A Fall of Firsts

This week in my Write Out Loud column I confessed that, despite its beautiful foliage, fall depresses the crap out of me. I do like how Mother Nature gets all dressed up this time of year, but unfortunately I see autumn as nothing but a welcome mat to winter. And I, being Alabama born and bred, despise cold weather. So in an effort to keep me from being a grumpy face all season I'm going to make like blogger Jen MacNeil and do one new thing each of the 90 days of fall.

But I don't think I can think of 90 firsts on my own. So I need your help. Some readers of my column have already offered a few suggestions, such as trying an art class, taking a flamenco dance lesson and going to Hobby Lobby to find a new crafty project to pursue. But I still need more ideas and I need them before Sept. 22, which is the first day of fall.

I want to fall in love with an album I never knew existed, try some new food, pick up a new hobby and much more.

So tell me about your favorite restaurants, hobbies, bands, etc. Tell me about stupid stuff you've done that you're so glad you tried and community service projects that made you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Oh, and as I said in my column, buying something I've never owned before counts too, so if you find a cute, but cheap skirt that you think would look great on me, hit me up.

As a way to thank you for being my muse, I'll share updates of my 90-day adventure on my Velocity blog in hopes of inspiring you to try something new this fall too.

Get connected

Be sure to check out my Write Out Loud column in this week's issue of Velocity and learn all about OnyxLouisville.com, an entertainment and networking site for young urban professionals in Louisville. The site is run by Michelle Yeager, a true woman about town, who's always in the know.At OnyxLouisville.com you can find out about hip-hop parties, R&B concerts, black arts events and more. The site features profiles of local young professionals and includes black history facts, celebrity news and community announcements.Yeager said she's determined to show local young adults that Louisville really is a cool place to be.

Movin' on up

In addition to writing for Velocity Weekly, I am now also writing stories for the Features section of Velocity's parent publication, The Courier-Journal, which is the major daily newspaper for Louisville, Ky., and surrounding areas.

Check out my story "Louisville planners know how to party" in the Sunday, Aug. 24 edition of The Courier-Journal.

The beats go on

On Feb. 25, the music industry lost one of its most successful R&B songwriters when Louisville native Stephen Garrett, aka Static, aka Static/Major, died at age 33.

Static was well-known as a member of the R&B trio Playa, but within the music industry, he was known as the mastermind behind some of this generation's greatest songs.

Though I didn't know it back then, Static literally wrote the soundtrack to my teen years. Songs like Ginuwine's "Pony" and "So Anxious," Playa's hit "Cheers 2 U" and Aaliyah's "Are You That Somebody" and "Try Again" bring back so many high school memories for me -- and they were all penned by Static.

I never met Static, but I spent this summer talking to his friends and family members who miss his smile and people in the music industry who regard him as a genius.

I share their memories of Static in the story "The Beats Go On" in this week's issue of Velocity. The story can be found online on Louisville's new Metromix site. Click here to check it out.

I Heart Louisville...

and so does photographer Leslie Lyons. Read all about Lyons and her website I Live in Louisville in my Write Out Loud column in this week's issue of Velocity.

A bittersweet week

I was on vacation last week and my husband and I traveled to Virginia to visit his family and friends. I had a chance to tour museums and a famous battleship with my mother-in-law and I finally started a book I've been toting around all summer. I ate too much and beat my high score on the Bejeweled game on my cell phone. I also went to Virginia Beach where my husband and I played in the ocean like kids and both picked up some sexy chocolate tans.

But while I was away I also heard news of the deaths of comedian and actor Bernie Mac and soul legend Isaac Hayes. A young woman at my husband's former church in Virginia died of cancer last week as well. My week was a bittersweet one as I was reminded of our mortality day after day.

But sitting around worrying about death won't keep us or our loved ones on this earth any longer. Don't worry, I'm not going to tell you to live each day as if it were your last. I'm sure most of us wouldn't spend our last day on earth at work but you have to go anyway just in case it's not your last day after all. So instead I'll just say to live and love like you mean it. Try to make each moment as good as it can get, because in the end that's really all we can do.

My Sister's Keeper

On Saturday night I was a guest speaker at My Sister's Keeper, a local weekend retreat for Louisville area middle and high school girls founded this year. The theme of the weekend was "Happy With Me" and the activities for the girls ranged from hip-hop aerobics sessions and self-defense classes to girl talk time. The weekend was designed to help build the girls' confidence but the retreat was also meant to be fun. And on Saturday night it was up to me to keep the party going.

Going along with the theme, my talk was called "How I Learned To Be Happy with Me." I spoke with the girls about how I managed to love my body and my looks despite my big hair and small boobs and how I dealt with boys who tried to pressure me into sex when I was their age. I told them I was a nerd and tried my best to convince them that they should be one too. I think it may have even worked.

Later that night, girls gave me hugs, asked for my business card and said things like, "You really inspired me," and I wanted to cry. But they have no idea how much the night inspired me.

After my talk, the girls, volunteers and I all sat in a circle and many of the girls shared heartbreaking stories of the things they're dealing with or have dealt with at home, including parents struggling with drug addictions and mental illnesses. But despite all this these girls were so kind to one another, they were so positive and they were so determined to go to college and pursue their dreams. I was blown away by their strength.

Furthermore, I was inspired by Mandi Mohammed, the founder of My Sister's Keeper. This stay-at-mom could have easily stuck to just caring for her own children, which I'm sure is taxing enough. But instead she decided to reach out to other girls in need with this program, a program I am certain changed lives this weekend.