Michelle Obama Knows....

...how to land a GOOD MAN!


In the December issue of Glamour Magazine, Michelle Obama tells Katie Couric some great dating advice on how any woman can truly land a good man.


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Katie: Candice Jones from Memphis wanted to know how you landed such a good guy. Maybe he landed you, right? “Did you know that Mr. O was a great catch when you met him? What dating advice can you give a 26-year-old professional?”

M.O.: He was always special, you know? And not special, like, He’s gonna be important, he’s gonna be president. He was special in terms of his honesty, his sincerity, his compassion for other people. Cute’s good. But cute only lasts for so long, and then it’s, Who are you as a person? That’s the advice I would give to women: Don’t look at the bankbook or the title. Look at the heart. Look at the soul. Look at how the guy treats his mother and what he says about women. How he acts with children he doesn’t know. And, more important, how does he treat you? When you’re dating a man, you should always feel good. You should never feel less than. You should never doubt yourself. You shouldn’t be in a relationship with somebody who doesn’t make you completely happy and make you feel whole. And if you’re in that relationship and you’re dating, then my advice is, don’t get married.

WOW! See, this is why I love this woman. Not because she is the First Lady or even because she is from the southside of Chicago. It is because she is just real. You know the kind of person who can give it to you straight, no chaser. This sounds simple, but a lot of women do get caught up in CUTE! I will definitely take her advice under advisement.

Olympic FAIL!

So by now everyone knows that the 2016 Olympics are going to be in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. That's right folks, Chicago, nor any other city in America will be hosting the 2016 Olympic games. We, chicagoans have been inundated with Olympic fever all year. The signs were posted on the streets, on buses, billboards and it was the constant talk around town. From day one, however, there were mixed feelings.

2009 has been quite the tumultuous year for the city of Chicago. We started the year celebrating the presidency and inauguration of Barack Obama. We went into the Spring dealing with the city streets being in the worst condition ever due to a harsh winter. Potholes and manholes were found everywhere once the snow and salt cleared. Then we were met with headlines regarding the loss of city and county jobs due to the economy. If that wasn't bad enough, the whole Rod Blagojevich senate seat-selling scandal was the talk nationally. Before we could catch our breath from political scandal the city sales tax went up, summer came and so did a rise in violence among teens. Several kids were murdered this summer which sparked national interest and an almost weekly investigation on CNN. Yet, through it all, every time you saw the mayor, he was talking about how great the city is and the Olympics.

This soured a lot of people here whose rising concerns for our safety and city costs marred support for the Olympics. Then in a zippy and unexpected twist. Sitting governor Pat Quinn decided to tax candy and liquor! The cost of living in Chicago has risen dramatically! A trip to Walgreens will lend receipts with at least three different sales tax codes, with some items being taxed at 12.25%! Then over the past three weeks, the Olympic push reached catastrophic levels, with talks of the First Lady, Oprah, Governor Quinn, Scottie Pippen and David Robinson all supporting the Chicago bid. Despite the tragedy at Fenger last week, the banners were hung, the big screen at Daley plaza reared its face and gates went up to prepare for an alleged Olympic celebration.

People lined up in Daley plaza at seven o'clock to get free "Chicago 2016" tee shirts. The media covered the area, sports stars showed up and waited anxiously for the announcement from the International Olympic Committee. Ironically, Chicago was voted out in the first round. There was news of tears and tangible disappointment. I can't say that I share in that feeling. The U.S. has bigger fish to fry than the Olympic games. Maybe we will be ready to host again, when we aren't practically at the bottom in education. Maybe we'll be ready when we aren't embroiled in a war. Maybe we'll be ready when our kids are safe, and families become important again in this county. Maybe we'll be ready when we finally get a public option in our health care industry. But right now, we aren't which is why we didn't get the bid. This was a reminder that the United States has a lot of growing to do, even on the International stage. I would love to see money and excitement being generated like that for education, poverty, jobs and children. Then, maybe we'll be worthy of hosting the Olympic games.

At Last....The Obama Era Begins!

PRESIDENT OBAMA!

For some reason, that doesn't sound foreign or weird. It's as if I should have been saying that all along. Yes, I know it has been almost a month since I have blogged, and I have pretty much fallen off the face of the online earth. But, I have been so caught up in the new first family, frankly I haven't cared about much else.

I am still overwhelmed. I thought I was over the moon when he won the election, this Inauguration takes the cake. I barely got any work done Tuesday. I couldn't stop watching the Inauguration festivities. My entire office was tucked away somewhere watching him take his oath. I had MSNBC streaming as I watched he and Michelle at the Inauguration luncheon and then the parade thereafter.

Doesn't it feel GREAT! America finally got it right and chose right. Yes, him being the first African-American president is monumental. But, more than that, we have a good leader! He's intelligent, articulate, funny, humble and has the most beautiful family ever. The first lady is smart, fashionable, an incredible mother and an incredible wife. The fact that they are black is a bonus!

I have been caught up in Obama-mania just like the rest of the world all week. Of course, all over Chicago, all you see is drinks named after him (Obamatinis), food named after him (the Obama burger), tours named after him (the Obama tour), flags and banners hung all over the city. So, needless to say, the spirit and rousing support is not lacking here. But what has captured me the most is the whole dynamic of the Obama family. Watching him interact with those cute little girls. Seeing how confident and poised they are. Looking at he and Michelle walk down Pennsylvania Avenue waving at the crowds while they hold hands. Watching them share intimate looks and touches as they share their first dance. It's just too much!

They are like a fairy tale. You watch them, and you almost have to pinch yourself and say this is not a movie! There will be no credits at the end, this is real life. I mean to watch mega stars like Denzel Washington, Dustin Hoffman, Steven Spielberg, Beyonce, Jay-Z, Kanye West, etc, all be turned to awestruck fans was humbling. Obama is the biggest rock star ever! No one is more famous, more respected, more revered than him right now. And he just takes it all in stride. No boasting, no arrogance. He seems so content to just get a hug from Sasha and Malia and a kiss from Michelle. This isn't just what America needs. This is what the world needs right now. I am just thankful to God that I am here to see this, and to witness this and be a part of this time in history.

So to President Obama, First Lady Obama and the entire First Family. God Bless You, and thank you for choosing this responsibility and making America and the world a much better place!





It just doesn't get any better!




First Couple!




And so it begins...