Marva A. posted an article on Conversations with Marva - Jan 25, 2012, 8:11 pm
It seems that I have a new addiction. It is eating away at my time, and I’ve discovered that I can literally spend hours doing it. It calls my name at various times of the day: “Hey Marva, don’t you want to check me out to see what’s new?” I’m addicted…and I love it! The “it” is P...
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Marva A. posted an article on Conversations with Marva - Jan 23, 2012, 10:54 am
Let’s revisit Adele for a moment. It is highly likely that she will be the belle of the ball come Grammy night. Well deserved, I think. No other CD released last year even lit a candle next to Adele’s magnum opus, 21. While we wait for the inevitable, let’s dig a little deeper into what makes ...
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Marva A. posted an article on Conversations with Marva - Jan 22, 2012, 12:12 pm
I’ve read so many books and written so many words this weekend that it’s all running together. It’s a busy season for me. Two online classes, increased responsibility at work, book club, editing my own book, and rehearsing for the Vagina Monologues. That’s a lot. But I like the busyness; I l...
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Marva A. posted an article on Conversations with Marva - Jan 15, 2012, 10:36 am
Even when things seem to be going awry, even when I don’t think I can find the strength, even when I fall down…I am forever grateful. For my friends who tell me the truth, for my family that loves me no matter what, for all of life’s experiences…I can only say thank you. I know it all means ...
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Marva A. posted an article on Conversations with Marva - Jan 8, 2012, 10:58 am
My mind is cluttered. I have so many things going on that I am having a hard time focusing. What bothers me is that most of the thoughts in my mind are questions, not answers. I like to think I am deliberate. I like to think that I move swiftly and walk ahead with purpose. This Sunday morning finds ...
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Marva A. posted an article on Conversations with Marva - Jan 2, 2012, 10:17 pm
The first time I heard Beyoncé’s 4, I didn’t like it. It was different than what we normally get from her. That’s not to say that I thought it was bad; I just wasn’t quite ready to embrace this new, mature Beyoncé. Because I have a 3-go’round rule when listening to new music, I kept play...
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Marva A. posted an article on Conversations with Marva - Jan 1, 2012, 11:02 am
I’m really glad to see 2011 go. It was a rough year, tarnished by tragedy and pain. The year 2011 wasn’t all bad; I met some wonderful people and had my eyes open to possibility. I have been thrown off my path by the flirtiness of love and life, and yet, I’m still here. That in itself is a h...
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Marva A. posted an article on Conversations with Marva - Dec 23, 2011, 10:16 am
We have arrived. You know, either I really love The Temptations, or their singing of holiday tunes is just that good. I vote for both. www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcuvlIgSj0Y Merry Christmas everyone! Enjoy this time with your loved ones…I’ll see you in the new year!!! You’ll go down in history...
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Marva A. posted an article on Conversations with Marva - Dec 22, 2011, 10:04 am
Surely you don’t think I can go without Nat King Cole on this list? A true classic. www.youtube.com/watch?v=__kQ1PCP6B0 Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow, ~ M  
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Marva A. posted an article on Conversations with Marva - Dec 21, 2011, 10:00 am
I think people slept on Vanessa Williams as a singer. She has a nice voice and her singing on this Christmas ditty is worth remembering. www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uGoF4Uf6S4 Baby, it’s cold outside… ~ M
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Marva A. posted an article on Conversations with Marva - Dec 20, 2011, 10:54 am
The O’Jays. Grab something (or someone) cuddly and let Walt and Eddie croon to you. www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTzmJJX1cjM Because it’s a special time of year, ~ M
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Marva A. posted an article on Conversations with Marva - Dec 19, 2011, 10:46 am
We’re halfway through and I’m going with a classic for # 5. It is the impeccable and stylish voice of none other than Nancy Wilson. I love Ms. Nancy’s voice…it is soothing and enchanting. Her version of What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve is one of my favorites. www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0_S...
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Marva A. posted an article on Conversations with Marva - Dec 18, 2011, 9:47 am
During this time of year, everyone seems to get so caught up. There are dinners to plan, parties to attend, gifts to buy. It is so easy to forget and move through these days without spending some time being still and listening. This Sunday morning, I’m up early and listening…to the silence. It ...
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Marva A. posted an article on Conversations with Marva - Oct 17, 2011, 10:00 am
I love Michael Jackson. I don’t remember when I started to love him, whether it was back when he was an adorable child outshining his brothers, or when he branched out on his own and became the King of Pop. All I know is that there is not a day that goes by since his death that I don’t feel a pi...
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Marva A. posted an article on Conversations with Marva - Oct 16, 2011, 9:44 pm
If you know me, you know that my life has been a series of ups and downs the past few years. I had already deemed this period of my life The Crazy Years, and delighted in the moment, the very moment that I stopped being crazy and came back to myself. Turns out there was an explanation for those tear...
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Marva A. posted an article on Conversations with Marva - Aug 24, 2011, 8:16 pm
As a little girl, I looked at my mother as the strongest person I knew. I was scared to death of her, but as I grew up watching her work hard and handling things, I knew that strength would make sense one day. I doubted that I would inherit any of that strength, though. I was such an introvert and...
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Marva A. posted an article on Conversations with Marva - Aug 21, 2011, 5:45 pm
As a lover of hip-hop, I cringe at the state it is currently in. Hip-hop for me use to be the way that Black America saw the world. The music infused the struggles and challenges of growing up in this country that we love, but sometimes does not give that love in return. Hip-Hop has now become full...
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Marva A. posted an article on Conversations with Marva - Aug 15, 2011, 9:00 am
When I think of a person with strength, I think of Mary J. Blige. Mary is the essence of going through a storm and rising like the phoenix, renewed and restored. I love Mary now, fabulous and free…but I also loved her back then, hard and hurt. My favorite Mary J. Blige CD isn’t the one you woul...
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Marva A. posted an article on Conversations with Marva - Aug 14, 2011, 10:50 am
I’m sitting here at my laptop, having my morning coffee while my Chihuahua, Max, taps my arm trying to get me to pet him. It’s about 67° outside, and my computer room is chilly. I’ve got Anita Baker playing in the background, and the rest of my house is quiet. I am enjoying being still. This...
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Marva A. posted an article on Conversations with Marva - Aug 9, 2011, 1:15 am
My boy turns 16 today. Like always, I’m all in my feelings about it. I did it when Jordyn went to kindergarten, I did it when he turned 13, and I’ll do it when he graduates and goes to college. I think back to when Jordyn was born. Such a big boy (8lbs, 8 ozs.). I remember my first thought was,...
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Marva A. posted an article on Conversations with Marva - Aug 8, 2011, 8:23 pm
I thought I’d jump back into blogging regularly with one of my favorite things to talk about: music. My love for music knows no bounds; it ranges from the most gutter Hip-Hop to the most beautiful piece of classical music. A good tune is a good tune, period. And once a week, I’ll take you on a j...
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Marva A. posted an article on Conversations with Marva - Aug 7, 2011, 5:33 pm
The tattoo? Well, the tattoo was the result of an impulsive decision Friday night. My friend and I were attending an outdoor concert and noticed that there was a little tattoo shop across from where we were sitting. During one of our wandering moments, we walked over to check it out. Once we were i...
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Marva A. posted an article on Conversations with Marva - Jul 30, 2011, 12:08 pm
I don’t go to many concerts nowadays. The tickets are so damned expensive and I’ve begun to pick and choose which artists I would pay money to see live. I would barter away my first born for tickets to a Jill Scott concert. The same would apply to Prince and perhaps Jay and/or Kanye, but there a...
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Marva A. posted an article on Conversations with Marva - Jun 27, 2011, 8:10 pm
The highlight of the BET Awards for me…Kelly Ro WERKED it!! …and that damn Trey Songz?! woo chile… " + __flash__argumentsToXML(arguments,0) + "")); }" s_getcharset="function () { return eval(instance.CallFunction("" + __flash__argumentsToXML(arguments,0) + "")); }" s_getversion="fun...
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Marva A. posted an article on Conversations with Marva - Jun 25, 2011, 11:25 am
This is my blog post on last year’s anniversary of Michael’s passing. I was going to write something new, but I think this sums it all up… I actually dreaded writing this post all week. I knew I was going to do something, but I wish it were under different circumstances. I wish I was trying m...
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Marva A. posted an article on Conversations with Marva - Jun 21, 2011, 7:20 pm
That’s my new word…magnificent. It is just big enough to encompass all the feelings, but just mysterious enough to leave some things to the imagination.I will be choosey in how I use this magnificent, though. It is not to be thrown about reckless and wanton. No I shall reserve the use of magni...
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Marva A. posted an article on Conversations with Marva - May 24, 2011, 9:39 pm
At the beginning of this, Oprah’s last season, I asserted that I would sit and watch every episode. I set my DVR to tape the season and prepared myself for lots of tears and remembering why I love her so much. I imagined that I would sit down in front of my HDTV and nod my head in agreement with O...
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Marva A. posted an article on Conversations with Marva - May 19, 2011, 8:08 pm
My son, who I must proudly say, is a linebacker. A big ole, muscle-bound, eating all the damn time, linebacker. He used to hate putting in the work that was required of someone in that role; now, he relishes it. I get a daily report on what he benches, how he and his fellow high school football play...
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Marva A. posted an article on Conversations with Marva - May 17, 2011, 9:53 pm
I believe that everything in the universe has a cause and effect. What I mean is that everything put out into the world will come back to you, sometimes tenfold. I also believe that our solar system, with all of its bright stars and constellations, do not exist without their being causing some shif...
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Marva A. posted an article on Conversations with Marva - May 11, 2011, 7:35 pm
…sweet. Syrupy, molasses, sugar type sweet. So sweet that it left a taste in my mouth that I couldn’t get rid of after I walked out of the theatre. That is not necessarily a good, or bad, thing. First, let me say that there are simply not enough images of Black people in love on the movie scree...
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Marva A. posted an article on Conversations with Marva - May 6, 2011, 7:46 pm
To all the moms out there who work long hours and still manage to show up at band concerts, who shuffle kids (both your own and someone else’s) back and forth to practice, who still believe in their own dreams and work toward making them come true, who can still put it on him like you did 10 years...
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Marva A. posted an article on Conversations with Marva - May 4, 2011, 10:32 am
I dabble a little in poetry. Usually when I’m can’t seem to sort through my feelings, or when my world turns upside down, I write it all out. It’s my way of release. I wrote this piece recently, after surviving yet another dark cloud. …maybe that’s the problem I always feel like I can do...
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Marva A. posted an article on Conversations with Marva - May 2, 2011, 9:44 pm
I read this quote last night after watching my President deliver the news about Osama bin Laden’s death. I still am not quite sure how I feel about this; on one hand, my heart aches for all of the people of this country who lost loved ones in the greatest tragedy to every hit our country. I weep a...
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Marva A. posted an article on Conversations with Marva - Apr 29, 2011, 11:41 pm
Y’all all know how much I love Jill Scott, right? I mean, LOVE her. Not just because she sings the soundtrack to my life (it seems like every song, every album, could be a story about my own life, right then and there) but because I recognize in her what I recognize in myself: freedom. And I mean,...
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Marva A. posted an article on Conversations with Marva - Apr 27, 2011, 11:02 am
Excuse me while I interlude, please: In speaking with one of my good girlfriends the other night, I said to her that being a grown ass woman means realizing that your life is just that: YOUR LIFE. The choices and decisions you make lay the foundation for the path that you take. It has absolutely no...
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Marva A. posted an article on Conversations with Marva - Apr 25, 2011, 9:59 pm
First of all, let me say for the record that I’m not new to the Adele train. I’ve been on this puppy since she was crowned Best New Artist at the 2009 Grammy Awards, and I loved her from the first moment I heard “Chasing Pavements.” With that said, I have a few words to share with you about ...
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Marva A. posted an article on Conversations with Marva - Apr 22, 2011, 11:00 am
Gosh…I look around this place and can see the dust. I see the cobwebs in the corners, and all the furniture is covered. Time to make this space livable again. I took a break from blogging because I was lost. I believe I was trying to make this into something that it is not, trying to emulate all ...
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Marva A. posted an article on Conversations with Marva - Jan 29, 2011, 11:04 pm
What’s going on, y’all? I have been so wrapped up, so caught up, that I completely forgot my OSF post yesterday…sorry! Anyway, here’s my contribution. When I’m sitting in traffic, I want something that makes me move blaring out of my stereo. And there is nothing like a little Marvin Gaye ...
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Marva A. posted an article on Conversations with Marva - Jan 21, 2011, 1:14 am
Happy Friday! The theme this week is “It’s Cold Outside.” Snuggle up to this one, y’all… www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Wj8Yxa309E
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Marva A. posted an article on Conversations with Marva - Jan 14, 2011, 1:14 am
Happy Friday y’all… The theme for this week is Not Another Sad Love Song. Sigh. Everyone got their glasses of brown liquor? Check. Is the room dark? Check. Is there a box of tissue within arm’s reach? Check. Alright…here we go: www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KTKscHxyKo and one more…we lost...
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Marva A. posted an article on Conversations with Marva - Jan 13, 2011, 5:16 pm
I could not let the day escape without posting this vid. Last night, at an appearance at the University of Arizona, President Obama delivered an excellent speech eulogizing those that were killed, and lifting those of us in the country who have heavy hearts. I watched and cheered, for this was the P...
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Marva A. posted an article on Conversations with Marva - Jan 13, 2011, 1:23 am
I subscribe to the theory that a writer owes the world that reads his/her words three things: Truth Integrity Clarity The truth is easy. It is the basis of any story, fiction or not. Truth is also personal; the things that you tell the truth about are your own personal truths, and it is your choice...
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Marva A. posted an article on Conversations with Marva - Jan 12, 2011, 1:01 am
Oprah Winfrey has such a personality that it causes people to react one of two ways to her: they either love her or they “cain’t stand her,” as my mother says. I’ve always believed that the hate generates from some psychological feeling of inadequacy or low self-esteem. Because I can’t for...
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Marva A. posted an article on Conversations with Marva - Jan 7, 2011, 1:31 am
Happy Friday and welcome back OSFers (that sounds obscene, doesn’t it?)! For the first installment of Old School Friday, we are paying homage to the one and only Teena Marie, who died over the Christmas holiday. I grew up with two aunts who introduced me to her music, and I’ve been in love with...
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Marva A. posted an article on Conversations with Marva - Jan 6, 2011, 11:42 pm
Expect nothing. Live frugally On surprise. become a stranger To need of pity Or, if compassion be freely Given out Take only enough Stop short of urge to plead Then purge away the need. Wish for nothing larger Than your own small heart Or greater than a star; Tame wild disappointment Wi...
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Marva A. posted an article on Conversations with Marva - Jan 4, 2011, 11:30 pm
Every woman, if she has lived long enough, has that one guy in her past or present whose memory still makes her heart pitter-patter. I’m lucky; I’ve had two. While still in those relationships, it’s easy to find a place for the feelings. All that love is bundled up and hopefully, offered witho...
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Marva A. posted an article on Conversations with Marva - Jan 3, 2011, 1:20 pm
Welcome to Twenty-Eleben!!! I would venture to guess that many of us have made New Year’s resolutions, many of which will be pursued beginning today. I would also venture that by the end of January, most of those resolutions that we swore to on New Year’s Eve will be forgotten or dropped like a...
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Marva A. posted an article on Conversations with Marva - Dec 21, 2010, 11:06 am
I hope each and every one of you has the merriest of Christmases. I pray that you are blessed and in good health, and looking forward to what God will do in your life. My favorite Christmas song, ever, is Silent Night. There is no song that captures the feeling of Christmas as this one does. Boyz I...
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Marva A. posted an article on Conversations with Marva - Dec 20, 2010, 11:00 am
At #2, we have the classic This Christmas by Donny Hathaway. This one always reminds me of going to my grandma’s house on Christmas Day and being surrounded by family and friends as we open gifts and eat and laugh. Good times, indeed… www.youtube.com/watch?v=pj1mVUEHeUE
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Marva A. posted an article on Conversations with Marva - Dec 19, 2010, 10:59 am
Here come the top three! I love little Michael’s voice on Santa Claus is Coming to Town. So energetic, so wise beyond the years, and so full of itself (in a good way). Enjoy #3! www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiNkll4JSwo
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