1. What are your favorite ways to relax and unwind? listen to music, do hair, drink tea, be in nature, watch a good movie, go for walks, baby my dog….

2. What do you do the moment you get home from work/school/errands? lol… take my bra off. I usually play with my dog for a sec and then sit down in front of a TV.

3. What are your favorite aromatherapeutic smells? lavender, fresh cut grass, and men’s cologne.

4. Do you feel more relaxed with a group of friends or hanging out by yourself? mostly by myself but either or.

5. What is something that you feel is relaxing but most people don’t? pulling weeds, studying psych., organizing things…

(Q: Are you afraid of your own feelings of pleasure,
particularly in areas of great emotional importance such as love?)
Fear is one of the greatest enemies of joyful living. By blocking
your pleasure and giving you feelings of helplessness, fear can ruin your
health and shorten your life. Think of something pleasurable that fear
has kept you from doing and make a commitment today to push yourself
through the fear and do it. Pick something that is fairly easy, so that
you are certain of success. The feeling of overcoming fear will make you
stronger for attacking more difficult challenges in the future. Just as
you build up a muscle by lifting heavier and heavier weights, you can
become fearless by overcoming more and more difficult challenges. Learn
to think like a mountain climber and “feel the fear and do it anyway.”

Brooklyn based rap star, Jay-Z astounded fans and foes alike when he announced his plans to sue rival rapper Nas for libelous comments made last year. The two artists had been feuding through out the later part of 2001. The battle culminated in Nas’s release of the Stillmatic album and the song Ether, which made several references negatively portraying Jay-Z as a homosexual and threatening anti-gay violence.

Homophobia and gay discrimination, which has ravaged hip-hop in recent years, will be a partial basis for the suit says Jay-Z’s lawyer, Mathew Winters. In addition, Jay-Z is claiming career and lifestyle damage. From 98-2001, Soundscan and the Billboard Top 40 established Jay as the music industry’s top rapper. But sales of his records and Rocawear clothing line were down almost 40% in 2002. Nas on the other hand has boasted increased publicity and platinum sales in the last year. Jay-Z’s legal team is claiming that Nas not only intended to damage Jay’s career but also to launch his own off defaming statements. The hip-hop world has already responded with shock.

Haitian rapper/singer Wyclef Jean responded saying, “Battling is the essence of hip-hop, it’s been its basis for years.” He went on to say, “Hip-hop started with battles in the park. What [Jay-Z] is doing with his suit is ridiculous and is further [evidence] that hip-hop is dying as an art form”. Ridiculous or not, Jay-Z’s suit is unprecedented and will undoubtedly usher in a new era of lawsuit paranoia the world of hip-hop. “People are gonna be more conscious of what they say now, freedom of speech is being questioned here. But in this case maybe it should be,” says 21 year old Harlem resident Jose Lopez.

The lawsuit has not yet been officially filed. Jay-Z’s legal team says they’re hoping on a settlement. Rapper Andre 3000 of the group Outkast had a different view, “Nas should battle this in court just like he battled Jay [on record].” Nas could not be reached for comment.

Paul Vaugner
Associated Press

Substitute Sister - She’s the sister you wish you’d had. The
Information Central - Knows damn near everything
Miss Fix-It
Something in Common
Spill the Juice! - Someone u can tell anything and won’t judge u

Which one are you?

… but they are overweight and physically lazy and spend far more on health care than any other country in the world, the U.S. government said on Thursday.

“In 2000, Americans enjoyed the longest life expectancy in U.S. history — almost 77 years, based on preliminary figures,” said the report, published on the Internet Here. “The life expectancy of men was 74 and for women almost 80.”

Many of the declines are due to better medical care and healthier lifestyles — especially a drop in the smoking rate. Cars are safer and more women start prenatal care as soon as they learn they are pregnant.

But as Americans make gains in these areas, they are endangering their health by become overweight and by failing to exercise, the report said. This is especially worrying when it comes to children and teen-agers.

The report said 61 percent of American adults are overweight and 27 percent obese, and 13 percent of children are overweight. The cause — overeating and a lack of exercise.

“In 2000, 39% of adults reported that they did not engage in physical activity during leisure time,’ the report said.

The report also noted that Americans spent $1.3 trillion on health care in 2000 — 13.2 percent of the gross domestic product. This, the center said, is “far more than any other nation.”

One-third of the money was spent on hospital care, about one-fifth in fees to doctors and one-tenth on prescription drugs.

“The cost of prescription drugs increased 15 percent a year from 1995-2000 — faster than any other category of spending,” it said.

And these costs will probably rise as the nation ages.

“As the ‘baby boom’ generation turns 65, beginning in 2011, the size of the elderly population will grow substantially, the report said. “By 2050 it is projected that one in five Americans will be elderly.”

Having confidence means you believe in yourself, you trust your own judgment and
resourcefulness. In his many books on self-esteem, Dr. Nathaniel Branden defines
self-esteem as the sum of self-confidence and self-respect. For him, self-
confidence is knowing that you have the wherewithal to function reasonably well
in the world.

You feel competent to make choices, competent to satisfy your needs, to chart
the course for your life. Having confidence in specific situations, such as in
gaining influence with someone, would flow from a general self-confidence about
your ability to meet life’s challenges.

A person who exhibits confidence appreciates a sincere compliment and doesn’t
brush it off. A confident person is comfortable giving, and receiving,
compliments. He’s also able to handle criticism if it comes his way because he
basically likes himself and knows that a single negative incident won’t change
that.

Confidence in yourself gets built up over time. You can fake confidence, and you
may need to at first, but real self-confidence comes from a history of small
victories and accomplishments that add up to a sense that you can handle
yourself well in most every situation. I suggest you take an inventory of the
major accomplishments you’ve achieved over the past few years. Then remind
yourself of the minor ones too. What about the computer course you completed?
Have you built anything that still standing? What about those kids you’re
raising? That’s (!) an accomplishment. Don’t be modest. Tell the truth about how
hard you worked, what sacrifices you’ve made. If you can’t think of any, then
begin by congratulating yourself for living as long as you have. Sheer survival
is an accomplishment these days! Seriously, it pays to take the time to know
your strengths and appreciate them. What’s unique about you? What skills do you
bring to an organization or project that you can count on?

Confidence is a fundamental trait for flexibility. It’s hard to be flexible when
you’re fearful, or easily intimidated. Confidence is indispensable if you want
to engage someone’s attention.

…Christopher Wallace, who was also in Las Vegas at the time, was brought into the picture after the Crips decided to make some money out of their plan. Wallace agreed to give them $1 million, on one condition: he wanted the satisfaction of knowing that Tupac Shakur had been killed by his gun, and he pulled out a .40-caliber Glock pistol, the paper said.

Hours later, Shakur was hit by four rounds fired from a Cadillac that had pulled up next to his BMW, where he was a passenger in the front seat. No one saw who fired the gun, and Shakur died six days later.

The people behind the shooting got away easily, and Wallace paid the Crips the first $50,000 of the promised $1 million a week after Shakur’s death, the paper said.

1 oz. Tanqueray (94.6 Proof)
1 oz. Southern Comfort (100 Proof)
1 oz. Peach Schnapps (30 Proof)
Tastes like a strong ass, alcoholic jolly rancher

Guess who’s about to get twisted…

I’m looking for a firefly
Someone to light up my life
Come through like a breath of fresh air
And make things right
A firefly that burns bright
Turns night into 16 hrs of sunlight
Makes me believe in life
Makes things right

Sometimes pain creeps in and settles in the corner
Like spider webs forgotten to be swept away
Diffuses tha foundation but makes it stronger
Sometimes it’s easier to forget the pain
Save it in my pocket for a rainy day
Penny for your thoughts because my thoughts are few and cheap
Tha pain takes over my ability to speak
Constant evolutionary pain,
So what am I to do?
But keep it locked away
Buried deep within where no one’s been
So deep I can’t get to it
Sometimes pain is the only thing I can feel
The only thing I can see
I never leave home without it
Love while I’m in it
And never wanna be far from it