boo hoo.

"i found my voice." indeed.

i found mine, too: GOBAMA, GO!

in other news...

remember my pal Anthony? Wellllllll...

In the category of Best Writing for a Dramatic Series he's just been nominated for an NAACP Image Award for his awesome work on "Lincoln Heights"/ "The Vision" [season 2 finale]

Now how awesome is that?

May you be thus inspired this day.

Blessings,
DivaCardista
blessedstarcards.com
2/14 is on its way
so order your Valentine today!

Blind Spots

If at fourth you don't succeed...

No *sigh* we did not pass our road test, but, yet again, thanks for asking. Again.

First / Second time:
dad just died. broken [me &] u was shaky and parallel parking was a mystery only half solved.

~ took a year off to settle nerves, find face & new driving school ~

Third time:
learned to rock the broken u & fairly well cracked the code of parallel parking. however, we failed to distinguish difference between stop for & ignore flashing lights on small school bus.

Fourth time:
k turn is still good, parking is even better, but even as i am now far more aware of the possibility of small blinking school busses--aware & awaiting them with cat-like readiness--it seems as if no one but my friend ami and my driving instructor will ever know how well i park & turn & handle the vehicle over all as i failed to yeild to phantom race car that neither my driving instructor nor i saw upon take off but was smilingly cited by my sweet wrenlike examiner as she etched F into what felt like my heart.

Fifth?
if i don't pass this soon coming tba next time, i'm gonna need at least a fifth. (and a slow boat to china...)

*sigh*

The blues ain't nothin
but a good
woman
feeling bad
about knowing
how 2 drive,
but not how 2 pass
the *&%!@
road
test!

pat yr foot to that, why don'tcha.

some divas are known to make their annual trip to the Carribean or Cuzco, whilst i, on the other hand am surely somewhere helping the local economy by giving liberally of money, time and no small amount of dignity by allllmost getting my driver's license.

the good news is i really have re-learned how to drive. the bad news is what i have described thus far. so, several handfulls of faux cheerios later, i type, as Duke describes my case so eloquently in Solitude.

in other news,

you need to see THE GREAT DEBATORS. full stop. just go. and take your teens & tweens with you.

what a moment in history: Oscar winners Mr. Denzel Wasington and Mr. Forest Whittaker produced by skillionaire Diva and Oscar nominee herself, Ms. Oprah Winfrey, star in critically & locally acclaimed film THE GREAT DEBATORS while Mr. Barak Obama wins in Iowa.

what a time this is, indeed.

ok. so maybe instead of burrowing deeply into my bed as the rotten scene of me not passing plays ad infinitum in my head, i will go to bible study & then set my face like flint and quietly endure the inquisition of invested friends. and then point them to this page.

but come what may, i remain...

Blessedly,
DivaCardista
blessedstarcards.com

ps: happy new year! we shall not be overcome!!

Ain't it About Time?

Happy Thanksgiving! (Hope the turkey was tender...)
Happy Kwanzaa! (From umoja to imani...)
and a Blessed Christmas to you! (I hope your heart was/continues2b filled with great joy...)

What a year this has been!

From birthdaying in Brussels with Corinne Bailey Rae & dear east coast friends getting married [2/07], to fabulous college reunion [10/07] and dear west coast friends having twins [11/07] ...plus all that good stuff in the middle, like expanding soul & heart with my holy ghost crew and expanding my gift line over at blessedstarcards.com .

And then there were the doctors & doubt & exhaustion...o my!

I'm looking forward to a new and lovely 2008:
Less gunk, less junk.
More gems, more gratitude, more grace...
New visions coming to pass...
More strength, better health...
Working way smarter & not harder...
Being less money silly & more money wise...
&
Far more peace, freedom & joy on the journey...

Of course, everything I pray for me I pray for you.

Whomever you & I vote for, I pray they do well by us. We deserve it. And I pray that our country can get its moral center [which seems to have been replaced with some format of gooey nougat] back.

Let's continue to pray for Israel, Jerusalem, Palestine...Darfur...the Katrina Survivors...and all of our men & women on the battle field.

In fact, let's just keep fervent in prayer until we see the healing, compassion and redirection this world needs.

And, while we're at it, let's stay in pursuit of discovering the part we have to play to bring this to pass.

all things green & great in 2008
to you & yours!!

Blessings,
DivaCardista
blessedstarcards.com

Living in a Corn Maze / Diva Variations

No, not cool and summer groovy like Frankie Beverly and Maze...

More like

why is it that every new and fabulous idea I have ends up taking up more and more space in my once divine domicile? I seem to remember a time when I could actually fling my arms wide in some place of the sun. Not now, lest my entire empire come a-clattering down like a nearly completed jenga tower after the swipe of a vengeful cat.

It's duskin down dark, people, so your DivaCardista needs to find her way to the City and back before Tyra has them skinny women flying through the air with the greatest of ease (and, of course, a relaxed face).

So as always, I wish you peace...and space!

Blessings,
DivaCardista
blessedstarcards.com

PS: You really can't keep a good woman down!
http://blacknews.com/pr/blessedstarcards101.html

THG life / i feel for you...

Poor Marion.

I feel bad for her. To go so far, only to be dragged so far down.

The good news is, she is still young enough to rise from this scandal and do even greater things.

In fact she should be getting emails and phone calls of assurance from quite a few people who have been down the very same road she is travelling now.

Hugh Grant, Vanessa Williams, former President Clinton...and that cleptomaniacal actress who said she was stealing to get into character...y'all need to call Marion right about now. Tell her everything's gonna be all right afterwhile.

Anyhoo...

Did you hear? Chaka & yet another of Simon's favorites is gonna be in The Color Purple in 2008!

Now, to be honest, I had mixed feelings when I heard they were gonna be putting famous folk all up in the show, as if the show needed "fixing" or "hype" to sell it. As you know, your DivaCardista has seen the show and loved it already. But then I began to pray & it came to me: this might be a win win for all involved--the audience gets to see a perfectly lovely show AND some of their favorite stars, and the cast & crew get to keep their jobs [healthcare/dental/pension...] a bit longer, and the "star" folk get to strut their stuff in a whole new arena.

Ah, life gets better and better, does it not?

Blessings,
DivaCardista
blessedstarcards.com
Fall Greeting Cards sale ends 10/13
don't sleep... :)

Like Them Who Dream...

Happy Fall, y'all!

How's tricks? Hope all is well with you and those whom you love.

Aside from a brand new specialist milking me like Dracula's cow--let that image combo work on you for a moment or two--all is groovy like a ten cent movie. Plus, both lady doctor exams -- annual boob/cootch check -- came back normal. Thanks be to God!

Ladies, get your gear checked, ok? Promise? Ok. Good.

Yo, I was crazy on the fence about whether or not I should drop my mortgage money at Radio City last Tuesday. But that Concert was rich like grandma's gravy, so i would have been crazy not to.

After seeing the nicest liver doctor who has asked for the most plasma so far, it hit me, y'know? Like, is this living? Is this what I want to speak for me? And is there an award for most doctor visits in a year? Do I get some kind of prize for all of this skin popping and co-paying?

Or do I need to break out [or be clowned]?

So I began talking to my Savior, like, Lord what is up with this? This rut of a life that just five minutes ago was so ripe and bursting with promise? And, in a way that only God can, He sent me to a small church to pray and stretch my ears wide so I could hear Him good and clear.

He said, "you need to go see a Broadway show. like now." So I got up from the altar, jumped on the train and got off at 42nd & 8th.

As I approached Times Square en route to tkts, I see these three AfAm sisters, all fanning themself with Legally Blonde [funeral] fans.

Odd, right? I mean, big up to the PR folk over there to pull that deep from The Community!

Then four strides later I see three/four Latinas with the same hot pink paper fans.

Now, as my inner marketer is going, "what in the world...?", I am beginning to hear lots and lots of singing. In fact, I'm beginning to hear...show tunes!

My heart starts getting happy the louder and more decipherable the lyrics get because the Lord gave me my mandate to go see your first love, you need to go to Broadway on the very day of the annual Broadway on Broadway celebration! What?!?

The doing everythingbutperforming rut, the mourning for my Dad [two years ago this month] & good times past with my Mom [now in nursing home, two years] in our old house [sold, two years ago]...all kinda went *poof* as I stood in the middle of Times Square and joined a few thousand of my fellow citizens & theatre lovers in a rousing chorus of Greased Lightening.

I just got so light and happy. And if that were not enough, at the very end, they released the most colorful confetti you have ever seen. It just poured down like one big happy hippy dippy baptism.

And, believe me, my soul got drenched.

Once I got to the tkts booth, however, tiny wisps of sadness returned. This time for August Wilson. (Again.)

So after I finally decided to go head on and buy the tkts ticket for the excellent Curtains!, I went and ate happily at the Edison diner, where August sat, ate, ruminated and wrote some of the best text ever.

I won't go so far as to say that I felt August as I got my pre-matinee munch on, but your girl was feeling the Edison's way reasonably priced chicken on a bun. It was on point and had me feeling good all over again. I even ate my half pickle. (Yes, I got "The Deluxe".)

That was Sunday. And just two days later...mph mph mph!

Imagine a world where the carpets are so plush you could almost loose a shoe with each step, and then not miss the shoe until your foot hit cool & beautiful art deco marble.

Imagine a tribute to a history changing hero who, by stepping up to the plate & giving his very best ended up eternally elevating lives even though it cost him his own.

Imagine such a person with such posthumous inspirational power that voices from country to gospel to rap to rhythm and soul to classical thought it no less than an honor to share a stage for just one night...

If you can imagine this, you can begin to understand the supreme delight that was The Dream Concert!!

The Dream Concert, featuring just about every hot with the hotness vocal artist you can think of, was given as part of the fundraising mission to build the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial in Washington, D. C. So, not only was this a good reason to drop a benjamin or two, but the Concert itself was absolutely celestially wonderful.

And it was long.

Since your DivaCardista had a stockholders meeting in Harlem, USA in the am, then The Bloodening at noon, it was a long day's journey into night for your girl. Consequently when I got to my seat, I probably drifted off for a bit. Only to awaken to none other than Donnie McLurkin and the Boys/Girls Choir of Harlem opening the show.

So you know how high the bar had to have been with this as the opening act.

Then came Babyface. Then Santana. Then Bebe and Cece, Josh Stone, Garth Brooks, John Legend, Jessye Norman, Talib Kweli, Luda...

Crazy, right?

And as if all that were not enough, Mistra Stevie Wonderful himself came out to center stage. Lord have mercy! Then he had the audacity of bringing out our girl, India.Arie.

At this point I could have used one of those free pink fans they were handing out in Times Square. Or some straight up oxygen.

And to think: if I hadn't gone to that small church & jumped on that train or if I hadn't jumped off that downtown bus & cut through Rockefeller Center--if I hadn't jumped out of my rut-- I might have missed all of this.

Before the snow falls, I hope you check in with your first love.

Blessings,
DivaCardista
blessedstarcards.com
fab fall sale 10-1 thru 10-13.
(don't sleep...)

Watch LINCOLN HEIGHTS 2 nite!

Hey Mamasitas y los Papi Chulos,

Hope all is well on this 9/11 Day of Rememberance.

Wow. This is such a beautiful time of the year, but so much war talk and so much loss!

I almost can't believe Pavarotti is gone. But he was more than opera. He was all about music, no matter the genre. Peep these links if you think I lie. He was a baaad brother! Thank goodness for his legacy of excellence and passion.

In other news, this just in ...

from the up and coming writing genius of my most excellent pal Anthony--

... please tune in/TiVO/record/watch [and then email the producers and tell them how much you enjoyed]

LINCOLN HEIGHTS (ABC FAMILY network) tonight.
[His] first written episode of the 2nd season airs [2 nite!!] Tuesday, September 11th at 8pm. Or 7pm if you're in the Central Time zone. Please check your tv guide or cable scroll for the ABC Family channel in your area. The episode is
entitled "The Peacemaker".

And don't we need some peace right about now! Peace upon Israel... Peace upon Jerusalem... Peace upon Louisiana... Peace upon Darfur and all of Africa... Peace upon Mississippi... Peace upon Pakistan... Peace upon Haiti... Peace upon India... Peace in the Middle East... Peace in the Northeast...Peace in the Midwest... Peace on Broadway, Bollywood and Hollywood, Father God... Let's have more peace-writers and peace-actors and peace-agents and, good God, peace-producers...Peace be upon these United States, O God... Let us be united in a heartfelt desire for peace... Peace for the women & for the men, Lord... Peace upon the elder and the babies, Father... Peace for our present and our future... Peace for where you live, dear reader...

Not just the absence of war, but real & lasting peace is what I pray for on this day.

And if on 9/11 you lost a loved one, friend, co-worker, neighbor or even a classmate from back in the day, your DivaCardista and the blessedstar cards family wishes you peace and God's comfort this day.

Blessings,
DivaCardista
blessedstarcards.com