Back At It....

I'm getting back into my grind groove this week. Those new interviews I promised are still coming....just waiting on responses from the first artist. I'm working on two bios this week (one for a model and one for a DJ) that will hopefully be completed by the week's end. Pray for me! I love what I do and I consider it a double blessing to be able to get paid for it. I'm also blggoing here now: saywhatsierra.tumblr.com. I need some input from you guys though. Check it out...I'm sure you'll see what I'm trying to do. It stems from the "Say What?" segment I do on this blog from time to time. I hope you all are as busy as I am...send me your comments...let me know what's up this week for you. How are you exercising your hustle muscles?

Love and light...

Say What...

"You can tell how big a person is by what it takes to discourage him ..."

A special thanks to my big sis, Cheryl, for that one:)

Say What?

"Say What?" is back! It's a segment I use to post quotes that speak to me...here's a great one from the late author James Baldwin.

"To be a Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a rage almost all the time." - James Baldwin

Submit your favorites and if I dig em, they'll get posted and I'll credit you!

Love and light...

What If...

Good morning! As you know, I am a big fan of social experiments and of spreading love and joy and fairy dust to everyone that I meet. "What If..." is my latest social experiment. It will be a recurring segment, so please leave comments and let me know what you think. Here's how it's going to work: I'll write a post beginning with the phrase "What if" and I'll end it with some sort of action. I will then perform that action and let you know how it goes. But hopefully this won't just be a spectator sport. I'd like for you all to join me in this. Everybody understand the rules? OK, great. So here we go:

What if you woke up an hour earlier than you need to every day for a week?

There's the "What If" and now here's the gameplan:

For the next week (that is, now through next Wednesday), I will be setting my alarm clock to wake me up one hour earlier than the time that I actually need to get up each day. I normally have to be up at 7:30am to get ready for work, so I'm going to get up at 6:30am. I have definitely been guilty of saying "there are never enough hours in the day" more times than I can count. Because of this, I'm curious as to how my life will be affected by this experiment. I have tons of projects and plans and things that I need to do, so my plan is to make that hour a productive one and to start my days off by getting alot done. But, we'll see. Please join me in this. I encourage you to keep a journal of what your days are like. What did you do with that extra hour? Did you pray, meditate or have quiet time? Did you read, work on a project or surf the net? Be honest. If you hit the snooze button and said "screw this," I want to know about that too. Did this affect anyone other than you (spouse, kids, roommate)? Will you continue waking up an hour earlier when the experiment is over?

I think I've armed you with enough info...so let's do it....

Love and light...

The Deepest Love...

God is SO SO SO SO SO SO good to me! I love him more than I can express. He keeps placing me in situations to receive blessings...over and over again. Even when I'm not doing all I should for Him. But that's how God loves us. It's never about how good we are...it's about how good he is. We can never be "good enough" to deserve any of what he gives to us, but he does it just because he loves us...me...you...all of us. He has captured my heart all over again today...

The words to an old Yolanda Adams song keep coming to mind today from a live recording she did of 'This Battle is the Lord's.'
"No matter what you're going through right now, remember thi swill be a memory....God is only using you. You've got to have faith. You've got to know in your heart that no matter what comes, no matter what goes He loves you and this battle is not yours. He needs a chance to prove to your enemies that he is God so what you've gotta do is hold on, don't give up, step out on faith. Step out on the Word of God...If you don't understand anything, know that you've been set up by God to be blessed. Understand that it's gotta work this way. Understand that God knows....God knows what you need before you really need it. He knows how to move you, he knows how to hide you in the comfort of His arms. You'll have peace that passes understanding, you'll have joy like a river everflowing..."

Sometimes I wonder why I am where I am and why I go through certain things. I'm sure you guys do the same...but remember that it's all for a purpose...it's all for your good...it's all for His glory.

"Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way."
James 1-2

Love and light....

$$$$$$$$

I need to save money. I have two major purchases to make within the next 3 months (that's the deadline I've set for myself.) So I have to get moving on my save money plan. The first step is to start living on a budget again. I've been kind of "just getting by" since I've been in San Francisco and that is no longer acceptable. I've got a great job (THANK YOU LORD) and I make enough to be able to do more than I am, but I spend more than I save....no good. In Houston I used to have all of my bills (and their due dates) posted on my wall, so that I would manage those better. So last night in class (yes, I said in class...it was too boring to pay attention...lol), I wrote out my bills and due dates again. I have a system when it comes to bills. I get paid twice monthly, so I make 2 charts. One is titled 5th and one 20th, to correspond to my pay dates. I then list out which bills need to be paid with which check, so that when I get paid, I take care of those first and never have to worry about missing a payment. I don't have much to pay, my bills are less than $1000.00 a month, so I also write into my budget some savings. I put aside $50 from one check and $50 from the other each time. It really adds up:) Also, I have a couple of old debts to pay off (poor credit decisions as a college freshman....I know ya'll know about those), so I also add in a monthly payment for those into my budget so that I can eat away at the balances. Whenever I can afford to, due to overtime at work or extra cash from whatever, I pay a little more to one or two bills than I normally can afford. I'd rather pay off my debts than have extra cash in my hand for right now. I'll be able to relax (a little) on the budget eventually, but for now, it's getting me where I need to be financially. I will keep you guys posted. I'm saving to buy a computer and a camera, so stay tuned...

Love and light...

Good Morrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrning:)

This week is gonna be a great...busy beyond belief, but great. I sent out some interview questions this morning. Very excited....hopefully I'll have the interview ready to post on here by the end of the week. I am looking to buy a camera....just a point and shoot with video capabilities....any suggestions? It's time to take my journalistic efforts to the next level, so I will be documenting EVERYTHING with photos. Exciting things to come....

It's Monday...this week will be what you make it...what you expect to get from it is exactly what will turn up in your hand. Expect good things...great things.

Also, I'm looking for natural haired chicas in the San Francisco Bay Area who would like to participate in a photo journalism project...email me for details: withanamelikesierra@gmail.com. Please spread the word.

The faces I make in photos crack me up sometimes. These are a few I took this morning:







Love and light....

BREAKING NEWS...LOL

This was too funny/bizarro/random not to share...
Huntsville woman banned from playing bingo | LOCAL NEWS | KHOU.com | News for Houston, Texas

Shared via AddThis

Out and About: Tilden Regional Park

Today I went to Tilden Regional Park in Berkeley with my friend, The Genie. We hiked a little...didn't do too much, but it was so BEAUTIFUL that just being there and tking in the sights made the trip a success. Our original destination was the Takara Sake Museum (yes, seriously), but we ended up at Tilden....good times.

Here are a couple of pics of the Redwoods at Tilden. They aren't the famous giant Redwoods, as in the Redwood Forest, but they were still really tall and impressive....

Freedom Fighters

This pic was too beautiful not to share as an add-on to the previous post...my generation is not 100% self absorbed and apathetic! It's not about race or socio-economic background....it's about believing in a cause that is greater than us all...freedom, justice and respect for all mankind.

Right on ya'll....right on.


Love and light...

Liberty and Justice for (Not Quite) All

"Prison is a second-by-second assault on the soul, a day-to-day degradation of the self, an oppressive steel and brick umbrella that transforms seconds into hours and hours into days." -Mumia Abu-Jamal

Mumia Abu-Jamal, a brilliant writer, journalist and activist, has been on Pennsylvania's Death Row for more than 20 years. His case, and the cases of many other brothers and sisters who now comprise the population of this country's prison industrial complex, should always be on our hearts and minds. Mumia's case, in particular has touched my life. He is one of my literary heroes and I admire the revolutionary flame that burns within his spirit. I find myself thinking of him....his story, his words, his fight all the time. I can't forget it...I don't want to ever forget it. He is, as you all are, a part of me. We are all interconneccted in this journey as we proceed down life's path. If you have not realized that, I suggest you take some time to ponder that point. Our stories, our struggles, our pain, our joy....all intertwined. I am because you are and you are because I am. Mumia's revolution, Mumia's fight, Mumia's oppression....they are all my own, as well.

Despite being incarcerated, Abu-Jamal has continued to use his words to inspire and uplift, both in his writings and through a series of recordings aired on various radio outlets by way of the Prison Radio Project.

If you don't know about Mumia Abu-Jamal, I suggest starting your research at www.freemumia.com. We must remember all of the brothers and sisters who have been persecuted, or slain in the name of revolution. We cannot forget about the political prisoners, both dead (in a sense...revolution is immortal) and alive...Mumia Abu-Jamal, Kwame Cannon, Akil Al-Jundi, Lolita Lebron, Robert King Wilkerson, Leonard Peltier, Herman Wallace, Albert Woodfox, Assata Shakur and many, many other warriors. We must remember them, honor their struggle and not let the revolution die.

Free Mumia Abu-Jamal....free all political prisoners. And to those who lost thier lives in the struggle....you now have the ultimate freedom....may your message live on.......

Love and light...

Mother Africa

When I first read about Nas and Damian Marley's collabo project, DIstant Relatives, I instantly fell in love with the album's message. In case you haven't heard, the 2 mega artists joined forces to record an album in honor of Africa (Mother Africa, the land from which we were all birthed).

What a beautiful purpose...I promise to post more on this project, which should (tentatively) be released before the year's end.. In the meantime, check out this video preview of the project:

NAS & DAMIAN "JR GONG" MARLEY DISTANT RELATIVES preview from nabil elderkin on Vimeo.

I will post more when I can.

Love and light....

"I'd open every cell in Attica, send em to Africa..."

BEAUTIFUL MUSIC

Songspiration....

"You know why I do this? Cause it feeds me....cause my soul is needy....and it keeps me from being greedy..."

(c) Melina Jones....the song is called "Wrap You Up" from her Swearing Off Busters album....beautiful Bay Area sis....check it out...you'll be as addicted to her sound as I am:)

Guess Who....

Happy Tuesday, ya'll:)