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American Flags at Veteran’s Memorial Waterfront Park
Posted on November 13th, 2007 by Shavonne.
Categories: Uncategorized.
Can you believe it? I’m a veteran and I almost forgot about Veteran’s Day. It’s one of the few holidays I can actually celebrate. LOL
Happy Veteran’s Day!
Making money via blogging
Posted on October 24th, 2007 by Shavonne.
Categories: Uncategorized.
I don’t think my blog will ever be popular in the blogosphere. However, if it should ever come to be, I will never pass the cost of reading/maintaining my blog to my readers.
Why is this? Because there are people with blogs and video blogs who make money via advertisements. Companies are willing to pay for space on blogs!
One blogger is requiring readers to purchase a subscription for $20 per month to read her blog. You can get a whole year’s subscription for a whopping $200! I’m all for getting paid for knowledge and advice on a subject, however, I believe she could make more money by soliciting companies to buy space on her blog.
For example, lg15.com earns 10K a month from advertisements! I read this in a tech/gadget magazine. So if they can make that much money on a 3-minute video blog a month, this blogger can certainly garnish a nice chunk of change from the hot-button topics on her blog.
My Curly Hair
Posted on October 23rd, 2007 by Shavonne.
Categories: Uncategorized.
I really like my hair like this. I really do. But there are things that come along with wearing my hair like this that I don’t like.
For example, I had to load my hair with a lot of goo to get it to look like this. I used products from the Curls hair product line. I think they are great but I don’t like having to wash my hands three times just to get the leave in conditioners off my fingers.
The other thing I don’t like I how much hair comes out in the shower as I’m combing out my hair with the conditioner. I also don’t like the hair that ends up around my sink and floor after I’m done with the grooming process.
Third, it’s Fall and soon the cold of Winter will approach the Antelope Valley and I can’t go about walking outside with a wet head. So, if I wanted to wear my hair like this in the coldest months of the year, I would have to style it at night. The only problem with this is my hair will lose its shape and I will end up looking like I’m wearing a curly ‘fro wig which is fine on the weekends but not the look I want for my job. Urgh!!!
And Matthew McConaughey is dating some Brazilian chick and I’m majorly pissed off about it!!!!
Tunnel Vision
Posted on September 26th, 2007 by Shavonne.
Categories: Uncategorized.
I took a trip to the Apple store to play around with the new Macs. I always take a picture with one of the computers to commemorate the occasion.
Life in the AV
Posted on September 19th, 2007 by Shavonne.
Categories: Uncategorized.
Before I left Afghanistan, I said to a friend “My friends are probably up to the same stuff they were up to when I left.” It turned out to be true.
I’ve been home for over two weeks now and back to the life I had been hoping to escape by now. Why did I come back?
I discovered that one friend is living in a women’s shelter because her husband has been using her head as a punching bag. WTF?! I’ve met the guy and hung out with them several times and I never got the impression he was a woman beater! What a gross misjudgment on my part. They’ve filed for divorce. I have no idea how to get in touch with her. I just hope she and her 1-year-old son are okay.
My other friend, what can I say, she’s been doing the same thing for like the last ten years. She just had another baby, her third baby with a guy who’s not only shown her he doesn’t want to be with her, but verbally said this to her almost ten years ago! I wish I could say she’s finally seen the light but I can’t. This would be one of dozens of times she’s called it quits with this guy. It’s a situation much like Kim Porter and Sean “P. Diddy” Combs.
I was very disappointed when she told me the news. All I could do was congratulate her. There was no point in asking her what she was thinking at the time. I already know.
I’m sad to say that I miss Afghanistan. It’s been a long time since I was around people my age who weren’t saddled down with responsibilities, mostly because they couldn’t bring their families to Afghanistan.
My New Website
Posted on September 10th, 2007 by Shavonne.
Categories: Uncategorized.
I bought iLife ‘08 and installed it. I tested out the iWeb application and redesigned my blog. I’m not sure I want to host my website with dot Mac. Many of the features I’m used to with Wordpress/Dot5hosting I’m not getting with dot Mac. One feature I like about my blog now is that I can edit comments and leave a response to a particular comment in the same comment box but in a different color. Also, comments count towards disk space. After a while, I will have to go through my comments and delete them and that sounds like too much work. Before I lost the content of my blog a few months ago, I had over 500 comments. I couldn’t image deleting them all.
Here is the URL for the dot Mac website I created. It’s for a limited time only and won’t be available 57 days from the date of this post. Tell me what you think.
http://web.mac.com/shavonne_natasha
Journey Home
Posted on September 8th, 2007 by Shavonne.
Categories: Uncategorized.
I lucked out when I landed in Bagram. I was able to get myself book for a flight out that night.
Manas, Kyrgyzstan - I don’t know what to say about the place. It doesn’t appear to be dangerous because folks stationed there can leave the base. It is in a tax-free zone so that’s a plus. The chow hall is definitely better than ISAF.
The camp is also five times bigger than ISAF and there doesn’t seem to be as many people. That’s all I can say about the place. I meant to get a picture of a mountain peak I saw when I was there but I didn’t feel like getting out my camera.
Incirlik, Turkey - It was hot! Around 97 Degrees Fahrenheit and it was humid. I sat in the terminal waiting to reboard the aircraft. It wasn’t that bad because they had free wireless internet there.
Baltimore, Maryland-I arrived BWI around 2300 hours on September 1st. The USO was closed so the airport staff allowed myself and other service members to rest in the observation lounge. I was great as they had cushioned benches and I was able to get some much needed rest.
I called my mom to let her know I was on US soil. She was happy to hear that. I can’t wait to get home so I can rest. I don’t really miss home as much as I hate being in the Army. I don’t think anything could surpass my desire to be done with my military commitment.
I’ve noticed the children around me. They are so cute. I dont’ know if it’s the fact that I haven’t seen small children in a while or what. I still don’t want any at the moment.
There’s this guy sitting across from me reading a book. He has earbuds in his ear. I wonder if he owns a Mac. That would make him extra hot if he does. I wonder how old he is.
I didn’t accomplish much after finally arriving at CRC on Sunday, September 2nd. I turned in my weapon to the armory then went to billeting to get my room and linen. After that, I went to my room and took a very long shower then washed the dirty clothing that had built up since my departure from ISAF.
The following morning (Monday) I got up early to see where I was supposed to report to. I didn’t get much help. One person on the staff said I probably wouldn’t get any direction as to what I would be doing and where I would be going until after Labor Day. Huh?
I eventually ran into one of the officers I traveled from Germany with. He told me where to go so I could get my outprocessing started. That helped a lot. I guess everyone was assuming I was with the large group of soldiers coming from Iraq.
I didn’t take any pictures of my journey home. There really wasn’t much to take pictures of anyway as I don’t like to have myself photographed in uniform. Sorry. It’s my policy.
Friday, September 7, 2007
I’m finally home. It’s great to be back. I slept most of the day away. That was the first thing I wanted to do when I got back now that I no longer have to sleep in a twin-size bed in a room with two other people.
I went through my closet to find something to wear. Let’s just say that the first thing I’m going to do tomorrow is go shopping for some new threads.
Setting an example
Posted on August 15th, 2007 by Shavonne.
Categories: Uncategorized.
“I am fortunate to have been raised by my father, married to my mother, raising kids together and setting strong moral and ethical standards.” - Diva, Musings of a Diva
I’ve been bombarded lately with people who have no regard for setting any kind of example for their children. I met a man today who didn’t like wearing protection when he had sex with his girlfriend then accused her of trying to trap him when she ended up pregnant. This man is previously divorced with two children. One of my roommates plans on getting pregnant a year from now and doesn’t care that she isn’t married. By the way, she wasn’t married when she had her first kid either but that’s another story.
Diva’s quote reminded of a post I had written ages ago about wanting to set an example and stop with the nonsense of having children without marriage and committment. Yes, it can and has been done, but in my opinion it is wrong for so many reasons. Here is that post:
I used to have a membership with match.com. I don’t know why I joined, oh wait I do, my friend joined and told me it’s a great way to meet men from outside the Antelope Valley. So I gave it a try.
I got plenty of responses but I think it had something to do with my screen name and picture.
One guy in particular could not fathom that I could be single and really wanted to know how/why I’ve remained single for so long. So I told him the truth:
Why am I still single? I don’t really have an answer to that. I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s because I’m a Davis. My grandmother died recently, and at her funeral I saw family that I hadn’t seen in a while. The one thing I noticed is that all the women related to me by blood, were single. Though my grandmother was married for over 50 years, she and my grandfather were separated for like 49 of those years (grandpa was a rolling stone). He was around long enough to make a baby (six babies), and then he’d split.
My mom and her two sisters, all single. All of my female cousins (with the exception of one who’s last name was changed when she was a child) are single. And I’m still single.
I don’t know if there’s really a curse, but after four generations, it seems the need for a man has been bred out of us or something.
Then there’s the fact that I haven’t met a guy that could make me happier than I’ve managed to make myself. I hope this has answered your question.
I never heard from him again. (I can’t believe I’m cracking up right now. It really isn’t funny.) When I think about the women in my family, it’s very tragic. To think the actions of one lousy man could effect my mom and her sisters, me and my cousins, and even my cousins children to the point that we can’t trust men.
My grandmother raised six children by herself. My mom and her sisters, never actually said it, but I know they thought it when they were with the fathers of their children…
Let’s just skip the life together.
You’re going to leave me anyway.
Give me your sperm. Thanks!
Now be on your way.That’s the real issue with the Davis women. They’ve never seen a proper male/female relationship. They’ve never seen a marriage were there was devotion between a man and woman and a commitment to not only raising a family but keeping it together and functional. That’s why I’m still single.
See what I mean? My maternal grandmother and grandfather set a horrible example for three generations after. There is nothing normal about this. That four line poem brings me to tears but it sums up my family accurately.
First Things and Other Things
Posted on August 6th, 2007 by Shavonne.
Categories: Uncategorized.
When I get home, the first thing I’m going to do is hit an In N Out burger. I’ve been craving a real cheeseburger since I left California. It’s one of the few restaurants I’ll miss if I ever leave California.
Now, for the other things. One of the unappealing aspects of being in the military is the fact that no matter how poorly you perform your job, you can’t get fired. I’ve spoken with two people on this subject. One person said knowing you can’t get fired no matter what you do is comforting. The second person said reenlisting is one of the first things on the to do list. The second person performs her job poorly.
Is there something I’m missing here? I personally would never perform any job poorly. Even with the Army, I at least try to uphold some kind of above-average job performance standard despite being bombarded with non-stop bullshit. And by bullshit, I mean the crap you’re not troubled with at civilian jobs.
Speaking of other things I don’t like about the military. When I was in AIT, I noticed animosity between the four branches. Being in Afghanistan, you’d think being American would unite the four branches and that you’d see more uniformity but there isn’t. There are soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen from over a dozen different countries on the camp I’m at. Their Armies, Navies, Air Forces, and Marines (that’s if these countries have four branches of military) all seem to be “fighting” the same battle (?).
Golly, this is more difficult to explain than I thought.
Take the British Forces. They all wear the same uniform. So do the French, Italians, Germans, Slovaks, etc., but our forces are so busy trying to look different from each other. While I applaud the Army for the change in uniforms, I’m actually saddened by the fact that there is a change in uniforms in all four branches giving each branch a distinctive look. In my opinion, American Forces should be wearing the same uniform!
Maybe that’s why I’m craving a dang cheeseburger so much. It reminds me of America and they’re pretty much the same no matter which restaurant you go to. The one thing that separates In N Out from the other burger joints is the quality of their burgers. They’re so dang good. 
What About Our Daughters vs. BET
Posted on July 27th, 2007 by Shavonne.
Categories: Uncategorized.
There’s been some controversy over BET’s new show “Hot Ghetto Mess”. A fellow blogger from What About Our Daughters took a stance against the show by targeting companies that advertised during the show’s premier and it worked. Sort of.
I’m no fan of BET. In fact, even if I were able to watch the network, I still wouldn’t have been willing to watch the show just to find out which advertisers to boycott. It isn’t just about “Hot Ghetto Mess”. This is about all of the inappropriate, unoriginal programming aired by BET for the last decade!
I will continue to do with BET what I’ve done with Ebony and Essence magazines-I will continue to deny them my money and my time.