Author: taylor.walker

#Thirsty30body: Start Before You’re Ready and Be Your Own Pest

Procrastination is a bitch. That’s why when I catch myself doing it, I revert to remembering that procrastinating isn’t productive at all whenever I’m pursuing a new endeavor. No one has the perfect solution to battling it. Everyone has to deal with it eventually.

To keep me on my toes and away from procrastinating, I know I need to always push myself to start things before I think I’m ready and to never give up by becoming my own pest. These two things will also push you towards a pathway towards fighting through procrastination too. Starting now and just keep bugging yourself.

Start before you think you’re ready by 1st finding one healthy goal to pursue and just do it.

The 1st healthy goal I chose was figuring out how to incorporate a consistent workout routine into my weekly schedule. We should have a goal to be active daily. I am not that. So to start off simple, I needed to think of ways to fit working out within my schedule outside of my job. I wanted to complete this at least for a month. If I can say I incorporated a consistent workout routine in a month, I’d be proud to say I scratched it off my goals list.

In the early fall of 2019, Facebook decided to advertise a lot of fitness ads in my timeline, which became the path chosen for whipping myself into a routine. Hero Fit’s 12-week workout challenge was one of the many Bootcamp campaigns in Maryland at the time that had a very enticing program and incentive I opted not to turn down. The challenge granted me the opportunity to take a chance on a whim to bet on myself to meet a goal. If I could lose 20 lbs or 5 % body fat by the end of the 12-week challenge, I could win a trip for two to Las Vegas and $500. While losing weight was already on my mind, money and vacation became the objects of my desires. I contacted Hero Fit to inquire more about their fitness challenge, and next thing I knew, I was attending 30-minute boot camp classes 3 to 4 times a week as if I was registered for a class in community college.

I didn’t think about creating an immaculate workout plan. I knew the structure would come as I go. I just wanted to make getting moving part of my regular schedule as soon as I clock out of work. Bootcamp helped their participants in doing this by holding them accountable for checking in to every class using a login system only accessible in the class. The rule of the challenge was to log in at least 3 times a week.

In my next #Thirsty30Body blog, I’ll share with you the makeshift 6-week workout challenge I made at home using a grid book for tracking days that I workout.

#Thirsty30Body 6-Week Challenge

Make it a habit to become your own pest.

I love stationery! Notebooks, planners, and sticky notes are reminders, outside of my daily reminders app on my phone, which helps keep me focused on what needs to be done. My to-do lists are posted everywhere I frequently look so tasks can stay at the forefront of my mind to complete. This secretly annoys me deep within, but I know through lifelong habit, it works. I’m eternally grateful for this habit I’ve gained because I reap so many benefits staying up with note keeping. I’m my own pest when it comes to getting what I want to be done. 

“It takes 28 Days to Form A Habit.”

This quote written in my notebook is the starting point for where most of my healthy habits are formed. This idea stems from the 1960s Psychology Theory by Maxwell Maltz that it takes 30 days to form a habit. Maltz wrote the book Psycho-Cybernetics to prove the 30-day habit-breaking theory, and also “postulated that a person must have an accurate and positive view of his or her self before setting goals; otherwise, he or she will get stuck in a continuing pattern of limiting beliefs.” This same concept also highlighted as one of the four steps of getting started with #Thirsty30Body: Get in the mind frame to get healthy, not only to look good.

Whenever I want to start a healthy eating habit, I challenge myself with this 28 Day Rule. It’s my way of being a pest. I’ve done this with multiple challenges that I’ll later highlight in the #Thirsty30body blog series. For now, I’ll share an easy one that you can begin with on your healthy journey; forming the habit of drinking more water daily. 

Source: The Hearty Soul: Here’s How Much Water Your Body Needs to Lose Weight

Drinking my daily average water intake is one of my easiest healthy habits developed over the course of #Thirsty30body, and all it took was reminding myself to carry my water bottle with me and to not purchase drinks while out, daily, for 28 days. I purchased a water bottle from Amazon and carried it with me like a purse every moment I could. My water bottle had time measurements labeled along its side to help me stay on track for where my level of hydration should be in my day. I don’t always follow the timestamps, but I’m reminded by just looking at my bottle that if I finish this bottle twice in one day, I’ve had all the water I need.

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You should try it!

When you’ve got the hang of your new habit, set a new healthy goal to pursue. I find that when you set goals this way, tackling them one at a time and creating a routine, it becomes painless going for new healthy habits.

Start now! Don’t overthink your masterplan for how you’ll lose 30 pounds on the first day you choose commitment. Sometimes drafting an entire blueprint in one day can be overwhelming. Start off simple, like drinking water daily for 28 days, conquer it, then move on to your next healthy goal. One step at a time, you’ll devise a working healthy plan. The important part is getting started.

Do you have another healthy habit that you want to form during #Thirsty30body Challenge? Leave what great habits you think would be good starter goals in the comments below.

#YTubeVidAlert: WAP…Is it even art? (Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion Video Premiere)

Cardi B and Megan the Stallion team up to make another banging single titled WAP, referring to a sexual preference for a women’s vaginae. & I like to just say…Of course, it’s art! But Black Twitter, Facebook, and even daily news site like the Daily Beast would like its part in providing commentary as millions of tweets were published since it’s early August release with pro and con opinions.

Source: Daily Beast

After Megan making headlines for being involved in domestic assault with hip-hop artist Tory Lanez, I assume most people had expectations for other topics for the female rap artist. Even hip-hop artist and producer Cee-Lo Greene chimed in with opinions about the video’s impact amongst younger generations. Maybe people were waiting for her to rap about domestic abuse? But honestly, what did people really expect from Megan or Cardi? With any prior songs that are released from both these rap queens, it seems like WAP is exactly what I was expecting from them. When I’m searching for a song from either of their discography, I’m looking for something that’s going to make me feel like the shit. There’s even an entire playlist on Spotify named “Feeling Myself” dedicated to the genre of hip-hop both Megan and Cardi represents. 

Source: Facebook

Why is women empowerment the subject again?

To me, women’s empowerment is simply people uplifting and helping women live the best versions of their lives. That could be women speaking influence into other women. It could be someone providing support for women financially,  physically,  or spiritually. In the simplest way I can put it, it’s making women feel good about themselves. 

Whether the message presented in this video is worthy of being shared with other women is based on the person receiving the message. Why are people expecting these women to be a spokesman for issues dealt amongst women? I don’t know anyone who turns Cardi B’s music on to hear about social injustices or domestic abuse. 

Megan and Cardi are playing “make-believe” and throwing emphasis on tiny truths about their life. It’s like applying for a job and sprinkling a little extra in during your interview to make yourself look good. In this case, it’s not an interview. But it’s appealing to someone mature enough to understand its content. 

This video doesn’t “inspire” me to do anything but shake my ass. But as a woman, it does make me feel proud of my lady parts. I don’t see anything wrong with having a good lady part. Haha. The language in the song may be quite vulgar but nonetheless, it is a form of expression and art. Good art challenges thought and provoke reflection. This video has everyone on Black Twitter at an uproar. It’s good art because it did what it was supposed.

Doctors are even firing back in the two rapper’s defense arguing it is completely fine to have lubricated genitalia. But I say it’s gone too far when medical professionals feel the need to step in to verify such things. Come on, who cares other than the person we’re getting in bed with? In the words of Megan, “Talk yo shit!” & let’s move on shall we?

The responsibility of who a child chooses to be a role model is ultimately in the hands of the kid. We aren’t aware of who someone chooses as their inspiration. Kids don’t realize it. But it is their parent’s responsibility to guide them. Censorship is a biggie that we struggle within the age of the Internet. But these women didn’t ask to be speakers on serious issues. From the beginning of their careers, they came with a vulgar bang. So either listen to it or just turn it off.

Did you like the song? Bump or Pass? Leave your answers in the comments below.

Baltimore Creatives Become the Forefront Activists For Perception of Baltimore Housing and Community Change (Support Vacants Tour and The People United Exhibition)

From arts and culture to small business successes and housing developments, the entire country is looking at Baltimore, MD with a microscope wondering what defines who we are and how we compared to other metropolitan areas. 

I’m proud of my city being a leading example of peaceful protests after the death of George Floyd because sometimes a painted narrative that Baltimore is bad and vastly promoted negative visuals of violence and crime in a 3rd-world-looking neighborhood does not help create an optimistic view for potential. It’s good people of Baltimore that can prove to doubters the positivity that comes out of here.

Source Andrew Burton (Getty Images and NPR)

Since the world had it an eye on Baltimore during the 2015 Uprising, outsiders discovered it to be a visually neglected community which faced years of increasing neighborhood blight. National and international media caught images of an area that had many in disbelief in the conditions of the neighborhoods in Baltimore. But what people were seeing was how the population declined rapidly for decades and the city’s inability to keep up with the costs of these growing vacant communities appeared.

Source: The Washington Times

In 2017, it was reported over 16,000 vacant homes in Baltimore City with plans from organizations like Project C.O.R.E. to rebuild in underdeveloped neighborhoods suffering blight. Over 16 thousand vacant buildings is a large number. But that’s an improvement from 1997 when the city’s census was depleting and over 40,000 abandon buildings were accounted for as vacant homes. Even still two decades later, the city continues to have a declining population but at least the vacant numbers reach a point of stabilization. In June 2019, Baltimore celebrated a breakthrough from blight as it marked the 4,000th building unit demolished over a four-year period through a special state-city partnership started by the governor.

Some of the city’s largest organizations, corporations, and institutions get involved in the evolution of the Baltimore architectural emergence. Big names like John Hopkins helping bring new homes to East Baltimore, and Underarmour’s $5.5 billion investment in the waterfront development plan for Port Covington, just to name two, play a major part in the improvement. There are questions about how some organizations get approved for funding projects and raise eyebrows about the inequality of urban investments. In 2017 there was an analysis done by the city, “Looking at budgeted capital spending over five years in neighborhoods where more than 75 percent of residents were either white or black, the analysis found that white neighborhoods got an average of $15 million for projects and minority neighborhoods got only $8 million.” It raises concern for why lower-poverty areas receive more funding than that of communities with high poverty rates.

http://www.instagram.com/p/BvEtgs0g6HD/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Multiple Baltimore creatives step to the forefront being the activists for the perception of Baltimore. Many are creators who live, breathe, and eat everything that is the Baltimore city lifestyle. The creatives who take pride in Baltimore continue to bring everyone back to the message and show onlookers what needs to be done to make a difference.

Outsiders to Baltimore are intrigued by how people still have pride in neighborhoods that look like this. They wonder what possesses someone to stay in these neighborhoods or get involved with sharing the history of Baltimore. But these creatives become activists to share a message that people see what is only surface level and a result of years of neglect in broken promises, not the proper resources being put into the communities, and a simple disinterest in preserving these neighborhoods. There are people who take pride in where they come from and how it’s shaped their life experiences. These people are working to improve and create new origins for emerging generations. 

Vacants Tour

Cheyanne Zadia created a project coined from Baltimore’s housing crisis called “Vacants” with a group of other Baltimore artists to “spread the message which is really to spread love, to seek self and to spread community.” Starting Juneteenth, they performed six pop-up styled concerts on street corners from East to West Baltimore. The project has now evolved into a tour featuring Zadia, Al Rogers Jr, Josh Stokes, Brandon Woody, Bobbi Rush, Mike C, TAli, Prettiman and AyeFinney; all accompanied by live instrumentation.

[Donate to the Vacant Tour.] 

Another project you can support in Baltimore is The People United Exhibition located in the display windows of the Baltimore art gallery Current Space.

Photo Credit: CtrlMyCamera

I went to The People United exhibiton to support some photographer friends who are advocates of documenting the changes in Baltimore city’s neighborhood developments. 

http://www.instagram.com/p/CDFjVYRpCtb/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Each photo exemplifies life in Baltimore. Each image possesses the in your face message that can never go ignored if you’re a resident of the city. These artists document history, a story of how Baltimore was and its current status. They do it in hopes of a bringing attention to these neighborhoods for an optimistic future because these streets and blocks are home. 

Check out the work of some of these awesome artists at their Instagrams below:

Devin Allen @bydvnlln

Cynphany Brown @curiouscyn_

Rob Ferrell @bmore_radical

Andrew Koritzer @drew.koritzer

Charles Mason III @traem3

Shae McCoy @shae.mccoy.photos

Philip Muriel @philip.muriel

Would you donate to artists with these very visions to share their love for their hometown? Visit the Vacants Tour GoFund Me page.

#Thirsty30body: Are You Motivated to Get There? Four Tips to Get Started

So you guys want some #Thirsty30Body tips, huh?

I did a poll via the Doc’s Castle Instagram and Facebook pages and found out 88% of followers would like me to share a few tips towards my #Thirsty30Body. 

Eff the 12% of haters who said no. 😂 Agreeing to share what I know about becoming more fit will help me stay motivated to stay on track, as well. So boo to you and hooray to everyone else who’s helping me stay motivated. I will be posting blogs, videos, and tips regularly to Doc’s Castle in hopes that some of you will want to join in with me.

As I am entering into the second half of Thirsty 30 Body Challenge, I want to share four starting tips that I keep in mind as I prep for these next coming months. Here they go:

  1. Get in the mind frame to get healthy, not only to look good.

When thinking of getting healthy, I frame my thoughts to focusing on what makes me feel good and what are good habits to have. I’m not the type to worry about having an hourglass figure or needing a big butt or chest because the attention it awards isn’t what I want. It’s already hard on women when we feel the pressures of wanting to feel attractive and there are thousands of images being pushed of models and celebrities half-naked in the mainstream media. Those pressures I’ve never embraced. It’s nice knowing that I look good. But I welcome compliments that uplift me and enjoy getting attention based upon my intellect for what I do. I want to keep it like that. So what makes this weight loss journey a “Thirsty” one?

“Thirsty” defined in the urban dictionary means:

  1. An adjective used in describing a person deliberately fishing for compliments, attention, etc.
  2. Too eager to get something (especially play)
  3.  Desperate

But I’m defining what “Thirsty” means for me in year 30. I’m encouraging healthy living and hopefully aspiring to be thirsty for a healthier lifestyle. So it begins with what it means to look and feel healthy. It’s not about the physique though I will reap those benefits. The #Thirsty30body is the perfect body for ME! Thirsting for wealthy health.

  1. Spend time getting to know yourself.

Knowing how much I weigh, though it’s good to start with, wasn’t enough for me to get moving and actively exercising because, as I said in the intro to the #Thirsty30Body Blog Series, I never looked at myself to be “big.” My motivation sparked after hearing results from my doctor’s visit to my primary care provider. As preventive care, it’s important that I know everything inside of my body is copacetic because I have things to accomplish, goals to achieve, and a life to live with people that I love. So I like to get bloodwork and vitals taken annually. I do this to be aware of what’s happening in my body so that I can control what happens to and within me. 

I like to live by this saying: No one should know you more than you know yourself mentally, spiritually, emotionally, and physically. It just seems foolish to me to go an entire life doing what is told of you at all times. If you live your life questioning things, you learn new things about the world and yourself. I apply this to everything I do. It makes sense to do it while on this journey as well. So I say do more than weighing yourself on the scale. Really get to know your body past the numbers. Really get into the anatomy and understand what makes you feel good or bad.

  1. Set your Goals and tracking system for accountability.

After getting my measurements, vitals, and all that is needed to understand my body, I went into the “Taylor University” mode, which is when I spend time meditating with my journal. Healthy living is better than simply losing weight because I prefer to not hear the same disappointing results again the following year. So I use my journal to make goals writing out everything about my body in its current state, and I keep track as often as I want of my progress.

There are multiple other ways that helped with tracking that don’t necessarily require you to drag around a notebook, like joining and participating in fitness groups and clubs online where people can help encourage you, taking and saving pictures whenever weight loss milestones are met, or simply regularly recording your weight loss in a monthly calendar. All these activities helped hold me accountable and motivated me in some way to stick to #Thirsty30Body. 

  1. Be kind and patient with yourself and keep pushing through it.

This is probably the most important tip I could give because at the end of the day, you are responsible for holding yourself accountable for getting healthy. People forget how hard they can be on themselves when critiquing their own work in whatever they do. They can start off strong, then fall off so fast because they didn’t pace themselves to be realistic in their journey. After that, they give up. Be kind to yourself and don’t get lost in disappointment if you haven’t quite met your goal. Be patient and allow a realistic timeframe to meet those goals. But also know when to pick yourself up to get the work done to achieve what you’ve started.

Something my mother would say whenever we’d talk about going through hard times is “There’s Always Tomorrow.” She’d say this whenever we’d hear crazy things happen like mass shootings or awful dealings that ended in demise or turmoil. Though resulting in thinking like this might be a little extreme for pursuing losing weight, it works perfectly for me. It won’t hurt me if I haven’t met a goal to lose 2 lbs in one week. I can dust myself off for the following week, and I’m not saying that without revisiting “Taylor University” to make changes to finally meet that goal at some point. I just keep pushing through it. Eventually, I’ll lose those two pounds. So be kind to your mind and body, and also remain determined.

What are somethings that you do to help prepare to lose weight? Leave your answers in the comments below. Also, subscribe to get updates to your email for the next #Thirsty30Body post via subscription form below.

What the Heck is a #Thirsty30Body?

Following up on a vision from my 2020 Vision Board, it’s finally that time to write out my plans for “Thirsty 30 Body” to fruition.

#Thirsty30Body: the sexy, drop-dead gorgeous ideal body physique met by the age of 30 years. 

[Read “2020 Vision Baby: Sharing My Vision Board” on Doc’s Castle.]

My weight-loss journey started in 2018. Nothing to do with it being about losing weight because I never viewed myself to be “big.” I was going through a moment I was falling off of a path of knowing what I wanted to do in life. It’s the first time I would publicly admit I was going through a moment of depression. I had recently quit my job as a dental business assistant, was dumped by my boyfriend at the time, and unfortunately was getting physically sick very often. I wasn’t feeling like my usual self. My journey started as another escape route from my self induced coma of writer’s block from updating DCM, as well. I thought why not go to the gym because I’m not doing anything else but working just to get off work to lounge all day. After hitting the gym a few times, I notice I felt more energized. Then I connected losing weight to feeling better which was the little motivation I needed to get out of a bad mood. 

http://www.instagram.com/p/BNpPuOzDd7p/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

In 2015, I took an interest in studying how to strengthen my “will-power” muscle as a way out of some “drama.” So much so, self-discipline was my focus word coming into 2015, before I started making vision boards. It was another dark period for me. But I considered it an era where I truly started to understand my place in Baltimore’s Arts and Underground Culture, as well. I started taking the same mini habits and principles I learned and valued about myself during that time as a blueprint for how to get back to my sane place in 2018.

By little habits, I mean, I used my knowledge of the small habits about myself I’ve jotting in my notebook to push me forward. I already knew so much about fitness and weight loss because I’m a daughter to a dietitian. Since elementary school, I’ve known the food guide pyramid from corner to corner. Ask any of my friends about the foods I like to eat when we’re dining out, and they’ll say I’m the only person they know who’d order a salad as an entre for a meal. In this new journey, I decided to focus on the little parables, habits, and principles I valued as a way to help me set and achieve goals towards losing weight.

Here’s five examples of what I mean by habits, sayings, and principles I jotted in my notebook:

  • If I carry a small notebook and flip through reading its pages often, it’ll inspire me to write and track new ideas in it often. (Using a notebook to keep recipe notes, nutritional tips, and shopping lists).
  • If something is constantly in your face, view it as a notification that needs to be swiped away. (This helped me with posting notes of weight-loss goals everywhere I looked often and taking them down whenever I completed them.)
  • “It takes 28 days to form a habit.” (Kept this in mind to help build my habits to eating new foods and drinking water daily.)
  • The rule of 3 and 5 when completing my To-Do lists. (I used this while following Meal plans and completing challenges.)
  • Making and completing mini-challenges are additional ways to developing steps for reaching your set goal. (Knowing this helped me to set squat challenges and not eating white carbs for a week challenges.)

I used simple ideas I always thought about as a foundation for building a productive lifestyle and as a way to form a healthy persona I wanted to meet. 

I officially began pursuing what I now call the #Thirsty30Body challenge at the end of summer 2019 on a whim when I decided to join a 6-week fitness Boot camp named Hero Fit in Columbia, MD. I did it seeking to find another way to “self-discipline” and strengthen my will-power muscle because I reached another period in my life I believed I needed to regain focus. But this time I thought, “Hmm, what if I put a deadline on it?” That’s where 30 came into play.

Hero Fit reeled me in with their enticing incentive to reward anyone who met their challenge of either losing 20 lbs or 5 % body fat by 6-weeks. Winners could get $500 reward, have a trip for two to Las Vegas, and a 6-month membership for the fitness gym and resources. Hero Fit provided all their clients with an accountability coach and nutritionist to assist each member with carefully crafted fitness plans provided at the start of joining the 6-week challenge. People who join the boot camp gain friendships and plenty of useful information to aid in achieving a healthy lifestyle.  

I didn’t win the Hero Fit challenge though I was short of the reward by only 3 lbs. I continued to take everything I did while enrolled in boot camp with me because what I found out was that my accountability coach and nutritionist knew as much as I did about my body. My meal plan and workout routine remained the same regardless of being enrolled there. It’s the accountability that gets me to where I needed to be and the best results.

Ding ding! It’s accountability and tracking that literally keeps me together in anything I choose to do. So I stuck to my notebook of simple notes and habits as a way to stay on track of my fitness goals. I believed in myself. I believed in my own accountability to reach my goal so much so that I betted on myself to do it without throwing money at things I wasn’t contributing to using on a regular basis, like my Planet Fitness Membership or subscribing to detox or fasting. All these things some people would think are absolutely necessary to lose weight. I canceled my subscriptions, memberships, and attention for everything I currently used for weight loss, and resorted to free resources and “habits” I knew I would actually enjoy doing to get me to my halfway mark of the #Thirsty30Body challenge.

At the start of the #Thirsty30Body Challenge, I weighed in on the scale at Hero Fit at 226 lbs. At the halfway point of July 1, 2020, I weighed in at 204 lbs. I lost a total of 22 lbs and I feel great! I’m not done. But definitely feel better. And weirdly so…this journey doesn’t feel hard at all because I’ve created new healthy habits that become normal daily actions. My body is starting to look like BAM and I like it. 

Hey! Support Black Businesses! The above photoshoot was taken at the new production studio located in Baltimore, MD. TR3 Productions & Distribution Inc. is “a total solution to all media and audio production. From music production to radio broadcasting, TR3 supplies the resources needed for shaping and building a company’s branding message.” TR3 is currently renovating a new production studio in West Baltimore and is expected to open for operation in late summer 2020. Follow TR3 Productions & Distribution Inc. for more updates via their Instagram @TR3.Productions.

As I shared my pictures on my IG, people reached out for advice on how I stuck to losing weight. If you would like me to share some challenges I do to keep up with my #Thirsty30Body challenge, write “Do it” in the comments section below.

Juneteenth 2020 is something else

We’re living in the foreshadowing of what really happened during the time of our ancestors. For two years, Texan slaves didn’t know they were actually freed by the Emancipation Proclamation in 1865. Today in 2020, we have the president of the United States taking credit for making the holiday famous in the midst of rescheduling his first 2020 presidential campaign in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Though there could be some truth to that statement for many Americans, Trump is not the reason why I know about Juneteenth and also many other people who are fortunate to be educated on the true history of the Emancipation Proclamation.

Did you know this artist was offered a job after sharing his 2019 Google Juneteenth Illustration?

Juneteeth 2020 was more proactive because of the current social climate of our country. Since the death of George Floyd by the Minneapolis police department on Memorial day, daily protest bringing attention to police brutality and excessive force has remarkably surged throughout the nation. People are making it their duty to protest in support of their stances against systemic racism and support or police reform. Every day there are new updates around the country changing legislation and proposed laws. It’s liberating to see.

But it was a first for me to see black people telling others how to celebrate Juneteenth. Entertainment site xoNecole shared a series of infographics encouraging how people could celebrate their Juneteenth. While I am a black woman, I have never had a tradition for this day. But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned that there are many black people who honor it.

I felt like I needed to do something to bring more awareness of my history, especially currently with what’s happening. Until June 19th, I’ve remained in my home social-distanced, and my only knowledge of what’s occurring in the outside world is met through the Internet. I needed to get out of my selfmade COVID-19 dungeon. So Juneteenth, I thought of doing something safe that could give me an escape and purpose. 

After George Floyd, my boyfriend and I talked about our feelings about our current social climate in America. Both of us expressed a desire for wanting to do more with our brands in support of the Black community. I don’t know what it was, at that moment we felt like we weren’t doing enough. It’s like a kick of activism sparks in your spirit when something you know that isn’t right eludes in fairness. So boom I had an idea. Taking pictures of BLM signs, morals, businesses in support of #BlackLivesMatter while driving around Baltimore could give us that oomph we were missing. We can still do this and remained social-distanced.

Defund the Police. Need I say more?

I don’t think it’s necessary. We haven’t kept quiet since Floyd. I think people are fed up and won’t keep quiet.

CtrlMyCamera takes the credit for all these photos. That’s why I want to bring attention to supporting this talented black artist.

It’s always fun to catch an artist at work. It’s even more fun when you can get a class from it. Haha. Akeel is the most skilled photographers that I personally know in Baltimore city. So if it came down to finding the perfect person to coach me during a photo walk, no doubt it would be Ctrlmycamera.

A nice night hanging by the fire with friends in our blackness 12 am on Juneteeth.

Akeel Shabazz is the owner of the photography brand CtrlMyCamera. CtrlMyCamera specializes in portrait, event, wedding, landscape, and nature photography. Check out more from Akeel found on his Instagram @ctrlmycamera.

When did you first hear about Juneteenth? Leave your comments below.

So What Are We Doing Now? I thought the topic was police brutality? Where to donate to Support #BlackLives

Let’s talk about how the world is moving after the death of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmed Arbury. 

http://www.instagram.com/p/BasTi9WBtul/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

We’re now near to a month in with bringing police brutality to the forefront of the media. Almost every day, we’re hearing new stories of someone getting killed or abused by cops. Just this week, former Atlanta Officer was charged with the murder of Rayshard Brook, a black man who was fatally shot in an Atlanta Wendy’s drive-thru after running away with the officer’s taser. We’re also seeing multiple petitions for many other cases involving social injustices being revisited. Mom of Kendrick Johnson, the black Georgia high school student that was found dead in the high school gymnasium in 2013, held a “Justice for Kendrick” rally on Saturday. Even Kim Kardashian shared her sentiments and support for signing a petition to reopen his case. The world looks like it’s making a turn for a change.

There are hundreds of companies and organizations making public stances in support of ending police brutality, supporting police reform, defunding police departments, and so on. The world is looking like it’s making a breakthrough. It really is. As a result of all these changes happening, we as a society look like we don’t know what we should be focusing on because there are lots of organizations making PSAs that aren’t directly focused on police reform but systemic racism in general. I log online and feel like my brain is being pulled from one breakthrough on one side of the country to the next breakthrough on the other.

And like any hot topic, there are so many inquisitive people pondering why we are making so many changes. Questions I’ve seen being asked: 

  • What should be our main focus in the media?
  • What should we have our attention emotionally, spiritually, and physically?
  • What’s good for our mind during all of this?
  • What does this tell me about my frame of character? 
  • Are the changes we’re making moving us in a positive direction? 

These are all very good questions to ponder. But I also see people arguing about why we are fighting when they thought racism ended? What are we trying to change? Honestly, I can sense their frustration. If you’re now truly beginning to see how messed up everything is, I’m sure you’re finding out how much more fight we have left to right a wrong system. 

Source: Facebook

Ultimately, all of these questions show us how much we don’t know how structured a systemic racial society has shaped how we live our daily lives. So we’re confused. It’s good news one minute to hear people talking of police officers walking out in Atlanta after the charges were made against the cop accused of murdering Rayshard Brooks. “Because this is what it all started from. Police Brutality is the topic.” It’s labeled off-topic the next minute people celebrate the rebranding of breakfast delicacy Cream of Wheat, which if someone was educated on the history of the image on the package, they’d know the chef name is Rastus – a pejorative term and considerably offensive as it’s associated with a depiction of a stereotypically happy Black Man in a plethora of minstrel culture in the 1920s. 

We are capable of focusing on more than one thing at a time. Still, while these are two separate stories, racism is the dark cloud that overcasts each. Systemic Racism needs to be addressed from every angle. We don’t have to erase it. But let’s REVISE our history to include everyone in it. Let’s have our story told with the inclusion of the people it’s about. Let’s hear the dialog of those who find that this is wrong. This is one reason why we diversify the people sitting in the seats at big tables at large corporations…AND actually, listen to their input, then implement it. We include them so we don’t have to say oops.

Change is good. Social evolution is a good thing. If you have a problem like NASCAR’s Truck Series Driver Ray Ciccarelli who quits racing because of the confederate flag ban, and if you don’t see how innovative such change can be for NASCAR to move forward from allowing this in the first place, it is your complacency to racism speaking from within. You’d better check it. Because we must knock out every single angle of this racist ass circus:

Though…I agree, there are some people making stances for change that are a little questionable. I’m seeing how desperate during this political season candidates make statements in hopes they sway voters in their favor. I question how genuine Joe Biden really feels when he makes public his opinions about wanting reparations for blacks as long as it’s expanded to Native Americans, too. Sounds like you itching for my vote buddy. If you mean it, I’m with it.

As I mentioned before in my blog “Is this the Revolution I talked about not being Televised? My #BlackOutTuesday Protest Against Racism in the Wake of the 2020 Minneapolis Riots,” it is time for people of color voices to be heard. Everywhere there are injustices there should be someone trying to address it. Society is evolving with many breakthroughs because people are sharing their stories with white allies who are listening. We have to be ready to receive it.

It still blows my mind people complain about good changes.

Why should corporations and companies change their company stances and political stances in supports of #BLM matter?

Because the “black” dollar has weight.

Black people spend money. Everyone should know black people spend their money. As stated in the Black Detour, “Though Black America makes up a small portion of the US population, Black buying power is approximately $1 trillion with estimates placing it close to $2 trillion by 2020, making us [black people] one of the largest economies in the world according to the World Bank, the 15th largest economy in the world in terms of GDP.” This means black people have an influence on what defines mainstream simply from decisions made from their wallets. This is important to everyone else because this tells us black spending is why you’ll see that item in the isles at the stores, on your television screens, and even down to the place you choose to purchase your crabs in Maryland. It’s crazy how you can find a GoFundMe account created for a Maryland crab shop after it opted to shut down all four of it’s Maryland locations because BLM protests emerged at the Middle River location for the owner and his family’s choices of words and viewpoint in response to 2020 Minneapolis riots and looting.

Screenshot of Vince Crab’s GoFundMe

The weight of the black dollar matters to these corporations. What we see here is our country facing an economic crisis from the coronavirus crisis, too. When the stores open back up, the black dollar matters, right? I’m cautious knowing that my wallet has weight. I’m aware of this power. Companies are changing policies and making public stances also because they know this power, too. Especially in the wake of a pandemic where we’re desperate to not fall into an economic depression. So now I’m choosing to use this power to continue to expand on with conscious shopping, investing in what I feel is worth my money. I’m researching the company and its product. Does this give back to the issues I care about? Hmm…and is it blacked owned, too?

Humans know right from wrong. But our issues are layered and capitalism is corruption. We have to put back into what matters in order to live a better life. So putting money into communities that matter to me is important.

Finding a motive that you’re passionate about. It doesn’t have to be specifically for the BLM organization.

I read everything. I’m not naive to claims of people who opt-out of paying money directly to the BLM organization. Speculation of where the money that’s donated to BLM is always questioned. Speculation for why #BlackLivesMatter protests emerge during the political season, too. Why is it? Who knows? Is it the assumption that it’s a black organization? People could argue. I research where my money is going, too. So often when speaking to someone about supporting black lives, I hear their doubts about donating money to an organization like #BlackLivesMatter. 

You can still donate to something else…🙄

Source: Curators of Hip-Hop Facebook

The Curators Of Hip-Hop hosted a zoom panel discussion “The Organized Culture” on Facebook live discussing issues in the current climate like what we should be doing next from protesting and what needs to be done to see changes when it comes to injustices. Five community leaders in Baltimore had this open discussion on Facebook live sharing what they do as their contributions to helping support the community around them.

[Watch the Facebook Panel Of The Organized Culture hosted by the Curators of Hip-Hop via their Facebook Channel.]

It’s important that I shared this entire panel because each speaker shared points worth considering when taking on supporting a cause against injustices like #BlackLivesMatter. But there are many more issues that require attention because the injustices are interchangeably relatable to each other when it comes to the challenges that plague an oppressed and disadvantaged culture. As crime is directly linked more to poverty than race or any other factor. We should be looking to support and find ways to better improve these communities and neighborhoods. We can find roadblocks to almost every avenue of social interaction. Causes that could be addressed for inner-city communities are unemployment, poverty, drug, and alcohol addiction, homelessness, it is not only police reform that needs fixing. Because there is a connection to high crime rates in a system that embellishes all of the above, racism is a plague that is weaved within all of it, and a privileged group that rarely experiences it at all needs to know what’s going on.

Will you make a stand to donate to a cause to change systemic racism in its entirety? What are some causes that you know that fight against injustices? List them in the comments below.

Is this the Revolution I talked about not being Televised? My #BlackOutTuesday Protest Against Racism in the Wake of the 2020 Minneapolis Riots

I started writing this blog last week. I revised and deleted it a few times. I’m still weird about publishing this now. But to tell you the truth, I feel the same feeling of word vomit eroding my mouth today as I did 5 years ago when I wrote “#OpinionEssay: The “Real” Revolution Will Not Be Televised. #ILoveBaltimore” during the unrest in Baltimore resulting in the Baltimore Uprising. I don’t care how the blog comes off because it is another protest about what is happening around me. I just asked God to use me as he did before.

On Memorial Day, May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a black American man was executed on video by Officer Derek Chavin of the Minneapolis Police Department. The video went viral like a plethora of other police brutality videos that surface online. But this one…this one might just be the video that dropped a major bomb into white people’s reality. Do we actually have white people on alert as to what happens to Black people in America? Because a week later after this horrific image was shared countless times on our feeds, America also has seen protests and riots in cities across the country calling for justice for Floyd. 

Credit:Nick Oxford/Reuters

When I wrote my Opinion Essay about how a revolution and revolt would not be televised, it was to send a message to Black people to come together and educate their families on the realities of being black. I wanted people to talk to their children about Black history. I needed black parents to take the time to teach their kids about a culture and a reality that has led their children to face a different lifestyle than those of other backgrounds. I wanted black people to heal in their black pride by sharing themselves with each other. It wasn’t my intention to tell black people to seek help or compassion from anyone who is white. When black people feel betrayed, that is the last thing they’re thinking of doing. I really believe many black people, like myself, took the time to immerse themselves in their blackness and grew in their pride because I saw so much uplifting and positivity living in the midst of the 2015 Baltimore Uprising. But the revolution was not going to be televised and all the positivity Black Baltimoreans experienced was short-lived. 

Source: Vice ID

Today I feel different about this revolution for Black America. I mean, the revolution is definitely on TV lol. There are so many black people who are already strong, having pride for themselves and culture. Black people live in their blackness daily. We don’t need to keep being reminded of why we go through these harsh realities. We’ve even gotten accustomed to healing each other whenever we’re knocked down with each release of a new video or news story. Though so many people yell #AllLivesMatter or Black on Black crime -blah, blah, blah- that is absolutely irrelevant to what attention we want. Black People are faced with injustices that people are deliberately ignoring. The revolution we’re watching for sure needs to be televised but this part of it is not for our spectatorship, it’s for our voice.

This revolution needs our labor at this moment to be a voice in our pure authentic blackness. This revolution needs for us to share our black stories, our black experiences, our black pain, and our black hopes. We need to share these things with our white friends so they can empathize with them. We need them to find some way to feel how we feel so that it can provoke them to fight for their allies because when white people care, they fight. It’s liberating to see more of my white friends, co-workers, and acquaintances speaking up after seeing this video. It’s amazing seeing white people taking the initiative to do the things that I asked of from Black people.

June 2, 2020, is a unique day in history particularly because #BlackOutTuesday will mark a day when industries and companies around the world chose to stop what they were doing to stand in solidarity against systemic racism. It’s the day America is literally acknowledging the bullshit. It might not be the whole country because there are still many doubters. But America today looks like it wants to listen to what we have to say. Black people have been screaming for such acknowledgment since forever ago. I’m a little overwhelmed with America lending an ear to Black folks, but goddammit about time. It’s the first time in all my life that I’m seeing white guilt on such a huge magnitude. I watched a video on Baltimore Fox 45 Facebook Live of hundreds of white people kneeling in solidarity on Northern Parkway and Roland Ave. We’re nowhere near the endpoint of racism but at least I’m seeing white people just as outraged as we are.

Several hundred protestors are kneeling for 9 mins on Northern Pkwy and Roland Ave.
Eddie Kadhim WMAR is on scene (Source: Facebook WBAR-2)

It’s not over. We still need our white allies. But we need this issue to be in their faces constantly. That’s the just reality of it. Once George Floyd’s investigation dies down in the media, will white people stop trying to learn what’s really affecting people of color? When I think of the answer to this question in general, it’s no because it’s a really uncomfortable subject. People do not like facing being uncomfortable. A huge part of me believes that once we stop talking about it, we’ll fall back into this being black people’s reality, and I’m not being a narcissist when I think this because this is my reality. I’m black and there are a lot of wow factors about my daily escapades of being a black woman I often gaze over as just another thing I’m used to.

This is the new challenge that I would like white allies to face now that we’ve got a lot of their attention. I challenge them to continually diversify their mind while learning black culture because many of us have concerns about what’s genuine. All these awesome stances are being made, but will they make an effort to continue to learn about systemic racism and seek ways to help fight it? Will they deliberately seek moments that may make them uncomfortable with the intentions of it helping them grow? The country needs unity and in order to get there, we need collaboration and understanding that will not expire once the next headline takes the lead, I’m just saying.

Credit: Stephen Maturen/Getty Images

I’m tired. So are a lot of other black people. Are white people truly tired?

Have you read What You Missed at the 20th Anniversary of the Million Man March… (Four Main Points Minister Farrakhan Shouted at Us)?

WFH: It’s Your Essential Right. 100 Work From Home Jobs During #Covid19

Everyday the statistics of unemployment reach astronomical levels with billions of people laid off globally while we await for the reopening of a global shutdown. People are getting antsy to leave their homes for survival. As people label even the minuscule of tasks as essential in order to escape their homes, they’re ignoring precautions to keep everyone safe. Ain’t nobody got time for that! So we need to push the alternatives.

I have friends and relatives fortunate in finding quick fixes in hard times. Like turning on a switch to active “hustler mode,” they are fast at coming up with plans to tackle the changes that could come up physically, mentally, spiritually, and even financially. It’s a talent that I can admire when people put in the hustle during times of adversity and tragedy.

The benefits of living in the digital age and smacked in the middle of year 2020 is the ability to remain connected in so many different ways while remaining so far apart. Distance isn’t a factor anymore if we need to get things done. So when trials appear, if there should be any during this pandemic, financial stability is everyone’s essential right. 

It’s recorded that over 30 million Americans have filed for unemployment within a six-week rolling period according to an article on CNBC. To measure this pandemic’s impact on a more local level, Maryland received over 37,000 unemployment claims within the last week! New approaches are necessary since we cannot determine when the country will go back to normal.

I saw a solution on my Facebook timeline. One of my friends shared a post of 100 companies that are currently hiring for work from home positions. I think this is useful for anyone. Take a look.

I pray anyone that is in need will find something in the list below. 

“Laid off during #Covid19, or looking for a 2nd stream of income? Do you have stable internet access? Here’s a list of employers who are hiring for remote positions.

NOTE: You will need to copy and paste the entire post (not share it), otherwise you will only see the DOI link. 😉 I hope this helps those in need. 

WORK FROM HOME POSITIONS

LIST OF REMOTE/WORK FROM HOME EMPLOYERS

1. Live Ops- http://www.liveops.com

2. TeleTech- http://www.localjobster.com/company5?company=teletech

3. Amazon- http://www.amazon.jobs/en

4.Teleperformance- http://www.teleperformance.com/en-us/work-with-us/

5. UnitedHealth Group- http://careers.unitedhealthgroup.com/

6. Dell-http://jobs.dell.com/north-America-jobs

7. IBM- http://www.ibm.com/employment

8. U.S Department of Agriculture – http://www.usda.gov

9. Working Solutions- http://workingsolutions.com

10. Humana- http://www.humana.com

11. Aetna- http://www.aetna.com/about-us/aetna-careers.html

12. Intuit- http://careers.intuit.com/

13. Kaplan- http://kaplan.com/work-with-us/our-culture

14. Kelly Services- http://careers.kellyservices.com/

15. Cactus Communications- http://www.flexjobs.com/jobs/telecommuting-jobs-at-cactus

16. Westat- http://www.westat.com/careers

17. Salesforce- http://www.salesforce.com/company/careers

18. PAREXEL- http://jobs.parexel.com

19. CyberCoders- http://www.cybercoders.com/?logo=1

20. American Express- http://jobs.americanexpress.com

21. Vmware- http://careers.vmware.com/main/

22. SAP- http://www.sap.com/career

23. Xerox- http://www.xerox.com/en-us/jobs/work-from-home

24. First Data- http://www.firstdata.com/en_us/about-first-data/careers

25. US-Report- http://www.us-reports.com/jobs

26. Oracle- Oracle-http://Work.Jobsgalore.com/Jobs

27. CACI International- http://careers.caci.com/key/work-from-home-jobs.html

28. A Place for Mom- http://www.aplaceformom.com/jobs

29. Anthem,Inc- http://careers.antheminc.com

30. DellSecureWorks- http://www.secureworks.com/careers

31. World Travel Holdings- http://www.worldtravelholdings.com/careers,work-home

32. ADP- http://www.adp.com/careers.aspx

33. Aon- http://jobs.aon.com

34. University of Maryland University College- http://www.umuc.edu/visitors/careers

35. Allergan Inc.- http://www.allergan.com/careers

36. K12- http://www.k12.com/careers

37. U.S. Department of Transportation- http://www.transportation.gov/careers

38. CSI companies- http://thecsicompanies.com/candidates

39. Robert Half- http://www.roberthalf.com

40. Nielsen- http://sites.nielsen.com/careers

41. Red Hat- http://www.redhat.com/en/jobs

42. Adobe Systems- http://www.adobe.com/careers

43. Overland Solutions, Inc.- http://overlandsolutionsinc.com

44. BCD travel- http://www.bcdtravel.com/get-to-know-us/careers

45. Connections Education- http://www.connectionsacademy.com/careers

46. Deloitte- http://www.deloitte.com/careers

47. Apple- http://jobs.apple.com

48. Mckesson Corporation- http://careers.mckesson.com

49. Thermo Fisher Scientific- http://corporate.thermofisher.com/en/home.html

50. Precyse- http://careers.precyse.com

51. Haynes & Company- http://www.haynesandcompany.com

52. Pharmaceutical Product Development Inc- http://www.ppdi.com/careers

53. IT Pro Philadelphia- http://www.phillymag.com/property/2013/10/22/live-work-homes

54. Cigna- http://www.cigna.com/career

55. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt- http://careers.hmhco.com

56. Sungard Availability – http://jobs.sungardas.com/

Services- http://sungardas.com

57. Infor- http://www.infor.com/company/careers

58. Sodexo- http://www.sodexousa.com/home/careers-usa.html

59. About.com- http://www.dotdash.com/careers/

60. Altegra Health- http://altegrahealth.com/careers

61. GE- http://jobs.gecareers.com/

62. Western Governors University-http://www.wgu.edu/about_WGU/employment/work_remote

63. Grand Canyon University- http://jobs.gcu.edu/admissions-enrollment-jobs

64. Walden University- http://www.waldenu.edu

65. Vivint- http://www.vivint.com/company/careers

66. BroadSpire- http://www.choosebroadspire.com

67. Covance- http://careers.covance.com

68. Ellucian- http://www.ellucian.com

69. HD Supply- http://hdsupply.jobs

70. Perficient Inc.- http://www.perficient.com

71. Teradata- http://www.teradata.com

72. Wells Fargo- http://www.wellsfargo.com/about/careers

73. Symantec Corporation- http://www.Symantec.com

74. Real Staffing-http://www.realstaffing.com/en

75. Science Applications International- http://www.saic.com

76. AmerisourceBergen Company- http://www.amerisourcebergen.com

77. Appen- http://www.jobs.net/jobs/appen/en-us

78. Hartford Financial Services Group- http://www.thehartfordatwork.com

79. RetailDatat- http://retaildatallc.com

80. SYKES- http://www.sykes.com/Careers

81. CARA- http://www.jobbankusa.com

82. Citizens Financial Group- http://citizensbank.jobs/work-at-home

83. CVS Health- http://cvshealth.com

84. Healthfirst- http://healthfirst.taleo.net/careersec…/hf_ext_cs/jobsearch

85. American Heart Association- http://careers.heart.org

86. BMC software- http://www.bmc.com/careers

87. Hibu- http://hibu.com

88. inVentive Health- http://www.inventivhealth.com/careers

89. Rosetta Stone- http://jobs.jobvite.com/rosettastone

90. Erie Insurance Group- http://www.erieinsurance.com/careers

91. Deluxe- http://ww.deluxe.com

92. Clevertech- http://weworkremotely.com/jobs

93. Achieve Test Prep- http://www.achievetestprep.com

94. Worldpay- http://www.worldpay.com

95. DataStax- http://www.datastax.com/

96. CDK Global- www.cdkglobal.com

97. Teleflex- http://www.teleflex.com/en/careers/workingAtTeleflex

98. Aquent- http://aquent.com/find-work

99. Parallon- http://www.parallon.com/careers

100. U.S Department of the Interior- http://www.doi.gov/careers

There’s a Catador in Town. Doc Hosts 1st Ever Tequila Tasting in Baltimore 

Wine and beer festivals and tastings scattered  all around this country. A person could probably find over 25+ festivals in the DMV alone. When it comes to heavier liquor and spirits tastings, one would need to pay for the excursion on an exclusive vacation to attend one that’s worth experiencing. It’d simply be a waste of time, money, and gas to go to any local liquor store for a tasting. I know this so I decided to throw a tasting many of my friends would enjoy in a safe and comfortable environment.

Few people know that they can find tastings at their local liquor stores. They tend to be lackluster events. A tasting hosted in the average neighborhood spirits store would usually host a 2 hour tasting of a bottle sold in their store. They invite customers to taste small swigs of drinks housed on the shelves of their store as they shop. So most times these tastings aren’t formal or advertise for the public to attend. This could be due to Maryland liquor laws that prohibit many businesses from serving based on the type and class of a business.

Three stores you can visit for weekly tastings in Baltimore, MD: 

  • HoneyGo Wine and Spirits located in Perry Hall, MD, has weekly tastings in their tasting room on Friday’s from 4pm to 7pm.
  • Quarry Wine and Spirits, located in Baltimore, MD, often hosts wine tastings in their liquor store on Fridays from 3pm to 6pm. 
  • Wine Loft in Pikesville, MD does tastings if their wine collections on Saturdays from 1pm to 6pm.
http://www.instagram.com/p/B3KDCytAA9W/?igshid=1loi1qkizv0r2

These tastings are slim in their pickings of alcohol as they make the choice of beverage for you per the tasting. But if you are someone looking to buy a drink for later, such satisfaction is suitable in attending a tasting as such. But wouldn’t you want to really experience your drink? How will you know you really like it from just a sip? Why wait for later? Honestly the taste isn’t something great in any alcoholic drink, either. A spirits or wine tasting should let the drinker know what they’re getting themselves into.

That’s how it was for me at least. Wine tastings are best when you have them on cruise ships like how I’ve experienced when cruising to Mexico over the summer.

Doc and her dad in the Blue Agave fields in Mexico.

During my vacation cruising to Mexico, I did three tastings of my favorite drink, tequila. All the tastings educated its attendees about how tequilas are made, how many different types there are, and how to tell what brands are authentic tequila brands. I visited a field of Blue Agave Cactuses with my family and enjoyed exploring tequilas distilled into many different delicious flavors such as mango, coffee, and cream.

http://www.instagram.com/p/Bz4RO5ChdtX/?igshid=1ow7ydk4wbgsd

This experience was so fun to have I wondered if there were any tasting for Tequila in Maryland. It wasn’t a surprise to find the kind of tasting I would come across is the usual Wine and Spirit Store sample tasting. Really, where are the tequila tastings?! Not in Baltimore. The closest someone might find a tequila tasting is in a restaurant in Washington, DC. 

So I threw my own tequila tasting during the holidays and I had a blast!

I spent hours and days prepping to grant my friends and family an experience worth sharing with others. I wanted this tasting to be talked about for weeks, or maybe even months. I wanted people to experience something they’ve never done before. So I studied, studied, and studied long to really educate my guests on what they’d be consuming. I became Catadora, someone who specializes in tasting tequila, for the night pairing my holiday chocolates with a kick of tequila. Bien de salud (in sound health, of course.)

Simply having people taste tiny sips of tequila wasn’t enough. I needed to know that my guests were gaining knowledge from me lecturing them about my favorite drink. So I threw a pop-quiz using a spinning wheel that ultimately turned my tasting into the most exciting Tequila trivia game known to man.

The night was so lit, I slightly beat myself for not preparing to have people in my house until 4 am. But no worries, I enjoyed the company and knowing everyone was safe. They had fun learning about Tequila and I loved being the teacher. I’ll definitely throw more tastings in the future.

What’s your favorite drink? Have you gone to a wine or spirits tasting for your favorite beverage? Share your experience in the comments below.