Good Night and Good Luck

Tonight I am saying goodbye to an era that defined a generation.

A thing that slowly crept into our lives.. and will soon practically be a figment of our imaginations.

The UPN and WB.

I was kid that grew up on TV. I proudly would check on my standardized tests that I watched 20+ hours of TV.. and would damn sure rank in at least the 90th percentile! I like to say that TV taught me everything… what was cool, how to cuss, sex. The essentials.

For many years, the UPN )(and sometimes WB) represented Black TV – whether we liked it or not. Homeboys in Outerspace anyone? The Wayan’s Bro. Show (We’re colored.. we’re happy and we’re single and we’vre brothers.. give me High Five!). Townsend’s show. LL Cool J’s show. Steve Harvey (RIP Romeo) Then finally Girlfriends (finally, quality!). America’s Next Top Model. Veronica Mars.

I actually remembered when the WB premiered. Had that crazy frog as a spokesman. I am forgetting the names of shows, but I used to indulge in that one Married W/ Children like show, with the rabbit puppet in the basement and.. Oh my gosh.. was that the dude from Entourage in that show? And the chick from Las Vegas - Nikki Cox. The WB started off pretty bad.. but I do remember a few standouts that were cancelled before their times (Grosse Point).

Tonight I am commemorating our loss by engaging in the WB’s presentation of “Favorites & Farewells.” First off was Felicity. Classic! Loved both theme songs… in high school, this show gave me a peek at college. And for the most part, it shows a character just as neurotic as we females are…

Dawson’s Creek. This show was the most popular thing out when it first premiered. At my high school, we were obsessed (with Ricky Martin as well). 90210 for us. The Sarah MacLaughlin theme song…. We didn’t want to wait! Plus it was filmed in Wilmington, NC.. NC represent! The show definitely fell off after a few seasons – especially when they went to college. But the drama of the first season.. superb.. it is a series that will always live in my heart and define and time long gone for me. My favorite scene has to be Joey singing in the pageant the Les Miserables song.

And then perhaps the two series I have to be a lil embarrassed to talk about. Why? Because one fateful day, my sister convinced me to watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I had seen the movie, was not impressed, thus had no inclination to watch it… Little did I know it would become a 6-year love affair.

Buffy (and thus Angel) was a show that truly bonded me and my sister. Every Tuesday, in the family room on the Hitachi.. that was where it was at. Buffy was smart, funny, drama and action.. a true conglomerate of what good TV was about. The themes, when analyzed, were deep.. we’re talking about tragic loves, good vs. evil, heaven and hell, depression, changing friendship roles, life and death, rolling with the punches, the natural growth of life… all the challenges you may face between the ages of 15 and 25 were covered in the series. Most either love it or hate it.. most hate it.. but for those of us true fans.. we know the true deal.

And so it is with a heavy heart that we must say goodbye to the UPN and the WB and welcome a network that has actually brought 7th Heaven back to life. I’m going to suggest you check out the following: Black Sundays (Everybody Hates Chris, Girlfriends – but I’ll forgive ya for not watching since it jumped the shark last year), Veronica Mars Tuesdays (Please this show is what’s up!! Give it just one hour…), and ANTM Wednesday (Fierce!). Good luck...

Ready or Not

a la Fugees...

It's generally assumed in our society that if you are single, you must be hoping, wishing, wanting a signficant other. Someone to snuggle with, someone to laugh with, someone to grow with. When you get a certain age, people are sure to wonder "Why doesn't she have a man? Why isn't she married?" It's like if you are not with someone you are that lone, liftless left sock; basically, you're useless.

I'm 23. At age 16, I fully expected myself at this age to be engaged or married - either way, attached to someone. Don't laugh; I thought 23 was damn grown.

Now I honestly wonder if I could ever be in love. I had some-kind-love in high school; at the time I knew it was love; now I just don't know.

I've had some great infatuations, lusts, and maybe-this-could-be-oh-i-hope-we-could-be-in-loves. But maybe all those times I was just fooling myself. Perhaps I haven't even scratched the surface of love?

I wonder what I would be like in Love. At its best, you become your best person when it it. I really like to think I'll fall head-over-heels in Love with someone at first sight. Then - of course - bag him, and be so in Love, Infatuated, and Lusted with him that I'll never have a wandering eye, and most important - never doubt my feelings.

But a lot of times, people "grow" into love. Friendships become Love. I definitely get the benfits of it... but wouldn't you doubt that Love? And that's the thing, I wouldn't want to doubt...

Thus, at this point, I really don't know if I'm ready for Love... don't even know if I want it. I've been without it for so long...

Sept 5th

My highlight of the week will be B-Day. Hopefully it won't be a disappointment.

Retroactive Reflection

10 years ago... eigth grade was a good year. I was SGA Treasurer. My best friend was president. And although I wasn't the most well-adjusted middle-schooler, I think I was in a comfortable spot. Seventh grade sucked, but eight grade was the bomb.

5 years ago... I was beginning my adult life. I was adjusting to dorm life and Atlanta. I was tentatively finding out what "men of morehouse" were about. One of the most memorable days was getting bussed down to Fort Valley, coming home with stories only to find out Aaliyah had died. The dude I was talking to was an avid Aaliyah fan, and the Aaliyah CD played non-stop for me that summer. It was a weird feeling. Then 3 weeks later.. September 11th. A month or so later.. the girl has the baby in the bathroom. Later that semester... a person down the hall tries to stab another person. Now that I think about it, what a freakin crazy way to start a college matriculation!

1 year ago... I was really finding out about adult life. My community was in pain. A pain I still feel today. I remember being shocked, angry, and feeling helpless. The whole Katrina situation just struck a cord with me, somewhere deep in my core. It was depressing on top of depressing. And the thing is that I have no close friends from there, but I just sit wanting to reach out to the few I do. But I'm not close to them, so I never got to hear the hurt they must have felt.

5 hours ago.. I was eating dinner, looking forward to going out.

1 hour ago... I arrived back home from a wasted night. and I looked fucking cute. Fucking Dallas. Fucking Texans. Get me out of here.