  The abstract for "Letting the Steam out of Self-Esteem" by Theodore Dalrymple is as follow- The behavior of some people leads them to develop poor self-esteem. People should not have the attitude that they should always have high self-esteem, regardless of their behavior. Self-esteem allows people to become familiar with their real self instead of their perceived self. The first question the article asks is, "have you ever considered the possibility that your very own behavior might - just might - be causing you to have a low opinion of yourself?" Actually, no. I have not considered that. In my mind self-esteem was based on my inner thoughts about my self and how the world must have harmed me in some way (major or minor) to cause this. That is how I think when I hear about little girls that have low self-esteem or kids that are being bull

Melanin Touch me like the sun kissed my skin, caressing me in the love, creation knew I needed -WMT Photo by Oladimeji Odunsi Feeling this song so much I had to post it twice :). 

Afrowave 3 by Afro B Afro B's Afrowave 3 release has been playing nonstop of my playlist this week. Particularly track 15 entitled Melanin. Every now and then, you may need a little mood stimulator and music is one of the best ways to elevate one's mood. Black women do not always get mainstream love so when someone takes the time to celebrate us and the skin we are in, I have to give it some props. The entire Afrowave 3 album is fire. Melanin is one of my favorite tracks. It has a smooth, laid back groove that has me swaying back and forth, enjoying the vibes. Just know that you are beautiful in your skin!

The Joker starring Joaquin Pheonix, Zazie Beetz, and Robert De Niro follows Arthur Fleck before he became the infamous Joker that we all know and love to hate in the DC Batman movies and comics. Let me preface this by revealing that I am no DC Batman aficionado. I watched the cartoons and television series as a kid and then watched the movies as they came out. Some of them were just awful but I was hooked after watching the 1989 Batman release with Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson as Joker. When you add in the soundtrack from Prince how could I not get caught up? Later films disappointed but the recent efforts I can appreciate. I thought Ben Affleck's Batman was perfect for what they wrote him as. Mind you, I was hating when I first heard about that casting. Needless to say, I am not going to talk mess about the new Batman cast. But I digress. This review is about Joker. I was not going to see this because it looked so dark and I had recently (in the last two years) decide

Rejoice in the things that are present; all else is beyond thee. - Michel De Montaigne Ever find yourself stressing about everything under the sun and that in turn causes you to be immobilized. Sometimes people will try to help and they tell you that, "life goes on" as if you just have to deal with it. It's almost as if they have nothing left to say. I can appreciate why they say it even if it is not at the right time. Life-goes-on basically sums everything up, whether good, bad or indifferent. What can one really say in response to, "Life goes on?" There is nothing to say as a good rebuttal to the statement life goes on, and while it may very true, it can also be infuriating. Life goes not is like a double-edged sword in that if you are living it should force you into action and if you have lost a loved one, it at times seems hurtful to move on. That is why I love the selected quote. It emphasizes living in the moment because everything else is beyond ou

Are you watching Raising Dion? Have you watched Raising Dion? If not then you need to. A few years ago, there was a short trailer circulating the internet featuring a young mother and her son who had superpowers. It seemed to get some traction and I myself was pretty excited about the concept of this potential film. Then it faded away. Fast Forward to October 2019 and Raising Dion produced by Michael B. Jordan, who also makes a few appearances in the film, is released on Netflix. Raising Dion, starring Alisha Wainwright,  Ja'Siah Young, Jason Ritter, and Michael B Jordan is about a young mother who finds out her eight-year-old son has superpowers and the lengths she will go through to protect him. This Netflix science fiction series was really entertaining. The production quality was impressive and the cast came together nicely. I always enjoy John Ritter in most of his projects and he did not disappoint in this series. There are some twists and turns that come together in

I never thought that a lot of money or fine clothes--the finer things of life-- would make you happy. My concept of happiness is to be fulfilled in a spiritual sense. - Coretta Scott King I was watching a documentary and Allison Mack was on the screen. They were detailing how she fell into a cult that had sex slaves. She was one of the main characters in Smallville, a very popular show in the early 2000s. Mack was saying that she seemed to have everything she ever thought she wanted- a great career, money, friends and etc but was still unfulfilled. Regardless of all these things she felt her self wanting more. In essence, Mack stated that she was not happy. I do not know that people, in general, give thought to what happiness is and what it means for them to be happy. To do that is to practice a level of mindfulness and we definitely do not do that enough. Life is to be filled with moments of happiness, moments that bring us joy. Happiness is a feeling that ebbs and flows. I think

Gemini Man, starring Will Smith is going on its second week of release. So far it has a worldwide gross of just over 62 million, which is probably disappointing considering the budget.  It is about an excellent government assassin who decides to retire. Unfortunately, as these things go, he becomes the target of a new and improved assassin who turns out looking and reacting just like him. So for this review, I have to revert back to the what-I-love versus what-I-hate format. Loved: Will Smith's acting. There were subtle things that he added to give both of his characters some flesh and grounding.  The camera shots. I enjoyed the overall cinematography and feel of this film The set, architecture, and colors. It was like the set was its own character The fight scenes and motorcycle chase between Henry and Henry Junior were pretty fantastic. Hated: The plot/writing was beyond predictable. I was left wanting more. Henry Junior's face was not consistently conv

“Stress is caused by being 'here' but wanting to be 'there'.” ― Eckhart Tolle And there is nothing wrong with that. There are many different reasons why stress exists in our lives. The most popular message about stress is that it is bad for you. I do not want to completely contradict that but angle our notions from a different perspective. Unmanaged stress can lead to chronic stress which tends to contribute to unhealthy conditions in our lives. The stress we regularly experience is not necessarily bad. It is a part of our lives. Stress is what happens when we have to shift our thinking and go in a new direction. Stress happens when we have to meet a deadline. Stress happens when we have to run for our lives or plan for a dinner party. Can you imagine life without a little bit of stress? I am already a master procrastinator, and without the energy I get from my stress reactions, I may sit on my butt forever and never put my plans into motion. I love Tolle'

Learning how to be still, to really be still and let life happen - that stillness becomes a radiance. - Morgan Freeman There is a time when a person needs to move and shake it out, dance it out, work it out or whatever physical activity is required to calm our body down. Sometimes there is this nervous energy inside of us that the only thing we can do is shake our body. Then there are other times that we really need to be still. More often than not, we need to pause and be still. It is not simply being still as in not moving. This type of stillness will take practice and patience. This is the stillness that we can draw energy from and peace from and allow the divine/universe to speak to us. This is the stillness that allows us to receive good vibes and discern what we need in our lives. Stillness Exercise 1. Close your eyes 2. Breathe in and out through your nose for three sets 3. Tighten and relax your muscles 4. Breathe in and out for five minutes If it helps to have a

In the Shadow of the Moon stars Boyd Holbrook, Michael C. Hall, Cleopatra Coleman and Bokeem Woodbine in a time-traveling thriller that tries really hard to keep the audience on its toes. Can we talk about Bokeem Woodbine? This dude is a solid B (that might be pushing it, okay C) actor. He really should get more acting jobs because I really think he can handle whatever comes his way. He handles that 80s hair number like a pro in this movie. His hairline was all kinds of jacked up 😆. I tell you this, he may not be an A-list actor but he stays working, and that is the most important thing. Truthfully, the only reason he is not an A-lister is because he has not been given the right part in the right movie to explode. He is a strong actor even if it may be slightly over-the-top on occasion. I do enjoy seeing what he will pop up in next.  Cleopatra Coleman as Rya was a delight. I look forward to seeing her in more works. The movie follows detective Locke, played by Holbrook, as h

Scattered fragments of my overwrought emotions escape my control until I take time Overthinking things seems to be my specialty. Overthinking inevitably leads to worry and worry leads to anxiety and anxiety leads to stress. In other words, I am a stress magnet, inviting unnecessary stress into my life on a regular basis. If I did not actively combat my thoughts of worry, I would certainly be a walking trainwreck. I know I am not the only one. Chronic stress is a plague on not only the US but globally as well. How can we have an impact on the amount of chronic stress that we have to deal with? We start by better handling acute stress. Acute stress is the day to day stress. Acute stress is life. The goal is not to do away with stress altogether. That is not at all realistic because any change that we have to adjust to causes a potential for stress. Therefore, we have to work on how we use the energy from that acute stress. In order to first use that nervous, stressful ene