Hi Family

Hey everyone,

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I've been holding out for pics and putting off posting. So there will probably be a lot of posts without pics but updates and I'll respond more frequently.

Anyway, a lot has happened in the past three months. Unfortunately I didn't meet my deadline for May 2nd BUT I've made significant progress in the lab and it just a matter of time before I have my pentultimate committee meeting (where they give me permission to write). I'm working on two months to that date and three months to the end but only the science will tell.

I have to give props to Brunsli and Breadfruit for giving me advice on being a scientist in the real world. I've been considering different careers and science and they both gave me perspectives that allowed me to see the science world in a tangible light. Lately I've been

thinking, "I like science, but does it like me?" I realized that I don't like the personal sacrifices that it takes to be a PI (Principal investigator) at a Tier I (Harvard, UCSF, etc. . .) institution.

I want a career that is fulfilling, and does not require me to be dependent on the whims of external sources for support. Right now there's a dip in NIH (National Institutes of Health) funding. Governmental funding is the primary source of funding for academic researchers. I just don't want to be at the mercy of the politics required to get a grant funded.

So I'm looking at different ways to live in the science field. I'm thinking about the business side of science. It seems like those who study are the least rewarded and I'd like to be on the side of those who give the reward instead of receiving it. (Deep breath) I'm looking into venture capitalism. . .Yes it sounds very Republican (tee hee). In other words I'm interested in being the source of funding that entrepreneurs use to start up their companies. Personally, my expertise is in the biological sciences and thus I would be interested in developing companies in biotech.

Where did you get this you say. Well, I was in church, talking to God about what I should do with my life. All of the sudden, the word Venture Capitalist popped into my head and everything clicked. My degree is very necessary when it comes to evaluating technology and I would be in the position to fund companies that provide life enhancing products. I wouldn't be at the bench (something that has a big impact in the long term) I would be at the decision-making end (something that has a big impact in the short and long term). I also have a dream of starting a self-sustained science learning center for inner-city youth. I could see myself having the means to push this dream forward without waiting on grant funding to start it.

So right now, I'm in the idealist stage. After researching different VC firms that support biotech startups I've learned that most science-related VC managers and directors have a PhD, industry experience and an MBA. I've mapped out the many ways that I could do it and I've learned that VC is hard to break into. I'm going to have to get an MBA (and I want it at a discount so I need someone to pay for part of it) or go into consulting (which has good and bad points). I also need to develop industry experience. I think the length of time to do this would take 2-3 years of MBA education, 3 or more (possibly simultaneous) years consulting or working in industry and then working my way up the ladder in a VC firm when I get in, and I don't know how long it will take.

I'm starting to network and get in touch with alumni who are VC's as well and friends who are/were in consulting (Brunsli I need to holla!). But for the first time in a long time, I'm excited about the future. I feel like I'm facing a new and exciting adventure and I don't know where I'll end up but I'll be in a better position to live life on my own terms. I'm starting to leave the idealist stage and ask some really important questions: Is business for me? If business is cutthroat (as I've been told) how do I succeed with out sacrificing my integrity? And on and on. Stay tuned. . .

SL's enhance your Driver's License photo!

Hi,

I had my license renewed for my birthday today. I almost got up and spent the hour with my caruso's but I was too lazy. Instead, I wet my hair, flipped it back, put on some lip gloss and smiled.

Tada!

I'm so proud of this pic because I have too many bad permanent ID pics that I don't even wanna talk about--think heat straightened hair that started to poof ): Hope ya like it!

Chi(:

I've been tagged, I'm It!

Creyole tagged me and I'm happy to share 5 unknown facts:

1. In high school and college I played the clarinet and bass clarinet. At one time I wanted to be a musician and play for Disney movies but that path didn't look like it would pay anytime soon so I went into the more lucrative field of science (note: lucrative is said with sarcasm). I played in concert bands, orchestras, musicals and marching band. It was such a fun and creative process. Unfortunately, I lost my chops and don't play anymore, but I still have my Buffet clarinet just in case (:

2. I don't know if I said this already but I've been a Salsera for about 7.5 years! I love dancing salsa, bachata, Cha Cha, bolero, merengue and Mambo. I kind of taught myself with a few lessons here and there but I learned a majority of the latin dances through a multi-generational organization called Cultural Expressions. Every other sunday at the Presidential Towers, this organization would bring beginners and instructors to one location and we would dance and learn from each other. Unfortunately, sets are no longer held there but Cultural Expressions hosts an International Salsa Congress in Chicago every February. It's the place to be to hear great bands, take workshops and see some great performances. I love latin dancing! It also took me awhile to learn how to follow but once you let go, you get better and learn to enjoy the dance. I feel so feminine and sassy! I highly recommend it at any age. What has made my experience memorable is that I go out with my "salsa crew": fellow Salsera/o's and I never have to worry about not having a partner. I love you guys! You're awesome!

3. I'm addicted to reality TV (but tasteful TV no Fear Factor!) My favorites are The Apprentice, Judge Mathis (I was an audience member on the show!), Project Runway, Deal or No Deal, American Idol (in the last weeks), What Not to Wear and The Best Week Ever. Unfortunately (?) I don't have cable so I'm at the mercy of friends and family but right now I hardly watch anything because I get home when the news comes on ):

4. I'm addicted to NPR--Chicago Public Radio is well known for being a pioneer in public radio broadcasting. So in addition to listening to Morning Edition and All things considered, I also enjoy listening to Cartalk, Marketplace, This American Life, Afropop worldwide and Wait, Wait, Don't tell me. It's my main source on world news, culture and entertainment. They used to play jazz in the evenings but they took it away ): However, I really enjoy listening, I even listen through the pledge drives (I'm pretty addicted).

5. Ok, last one. I'm a board member, along with my sisters and parents of the Tochi ("Praise God") NFP (not for profit) organization. Spearheaded by my Mom (: Our mission is to help improve the health conditions of our town in Nigeria. The organization started because my Mom witnessed the death of many expecting women in our village who didn't receive basic prenatal care or services when before and during birth. Initially, we want to provide expecting mothers with the resources to have prenatal vitamins and counsel about childbirth. But eventually, my Mom wants to open a clinic. We are brand new and still submitting paperwork to be organized. We've never headed a NFP so any advice is welcome. But I'm really excited to this work and look forward to it.

Alright, that's five. I'm tagging the following people. Can't wait to learn more about you!
Tra
Sunsail
Tai
BygBaby

Go Bears! (:

First Totally Black Owned Search Engine

Hi all,

My friend sent me a really important email. Check it out below

As some of you might know, a dynamic young African-American Internet
duo, Rob and Roz Rucker have created a brand new search engine and
portal site called The BlackWebPortal.com.

The site is designed with African-Americans in mind. Right now their
viewer-ship is the low thousands. They need to cross the hundreds of
thousands barrier to have any real chance of keeping this site online at
all. Some of you are thinking...why does it matter?

It matters because BlackVoices is wholly owned by the Tribune Company;
Black Families by Cox Communications; BlackPlanet.com by an Asian
company; and Soul City HBO by AOL-Times/Warner.

BlackWebPortal is the only site that is 100% African-American owned.
The BlackWebPortal needs all of us to start emailing our friends,
relatives, etc., all over the world to start using the resources at the
BlackWebPortal. The important thing is that they need help getting the
word out about this site. Let's help this site out by visiting and
seeing what they have to offer. So please tell EVERYONE about the
Black Web Portal. Don't just bookmark it for yourself. Spread the news!


This is a new millennium! We must begin truly supporting black
technology efforts in the same way we cheer on our movie and athletic
stars. If we don't, they'll end up having to do the same as other black
web sites by getting assistance from elsewhere, thereby losing the
original flavor they have.

PLEASE HELP SPREAD THE WORD!

http://www.blackwebportal.com/

4 months eleven days and a whole Heap of Trouble . . . But good trouble

Hi Fam,


Just checkin' in to say hi and give you an update. I figured I can only lurk so long, but I'm learning so much exploring the links on other blogs and I really appreciate to great blogs I'm reading. Anyhoo, I'm in the thick of it folks. After the new year (By the way HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!) I sat down and determined the date that I needed to have my dissertation completed and submitted to the library in order to attend the Hooding ceremony (Where I receive my degree and a "hood" that signifies that I hold a Doctorate--Dr. Chi-chi(:). That date is, drumroll please. . . May 2nd. May 2nd! Eeeeeeekkkkkkk! That means I need to get my reagents together, complete experiments, submit a paper to be published in a scientific journal, write my dissertation and defend it by MAY 2nd! Technically this is the date that I have to submit a draft of my thesis and then the final version is a week later, but it might as well be this day. I don't know guys if I'm gonna make it. Worst case scenario is that miss the deadline and defend in the summer and then graduate in the summer. But the spring graduation is the "big" one with speakers and hooding ceremonies and all that other great stuff. So regardless of whether I make it to May 2nd with all that stuff done, I'm gonna treat it like a real deadline. I'm getting my reagents together, hopefully they'll be ready by the end of the month. Then I have February to introduce the project to my committee. All the while I'll be performing experiments. If I can get all my experiments done by April, then I'll have one month to write everything up. I'm praying that if I can show my committee that I've submitted a paper to a scientific journal in March, they'll give me permission to write in April.

That means that I've been working like there's no tomorrow. I was energized in October but I've never worked so hard for anything like I am now. But its great. I'm so excited by my work, I really enjoy seeing progress--progress and the need to see progress is what drives me right now.

But I haven't turned into a total science nerd. My one year-aversary was on December 5th of last year. My hair is starting to loc in earnest and I really like the length. Not to mention the convienience. Dealing with a 'fro during all this madness would be too much drama right now. James and I also celebrated our one year anniversary of dating each other last sunday (Jan. 14th, the pic below is at a New Year's party). We learn more about each other each day and I like what I see. We're going strong and I'm really happy that he's in my life. (:



I just saw "Stomp the Yard" today. That movie was soooooo good. If you like step shows, this one is on point and was very tasteful IMHO.

Let see, what else. . . Oh yeah, I'm still trying to figure out what I'm going to do with my life (: I'm starting to narrow down labs for a postdoc and unfortunately, they are not in Chicago. I've fallen madly in love with this city. Here, I'm 2 hours away from my brothers and parents. My sister and her family are in the burbs, my best friend of 15 years is down the street, along with several other friends, my boyfriend is around the corner and I'm in a city but I feel like I'm in a community. My support network is pretty strong, but to stay here would mean career suicide. To be in the running for Senior Scientist at a company or Assistant Professor and a Tier 1 university, I have to go to the a lab of a well recognized scientist in his/her field. Since my interests include stem cells, virology (HIV and others) and immunology, those people are everywhere but here (ie. Boston, Baltimore/DC area, California, Wisconsin, etc. . .). For a long time I was in denial and considered working for a start up in Chicago but I realized that my heart is in discovery. I want to discover not perfect something that someone else discovered. That means that I'm taking the route to being an expert in my field of choice (though I'm still choosing) which means I'm going to do a Post-Doc (post-doctoral fellowship). I have to be broke a little longer, but if I choose industry, it won't be as long (1-2.5 years) as choosing academia (2.5-3 years). I still have the entrepreneurial spirit, I just don't know how to direct it so I'm going to explore this in my post-doc. Then I'll work my way back to Chicago if that's where I want to be when its all over.

I hope the new year is bringing prosperity and a fresh start to you all. I talk to you soon (:


PS. I'm turning 30 in 3 weeks! Another update is soon to follow. . .Stay blessed!
Chi(:

PLEASE Support Black films!!!!

Hi all,

I know I haven't posted in a while and I have to catch you up on a lot but I couldn't resist sharing the link for the movie Pride coming out on March 23. It stars Terrence Howard and Bernie Mac. Check out the trailer, its hot and pass this link on to your friends!

Talk to ya soon,
Chi(:

I'm tired, but I'm happy. One month and 13 days.

Hey people,
I just had another 12 hour day and I'm still thinking about experiments. If I haven't said it before I'll say it again: moving to my current lab is the best thing that has happened in my short career as a scientist. I am really loving what I do. Is it bad to dream about experiments?--I do! Having a great mentor means that someone is there to encourage you and gives you the freedom to enjoy your work--I'm really blessed. Now that I know that I like benchwork (when it works, ask me again when it doesn't work), I need to find a way to make it profitable.

Postdocs (post-Doctoral fellow) start at 35-37K --benefits vary from school to school and lab to lab in academia and at Genentech, a leading biotech company, they start at $46K and with actual benefits!--but that's $46K in the Bay area and I'm thinking that it won't go far. If you become a faculty member, you're a slave to governmental grant funding (and we've hit a dry spell). If you're a scientist at a company, you're subject to layoffs. I'm thinking that if I'm going to work 60 hour weeks for someone, it should be for myself. So I'm thinking about exploring job opportunities with start-up companies. They are far more risky, but your contribution and worth are far greater. I haven't ruled out the other options, but I want to explore this one a little bit more. Any suggestions?

Hey Look!

This is my first perfect plate of tetrad dissections. It's a long story but the punchline is that it took me almost two weeks and lot's of blood, sweat and tears to produce a plate like this. Now I can dissect yeast like a pro! I had to share (:

Toodles,
Chi(:

I'm no longer oppressed by my president.

I don't know about y'all, but this midterm election was like a breath of fresh air. I felt like I was living in a monarchy without the ability to control our government. In the past six years, I've been made to feel as though I was wrong for criticizing the government, for speaking out against our president (remeber the Dixie Chicks) and for not just "going along" and "trusting our president" because he has access to more information than I do. I was so tired of hearing that speaking against the war is "un-American" and I could not STAND the fact that the former House and Senate gave Bush and Rumsfield all of our money to waste. What I hate most is how the adminstration hid what they were doing by making generalized statements about "spreading democracy throughout the world" and the gross and abusive use of the word "freedom".

In these past six years, I have never felt more helpless and unpatriotic in my short life. And on tuesday, I received a present that was long overdue. I heard the president come to heel when he announced the resignation of Donald Rumsfield. He made nice with the Democrats and was held accountable for statements that he made during the campaign. On election day, the American people (or a little over half) snatched the carte blanche that he so carelessly abused. And it couldn't have come sooner. Unfortunately, most people became angry at the wrong time. I wish the anger over the war and the administration was timed for the 2004 Bush's re-election campaign. But beggars can't be choosers. We can finally put the brakes on Bush and I feel a little more safer (he often used fear to sway voters) and a lot more patriotic. Thank God for our democracy!

Note--if the election went for the Republicans, I really don't know what I would've done. Probably seethe quietly in the corner until 2008. But I honestly was ecstatic on Tuesday because the people spoke and we were heard and we pretty much said, "Your carte blanche is revoked! Heel Bush Heel!"

When I grow up, I wanna be a scientist! (One month and 11 days down)

I wrote the blog below on may 10th and never got around to sending it. But today I was reminded why I went to grad school to learn how to become a scientist.

Today was mind-blowing day. Today I learned to think like a geneticist. With a background in biochemistry, I'm trained to understand topics at a very basic level. However, a biochemist tries to understand either proteins or DNA and then employ techniques that allow them to understand the structure or how to understand the nuts and bolts of how that protein works. A geneticist takes away a one or more genes looks at outcomes (or phenotypes) and uses those outcomes to create a story (or model) of what the removed gene does within a cell. This approach is very direct and helps simplify very complex problems. I love it!

Today I met a potential postdoc mentor. His science was very interesting but after having lunch with him I was reminded that I really love being scientist. My lab hands are not perfect or "magic". But when things actually work I get this high that's unbelievable. Science is truly a drug you choose. What else would make me stubbornly pursue difficult topics and techniques and allow me to believe that I could just learn them and keep going. The hours are long because you have to motivate yourself. You spend days, week, months, years even working at something. Along the way, some things work and some don't. I think it took me a few years to learn how to let a project go because my heart was so invested in it I just had to make it work! In graduate school there's always some obstacle you have to work through. If its not your project, its the psychological aspect of learning how to live with and more importantly, learn from failure.

Anyway, I met this guy and he was so passionate about his science he just made me excited about science again. I get excited when things work and then that high lasts for a few days and then something else grabs your attention and your back in the trenches again, banging your head against the wall. But meeting successful scientists excite me because they remind me of who I want to be in my future career. In a perfect world I would like to be a scientist in academia and run my own lab. But the real world, the tenure clock runs right along with your biological clock and successful grant writing makes your world go round. Not to mention the fact that there are typically 200+ applicants per faculty position. There's just not that many jobs to go around.

For me, I'm gonna focus on learning as much as I can and just enjoy what I do. Don't get me wrong, my job search (post doc and faculty/senior scientist) will include both sides (academia and industry) because self preservation is the order of the day. But today, I said aloud "I would like to be in academia" to my boss, and I really meant it. I'm willing to put up with the politics and the stressful grant funding cycles, and the stress of teaching and the not living where I want (although I think I'll have to cross this bridge when it comes) to reach out, mentor, and make a difference. I want my science to make an impact on the lives of others. I don't want to study a random protein because its interesting, I want my science to apply to disease and the development of therapeautics. I don't know how I'm gonna do it, I just know that I am. And today I got that free feeling you get when you're doing what you love and you understand where you're going. It doesn't come often so I'm gonna ride it for as long as I can.

Cheers!
Chi(:

Meebo Me!

Hey people,

I talked to Sunsail online through her Meebo widget. Now you can talk to me from my blog too. So cool! If you want to add a widget to your blog go to meebome.com and hook yourself up. If I'm not online, you can send me a comment and we can set up a time to talk. Meebo is also a great way to consolidate your IM engines. You can access four at once (Aol, MSN, Yahoo, and Gtalk). I love technology (: !

Week three (Day 21?)

Hey people,
Here's the science update: Classes started on September 25 and I officially entered my 7th year of school. The bad news was that I was slightly depressed because it (the day) came and I'm still here. The good news is that between then and now, I've attended four thesis defenses and was not depressed afterwards. I was more focused on doing my own work but I was naturally happy for my friends. I think the previous depression (after a friends defense) came because I couldn't see all the way to the end. But I see it now and I'm so excited, I'm working on weekends again (part-time, I give myself a day off) and I'm motivated again.

So last week I performed an experiement that told me, "Umm Chi-chi, this is a dead-end. If you keep doing it it's gonna give you the same answer: "Stop trying to repeat me, you need to change your approach". So that's what I did. I'm changing approaches and I'm redirecting my research focus.

It's a really cool project too. But before I explain it I wanna get y'all in the game. So. . . here's a little background on DNA damage signaling ( I made these pics to explain my work to kids. Please ask permission if you want to copy them!):

Our cells are like little factories. If you look at your hand, try to imagine that the skin covering our hand is made up of little cells whose job is to lay very flat and create a barrier between our bodies and the world.

So if you think of the cell as a factory, you know that there is a blueprint that helps to design what this factory will be and a blueprint that designs the workers that carry out the needs of the factory. In our cells our DNA is the blueprint that tells the cell how to make everything that it needs to live. For example, there's a blueprint for workers that dictate when the cell will grow and when it doesn't grow. But if we remove important instructions in that blueprint (DNA damage and/or mutations), workers can be designed with the wrong directions and can do crazy things like keep the cell growing when its not supposed to (ie. cancer).

The lowest cartoon shows a worker saying, "You are not damaged, you can divide" and in the second pic the worker says, "You are damaged and cannot divide. I will fix the damage"

So I study the proteins (workers) that detect when there have been changes (DNA damage) to the blueprint and then signal to other workers that the blueprint (DNA) needs to be fixed or "repaired". This is called the DNA damage response. It's thought that there are workers that sense that the damage is present, then they notify workers that will send a signal that there's DNA damage. Once the signal is received other workers start reacting to the news by stopping the cell from growing to prevent "bad instructions" from being passed on where other worker go to the site of damage and actually fix it.


There are many ways (inside and outside of the cell) that our DNA can be damaged. For example, UV rays from the sun can damage our DNA. That's why sunblock is really important, even for black folks! Even though there are workers that can fix our DNA when it gets damaged, they don't always fix it perfectly each and everytime. So it important that we do whatever possible to protect our bodies (ie stop smoking---please don't do this, I'm talking continuous DNA damage here). But I digress.

So I'm studying a protein in yeast that we think forms the foundation for sending a signal to other workers about DNA damage. My protein doesn't do the actual signalling, we (my lab) think it forms the foundation for it. My theory that it forms a foundation on DNA at the site of damage. However, I have to show how. So, if my new plan works, I'm going to force my protein to build a platform on DNA and then check to see if a DNA damage signal is sent without the presence of damage. What I love is that if I get a no or a yes answer, I get data either way. And that means a paper (: and that means I can defend a story and graduate (:!!!

Here I am before my "RunHit Wonder" 5mile race. I feel like I'm getting ready for another race!

So now I'm learning how to manipulate yeast DNA and I'm waiting on some reagents requested from a different professor. I'm so excited and overwhelmed at the same time. It's great! This saturday, I'm hosting a nigerian independence day party so I'll show pics later. The actual day was this past sunday, but if you wanna learn more, you can check out my evite.

Talk to ya lata,
Chi(:

PhD Count up.

Hey SLS's (Sisterlocked Sistahs) and friends,

I'm just getting back from the lab and I had a great idea. I'm gonna use my blog to count down the days until I defend. But instead of counting down I'm going to count up because I won't know the actual day of my thesis defense until my thesis committee gives me permission to write my thesis.

Since yesterday (this morning) was the day I declared that this is my final year, today, September 13, 2006 is day one. Each time I'm going to write what I've accomplished (in somewhat lay persons terms) and what I need to do. I usually do this each week but it would be nice to see a diary of my goals.

So far this week I've been trying to use an assay (a kind of test) that was developed in another lab. First I'm working to reproduce the data that they published in their paper. Doing this tells me that I'm performing the assay correctly. In parallel, I'm applying the assay to different strains of yeast to expand my efforts beyond repeating someone else's work. I've been doing this for about two weeks now and no dice. So tomorrow, I'm going to tweak it a little and see if I can get the results I'm looking for.

I'm also doing a lot of cloning (using bacteria to copy pieces of DNA) and I think its coming along. . .but I have more cloning of additional DNA fragments on my checklist so this is only the beginning.

Tomorrow I'm making chromatin. . .ugh! Its a tough job but someone has to do it.

I'm reading this back and thinking, "Will everyone want to know all the details? I don't want it to be a boring blog!!" I guess I'll tweak my "count up" as I go. In honor of the first day I'll add some lab pics. The first is with my PhD advisor Steve. He's the boss but he has also helped me so much in the past year. A year ago in July, my first advisor didn't have enough funding to keep me on and I had to switch labs and start over. Although that it bad this event was actually a blessing from God. I'm a living of example of the phrase "God makes a way out of no way" and I just have to give God praise for helping me through this journey. I'm now in a well funded lab working with a great group of people and I receive real mentorship from Steve. Let's just say I didn't have those things in my first lab. Next photo is me and a "Western blot sandwich"--that I didn't eat but it was a fun play on words. Last photo: Me and my media. I use these flasks to grow up a large amount of yeast, then I collect all the yeasts and purify away almost all the proteins until I'm left with just their chromatin. I started cultures tonight.

Thanks for all the support. I realize now that I have so much to write about this part of my life. I think my blog will be really therapeutic and will help to keep me motivated through the long days that I need to get through to get that PhD. Stay blessed! (:

A lurker speaks!!!!

Ok, I've been MIA for a minute but I just wanna touch base and say hi. "Hi" I've been lurking and enjoying all of your blogs. I just read Michelle's and it is too funny. I'm in a weird space right now because I'm entering my 7th and final (pray for me) year of my degree program. I never thought I'd be here this long and sometimes feel bad about it. But not for long because I don't have time to be unproductive. So this blog may turn into a "meaning of life" blog. . .or maybe it'll also be about my hair. But as I enter my narcissitic (sp?) phase (final year of school) I'll need to vent. Hope you enjoy (:

My hair has grown soooooo much. Mind you in the 3 week pic I just washed it and in 9 month pic I did a braidout. But its all realtive (; It's doing weird things in the back and in the front it is "kind-of-locking"(?) Anyhoo, its all part of the process. I'm leaving my baby loc stage and am firmly in the teenage stage (atleast in the back). I'm starting to do more braidouts to quell the puffy fuzziness in the back but my hair doesn't wanna play along. Either way, I still love my SL's even when they are rebelling against me.
Until next time, I'll talk to you soon

Chi(:

Introducing. . .Mariyama!

I am very proud to present this young lady as my first featured guest. Mari is a rising junior in high school and she is interested in science! She's participating in a paid summer research program for high school students--It's important to start early, there are programs all over the country that place students in research labs for the summer, let me know if you want more info. This young lady has a beautiful spirit. She always brings a lot of energy to the lab and is a joy to be around. Mari and I connected after she came to lab crying over the fact that her older-set-in-his-ways Driver's Ed instructor informed her that people with locs are dirty and are criminals! What!?!? Well you know I had to set the record straight and stop the viscious cycle of natural hair hateration. That's what I mean when I say black folks need to have a self-love session--But I digress. Mari has beautiful natural hair and is considering locs. I say come on home girl! But it is more important to do what makes you feel comfortable with yourself and beautiful inside and out. No matter what you do to your hair remember that your beauty is within (:
Thanks Mari!

Speak of the Angel. . .

I think all this talk of India Arie must have been fate because I got to see her at the Taste of Chicago this week! Every year, restaurants, musicians and different businesses come out to show their wares at this annual festival. There's also a fireworks show on the 3rd of July. So I got to see Anthony Hamilton and India Arie this week and they were hot! Anthony Hamilton knows he can dance! He even came out into the crowd. Afterwards he was like "I ain't scared of y'all!" Definitely a performer. So after waiting 5.5 hours in the sun--which wasn't too bad, I brought a blanket, read a book, and caught up on my tan (; it was like going to the beach!--Ms. Arie arrived and she didn't disappoint! She gave a FULL concert. Not common for free concerts at the Taste--artists usually do 15-20 minutes and then they are up. She sang songs from her first cd, songs from her most current cd and did a two song encore--and we all sang along. I have to say that India has a beautiful spirit. We can already tell from her music. Her cd is number one this week in sales. In talking about this she skipped around the stage singing "I'm number one y'all. I love it!" like a little kid. She also knows how to really connect with a crowd. At the concert she said that her goal in life is to uplift people with her music. Its so beautiful to see someone do what they love with conviction and to know that they are fulfilling their purpose in life. What a blessing! You go India! I'm buying my cd from Itunes as I write and then I'm going to have a "Private party"--Love that song! Until next time (:

If I am not my hair . . .Then who am I?

I love India.arie for raising awareness about self love. I think people of color just need to have a big ol' self love party and she kicked it off.

Who am if I'm not my hair?

Sensitive to the feelings of others Afraid to be misjudged Always open to making new friends Good at networking to make contacts but not good at following up (I'm workin' on that--I get shy sometimes (; ) A team player Giving Loyal Eager to belong Willing to help out nice Fully devoted to living a full and happy life A dependable friend Sensitive Honest in a "What I tell you may hurt but I'll consider your feelings as much as possible" kind of gal Caring Intelligent A planner Unconditionally loving On the path to self love (my SL's have helped smoothen out the ride) An American-born Nigerian (talk about identity confusion) Sometimes, well ok, oftentimes politically correct In love with science but not sure about giving my life to science Perceptive Overly inquisitive A great communicator and conversationalist--not much else to do but talk while growing up in a suburban town that lacks a city Genuinely concerned A former pleaser Self aware Cheerfully sarcastic in my humor A realistic optimist Constantly growing and changing Ready to graduate but hesitant to grow up

And so on, and so on. . .

When embraced my natural hair in the summer of 1999, I began learning how to love myself. My SL's took it a step further because they helped me discover the woman I am. I feel like I am exploring my womanhood because I'm single without kids, I've never had a professional job, and have extended my adolescence by attending school from Kindergarten to PhD. I've been able to live on my own time, play, explore and be mentally free. Being able to live my life this way has been a tremendous gift and blessing. But If I was bald, I'd still be all of the traits above.

In finding myself and discovering my inner beauty, my hair has been a source of self love, vanity, confidence, dignity and shame. We are who we are and no one should tell us who we are based on our appearance, they have to get to know the person inside. Do people do this? No, we are judged by our appearance. India.arie is just reminding us that looking at my outside appearance to know me is like judging the depth of the sea with your eyes and not your hands--its a serious underestimation.

Just my thoughts. Have a blessed and safe holiday weekend!
Chi(:

I am blessed. . .

I just wanted to share a sentiment that my friend WCJ gave to me and my friends this weekend. I feel very blessed to have my family and friends on and offline! Peace!

Caruso's are grrrrreat!. . . And weddings too.

Hi all,

Thanks for your posts. I bought the curlers after ziggy encouraged me. ok, yes a sistah can get anal--it's the student in me.

but when i used the curlers for the wedding they were great! My updo lasted all day without hairspray and I received so many compliments. I did a trial run for the rehearsal dinner and when it worked out I was sold. Check out the wedding pics. I had a great time, the bride, groom and their families were really nice. The bride is polish and german and the groom is from australia. They met on campus while pursuing their PhD degrees at an international student mixer. Although the U of C can be scholarly (ie you're holed up by yourself studying to death), its still a place to find love. Alternatively, I met James at Borders. This goes to show that the lab is not the ideal place for matchmaking. Anyway, back to the wedding. It was a very diverse and small wedding (about 50 people)
and everyone was so friendly. I was invited to the groom's uncle partner's home in Bali!

Don't think I'll be going but I just wanted to show how friendly folks were.

More to come soon!
Chi(:
Ps. I am loving the NYC trip posts! I didn't get a chance to




comment on everyone's blogs because there were so many! But it was great to see positive folk come together to have a good time. If its and annual trip, count me in for next year!

Caruso Curlers: The good, the bad and the foam?

I'm going to be a bridesmaid in a wedding next saturday. At first I planned on pinning up my hair, but since it just got retightened, its not as flexible as it used to be. Plus, my hair is getting fuzzier and more unkempt? looking. I've lost about half of my fluffiness and I'm kind of in a weird in-between stage. So I started to look into purchasing some Caruso curlers to try to smooth things out. Reading Blaqkofi Leighann, LaChanda and Brunsli's posts about Caruso's was helpful. But after reading a a lot of customer reviews I'm starting to freak out.

I learned several things:

The good: You get great curls without damaging your hair. Hair looks smoother, and makes your ends look pretty. They last one day to several days depending on your hair.

The bad: There's this ticking noise that's annoying but not annoying enough to keep people from using the curlers.

The foam (or should I say the ugly): This unit, the newer one that doesn't use salt, has died on people within months. And, the foam doesn't last! What's up with that?!

I know there are SL sistah's with Caruso curlers out there. After all this reading, and at the risk of being redundant, I still gotta know some thangs. Could ya give a gal a hand?

How long have your rollers or the heating set lasted? Have you had a set die on you?
How do you run out of foam?
How do you heat up the rollers without getting your hair wet and losing your curl?

Any advice is welcome. Thanks in advance (:

Happy Memorial Day!!! Summer's here Yay!--that rhymes!(:

Danielle is America's Next Top Model!!!

Hey people,

I don't watch a lot of TV but I do have my favorite shows. And I was so excited to watch the Finale of America's Next Top Model because my favorite girl won! Danielle, the country gal from Little Rock, Arkansas, the one who sprained ankles and became sick and was ridiculed for her gap and her accent won! She overcame all of her obstacles and let her beauty shine through. When they announced her win, my best friend and I were screaming and jumping all over the room. I think I like her so much, because there are so many little black girls who are like her, and want to become a model in a "European-friendly" industry. You could tell she had to face a lot of cultural hurdles when the judges constantly admonished her about her accent-- despite the fact that she tried to suppress it. Although they tried to water down her "Blackness" she stayed true to herself and is a genuine beauty inside and out. Cheers to you Danielle, you go girl!