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That’s All Folks

Posted on May 17, 2013 by EvolvingElle

Last night was the season finale to “Scandal”, a show that millions of people have been waiting on.  While numerous questions were answered and surprises occurred, I was underwhelmed by this episode.  One Facebook friend said my expectations were too high.  I disagree.  Two of my favorite episodes aired in December.  I can’t say that this finale was better than those episodes.

I can say the most shocking revelation is that Byron Douglas has a name.  And it’s Mr. Pope.  So not only is Byron Douglas Olivia’s daddy, he’s one evil dude.  And a rulebreaker.  He broke a major rule of B-613; he has a child.  And he must have NO conscience because he attempted to kill said child.  AND he has completely set her up for failure by outing her affair.   I do have some questions for and about Byron-were he and Olivia ever close?  Has he been ”missing”?  Does Olivia know he lives in Washington?  How long has he been involved with B-613?  And is he going to try to get Huck next season? And most importantly, was he REALLY going to kill Olivia???

Thanks to Jake for saving Liv’s life and sacrificing his own.  That, to me, shows that he really cared about her.  But I still don’t believe that his only job was to sleep with her.  I wonder if we will ever find out what his true intentions were.

David Rosen- I was right; he totally was working with Billy, but he played Billy and advanced his own career.  So kudos to David for wearing the white hat and bringing Billy to justice!  I have to admit, I thought Fitz was going to announce David was going to be his running mate.  Turns out he just wanted his job back.

Quinn is slowly turning into a mini-Huck, which we all knew was going to happen.  But when she delighted in torturing Billy???  She definitely is losing herself while Huch is regaining some of his humanity back.  I wonder what Shonda & Co. are going to do with her next season…

Fitz went back to Mellie (again), Olivia decided to stay with her gladiators, and all was righted with the world.

Until Byron outed Olivia.

It’s going to be very interesting to see how this scandal plays out in season 3.  I guess I’ll have to watch re-runs until September.  Tonight, I will be on WHUR’s “The Daily Drum” discussing last night’s season finale.  Tune in to 96.3 FM or http://www.whur.com to check it out!  Until next time, I’m just a Southern girl…in the city!

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Create a Match.com Summer Singles Event and Win!!!

Posted on May 14, 2013 by EvolvingElle

You’re single.  You’re looking to meet someone, but you have no idea of where to go.  Well, how about you create your own event?!  Match.com, in celebration of Stir’s one year anniversary, is hosting a contest where you get to plan an awesome event for you and 10 of your single friends!  Match.com’s Stir is its members’ answers to offline events.  If you’re nervous about meeting someone one-on-one or you want to see all of your options at once, Stir has created some pretty great events to bring singles offline and meeting in person.

Over the course of just one year, Match has hosted 2,850 events – broken down, that’s 14 events each day, 75 events a week, 320 events per month! Match has collaborated with over 1,200 venues and partners, including House of Blues, Banana Republic, Sur la Table and Warrior Dash, along with local gems in each city. Match is throwing singles events in over 80 cities across America – including events in Anchorage and Honolulu! Over 225,000 singles have attended a Stir event to date!

To enter this unique, one-of-a-kind contest, visit Match.com’s “What Stirs You?” Contest page here.  Visit the contest page now through Tuesday, May 28th, 2013 and tell Match.com what you think would make for the perfect singles event to be entered to win. Entries will be judged based on quality, creativity, uniqueness, and geographical relevance.  So this means that no matter where you are, you have a chance to win.  Oh, and did I mention Stir event planners will help you execute your idea AND you get to host it for free???  And you get to potentially meet a new guy or gal?!?!  AND the winner gets a free 6 month membership to Match.com.  Sounds like a total win/win situation to me!

To find out more information about Stir, view the video below.  And don’t delay in submitting your idea for an amazing singles event.  Your love life depends on it!  And if you’re in the DMV and you win, don’t forget to add your girl Elle to the guestlist! ;) Until next time, I’m just a Southern girl…in the city!

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I Think I’ve Found It!

Posted on May 13, 2013 by EvolvingElle

When I first moved to DC, I was comparing everything to Jacksonville-friends/acquiantances, churches, my sorority chapters, things to do, places to go, EVERYTHING!  But I was especially hard on churches.  My home in church in Jacksonville spoiled me.  Not only was I involved with the Step Ministry, the Youth Mininstry, and the Young Adult Ministry, I knew people.  We hung out.  They were my friends.  I even had close relationships with some of the parents of the youth.  I have to admit I was a little intimidated when I moved to DC.  With everything being spread out and having so many options, I didn’t know what to do.

When I decided to stop being a baby and comparing everything to Jacksonville, I began to really consider my options and my desires for the things I needed to make this place home.  I was very specific with my desires for a church home.  I wanted to attend a Baptist church, I wanted a church IN DC-not Virginia or Maryland, I wanted to attend a church that had a weekly Bible study, and I wanted a church that had a number of ministries with which I could get involved.  I thought I found a church.  I enjoyed the message.  The people seemed nice.  It honestly reminded me of my church in Jacksonville.  And I decided to join.  But something happened.  After being told certain people would contact me to schedule my new member classes, I heard nothing.  No one called me, no one e-mailed me. And I admit, I could have easily reached out, but I didn’t want to.  It also dawned on me that eventually, this church was going to move to its permanent location in Maryland.  And yes, while I admit it may be a STUPID reason to not want to go to a church, I feel justified in my decision.  I haven’t been back to that church since.

I found another church I absolutely LOVE.  The pastor is young, there a lot of young people that attend, and they have numerous activities geared towards the young, Christian professional.  Ding ding ding!!!  But, the church has some undesirables.  First, I felt like I was in the club.  Not by the way people dressed or behaved, but because everybody and their momma attends this church.  You had to get there early to get a seat in the sanctuary.  And the parking was ridiculous.  I always had to park a number of blocks from the church, and I jacked up two pairs of heels walking the sidewalk on Sunday mornings.

Since I couldn’t find what I wanted on my own, I decided to reach out to my friends on Facebook.  I was very specific with what I requested-a Baptist church located in DC that preferably had a parking lot.  While I am FOREVER grateful for their suggestions and recommendations, nothing really stuck out to me.  So I was back to my own devices.  I especially wanted a church in DC because I work so far from home, I want to be able to worship close to my house-which means I wont’ be driving 40+ minutes 6 days out of the week.  This weekend, I did my own “research” and found a church.  It was Baptist. It was located in DC.  They had a number of ministries.  And it wasn’t far from my house.  When I got there, I didn’t have to park far from the front doors, and when I walked in, everyone was super nice.  The older ladies talked to me like they knew me.  The message was great, I enjoyed service, and I even saw a face that I recognized.  All in all, it was a great Sunday morning.  The church isn’t super big, but I do get the feeling that most everyone knows everyone.  And it was slightly diverse. I noticed a few non-Blacks in the pews.

So, this may be a bit premature, but I think I’ve found a church home.  Of course I have to attend a few more services to be sure, but I will definitely be going back.  For those of you that pray, please say a prayer on my behalf.  Please pray that if this is the church for me, that God will show me in due time.  Until next time, I’m just a Southern girl…in the city!

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Who is Billy Chambers?

Posted on May 10, 2013 by EvolvingElle

If you were asking yourself that question last night, you are not a true Gladiator.  Just when I begin to get disilluisioned and disappointed with “Scandal”, Shonda & Co. reel me back in.  Kudos to my neighbor, Ms. V., for saying months ago that Billy Chambers was still alive.  I have to admit, I speculated that the mole/Albatross was either Cyrus or the Governor of Maryland.  This show proves that just because someone isn’t on your tv screen anymore means that they’ve disappeared never to return again.

So, for those of you that need a re-cap of Billy, here you go.  No thanks are required.  Billy Chambers was Sally Langston’s Chief of Staff (her Cyrus).  During the primary, Billy was hell bent on taking down Fitz; so much so, he planted a recording device in his hotel room while Fitz was on the campaign trail.  Turned out, that was the first night Olivia and Fitz were together.  While the woman on the tape never speaks, Billy thinks he’s hit gold.  When he goes to present said tape to Sally, she’s all too happy to announce that she has decided to run as Fitz’s VP, which crushes Billy.  So he holds on to the tape.  Fast forward two years, Billy talks his “girlfriend”, Amanda Tanner, into having an affair with the president.  Amanda goes public with her story, although her identity is not revealed at first.  Cyrus, in an effort to make Amanda Tanner disappear, hires Charlie to take care of her. A copy of the tape is sent to Fitz and Cyrus, but they are at a loss of what to do.  But they decide to take it public.  When the tape is released, Mellie says it’s her.  (Billy can’t catch a break!!!)  Quinn’s reporter boyfriend, Gideon, has been researching the Amanda Tanner story and figured out Billy was involved with Amanda.  Billy, scared for his life because things have gotten out of control, stabs Gideon, resigns from his Chief of Staff position, and the last time anyone sees him, he’s on the elevator with Charlie…

Now, that you’re all caught up on Billy, let’s talk about David.  Something about David never sat quite well with me with him working at Pope and Associates.  And now I know why.  And Olivia was WAY too comfortable to open her safe in front of everyone, ESPECIALLY David.  I think her happy bliss has caused her to let her guard down.  And that is most unfortunate.

Poor James.  I don’t care how upset you are about what’s going on around you and feeling like your world is crumbling down, Cyrus was SO disrespectful and just plain mean to James yesterday.  His attitude was totally uncalled for.  But we know that Cyrus is a monster anyway, so should we really be surprised?

So, I’m totally confused.  Did David really kill that girl?  How did Billy get into the White House records?  How did Billy and David get together anyway?  Why is Billy trying to kill Olivia?  What is Byron Douglas and Jake’s real end game? (Even though I think I have that figured out, I’m still not sure.)  Are Defiance and Albatross even related???  And who is this faux Olivia Pope helping Mellie?  I have no shame in admitting I woke up and re-watched “Scandal” this morning.  I was still confused and needed answers, not that re-watching helped answer them.

Anywho, I was all set to have a watch party for the season finale next week and then decided that would not be a good idea.  While I love my friends, I don’t need ANY distractions next week.  My friends like to talk, no matter how much they admit they don’t, and probably won’t hush up after commercial breaks.  So, I will have my own Pop Secret and glass of bubbly prepped at 9:59 pm.  Until next time, I’m just a Southern girl…in the city!

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I Guess This IS Real Life

Posted on May 9, 2013 by EvolvingElle

If you weren’t aware, I’m originally from South Carolina, born and raised, on the playground is where I spent most of days… (Sorry, I got a little carried away.)  I loved growing up in South Carolina.  Even though it’s not the Deep South, it’s still the South, and you encounter a few folks that remind you it’s still the South, but for the most part, I had no issues growing up.  Unfortunately, just like there are people from EVERY state that do crazy things, I’m not too happy of some of the activities from people in my home state.  I love SC fiercely, but sometimes things happen that I just don’t understand and make me lower my Palmetto Flag just a little.  I’ve already discussed the representative that shouted at President Obama during his first State of the Union address, yet I’ve never mentioned former governor Mark Sanford.

Mark Sanford was governor from 2003-2011.  He was married and has 4 boys.  In June 2009, after telling his staff he was going camping, the governor disappeared.  Like he wasn’t answering phone calls from staff and didn’t call his boys on Father’s Day disappeared.  NO ONE could get in touch with him.  He was missing for a total of 6 days.  I distinctly remember telling my co-workers, former military men, that he was with a woman.  They looked at me like I was crazy.  A few days later, it came out the governor was in Argentina with his mistress.  It also came out that Sanford used state funds to visit the other woman.  The fallout included the governor stepping down from his presidential role of the Republican Governors Association, but he had no desire to step down from his gubernatorial post.  His wife left him and their divorce was final the next year.  He is currently engaged to his former mistress.  And he was just (re-)elected to the US House of Representatives in a special election earlier this week.

I say all of this to say I might be wrong.  If you remember my post from last week, I stated that the latest episode of “Scandal” was not real life.  Apparently you can have an affair for years, lie about your whereabouts for a week, admit to using state funds to pay for your adulteress excursions, divorce your wife, run for re-election, and win.  So maybe mistresses and adulterers stay winning after all.  Until next time, I’m just a Southern girl…in the city.

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Don’t Forget the Girls

Posted on May 8, 2013 by EvolvingElle

Thanks to the homey Pretty Brown Girl for allowing me to see the bigger picture and for inspiring this post.

I’m sure most of you have heard the name Charles Ramsey.  He’s done countless interviews for being a hero.  And I know you’ve heard of Amanda Berry, Michelle Knight, and Gina DeJesus.  Oh, you haven’t??? Well, those are the three women that Mr. Ramsey saved, and they have been held captive for 10 years.  These women endured such horrors that I could never imagine.  And all have lived to be reunited with their families.  I do feel for Amanda Berry.  Her mother died in 2006, believing her daughter was dead.

Yesterday morning, a co-worker came up to me and asked if I had seen the interview with Mr. Ramsey.  When I had no clue to what he was referring, he gave me a brief update of the story and strongly suggested I see the video with this man.  Not because he was so eloquent or poised or looked nice.  Or because he felt that I should know about the three women that were rescued.  But because Mr. Ramsey could be viewed as a non-desirable.  Most people having been talking about Mr. Ramsey, from his appearance to his speech to his being a hero.  And while most of us have been focused on him, who is focusing on the victims? Has anyone offered to give them counseling?  Or an education?  Or a home?  Or any resources that they will need after being held captive and being abused for so long?

In short, we need to do better.  Sure, Mr. Ramsey was in the right place at the right time and risked his life to save others.  But let’s not forget these women who completely lost their innocence.  Let’s not forget these women who have been traumatized and victimized and abused for 10+ years.  Let’s not forget that they will need help in order to function as loving, healthy adults.  Don’t forget the girls.  Until next time, I’m just a Southern girl…in the city.

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This is Not Real Life

Posted on May 3, 2013 by EvolvingElle

Just so we’re clear, “Scandal” is a fictional television show. And the events of last night’s episode made it painfully obvious that it is a fictional show. There is no way in sam hill that anyone can walk into the Oval Office and have an arguement with the President, especially his mistress. No matter how well she is known and respected by the staff, it’s not gonna happen. And said person will not go into the Oval Office and have a yelling match with the President. But, let’s back up a step. The President will not threaten his mistress with appearing at her job. Or having Secret Service come kidnap her and bring her to him. Actually, let’s back it up even further. The President would not sit at the bedside of his mistress when she is “attacked” and has to stay in the hospital overnight. Ain’t.gonna.happen.

I know you all have probably been wondering why I haven’t blogged about “Scandal” in a while. Well, besides the fact it was off for three weeks, I didn’t feel like last week’s episode really needed my commentary. But, since we’re discussing it, I’ll give you the Cliff’s Notes version of my take aways/questions: A. I totally understand why Huck is the way he is. B. Does Byron Douglas know Huck is still alive since Charlie did not complete his mission? C. Is Charlie still working for those secret operatives? D. I was right, Cyrus is Albatross.

Now, with this craziness that was on my tv last night. While I LOVE Olivia Pope the Fixer, I can’t stand Olivia Pope the Woman. And I’m over her and Fitz. Glad to see Mellie make good on her threat. Maybe the 3rd season will be how Olivia handles her own scandal…

To the title of this post-that was my theme last night. Olivia marching into Fitz’s office and having a screaming match-not real life. Fitz showing up at Olivia’s apartment and sitting with her waiting on the demise of his marriage-not real life. So to all the “other women”, don’t get your hopes up.

On the flip side, people that get all bent out of shape about this show, read the first sentence of this post. And I guess the same can be said for people like me to who are glued to their couch every Thursday night at 10 pm EST. But I love this show for what it is-entertainment. Hate it or love it, Shonda and Co. are doing a bang-up job. Maybe the lesson in all of this is to treat the people in your life with respect, dignity, honor, and trust. Maybe that’s the take-away. Because THAT is real life. Until next time, I’m just a Southern girl…in the city!

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