Wedding Bells: What To Wear This Wedding Season

Tis' the season to be wed! If you are like me, you are (semi) stressing over what to wear during this wedding season. As if identifying wedding wear was not difficult enough, add to the mix that I am a 6'0 ft tall woman and I am C-O-M-P-L-E-T-E-L-Y floored!


Just in case you find yourself in a similar situation, I am featuring a few of my favorite finds (for men and women) this season! Be sure to let me know what you think and leave comments!

Until Next Time,

NiNi

 For Her

URL: Tall Flutter Sleeve Dress

URL: Colorblock Asymmetrical Peplum Sheath 

URL: Tall Blush/Navy Dobby Dress

URL: Little Mistress Tall Embellished Hem Tunic Dress

For Him

URL: Tailored-Fit Blue Linen/Cotton Blazer

URL: Moschino-Jersey Blazer

URL: Richard Chai-Seersucker Blazer

How does it feel to be a problem?

In The Souls of Black Folk, W.E.B. Du Bois described the experience of being black in America as a constant awareness that others viewed him as a problem.

Six months after George Zimmerman was acquitted in the shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, a mistrial was declared in the case of Michael Dunn on the charges of first degree murder. Let's be clear. We are talking about a 47-year-old Caucasian male who shot into a vehicle occupied by unarmed African-American teenage males over an argument about loud music. In the case of Zimmerman, we are talking about a black male whose only crime(s) on the evening of his untimely death were to be in possession of Skittles while wearing a hooded sweatshirt.  Indeed, Du Bois. Being black in America is a problem.

While Dunn is the latest reminder of inequities in the criminal justice system, 2014 will be riddled with cases that expose the underbelly of racial inequality in America. Recall Kendrick Johnson? Johnson was the African-American teenage male that was found dead in a gym mat and his death was ruled an 'accident' by Valdosta, Georgia police. How about Jonathan Ferrell? Ferrell was the unarmed black man who was shot and killed by Officer Randall Kerrick during a late night encounter in North Carolina. Marissa Alexander? She awaits retrial as the state attorney's office attempts to secure a new conviction for aggravated assault for Alexander's 'warning shot' at her abusive husband during a heated argument in 2010.

Keep your lamps trimmed and burning people. Wake up! At the very least, when we recite the words, "...liberty and justice for all," include the enclosure- unless you are black.

On the other hand, What do I know? As a woman of color, I am still examining my feelings about being viewed as the problem.

Until Next Time,

NiNi

Quintessentially Southern

Of course, when asked where I am from, I proudly proclaim, "I am from Louisiana."   Then the craziness ensues. Did you walk to school barefoot? What is it like to use outhouses? Do you people really say 'ya'll' in formal settings? Do you know your father?

W-T-H

Excuse you! Please refrain from making assumptions about an entire region of people based on the limited and narrow-minded views of television writers for 'The Andy Griffith Show' and 'The Adventures of Jim Bowie.'

I was born in Texas and raised in Louisiana. I am a product of the public school system and, despite popular belief, I am an African-American woman who had the privilege of growing up in a two parent household.  Indoor plumbing has always been  (and if the Lord says the same) and will always be a staple in my home.

Get a clue folks!

While is it painfully obvious that the stereotypical views of people in the South are still considered as true, there are some things that are quintessentially Southern.

Sweet tea. Porch swings. The fact that there are only two seasons that really matter- crawfish season and football season. Sweet potato pie. Southern hospitality. Anything deep fried.

Yes. We speak with a notable 'Southern Twang.' We speak if we make eye contact....even if the individual on the other end of your 'hello' is  a complete stranger. Things taste better if multiple sticks of butter are featured in the recipe and dessert is not, necessarily, served after the main course.

We drive fast. We speak slowly. We refer to the median as the 'neutral ground' and we value education just as much (if not more) as the rest of the country.

Before you allow your ridiculous questions to escape the confines of your lips, just remember that we are known for our quick comebacks and snappy returns. Now that is quintessentially S-O-U-T-H-E-R-N!

Until Next Time,

Dr. NiNi

Favor Ain't Fair

As many of colleagues do at this point in our educational careers (ABD also known as All But Dissertation), I began to question if I had made the right decision.

Can I really do this (science) as a career?  Am I good enough to make a living researching the health-related problem(s) of today's society? Are all the negative comments/opinions of my superiors/mentors/etc correct?

At any given moment of the day, at lest one of the a fore mentioned questions were running through my head.  I would be remiss if I neglected to state that my ethnicity also came into play when 'soul-searching' pertaining to my career. Clearly, there are not many people of African decent in the field of infectious disease. There are even fewer African-Americans who are actually running their own laboratories.  Even so, here I am....writing a dissertation while, concurrently, applying for postdoctoral fellowship-determined to be the exception to the 'proverbial' rule.

With every rejection letter or "I'm sorry.  We can not accept you this year" email, a little piece of my determination evaporated.  "Lord, are you trying to tell me to change course? Are all of these fellowship rejections suppose to be signs?"

Then, it happened. The email read as follows:  " ....a record number of applicants applied to our prestigious fellowship this cycle and we are only able to extend interviews to approximately eight percent of our applicants. We are pleased to inform you that you have been selected to interview...." *Gasp*

Lord! This was the fellowship that I considered the "long shot."    I just knew I would receive an "I'm sorry to inform you...." email from this national fellowship seeing as I had been denied access to some of the "less noted" fellowship-granting institutions.

Nothing had changed on my curriculum vitae.  I had not published a Science or Nature peer-reviewed article between applying for this fellowship and the other fellowships from which I had received rejection letters. Nothing about my application package had 'drastically' changed but the 'attitude' toward my narrative and/or application had changed.


Thank God for his mercy. Thank God for his favor. Furthermore, thank God that his favor AIN'T favor!

Until Next Time,

NiNi

I'm Still Holding On

In 1984, Luther Barnes penned the following lyrics:

'...I've been talked about and Lord I've been criticized. I had to wipe many tears from my eyes.
But I'm still holding on.'

How profound.

Today, while mulling over some data (*Sigh* The life of a biomedical doctoral candidate), my mind began to replay the conversations that I have had with faculty members and colleagues alike concerning my competence as a scientist.

Phrases like, 'Science is not your thing.', 'You are not cut out for this.', and 'You should just quit now.' reverberated throughout my thoughts and appeared, at least at that moment, logical. 

As with any 'sound' argument, there are one or more true premises. That is to say the following: 
Premise 1: Analyzing data does not come easy to her. 
Premise 2: She is S-T-I-L-L in school. 
Conclusion: Science is not her thing and she should just quit now. 

Right?  *Throws Flag* Flag on the play! 

Even when the premise(s) of an argument are reliable true, the resulting argument may still be invalid if the logic employed is faulty.  This is called a logical fallacy.  

Indeed, premise 1 and (unfortunately) premise 2 are true but (Thank the Lord for conjunctions) the conclusion does not follow the premises. In other words, a logical connection is implied where none exists.  The logical fallacy called 'Non-Sequitur' ( Latin for 'doesn't follow') outlines this exact situation.

You see, there are going to be things that don't come easily in life.  As a matter of fact, those are usually the things that make lasting impressions. 

Yes. I am still in school but, in all fairness, there were many who started out with me that have gone astray. 

The bottom line is..... It ain't (yes, I said "ain't") easy.  If it were, everyone would do it.   What other folk think about you and your ability doesn't amount to a hill of beans....unless you give it value. 
Lastly, the race is not given to the swift nor to the strong but to the one that endures. 

With that being said, I AM STILL HOLDING ON. 

Until Next Time, 

NiNi 

Ode To T-Shirts!

I am a lover of quirky, humorous, down-right 'politically incorrect' t-shirts.
There you have it....my dirty little secret.  LOL

As always, I want to share (a few) of my favorite sites with you....my readers!  *Le Sigh*
After all,  we are in this (insert some lame noun) together.

Feel free to leave some of your favorite t-shirt sites, or specific examples of tees, in the comment section.

I am always elated to hear from you!

Until Next Time,

NiNi 



Unique Observations Online Marketplace
I don't care what anyone says.  This shirt is awesome!






 Ugmonk
26+74= 100
Creative, fun, and unique!  You can't go wrong with that combination!


DPCTED
Typography is awesome!  Besides, this shirt would make me laugh if I randomly read it on the street!




DNBE
Educating the masses!  Kudos!  I can dig it!



Feedio
True statement!  Nerds are hot!

Take A Look, It's In A Book

Maybe it is just me but I am always looking for effective ways to escape everyday life?  One of my favorite escapes is to lose myself in a book. Yes!  A book.

There is something intrinsically soothing...therapeutic if you will, about being engrossed in the storyline of a novel.

To start the conversation, I am listing a few of my favorite literary works.  Feel free to post your favorites and, as always, you can expect to see additions in the form of more posts.

Until Next Time,

NiNi

(In no particular order...)

1.  Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
2. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
3. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden 
4. The Mis-Education of the Negro by Carter Godwin Woodson 
5. The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes 

6. The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told to Alex Haley 
7. Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
8. Black Boy by Richard Wright
9. To Kill A Mocking Bird by Harper Lee 
10.  The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey

11. The Art of War by Sun Tzu 
12. Inferno by Dante 
13. The Color Purple by Alice Walker 
14. The Immortalized Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
15. Medical Apartheid by Harriet Washington 

16. The Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell 
17. Katrina's Secrets by Ray Nagin