New year, new comment policy

Posted on January 3, 2012
Filed Under Daily | 2 Comments

Starting this year, a new comment policy has been implemented on Slice of Lemon. In order to leave a comment, share your thoughts, and join in the conversation with other visitors to the site, you must submit a valid e-mail address when leaving a comment. If the e-mail address appears to be phony, your e-mail address and comment will be flagged and your comment will be unapproved until we can verify that you’re a real person and not a spambot.

So if you leave “treasure@yahoo.com” as your e-mail address, our system will likely flag your e-mail and comment and you will be sent the following message:

Hello. This e-mail address: treasure@yahoo.com has been flagged as spam. Please respond to this e-mail within 48 hours to let us know that you are a real person and not a robot. If you fail to respond to the e-mail within 48 hours, your comment will be deleted and your IP address will be flagged. Thanks.

I’ve been thinking about doing this for about 8 months now, but I didn’t want to spend my time and effort implementing a comment policy like this; 3 months ago I decided it was time. The reason I waited until the new year was because it seemed appropriate to implement something new in the new year, and I was secretly hoping that at least a handful of people would have “Don’t be a douchebag” atop their resolution list.

I genuinely want to hear from every single person who visits this site. My readers and I don’t always agree, but I respect those who will disagree with me (or others) with tact and identity; telling the truth about who you are makes your opinion that much more valid.

As always, the standard comment policy for Slice remains: no foul language or derogatory comments against other readers, or their: religious beliefs, race, gender, ethnicity or sexual preference. For those of you who prefer to comment anonymously, you’re welcome to do so, so long as your e-mail address is valid. You can use a pseudonym in the “name” field when commenting, or your initials, or even “Anonymous.”

And of course, you can always be absolutely certain that whenever you leave comments here (or on Newlyeds-Dish you can read the privacy policy here), or send me e-mail, your e-mail address will NEVER be shared or made public.

I hope this makes its way to Obama’s desk

Posted on January 1, 2012
Filed Under Daily, Videos | 9 Comments

That was a massive sandwich you guys. Okay, I also had an ice cream.

On Saturday night, New Year’s Eve, a little before midnight, I found out that Obama signed H.R. 1540, the National Defense Authorization Act, which is a bullet in the chest of American freedom. Obama signed the NDAA on Dec. 31, 2011 at 6:30 p.m. It took me several minutes to digest what this meant; for me, for my family, for my fellow Americans. After reading a few articles about the bill, and trying to make sense of what those numbers meant (12/31/11 6:30 p.m.) I finally saw the truth. And it was disgusting. Like, throwing a handful of soiled baby diapers against a wall and watching them slide down SLOOOWWWLLLYYY.

When something is done under the cover of darkness, it’s usually wrong. And the time at which President Obama signed this bill was essentially under the cover of darkness. The last 3 months of the year is the busiest time for most Americans. We, The People, spend a great deal of time away from our news feeds, e-mail alerts, twitter accounts, and nightly news broadcasts as we prepare for the holidays with friends, family and food. College and high school students who have become a politi-cultural force to be reckoned with in the the age of a social media onslaught were on winter break. And as all of us were preparing for the excitement of back-to-back long weekends, we were swamped at work, planning vacations, balancing fourth quarter budgets, grading papers, and tying up loose ends on projects that no one wants on their desks come Jan. 3. Signing this bill on Dec. 31, 2011 at 6:30 p.m. is like taking a child out of her bed while her parents sleep. If you’re going to kidnap someone, President Obama, don’t let your handwriting match the ransom note.

On New Year’s Eve, those that we Americans elect in hopes of upholding the law and the constitution of the United States – congressmen and women, senators and those who have the privilege of sitting in the oval office – reached the peak of Mt. Shoddy Leadership. This was calculated hypocrisy and deceit at its finest. After the ball dropped on New Year’s Eve, and I ate half-a-bag too many black bean tortilla chips, I went to bed with a heavy heart. Twenty-twelve was supposed to be the start of a great year for all of us. It was supposed to be an overzealous karate kick to the achilles tendon of Last Year when so many people were struggling in our country and around the world. But instead of allowing the American people to welcome the new year with hope, our president committed a sort of spiritual genocide against us while congress lurked in the shadows like over-payed employees in the devil’s minion workshop.

I voted for Obama when he ran against John McCain four years ago. Not because I’d rather vote for a goat than John McCain (yes, that’s true too), but because I really liked Obama. He had a freshness and an honesty about him. He was charismatic and had so many great ideas accompanied by what appeared to be humility and a genuine desire to make our country better. I bet Obama’s a really nice guy; he’s probably a good father and husband, but I think he turned out to be a subpar leader. Obama spent his whole presidency trying not to “rock the boat.” But a strong leader isn’t afraid to rock the boat because sometimes that boat needs to be rocked.

I thought the milk bit at the end of this video was going to be obvious to most people, but I’ve been getting some questions about it so I figured I’d go ahead and explain it here. The milk was representative of the NDAA. And I was Obama. Milk is delicious (yes it is, Tina!) and it’s good for your body, and there were some items in H.R. 1540 that were good for our country. I prefer to drink non-fat organic milk, but in this video I was being bullied by someone off-camera who was telling me to drink the milk that I really didn’t want to drink, just like Obama has been bullied by Congress and lobbyists “off-camera” his whole presidency. So I drank the milk and President Obama signed the bill. And in the end, it was so disgusting it was kind of hilarious.

Oh, and that last part about poisoning the already sensitive stomachs of the lactose intolerant? Well, that was Obama’s bill punching every American-Muslim in the groin because apparently, slavery and Japanese Internment just didn’t seem to fill enough pages in our history books.

Statement by the President on H.R. 1540 (via whitehouse.gov)

Nationwide NDAA 2012 Congressional Protest

Hello, 2012

Posted on January 1, 2012
Filed Under In Connecticut, Photos | 1 Comment

Goodbye, 2011

Posted on December 31, 2011
Filed Under Daily, In Connecticut, In-laws, The Boss | 3 Comments

Another year has passed, and you guys continue to enrich my life. Your comments, your e-mails, your endless love and encouragement means so much to me. Your openness in sharing your life stories continues to inspire me, and I promise someday we’re all going to meet; we’ll form a giant circle of love where we hold hands and giggle. It’s going to be awesome.

This year has been both wonderful and challenging in many ways. But through 2011, I’ve been surrounded by people who embody the ideals that I aspire to live by, who support my dreams while making sure I’m well advised and always grateful for and aware of God’s countless bounties.

The Boss and I are spending New Year’s Eve with his parents and brother (and maybe his grandmother if she’s up to it) and we’ve got about 58 minutes left until we welcome the new year. By the time most of you read this I’ll be in my pajamas (i.e. The Boss’s sweats and one of his old Lakers shirts) and the pink hijab I got for Sunday School when I was 9. I’ll be cozied up on the sofa drinking sparkling apple cider and eating black bean tortilla chips and probably something chocolate. I might even catch some fireworks.

For all of you who are out and about tonight, please be safe, responsible, and farsighted. Make well-informed decisions and remember: YOUR MOM WILL PROBABLY FIND OUT. Mine always did. From my family to yours, here’s wishing all of you a happy and healthy 2012! (Or 1433 for those of you who’ve already welcomed a new year!)

See you guys next year!

Some wedding planning tips

Posted on December 31, 2011
Filed Under Daily | Leave a Comment

I’m at Newlyweds-Dish today sharing some easy tips to help plan your big day!
Click HERE to read the post.

Newbie

Posted on December 30, 2011
Filed Under Daily, Friends, In Connecticut | 9 Comments

Friend: Have you checked Wal-Mart? You might be able to find the bins there.

Me: No, I don’t shop at Wal-Mart because I don’t agree with the conditions that their laborers overseas have to work in, and I need to find out more about the pending lawsuit regarding the company allegedly not promoting female employees to management positions.

***

Friend: You should swing by American Apparel downtown. They’re having a sale on their winter stuff. Didn’t you say you needed gloves?

Me: Yeah, I do need gloves, but I don’t shop at American Apparel because their models are too young and over-sexualized and they look like they’re being groomed for Penthouse or porn. Or both.

***

Me: I like your sweater.

Friend: Thanks! It’s from Victoria’s Secret, they might still have your size.

Me: I don’t shop there because I started doing all this research on child-labor laws back in like, 2003 and it’s my understanding that the company HATES CHILDREN.

Friend: But it’s 2011 now, things could have changed.

Me: People who love money never change. They just find loopholes.

***

Friend: I just picked up the wood and paint at Lowe’s and I’m going to build my first shelf!

Me: I don’t support Lowe’s. They pulled their advertising from that show “All-American Muslim” on TLC because some insignificant group called the Florida Family Association said the show white-washed Islam. Basically the show didn’t fit into the FFA’s narrow-minded stereotype of Muslims and they got all nervous because I think they secretly started liking us. I bet the FFA and Lowe’s also boycotted “The Cosby Show” in the 90s. God forbid television depict a successful two-parent family that’s BLACK with children who go to college for academics not sports, aren’t on drugs, or having babies out of wedlock. LOWE’S IS RACIST.

***

Friend: I kind of want to know your take on Lady Gaga and the Kardashians, but I’m afraid to ask.

Me: Choose your battles wisely.

***

Friend: Did you hear that new Chris Brown song? So great for a cardio workout!

Me: Nope. Didn’t hear it and never will. I want him to fail at life. Woman beaters, rapists, and child molesters deserve to die alone in a dark hole after being tortured for 300 hours.

***

Friend: Sabrina, do you ever just think, “Maybe it’s not that big of a deal, and I’ll just let this one go?”

Me: You’re obviously still new to our friendship. Just wait until we get into our first fight and then you’ll find out how quickly I LET THINGS GO.

 

Change of pace

Posted on December 28, 2011
Filed Under Daily, Photos | Leave a Comment

A tiny dose of happiness perched atop my work station.

• April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010

• BlogHer.com Newlyweds Dish