Happy Valentine's Day To Me?

When I read about the woman who married herself, I thought that was silly until I discovered something else that's equally bonkers: Single women wishing themselves Happy Valentine's Day. I want to send a special shout out to all single women wishing themselves Happy Valentine's Day; so have no idea where they do that at, and I'm not going to do any research to find out where. It's funny how some single women boast about not needing a man until Valentine's Day. All of a sudden, a single woman wants companionship; she wants a man to wine & dine her for one day just to feel special. I could be wrong, but if you claim to not need a man, doesn't that include not needing a date for Valentine's Day? I'm sure it does because if you're a single woman that boasts about not needing a man to make you feel special, that extends to romantic holidays. I'm all for a woman pampering herself, but don't flip-flop in your stance: You don't need a man, but when V-Day rolls around, you get lonely like Bobby Womack. I call these women Special Occasion Golddiggers. You folks know the kind: Some of these women brag all year about not needing a man until Valentine's Day rolls around. That bragging turns to desperation. Doesn't matter if he's taken, just the fact that a man is showing a beautiful woman a good time is enough for her. I'm just saying: Ladies, don't brag about not needing a man when it benefits you. Never talk about not needing a man all year, then turn around and want to be pampered on Valentine's Day or any other romantic holiday. That is not a good look.

Crossing The Line?

If women want confirmation of how important cooking prowess is, this picture says it all. If a man's wife cooks very well & another woman brings him meals daily, she's justified in feeling some sort of way. Any wife is gonna think another woman is trying to infringe on her territory. The way to a man's heart is through his stomach. It's no secret that men love a good, home cooked meal. It can come from another woman, and he'll eat that up with no hesitation. If his wife throws down, he'll appreciate her all day and night, not just for her cooking prowess but for the way she does right by him (of course this goes both ways). I don't see this ending well for him at all, so he might want to scale back on accepting meals from another woman. Today's women don't need a reason to think their husband is cheating. Even friendly gestures such as this can be taken the wrong way. Some women are distrustful of their mate (with good reason, especially if he cheated on her and she took him back), and if he's pulling stunts like this, it's confirming her suspicion. He's taking meals from another woman, so there's a possibility that the husband and his female co-worker have something going on already. They work together, so I'm assuming they have a good rapport. The problem with this is: He forgets that his wife probably knows people at his job. This woman could be bait, and he goes accepting food from her. She could be sent by the wife just to set him up, and he has no idea. Some women are very sly, so you can't put anything past them. What seems like a friendly gesture, can be taken wrong.

Wishy-washy black folks

Some black people are funny. If you tell them what they want to hear, they'll show you love. The minute a black person says something about their own people (regardless of what (s)he did), those supporters turn foes. Just because a black person calls out foolery from fellow blacks, that doesn't make them an Uncle Tom. Black people need to stop this mess. That's black folks biggest problem is that many of us don't want nobody telling us nothing. If you want the support of blacks, keep sucking up to them. Tell blacks what they want to hear, and they'll love you forever. The minute a black says something that blacks don't like, those same blacks scandalize his/her name in the streets. You're an Uncle Tom, you're trying to be white, etc. I can't be too upset because the very blacks who utter that mess are ones that I don't associate with anyway. I just find it funny how you can get love from your own race if you co-sign foolishness. Blacks are quick to bring up, "(s)he isn't perfect" Last time I checked, you didn't have to be perfect in order to drop wisdom. Ray Lewis said something about blacks that got folks in thrie feelings, and now it's off with his head. Ray Lewis has done more than his share of dirt, but from what I see he's done a 360. Whatever Ray Lewis said must have touched a nerve because these blacks are in their feelings. I doubt Ray Lewis cares about bing disliked because he's got more fans for him than against. Blacks want you to keep it real, until you say something that they don't like.

Zing!

My local newspaper has a daily column called Zing!, where opinions are succinctly stated. It's similar to Twitter where you speak your mind in 140 characters or less. Let's get it started:

Don't miss your season worrying about your situation.

— Black Queen (@CRIMdeLaaCRIM) February 1, 2015

We’re not always going to be here. Live life to the full, with purpose & passion, pursuing your dreams.

— Joel Osteen (@JoelOsteen) February 1, 2015

When I'm focused on a task, I hate distractions. I don't want to hear nonsense about having to learn how to focus despite distractions.😡

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) January 31, 2015

I messed around and missed Scandal.😡👎

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) January 30, 2015

We have the nerve to get upset with God at the choices we make.

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) January 27, 2015

Don't chase people. Be you, do your own thing and work hard. The right people who belong in your life will come to you, and stay.

— ~Relation Sheep~ (@relatedship) January 26, 2015

When someone's called into ministry, Satan is coming for them. All hell is going to break loose in their lives.

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) January 25, 2015

It takes a lot for a man to break down, but when he does...you know it's real. #ThickerThanWater

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) January 26, 2015

It used to be taboo for black men to complain about anything (women included), now social media has given them a tool to voice their issues.

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) January 21, 2015

One more before I go, and y'all be sure to check out my blog website:

Richard's Gospel http://t.co/Y0trKxMOMj

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) January 22, 2015

State Of The U

The U Has Failed to Attract Recruits From Miami http://t.co/dkaX1fTYCp via @miaminewtimes

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) January 30, 2015

My thoughts on The U are shared by many fellow Canes fans, DISMAL. First off, what was The U thinking hiring Al Golden as head coach? He's too conservative in his coaching style, he doesn't let the players play. Former Canes coaches Butch Davis, Jimmy Johnson, Larry Coker all had one thing in common: They let their players PLAY. Who cares if the players were "hood"? The Canes' hood ways were what brought 5 National Championships to Miami. Teams were scared to play the Canes because athletes had a warrior mindset. They won by any means necessary, and that's what I respected about The U. I remember when The U dominated the 80's & 90's, and they had epic battles with fellow Florida squad Florida State Seminoles. Whenever FSU and Miami played, it was a game. Neither team was willing to let up and oftentimes, games went into overtime. The U was snatching recruits left & right, and even on National Signing Day, players would commit to The U at the last minute; that's how good The U was in football.

The U didn't just attract recruits from Miami high schools, but they also attracted recruits nationwide. If you were a high school star player, you grew up watching Hurricanes football and wanted to play for The U. Ray Lewis, Warren Sapp, Michael Irvin, Edgerrin James, Jeremy Shockey, Santana & Sinorice Moss, Willis McGahee and countless others came through The U. The U has produced more NFL talent than any other Division 1 school. That was then, and this is now: Since Al Golden was hired as head coach, he hasn't gotten the job done. Consecutive losses to beatable teams, dismal regular season records of 6-6 or 7-5. Canes fans are already sick of Al Golden, yet Al's not going anywhere. Here's my biggest issue with Golden: Golden already had a solid foundation laid for him, and all he had to do was carry on what the previous coaches have done. If I'm Al Golden, I'd stick to the proven formula for success, and wouldn't deviate. The downside of coaching is that each new coach has their own vision for the team and players, so they aren't trying to stick to the old formula, even if it's been successful.

Because of The U's fall from glory, they're losing recruits left & right. Players that used to want to play for The U are now going to other schools, and rightfully so. What talented athlete wants to play for a losing team? I wouldn't. I like to win, so I surround myself with winners. The U is suffering from brain drain, where talented high school football players from Miami-area high schools are leaving for other schools. Sure, The U is lucky to snag a few local talent, but nothing like they used to do back in the 90s. In conclusion, the State Of The U is not good, but it can turn around if Al Golden leaves, because he's done enough damage to the Canes football program.

The Field: Miami

I received this video on my Facebook wall from a friend, and I must say it's a well-done documentary on the REAL Miami. Anyone from Miami understands that Miami isn't just South Beach, but the real Miami has the hoods, poverty, violence and drugs. Each neighborhood profiled shows aspiring rappers telling their story through their music. Watch the video:

I Want A Promotion

When someone gets a job, hopefully they don't want to stay in the same spot 5 or 10 years from now. Many people should want to move up in the company, because that shows you're willing to stretch out of your professional comfort zone. It's fine to want a promotion, but if it comes at the expense of your peace of mind, you might want to scale back a bit. Every job I may have in the future, yes I want to advance in the company, but if I'm going to be stressed everyday, forget it. I would rather make the same money and have peace of mind, than land a promotion and have headaches everyday. I don't have time for that. As much as I've gone through in my life, I'm trying to keep my life stress-free as much as I can. That involves using my discernment to know that if I'm presented with an opportunity to get ahead, I'm gonna pray about it and request a week to weigh the pros and cons. If the pros outweigh the cons, I move forward. If the cons outweigh the pros, I'm falling back.

Promotions bring out the worst in people, because so much is at stake. You get a big pay increase, challenging projects, you get to network with higher-ups, and you're closer to the executive ranks. If a supervisor told their staff "Whoever has the best proposal for this project is in line for a promotion", the backstabbing is sure to fly. There will be people who will get ahead by any means necessary, even if they have to step on others to win. I couldn't go out like that. I get ahead the right way, because I want to sleep at night. One fact people learn about getting promotions: The higher up you go in the company, the more responsibility you'll have. Some people can handle the responsibility of a promotion, others can't, and that's ok. When it comes to promotions, make sure you know what you're getting into.