Inside the Mind of Suz

What a mess and I definitely see both sides. I think the people, from each state, who decided to hold the primaries so early should be punished in some way. They were the ones who made the call to put their respective state’s votes in jeopardy, so they need to be held responsible for their actions.

The voters are right. They did nothing wrong and it would be unfortunate for their votes to not count. But at the same time, rules are rules. They’re created for a reason. If, at the end of the day, they are no longer valid, then why establish them in the first place?

And aside from the whole rules issue, the situation is unfair to Obama in Michigan. His freakin’ name was even on the ballot! Like most, when they learn of rules, he figured it would stand, so had his name removed. So, how is this fai to him when his supporters didn’t get to voice their opinions? It’s being reported that they voted “uncommitted”, but really, how many of them probably didn’t bother going out at all? Think about it.

Then there’s Clinton doing her best John “Flip-Flop” Kerry impression. I got the following quote from an Associated Press article:

Clinton won the Michigan primary Jan. 15 and the Florida vote two weeks later after all the candidates agreed not to campaign in either state.

At the time, she said the vote did not matter. But once she fell behind Obama in the delegate competition, her position shifted.

Ya don’t say!

So, like I said, what a mess. It won’t matter much come Tuesday night because Obama will likely have accumulated all th delegates the needs in order to win the nomination anyway.

When the playoffs started I openly stated that I wanted a throwback Lakers/Celtics final. I wasn’t certain it would pan out that way, but it has! I had all the faith in the world in the Lakers, but I wasn’t sure if the Celtics could pull it out. They dominated during the season, but the playoffs are a different beast.

Watching the Eastern Conference Finals, I was torn. On one hand I wanted the Celtics to win because that would make for a super entertaining final. The Spurs are good. We get it. But they’re so boring and make for low ratings. But I was also pulling for the Pistons because I knew I’d be able to drive up to Detroit and see some games with the ‘fam. So my motivation there was purely selfish.

So, now that it’s set, I’m picking the Lakers. And that’s not because I want my uncle to get his 10th NBA Championship ring. Yea, he’s pretty much a big deal. He’s been coaching with Phil for a long time, plus he as a ring from when he played for the Lakers, too. The Lakers are just on fire. They’ve come into their own this post-season and I don’t think the Celtics can take them. Hopefully my prediction comes to frution, because I want some new Lakers Championship swag for my collection!

The finals get underway next Thursday in Boston. Bring it!

Man, after making the bold prediction that I thought Serena Williams would make a serious run at the French Open, both she and her sister Venus were bounced from the tournament today!

I have to say I totally didn’t see this coming! I also didn’t forsee James Blake getting upset yesterday in the 2nd round. We Americans just can’t get it right on clay, can we?

Robby Ginepri is the lone player representing the Stars n’ Stripes that is left in the field. He’s been on fire, so I hope he can keep it up and doesn’t feel too much pressure!

Wimbledon gets underway on June 23, and can’t get here soon enough for Team USA!

When I start thinking out loud, you never know what I’ll come up with! After my previous post, I decided to go ahead and tinker with my own podcast for the ‘Couch to 5′ running plan.

At first, I was lost as to how to get started, but using some of my audio tools, and my trusty video camera, I pulled it together! Using some of my favorite hip hop songs, I successfully completed the Week 1 podcast. It is now available for download and I can’t wait to try this out for myself!

Visit my all new podcast page at www.kissmyblackass.org/podcasts

P.S. I have no idea what’s going on with the calendar on the sidebar. It worked fine until I upgraded, of course. I may have to get rid of it if it doesn’t shape up!

My dear friend Erika sent me her old iPod nano (she upgrade to the iPhone), so I am now ready to hit the road and start running again.

I have my own iPod, but it’s vintage. And by vintage, I mean the 1st generation iPod. I’m talking the very first version available when the iPod was debuted. That was a long, long, long time ago. This battery is damn near dead and lord only knows how many hoops I’d have to jump through in order to replace it. As it stands, I can only listen to my iPod when it’s plugged into a power source! So, I’m ok when I’m listening to it in bed or in my car. But it’s a different story when I try to go on a run or walk. Power lasts through about 4-5 songs, then cuts off. Unacceptable!

So, I can now dive into the ‘Couch to 5k’ program ASAP! And while I’m eternally thankful for Robert Ullery’s podcasts that go hand-in-hand for this plan, I’m kind of over the techno/house music he uses in them. I’m not alone. I’ve been to many a message board where posters are asking if there are any other podcasts that feature different music.

I’m not sure what tools Mr. Ullrey used to create his podcasts, but I’m seriously considering making my own set using some tunes I enjoy. How dope would it be to have an 80s set, a hip-hop set, and a cheesy teen pop set? Running is so much easier when you’re mind is distracted by music you truly enjoy! I feel like this could be a big hit on the net should I be able to pull it off. I’ll definitely see what I can put together!

< Cher Horowitz >EEE!! PROJECT!!< /Cher Horowitz >

A few days ago, I wrote about my hopes for American tennis player Donald Young as he opens competition at the French Open.

I really wanted him to advance to the 2nd round because his game and career needed that boost, desperately. Well, I regre to inform that he did not win his opening round match against fellow American Robby Ginepri. He did manage to win a set and force a tiebreak in another, but it wasn’t enough. Robby won 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2.

I can’t be too terribly hard on him because as a country, the US tennis contingent pretty much sucks on clay. And we’ve made progress from last year when no American men made it to the second round. This year, there are at least 3 because Wayne Odesnik also made it through the 1st round!

I look forward to Donald’s performance at Wimbledon and accompanying warm-up tourneys.
I hope he gets a couple of wins under his belt to get his confidence up.

Alas, there’s always next time, Donald! Keep on, keepin’ on!

And more importantly, are they any good?

Miller Lite has one. So does Bud Light. Then I recently spotted a TV spot for Michelob Ultra Fruit, which takes it one step further than simply lime. Its beer flavors are a little more creative than lime. For example, they make a Pomegranate Raspberry flavor that now intrigues me because we just tried a new Minute Maid fruit juice in a similar fruit combo. In addition, Michelob also offers Tuscan Orange Grapefruit and Lime Cactus.

Apparently Michelob’s fruit-inspired line was actually introduced last year, but I’m just seeing the commercials now. Perhaps they were just testing the waters last year and are now giving it the full marketing treatment.

They are clearly marketing these beers to women, and I must admit they have my attention. Then again, I already like beer, so it’s not like I wasn’t a fan. This is probably an attempt to lure the girlies who don’t drink beer, AKA most of my friends. I wonder if they’d like this. We’re going to have to experiment. After which, I will get back to all of you!

ETA: I headed to Kroger today to pick up some Mt. Dew. Since the beer/alcohol aisle is next to the pop, I thought I’d take a stroll to see if Bud Light Lime, Miller Chill, and the Michelob Ultra Fruit were readily available. They were placed right next to each other halfway down the aisle. I’m not too surprised that they’re sold here since Columbus houses its very own Anheuser Busch brewery. Easy access, much like my days attending college in St. Louis.

I’m not as big of a makeup person as I aspire to be. I really want to get into it, but I was always so concerned about what would break out my face. As a result, I focused on stabilizing my face instead of “covering it up”.

Now that my face has seemingly calmed down — thank you, Proactiv — I’m ready to test the waters again. But, mind you, I am taking baby steps and starting with eyeliner.

I’ve never been that great with pencil eyeliners, so last year I splurged nd bought my first MAC item: fluidline in Blitz & Glitz and a MAC brush 208 to apply it. I figured if I was going to do it right, then I needed better product and equipment, right?

The first couple of times were rough! This was last year. I’d put it on decent, but it wouldn’t last as long as I liked. Then I learned from the experts at makeupalley that you best put some primer on your lids if you expect anything to stay there longer than 3 hours. Based on the reviews, I chose Urban Decay Primer Potion. Best. Stuff. Ever!

Case in point, yesterday afternoon. When I decided to tinker with my eyeliner, I put it on first, followed by my fluidline at around 4PM. It is now 2AM and the liner looks as if I just put it on!

So, if you’re looking for a smooth and lasting liner, I highly recommend MAC’s fluidline in addition to UDPP. A cheaper alternative to MAC’s Fluidline would be L’Oreal’s HiP Color Truth Cream Eyeliner. The reviews at makeupalley are extremely positive!

To finish things off, I used Neutrogena’s One Step Gentle Cleanser to remove the liner. Worked like a charm without a lot of scrubbing. I also hear their Oil Free Eye Makeup Remover works pretty well.

Note to self: I need to get this in blacktrack. There is a CCO at the outlet malls near here. Hopefully I can hit it up and get this for about $10 instead of $15.

I guess this was as close to the University of Oregon as he was going to get, huh?

I kid, I kid. Kind of…

Terrelle Pryor is the talk of C-Bus and Ohio State fans nationwide. If you haven’t heard of him I urge you to crawl out from underneath that rock you’ve been living under. Once you’re out, google him. He was the #1 overall football recruit in the country for the 2008 class and he’s all Buckeye, baby! The countdown is on as he will report to Columbus in 3 weeks.

Anyway, over the weekend there was this fancy schmancy Quarterback workshop in Santa Barbara called the “Steve Clarkson Super Seven QB Retreat”. (Read more) It brought out the top QBs in the nation for a weekend of workouts and classes. Joining him were other high profile recruits such as Dayne Crist, Matt Barkley, and Russell Shepard.

Snoop D-O-double-G was there with his son, Corde, who is going to play QB at Long Beach Poly this fall. Hopefully we’ll get to see this on Snoop’s reality tv show. And it better have been renewed, damnit!

Also present were UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel and NFL great Joe Montana. Sounds like a great weekend! I’m sure Buckeye Nation extends its thanks for making TP better than he already is.

Is it June 16th yet?

Video beneath the jump
(more…)

What can I say? When I latch onto a new music act I like, I pimp the hell outta them!

Case in point: Duffy! She debuted at #4 on the Billboard Album charts exceeding expectations while selling more than 70k copies of Rockferry.

Check out 2 more of her US TV performances; Ellen Degeneres and Craig Ferguson