For those confused about who this chick really is...

Found this little number while surfing the net one night....thought I'd let you nosey mofo's out there know "what's in a name" (or mine at least)....check it out.

Though the name Dayna creates the urge to understand and help people, we draw to your attention that it causes an emotional intensity and sensitivity that is hard to control. This name, when combined with the last name, can frustrate happiness, contentment, and success, as well as cause health weaknesses in the fluid and nervous system.

Your first name of Dayna has given you a friendly, likeable nature, and you could excel in artistic, dramatic, and musical expression. With this name, you desire the finer things in life, but you do not always have the resolve and vitality to put forth the effort necessary to fulfil your desires. Your emotional feelings are easily affected and you will always be involved in other people's problems as a result of your overly sympathetic nature.

want more...yeah I thought so. Here's what my sign says about me (the condensed version, which basically means I only included the stuff that I liked)....I'm a bull so watch out! Oh and you can check yours out here.

Those born under a warm Taurus Sun are the most sensual lovers of the Zodiac; they delight in rich foods, cuddling and lovemaking, luxurious fabrics anything that creates a delightful, tactile sensation. They also make wonderfully dedicated and romantic partners in love. However, along with all that sensualism tends to come a healthy dose of laziness and self-indulgence. Taurus sees no reason to deny itself anything it wants and this tendency can sometimes deepen into greed. Beneath Taurus's love of luxurious surroundings lies the mistaken belief that self-worth can be measured in terms of possessions, or lack thereof.

Also thanks in part to that Fixed Quality, Taurus tends to fear change of any kind, bad or good! Those born under its influence just want to stick with the status quo and can get a real bee in their bonnets when things are different from how they think they "should" be. Some changes are positive; after all, with no change there would be only stagnancy. Change opens the door to new, wonderful things; even painful change, like moving residences or ending a relationship, often leads to great overall improvement.

That's it...stay tuned to find out more about this complex person....

Appointment Uno...

Appointment One to the beach today was very successful....that bright skinded girl smiling at you in the left hand corner exists no mo'....in her demise a new born babe has been born. 4 hours of hard labor has produced a nicely brown skinded (bright red in some areas) "African-American looking" sista. No longer shall her skin tone be referred to as pink, orange, yellow, light, red, sherbert, or white. No longer shall she be "hollered at" by the names of red bone, red, yellow, light bright, or mami (cause she looks Puerto Rican)....nope she shall only be addressed as mocha chocolate, the brown sugar that she is....

....My dream seemed a wonderful idea....that is until I decided to carry my ass to Walmart today and the cashier asks me (in Spanish) if I'm Dominican. I just shook my head in disappointment. Maybe if I walk around with rollers in my head, house shoes, and a box of chicken in my hand they'll know I'm black!

Ignorance is bliss....

Back..."Oh"...

Yup, I'm back in the MIA...un/fortunate? Don't know. Came back to a few o' surprises. One, friends that we're supposed to come down, didn't. Two, hands down guaranteed to be the hottest concert since Janet Velvet Rope Tour, has sold out (Mos Def and De La Soul) :-/. So in honor of my state of pissoffdom I shall not attend any WM festival events. My bad huh? Yeah I know. Oh well. Three, Cost me $35, to fill up today....gas is $2.40 down here....THANKS MR. PRESIDENT!!!!

On another note...

Bein' home several weeks allow me to concentrate on one thing...discovering the unfound treasures of SoBe/greater Miami. I've scheduled several meetings to the beach (only been once since I've been an official resident), scuba diving, tours of "The Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous," shopping, and "tourist attractions" I haven't made myself go check out. I'm determined to shed the "lightskinned, yellow girl" nickname. I'm mocha chocolate damnit! :). Sooooooo, that means lots of sun, and Florida has plenty to go around.

Current song playin': Ciara featuring Luda "Oh"

"This is where they stay crunk, throw it up, dubs on tha Cadillac
White tees, Nikes, gangstas don't know how to act
Adamsville, Bankhead, College Park, Carver Homes (wait!!!, where's Decatur and the West End!!!!)...

...Light-skinned thick chicks, fellas call 'em redbones....

...Oh, 'round here we ridin' slow
We keep it gutta, you should know
Gettin' crunk off in tha club we gets low, oh."

ATL HOE!!!

Some things that annoy me...

People that like to make comparisons...i.e. to musical greats! As I was surfing the net the other day, I see that AOL would like to compare this new chick on the block, Brooke Valentine, to THE veteran in the game. None other than "Miss Jackson, if you're nasty!" This of course pissed me off (see reasons below), so to the person who thought it'd be funny or kewl to make a comparison such as that, here's to you (middle finger) :)!

Reasons why Janet Jackson is still the greatest singer/performer/entertainer/actress/PERSON of all time!:

1. She's Janet.
2. THE complete artist (singer, performer, entertainer, actress, soon-to-be rapper!! (j/k about the rap thing)).
3. Everyone (entertainers, singers, etc.) copies her.
3. The Velvet Rope.
4. She's the female version of "The Cosby Show". (helped launch the careers of many).
5. A Jackson.
6. The first performer named "Icon".
7. Like Madonna, can rock any look or sing ANY song and still be Janet.
8. Is like 50 (actually turning 39 on May 16th) and can still dance better than Brittany, Ciara, or Aaliyah ever could.
9. Everybody loves her, even you now.
10. She's Janet.


On a lighter note, I was sent this today and I thought it was cute!! Happy Easter.

Not guilty!!!

I said days ago that this didn't look good...but I guess God does work in mysterious ways...

Happy that the outcome was favorable, congrats!!!


SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) - A beauty queen who shot and killed her two-timing boyfriend was found not guilty of murder Wednesday.

Sharron Nicole Redmond admitted shooting her boyfriend outside the home of another woman he was dating, but said she was acting in self-defense. Redmond, 23, had faced an automatic life sentence if convicted of Kevin Shorter's death on Dec. 16, 2003. Four months earlier she had been crowned Miss Savannah.

The jury of nine women and three men deliberated for more than nine hours over two days before reaching their verdict.

Redmond, wearing a striped prayer shawl, gasped and sobbed as she was found not guilty on each of the three charges against her. She mouthed the words "thank you."

One of her attorneys, Michael Schiavone, described Redmond's reaction.

"Like the weight of the world was off her shoulders. You have no idea what it feels like to be accused of a crime like murder, being one step from walking into the lockup for the rest of your life or walking out the back door with me."

Redmond shot Shorter, 25, after a confrontation outside the home of his second girlfriend, Rachel Hall. He had dated both women for about three years.

Both women testified that the beauty queen went to Hall's home the night of the shooting to clear up allegations that she had made harassing phone calls to Hall. Each testified that they talked peacefully.

But Shorter arrived soon after and began shouting angrily at Redmond, using sexual insults. During their argument, Redmond retrieved a .40-caliber handgun she kept in her car.

After a tense confrontation, both Redmond and Shorter appeared to be leaving when the beauty queen fired a single shot from inside her car. The bullet struck Shorter in the right buttock, severing his femoral artery.

Shorter died from blood loss three days later at a Savannah hospital.

During the trial, Redmond testified she fired her gun because Shorter was leaning into the open door of his car and she feared he was reaching for a gun. The only weapon police recovered was Redmond's.

Redmond also said Shorter's first words to her that night were: "Bitch, I'm going to kill you." His anger scared her, she said, because Shorter had slapped and beaten her throughout their relationship.

Hall testified that Shorter never threatened Redmond. She said she did not see Redmond fire her gun.

Prosecutors argued that Redmond shot Shorter in jealous anger after, in Hall's presence, he told the beauty queen he no longer wanted her and she was good for nothing but sex.

Redmond testified her gunshot was meant as a warning, saying she didn't aim at Shorter. Crime scene photos showed a dent on Shorter's car where the bullet appeared to have ricocheted before hitting him.

Still, Redmond's attorneys argued she was justified to shoot Shorter in self- defense because she had reason to fear he would shoot or beat her.

"The whole key to the case was intent. The state had to prove intent to kill to prove their charges. And I think there were some serious questions about the cause of death in this case," attorney Schiavone said after the verdict. He referred to the cross-examination of the medical examiner who said doctors punctured an artery in Shorter's chest when they were putting a tube in, causing internal bleeding.

He also said he had faith in his client.

"I knew Nikki personally. Nikki went to school with my daughter in high school, so I knew what type of person Nikki was. And I knew Nikki would never kill a person intentionally," he said.

Shorter's parents sat in the back of the courtroom next to Hall as the verdict was read. They all stared straight ahead with no expression on their faces. His parents left without any public comment.

The jurors were immediately escorted to a waiting van as deputies told reporters that they did not want to comment on the case.

Official now...

So I've been told that you're not officially a blogger until you've posted your picture. Am I official now?? Picture is kinda old, but represents one of the happier times in the AUC (homecoming senior year). Despite bein a year complete with drama, I managed to break out a smile for this one :). Maybe when I get back, I'll post some Miami/MAS pics. Til then.

Current song playin': Mike Jones "Still Tippin'"

"I'm crawling similar to an ant cuz* I'm low to the erf**
People's feelings get hurt when they figure out what I'm wrf***."

*cause
**earth
***worth

Gotta love the T-X.

Interesting finds...

Boy does it feel good to just sit my arse on the couch and just chill. No concepting, no strategizing, just chillin' by myself! On another tip, being at home has forced me to miss three things I wanted to check out. Eh, maybe next time! 1) Roots concert (Tampa), 2) Heat vs. Lakers game...not into b-ball that much (actually not at all) but I'd like to see Shaq play (and I don't mean play as in the lobby of my friend's apartment complex), and 3) monthly Spelman alumnae meeting. :( next time...

Interesting finds...check 'em out...

The Trials of Dating a Black Woman

In the field of Advertising, yet I find this magazine/orgainzation interesting...

Justice?

Arrest black babies!

Gotta support my Alma Mater's cause...

Home Sweet Home...

Got back in the HT (hometown) tonight, after much anticipation. Let's just say I walked off the plane to a frigid "winter" Charlotte style. Nothing like the 80 degree weather of Miami.

Many of my friends, who by the way are big movie buffs have forwarded me this list, the top movies of all time, thats been circulating in the blog community for a minute (says them). Disappointed when I finished the list, (only seen 25 of the 100) I decided to create my own shit!

Dayna's Top Movies Of All Time:

1. Brown Sugar
2. Love Jones
3. Friday
4. The Lion King
5. Forrest Gump
6. Love and Basketball
7. Finding Nemo
8. The Goonies
9. The Wizard of Oz
10. Malcolm X
11. Higher Learning
12. The Color Purple
13. The Wiz
14. Do The Right Thing
15. Million Dollar Baby
16. E.T.
17. The Incredibles
18. Harry Potter (all three)
19. The Little Mermaid
20. The Sound of Music
21. Bambi
22. Ray
23. Snow White
24. Grease
25. Shawshank Redemption
26. American History X
27. (some independant film which title escapes me)
28. Requiem for a Dream
29. The Jungle Book
30. Lady and the Tramp
31. Mulan
32. Aladdin
33. Mary Poppins
34. 101 Dalmations
35. Dumbo
36. Cinderella
37. Annie
38. Beauty and the Beast
39. Peter Pan
40. Alice in Wonderland
41. The Green Mile
42. Steel Magnolias
43. Waiting to Exhale
44. Poetic Justice
45. Cooley High
46. Crooklyn
47. Farenheit 9/11
48. Schindler's List
49. Chicago
50. To Kill a Mockingbird

Okay maybe some should be higher up on the list, but I decided not to do the tie thing. Anyway let me know if you agree or disagree. AND NOBODY BETTER SAY SHIT ABOUT BROWN SUGAR BEIN NUMBER ONE (cause it is damnit)!!!

Damn, Damn, Damn....

...I remember shootin' the shit with you in Cal II. "Keep ya head up."



SAVANNAH, Ga. (Court TV) — Sharron "Nikki" Redmond was an accidental
beauty queen who shot and killed her boyfriend when she learned he
was seeing another woman, a prosecutor told jurors during opening
statements Tuesday in Redmond's murder trial.


Redmond, 23, was crowned Miss Savannah in August 2003 when the first-
and second-place contestants declined the tiara. Four months later,
on Dec. 16, when Redmond discovered her boyfriend, Kevin Shorter,
was cheating on her, she went to the other woman's house with a gun
to set things straight, said Chatham County District Attorney Ann
Elmore.


"She had been runner-up once," Elmore said. "She wasn't going to be
runner-up this time."

Prosecutors claim Redmond drove to the home of Rachel Hall, to
confront her about her involvement with her boyfriend of three
years. When Shorter arrived, the state contends, Redmond argued with
him and shot him in the buttocks with a gold-plated semi-automatic
handgun.


Shorter died from the wound three days later in a hospital.


Defense attorney Michael Schiavone portrayed the 6-foot-2, 250-pound
Shorter as a violent abuser of women who was high on drugs the night
he was shot.


Schiavone said Redmond only fired in self-defense because she
believed her boyfriend kept a gun in his car.


During her opening statement, however, Elmore pointed to the path of
the bullet that went up through Shorter's leg and into his genital
area. He said Redmond vindictively shot at her boyfriend "just where
you would expect Lorena Bobbit would shoot."


Redmond is charged with two counts of murder, assault and felony use
of a weapon. If convicted she faces life in prison without the
possibility of parole.


Deadly quarrel


Prosecutors called their first witness Tuesday, Rachel Hall, who
said she and Shorter were engaged to be married.


Still wearing the engagement ring that Shorter gave her and sitting
directly in front of the defendant, Hall described her fiance as
a "big teddy bear," but admitted that he once was arrested for
assaulting her in front of her parents.


Hall told jurors how Redmond, a former high school teacher, came to
her house on Dec. 16, to confront her about the man they both
thought they were going to marry.


Hall said the confrontation escalated when Shorter arrived and start
yelling at the beauty queen. She testified that when Redmond got a
gun and pointed it at Shorter, he ran into a neighbor's yard. The
witness said she was able to calm Redmond down, and Shorter finally
returned to his car to leave.


Then, walking toward her house with her back to the street, Hall
said she heard a shot fired and turned and saw Redmond pointing a
gun from her car window. She said Shorter stumbled toward her in
pain.


"Rachel, the bitch shot me. Call 911," Shorter yelled, according to
Hall.


When the 911 call was played for jurors, Hall's and Shorter's
parents, who were in the courtroom, wept as the victim could be
heard screaming in pain in the background.



Prosecutors also called firearms expert Chris Robinson to poke holes
in the defense claim that Redmond didn't aim at Shorter, but the
bullet ricocheted of his car.

Robinson told jurors that he weighed the bullet that killed Shorter
and found it in such perfect condition that it would have been
impossible for it to have deflected off metal.

"It weighed exactly what it did when it was fired," Robinson
said. "There is no evidence that is consistent with this bullet
being a ricochet."

Testimony is expected to resume Wednesday. The trial is being shown
live on Court TV Extra.

Random Rantings...

Time flies...

The end of my second quarter in grad school is here. I pretty much aced everything this term, no encounters with racist professors that give me a 'B' just because. One good thing about this quarter was the concept I came up with in my Poster Design class. The assignment.... create a political poster. My concept.... a satirical commentary on the “Join” commercials…. you know the ones with the beautiful/optimistic music in the background, young men and women smiling recounting how the army gave them the opportunity to “travel and see the world”. Problem…. youth see this and get fooled into believing this. Solution…”America. The war to win the war on terrorism.” Coloring Book. Now the interesting part of this is that my professor thinks my idea is great and good enough to sell at Urban Outfitters. So he’s hooked me up with all these big wig New York Publishing companies to send my stuff off to them. Will they bite? Don’t know. Worth a try? Don’t know. But, what I do know is do I want to market myself to the Urban Outfitters. Considering... Sell out? Taking polls.

I know that we all sell out in our careers at one point, that’s how we survive the game, right? Food for thought…

SoBe, oh how I love your name...

I've officially been a SoBe resident for 8 months. And I'm sick of it (not really, just tired). I miss Atlanta. Don't get me wrong I love the weather (haven't put on a coat thicker than a hoodie since I've been here), but I just can't get over the "little ills" South Beach seems to offer (in no particular order):

1. Driving is non-existent.
2. Tourists.
3. Sudden rainstorms.
4. Dog shit.
5. People living in a 300 sq. ft. apartment yet own a Benz.
6. Countless Bentleys (can't keep up with the REALLY important people and the really important people).
7. Shaq. (stay at home with your WIFE and family, I see you everywhere.... oh and your secrets out, Kobe didn't lie).
8. Girls with plastic in every body part.
9. PEOPLE THINKING I'M HISPANIC...I'M BLACK!
10. Trying to convince the people in my program fun exists outside of shit hole bars with cheap beer.
11. High gas prices.
12. Not enough people speaking English.
13. Black men that aren't here on vacation or looking for a Latina.
14. Metered parking.
15. No AUC fam.
16. Southern hospitality=bad service.

I'll keep it short for now....

Good deed for the day...

A n*gga had very bad credit, you helped me lease that whip. You helped me get the keys to that V dot 6 (or some groceries).