Wanna be cube mates?

So Essence.com is hiring a few positions, which are all posted on Time Warner's site. I forwarded the message on to a few folks and have heard from friends and friends of friends interested.

And the momma in me wanting to give a few words of advice. 

The Winner's Circle

-PDF your resume

this keeps the format of your document exactly like you want it to. A friend shared today how she encountered a snide remark, when the one page cover letter she sent printed off as 2 for the lady interviewing her.  It also safeguards you from any changes being made, which is great if you have multiple people who the document is going through

-put your name in the title of the document

Again, folks are busy so if they download your resume, don't create more work for them to look up your name to figure out who's resume it is, and also more professional. 

- Play up Your Skills

Don't harp on things that dont relate and pull out experience that relates to the new gig

Conference Crashin'

So after the hundreth person asked me if I was going to Unity (I try not to, but everytime I wanna do it my Dave Chappelle a al Rick James voice:), I decided I was goin. I bought a plane ticket a few weeks before with no hotel, no conference registration and no extra cash for either - but plenty of faith.

After a crazy flight change, and a great evening with my aunt and cousin out in the burbs, I had a ball and saw so many old faces and met some new ones. Stayed with a different buddy each night staying in fab hotels paid for by their hard-working jobs. Julee's was the best at the Swissotel, this duplex suite with dressing room lights in the bathroom that I loved. I made my rounds grabbing cards and giving out my own. Seeing the Miami Herald booth in the job fair and being a little nostalgic for the south, I stopped by. Met this fab Black woman who was managing editor and had been a judge for the Hearst Awards. Me and Jess had drinks Friday with her old and new Ebony/Jet crew and it was cool to learn about the mag. I couldnt fit my clothes with that free lunch and cornbread they serve over there everyday and got interesting staff stories. The Howard reception 

at the Johnson Publishing Building (it's 11 floors) was amazing - as we stepped into the fly 70s. Seeing all my old newspaper folks, witnessing my college mentor Courtney mack the charming Nate Parker, and calling out an old professor who gave me a 'B' when I worked harder in the class than most of my 'A' ones was a sweet memory, in one of my fav dresses. Debra Lee, Linda Johnson and others were mingling about and I was glad to be in the mix.

Saturday I spent time with Sierra and her mom on the beautiful harbor and those two are a whole post or book by themselves! Comedy:) We hit the NABJ Awards Dinner and the mag racks up, and some great journalists are awarded. I want to read all the submissions.
Sunday it was great to see Senator Obama in person and my publicist buddy made me love the city even more taking me to Wicker Park. I about lost my mind with all the crazy vintage finds and got myself a sick new dress and skirt and cool stuff for Charm Trunk. I was even more excited to see the Aldo sale store. Im still broken hearted they closed the liquidation stores on 34th and 14th here, and this one was bigger and better!

Just as Im seriously contemplating whether I should be trying to move to beautiful Chicago, the guy I split a cab with to the airport reminds me of the cold and crazy winds, which had slipped my mind.

Unity: The perfect mix of business and pleasure and the kick in the butt to keep grindin . . .

Gives me Chills

Jazmine Sullivan is definitely my latest girl crush.

 She dropped by the office recently and I felt like a grandma not knowing anything about her. I don't watch much tv outside of CNN, a VH1 reality show when I can and HBO On Demand, and I dont listen to the radio unless Im listening to Steve Harvey as I get ready for work, so this one had slipped past me, and Jess or India or any of my other regulars who send me youtube and every other kind of link during the day, hadn't put me on. 

And Im glad they didnt because it made my first listen to this singer that more special - her voie live with not a single note of music. After she waltzes in the room so humble and fly, and way prettier than her pictures, she says she will sing 'In Love With Another Man' and she goes on to break down a love she feels so deep, how can it be wrong? Every single emotion in that song came through her voice. She sang a few other songs, including her single with Missy, but I kept hearing the words of the first one - and thoughtful on a love that deep. 

Simply amazing. I listened to her singing that song dozens of times this week on my ipod. Her voice is really an instrument that whatever she sings, you swear you feel. I love my Philly singers. I know Im late, but I happily hopped on her bandwagon. Play on sister . . .play on

Whiten Up, will ya?

I once complained I had no shoes, till I met a man who had no feet.

That's how I felt watching this video and others like that of skin-whitening products in India.

Its ironic I finally got a new Covergirl foundation compact that matches my complexion perfectly, then saw this video posted by the fabulous Awkward founder Sammy Davis

I just sat at the screen after watching this, like, woah. Ponds? for real? My man will leave me if I dont lighten up?

And it has to be so much harder not to buy into this BS, when the media is telling you it straight to your face. Making me even more thankful to have empowered women in this country.

If it weren't bad enough your man will leave you, they even have ones where your parents will love you more, if you lighten up. they dont show you all those people with blotchy GRAY skin after trying these products. I dont even want to see what their ads in Africa look like.


Ponds officially needs to be protested by all women. Ill start.

I need to send some Tupac asap to ladies who actually by into this crap.

You see the blacker the berry . . . the sweeter the juice . . .. Keep your head up!

My lil bro . . .

They grow up so fast. Go Keesean!

Donnie today . . .Diddy tomorrow:)

Dont Be A Diva

Last Monday, with the deadline of an amazing assignment looming, I did what a NYC girl in her 20s should do, give up sleep to do the assignment a little later and attend Vibe party with Chrisette Michelle . . . right?

I didnt feel as cute with jeans on instead of my standard dress, but you gotta work what you have and with an open bar Remy and Pineapple worked just fine:) First person I spotted was my friend who's working at the mag as a music assistant which is extra cool. At Howard we always talked magazines and New York, so its motivating to see us both off to a good start. And also was great for me, since I use to have the weirdest crush on him, and to realize it had completely passed. Meeting his girlfriend made me feel like the cool young adult I wanna be.

Then I saw my girls and I couldnt be industry cute any more. Chrisette made her way through the crowd to the back. Horrible spot for a performance because it was a small lounge with no stage. They just set her up in the back of the room. No elevation so if you werent two feet away or 7 feet tall, you werent going to see . . .unless you stood on the backs of the couches against the wall, which was exactly what we did. Chrisette did two and half songs then left. Interns started yelling on the mic, if we quieted down she might come back. Its open bar and this spot is small, a lot of these folks are fans, so dont take a little chatter so personally.

The DJ starts. People start leaving. I met a cute short guy, who has since crossed himself off the list (I know you are a Taurus, but at least try and be subtle). Everyone wonders if she is coming back out to finish the set since this was promoted as a evening with her performing. Folks continue to trickle out. It's time to dance the stress away. A hour later folks still arent believing that was it and waiting for Chrisette to return, since she hasnt left the building. 30 minutes later I start chatting with a Vibe intern who recognized me at from that MPA conference. Note to self: continue to meet and keep in touch with people on all levels. She says Chrisette should be coming back.

5 minutes later another intern gets on the mic, "Everbody get out!" We all feel like freeloaders being chastised. Its time to go. I talk to Jozen, who put me on the list, and he definitely looks like a good time was had:). Then my business mind kicked in wondering whose, if anyones, check would be affected.

Chrisette, why did you do us like that? Being an R&B diva is played.

Go to bed!

Me and my girls were laughing hard, quoting The Jacksons movie, after Jessica was randomly told she looked like Tina Turner, from a wacky guy on the train who looked just like Albert Einstein. Which lead to the amazing-ness that is Angela Bassett, and somehow got to her performance as Mom of the Jackson clan (that limp was something serious). 

 "Marlon! Michael!" storms around the house . . .

Joe Jackson wasn't playing about them towels by the pool. And as always, Angela Bassett set it off. 

"What you gonna do? .  . . Joseph, GO TO BED."

I'm wishing I had a mama jackson (well, I actually do:) to make me go to bed because these last few weeks, maybe even months, it's been harder for me to unwind and get my mind to just stop, so I can go to sleep sometimes. And coming from a narcoleptic sleepaholic that's big.  I'm just getting over the fact I was always the first one sleep at my own slumber parties.