Song Of The Day: "Lovely Day" by Bill Withers

Well, it's Monday again.  But guess what?  It's gonna be a lovely day!!!!

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XOXOXO

My Thoughts On Oprah's Interview Tonight With Bobbi Kristina And The Houston Family

Now that most or all of us have watched Oprah's "The Next Chapter" interview with Bobbi Kristina and Patricia and Gary Houston, I'd like to give my two cents.

First off, kudos to Ms. Winfrey for conducting a very respectful and in-depth interview with the family a month after the untimely passing of the legendary Whitney Houston.  And how many of us loved and felt the warmth from the hug she gave Bobbi Kristina?

Speaking of Bobbi Kris, she handled herself extremely well during the interview.  Being that I'm blessed to still have both of my parents, I can't even begin to imagine what this young lady is going through.  However, my heart felt a little better in watching how she would smile whenever she mentioned her mother.  

I was also happy with the fact that Bobby Brown's name was not shown in a negative light from the family during the interview.  Now of course none of us will ever really know the truth that lies behind how they interact with one another on a personal level; it was just a relief that for once, since the passing of Whitney, Bobby wasn't the fall guy.

Now as far as other topics that were addressed regarding the alleged exchange of words Whitney had with another singer/X-Factor contestant as well as the younger person in her life that she was chasing a dream of love with, I'm not going to touch on those issues as I wasn't there meaning I can't and won't give my opinion of these two situations. 

The most important matter at hand was that, we, the fans of Whitney Houston were given an opportunity to learn more about her as a loving mother, sister, and friend from those closest to her.  I will continue to keep the family and her mother in my prayers.

We Will Always Love You, Whitney.

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XOXOXO

Song Of The Day: "Free" by Deniece Williams

What is there not to love about this classic on a beautiful Sunday? Besides, there's no better feeling in this world than to be free from problems and worries and just enjoy yourself with whatever it is that inspires you to be happy.

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XOXOXO

Life Of An Insomniac

It sucks when I can't go to sleep, but then it's nothing new to me.  It started from the time I was a toddler; so I've been told by my parents.  For the first four years of my life, we lived in the city that never sleeps. I guess it was because of our previous location, both of my parents were night owls at the time so it was only natural that I became one early in life which has carried over into my adult years.

As I've become older, I find it harder and harder to fall asleep on certain nights of the week...mainly Saturdays and Sundays.  Why, I don't know.  I currently take a prescription medication to help with the neuropathy pain in my right leg stemming from diabetes that usually helps me go to sleep, but as usual I'm wide awake on this Saturday night.  And it doesn't help that I know an hour will be lost in just a few minutes due to Daylight Savings Time.  

Then again, I have a fast-paced job that exposes me to large amounts of stress in my daily duties that keep me so wired that I continue to have insomnia even when I'm off on the weekends. 

I've been to numerous doctors about this problem and they have all told me the same thing: lighten up on the caffeine (never been a coffee drinker and only drink caffeine-free diet soft drinks), make sure you don't leave your television on when you go to bed, don't read in bed, and don't use your computer in bed.  I've done all of these things and yet nothing has worked.  I was in bed earlier but decided to get back up and come into the main room to use my desktop computer and not my laptop and I'm still wide awake. 

Did I mention it sucks when I can't go to sleep?

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XOXOXO

David Ruffin: At His Best

This is a repost from March 7, 2012...I ummm...accidentally deleted my original post, but I digress...

When I think of David Ruffin, I instantly revisit my childhood when my father would play his David Ruffin: At His Best album (which he still has) every Saturday night. My first memory of listening to this particular record was back when I was around six years old.  My younger sister and I would sit on my father's lap and sing along to all of the selections.  However, our favorite was "Everything Is Coming Up Love". 

As I grew older, it's when I realized that Mr. Ruffin was a member of my mother's favorite singing group, The Temptations.  I recall her going on and on about how he was her favorite member when she was a young girl of about twelve years old when "My Girl" came out.  Since I was about her age when she would recount numerous stories of how she was so in love with him, I just couldn't understand it; but then again, maybe it's because I thought that no one would compare to my one and only true love at the time, the immortal Michael Jackson!  Plus in my young mind, there was no man on earth that looked or sounded better than he did.  Anyway...the older I became, the more I took a liking to listening to The Temptations' older classics such as "I Wish It Would Rain", "I'm Losing You", and "Ain't Too Proud to Beg"; pretty much any song that Mr. Ruffin sang lead on. 

By the time I reached adulthood, it was his standout solo hit, "Walk Away From Love" that I really understood what he was singing about.  You know how it is when you're younger and you just sing along with the lyrics not realizing the meaning behind them?  Well, this particular tune made me look at my own life a little different in relation to the song.  The passion behind his voice as he sings this tune still haunts me to this day and I can identify so easily with what he was going through as he made the decision to be the one to walk away first for a change even though things appear to be going well.

It was at this point in my life that I wanted to know more about this powerhouse vocalist.  And then what do you know?  The movie The Temptations aired on NBC several years after his tragic passing.  Needless to say, it showed a side of David Ruffin that was pretty suprising for me to say the least, but it didn't take away from the fact that he was still my favorite member of the group.

This is where TV One's airing of "Unsung" about Mr. Ruffin stepped in.  I take my hat off to them for allowing the fans to get a look into his whirlwind life of both the ups and the downs.  For those who watched and had only associated David Ruffin with the downside of life battling the many demons he faced, hopefully, they now have a better outlook on a man who was human and made mistakes like any of us have or will make over the course of our lives.  Now am I saying I condone some of the things he has done? No.  But what I am saying is that instead of us, the public, always looking for a reason to bring anyone down who may already be down on themselves, let's remember that celebrities are human too.  The only difference is that their God-given talent is to entertain us, while the rest of us are blessed with God-given talents that may leave us behind the scenes and not out onstage in the spotlight for the world to judge and dissect every little thing that's not right.

So in closing, I'd like to thank Mr. Ruffin for all the childhood memories I've had which still make me smile to this day whenever I play any of his songs.  There will never be another like him and I am both glad and proud to have been raised on his music.

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XOXOXO