Brand new.

The 19th of July was my birthday!

Thank you to all my friends and family that called, texted, emailed, tweeted, and FB messeged me to wish me a happy one. My TO celly was roaming all day because I went across the border to Niagra Falls and Buffalo, NY - sorry I missed your calls.

The day was magnificent! Just me and my posse - Mum, sis, and bro. The weather was sunny and breezy and the falls were absolutely gorgeous as usual. No cake pics, it was demolished! Ha-ha!!

Did you know that the Falls won't be a on the new seven wonders of nature list? I can't believe it! Apparently the people of New York didn't want to fork out the money to promote the Falls in the vote for the 28 finalists. What a shame!

Til' next year.



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A friend is one that knows you as you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and still, gently allows you to grow.

The wise words of William Shakespeare.

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Anyone looking for a new workout routine should read this book! Marco Borges has a very real approach to working out and stresses the fact that fitness is a lifestyle with no quick fixes. The forward by Jay-Z also helps boosts his case.

Check out what he had to say on Ellen:

Now before we start lambasting black men globally for abandoning their kids, and having extra-marital to every other sort of adulterous relationship imaginable, let’s keep focus; that is not what this is about. Yes, there are many bad men, they are not fairytales (well nightmares for that matter), they are callous, and really don’t care about anyone but themselves; again though, that’s not the focus of this post. I’m addressing why black women can’t get THEIR man (focus on THEIR and not BLACK WOMAN).

One further disclaimer, I am writing on what I know; and that is black women. I have neither the first hand nor second hand knowledge, of enough women outside of my own race to give a justifiable opinion. For the rest of this post I will use women, but I am loosely referring to what I’ve known and been surrounded by all of my life; black women.

Now that my position is hopefully clear, the issue is simple; what women want vs. what they go for. As usual this being our blog, the views expressed are ours and in this case, mine, so excuse the absence of “in my opinion”, at the beginning of every sentence. The issue is simple, but it presents itself in a variety of complex, and confusing ways.

Firstly; the woman that overstates and advertises herself as more than she is.



This woman could be one of many. She is the woman that says she wants a serious relationship, and is searching for love, and a deep connection etc. etc. while she really only wants a man; period. Believe it or not, this is very prevalent and real. There are a lot of relationships where it is in fact the man that is ‘too’ serious for his girl. The result; he’s not a good man because he’s too needy and demanding, and of course, “insecure” (Unlike myself, apparently a lot of women have PhD’s in identifying insecurity, and immaturity).

She is also the woman that likes bad boys, and thugs, but claims to be after a man the treats her right and respects her mind and body. She’s also the woman that wants a man that listens and is caring, but in that same breath wants a challenge, and a man that is not ‘easy’. The result; a bad boy that wants to be bad, and never had any intentions of changing for her, or anyone else. On the other hand of course there’s that pushover of a guy that talks, and listens, and understands everything.

This is also the woman that wants sex, but for whatever reason (again not a psychology expert so the reason is not really my concern), needs to say that she wants love. The result is a man that is only involved for sex, and a relationship that never was a relationship to begin with. She knows it, but blames him for not loving her. She even convinces herself that with the sex they have, he will come around. Now it’s not a case of an innocent man, but at the same time where was the problem in the first place?

Secondly; the woman that does not know what she wants.



Now this is the woman that often really does meet those bad men, dogs, abusers, etc .etc. She is the woman that likes a guy, and wants to see where it goes. She knows she likes him, but that’s all she knows. She is often the victim to men that manipulate women into all that they want from them. She is the woman that does not know what to accept, what her bonderies are, or what she is willing to give this man. She is in my opinion the only woman that can talk about these dogs that lie and deceive and manipulate women. Often times she is involved in long relationships with men that initially were ‘let’s see where this goes’, and grows to love a man that never came out of that faze. He’s still testing waters, he doesn’t respect her, and he’s THE bad guy.

Thirdly; the woman that sends her ‘resume’ to WalMart but expects Barnes & Thornburg to call her up.

You CANNOT, want an intellectual, but only go to the club. You cannot be searching for a soul mate, or good guy, but your first requirement is a ‘six-pack’. A good looking man, is not a good man, so don’t blame him if he’s bad. This woman needs to study herself; she does the most complaining about men, but she is the one who should take the biggest blame. IF you want a good looking man, then so be it, go get him, but what in that ever promised you a good man? If in your criteria for searching for a man, it involves more about his pocket, his ‘shoe size’, his body, or his charm, then don’t deceive yourself; you are not looking for a ‘good man’.



My Verdict; There are many good men. He’s not at the club; because maybe women go for a different reason but guys go to get girls (not for the scenery, not for music, but for women; from freaks to pretty faces). To be realistic, you are not going to be going around talking to every man to learn his ‘interesting mind’, BUT if you are going around looking for ‘Mandingo’, or your very own Denzel, then admit that to yourself; now. If you find Denzel, remember that that’s who he is; he is not a good man. He could be (if you’re lucky or blessed or use magic or whatever), but that’s not promised. If you truly want YOUR man, you need to know what is most important to YOU. There are many men out there; good, bad, weird, nerdy, needy, ‘wack’, small, big, tall, and it goes on. But until women realize that what they like and what they need, what they say they want and what they go for, all need to be the same, they can never blame ‘bad men’.

I recently saw a video blog, by Shanel Cooper-Sykes, talking about women needing to stop shouting ‘bad men’, and ‘men are dogs’. I agreed with her answer, but her reasoning for me,(this man), was wrong. The love of yourself does not bring a loving man. Knowing yourself and what you NEED in a man, will bring YOURS to you. You need to know what you need, your priorities, in order to know what to search for.




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“Never look backwards or you'll fall down the stairs.”

The wise words of Rudyard Kipling.


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Those of you that follow us on Twitter, at twitter.com/theonlynumber, may be aware that I had the most amazing breakfast last week! My little sis woke up super early to make pancakes from scratch. (I loooove having her at home) She mixed up the old recipe with whole-wheat flour and mango slices. They were sooo good, I just had to share.

Since the house is stocked with mangoes right now, she decided to use them in our recipe. Feel free to use the same recipe with berries, bananas, or any other fruits you'd like.

The recipe is fairly simple. Prep time is about 10 minutes or less!

You'll need:

• 1/2 cup butter

• 2 cups milk

• 2 cups flour (all purpose or whole-wheat)

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 2 tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp salt

• 2 large eggs

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• olive oil spray for the pan

• 3 mangoes, cut into thin slices

Directions:

1. Melt butter


2. Combine milk, butter, vanilla extract, and eggs in a large bowl


3. Combine dry ingredients in a separate container


4. Combine dry and wet ingredients
   Note: Be sure to stir by hand instead of using a blender, some lumps are OK. The pancakes will be fluffier!


5. Grease the frying pan with oil and place on stove at medium heat


6. Add mixture to the frying pan with a large spoon (approx. 1/3 cup) and place 3-4 mango slices on top


7. Flip pancakes when bubbles appear


8. Cook until both sides are golden!

This recipe makes about 12 pancakes. Try it out this weekend and tell me how it goes!

xo,
S


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This song reminds me of the Usher that I know and love. Listen to it here.
This will tide me over until his album drops later this year.

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Source: concreteloop.com

He said: I don’t have any psycho-analysis as to why or why not; No proof, no real reasoning, no nothing. But to give an honest opinion, I believe that checking other people out is not a problem. I can’t say it’s a ‘good’ thing, but I can say, I don’t think it’s bad, or detrimental to a relationship. Now I’m not talking about the ‘eye-raping’, undressing, smiling and blushing, bedroom-eyes, checking out; I think that’s pretty unacceptable. A simple, ‘yeh he/she is fine’, or maybe even a little, “I’ll hit that” (I’m joking Sammy-Jo), would do.

BUT, I think it’s a no-no if you are with your shawty/baby boy, or whatever your lingo. Just respect your relationship enough, to at least focus on yours. From the outside looking in, it really isn’t a ‘good look’; I’ve been looked at head to toe from girls with their man, and I must say I wouldn’t have it. From the inside looking out, it’s just a way of saying I’m loyal to this person; you might be fine, but not right now.


She said: What's wrong with taking a look? Nothing in my opinion. HOWEVER, there will be NO neck breaking or double takes in my presence!

I have to admit though, there's some bad b*tches out there that even I may want to stare at. No homo! It's also a real reminder that there are other fish in the sea. Like a friendly tap on the shoulder to keep your stuff on point, release yourself of old routines, and try new things with your special someone.

It's important men and women just need to learn to be respectful whether there special someone is there or not. When you gawk at someone, it makes them think that you're interested. This could lead to more then just an innocent gaze and become a real problem for a couple.

Single people on the other hand can look, drool, spin around, and bark if the urge strikes. Just realize that this type of behavior doesn't work on quality males or females when you're trying to get their attention. It's actually a major turn-off.

Mr. Obama was "caught" in the picture above and the dude on the side has the most devilish smirk on his face. I just couldn't help myself. Keep in mind, Obama is a man. The picture, in my opinion makes him a human being like the rest of us. Love him!

So what do YOU think? Do you agree with what He said or with what She said? Have your say on the Topic of the Week by leaving a comment below!

Dr3 & Sammy-Jo



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The Lady Lynx played at home today in an amazing game at the Hershey Centre. The cliche, "defense wins games", describes the effort best. The relentless contributions of the defensive line had the Ottawa based club furious!

Kudos to my sis, defensive player Courtney Clarke, for her starting debut in the USL Premier Development League (PDL).

If you want your life to be a magnificent story, then begin by realizing that you are the author and everyday you have the opportunity to write a new page.

The wise words of Mark Houlahan.

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Here's the first leak off of Wiz and Curren$y's mixtape, How Fly- expect the greatness this month.



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Download Goapele's new single, Milk & Honey here.


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Straight evil! And I know quite a few people that would NOT like this - my sis and Dr3 especially. If it said no volleyball, it would be ON! The sign is totally discriminatory.

Does it mean that every other sport is allowed? Anyways, I saw it while I was exploring Hollywood. I guess almost anything goes there.

That's all. Night!


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Pharell chose an interesting pair of tall boots to wear to The Serpentine Gallery Summer Party in London yesterday.

Men,
Is men's fashion taking a turn for the worse or something? Would YOU wear these?

Women,
What do you think? Would you go anywhere with a man that was wearing boots? Horseback riding not included.

Let me know in the comments section below. I'm NOT feeling them - AT ALL. Then again, ugly boots may have been a part of the dress code - check the lady in the back. Ha-ha!

Sorry Pharell, it's a no-go.




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Larry David, co-creator and producer of two of my favorite shows - Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm, stars in Woody Allen's newest movie, Whatever Works - opening this Friday, July 10th! Check out the trailer here:

Tia Mowry has recently discussed The Game's possible rescue with TV Guide after the show was dropped from the CW's Fall line up. According to TV Guide, BET is trying to obtain rights to the half-hour comedy and air new episodes! Keep your fingers crossed.

Gossip Girl + The Game = HAPPY, HAPPY, JOY, JOY!

Check out what Tia had to say here.



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I had to share this with you before I hit the sac.

Several "Free Hugs" signs caught my attention this afternoon. What a neat idea! Little did I know, it's a really controversial campaign started by Juan Mann.

His goal is simply to spread love. Check it out: