Updates All Over the Place!

I haven't posted in sooooo long...and I was doing so well for a while there!

Anyway, several quick updates:

I've been chosen as a finalist (under my legal name "Chela") in the Lifetimetv.com/SC Johnson Clean Start Sweepstakes, which means that I'll be documenting my weight loss/health & wellness journey over the next ten weeks by uploading a weekly video to their site for a chance to win $10,000 and a trip for four to Disneyworld. I'm excited! This puts me back on track with my eating (I was wildin' out there again for a while) and makes me more conscious of my health issues again.

Since it's only a weekly upload to their site, I decided to start a Youtube channel so that I can post more frequently and vent when/where I need to. Plus it allows me to do so much more as part of my makeover. More on that as details become available.

My upcoming young adult novel K My Name Is Kendra is coming along quite nicely. I'm completing the final pages, and I'm excited that the project is going to be edited by Katura Hudson, a freelance editor who is also Director of Marketing at Just Us Books, a 20-year-old New Jersey publishing company that has established itself as a leader in multicultural books.

Oh...and I almost forgot! I've written my very first article ever. Honestly, I can't even remember the title right now, but it'll appear in the February issue of Venus Diva Magazine. Should be available tomorrow. I was so excited to see my picture added to the masthead as a frequent contributor. I'm looking forward to a future with them.

I think that's it. Stay in touch! And thanks for all your emails.

Writers' Strike Update

This looks promising...

I Never Knew Him. I Wish I Had.

I only just returned an hour ago from a weekend visit to Suffolk, Virginia, where my family gathered to mourn the loss of a young man who died violently late last week at the hands of Norfolk police officers. His name was James Raheim Dennis. People called him "Gucci". He was twenty-one years old. He was my cousin. And I never even knew him.

This post is not about the way he died. Officers and witnesses both offer various differing accounts of those moments. And out of respect for my family and what will be a lengthy and emotional ongoing investigation, I won't discuss that here.

This post is, though, about the fact that I never even got to know him. I could kick myself for that! Our families were closer once; saw each other more often when most of them lived in North Carolina; knew all the kids' name. How did we get to the point where so many years could pass and some members of the family never lay eyes on each other until they're gathered to mourn a life cut short? Why was this the first time my cousin's mother and I ever met, and why were my very first words to her "I'm so sorry for your loss"?

I am ashamed of myself for that.

I'm rambling, I know. I guess the point is that families in general have to work harder to keep in touch; to get to know each other better. It's hard, I know. Distance, schedules and health issues make it challenging to keep up on each other's lives. Not to mention the fact that the number of people in my immediate and extended family could form a small third-world nation and it is legitimately difficult to get to know that many people personally. But I've already made a promise to myself that I will work harder to make sure I don't have these same regrets a month...a year...ten years from now.

One thing about large families, though: they do know how to show up and represent! This past weekend, mine drove in from Connecticut, Philadelphia, North Carolina, Atlanta, and other parts of Virginia to offer their condolences to Gucci's immediate family. Bodies everywhere, standing room only. Cars lined up and down the street. Food and good conversation overflowing. Music. Singing. Laughter. Friends new and old. Fond memories shared. The home where Gucci once lived was filled with Love, and lots of it.

I may not have met him in Life, but those who loved him have made sure no one will forget him in Death.

I know I never will...

Another FEMA Scandal

What exactly were these people thinking when they pulled this particular scam? Setting up a fake press conference to address the Southern Cali fire issues?

I'm constantly in awe of the foolishness of some people. What will be even more interesting, however, is to see which, if any, heads will roll for this insulting stunt.

News: Arson Suspected in the California Fires

I had a feeling they'd come to this conclusion. Wow at the damage one twisted person can do.