This Baby Boomer Diva Loves Twitter

The people on Twitter continue to amaze me. This evening I received a friend request from Cullen Chambers and when I went to his site to check him out, I found this really cool magazine cover of him. Upon further investigation, I decided to follow the link on his page and create my own magazine cover. So what do you think?

Go ahead and create your own and make sure you direct me back to your site.

Create Fake Magazine Covers with your own picture at MagMyPic.com

Love, Sex and The Masons on Valentine's Day

On Friday, my husband and I decided we deserved a special Valentine's weekend getaway so we packed our bags and met each other at the Hilton in Alexandria, VA.

The beautiful thing about our relationship is we don't have to get away to re-kindle our love. It always seems to be with us no matter where we are---but on this particular weekend we found love and the bizarre all in the same place.

What a lovely opportunity it was to meet women who make up a group known as the silver-haired representatives. Apparently, their National Congressional Meeting was being held during the same time we were enjoying our Valentine's weekend. They told me about their movement while I shared information about my group, Boomer Diva nation. (To learn more about the Silver-Haired Congress, click here: SHC

Then there was the bizarre---which brings me to a group known as The Masons. Who are they? Well, to be perfectly honest I don't know much about them at all. I've always thought of them as a secret society of old men---certainly older than the baby boomer crowd I'm accustomed to hanging out with.

Anyway, the Masons were also staying at the Hilton and on Valentine's Night they had a rather interesting ritual going on. A self-proclaimed Masonic Pimp escorted members, one-by-one, into a conference room. No one ever told me what was going on in there but whatever it was, it made me thankful my husband ISN'T a Mason.

Enjoy the pictures.

College Life and Murder

Last weekend, a young man my daughter knew was shot to death outside of his apartment complex. His name was Dennis Hayle and he was a 22-year-old senior from New York. He was scheduled to graduate from North Carolina A&T in the Spring.

Who shot him remains a mystery. No one is talking even though there was a crowd of young people gathered at a "house party" right across from his apartment complex that same night.

My daughter, Janie, said the college community is grieving hard for this young man who was a good student and a good all-around person. He always had a kind word for everyone. As she reflected on seeing him just hours before his murder, Janie joked about how she couldn't believe he was a member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity because he just didn't fit that "rowdy boy" image.

What is disturbing about this story (in addition to the fact that no one is talking) is that students open up their apartments to complete strangers for the purpose of having a "house party." The fact that someone you don't know would come to your house and kick it with other strangers is beyond me. That would be like Nate and me posting signs all over town inviting everyone to join our Super Bowl Party.

Have young people become some impersonal with each other that they don't really care who they associate with as long as everyone is having a good time?

Well, I can say this for my daughter. She's decided "house parties" are no longer in her college life future.

A Baby Boomer's Witness to History Part III

Make no mistake about it, President Barack Obama knows how to command an audience. You could've heard a pin drop during his Inaugural speech. Despite the fact that there were plenty of children and babies who could've gone cranky--they chose not to. No matter where you were in the crowd of millions, you were listening intently to every word he had to say.

President Obama wanted us to make sure we understood the challenges we face are real and serious----and it's going to take all of us as a united front to pull us through this mess. He told us "the time has come to set aside childish things." Now for those of you who aren't well versed on the Bible, this reference came from 1Corinthians 13:11:

When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

So what was he saying? In my opinion, he was telling us it is time to put aside our political differences---the bickering and finger-pointing. We all know how we got in this mess but continuing to wallow in it won't do anything but keep us deep in it.

It's true that 43 percent of the country did not vote for President Obama but, just like in life, we don't always get what we want. The important lesson is how you handle your disappointments and can you really be a team player in the face of adversity?

During his speech, the President also said: "The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history..."

Now this is where I beg to differ----because I don't think our better history has been written yet. I look forward to the new chapters that are being created by the Obama Administration.

Enjoy the slide show!

A Baby Boomer's Witness to History Part II

While standing in a LONG LINE to get on the Metro (train) following the Inauguration, a man behind me said, “I can’t believe I drove all the way from Michigan to see the Inauguration on a TV screen.” He then smiled and added, “But it was worth every minute of it. I’m glad I was here!”

I echo those sentiments as a 51-year-old baby boomer who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with millions of others on the National Mall to witness history in the making. The swearing in of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States was nothing short of spectacular.

It didn’t matter that it was freezing cold or that I had to walk several miles to get to a spot where all I could see was a Jumbotron. Being crammed into a small space with strangers didn’t seem to stress anyone out. Instead it gave us an opportunity to mingle, to laugh and to make some new friends.

I’m still in awe of how one man could inspire so many people from around the world to come to Washington, DC to celebrate the day.

There were people in wheelchairs----mothers pushing babies in strollers and fathers carrying young ones on their shoulders. There were those who dressed to impress with their stylish mink coats, fur hats and Obama gear—while others looked like they hadn’t slept in a few days. Two young women told me they drove 40 hours straight from California to be there. A family from Louisiana braved the freezing cold for six hours while waiting to hopefully get a good spot and glimpse of our new Commander-in-Chief.

It was all a sight to behold---a moment in time. I clearly understood what the First Lady was saying when she said “For the first time in my adult life I am proud of my country because it feels like hope is finally making a comeback.” Of course, she was harshly criticized for her comments but for those of us who have felt disenfranchised---especially African American Baby Boomers----January 20 represented a day of reckoning.

Enjoy the slide show.

A Baby Boomer's Witness to History Part I

Over the next couple of days I will be blogging about my experience in Washington, DC as I witnessed history in the making with the swearing in of President Barack Hussein Obama. I hope you’ll be a frequent visitor to this blog and even share your own thoughts to the various posts or just offer a comment on your reaction to it all.

My daughter and I arrived in Garrisonville, VA on early Monday afternoon. My husband had made arrangements for us to stay with some of his friends. There was a house full of people upon our arrival. Some of the host’s family members decided to make the road trip from Atlanta, Louisiana and Texas.

It was obvious everyone wanted to be a part of this historic occasion.

After unloading the car, we got right back on the road and headed to DC for a day of sight-seeing. Initially, we thought we could park the car at the Metro Station in Springfield, VA and travel into the city but everybody else was obviously thinking the SAME thing. So my husband, being the smart man that he is, figured out a better Metro Station for us to go to and, sure enough, there was hardly anybody there. We joked about the scarcity of people due to the fact that it was in the “hood” and some tourists couldn’t begin to find it and probably wouldn’t dare go there if they did.

Our first stop was the National Mall where all of the festivities were going to be held. There were people EVERYWHERE and plenty of vendors selling all kinds of items. People were eager to buy anything that had Barack’s name on it. One vendor told me he sold 3000 shirts at $10 a piece in 48 hours. Not a bad hustle. Some people don’t make that in a year.

I decided I wanted to take pictures of people wearing Obama hats so I just stopped people at random and asked if I could take their pictures. I met folks from California, Jamaica, Ohio, Louisiana and even right in my own back yard of North Carolina.

Then we took pictures of the grandstand where all the big whigs would be gathered as well as.

Tomorrow, I’ll share the emotion of Inauguration Day from a baby boomer's perspective. Meanwhile, Enjoy the slide show.

What Obama's Inauguration Means to Me

My daughter and I will be among the millions who will endure the cold and the crowds to be a part of history on Tuesday, January 20. I am going, in part, to cover the event for my local radio station as their Chief Correspondent.

Even if I don’t get anywhere near the swearing-in ceremony or get a glimpse of our soon-to-be President, I still want to be there. I NEED to be there.

I will be perfectly honest. I never thought I’d live to see what is about to take place. Why? Because I am a baby boomer. I grew up during a period of segregation. Although I wasn’t raised in the segregated, lynching South, I was still subject to the “subtle discrimination” that existed in the rest of the country. It was still a “separate and unequal society.” Racism has been alive and well ever since I can remember.

Obama’s inauguration certainly won’t change race relations overnight but maybe it will start a much needed honest dialogue between the races. At the very least, he gives my grandson hope that “Yes, he can!”

What do you think? Do you see race relations improving as a result of Obama’s presidency? Do you think there’s a race problem in America?