Cheri

Cheri’s Most Fascinating People of 2015

| cheriarmour

Before we start, will you do me a favor?  If you like this post, share with yo frands.  Then like me.  Then follow me.  Or tweet me!  I’ll try not to be annoying about this, but I’ll remind you about once a week if you’re new here and you want to read more about how I can’t sit still.

I totally stole this from Taylor, and was laughing so hysterically, that I had to replicate my own.  We’re counting down backwards from 5, so get really pumped, number one is gonna be good!

5.  Rachel Dolezal.  This one really confuses me.  Part of me feels a deep need to make fun of her.  Part of me wants to slap her.  Part of me feels sorry for her.  If you’ll recall, Rachel was our friend who pretended to be a black woman for some time.  It sounds to me like she’s got some pathology in there (hellloooo social work degree), but I can’t be too sure.  But if that’s the case, she really needs to be under the close care of a professional.  Shoutout to this moment…

rachel-lied-about-race BOLTS FROM INTERVIEW

4.  Justin Bieber.  This fool went from 0-hero after a really thinly-veiled attempt to curry our favor with a roast on Comedy Central.  It worked.  He’s back.  At at last glance he was like songs 1, 2, and like 4 on Spotify’s United States Top 100 and Global Top 50.  That is ridiculous.  My words to you, Mr. Bieber are DON’T FUCK THIS UP.  You have been touched by an angel.  Take this opportunity and RUN WITH IT.  And stop wearing those long shirts.  I love you but no.

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3. Ben Carson.  I thought, just by nature of him being a doctor by trade, that this would make him smart.  But…some of the things he says?  It’s beyond confusing.  Like…why?  Also thrown in there are Donald Trump and his supporters.  Fascinating as in…why are you a thing?  HOW are you a thing?  An honorable mention goes to the BMW driver who had a Ben Carson sticker on his or her car.  WHY WOULD YOU STICK A STICKER ON THE BUMPER OF YOUR CAR THAT COSTS ABOUT 2 YEARS OF SCHOOLING AT A PRIVATE LIBERAL ARTS UNIVERSITY?

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2. Zola and her weekend adventure in Florida.  This tale contained horror.  Trafficking.  Suspense.  And was told all in a series of Tweets.  Did Zola embellish?  Sure.  Do I still eat it up with a spoon?  Yes.  Zola actually responded to a tweet I sent her regarding her interest in starting locs.  I respect her hustle.

And finally…

1.  Black Twitter.  Black Twitter is a wondrous place with zero chill whatsover.  A few examples?

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Honorable mentions go to:

Curtis Jackson a.k.a. 50 Cent.  Bankrupt?  Orrrr you just don’t want to pay your child support?  Pay that woman, Curtis.

People who leave their carts out in the parking lot at Harris Teeter.  Still really intriguing.

Rob Kardashian.  Taylor mentioned this.  WHERE ARE YOU ROB?!  Are you ok?

On that note, Aaron Carter.  His Twitter is a strange, strange place.

Old people on social media.  Most specifically, our mothers.

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via Tumblr

Who are your most intriguing people of 2015?

Wedding Wednesday: Finanaces

| cheriarmour

So in like, 3 months and 24 days (which I didn’t know til I blogged about how much time it was gonna be until our Wedding Date), I get to marry this hunk.

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Now, I’ve talked openly and candidly about my finances here, but it was important to do that with my husband-to-be, and that meant being really open about my student loan debit and my spending patterns.

And I was really really embarrassed to sit down and talk with him about it.

Austin has a really, really good handle on his finances, and makes a ton more money than I do, and I can learn so much from him (and I have in our years together).  I make a social worker’s salary, and have a decent amount of debt from graduate school mostly, that I’m working on.  But we’ve gotten together every day for the last few days and created a budget, and gone over every single piece of paperwork involving my student loans, and for once, I don’t feel like I’m in a horrifying panic over the state of my loans.

Like I said last week, paying down more of my loans, and still having a little something left over to save, means some actual focus and work, but thankfully, I have a partner who knows what the heck it takes, and is helping me focus on the big picture.  And instead of being mortified and embarrassed, once we got down to the real work, I felt comforted that I was able to share my “burden” with someone else.

In other wedding news?

  • Save-the-dates are OUT!  I will do a big reveal next week, so I can make sure folks get theirs before I put all their business out there.
  • Wedding bands are purchased!  Just waiting for them to come out,
  • Invites?  The ball is rolling, but I have no clue what the wording on the invites is gonna say.
  • My mom screamed at me for not inviting one of her friends.  I am not a cold, heartless person, but she literally told me that she didn’t want to invite this person because they hadn’t been picking up her phone calls as of late.  Well she texted me last night to ask if I invited this person, and then yelled at me when I said no.  I WAS JUST FOLLOWING ORDERS!  Ugh.
  • Catering is thisclose to being finalized.
  • We’d already booked the photogs a while back, but in the course of some emails we’d been sending back and forth, I kinda let them know I needed them for our (very late) engagement photos and bridal portraits for you guys to put gifts under when I get married.

To do in this week?

  • The biggie is the wedding website HAS to get some progress on it.  Maybe I’ll work on that this weekend.

I am SO happy that things are getting done.

How do you keep up with your monthly budget/big ticket expenses?

Virtual Coffee Date

| cheriarmour

photo 1I think I stole this idea from Skinny Runner, but we’re on a coffee date right now, on this beautiful Sunday morning, so let’s chat about all of the things, okay?

+Austin and I went to a really cool thing yesterday, which I will be blogging about all tomorrow, and we’re both very very nervous because we’re not nervous about our wedding.  Seriously, a bride told use that she’s started drinking because she’s so nervous about her November wedding, and now I’m scared that I’m not nervous enough.

+My brother is amazing.  He got into NC State yesterday, and I’m kinda hoping he goes there so we  an hang out all the time.

+Speaking of my brother.  He’s an amazing rapper, and here’s his latest.


Vote for it, my brother is trying to win $2500 with some friends, and I really love the song/video, and I’d LOVE it if you could help him out.

+We went to Chili’s yesterday, which we don’t normally do, but I was able to find a really good salad, the Caribbean Salad with shrimp, and dressing on the side.  Really really really good, and not all that bad for you 🙂

What would you tell me if you were on this coffee date with me?

My love affair with reality television.

| cheriarmour

I’d say I have some pretty good things going for me.  I’m at least moderately attractive.  I’m very in shape, and I have a nice(ish) personality, right?

Don’t answer that.

But I have a really, truly dark secret.  I have a love affair with reality television.

Off the top of my head, here are a few quality programs I have watched in the past few years.

  • Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew.

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    • 16 and Pregnant
    • Teen Moms 1 and 2
    • America’s Next Top Model

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  • Real Housewives of Atlanta/New York/Beverly Hills/Orange County (not sure why Andy continues to bother with Miami, and DC was horrific.)

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  • Flipping Out with Jeff Lewis
  • Work Out with Jackie Warner
  • Party Down South (thank you Jesus for this discovery on late-night television)
  • The Millionaire Matchmaker
  • Watch What Happens Live
  • Couples Therapy
  • Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team

 

380887_10100318509646029_899369494_n…And these are just to name a few. 

My love affair with reality television began when I was in middle school, and Road Rules (the literal best invention ever), and Real World were at the peak of their popularity.

the-real-world-oI dreamt of being on one of these shows, and I’m not sure why.  Over the summers, when we’d be home from school, MTV would play marathons for days and days, and I would watch them all, hoping that my mother would not find out about my strange addiction (which I don’t watch, funny enough).  I once auditioned for the X-Factor, made it pretty far, and had my dreams crushed before the season started.  Glad it didn’t work out though 🙂

Please ladies, tell me I’m not the only one in this boat.  Are you addicted to terrible reality telly?  Which shows are your faves?

I’m the Kind of Girl Who…

| cheriarmour

I totally stole this idea from I Wore Yoga Pants to Work  and Hey, Hollywood: – but I absolutely loved it so well I had to!

So.  I’m the kind of girl who..

…despite my vegetarianism, there are so many vegetables I hate.  I mean, I really hate so many.  These include, but are not limited to, mushrooms (and that’s what people always try to offer vegetarians when there is no other option.  Kill me).  I also hate cauliflower, the gourds, and certain peppers.

…naps like a damn champ.  When I was in college, I used to nap multiple times a day,  Now I’m an adult and I really almost never get the change to nap.  So when I do get the chance to nap, once or twice a month, I nap for like a thousand hours for the day.

…gets a little obsessive about certain things.  Lately I have been shampooing my carpets like the world is going to end.  Just did it again last night.  And I loved it.  I may have a disorder, and I’m completely okay with that.

…works out a ton.  I didn’t used to be, but I got sick of being annoyed with my body, and I started working out.  It’s amazing.  I try and do something every day.   I run, I yoga, I do Zumba, I lift, I try and do something, or I go crazy.

…gets in weird moods once in a while.  My weird moods usually mean I want to just lay on the couch and do nothing, or I want to pick a fight because I feel kind of irritable.  Two nights ago,  I was in a weird mood, so I took the dog, and sat on the patio at a sushi restaurant.  It really did my soul a lot of good.

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…is an awesome cook despite the fact that people say skinny girls can’t cook.  I love taking comfort foods, like Mac + Cheese or a Grilled Cheese and turning it healthy.

…loves bright colors.  Bright, deep, amazing colors.  They make me happy!

…is getting married in a little than 6 months, and is surprisingly relaxed about the whole deal.  I honestly can’t wait!

Enjoy, and link up with these bloggers, or link up in the comments below!

I was riding into work yesterday morning…

| cheriarmour

…And I have a pretty short commute to work, lucky for me, it’s only about 10 minutes long.  And I have a confession.

I hate, hate, hate morning radio.

It rarely appeals to anyone over the age of 12 because that’s exactly the kind of “humor” it plays to.  Infantile, juvenile, and often offensive, just like preteens tend to be.

Well, here in the great capital city of Raleigh, there’s this show called “Bob & the Showgram”.  And I won’t be a jerk, it’s not all bad.  From what I understand, Bob, the host of the show, had a brain tumor, and now he raises money for pediatric brain tumors.  And that’s awesome.  It is, however, one of the most offensive dark spots in an otherwise very progressive city.

At last year’s Christmas parade, someone at the station had the bright idea to suspend  “Tyrone the Black Christmas Fairy” from the bed of a pickup truck, which drew some really negative attention – even the Mayor had something to say about it.

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There were even rumors that someone at the station was fired for it.  What escapes me is how suspending a black person from anything is a good idea, especially given the history of our country, but that’s another essay, for another blog, for another day.

So on my ride in, I happened to flip to that offending station, and around 9:00 am, Bob started making offensive comments about gay men.  Some of them are a little too much to repeat here, but it wrapped up with him comparing gay men to pedophiles.

I was floored. Is this 1950?  Firstly, sexuality isn’t necessarily something that needs to be discussed in the joking context of a morning program.  Secondly. comparing someones sexuality to deviant behavior that is damaging not only physically, but mentally, and spiritually to a child is beyond small-minded, it’s just wrong.

So I went to work, and in the course of the day, I emailed the program director at the station, Zac, and expressed my displeasure at the whole situation.  I got a response!

“Cheri,

Thanks for your email.

We met with the Morning Show after they got off the air.

We discussed the topic and how it could be offensive.

I really appreciate your feedback,

Zac”

I know it’s not much, but I’ll be damned, I made a teensy, tiny, itty-bitty little splash in the inbox of the director.  I know Bob has probably learned nothing, and will continue ranting on whatever, but I loved the feeling of making a little difference.

I knew this blog was nearing a year old…

| cheriarmour

So last week, I went ahead and delved into the archives to find out when I’d launched this thing, and it was a year ago, November 19, 2012, that I launched the blog.

For those of you who sort of fell into reading my blog, the way it started was as an idea that’d actually come to me when I was running.  I’m Haitian, and in January of 2010, Haiti was stricken with a huge, huge earthquake, that devastated the capital, where my mother was born.  My idea was a simple one, run, run, and run, and have folks sponsor each mile (or give a lump sum), all the while, documenting my progress on this blog.

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The idea went so swimmingly that I raised the money, and kept the blog going, well after time for donations had closed, and in time capturing my first and second marathons, my engagement to Austin, and in general, the awesome highs, and occasional lows of young adulthood, with generous helpings of working out

So a year later, and many runs, bags of epsom salts, running gear, recovery brewskies, 2 marathons, a few halfs, and a billion laughs along the way, blog is still here, and ready to rocket into more workouts, more running shoes, and more activity as we embark on year 2 of this incredible running journey.  Here’s to more selfies, a wedding, more running, some races, and a sick, healthy body.

Who, me?

| cheriarmour

Who would thunk, that little ol’ blogita moi would’ve caused such a stir?

So last week, after reading through Maxim’s list of their Hot 100, I wrote a kinda tongue-in-cheek, but semi-serious article about my thoughts on the whole concept of the Maxim Hot 100.  If you didn’t read the article, feel free.  It was sort of cute.  Kinda funny.  And with each quip, at its core, was something a little bit serious.  What bothered me was Miley. What bothered me was the classification of women, as if they were pedigreed dogs at a show. What bothered me was the lack of diversity on the list in the first place. And apparently, that bothered some of you.  (Some of you guys loved it so HOLLER!)

I’m not up here to like rescind my statements.  I will feel the way I feel til there’s nothing in the world left to bitch about.  But for those of you who loved it.  For those of you who hated it.  For those of you who commented on it (respectfully 😉 ).  For those of you agreed.  And for those of you who disagreed.  I want to give you a big ol’ slap on the butt and thank you from the bottom of my heart.  I think I’m right.  I always do.  But it would be über annoying if I blogged about something and no one had anything to say about it.  So keep it up, dear readers, and I’ll keep serving you up the Cheri fierceness. Xoxo ❤

JT

Image | | cheriarmour

JT

When a truly good CD comes out, I skip the iTunes thing and buy the CD. Gavin DeGraw, Beyonce, Amy Winehouse – all CDs I had to hold in my hands. As a present for me, I made a special trip to Target (which I usually avoid in order to skirt the issue of wrecking my budget), and picked up JT’s album. Sigh. That boy is perfect.  And it’s going to come out that he was black at one point in his life.  Mark my words.