via myMoleskine

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29 Ways to Stay Creative

29 WAYS TO STAY CREATIVE from TO-FU on Vimeo.

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Black Folk Don't Tip?

Largely due to this stereotype (and the fact that I dated a waiter), I always tip 20% - even when the service is awful. Further, when I encounter said lousy service, I often wonder if they behaved that way because they assumed they would not get a tip to begin with. Sad I know
I tip, my family tips, and my friends tip; and we are Black!

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Ode to the Black Seed: "A Cure for Every Disease Except Death"

In my late 20s, I developed an itchy unsightly skin condition called pityriasis rosea (say that ten times fast). Little is known about the origin of this condition, but in my case, it recurs every year (typically in the Fall and Spring, but I've also had recurrences in the Summer) and it leaves its victims with scars that look a lot like cigarette burns all over the trunk of your body.

Doctors believe this rash is viral in nature (albeit noncontagious) and in keeping with the behavior of a virus, my initial outbreak was the worst. I had too many cigarette burn-like marks on my arms, chest, stomach, and back to count. They itched like the dickens at night, and it took at least three months for the symptoms to resolve. Needless to say, the BF was giving me the serious side eye by month two.

Because this rash isn't common, it took me a while to see a doctor (at which point I had already figured out what it was thanks to Google) and get a prescription for a topical steroid which relieved the itching, but did nothing to clear up the rash.  Over the years, the rash became less severe, but has nevertheless persisted at the beginning of almost every season and nothing prescribed by the dermatologist has ever worked.  After a particularly bad outbreak which convinced me the rash was inching its way to my face, I figured I would try a holistic approach to ridding my body (at least outwardly) of this mystery condition. Enter Black Seed soap.


Never a huge fan of most of the soaps you find in the drugstore or grocery store aisles as they almost always dried my skin or caused me to break out (I can pretty much only use one brand consistently w/o a problem), I decided to experiment with natural soaps, which lead me to Honey and Black Seed soap by Nubian Heritage. Other natural soaps worked great as far as moisturizing my skin and leaving me with a healthy glow, but only the black seed has annihilated the rash so far. I usually use the soap every day, but whenever I am lax and the rash rears its ugly head, black seed puts the kibosh on it with a quickness. (I prefer the Nubian Heritage brand as it moisturizes my skin, but suggest Madina black seed soap as well for those of you with oily skin).
The successful treatment of my symptoms led me to look into black seed and what exactly it is. The seeds come from a plant technically known as Nigella Sativa, which is indigenous to southwest and southeast Asia, and are often used as a spice otherwise known as black cumin.

'Nigella sativa'' has been used for medicinal purposes for centuries, both as a herb and pressed into oil, in Asia, Middle East, and Africa. It has been traditionally used for a variety of conditions and treatments related to respiratory health, stomach and intestinal health, kidney and liver function, circulatory and immune system support, as analgesic, antiinflammatory, antiallergic, antioxidants, anticancer, antiviral and for general well-being.

In Islam, it is regarded as one of the greatest forms of healing medicine available. Prophet Mohammed once stated that the black seed can heal every disease—except death...

I don't have the foggiest idea how it works and I'm not a doctor or herbalist, but I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it does work for me and clears up my symptoms every time. I like to share things that work and hopefully someone else can benefit from trying black seed soap.  For more information, check out the Kitchen Doctor.

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More Desk Pimpishness

When I saw this *gasp* I had to have it!  Too bad they don't come in red.  I also picked one up for a colleague who always wears super sexy high heels.
I give you...

The Stiletto heel tape dispenser!

Now that's pure desk sexiness right there. LOL 

I don't find these things; they find me!

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Black in Latin America

watched the segment on Brazil recently
Good stuff (despite some issues I have with "Skip" Gates):

Watch the full episode. See more Black in Latin America.

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Big Girl Pants

For Lent, I gave up complaining.
Well....I tried to anyway.
For some reason this scene from The Other Guys made me think about fighting the urge to complain (read: WHINE).
(Warning:  mild cursing ahead...)

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