Excerpts from the Diary of a Diva

If you know me well, you know that it takes a long time for me to get through with a thing. And I do mean anything. Even candy. The reason is that I don't like to chew hard candy is that I don't want it on my teeth. Therefore, I basically hold it in my mouth until it dissolves. I know it sounds a little strange, but I've always done it. (By the way, I've never had a cavity, so my method isn't all bad.) But I digress... I said all that to say this -- I am too through with  my uncle . He recently passed away, and my mom, my other uncle, my cousin, and I went to pay our respects. While I recognize that his children and his wife haven't been especially close with all of us, I was completely unprepared for what I learned at the funeral. Apparently my uncle had created a world where he was the lone hero, and family that raised him was just plain evil. His son even went to far as to say that his father didn't grow up in a Christian household. When he said that,...

Have you ever had one of those days? I had one today that honestly has me questioning myself. Let me explain... I recently lost my job. Even though it wasn't the career-making position I needed, it still contributed to my never-ending goal of paying the bills. And so I'm on the hunt for the next big thing yet again. (***sigh***) On the strength of a good friend's recommendation, I had an interview with well-known former athlete to produce a daily podcast. While I wasn't sure what that would mean, I decided to go in with my game face on. The insanity started the moment I entered the studio. With the table and all the stools being extremely tall, it was clear to me that the room had been designed with the former athlete in mind. Athletic Boy, in an attempt to appear gentlemanly, tried to adjust the stool to my lower elevation. When he realized that it wouldn't go as low as I'd need it, he stopped and gave me that, "Oh well, I tried," look. I said t...

Dear Quvenzhané, First of all, I want to congratulate you on your Oscar nomination. You've done something at the tender age of nine that some women three time your age or more will never get to do. No matter what else happens in your life, this historic moment is something to be cherished. Sadly, not everyone is able to celebrate with you. As I'm sure you know -- or will be told in your future -- sometimes being in the spotlight subjects you to people who aren't very nice. They aren't able to be as wonderful as you are, and it makes them feel bad about themselves. Rather than working toward being good at something, they'd rather insult you and try to cut you down to their size. And because your skin is caramel-kissed in a world full of rosy-cheeked babies, you're going to be subjected to even more ugliness than you deserve. If you're a typical child, you'll probably wonder why. Here's your answer: those of us who live in brown-skin are often be...

I'm in tears. Again. This time, though, the tears aren't for me. They're for another young person gunned down, another victim of the senseless violence that's so prevalent in our society right now. This girl was 18-years-old and left behind a three-month-old son. Her little sister was busy listening to President Obama speak on gun control. Just last week, his wife attending the funeral of another bright young woman who was shot and killed in the streets of Chicago. How many babies have to die before people get it? How many mothers will have to bury children long before they've reached their potential? How many families will have to suffer before something is done? Please understand -- I'm not against people having guns. I understand and applaud the right to bear arms. However, you can't tell me that anyone who's not on the front lines of a war in some far away place needs to have assault rifles or magazines with 30 rounds. If you're a hunter, a...

In the immortal words of Jimmy, the cracker of corn, "I don't care." #RandomThought This is the sum total of how I'm feeling today. Let me tell you why... When you work in radio, you get used to change. My current boss recently announced his resignation. That wasn't a complete shock. When he took the job six months ago, he made it very clear that his heart wasn't in the running of an out-of-control radio station. However, the chain of events that took place after were mind-boggling indeed. The person they named to take his place has been with the company all of 20 days. Yes, that's less than a month. Even though New Guy was just named head of programming, his background is in sales. So how did he get the job, you ask? Well, according to the stories I heard, New Guy and the big boss have been friends for years. In fact, their wives are BFFs. It really goes to show that when it comes to getting ahead, it's not what you know, but WHO you know. Ev...

As we celebrate the life and legacy of Rev. Martin Luther King today, let's not forget about our own dreams. I have a dream... That one day, men will realize that marriage isn't a life sentence to misery and boredom. It's the basis for economic success and stability. I have a dream... That women realize that we're not in competition with each other. If we work together, we can change our world. I have a dream... That both men and women will come together to educate the children. If we teach them to love and respect themselves and each other, maybe they'll be too busy to engage in the foolishness that makes their lives miserable later. I have a dream... That one day, we won't see one body type, or facial type, or ethnicity as beautiful. Instead, everyone's beauty will be celebrated for its uniqueness. I have a dream... That we'll learn to celebrate the diversity in humanity. And we'll learn that we can love each other in spite of o...