4 Channels to Watch on YouTube #2

Hey Ya'll!

It's me Ms. KD here once again with my top "4 Channels to Watch on YouTube" for the month of June to check out on YouTube.  As you may already know, I enjoy spending some of my free time cruising through YouTube looking for anything that is entertaining whether it be social commentary, beauty and style advice, or comedic relief. 
This month my top four picks cover all of the above criteria.

Number 1
1987JBaby
www.youtube.com/user/1987jbaby

Ms. Janice is a YouTube personality who has recently achieved one of the highest academic accomplishments; a Master's Degree in Sociology.  One of the first videos that I ever watched by 1987JBaby was "Black Women Stop Frontin'".  I myself am a black woman who has attended and graduated from an HBCU and I could totally relate to what she was talking about.  After watching Ms. Janice's video, I was very pleased to see and hear a young black woman on YouTube  who is not only educated by also offers insightful commentary on current social issues through her observations.

Number 2
Nitraab
www.youtube.com/user/nitraab

Ladies, have you ever been in doubt about, well anything to do with beauty and style?  Are you not sure about how to shape your eyebrows?  Perhaps you need advice on what essentials to include in your M.A.C. starter kit?  Or maybe your not sure which pumps to pair with which maxi dress?  Have no fear! YouTube personality Nitraab is here to provide answers for all of your questions about hair, makeup, fashion and style.  Ms. Nitraab's YouTube channel offers videos that range from how-to hair and makeup tutorials to Outfit of the Day (OOTD) videos.  I especially enjoy Ms. Nitraab's video tutorials on how to create the smokey eye look using a variety of colors. 

Number 3

Jenna Marbles

www.youtube.com/user/JennaMarbles

 

Jenna Marbles!! This woman is funny, smart and she delivers that slapstick, ironic comedy through blogging and vlogging. Hehehe vlogging! I luv that word :) ......and......I'm back.  I guess you can say that I came across Jenna Marbles "at just the right time".  You see, I was on YouTube procrastinating when I should have been doing things around the house. So, I after watching yet another video (don't ask me which one), I finally made myself do something productive.  So two hours later, I had just finished putting away two weeks worth of groceries (which I had to carry up to my second floor apartment by myself) then I paid three bills (which I pay for with my own single woman income) and I loaded the washing machine with load number four.  And while the washing machine was going yet again I clicked on a recommended video titled I Hate Being a Grown Up.  And the whole time all I could think was, "That's how I feel!"  

Number 4

Wendy Williams Fans

www.youtube.com/user/wendywilliamsfans

Ok, I know that I said that I enjoy watching YouTube videos but sometimes I just want to listen while I catch up on chores around the house.  And the best YouTube channel to listen to is Wendy Williams Fans.  The Wendy Williams Fans channel on YouTube brings us the infamous Wendy Williams that we all know and love, Ms. Radio Wendy.  Wendy Williams Fans has brought us the funny, raw and (virtually) uncut Wendy Williams from her radio days on 107.5 WBLS New York.  The above video clip is just a mere taste of what to expect from Wendy Williams Fans uploads on YouTube.

So there you have it!! My top “4 Channels to Watch on YouTube”.  Have you been to any of the YouTube channels that I named?  Or, are there any YouTube personalities or channels that you would recommend? Leave a comment with you suggestions and thoughts.  And as always, thanks for stopping by!
Have a blessed and socially prosperous day!!
~Ms. KD♥

Memorial Day

Hey Ya’ll!

Today is Memorial Day!

A day that is filled with the sights of American flags, picnic tables covered in red and white gingham print table clothes and red party cups filled to the brim with your beverage of choice. A day taken over by the smell of hamburgers, hotdogs and chicken on the grill, warm apple pie and Blue Bell Homemade Ice Cream.  A day that is filled with the sounds or children laughing and playing, adults and teenages in breezy conversations and the music from someone’s IPod docking station or the radio.  A day that is filled with the feelings of the warm breeze of the upcoming summer days, the light spray of the sprinkler and the sting of Texas sized mosquitoes as the afternoon turns to evening.  For many people, Memorial Day is the last day of the three-day weekend that spent down at the river or at one of Galveston’s public beaches. For others, Memorial Day marks the first official day of summer vacation, two and half months of relaxed days and lazy evenings.   Family, friends and friends of the family will gather at various locations in celebration.  But what would happen if you ask a random person, especially someone from my generation that conversation stopping question:  What is Memorial Day?  Last year on the local hip hop and R&B station, one the radio DJs asked random people the purpose of Memorial Day and several of the responses were, “Oh!  It’s a day for kids not to go school and for adults to get off of work”.  Wow.  My people, my people. 

Memorial Day is an annual federal holiday that is observed on the last Monday in May.  The purpose of Memorial Day is a day of remembering the brave men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. So, on this day, May 28, 2012, please take the time to not only gather with family and friends but also to take the time to remember those brave men and women who sacrificed their time and lives to allow us to live in a free country.

Thanks for stopping by!  Stay safe and blessed on this Memorial Day holiday!

~Ms. KD♥

Parking, Jen Lancaster & Running

Yesterday was one of those wonderful, lazy Saturdays where the hardest decision I had to make was which parking spot did I want to park in so I could go shopping at the Barnes & Noble.  And this where-to-park decision was more of a choice as opposed to a decision seeing as how I arrived at the Barnes & Noble about two minutes after they opened, on a Saturday of a three day weekend.  I was on a quest to get one book, Jen Lancaster's memoir Bright Lights, Big Ass: A Self-Indulgent, Surly, Ex-Sorority Girl's Guide to Why It Often Sucks in the City, or Who Are These Idiots and Why Do They All Live Next Door to Me?.  I had already read this book several years ago but it belonged to my sister, Rose, so after years (literally) of wanting to read it again I decided to go buy my own copy.  (And yes I reread good, quality works of literature.  And as far as I am considered in the world of memoirs, Jen Lancaster is a literary genius.)

Once I chose one of the 1,000 open spaces in the front of the store, I started on my quest for Jen Lancaster.  As I headed towards the back, left hand side of the store something more interesting caught my eye.  An entire section dedicated entirely to exercise and fitness, and within that two entire shelves of books dedicated to running.  It was almost as if the books on running were speaking to me saying, “KD! You must stop here first!”  Why is this significant?  Since last week, I have had this sudden urge to run.  And not in a Flash Dance, She’s a Maniac running in place in leg warmers kind of way.  My urge to run is more of a one day I can run one of those 5K marathons with ease.  I would like to be able to do so by the time I am 30 which gives me two years and 7 months.  So, after perusing through several books on all things running, I settled on Kara Goucher’s Running For Women: From First Steps to Marathons (with Adam Bean).  I have to admit that I did not have a clue who Kara Goucher prior to spotting her book at Barnes & Noble.  So, after a quick Google search I found that Kara Goucher is an Olympic long-distance runner who earned the bronze medal in the 2007 World Championships in Athletics and she represented the United States at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.  (Thank you Blackberry Smartphone, Google and Wikipedia.)  My personal goal is to read this book by the end of the week and incorporate new ideas and techniques into my ultimate goal of running a 5K marathon. 

Is there a goal, big or small, that you have in mind that you would like to accomplish?  Maybe you want to run a marathon, start a business or go back to college.  Have you sought advice from a book or a professional in person?  Or perhaps you have relied on your own intuition and life experience.  Whatever your goal or goals in life may be, strive to set small, realistic goals in the beginning so you can be successful and build the confidence needed to push yourself to the next level.  Then one day before you know it, you will have reach your goal and you will be ready to move onto something bigger and better in life.

Well, thanks for stopping by!  Until next time, stay blessed!

~Ms. KD♥

Help Me Understand: "Bald Headedness"

(This blog post was originally written by Ms. KD Heart and published on May 25, 2012.)


Hey Ya’ll!!
Today I am going to give you a written response to a YouTube video that I watched from This Is A Commentary entitled 55. Bald Headed Bitches These Days (click here to go to video) that really got me thinking. Before I go in on this issue, let me tell you that no, I am not a licensed cosmetologist. Nor am I an endocrinologist. Hell, I’m not even a hair guru. (And yes, I know I referred to myself as a weaveologist in Sometimes It Takes A Stranger. But, that is neither here nor there. Moving on.) I’m just a black woman trying to understand the meaning of bald headedness. I believe this post can really apply to any woman, but because I am a black woman I feel that I can only really speak on black women. Now, here we go….

Lately, one of my favorite free-time activities is watching YouTube videos. I enjoy watching everything from music videos to social commentary to how-to hair and makeup instructional videos. One day while watching a particular YouTube video and then watching a few of the suggested videos, I noticed that a lot of men and women, well Black men and women, throw around the term “bald-headed” to describe a woman’s hair or lack thereof. I pondered on this term “bald headed”. What makes a woman bald headed? Is it simply personal perception or is there a strict scientific definition?

So, let’s get technical for a moment. First, let’s define bald. According to Webster’s Dictionary (1981) bald is defined as: (adjective) destitute of hair [or feathers] on the crown of the head; bare; unadorned; undisguised. Webster’s Dictionary then went on to define bald-headed as a noun meaning one destitute of hair. (By the way, for myself I wanted to be really clear on this so I looked up destitute and found that it means in want; needy; deprived of means of sustenance.) Now, that we know what bald is, let’s have a clear understanding of the crown of the head. The crown of the head can mean the top of the head or the whole head (scalp). Therefore, if we use Webster’s definition of bald and the common description for the crown of the head, one could conclude that a “bald-headed” woman is one who has absolutely no hair or is in great need of a few extra strands. Based on this "definition" of bald-headed I had to take a step back and examine my own hair situation.

About three weeks ago, I had gone to see my hairdresser and had my weave taken out. Once the weave was taken out and my natural hair was washed, I had gone to my Mom’s house and she trimmed, no cut, off all the ends that were still “permed” (I have been off the creamy crack for one year now). When my Mom finished, I went from this:

a head full of 16 inch Indi Remy in color 1b with a 12 inch closure in color 1 (two-toned ratchet I know, I know but it’s my head and my money so I do what I want) to this:

a full head of short, kinky-curly natural hair. Now, as I sat with my short natural hair and listened to these men that talk about girls who wear weave but when they take it out they are really bald-headed, I stopped laughing and asked myself, “Am I one of the bald-headed chicks they talkin’ about?” I mean yes, I would love to sit here and lie to you, talking about, "Short hair! Don't care!" but I do care.

So, first I had to ask myself, are black women with short, healthy, natural hair considered bald-headed simply because her hair is not flowing down her back? Having gone to a Historically Black College/University (HBCU) I know and have seen plenty of black women who have a full head of thick hair that is short, like pageboy cut short. Often these women will go strolling down the Tiger Walk and I will overhear a group of Willy-Wonka-weaved- up ratchet aka jealous girls comment, “Hmf! She think she cute with dress on! With her bald-headed ass!” Wow. Really? Honey child, you need to acquire some manners. I mean really, why all the hate? Now, back to the purpose of this post. The second type of hair that I have observed on some black women is that long, down to her waist, are-you-mixed, hair. But sometimes with some black women the longer their hair gets, the thinner it gets towards the ends. And these are usually the main black girls who are talking about, “Long hair! Don’t care!” Sweetie, you have long strands of hair, there is a difference. (I know that was rude but everyone was probably thinking it). Now, would a black woman with this type of hair be considered bald-headed seeing as how you can damn near see her scalp?

Based on my technical definitions of bald and the two scenarios of supposed bald-headed women, I have come to my own definition of “bald-headed”. I believe that a bald-headed woman is one who has a small amount of hair that barely covers their scalp whether it is from poor hair care and maintenance or the onset of hereditary baldness. I do not believe that a woman with short hair is bald-headed nor do I believe that a woman with thin long hair is bald headed. I believe that labeling a woman as “bald” is personal perception. And remember ladies, especially black women, whether you have thick, natural, relaxed, thin, kinky curly, silky straight or hell even Indi Remy weave, please do not let anyone make you feel as if you are less than simply because you do not have their perception of a woman with good hair.
Well folks, that’s all I have to say on this subject. Please feel free to leave a comment on your thoughts and perceptions of what bald headed means to you.

Until next time, stay blessed!
~Ms. KD♥

Check Her Out Ya'll!!

(This blog post was originally written by Ms. KD Heart and published on May 21, 2012.)

Hey Ya'll!!

Please check out the blog Musings and Insights of A Wild Rose by Rose. A native of Houston, TX, this self-proclaimed Wild Rose of Texas is a blogger to look out for.
http://musingsandinsightsofawildrose.blogspot.com/

Please share the love and read her posts, comment and subscribe!!
Thank you all so very much!!

~Ms. KD♥

I Luv Texas

(This blog post was originally written by Ms. KD Heart and published on May 20, 2012.)

Hey Ya'll!!

I haven't been on here to write anything in a minute. But here I am back in full effect lol. So yesterday I was clearing out the pictures in my digital camera to make room for some more and I came across some pictures from way back in 2010 from when I had gone up to Huntsville with my Dad. I had to take the THEA test in order to be accepted into the Teacher Preparation Program at Texas Southern University and because I was told on such short notice (or least I felt like it was) the next available test date was in two weeks and the closest location was in Huntsville. I live way, way, way down, down, down in a Houston suburb lol. But no biggie. My Dad and I took a road trip up to Huntsville to Sam Houston State University and after I was the done with my test, rather than turning right back around and going home, my Dad and I took a little walk around the campus grounds.
So this slide show that I created. Enjoy!!

So do you love your state, providence, city, parish or country?? If you do leave a comment on where you live and why you luv it!!! Thanks for reading and watching ya'll!! Remember you can follow me on Twitter @Mskdaisyheart and visit my YouTube channel KDaisy Heart Show

Until next time, stay blessed!

~Ms. KD♥

Dense and Confused: They Taken Over Ya'll

(This blog post was originally written by Ms. KD Heart and published on May 10, 2012.)

Hey Ya’ll!!!

So six LONG years I worked for a popular retail chain. I don’t want to put them on blast but I’m sure you’ve been there. They are known for their bed (room), bath (room) and other products that go beyond your imagination. And if you haven’t figured it out by now then you are most likely one of the Dense and Confused people that I would encounter on a daily basis at my job. Six months ago I quit my retail hell job to take a better job, but yesterday I ran into an a friend from (my former) work and she told me how she quit and so did another one of our friends. And this got me to thinking about those darker days of working in retail hell.

Just a typical day at work

(Customer approaches return counter at a popular retail store)

Me: Yes ma’am, how can I help you?

Dense and Confused: Ummm…..Hi. Uhh…..ya’ll have this toaster (waves hand in general direction of left side of store even though she just threw the toaster up on the counter) in your store that I saw when I came in this morning but I didn’t have time to shop because my kids had practice for the musical. You know my middle kid not the two older ones in college. So then I uhhh… went to Wal-Mart and they had it cheaper and they had some other toasters too. They even had one that heats the butter….or maybe that was a popcorn machine. Umm and then I came back here after I picked up my dry cleaning.

Me: (trying to catch key words but she lost me at musical) Ok? Would you like to return this toaster? (I already knew what she wanted at “cheaper” but again she lost me at musical)

Dense and Confused: Umm….yeah….so I wanted to get it for the Wal-Mart price because they have it for cheaper.

Me: No problem. Let me just go on-line and verify that it is the exact make and model and we’ll go from there

(Time elapse for about 5 minutes while I search on-line on our old school ancient model IBM computers that I swear runs on dial up)

Me: Alright I found it and it is the same make and model. I can ring you right here if you would like.

Dense and Confused: Oh….ummm….ok.
(I start the process of doing a price match and ringing up her purchase)

Dense and Confused: So do I get the Wal-Mart Price?? Because it’s cheaper there?

Dense and Confused: Did you make sure to do the Wal-Mart Price?

Dense and Confused: Do you take checks? Like corporate checks? Because uhh you know own my own business and I don’t carry personal checks.

Me: (strike 1) Yes ma’am….yes….and yes we accept checks.

Dense and Confused: Ok good because I only have my debit card so it comes straight out of my checking account.

Me: (sideways glance)

Me: Your total is $37.00

Dense and Confused: Ok…do you have pen? Where do I swipe my debit card? Wait…..$37.00……but Wal-Mart’s is cheaper.

Me: (strongly fighting the urge to roll eyes and walk away) Yes ma’am. Our price is $39.99 and Wal-Mart’s price is $34.00 so with tax that’s $37.00.

Dense and Confused: (leans over counter and stares at computer screen for a good five minutes)

Dense and Confused: (pulls out calculator from purse and double checks because the computer lies) What’s the tax rate here? (nervous laugh) Oh it’s right here on the screen.

Me: (strike 2) (please back the hell up out my personal space. Thanks in advanced!)

Dense and Confused: ummm…..ok…..you take checks right?

Me: Yes ma’am (I have given up trying to figure out why she’s asking if we accept checks)

Dense and Confused: Ok great…are you ready for me to swipe my debit card.

Me: Yes ma’am just swipe your card and enter your pin number

Dense and Confused: (begins to push buttons on keypad) Ummm….I don’t understand…. I entered my pin number twice but it’s not showing up for me to sign. How do I run this as credit?

Me: (strike 3) (Why the hell are you putting in your PIN NUMBER if you want to run it as CREDIT!!!!) (But alas I stay and my voice is dripping with sugar) Ma’am, press Cancel then select Credit. The receipt will print for you to sign.

(I bag toaster and place the credit receipt and purchase receipt on the counter)

(Dense and Confused signs the purchase receipt and takes MY pen and the credit receipt)

Me: Ma’am if you could sign the credit slip (yes, trick the one in your purse) and this is your copy to keep.

(Customer signs the correct on while looking annoyed)

Dense and Confused: (checks receipt total again with her trusty cell phone calculator) Hmmm….ummm….so the price difference was only $5.00?

Me: (blank stare…again. Now I’m starting to get confused)

Dense and Confused: (Puts receipt and cell phone in purse and gets out car keys) What time is it because I have to get the school to pick up my kid. Wait? Did I get a receipt?

Me: Next in line!!!

Well, there you have it folks, that was just a typical day at work in the retail world. It was mostly fun when you are with coworkers that you can relate too but sometimes I encounter the Dense and Confused who come through and fuck up my whole mood. Sometimes I wonder if things were this…interesting….for other people in retail or is just me? Whether at the job or in life nave you encountered the subculture of the Dense and Confused; people who are just generally confused and then seem to become even more confused when they see that you’re not confused? Leave a comment sharing your stories of encounters with the Dense and Confused.

Until next time ya'll...stay blessed!!

~Ms. KD♥