BGN Girl: Jamila Rowser

Jamila is a geek. She is also a military brat, the Air Force to be exact. She has had the opportunity to call places like Hawaii, Holland, and Germany her home. Thankfully, both her parents are from The Bronx, which she claims as her “hometown” and where she currently resides. She grew up with comics, anime, video games, sci-fi and fantasy in her home, and of course, became quite obsessed. In 2010, she launched Girl Gone Geek Blog where she writes about her many obsessions, opinions and passions. Girl Gone Geek Blog also led Jamila to discover her passion for social media. In 2011, she graduated with a Master's in Communication Arts and she currently works for a social media agency. Feel free to change it up, it sounds kinda professional. I can make it more fun and casual if you'd like. Wouldn't take that long.

Jamila is a certified Dr. Whovian and will be co-hosting the Black Girl Nerds podcast about the BBC America shows Dr. Who, Orphan Black, and The Nerdist on Monday May 27th at 8pm EST

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BlackWebSeries.com

Have you heard of BlackWebSeries.com?


BlackWebSeries.com is a place for Black Web Series aficionados to learn everything about web series. The site features interviews with top Black Web Series creators and gives a behind the scenes look at the creation of web series. Site users also get news updates and a first look at Black viral sensations. Additionally, in the Fan Talk section, viewers can talk about their favorite web series.

To have your web series featured, make Fan Talk submissions, send advertising inquiries or to interview the creator of BlackWebSeries.com & BlackBloggersConnect.com email info@BlackBloggersConnect.com.

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In Case You Missed It...BGN Podcast 5/20/13 Black Cosplayers

XO Jane contributor Chaka Cumberbatch raised eyebrows with her profound article about her experiences as a black cosplayer. She discussed her experiences as a cosplayer and the stigma attached in the black community. Chelsea M the creator of Cosplaying While Black, the popular Tumblr blog talks on the podcast, and Jamila Rowser from the Girl Gone Geek blog spoke to us about women of color who adore the act of cosplay! 

Listen to internet radio with Black Girl Nerds on BlogTalkRadio

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Four Dreadful Words

If only doctors looked so friendly. Thankfully mine does.

I hate going to the doctor. Really. I do. I feel like every time I go, there's 50 bajillion people there all coughing and hacking around me. I only go to the doctor for my yearly exams and when I feel I'm deathly sick so by going when I'm (seemingly) perfectly healthy while running risk of getting sick pisses me off. Take your mask and cover your face. I don't have time to get sick. I don't care how much sick leave I have. But I digress!

Recently, it was that time of the year for me to get my yearly lady check up as I call it. This is another process I hate but a pretty necessary evil. First thing first, the breast exam. Pretty painless. She checks one boob. Cool. She checks the other boob. Wait. She's taking a while. Why is she adjusting herself and going over the same spot over and over again. And then she says it. Four fucking words I don't wanna h
ear, "I feel something here!" Bitch. You sound like you just struck gold in my boob and it's not what I want to hear. A lump. A big lump. Right there. I can feel my entire world coming down. What am I supposed to do? What does this lump mean? Breast cancer runs in my family. Do I have it? Is this cancer? WHAT THE FUCK?! I can feel my tears coming but I try to stop them. I'm successful for once. She tells me it's probably nothing. Just a cyst. What's my diet like? I kinda idly answer because I'm too busy being paranoid. She tells me I need to go see a specialist to get an ultrasound. Just to check. As soon as they bring me my "go home" papers, I call the specialist and set my appointment for the next day.

I get back in the car where my boyfriend is sitting on the phone. I literally stare at him until he gets off. He asks how the appointment went. I tell him they found a lump. He kinda just stares at me and asks what is it? Benign? Cancerous? A cyst? I say I dunno. The doctor didn't know. I have to see a specialist. He tells me it's gonna be ok. It's nothing. Here comes the tears. All the tears. I tell him that he doesn't understand that those are words a woman never wants to hear. I'm 23. His best friend recently passed away from cancer last year. I can't deal with this. And deep down, I feel like he can't either.

Check, check, CHECK!

Here comes Friday. It's already a busy day. I have to go to the house to meet with ADT. Fuck this guy, I'm gonna meet him there then leave for my appointment. It's way more important. Time passes, I'm sitting in the radiologist in the weird shirt thing. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. On my phone. My sister is freaking out cause I told her yesterday. She's ready to rush to me at any given moment. My dad told me to pray. I was almost too afraid to because I didn't want to risk God forsaking me. The tech calls me back. Nerves. Even more nerves. Off with the shirt thing. Laying down now. Arm behind the head. Lather lube on my boob. And then she checks. Checks some more. She finds one. It's big. Or at least looks big. Keeps checking. Oh look. Another one! It's smaller. Looks like a pebble. Waiting. I'm expecting the worst. I hold my breast. She tells me they're not cancerous. I have nothing to worry about. Breast rocks. I call them boob rocks. She says they're basically little abnormalities that managed to form in there. Fibrocystic breasts. They're common in African American women. They're nothing to worry about. I want to cry. I leave. I'm happy. My boyfriend gives me my anniversary gift (a very pretty new ring but no, I'm not engaged). It's shiny. I'm happier.

I think this might be what my boob looks like on the inside. I dunno.

So, what's the point of me writing it this way? Because getting your boobs (and other lady parts) checked is SUPER important. It's something I know I shouldn't slack on but this one thing was enough to scare me absolutely straight. What's alarming is that I felt the bigger lump one day but I kinda STUPIDLY brushed it off. Mainly because my appointment was coming up. Also because I am an idiot. I was lucky because whatever is floating in my boob right now is not cancer.

If you're slacking on your lady doctor appointments, get checked. The subject of cancer hits very close to home for me. As black women, we often neglect our health A LOT. We're always busy focusing on others that we could have a ticking time like cancer, a bad heart, expanding waist line, whatever. We take ourselves for granted and we need to make strides to do better. Beyond this one scare, I still definitely need to take better care of myself. My diet is STILL terrible. I don't care if I'm a size 2 or 22 but I know my insides aren't healthy. I need to be more active. I need to be more mindful of what I'm stuffing in my mouth. I'm trying. Failing. But I'm going to get back up and try again.

We own our health to ourselves before anyone else so take care of yourself <3

*insert my nifty almost signature block thing I haven't thought of yet*

Terra

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Scandalize my ("black-sounding") name

Confession: My name isn’t Shelly. That’s my author pen name: The face that I present to the world that sounds friendly and generic. My real name is LaShell. And no matter how many times I say it, it never fails that its mispronounced (“’la’ and ‘shell’, people… two separate syllables”), misspelled (Lashelle? Lachelle? Lechelle?), and confused with the many other sundry “chelle” variations. (After saying my name to the salesperson on the phone over and over again, I just give up and say, “Sure. My name’s Michelle. Whatever!”)

The sad part is that my mom thought very long and hard when she came up with my name. She said she was disappointed with the name my grandmother had given her, which was inspired by the Richie Valen’s song, “Oh, Donna.” She wanted her daughter’s name to be creative and memorable. She said there was a girl in her high school who’s name was LaJoy and she thought it was the most beautiful name she had ever heard. When the time came around to name me, she looked up various words in the dictionary to pair with “La” and stumbled upon “shell.” It sounded right and original. Unlike hers, my name wasn’t from some random tune that was playing on the radio when I was born.

And as it turned out, I’m from a generation of black kids who had moms who wanted to be creative with our names. They came up with the most inspired spellings and pronunciations that they thought would make us stand out in a crowd like the special snowflakes they believed us to be. Well, it worked. We certainly stood out from the crowd! Unfortunately, it also backfired. Those same names have become the subject of ridicule for every comedian and movie that wants an easy laugh. (Anyone else remember Lafuwndah from Napoleon Dynamite?) It’s also statistically proven that resumes with “black-sounding” names are more likely to be overlooked by potential employers.

Lafuwndah and her man. I guess the do-rag was a prerequisite.

It’s a harsh reality, but many in America who see a name like Shaniqua, Javaughn, or DeShawn, on their Caller ID, have a image of a lip-smacking, head-wagging, long-fingernailed belligerent black woman on the other end of the line, even if that couldn’t be further from the truth. A name that was meant as a gift from our mothers has become a burden for some.

Maybe that’s why when I had my daughter and chose her name with my husband, I tried to come up with a sweet, but admittedly basic name that would be hard to confuse. Coincidentally, its also hard to identify as remotely ethnic: Chloe Morgan. And I’m not the only one! When I skim Facebook and catch up with black friends from grade school and high school and see the names of their children, I’m taken aback by how generic all the names sound compared to the more “creative” names that I remember filling my school roster when I was younger. Gone are the Shanices and Rakeems. Hello, Kirstin, Johanna, Marcus, and Christopher! Like the ethnic groups of old who changed their surnames from Rosenberg to Ross, or Ling to Lee, on some level, are we also “white-washing” our ethnic identities?
 

On the other hand, part of me wonders if you grow up in a sea of Aishas, whether names like Megan and Amanda start to sound exotic after awhile. I know when I met a girl named Gretchen in my integrated high school, I thought it was the coolest name I ever heard. Maybe that’s the real reason why we’re choosing these more racially ambiguous names for our children. One man's boring is another man's "exotic."

On a side note, I’ve been fascinated to discover that more and more when I run across other girls and women with the name LaShell only half of the time it’s a black face staring back at me. In fact, I had a fun conversation with a perky blonde 16-year-old awhile ago about how we had the same name but spelled it slightly different. (She had an “e” at the end.) And though my daughter’s name is Chloe Morgan, her cousin (who is white) is named Briannah. Like my mom, her dad and her mom wanted something creative and inspired too and went all out with the spelling.

So I guess the joke's on America. As the ethnic lines become more and more blurred, names that were once associated with black, white, and everything in between won’t exist anymore. You have black girls with the name Chloe and white girls named Briannah. Future employers will have a hell of a time nitpicking over those resumes!

- Black Girl Nerds contributor, Shelly Ellis

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Chaka Cumberbatch: A Cosplayer

What is a cosplayer?  If you are unsure of what a cosplayer is, be sure to tune into the Black Girl Nerds podcast tonight at 8pm EST to find out more!  If you don't get the opportunity to catch the live show tonight, but would still like to know then keep reading...we will clue you in!

A cosplayer is the portmanteau term for "costume play".  It is a type of performance art in which participants wear costumes and accessories to represent a specific character or idea from a work of fiction. Cosplayers often interact to create a subculture centered on role play (e.g., Sailor Moon characters). Cosplayers dress up as various characters such as comic book superheroes, anime characters, as well as iconic film and TV personalities.

Chaka Cumberbatch wrote one of the most profound articles I have seen on the net about black cosplayers in February of this year on XO Jane.  The name of the article was aptly titled:

I'm A Black Female Cosplayer and Some People Hate It

The article received a massive amount of retweets from blerds everywhere loudly declaring "Amen!" and "Yes Girl!".  Finally, a cosplayer of color was willing to step up and speak out about the atrocities and judgement of being a cosplayer while black.  Some cases may be less extreme than others, but lets face it, there is some bitter criticism when it comes to being a black cosplayer.

Tonight Chaka will speak to BGN and discuss why she loves the art of cosplay and what has happened since the article was published.

Chaka Cumberbatch is a freelance journalist, anime brand manager and superhero cosplayer based in Dallas-Fort Worth. A girl detective to the core, she is always hunting down her next story - and working on her next costume. Her work, which often zeroes in on social, race, gender and sexuality issues within the geek community, has been published on sites including XOJane.com, TheMarySue.com and NerdCaliber.com, where she moonlights as a contributing writer. You can find her tweeting about comic books, drag queens, superheroes and more at @princessology or on Facebook at Princess Mentality Cosplay

http://www.facebook.com/PrincessMentalityCosplay

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Mi-Me Tip Of The Week

As it begins to warm up and sandals become a staple in our wardrobes, it's a must that our feet look pristine and one way that we can achieve that is by exfoliating our heels and feet with fresh pineapples or the skin of a kiwi.


*These fruits contain an extract called bromelain which acts as a tenderizer, an anti-inflammatory, and has been used to treat arthritis and interfere with the growth of tumor cells.


Beauty Tip Alternatives:

Tahitian Vanilla Salt Scrub

 Mango Sugar Scrub

To learn more about Mi-Me, get more tips, catch up with them, or try out their products go to: 

www.ilovemime.com

twitter.com/ilovemime

facebook.com/mimebathandbody

pinterst.com/ilovemime

ilovemime.tumblr.com

instagram.com/ilovemime

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Getting Healthier, One Step at a Time

I was 18 when my doctor warned me I was at risk for early onset hypertension. Barely an adult, I weighed 235 pounds and had 44% body fat. With a diet high in saturated fats and sugar coupled with a sedentary lifestyle, I was slowly damaging my joints and causing potentially permanent damage to my heart. I walked out of my doctor's office frightened, but determined that I was not going to let myself suffer from a preventable disease. I know now that his early intervention was critical. I vowed then and there to set out on a journey to live a healthier life.

The next steps in my journey were not easy and I fumbled a lot. A LOT. Needless to say, I did not know the first thing about eating right or exercise, but I decided that I could either accept the ailments that came with my current lifestyle or do something about them. Gradually, I started to make "better" food choices, read labels and become more educated about what I was putting in my body. Then, very apprehensively, I started to add more physical activity in my daily life.

I hope my story will help others realize how every journey to health starts with a small step and how the healthcare system can be a key partner in the path to a healthier life.
In commemoration of National Women's Health Week, MomsRising is encouraging our members to focus on taking small steps to improve their health and to reach out to their friends and communities to join them.

One of the things I remember about my journey is that I did not do it alone. Right by my side, every step of the way, was my amazing mother. She replaced the sweets in our house with fruit, the processed cooking oils with olive oil and found alternative recipes for our family's favorite foods. Even before I could jog or run, she walked with me around our neighborhood and encouraged me to go to the gym instead of watching TV. Most importantly, she never let me give up on my goals. I know today that I could not have done it without my mom.

One more important thing my mother provided, was coverage on her health care plan. My doctors and my nutritionist were a key support system. Once I made my decision to lose weight, we continued to monitor my health and the effects that my new regime had on my body. At each visit, we discussed the progress with my weight and the improvement of my blood pressure. Most importantly, we paid close attention that I was losing the weight the "healthy way" and taking steps to keep the weight off.

That's why I'm excited that the Affordable Care Act is making it easier for doctors and their patients to take action to prevent health problems before they start. For many women, preventive services like mammograms, Pap smears, birth control and yearly well-woman visits are now available without cost sharing.

Moreover, starting next year, insurance companies will no longer be allowed to refuse women coverage just because we are battling breast cancer or have another pre-existing condition -- and they won't be allowed to charge us more just because we are women.

And if you're one of the millions of women who are uninsured or who buy insurance on their own, on October 1, 2013, you will be able to visit a new Health Insurance Marketplace where you can compare and choose from a range of plans to find one that best fits your needs and budget. All of these plans must cover a package of essential health benefits, including maternity and newborn care.
To get more information about the Marketplace and to sign up for email and text updates to get ready for October, visit HealthCare.gov and check out this video message from Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius.

Being healthy starts with each of us taking control.

My journey to a "healthier me" has been a constant one. Even today, I schedule regular workouts, track my daily water intake and schedule regular check-ins with my doctor. Eventually my journey led me to lose one-hundred pounds. In 2007, I ran my first 10-mile race and I plan to run my first half marathon in January 2014. In 2008, eight years after beginning my journey, I became a personal trainer and fitness consultant to help other women like me actualize their fitness goals.

This week, millions of women from around the country are going to be taking their first steps, continuing their journeys and celebrating healthier more active lives. How will you make the most of National Women's Health Week?

Join me and the rest of the MomsRising team in celebrating National Women's Health Week and playing Healthy Moms BINGO! The MomsRising BINGO card lists 25 simple, healthy activities that are small, important steps we can all take to improve our health and start more healthy habits!


Originally Posted on The Huffington Post (5.17.13) 
By: Angelique Roche (BGN Contributor/Campaign Director, MomsRising.Org) 

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I Love My Doctor!

My first foray in writing fanfiction consumed by online masses was in the Hannibal Lecter fandom. I wrote under a different nom de plume then. At the time, all we had available to us was Red Dragon, Silence of the Lambs (SoTL; book and film) and Hannibal the novel. This was just before the movie came out. We called ourselves Lecterphiles, and we were a naughty bunch that served proudly on the good ‘ship Hannibal/Clarice. The Good Doctor could do no wrong in our eyes, especially mine. I was and am still here for this man. Clarice too, but that’s for another post.


Hannibal Lecter, M.D., b/k/a “Hannibal the Cannibal” is one of the greatest characters in all of fiction, imho. He’s suave, smooth, brilliant, and refined, with senses keener than a bloodhound and an unmatched culinary cleverness. He can eviscerate you with his tongue, his scalpel, and his mind. The Good Doctor was brought to life a second time by none other than the great Sir Anthony Hopkins (the first incarnation was Brian Cox). Sir Anthony’s performance was so perfect that he garnered an Academy Award despite being onscreen for less than twenty minutes, and the world demanded more…and more…and MORE…!

Continued...

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5 MORE Types of Nerdy Girls (Yet Again)

The Political Junkie– She is obsessed with all things related to politics. She spent her entire summer last year working on the President’s re-election campaign and she loves to volunteer for various grassroots organizations in her city. She spends her morning weekends with a cup of coffee watching Melissa Harris-Perry and her weekday evenings relaxing with a glass of wine to Rachel Maddow. Occasionally she goes on political rants about various partisan issues and her biggest pet peeves are individuals who dismiss their civil right to vote.

Likes: Liberal Politics

Dislikes: Anti-Progressives



The Coder – This saavy computer programmer loves spending hours writing code in her one bedroom condo. She’s a problem solver and loves to invent her own concepts and ideas rather than relying on others to figure it out for her. She loves to socially network and is very much of an extrovert via social media, but in real life she’s an introvert at best. She prefers to look at life from an analytical perspective and is all about the details.





Likes: Productivity

Dislikes: Ineptitude




The Film Geek – She spends most of her savings traveling across country to attend the Sundance and Tribeca Film Festivals. She took on an extra job last summer to attend the Cannes Film Festival in France. She’s the first one to attend the premiere of a new film and the last one to leave the theater after the credits have rolled. She can recite nearly any scene from almost every film ever made, and she always manages to kick your ass in the game Scene It?






Likes: Alfred Hitchcock films

Dislikes: Kate Hudson movies




The Cosplayer  – She’s made a career out of cosplaying. Several weeks out of the year she goes on road trips with friends to travel to various comic-cons dressed as her favorite superheroine or cartoon character. She prefers making her own costumes since she is a fashionista at heart. Her Instagram account has over 10,000 followers and she’s created a large social media presence as a result of her various photos in the act of cosplay. She likes to switch it up and keeps everyone on their toes. One day she may cosplay as a medieval seductress and the next day she will arrive dressed as Darth Vader.





Likes: Steampunk

Dislikes: Trekkie costumes

The AfroPunk – She’s a fan of punk and metal music and proud of it! You can see her at a Straight Line Stitch concert or wearing a Megadeth T-shirt while hanging out with friends at an underground spot in the East Village. She loves her tats and colors her hair to match her fingernail polish quite frequently. She’s a community organizer for the Brooklyn-based Afro Punk festival and is also a self-taught guitarist.







Likes: Metal

Dislikes: Conformity

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2 years abroad: Why it was worth it.

My students during sports day.

It was twelve years ago when I called my parents up and announced that shortly after graduation I would moving to Japan to become an English teacher with the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program. There was a palpable silence. I don’t think they thought they heard me correctly. “So you’ve studied Spanish for eight years and you’re moving where?”

Yeah. It was perhaps, one of my less logical decisions, but there were adventures to be had and money to be made. No, I didn’t speak Japanese, or really know anything about Japan or teaching, but they gave me (along with 3,000 other native English Speakers from around the world) a job anyway, so I got on a plane.

I didn’t really think about it that much until about the second hour I was in Tokyo. All through the airport there was this gauntlet of foreigners every few feet with signs for JET and big smiles. It wasn’t until after I got settled into the hotel and went to stretch my legs. I rounded the corner and looked around and I was the only foreigner in Spain, which while foreign was still familiar and comfortable. Every single sign was in Japanese and completely unintelligible to me. Japan was an entirely different experience than anything I had known. And it just got deeper. That’s when it hit me…this was not Wisconsin, this was not even remotely Western.

After 3 days in Tokyo, I was whisked by train to a placed called Yashiro where me and the other JETs in the Hyogo prefecture would meet our supervisors. It was this surreal kind of game show, a guess whose coming to dinner on steroids, where foreign teachers were lined up on one side and Japanese employers were lined up on the other side, each of us sweating like pigs in our formal business attire. Then they called my name and I rushed down the aisle to meet my supervisor for the next two year.

The car ride away from Yashiro was one of the longest rides of my life. I had left behind the bright lights of Tokyo for literally greener pastures, and rice fields, swampy flooded green fields buzzing with giant cicadas. My supervisor was a man of few words. We just kept getting farther and farther away from civilization and each town we passed he would say “This is Kasuga.” And then at the town limit he would say. “That was Kasuga.” It went on this way for about 2 hours until he finally said “This is Kaibara.” This was the town I couldn’t even find on the map to show my parents where I was going to live.

The subsequent two years were indeed filled with adventures, like the first time I walked into a classroom and my entire class screamed because they had never seen a black person in real life. It took them a full 15 minutes to calm down after that and then I was supposed to teach, something I had never done and expected to have some kind of instruction in before actually having to do it. I joined a soccer team and competed nationally against other hungover English teachers. I did sake shots with the old men from the Board of Education and learned the words to every Beatles’ song so I could share in karaoke. I visited as many hot springs as I could and both fascinated and terrified people with my tattoos and large brown nudeness. Yes it was a time of travel and laughter, ridiculous situations, embarrassment, and great learning. I did even manage to teach some English and even learned some Japanese.

Me with my soccer team. We took 3rd at the National tournament!

More than a decade later, despite the absurdity of it all, I can honestly say that moving to Japan was one of the better decisions of my life. It has benefited me in ways I could not have predicted both professionally and personally. Professionally, it gave me access to my first job as a study abroad leader which turned into three summers spent guiding high school students through Hokkaido. Seeing Japan through their eyes helped me to see how far I had come since the days of being that awkward new teacher sweating through my button down shirts and stumbling on my indoor slippers. It was a great honor to be their sensei and greater still to have the opportunity to co-create a new program.

Me with my friends. Chilling in Osaka.

Personally, the gains were even greater. It was there in my little country town, with nowhere to hide that I learned how to really be myself. There were some hard times, some very solitary moments where I felt isolated, but I learned how to get through it. Knowing I survived helped provide me with perspective, like when I got robbed in Chile and ended up almost homeless. I thought to myself, well at least I know the language this time. Japan gave me the gifts of fortitude, the ability to laugh at myself, and the ability to communicate and connect with people beyond the boundaries of words.

Was it worth it? Absolutely. Sometimes people think teaching English Abroad is some kind of paid vacation, sight seeing with a pay check. I found it to be much more involved than that. As they say in the JET Program “every situation is different”, but from my perspective I was afforded a unique opportunity to become a part of a community, to teach, and also to learn from my students and their country. Compensation aside (and I was surprisingly well compensated between my salary and subsidized car and housing), I gained an experience that has truly served me well.

Reagan Jackson is a writer, artist, YA fiction aficionado, afro-punk, international educator, and community organizer based in Seattle, WA. You can find her most Tuesdays at the Seattle Poetry Slam or maybe just being nerdy at her favorite bookstores. 

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#Scandal Ready

I'm going to keep this blog post short and succinct.  If you do not follow the @BlackGirlNerds Twitter account, then you are missing out on a PAR-TAY!  I live-tweet the show every Thursday night and the tweets are pretty excessive.  They are so excessive in fact that Twitter has suspended the BGN account temporarily due to an inordinate amount of tweets.  Since the BGN Twitter account is not verified, the daily limits are lower than that of other high profile verified accounts which allows an extreme amount of tweets and retweets in a short period of time.

The BGN twitter account has also managed to recruit followers to start watching Scandal since there is a play-by-play of what is happening on the show and they vicariously watch each episode on their time line (also known as a "TL") from week to week (ABC should cut me a check).  I always enjoy Scandal night because it literally feels like a virtual reality party with a ton of girlfriends who are on the same rollercoaster ride with you at the same time.  The shocks and surprises of each scene leads all of Twitter buzzing for days on end.

Did I mention Shonda Rhimes follows us too?  Shonda is also a self-proclaimed blerd who follows us on Twitter and also loves to interact with BGN's live tweets each Thursday night.  It's a pretty intense night for everyone on Twitter.  Since the season of Scandal started, the BGN Twitter account has interacted with @TonyGoldwyn, @scottkfoley, @shondarhimes, and @kerrywashington.

Tommorow night is the season finale and its bittersweet.  I'm not looking forward to my Scandal withdrawal that I've been known to suffer from since this show aired.  I look forward to when True Blood, Dexter, and Homeland kicks in so that way it can help alleviate the symptoms.  All three shows will be just enough to cure me from Scandal withdrawal.  

Until then I have my Riesling chilling in the fridge while I wait for 10pm to arrive.  I know this episode will be crazy, I just hope Twitter shows some mercy and will not send me to jail during the season finale.  That would totally suck.  

The Twitter people should totally verify the BlackGirlNerds account.  This would make ALL of us happy and help avoid the arduous task of creating jail accounts in the process.

In the meantime...let's print this card and play some Scandal BINGO tonight!  Any takers?

Thanks @chescaleigh and @luvvie!

Happy Tweeting!

J.

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TO DEBT OR TO REGRET

Nerd girl seeks higher education or not… Along the way of my dreams to being a journalist, the economy started to suck. Media jobs started to be even more scarce in an already competitive field and I got stuck in a low visibility job. Even though I had made it into broadcasting I wanted to be part of a company where I could progress. Although I applied to jobs that I was qualified for, I got no results. They say it’s not what you know but who you know in this industry, so I applied to graduate school in hopes to expand my network and increase my visibility.

I rejoiced when the acceptance letter came; someone wants me!!! But then there was the issue of paying for a higher education. Most scholarships are targeted for high school students the rest are for brilliant people who have status. And then there are a select few that are so general that everyone and their mother can and does apply. Scholarship funding was not likely for me. So, I hastily filed my taxes and filled out my FAFSA form to receive a government loan. Government Educational loans are the best type of loan a student can get, well, except for the Bank of Mom and Dad. However, when the financial aid packet came, it was significantly less than what I needed. FYI: Journalism isn’t the most profitable field. It may take a long time to pay back a significant loan – if I can manage to get a re-hired in the field. The question became to throw myself into debt chasing my dream or regret giving up the chance to attend a highly reputable graduate journalism program. This question nagged at me and still does. I turned to friends who became tired of the subject; I turned to my mom who left the decision to me and at one point I turned to Ted Turner.

Let me explain; I was reading “Call me Ted” the Ted Turner Autobiography (the guy who established TBS, CNN, TCM). I was reading about Turner’s; I mean Ted’s (per his book title) stinginess towards college and I saw that he actually pulled his journalism scholarship from the school that I had been accepted into. It was like having a Ted Turner business angel on my shoulder saying, “It’s not worth the investment; furthermore, you already have one degree, how many do Grad school would open my network but I’m not convinced that educational loans aren't like the home loans that sent so many people into foreclosure. I’ll be sending in my withdrawal letter this week. Woe is me…yet still debt free.

Post written by Terisa Thurman

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And The Winner of the Mi-Me Bath & Body Giveaway Is...

The creators of Mi-Me decided to give away 5 awesome skin and lip products for BGN readers! By simply following @ilovemime on Twitter, everyone had a chance to enter into the contest! We are proud to announce that the winner of the Mi-Me bath and body giveaway is @LeslieMac on Twitter!

Congrats Leslie and thank you for participating!  Please email jamie@blackgirlnerds.com, so we can get your information to ship the products out to you right away!

Stay tuned for more information about Mi-Me bath and body products and future BGN giveways for our nerdy girl readers!

Huggz N Luvz to you all!

J.

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When Ratchet Goes Terribly Wrong

We live in a world where being ratchet is supposedly awesome. I'm here to tell you that it is not. Beating other people up because you can't control yourself is not a good look. I think it is pretty bad to see how people carry themselves now. I think people believe that they live in a reality television show and feel compelled to act extra*. Why do people think it's okay to act crazy? I get uncomfortable when I see women acting like this in real life. Being ratchet is something that no one should want to act like. I started watching Love & Hip Hop Atlanta and I was at a lost of words to see these women fighting with each other (physically and verbally).

I see these beautiful women who are acting out and dating men who treat them badly. These women could be more successful if they didn't act so disrespectful all the time. I guess they are great learning tools on how not to act. It is okay to be normal and be classy. If you are in a situation where it could be violent, just walk away from the situation. Try to calm down the other person and don't try to make the person even more angrier. There is a time and place for everything. You can't get mad if someone wants to beat you up when you hit below the belt. As a whole, we all need to admit when we are wrong instead of always blaming everyone else for your problems. Maybe if that would happen there would be less ratchetness.

*Extra means being over the top all the time.

Brittany Stringfield Logan is the writer and creator of The Lows and Woes of a Natural Girl she's into all things nerdy including Star Wars, Star Trek, Comic Books, and Graphic Novels. She is currently featured on Black Girl Nerd's BGN Girl series and co-hosts the weekly BGN podcast.

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Orlando Jones' New Graphic Novel-Style Action Comedy :: Tainted Love

Orlando Jones (Drumline, Evolution, The Replacements) and Machinima Prime have teamed up to bring an exciting new web series to primetime audiences. Created by Orlando Jones and Avi Youabian, Tainted Love is a first-of-its kind graphic novel mixing live action with animated panels and 3D to tell a unique story across multiple platforms including digital, broadcast, theatrical and print. The six-part web series kicks off  Sunday, May 5 on Machinima Prime. Tainted Love also stars Deanna Russo (Being Human, Burning Love), Eric Roberts (The Dark Knight, The Expendables), Maz Jobrani (Axis of Evil Comedy Tour) and Jim Jefferies (Legit).

“I created Tainted Love because I'm black and I'm a proud geek,” says Jones.

“It's time for comic books and graphic novels that pay homage to ALL the nerds, regardless of gender, color, creed, religion or orientation.” The graphic-novel web series is a fast-paced and visceral story of true love against all odds focusing on two expectant parents; one a quick-witted hitman/bagman and the other a well-intended yet hopelessly inept thief. Black Barry (Orlando Jones) is a binary man: one part criminal, one part new father. He is a grossly underpaid bag man for Fred Lucas (Eric Roberts), the baddest gangster in town. The love of his life, Jezebel Jackson (Deanna Russo), is his perfect match: one part thief, one part new mom. Jezebel has a two-step plan to establish their new family.

Step one: rob Fred Lucas. 

Step two: marry Barry. 

Her plan goes horribly wrong and puts Barry at odds with Detective Jamshid (Maz Jobrani) and Lucas's goons. Barry will stop at nothing to ensure his family's safety. The trailer can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbVB0D-6vt8

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In Case You Missed It...BGN Podcast 5/13/13 Black Coders

Listen to internet radio with Black Girl Nerds on BlogTalkRadio

BGN  interviews a panel of black coders in the tech industry. All types of coding to software programming, android and iPhone app programming, and so much more. If you are in the dark about what coding is all about, this is the podcast for you! We also discussed how significant coding is to the black community and how this skill can enhance our culture.

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Celebrating National Women's Health Week with MomsRising, MyBrownBaby and More!

This week the country will be focusing on Women's Health and in particular Healthy Moms setting the stage for healthy families. 

Join MomsRising.Org and our Partners this week in promoting and participating in discussion about Healthy Habits for women and moms!

NATIONAL WOMEN'S HEALTH WEEK ACTIVITIES

All Week - Healthy Mom BINGO 

MomsRising is inviting moms throughout the country to take just five simple steps towards better health.  We'll play BINGO together and the first 50 people to submit photos of their progress will get a free MomsRising water bottle.  Click here for more info & the BINGO card:  www.momsrising.org/womenshealth 

Sample tweet - Keep the #mom love going! Play Healthy Mom BINGO with @MomsRising & take 5 simple steps to a healthier you! moms.ly/10wd42B#nwhw

Monday, 5/13 @ 2-3 ET - #HerHealth Tweet Chat 

To kick off National Women’s Health Week, MomsRising and the National Women’s Law Center invite you to a tweetchat on Monday, May 13th at 2-3 pm ET to answer whatever questions you may have about preventive services in the health care law! 

Wednesday, 5/15 @ 2-3 ET - #WellnessWed Tweet Chat - Healthy Eating for Moms  

MomsRising and Black Girl's Guide to Weight Loss will address simple steps that all women, particularly busy mothers, can take to eat healthier foods.  We'll answer your questions, share resources, trade recipes, and swap tricks of the trade. 

Friday, 5/17 @ 2-3 ET - #HealthyHabits Google Hangout On Air (HOA) & YouTube Live Broadcast with GirlTrek, MyBrownBaby & DubyaWife 

MomsRising, GirlTrek, MyBrownBaby & DubyaWife will be talking about their personal experience with balancing being a Mom and the challenges of creating and maintaining regular healthy habits. Join us the MomsRising YouTube Channel as we talk about best practices, lessons learned and establish next steps for busy moms living healthy lives.  

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Becoming a Black Female Coder

I’ve always been a quirky girl with geeky interests. I was never the outdoorsy type growing up; I spent my time being captivated by a tv show, lost in a book or wrapped up in a video game (to my dismay, my expert level Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater skills did not serve me well at all when I once tried to go down my driveway on an actual skateboard. I stuck to virtual activities after that.) I was that girl who had a spare reading flashlight under her pillow and who cried when her parents uninstalled Doom from the family computer claiming that it was “too violent” for an 8 year old (lies). Even with that background, though, my decision to switch majors to Computer Science during the end of my sophomore year in undergrad still managed to shock all of my friends and family.

At the time, I had been roaming liberal arts limbo, trying to figure out what fit me and what felt right. I found myself deeply interested in my Africana Studies classes but wanted to couple that with something else. I had taken a job doing student tech support and discovered that I loved working with computers. It just felt right to me. By the end of my sophomore year, I had to declare a major. Taking a huge leap of faith, I declared a Computer Science major without having taken any prior classes in it and hoped for the best. Luckily for me, it turned out to be the best decision I ever made. As I progressed throughout my studies, however, it became increasingly more apparent to me the lack of black people, and especially black women, in the development community. It didn’t sit right with me.

I am fortunate to have found a few from my classes who I remain in contact with but I always knew there were more out there that I wanted to connect with. I started BlackFemaleCoders as a way for me to share my experiences, the good and the bad, that I have dealt with while being in the field. Through it, I wanted to be able to connect with other women like me and provide a place for them to share their own experiences. The goal is for BlackFemaleCoders to become a space for us to make our presence known both to each other and to the rest of the tech community and to highlight the awesome things we are working on while also providing guidance and support to each other when we need it. I started BlackFemaleCoders because I remember feeling incredibly isolated while trying to carve my own path in the field and my hope is that through this blog (and the upcoming initiatives I have planned) and through forming a strong network, I can prevent another BlackFemaleCoder from having to experience that same isolation.

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My So-Called Online Dating Life Part 7

From lifeishuman.com

I signed up a couple weeks ago for an online dating service. I won't tell you the name of it, but it has to do with an aquatic animal. Hint. Hint.  Anyway, against my better judgement---I reluctantly signed up because a girlfriend of mine at work highly encouraged me to do so.  She gave me a few testimonials about how successful the site has been in her friend's lives, so I figured what the hell...I may as well go for it.

It's only been a couple weeks and I have been inundated with emails from guys.  Some guys look like healthy prospects and others are complete losers.  I had one guy email me to tell me he farted.  Yes, seriously his email said in just a few respectful words:

I farted yo...

Classy right?  There was this one guy who emailed me (a fellow blerd) and I thought we kind of hit it off in the beginning and then I never heard back from him again.  I'm so sick of dealing with flakes.  There was this other guy who was sexy as hell and he came off very gentleman-like and reverent until he said he wanted to hook up with me and make out.  I would say five years ago, I probably would have taken him up on his offer.  Casual dating was never a problem for me.  However, now that I am at an age where I would like to settle and be in a permanent monogamous relationship, having a make-out session or even a casual sex encounter right off the bat is completely off the table.  I want to get to know you and I want you to get to know me.  Call me old fashioned, but that's just the way its got to be.

Ain't nobody got time for that.

I can't believe that men in my age bracket still want "the hookup".  Then there is the conundrum.  I receive emails from men who are slightly older or around my age that has it all together.  Great job, wants a committed relationship, and is willing to offer me everything I'm looking for.  However, when I see their photo I cringe.  Am I wrong for wanting physical attraction to trump all when it comes to seeking a relationship?  Now don't get me wrong, the sexy guy that wanted the hookup was someone who I dismissed too, so I still hold on strong to my standards in the area of being a woman of high regard for her self-worth and body.  However, why are the good men always the least attractive to me? Is it me?  Are my physical standards too high?  Or is it that handsome guys know they can take advantage of as many women as they want and enjoy the chase rather than to take a seat and settle down?

I have no clue. Earlier this week another girlfriend of mine suggested that I should be a little more extroverted when it comes to approaching men.  It is not a part of my DNA to be extroverted at anything.  I'm shy, reticent, and prefer the company of my laptop and smartphone rather than a human being.  It's just my nerd nature.  In her opinion she says that I am missing out simply because I am not making the effort to socialize and get to know a guy who I find attractive if he's walking down the street or sits alone in the cafeteria at work.  I must admit, I would NEVER approach a guy I found attractive.  In fact, I tend to run for hills, avoid all eye contact, and hope that maybe he will notice me instead.

Ugggh...I know I'm such a lost cause, but I'm not sure what to do.  In the meantime I will continue to peruse the online dating sites, and hope that Mr. Right will find me when the time is right.  That's what I'm looking forward to anyway.

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Women Are Gamechangers

Women Are Gamechangers shows financially conscious, women entrepreneurs how to make connections to build long lasting business relationships by attending online and offline events. Many women entrepreneur start ups need guidance on which direction to take as far as knowledge to absorb to help them get started. Women Are Gamechangers educates them on where to invest their money when it comes to educating themselves on running their business as well as where to find their ideal connections specifically for their business.

Ms. Gamechanger Knows… It is a new series coming summer 2013 on the Urban Houston Network. The focus of the series is to bring awareness to Houstonians about 20 to 30 something year old women entrepreneurs based in the city. This show was created to showcase the best and brightest of Houston’s young African American women entrepreneurs who may not otherwise be known to the people who live in the area. The first season will air 6 episodes. The focal point of the first season will be to interview young African American women entrepreneurs with a national and international audience. This platform was created to give them an opportunity to tell their entrepreneurial journey as well as spotlight their business products and services.

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A Movie Just For Nerds: Paper Heart

The comedy PAPER HEART is a film, directed by Nicholas Jasenovec and starring Charlyne Yi (Knocked Up) alongside Michael Cera (Superbad, Juno), successfully debuted at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival – winning the Waldo Salt Award for best screenplay. Previous winners include The Squid and the Whale, The Station Agent and Memento.

PAPER HEART follows Yi as she embarks on a quest across America to make a documentary about the one subject she doesn't fully understand: Love. Cera becomes the object of her affection. Weaving together reality and fantasy, the film combines elements of documentary and traditional storytelling to bring a fresh perspective to the modern romance. Overture will handle worldwide distribution of the film including the North American theatrical release. Its affiliated company, Anchor Bay Entertainment, will distribute the film in the home entertainment market in North America, Australiaand the United Kingdom. The producers on the film are Sandra Murillo and Elise Salomon and Jasenovec and Yi serve as executive producers.

Jasenovec and Yi also share writing credits on the film and Yi composes the film’s music along with Cera. “By blending a narrative storyline with documentary support, Charlyne and Nick have created something really unique,” said Overture CEO Chris McGurk and COO Danny Rosett. “We cannot help but be excited to be involved with a film that effectively redefines the classic love story.” Yi began her career performing stand-up comedy before making her film debut as a giddy stoner in 2007’s Knocked Up. "This is so exciting! I'm one step closer to fulfilling my dream of becoming this generation's Shirley Temple,” said Yi. PAPER HEART also stars Jake Johnson (Red Belt) who plays the film director documenting Yi’s international journey that includes stops in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Nashville, New York City, Toronto and Paris.

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…and That Time is Now.

Last October, I wrote a post lamenting the fact that the plans I made for fall 2012 didn’t pan out.  I was sad and frustrated, because I felt like I deserved to have things work out after waiting for soooooo loooooooooong.  But instead, the job I thought I wanted—a virtual school instructor—fell through, and instead of graduating August of 2012, things got delayed because my major professor pulled a stunt. 

So there I was, jobless and still in school, slaving over data analysis and the completion of my dissertation.  Fortunately, my brother moved in and paid the bills as they related to the house, but it didn’t cover the things I did for myself in terms of pampering.  It was a sacrifice of the highest order, as I’ve worked steadily since age 19.

As an educator, jobs come available at certain times, so fall came and went, as did winter.  I worked on finishing school, as that was all I had to do other than write my novels.  The phone remained silent and I was terrified that I’d be stuck having to take a job at yet another public school.  I will not elaborate on why that terrified me, but y’all ain’t stupid.  Three weeks ago, I successfully defended my dissertation and the very next day, I got an email from the principal of a school in Asia, asking me if we could Skype; he was interested in my educational profile.  Things went extremely well, and two interviews and ten days later, they offered me the job.

So...I’m moving to Asia to teach at a posh private school.

Was it what I wanted when I left the public school classroom last spring?  Not exactly, but I’ve learned some things during my time here on Earth. What I thought I wanted was something that was short-sighted; a temporary fix; a band-aid for a broken spirit.  The time it took me to finish school was the amount of time I needed to regenerate.  I’m not an educator who feeds her students out of a long-handled spoon.  I’m better when I’m physically with my kids.  Being a virtual-school instructor would have been a ginormous, grievous error.  My friend, who is currently in this position, says that she spends 10-12 hours a day seated in front of a computer, teaching.  While she doesn’t have to deal with the day-to-day madness that comes when handling children in real-time, there is the fact that because she’s dealing with students all over the world, she doesn’t have a set schedule like a classroom instructor does.  And she doesn’t get to experience the things that teachers appreciate; like the look a kid gets when they finally understand something, or when they know you give a damn about them.  This matters and it’s the lifeblood of any real educator.  I’m supposed to be in the classroom and the year I spent out of it let me know this.  And I’m so excited, so this is absolutely right.

Leaving the country has been a dream of mine since I first put my hands on a globe.  Italy is my dream location and I may very well retire there.  But that, too, is something I had to let go of in order to be blessed in the way I have been.  I’m going to have to leave a lot of things behind, but I own those things; they don’t own me.

If you have a dream, don’t be afraid to go after it.  I spent eleven years working on my doctorate and now it’s mine and no one will ever be able to take it from me.  I will leave the United States with Dr. prefixed to my first name and/or Ph.D. suffixed to my surname and go to a place where I will get the salary it commands and the respect it deserves.  I gladly leave all *this* behind.  I will, of course, share some of my experiences here as well as on the Blasian Narrative and Black Girl Nerds.  But my future has arrived and I’m going to embrace it.

Sincerely,

Dr. Amaya Radjani

-OR-

Amaya Radjani, Ph.D.

P.S.  I’m still getting used to being called “doctor.”  It’s surreal.  I keep looking around wondering who they're talking to.  Though, to be honest, this is the only time I'll mention my new title on my blog, as it's not really relevant to what The Dark is all about. 

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Do you Wanna Meet The Peeples?

Wade Walker (Craig Robinson) has fallen for the lovely “perfect” Grace Peeples(Kerry Washington). After being together for a year he decides it’s time for him to pop the question, but hasn’t found a right time to do it nor has he met her family. So one weekend when she goes to her family’s summer home in the Hamptons, Wade surprises her there. He’s greeted with a surprise himself when he learns that her family doesn’t even know about him. The rest of his weekend is spent trying to impress the merciless Judge Virgil Peeples (David Alan Grier). As Craig gets to know the family, he learns that the Peeples family contains a lot of secrets. For those of you who are turned off by Perry’s heavy handedness with religion, melodrama, and women’s dysfunctional relationships with men then you can breathe a sigh of relief. Peeples is only “presented” by Tyler Perry and that is his only involvement.

Tina Gordon Chism wrote and directed the film. It plays like any other broad romantic comedy. Actually it plays like a black version of Meet the Parents. Regardless I was delighted to see David Alan Grier in a film. He is an underrated comedic actor that isn’t utilized nearly enough. Plus seeing Robinson in a lead role was a bit surprising as he is not an actor one visualizes as a leading man. But the movie had only mild laughs with very one dimensional characters that weren’t really fleshed out. And Washington while a very beautiful and talented actress, comedy is not her strong point. Her comedic bits came off as forced and sometimes her character was even unlikable. So while the movie does have some enjoyable parts, I feel it is not that strong of a film to pay $14 to see. Wait for DVD.

Rating C.

Maia M.

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The She Thrives Network

Sunday May 12th a new network for the new New black woman called the She Thrives Network is scheduled to launch and we are ready to take the world by storm!  This site is open to women of all ethnic backgrounds, but what She Thrives works to accomplish, is its mission of diversifying the image of the black woman by highlighting her in a myriad of roles and responsibilities.  The black woman is seen as a mother, a working professional, a politician, a geek, a fashionista, a yoga enthusiast, and so much more.  The archaic monolithic stereotypes of the past have dissipated away and the She Thrives Network illustrates that in detail through the works of six female bloggers who have a distinct voice in their respective communities.

Christelyn Karazin - The brainchild behind She Thrives Network started when Christelyn thought of the idea to create a female-empowered network ran by women.  She is the founder and creator of the website for interracial dating called Beyond Black and White. She is also the co-author of "Swirling: How to Date, Mate & Relate, Mixing Race, Culture & Creed."

Vanisha Sapp - is the creator of African Export.  Her YouTube channel has over 92,000 subscribers and got her start in multimedia when she began chronicling her natural hair journey via Youtube. She has also been labeled on The Huffington Post as one of the "Top 5 Natural Hair Bloggers", Essence.com as well as MadameNoire.com.

Jenn Jackson - is the co-founder of Water Cooler Convos, a "nerdy, artsy, bourgie" blog discussing current events, music, and politics with a hipster spin. She is also the founder and CEO of The Worth Campaign, a future 501c3 serving young women of color by means of self-worth messaging and individual empowerment.

Terri Ann McDonald - is the creator, writer and resident foodie of EatFlowSweat.com, a health and fitness blog “fusion” celebrating good food, hot power yoga, cross training and an eclectic mix of lifestyle topics.


Gennifer Miller Dornstreich -  is the founder of Healthy Textures LLC, a company dedicated to helping women of color achieve healthy relaxed hair at home. She started as a blogger and free lance journalist for various web and print publications. In October 2007, she wrote and produced the Healthy Textures' Guide to Roller Setting DVD and launched a popular forum-based community for thousands of women of color.

Jamie Broadnax - Well you guys kinda already know this chick.  Haha.  Jamie is the founder and creator of the only blog for nerdy black women called Black Girl Nerds.  The idea of quirky geeky black girls being an anomaly didn't sit well with her, and she decided to create a blog that depicts women of her ilk. The blog has expanded to a weekly podcast and now is a part of the She Thrives Network!

Be sure to follow She Thrives on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and Tumblr!

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