OKnLA

Today I had a breakdown at work. Like a damn fool.  I had a horrible night, woke up exhausted, and decided to remain unplugged until I got to work. I wanted to take the morning slowly.  I arrived at the office, sat down in my first meeting and heard "I'm just so sad about the news. We're going to write a few things about Prince today, Doriean are you able to do that?"  So I'm sitting there like a dumbass asking "What happened?" Then it hit me. Maybe that wasn't the flu that caused Prince's plane to land suddenly last week. Maybe something was really wrong.  Because he's gone.  So then I'm listening to my assignments, trying to wrap my brain around selecting the best Prince songs (impossible). I'm talking like nothing is happening but tears are streaming. My editor asks if I need a minute and I run to the bathroom and bawl like an infant.  I've been trying to listen to music all day. But nothing compa...

It was hard for me to put this into words. It's hard to explain. If you are an OKnLA reader, you read my last post and you know that I'm exhausted. I'm so tired of trying to tell people who just don't seem to (want to) get it that it's not OK what's happening. You know what I do like? Pudding, specifically the chocolate variety. So I put this thing together in an effort to describe how it feels to hear "White Privilege," how it feels to see Kylie Jenner darken her skin and plump her features, how it feels to hear Iggy Azalea on the radio, how it feels to learn that Mylie Cyrus invented twerking ... Maybe it will make sense to you. Maybe it won't. But it's something I had to do. So here it is. you are a chef.  you love to make things. it's your outlet. it's how you express yourself. one day, you concoct an amazing recipe for chocolate pudding. it's so good. so  very  good.  the kids, they love it! then, health nuts an...

I went on a trip home to Oklahoma last week. I brought Jersey Mike for his first real visit to the state and his first time meeting my friends. It was fantastic and fun. I'd love to tell you all about it. But I can't right now. I can't focus on anything right now.  Upon returning to Los Angeles, I logged onto Twitter and started seeing headlines about the Charleston shooting. I immediately turned it off. At first I felt wrong about doing it. At first I felt like I should face it head-on, get angry, put on my activist hat and get to work.  But I didn't. I couldn't do it.  I'd just gotten home from being surrounded by love. Yes, being back in Oklahoma I heard conversations filled with intolerance. I needed to point out and shut down a few comments that were insensitive and just plain rude. That's something I've gotten used to when visiting home. I'm surrounded by liberals and hippies here in Los Angeles. We are a melting pot of colors,...

This is rather late, but you still care about my opinion. Right?  The Alabama Shakes are one of my favorite bands out right now. They've been around for several years but are currently getting the pickup they've always deserved.  Naturally, I wanted to see them live. But they were only playing Coachella (never going) a show in San Francisco and a show in Las Vegas. Though were were *this* close to heading to Vegas, it never materialized, and I feared I'd miss out on seeing this amazing band until they release another album. Panic set in! So when I noticed a tweet from Amoeba Hollywood with a message promising the chance to see the band perform in Los Angeles with the purchase of an album, I paid attention. Luckily, Jersey Mike didn't have work Tuesday. So he set out to Amoeba first thing in the morning. He was one of the first five in line, and they were only giving tickets to the first 100. The good people at Amoeba Hollywood opened the doors two hours ear...

I was looped into (OK honesty time I looped myself in) to a debate on Facebook about which actor is the best of our time: Tom Hanks or Denzel Washington.  Initially my thought was: no contest. It's Denzel. I don't understand why we're having a debate.  But then the Tom Hanks stans went so hard I had to step back and think about whether or not I was trippin'  But I can assure you I am not. Here are my arguments. 1. Denzel Washington played Malcolm X. Today (May 19th, the date this debate began) is Malcolm's birthday, so triple points for Denzel.  2. Denzel is sexy as hell.  I mean, can I just... Tom, you're a sweetheart but I'm sorry, Denzel's got you on hotness. 3.  Tom and Denzel both have two Oscars. But Denzel was only the second African American actor to win an Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role (second to Mr. Sidney Poitier). So if we're talking best of our time, that's a heavy ...

Welp. I've officially fulfilled my dream of becoming a Hollywood starlet. Easy enough, especially considering I never really had that dream in the first place. For those of you who get antsy, go ahead and watch the episode of Head Cases that I'm featured in. If you can hold on to your pantyhose, keep reading to get the full story. Several months ago I went to my first casting call. The request was for ladies with natural hair who could use a little help taking care of their hair. I really just did it to help a friend and to see what the heck a casting call is even like.  A few things made me feel like going was the wrong choice: 1) I made a number of immature decisions the night before the call, which resulted in a debilitating hangover the morning of.  2) I had to drive to Hollywood. On a Saturday.  3) There were tons of girls with varying levels of professionalism and high levels of judgment.  Waiting outside the audition room They...

I've been trying to convince people I was 30 since I turned 22. In my head I just knew that, at 30, I'd have it all figured out. I thought people would finally respect me if I could drop the twenty- in front of my age. Then someone told me that it's not your age that gets you respect, it's how you act. How you carry yourself.  In my 20s I scared myself so many times. A blood transfusion, a broken engagement, moving halfway across the country without a real plan. But through all of those trials I learned so much about myself. I'm not the same little girl I was so many years ago. I appreciate her for who she was. So impressionable, naive, adorable. But I'm very different now.  In my 20s I fell so deep in love, not just once but (at least) twice.  I've learned when to compromise and what I simply won't put up with.  So often I hear people say: "I wish I knew then what I know now." I'm not there yet. If I'd known what I...