The Man Who Was Almost a Man

I don't like sports, but I stumbled upon this Showtime documentary about former NBA star Allen Iverson and found it absolutely riveting.  In many ways, Iverson's life can be seen as a series of blessings and curses that played out on a grand scale.  On one hand, he was lucky enough to attract coaches and teachers who acted as parental figures when poverty prevented his biological parents from being effective guides into adulthood.  On the other hand, these adults couldn't prevent him from being unfairly convicted of three counts of "maiming by mob" connected to a racially motivated fight in a bowling alley. (Ironically the "maiming by mob" statute was originally intended to combat lynching).

Iverson was lucky enough to attract the attention of NBC's Tom Brokaw who did a story on him that highlighted his athletic potential, the harshness of his felony conviction and the resulting five year prison sentence.  Eventually his sentence was commuted by Virginia Governor Douglass Wilder, and his conviction was overturned.  Nevertheless, Iverson spent time in a prison work camp at the height of his career as a dual-sport athlete for a crime that video evidence proves that he did not commit.  Perhaps what looked like a chip on his shoulder or resistance to authority was PSTD.  He was 17 years old and authority had failed him.

Despite his criminal conviction, Iverson was able to earn an athletic scholarship to Georgetown University, and while there, he developed a nurturing relationship with coach John Thompson.  Unfortunately, he left Georgetown without a college degree in order to join the NBA.  How would Iverson been different if he had two additional years under Thompson's guidance to develop as a man?

Despite his prodigious talent,  Iverson  was never able to win a championship.  During his time in the NBA he seemed to be looking for a father figure who would provide unconditional support, yet he challenged those who would have offered it to him.  It was as if he was asking coaches and fans, "If I show you my worst would you still care about me?"  The answer was defiantly "no" and Iverson had to learn the hard way that the NBA is a business and not a family. The last quarter of the documentary is heartbreaking as it details Iverson's being shuttled from team to team looking for a home.   The film glosses over his divorce, financial issues, and struggles with alcohol but it is definitely insightful, emotionally engaging, and worth watching.

Iverson is available on Showtime on Demand.

The Little Things

Happiness comes in all sorts of packages . . .

1. Sephora + Pantone Universe Matte Lip Creme in Masala: The search for the perfect nude lipstick led me to Sephora this week.  My intention was to exchange a Nars lipstick that was too light for a deeper shade from the same company.  When I complimented the beauty consultant on her lip color she led me to this Sephora brand lipstick.  Masala is an intense rose colored brown, which is considerably lighter than the colors that I usually wear.  Because Masala is the Pantone Color of the Year, many of the beauty consultants were wearing it, and I was able to see how flattering it is on women of all skin tones.

The texture of the lipstick is creamy without being shiny, and the packaging is fabulous! Plus, the Sephora brand lipstick is almost half the cost of the Nars.   The only downside is that it has the smell and taste of drugstore lipstick.  My New Years Resolution is to stop being such a lipstick snob :)

Available at sephora.com

2. The Affair: The Affair comes on Showtime after Homeland, which is one of the shows that I watch religiously.  However, after looking at part of the first episode I realized that the amount of sex on the show precluded me from even thinking about turning it on until way after Chloe went to sleep.  Once I finally had a chance to watch it, I was immediately drawn in by the dual-narrative format of the show.  This is the story of an affair (and a murder) told from the differing perspectives of the two people involved in it.  The Affair makes you question the nature of the truth and the stories we tell about ourselves.  As Toni Morrison says in The Bluest Eye, "to find out the truth of how dreams die, one should never take the word of the dreamer."

 Oh, and Dominc West is fine! If you liked him in The Wire, he's basically playing a more education version of McNulty on this show.

Photo: Baltimore Sun

3. The Men We Reaped: Last year, I read and enjoyed Jesmyn Ward's Salvage the Bones. Her use of metaphor reminded me of Toni Morrison, and even though I wasn't interested in the plot of the story her language and characters kept me engaged.  The Men We Reaped is a memoir which describes her experiences growing up in Mississippi and the deaths of several of the male members of her family.  The subject matter is depressing, but Ward's interpretation of it is frequently insightful.

Photo: mobilebaymag.com

4. Perfect365: I'm probably the oldest person on Instagram, but I could care less!  I follow celebrity stylist June Ambrose, and after looking at her pictures I began to suspect that she was using some kind of app to give her skin a glowy, even tone.  After some research I found the FREE app called Perfect365.  The picture on the left is an unretouched selfie.  In the picture on the right I evened my skin-tone, softened the bags under my eyes, slimmed my face a bit, and added more blush.  The result is subtle, but noticeable.  If this is what I can do in a few minutes for free, imagine what celebrities do.  Everything is indeed an illusion.

(Be careful with mixing the retouched picture with Instagram filters.  The result can be waxy-fake looking skin.)

Wearing my new lipstick from Sephora!

5. Grilled Skuna Bay Salmon @ Minton's.  Charli, Chloe, and I headed to Minton's this Sunday for a reunion dinner. With the exception of having to watch a  European woman with an iPad dancing around in what looked like her pajamas, we had a great time.  The standouts of the meal were the Arugula Salad with poached pears, boiled peanuts, and black eyed peas, and the Grilled Salmon served with with Fried Dirty Rice, Peanut Butter Collards, and Mustard BBQ  Sauce.  So yummy!

6.  Lush Tender is the Night Massage Bar: I have always been into Lush bath bombs, and their Karma perfume is my signature scent (although it has been impossible to find recently).  I like that their products are natural, but don't smell like vanilla or musk.  The Massage Bar is part of the gift basket that I received from Misa (that child has good taste!) As you rub the bar on your body the cocoa-butter melts into your skin like a lotion.  I've even been using it on my scalp in the paths between my cornrows.  Chloe uses it too and she says "I like this because it's soft and it makes your skin shiny."

www.lush.com

7. Brunch @ Lido: Lido is definitely my favorite restaurant, and you can't go wrong with good friends and bottomless mimosas! Happy New Year!