In the Mix with Aaliyah Miller

Just a little over a week ago I was celebrating the fact that I completed my first year in Gonzaga University's Communication and Leadership Program . I still remember the semester's intense moments. I wasn't quite sure how I was going to manage my course load with work and becoming a new homeowner, but I managed. Spring has finally arrived and while many students across our nation have graduated, or are looking forward to graduation, I've already started my next two courses in Diversity and Leadership and a Communications Practicum. Gonzaga's campus as the sun sets. Initially, I wasn't looking forward to summer courses, but as part of my course work I get to visit the university. That's a definite plus in my mind. I love to travel and see places I've never been. This Sunday I will fly to Spokane, Washington. It will be my first trip to the state. I will also get to step out of the virtual world of learning and finally meet some of my professors an...

I'm trying to stay focused and make sure I stick to my one entry a week. Considering it's Wednesday I figured I get a post up. I'm in the home stretch for my course and am working on my final paper that is due Friday. I look forward to the sense of relief I will feel. I hope to celebrate by seeing the Avengers with the husband by the end of the week.  Karim and I are also making progress on the painting front. We have two walls finished and our accent wall primed along with the trim in the room. A YEAH is in order!! In other news in my life I've also decided to sign-off of of Facebook. Although Facebook continues to be one of the fasting growing social networking platforms where you can catch up with your friends, share news, post pictures and videos, share/receive status, play games, and last but not least, get a slice of what's happening in the lives of your frienemies. There's a lot to do and I've come to realize how much a time drain Facebook h...

This post is long over due. Yet again, I've fallen off my writing horse and feel the need to own up to my lack of focus on the writing front. I'm not going to beat myself up like I tend to do, instead I just need to break the pattern. I'm not sure if it is because spring is here and I have this need to spring into some writing action or it's the realization that I'm half-way through 2012 and I'm not making the progress I envisioned back in January. Truth be told, I think it's a bit of both. I've come to see that even the layout for Blogger has changed. I'm not sure if I like it, time will tell. Since I've starting blogging I have noticed a few individuals that I follow have switched their blogs to Wordpress  and have been contemplating the change myself. I'm still on the fence about it. If you're a blogger who has made the switch from Blogger to Wordpress I'd be interested in hearing you feedback on the transition. In some mor...

This past weekend Bru Cafe hosted the SWAN (Support Women Artists Now) Day staged reading of Quarter Year Dilemmas , a one-act play directed by Halima Flynn and written by me. The reading was great. We had a stellar turnout! My husband was there as well as a couple of friends who always come out to support my artistic endeavors. Shout out to Carmen, ChaChanna, and Ros. The cast did a phenomenal job as well. In addition to bringing my words to life, they lifted and connected the important themes of friendship and the roles friendships play in dealing with life's struggles to the audience. Quarter Year Dilemmas was written all most 10 years ago. After college I was hoping for 'Sex in the City' and the reality did not match up to the dream. The play was my second attempt at playwrighting and I wrote it at a time in my life when I was frustrated and disillusioned about my dreams and professional expectations in the "real" world. Meet and greet at Bru Cafe, Marc...

Hello all, I'm thrilled to share that there will be a staged reading of Quarter Year Dilemmas on March 31, 2012 at Bru Cafe, 141 Orange Street, New Haven, Connecticut (downtown, two blocks from the New Haven green) from 4 to 8 p.m. The event includes an hour of networking and a talkback with audience members, where they can provide feedback on the play which will be incorporated into subsequent readings and the final production. Quarter Life Dilemmas examines the lives of four friends in their mid-twenties who have realized that life's not so much 'Sex in the City' as it is 'Broke, in Debt, and Hate my Job in the City.' The reading is part of SWAN (Support Women Artists Now) Day . Despite the many great accomplishments women have made over the years, they continue to face enormous employment discrimination in the arts, entertainment and media industries. SWAN Day recognizes this fact and challenges women artists, writers, directors, and performers to us...

 Dancers getting their swing on.  I'm still on a high from the Giant's win last night. What a game! Go GIANTS!! I feel like January has come and quickly, but maybe it's just me. I've gotten back into the swing of things regarding school. My first course this semester focuses on organizational communication. I find the class very relevant to my work which is a nice bonus, but despite that fact I still felt overwhelmed when the course began. I find that is a pattern I go through. School equals stress for me and I have come to adjust to that fact. And although I was back into the swing of things on the school front, I wasn't back on all fronts. A little over a month ago I declared that I would be writing a page a day. I must come clean and admit I didn't. My SMART start was delayed. Two nights ago that changed thanks to the hubby. He asked me how I was doing on my screenwriting goals and if I've been writing my page a day? I told him, "N...

I value birthdays. I think they're important. I know there are millions of people who don't celebrate their birthday or place the value that I do on them. For me birthdays are significant in looking at where we've come, where we are, and where we may be going. That is why I'm proud to acknowledge and celebrate the 39 years since the Supreme Court's decision Roe v.s Wade. Under Roe v.s. Wade the Court ruled that women have a right to privacy under the due process law of the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution and gives a women the right to have an abortion. Since the passing of this law 39 years ago, abortion remains a contentious social issue in American politics. Policymakers on both  federal and state levels seek to reverse this decision and in my opinion set back the clock on this right given to women in our nation. Meanwhile advocates of choice have been fiercely fighting to maintain this right for women. Naral Pro-Choice America , an organizati...