Thoughts of an OUTSPOKEN DIVA

Thursday, March 21, 2019

The First Lesson (OUTSPOKEN_DIVA's Favorite Recipes)

In January, I challenge everyone who can cook to help someone who can't, learn to make some dishes. I feel like all adults should know how to cook. And anyone not helping them is doing them a disservice. Well, a lady, whose blog name will be Emma asked what was my goto dish to teach people to make. I actually have two. One for pre-teens for breakfast & lunch and one for ages 13 and older for dinner.

Grilled cheese sandwiches are the simplest hot sandwich known to man. Advance sandwiches add meat and vegetables, but the basic recipe is bread with melted cheese inside. And it's easy peasy.

Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Ingredients

2 slices white bread
1 tablespoon butter, divided in half
2 slices American or Cheddar cheese

Directions

Preheat skillet over medium heat. Generously butter one side of a slice of bread.
Place bread butter-side-down onto skillet bottom and add 1 slice of cheese.
Butter a second slice of bread on one side and place butter-side-up on top of the sandwich.
Grill until lightly browned and flip over; continue grilling until cheese is melted.
Serve & Eat Immediately

Contrary to popular belief, every meal is not an elaborate one. Most people who cook will admit to at least to three favorite simple favorites. Ask them. Here is one of mine.

Chicken & Spinach-Lemon Rice

Ingredients

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 (16-ounce) package chicken breast tenders
1 teaspoon purchased minced garlic
1 1/2 cups uncooked rice of your choice
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can chicken broth
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 cups spinach leaves, cut into thin strips

Directions

Heat oil in 12-inch skillet; add chicken tenders and garlic. Cook over medium heat, turning occasionally until browned and no longer pink.
Remove chicken from skillet; keep warm.
Add all remaining ingredients except spinach to same skillet. Cook over high heat, 2-3 minutes, until mixture comes to a boil.
Cover; reduce heat to low. Cook for 10-20 minutes, until all of the liquid is absorbed.
Stir in spinach.
Serve chicken over rice immediately.

One day I hope those I've helped to make a dish understand I just want them to be self-sufficient in feeding themselves. Especially these two, Alura & CJ, the niece & nephew in my auntiest looking picture to date. (No, I don't drink dark liquor & listen to Jeffrey Osborne while I make the good potato salad. I listen to Dru Hill & drink tea. LoL) The Chinese proverb says, "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime". Well, a man can't eat raw fish all the time.

As Always Talking to You in Adult Terms!!!

Wednesday, March 20, 2019

Cancel Culture is Like Comedy

It is Subjective!
Yeah, I said it. Cancel Culture is based on personal feelings, tastes, or opinions, just like what we think is funny. What is Cancel Culture? Let me define for the not as hip as me. Yes, you can laugh. It is the phenomenon of no longer morally, financially, and/or digitally supporting celebrities, events, songs, films or TV shows, or things that are deemed unacceptable or problematic. (Thank You, Wikipedia) Cancel Culture is not new. For years, I just said "I'm boycotting...", but you know pop culture(Blame the Millenials LoL) and it's naming stuff. And I think arguing or discussing intensely on who & what to cancel is a waste of time.

I use Comedy because it is one of the most negatively passionate debated forms of entertainment of the times. In my experience, people are quick to say or react who's or what is not funny.

How many conversations have you had on favorite comedians? Now, compare that to the conversations on who in comedy that you don't like. I bet dollars to donuts the ratio is off. But comedy is maybe set up that way. There are acceptable levels of heckling & booing that get to pass through. Negativity boosts it sometimes.

Negativity fuels Cancel Culture. Instead if pumping up what we are for or like, we are quick to talk about the stuff & people we are deleting. And it's all based on our experiences, feelings, opinions, & perceptions.

For example, let's talk about the Katy Perry face shoe incident. I looked at the black shoe by itself, could be seen as blackface. And because the racist images put out by Gucci, Burberry, Prada was in the news at the same time, Katy Perry's products were automatically canceled by some. I saw the shoe with the same face in the color, beige and saw a goofy face on a shoe. I couldn't cancel the products. I just don't want her to make face shoes anymore.

That is my subjective feeling. And to argue with me about is futile, in opinion. I mean there are known liars, killers, bigots, rapists, child molesters, sexual harassers & thieves with apologist fans & support.

Save your fuel to pump up those who aren't. Oh wait, that not negative enough to do. Oh well, go take them down. And Cancel Culture, you have unwittingly made your mark in our lexicon & way of debate. Hope, you're proud of yourself.

As Always Talking to You in Adult Terms!

Thursday, March 14, 2019

I Will Rather Start Over

When I leave this blog world, know that I never dealt with fake numbers & views. This week I looked at my stats & views. I do that every quarter. Weirdly, I had 3 posts with abnormally high numbers. They were the last posts that I posted on Google+. And I almost went with the surge in viewership being because the site was being shut down. But that reason didn't sit well with me. So, I just erased & reposted them. The posts are:

THIS

and THIS

One post had 342 views. WTF I know crap when I see it. The post (3rd highest viewed before I ever posted these 3) I did when my brother died has 107 views. And most of those were because my sister posted it on her Facebook page. And they stopped a week after the service. These posts were posted in January and were still "being viewed" until I deleted the old links. I am Not saying I'm not worth 300+ views. But I will say I am Worth views that are Consistent & Real. Not high views because of a weird glitch or hacking.

If you guys want to hover & click on any of the "This", and re-read those posts again, Please, Be My Guest. I would appreciate that. If you don't, that is fine. You know I don't have a blog for the views. And shout out to you guys, my readers. Thank You for your Real views. Maybe next blog year(July) you guys will get a nickname. All because you guys are Real Ones!!!

As Always Talking To You In Adult Terms

He, She, & B

I see this picture of these three adult-age people I frown. That is B. Smith. She is a former restaurateur, model, author, and television host. I enjoyed her show, B. Smith With Style when it was on the air.

Also in the picture is her husband Dan Gasby and his girlfriend, Alex Lerner. Yes say, "Oh" but don't shrug it off. B. Smith has Alzheimer's disease and has no clue what is going on. And her husband has become defensive about having a live-in girlfriend while taking care of his wife. HERE is one of the articles about him, the girlfriend & B.

There is one key point that I don't see in any of the stories where Dan & B had a prior discussion that having a live-in girlfriend is okay.

I wonder that not because Gasby needed permission, but because what if B. has a lucid moment one day. That does happen. There is also Terminal Lucidity where some people with mental decline have mental clarity and memory shortly before death. I'd rather not have to explain that situation but hug and savor the clear moments that we have.

"I love my wife but I can’t let her take away my life!" Dan Gasby wrote on Facebook.

I know Dan Gasby was probably lonely. I understand. I came back home to help my mother with my late grandfather and brother & ailing grandmother, years ago. Being a caregiver can be very isolating. It is a life few understand.

So, I understand him having a friend to talk to and having some free time away from his current life. But a live-in just seems disrespectful. I think Dan Gasby feels some guilt. If he didn't, he wouldn't be defensive. He would've revealed Ms. Alex Lerner and went on to live life. His Facebook statement might as well say, "It breaks my heart my wife doesn't recognize me, but a man has needs".

Maybe not the case. But he put the "story" out. Have a feeling a little discretion would help him.

*sigh*

Learn how to tell a story!

As Always Talking to You in Adult Terms

Christian Love Music?

Anyone who follows me on social media knows that the title is click bait. This post is just to further my feelings about the talk about "Us Against the World, The Love Project" by David & Tamela Mann that I stated on different social media sites. If you don't know, gospel singers, David and Tamela Mann released an R&B love songs album. I am probably in the minority of people (not the 1st time) who didn't criticize them before or after listening to it. I was not opposed to the project. I listened to it for a few days on Spotify. And it has a few 2-Step worthy tunes, in my opinion. I really liked Signs the most. 🎶Love is the language And you speak it fluently Through your actions🎶

There is a complaint going around that there aren't any new love songs in R&B. There is a lot of sex music, but where is the love? And think about how many love songs in the known history of the genre are sung by never divorced married couples.

The only married couple who made an R&B love song that comes to my mind is Ashford & Simpson. (If you can think of another, leave them in the comments) And they were "Solid as a Rock" until Nick Ashford left this world. Now another couple, The Manns that seems to truly love one another make some tracks and the world picks fun of or find fault with it. *sigh* Humans...

But of course, the criticism was because The Manns are Christians and pigeonholing them is what fuels most of the dislike. I feel like the critics have the problem, not The Manns. There is no profane language in any song. Listeners will not hear about the bedroom behavior of David or Tamela.

And they aren't the first Christians to have a love song album. Have you ever heard Bishop T.D. Jakes's "Sacred Love Songs"? I was 21 years old when that & book it accompanies came out. It gave me the song my mother will walk down the aisle to at my wedding called " From Mother to Daughter. And he via the voice of Marvin Sapp gave us ladies a lesson about satin sheets on the bed. Some of you men need to thank Bishop Jakes every time your lady buys nice cotton percale sheets.

Oh well, those are my thoughts. Have you heard "Us Against the World" by David & Tamela Mann? Let me know in the comments. And remember, you can't have Good Love slipping everywhere, because of Satin Sheets Slide.

As Always Talking to You in Adult Terms!!!

Define Cheating and Then Go on With Life

My dating life probably thinks the amateur sociologist in me is cramping its style. Oh well, it will be okay. Here is an upside to dating when you're older...Having Mature Conversations. Oh, you still have to deal with "Hey! How Are You?" conversations of mundane death. (Remind me to discuss that one day) But once you can get past that there are some good conversations that you were not having when you were younger.

I'm listening to a podcast about emotional affairs and it reminded me of a recent conversation about cheating. One of my dating qualifications for dating is for a guy to be monogamous and know why he is. An interested guy needed clarification. I gave it to him and it leads to the question, "What is Cheating to You".

Cheating is any interaction with anyone that one is attracted(sexual, emotional, and/or spiritual) to that is hidden from one's significant other(SO)(exclusive boyfriend, girlfriend, partner, or spouse). That's my simple definition to handle what we feel the need to make complex. Can you show or discuss your text messages with your work bae to your SO?

Would it make you nervous from guilt if your SO ask to join your prayer partner & you in prayer? Did you passionately kiss your former neighbor when you guys met up for dinner? Did you sleep with the wait staff personnel who slipped you their number? Cheating is not that hard to understand. You know what shouldn't be done with others outside of your relationships. Some are obvious. Some need to be discussed so parameters can be placed. And that's not just for monogamy. One of the reasons why I'm not polygamous or in open relationships. They need quite a few.

Anyone older can say they had this conversation about cheating when you were younger? Was it before you or you're SO cheated?

So, what is your definition of cheating? Let me know in the comments. Don't cheat yourself out of a possible conversation.

As Always Talking to You in Adult Terms!!!

Friday, March 8, 2019

She's Funny

We love to talk about the women who inspire us in the month of March. March is Women's History Month, so it is to be expected. Well, let me talk about some women who inspire me. Female Comedians inspire me a lot. How can any person that makes you laugh not inspire you?

I was probably first inspired when I saw a black lady put a yellow top her head & act like a little girl who wanted long blonde hair. I actually knew that little girl growing up. Then I saw a lady hosting a talk show. She said, "Can we talk". So, I had to listen to what she wanted.

Then there were these ladies whose acts were mirrors & ladders of my life. I was a black young woman with a foul mouth, who could hula hoop & thought church ushers who caught the holy ghost while serving were hilarious. Yes, these ladies were encouraging a future F*cking Lady. Now, these ladies are my friends in my head.

I relate to going out with painful shoes & shapewear on and hating to go the public rest because of the thin toilet paper. But because of the driver friend, we made it home. Hurricane names make me chuckle, too. And delusional people & pressure point massages are not that enjoyable at all.

Yeah, I just covered some the punch lines of

Wanda Sykes