It's a sad day. I've lost yet another part of my childhood. Donnie Simpson is leaving radio in Washington, DC after 32 years. He is originally from Detroit, but after 32 years in DC, we let him call it "home" too.

Most of the country remembers Donnie from his years on BET's "Video Soul," but in my hometown of Washington, DC, Donnie was our morning radio guy. Since we weren't afforded the luxury of iPods and internet and the such, we counted on guys like Donnie Simpson to introduce us to new music. He also bought us news at the top of the hour. He ended every morning's session with the song, "Jesus is Love."

Alas, everything must change. As Granny used to say, "nothing lasts forever." I'm listening live on the station's website. Celebs are callling left and right to wish him well. Thanks for the memories, Donnie!!

Your comments--priceless!!

There are so many things that I miss from days gone by. Time goes on, life changes, and things that we once held dear are no more--sometimes gone forever and missed and sometimes gone and never thought about again.

My Granny (who is someone that I miss everyday) used to say that nothing lasts forever--not good times or bad times. She was so right. NOTHING lasts forever. Some of the things that didn't last for me and I find myself longing for are:

• frozen custard from the Polar Bear Frozen Custard place that used to be in DC
• old friends that I lost touch with, like Brenda Graham, Michelle Pryor, and Katrina Williams (and my cousin, Rachel Rascoe)
• the carefree days of my youth, when I had no idea that we weren't rich
• the loud, boisterous family gatherings we had all the time
• my late Aunt Kitty's rum cake
• great music with G-rated lyrics
• paperdolls

What do you long for? What do you miss? Can you get it back or is it gone forever?

Your comments--priceless!!

Today, the iPod turns 8 years old. Seems like we've had them forever, huh? That first iPod didn't have a lot of features--just portable music. Now iPods have video cameras, photos, movies, applications, etc.

I resisted the temptation, and only in the last few years did I get an iPod. But I certainly do love it. It usually stays in the the car, but I'll take it out if I'm traveling.

Do you have one? When did you get it? Has it changed your life? How?

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Today is a very exciting day for you--rather than the regular ramblings from me, I've invited a special friend to ramble instead! She'll definitely bring you an angle that I never could, as she is a teenager. This is her first attempt at blogging and I think she's an excellent writer. I sure that years from now, I'll proudly say that I knew her "when." Here goes...


In my almost 16 years of life, a great deal of things (including but not limited to: my family, my friends, strangers, celebrities, and everyday life in general) have managed to make me extremely angry. But the latest offender to make it on to my 'Things to Get Revenge Against' list is Tide. Yes, that's right. A friggin' laundry detergent has managed further my progression into an angry black woman (the official countdown to September 8, 2014 has commenced).

You may be wondering what could cause me to be so angry at the Tide company. Did they test some new products on third world orphans and give them some terrible case of hives? Did their CEO say something racist? Well, that's entirely possible. I don't watch the news so all that could've happened and I wouldn't even know (if it did happen my, conscience can be clear because I don't even use Tide). No, what has me so enraged is their latest commercial; so, really, I guess I'm mad at their PR company.

In case you haven't seen it, the commercial is about their latest detergent, which is specially formulated to run in cold water and, therefore, use less energy. The inner child and music lover in me could really care less about the good-natured environmental benefits. They're more concerned with the song running in the background: 'Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)' by Digable Planets. The first time I saw/heard that commercial, I swear I died a little inside and every time since. It wasn't until ten minutes ago when I was sitting in a Chinese food restaurant when the doggone thing came on the TV again that I finally decided enough was enough.

WHAT WAS THAT CRAP?

Of course, I've already had my own vocal rant with my personal argument backboard (my mother) and she, of course, responded with, "Well, the song is 16 years old."

I, of course, responded with, "So?"

In blowing my poor mother's response clearly out of proportion, I come to the conclusion that, in a few weeks, when I turn 16, people are allowed to use me in commercials no matter how stupid it makes me look (love ya, ma). I'm waiting for the day somebody figures out a way to use Prince's 'Purple Rain' on a commercial so I can respond with, "Mom, it is 25 years old."

I'm not necessarily opposed to using songs in commercials. In some cases, like Bacardi's latest using Matt and Kim's 'Daylight', it's alright (let's ignore the fact that I'm underage and I’ve seen all the multiple edited versions of the commercial because I keep watching late night TV). I like the song, the commercial is artfully done, unlike the Tide commercial the song is edited well so it doesn't sound as choppy, and, most importantly, THE SONG IS NEW (relatively).

Using new songs in commercials allows the television viewing audience to hear songs that they may not have heard if their local radio station offers little-to-no variety (hint, hint, STL). Using older songs, however, only makes people like me who actively listen to music suffer for a month and a half while the thing is circulation. Need I remind you of 'This Will Be' and eHarmony (and the fact that you can’t hear that song without cringing)? I thought not.

I'd just like to point out that the minute I finished this, the music video just came on my TV. God must really love irony (and making me angry).

The world has lost a true musical genius. He led a very troubled life, I pray that his soul has found peace.

I had silenced my Blackberry while seeing a movie and when I turned it back on, I was alerted that he had been hospitalized. I followed the story until late into the night. Where were you when you got the news?

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Today, I salute my Dad. He's a lot of things--a dad, grand dad, brother, uncle, cousin, friend, Vietnam Vet, cancer survivor, sports fanatic, lover of fine foods and music. I love him immensely. I wouldn't trade him for the world. He's simply the best. And I know the feeling is mutual. Happy Fathers Day, Dad!



I can't be with him today, but he is ALWAYS in my heart. What about you? Whether he's still with you or not, how will you honor him today?

Your comments--priceless!