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).

Please meet FOJ Kathy McEvoy, the owner of Celebrate in Pink, the first collection of distinctive "pink ribbon" themed paper tableware. I met her a few months back, and we became fast friends.

She's originally from Easton, Pennsylvania, but after college in New York, she went to DC and has been in the DC area ever since. She's married with 2 adult sons and a dog. She's done everything from corporate VP to home staging, but in 2005, she had a life changing experience. She was diagnosed with breast cancer.

In 2007, she participated in her first major walk for breast cancer. While planning the victory celebration, she discovered that while she could find many pink ribbon products, no one sold plates and napkins. An idea was born...

It hasn't been easy for her. She's had many roadblocks and wanted to give up. But then she would think of the brave women that would benefit from her struggle--she gives 5 percent of her net proft to help women with breast cancer. Her spiritual journey is one of fulfillment. She lives each day to the fullest, taking nothing or nobody for granted, and celebrates gratitude moments everyday. She calls her diagnosis, a "wake up call."

You can help her by spreading the word about her products. She also wants to hear from anyone wanting to share stories about starting and growing a business. She has a lot to share, but also a lot to learn. She can be reached via email-- kathy@celebrateinpink.com or by phone at 888-314-7465.

Her products can be viewed on my other blog, Things in Pink where they are the feature of the day.

Your comments--priceless!!

I joined Facebook late last year and since then, I've connected with many, many old friends from the past. If not for Facebook, I'm not sure how I would have ever found these friends again. Back when I was in high school, there wasn't a computer in every home and the Internet wasn't a research tool. If someone moved or went away to college, or changed their phone number (there were no cells), you simply lost contact with them. And if not for a chance meeting again, like in Starbucks or on the subway, you may not have ever reached them again. So, I am grateful for Facebook for being a means of reconnection.

Some of the connections were huge parts of my life. It's been so exciting to catch up with them, find out where their paths have lead them, see photographs or their families, and share old stories. My experiences have not been superficial--like folks bragging on where they work or the nice home that they've acquired, but totally the opposite--sincere interest on what we've accomplished and how much we've grown.

In most cases, the friendship has picked up exactly where it left off. We haven't skipped a beat. The only difference is that now we need more time to catch up, since so much time has passed. I hope I never lose these connections again. Thanks Facebook!

Your comments--priceless!