What's Your Ice Cream Melts Story? (Videos) Based on the book Ice Cream Melts, this blog is about acknowledging your daily experiences and gives you a place to have those experiences recognized, respected and most importantly - understood by others who have been through the same transition. Ice Cream Melts is home to the stories from persons who have experienced a transition from a low point to a high point. Here is where individuals, and you, can come to share in the common thread that is the unpredictable nature of life, share stories and take those narratives as testimony to finding a way to overcome and endure.
Ice Cream Melts believes that the greatest motivation and form of human compassion comes thru the sharing of stories and hearing stories from individuals experiencing similar life realities. There is someone here who understands your Ice Cream Melts story and they've started to tell it. Take a look and Blog In Your Ice Cream Melts Story... (Log In or Register First)
While in college, my dorm was next to a local McDonalds. My friends and I were there every day consuming large amounts of BURGERS. Now add ten plus years, the whole healthy living movement, and the fact that a gut is harder to lose past thirty - you would not catch me in McDonalds or anything similar. It seems, however, that there are folks that not only consume large amounts of BURGERS, but get ENRAGED and possibly VIOLENT without their FIX.
Some things that are TRUE seem so UNBELIEVABLE. An 80-year-old man, Rudi Adolph Koos, has been charged with killing his 75-year-old wife, Waltraud Koos,because she allegedly CHEATED on him.
I am a father of four. I am a granparent of two. My heart broke when I found out about Sarah H. Foxwell. I wrote this peom in memorial to her.
Sarah H. Foxwell
I can’t explain the pain; the words just wont come out…
My tears they fall like rain, Devastation my heart does shout…
Why? I scream in anger! Why, I scream in sorrow?
I bow my head and weep, The pain so draining I’m weak.
This, time shall never heal, No pleas no bargains no deal!
Suffer the loss and feel the hurt. See me toss a handful of dirt…
Let me watch the end of life… Mine is over… cut like a knife…
Was there a cry? Was there a tear?
Was there a scream? Did anyone hear?
White noise rises as sinks my heart…
All that I am has fallen a part…
To my knees I fall…
I weep…
The young should never sleep…
Pernell R. Rodocker12-26-09
Seems like the tragic events in Tehran can be summed up in a picture of a young man holding a stone, standing alone and waiting for the onslaught of armed soldiers. At some point when faced with an impossible situation, I can see how a person can just stand there and wait for inevitable.
Maybe it is a sign of the times, but this is CRAZY !!! Who attacks the Pope on Christmas Eve? The lady blatantly rushes the Pope and drags him to the ground at CHURCH. Full video below.
The World Series of 2009 is over. It was the 105th edition of the Major League Baseball championship series. Some fans are left HAPPY (i.e. Yankees) and some fans are SAD (i.e. Phillies). This sadness can actually turn into Sports Depression. Ironically, so can the happiness. According to Sports Medicine 2003; 7:300-313.
It was a high school homecoming dance. Teenagers were having fun and doing things that teenagers do. One girl decides to leave early and meet her father for a drop home. On the way to meet her father, a friend calls her over to where another group of friends are located.The details of the next series of gruesome events are still being unraveled, but here is what we do know:
I came across this video and thought two words ... "WOW & WTF." I'm not sure of the details of the crime, but sentencing this young lady at the age of SIXTEEN to LIFE in prison for the murder of her PIMP is RIDICULOUS. Let me attempt to paint a picture without a brush.
My lady, Keah, recently came across an article about a mother of 2 that makes $5,700 a month working from home. Both she and her husband were recently laid off from work. Faced with economic hardship in a RECESSION they tried different online business opportunities. None of the opportunities worked, so the new question was “What to do?” Look in the SKY … It’s a BIRD .. It’s a PLANE .. No it’s Google BizKit to the rescue. The couple studied and implemented the instructions from the kit. The dynamic duo, husband and wife team are now raking in $5,700 a month. Keah turned to me and said, “Why don’t you know about this?” She looked somewhat surprised that I didn’t come across this opportunity previously.
Allow me to reintroduce myself. I'm from a time when rappers rhymed fast and pronounced every word slow. This was before they made it rain. I found myself watching VHS tapes of old Video Music Box episodes hosted by Ralph McDaniels. I have “Lean On Me” by Big Daddy Kane, “13 and Good” by KRS-One, “Paid in Full” by Rakim and many more. This was a time when you actually had to know how to rhyme and more importantly make sense. Before I continue, Yes, I said, "VHS". Of course, these videos can be found on Youtube, but watching a Video Box episode in 2009 with Ralph McDaniels hosting is something totally different than searching for a video of an old school artist on Youtube.
Plenty of people defend their mates no matter what. The Craigslist Murderer was described as an “all-American boy,” an innocent-looking blonde med student “with a GQ smile.” His fiancé hung in with him until the evidence was absolutely irrefutable. The fiancé of the alleged murderer of the Yale lab student stood by her man after other women blasted him with sexual harassment claims, and even after the murder indictment. She insisted, “He is definitely not the best judge of character but, he is a good guy.” Ted Bundy was engaged to a “beautiful fiancé who never suspected his murderous tendencies.” And the fictitious Dexter, on his own TV series, is now married with a child. His wife, too, has no idea.
"Positive Messages for young men growing up without their fathers" is a book I wrote over a 14 year period in the '80s and '90s. I published the first edition in 1999 and the NYC Dept. of Education approved it to be used as text for grades 6 thru 12; I (YAMOO PUBLISHERS, Brooklyn, NY) was also given a Vendor Number and Contract. You might think this subject matter would have been well received by the educational system. It was not, and almost none of the teachers, principals and superintendents I approached were interested in purchasing the book in bulk quantities. This was quite frustrating and saddening because of the number of children in single parent households.
Not long ago, the Dept. of Education changed the procedures, and small and independant publishers were no longer allowed to sell directly to principals of schools. They decided to award exclusive distribution privileges of "trade" books (which are what all Non-Textbook Publishers' [Curriculum-requried] material are listed as) to two (2) out-of-state distributors. Both of these big companies wanted 50% or more (of the selling price) if you wanted to be listed in the catalogue that principals have to use to order books.
Most recently, the NYC Dept. of Ed. canceled my contract and the contracts of many other small, independant and local publishers. Imagine working for years on a money-making project, and then being told by "organized crime" that you are now going to have to share your profits and/or you are going to be forced out of business.
IT'S STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE: IN THE LAND OF OPPORTUNITY!!! Please visit - poems promoting peace . com to see more of this author's work.
This is an Ice Cream Melts Story about a Single Black Woman, Wendy Duren, that successfully adopted a baby girl. This CNN article reports that more single Black women are opting for adoption as oppose to passing up on motherhood.
Article Except:
"We're seeing more and more single African-American women who are not finding men," Caldwell says. "There's a lack of qualified black men to get into relationships with."
The numbers are grim. According to the 2006 U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey, 45 percent of African-American women have never been married, compared with 23 percent of white women.
I’m posting the following excerpt from an Ebony Jet Michael Jackson interview in honor of a brilliant musician the changed the landscape of music as we know it. Interesting to read the interview and notice that MJ was targeting a Global market way before the Internet seamlessly connected people from different parts of the world. This a motivating interview about work ethic and attention to detail that can be applied to any business venture ….
MJ Interview Excerpt from Ebony Jet December 2007:
Ever since I was a little boy, I would study composition. And it was Tchaikovsky that influenced me the most. If you take an album like Nutcracker Suite, every song is a killer, every one. So I said to myself, ‘Why can’t there be a pop album where every…’––people used to do an album where you’d get one good song, and the rest were like B-sides. They’d call them “album songs”— and I would say to myself, ‘Why can’t every one be like a hit song? Why can’t every song be so great that people would want to buy it if you could release it as a single?’ So I always tried to strive for that. That was my purpose for the next album. That was the whole idea. I wanted to just put any one out that we wanted. I worked hard for it.
Below is the Okro Soup and Garri recipe that I prepared for the Real Men Cook Philadelphia charitable event on June 21st, 2009. http://www.realmencook.com
I write this letter because there is no greeting card available that could do you justice on this day (or every other day).
Dear Father,
I HONOR you. As I see you taking your children to school day in and day out, I think of your dedication and commitment. I ADMIRE you. I hear the tenderness in your voice as you share stories of their late grandmother they didn't have the privilege to meet. I RESPECT you. You humble yourself daily showing respect to the child's mother who holds anger and animosity towards you despite your efforts. You deserve better. All too often your valiant daily fatherly tasks are overshadowed by the negative publicity of men who shun their parental responsibilities. I am IMPRESSED by you; amazed by your ability to stretch your time and dollars to see that your children are happy and healthy: preparing meals, attending little league games, sitting through dance recitals smiling ear to ear proud as can be, helping with homework, teaching them manners, making sure baby girl's clothes are not too tight, watching SpongeBob Square pants and High School Musical, being a part of their daily lives. These things you do so effortlessly, not seeing it as a sacrifice or burden but as a reward and feeling down when you're not able to participate in those activities. You give freely of your love, time and energy.
It is amazing how (whether consciously or subconsciously) we go through life undermining our capabilities and those of others around us. What is even more amazing is the revelation of our powers within when our back is against the wall and we have no where to look but up.
The following piece is one of many ICM stories I have experienced. I think it speaks for itself...
Role Reversal
And just like that, you turned Into a child defeated. Away from me and the bodies surrounding us in white coats Powerless, Against forbidding words: “You can’t go home”.
A few years ago my life hit rock bottom. My ex wife and the mother of my children said she no longer wanted to be with me. I wanted to start over so I moved from Alabama to Georgia.
Mind you, I had limited money, no job, and no place to stay. A childhood friend said I could sleep on his floor until I could get back on my feet.
Here is my story of new love after divorce:Three years ago I was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer at 38 years old and given a 50% chance of survival one week prior to my final divorce court date.It was the perfect storm through which I gained an understanding of love and forgiveness that has led to internal love, acceptance and peace as I have never experienced before in my life.I married two weeks after I graduated from college at 21 years old.I have three beautiful children from my marriage and have remained good friends with my former spouse through it all.I feel that we both understood that we did not have some essential ingredients needed from the beginning for marriage.He was more of a "snorkeler" in life were as I am a "deep sea diver".I spent a lot of time trying to get him to swim deeper in life and he tried to get me to stay on the surface.He has since remarried a wonderful woman who fits with him beautifully.In less than a two year period of time I experienced a divorce, 16 chemos, a double mastectomy, 11 surgeries, a staff infection, 6 weeks of daily radiation and one year of herceptin infusions.I had gone through the Fischer Divorce Recovery Program, which I highly recommend and had done a lot of forgiveness work which left me feeling balanced and whole.
I got divorced in 2000, and as a single mom with young kids I figured dating would be nearly impossible (plus my self-image was so lousy, I didn't think anyone would be interested).I had a single male friend, whom I'd hired as an actor for the production company I ran with a partner, and we always loved working with him; he was great with my kids, and he started babysitting occasionally, since my ex was living at his parents and not seeing the kids much at all.Scott & I both had such awful relationship histories, we didn't want to ruin a good friendship by getting involved,
I recently read your query about survivors of rape. I am not a rape survivor, but I am a sexual abuse survivor. I was molested at the age of five by my older brother and again at the age of 14 by an older cousin. When I was five, my brother would flash me and rub his genitals on me. He insisted his actions were just a "game." When I was 14, my cousin would make sexually lewd remarks to me about my body, so I began ignoring him and avoiding visiting him and my aunt and uncle at his house. One day, he lured me over with a fake message. At first, I had no idea it was him, since the message was made to seem like it was coming from someone else. Once I arrived and discovered the message was fake, I immediately tried to leave his house, but he pinned me to the bed and tried to rape me.
Full Title: If You Had Survived a Brutal and Public Rape at Gunpoint, Would You Teach Aerobics to Convicted Felons?
On a cold winter night in December, at 7:00 P.M., in an aerobic dance class, I was raped, beaten and held hostage at gunpoint for two hours.Terrified, I promised God that if I lived, I would give up my self-centered ways and try to do some good by reaching out to those less fortunate.Though I survived, I still had to literally pick my broken teeth up off the floor and start my life all over again.What followed was an eight-year odyssey - a physical, mental and spiritual journey.
My name is Norm and I am a recovered alcoholic who hasn't had a drink or craving for one in 12 years and 7 months. My sobriety and freedom from alcohol is entirely due to the astounding work of a remarkable woman- Rhonda Lenair. Rhonda has been working with people struggling with addictions for 22 years, and during that time she has been referred to as an energy healer, bioelectrical energetic diagnostician, and other descriptions which convey a form of treatment markedly different from AA and other approaches. Her work is constantly evolving and transforming, but the end result is the same: a stunning success rate in eliminating the craving for alcohol that tormented people who came to see her. Rhonda rescued me from the abyss of a horrible addiction to alcohol, and I am forever grateful.
I often say I have two lives.The one before recovery and the one after.I came into 12 step recovery sick burned out, with nothing left. I thought my life was over.As one very famous 12 step speaker use to say.“well you really sunk to the pits this time.12 step treatment car accidents, suicide attempts psychiatric stays up to three months and the only thing my mind can say is you really got yourself in trouble this time..”
Of course the complete opposite was true; 12 step treatment turned my life around. It brought me out off a hell of my own creation and put me where I needed to be to be productive and happy.
Alcohol abuse is something that has touched my life personally. Unfortunately, I know I am not alone. Six million women in the U.S. abuse or are dependent on alcohol, according to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University. April is Alcohol Awareness Month. This is a month that is especially important to me, and I feel strongly about helping women overcome these challenges. In fact, I feel so strongly that I have devoted my life to the cause. I am the owner and founder of Brookhaven Retreat, a multidisciplinary treatment facility that helps women overcome emotional trauma and addiction challenges. I was once in the position these women are in when they come to me. Now I am working to raise awareness about the number-one drug problem in the United States: alcohol.
I am a survivor. I have conquered social phobia, dysthymia and alcoholism. I am very fortunate to have lived through my trials and I now want to share my story to assist others who are struggling with one or more of these debilitating issues.
I think we all know about social anxiety and alcoholism, but what is dysthymia? It is a genetic chronic low grade depression which keeps you from experiencing any joy in life. One feels hopeless, helpless and dreary (like the commercials with the big gray cloud hovering overhead.)
I am in recovery for addictions to food, alcohol, drugs, sex and more. I found my mentor/sponsor, Roy Nelson (www.roylovesyou.com) two years ago and it was a total miracle that I did. I was working as a doctor of psychology at the time, specializing in eating disorders and addictions while I was using food and substances to try and avoid that deep emotional pain I was in at the very same time. I only met Roy through introducing him professionally to a hopeless client of mine who needed more help than I could offer.
Being humbled by life experience is what I like to think of as God's way of surrounding you with mirrors. Not just mirrors that reflect your outward appearance, but your inward appearance. Mirrors that show you your true intentions (why you really posted "that" picture on your profile before you sent a message to him / her, or why you unbuttoned a couple buttons on your shirt before you met with your "platonic" friend....and so on).
Lately, I've been looking at my role in things that get under my skin and confessing my intentions. And although, I've been wanting to point the finger and play the victim - after looking at my intentions, that victim costume dissolved quickly. It started with me journaling about these incidents. I reached a point where I said everything that could be said about the situation that upset me...and the only thing left was to look at me. When I started telling myself the truth, I got to the root of a lot of things. I got to my intentions. Confronting my intentions was a humbling experience that served as a bridge to liberation for me. It was humbling to see my ways that were not always sugar and spice (as I would prefer to see myself)...but looking in the mirror that shows my own intentions, helped me to have a deeper level of compassion and forgiveness for others.
It used to take over so many small aspects of my life. I couldn't take a flight without Xanax. I couldn't drive over certain bridges when there was a lot of traffic. I knew I had to get help when it started to affect my sleep and I had fear of being in my own house at times.
Then I got what I needed. Help! I wanted to find out what it was that was going through my mind and if there was anything I could read to help me so I went to book store. There I ran into my saving grace, From Panic to Power by Lucinda Bassett, the book that changed everything for me.
I found so much information in there and I related to scenarios in the book that made it seem like I was looking in a mirror. I've been doing so much better since I started reading it and I wanted to share this with others.
I usually don't do fortune cookies. Normally, I have one of those crumbly almond cookies or a slice of orange to freshen my palate after I dine on Chinese cuisine. But every now and then, I crack one of those bad boys open and entertain the thought that it was meant solely for me. Today was one of those days. Sure enough, that little piece of paper held some relevance.
It read: It's never crowded along the "extra mile."
True. So true, indeed. Since I made up my mind that I will give my all to the goals I have set, I find that I am alone and quite alright with that fact. While professional opportunities have been presenting themselves, I am astute in seeing them through. It's a snowball effect and I love it. Does that make me lucky? Fortunate or favored? Who knows. I'd like to think that luck favors the prepared. It wasn't until I made up my mind to close certain chapters in my life and open myself for the best that life had to offer-did these serendipitous events materialize. I deserve it. In my eyes, we all do. I no longer feel the need to ruminate on what went wrong, or rehash events with those from my past. There has already been a dirge for a moment's loss. I have focused up. I'm ready to shake out. No stopping me now, Champ.
By the way, my lucky numbers are 2, 3, 11, 32, 38, 23
I sometimes feel like I'm running down a dark path and instinctively jumping over holes that are on the floor. I cannot see the holes; I just feel when they are coming. Sometimes I feel like I will actually fall victim and land in one of those unseen holes, but most days I feel like I'll be ok. I guess that is the faith aspect of pursuing your entrepreneurial dreams and aspirations. It feels great to be your own boss and make your own rules. But the anxiety of scrambling for a client or trying to sell a product is extremely stressful and nerve racking. It however does provide a rush beyond belief when the deal is closed or that product is sold. It is the ultimate high that I have ever experienced next to sex with a loved one.
What is the alternative? I guess you can find safety in your 9-5 environment. I totally respect the person that actually loves this environment. I have friends that actually love what they do. They would not trade their job for the world. I also have friends that loathe what they do. They do the bare minimum to keep employed. They browse the internet and chat on Facebook all day. Also drink loads of coffee to stay awake and get them through their day. Now is that life? I guess it boils down to living your Passion versus keeping Food on your table .....
They say we are not worthy - destined to become those very statistics that feed into stereotype. They say our thoughts and opinions are not of true value because our dialect is different and we lack the ability to mainstream our ways of expression. We are not meant to succeed, according to their expectations. Sadly, many of our people have allowed themselves to be brainwashed, fueling the power behind this madness.
As a youth, I was raised in the church and attended Catholic school, and I believed in what I was being taught.
But, those self proclaimed Christian who still hold on to the old prejudices of the past are making mockery of the death of Christ and His sacrifice, a Dream Deferred.
As a retired vocational art educator from the V.I. Dept. of Education, St. Croix, I am still trying to have an impact on the vocational curriculum.
The message, I would like to leave is most of the petty and the felony crimes that are committed in our society can be prevented. Today’s educational system is out dated and under funded. We graduate thousands every year and the thousands of dropouts, are sent out into our communities with a certificate / diploma. Some barely able to fill out an application for a job . It leaves and puts a lot of them in a survival mode. Malchom X said, by any means necessary. The youth refer to the crimes committed in the community as, “Street Tax”. All are not college material. To send our children out into society without a viable trade or a marketable skill, we are breeding generations of beggars, criminals, thieves and welfare recipients. No child should leave school without a trade. Those college students with a trade could easily supplement their education without going into deep student loan debt.
The Arts can be the educational catalyst to Change!
I can remember growing up in the 50’s, when our communities were more self-sufficient. To me, Affirmative Action divided and destroyed what semblance of togetherness we had as a people. Affirmative Action was designed to Window Dress, creating a crabs in the barrel black society.
Affirmative Action is kinda like the Pyramid schemes. Most of those educated and skilled, who understood the scam, took advantage of the opportunity. They were the ones, who were serving as role models, that began moving on up and out of the neighborhoods.
Ivan Butcher II, Harlem born Artist, designed and copyrighted in 1975, The Black Evolutionary American Flag, with the Library of Congress.
With the approaching Bi-Centennial, Butcher realized that the Media was ignoring a Legacy of Black (African Americans) accomplishments made into the progress of this Nation, not to exclude the Indians (Native Americans)
As an Artist compelled to create a symbol, that would express the Contributions that African Americans have made, he designed a Flag. Inspired by words from one of Malcolm X's speeches, for us as an oppressed people not to disrespect the American Flag but instead create our own, which then was advocating a nation within a nation.
Along with the threat of Separatism and the fact that Evolution sounded too much like Revolution are the major reasons for The Flag not receiving national recognition from the Media.
Today the flag is named, Flag of Progress ( slogan: Unity is Progress)
I am interested in receiving feedback and suggestions on how to market and to exhibit this flag I have designed, which is a tribute to the achievements and accomplishments African Americans have made in America.
Flag of Progress, “Unity is Progress”
Video descriptive presentation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjzITSGqwz8
How do you love? Is your love unconditional? With your siblings, do you love them whatever, whoever, or whomever they choose or choose to be? Or do you try to change them into someone you could love? With your children, do you love them for who they are? Or do you love the control you think you have to make them into somebody you aspire to be? If they choose to be themselves, do you still love them? Do you love your Mother and Father? All of their mistakes and flaws and lies do you still love them? Do you love others? Those you choose to be around and the ones you ignore; do you love them both, the same? Do you love your mate always? Or do you love your mate only when they are faithful, giving, happy, well, and bringing you joy? Do you love you? Or you try to love that something else that you think others will love and see to be right? Do you love the creator unconditionally or do you have conditions in which you will love the creator? If the creator ‘blesses’ me, I am thankful; if the creator does not ‘bless ‘me, I am sad because the creator has forsaken me. Is this your unconditioned, conditioned love?
Where does anger come from? Everywhere. Who does anger affect? Everyone. OK OK so I watch waaay too much TV and now I am using 'the depression commercial' as my opening line...someone cut me off already!
Seriously though, I've been examining negativity and anger for awhile now. I've been particularly examining how contagious it is. The one thing I can't figure out is where does it exactly start? I mean people get angry. Your parents, your children, your siblings, your friends, your colleagues. But, then there are another type of people who just are angry. Sure, like any human being they have spans of happiness (or what seems like happiness) but then BAM! at the drop of a dime (or one uneasy step) that happiness is shattered. This is when the razor sharp quips, the brooding, the opinions, the almost uncontrollable rage, sets in. Where the hell does that come from?! Why does it feel so good and so bad all at the same time. It's almost as if its another person. Like a little ugly, angry, loser that is sitting in you (or them), and every now and then decides to take over your body.
IceCreamMelts (Nnamdi G. Osuagwu) :
a href=http://twitter.com/AuggyBee@AuggyBee/a yeah the market sucks ... Iapos;ve decided to become a super hero ... LMFAO
AuggyBee (kellyB) :
a href=http://twitter.com/IceCreamMelts@bIceCreamMelts/b/a or when im philly! which will probably be never...lol unless nnamdi can help me find a job :X haha
IceCreamMelts (Nnamdi G. Osuagwu) :
a href=http://twitter.com/AuggyBee@AuggyBee/a I missed you at the FB book release party in Dec ... def when Iapos;m in NY, we have to have a drink ...
Based on the book Ice Cream Melts, this blog is about acknowledging your daily experiences and gives you a place to have those experiences recognized, respected and most importantly - understood by others who have been through the same transition. Ice Cream Melts is home to the stories from persons who have experienced a transition from a low point to a high point. Here is where individuals, and you, can come to share in the common thread that is the unpredictable nature of life, share stories and take those narratives as testimony to finding a way to overcome and endure.
