Bump The Do's & Don'ts of Holiday Munchin!!!

Once again... we are all faced with the looming thought of trying to lose our "holiday weight" at the first of the year. Thus... it being pretty damn pointless to try to avoid eating all the good -ish that we all grew up on; Granny's sweet potatoe pie, or the macaroni and cheese, greens, lemon cake, pound cakes, honey cured ham,... chile' I could go on and on. But instead of me preaching to you all about the Do's and Don'ts of safe holiday snacking... I'm going to do the exact opposite. That's what the NEW YEAR is for dammit! So you can work all that good eatin off!

1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit and needs to be immediately slapped! In fact, if you see carrots, leave ASAP! Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.

2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. Like fine single-malt scotch, it's rare. Ya'll know that it only comes out once a year so err'body is tryin to get some of it. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every damn sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an eggnog-aholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two... and as a matter of fact... drop a dash of gin in that mugg too! It's later than you think. It's Christmas!

3. If something comes with gravy, use it. Use it on every damn thing on the table! That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.

4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission... what's the fun in that right?

5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello? Opperative words... FREE FOOD!

6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.

7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.

8. Same for pies. Apple. Pumpkin. Sweet Potatoe & Pecan. Have a slice of each. Or, if you don't like pecan, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Easter? Damn the chocolates... go for the carbs!!!!

9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards dudes!

10. One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Reread tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner.

Ying Yang Twins Release Holiday Album... FOR WHAT???

Did we really need to hear ANYTHING else from these two dudes? I personally, could have gone the rest of my life not even knowing if they still existed... but that's just me.

Anyways, The Ying Yang Twinz become the latest hip hop group to get into the holiday spirit as they have announced plans to release a new Christmas album called “The Ying and the Yang of the Holidays.” The new EP will feature the twins putting their own twist on traditional Christmas songs including “Sleigh Ride” [. The video features D-Rock and Kaine drinking eggnog, smoking blunts and wishing for peace in the hood. The Ying Yang Twinz also crunk up Christmas with songs like “This Christmas,” “Deck Da Club” and “Carol of Da Bellz.” The new album is in stores now so make sure you pick it up. The Twinz are currently working on their next official album will featuring producer Joe Traxx.

Happy Juneteenth!

Just a little history for those of you who don't know about Juneteenth. I, for one, didn't know anything about it until I went to college. I had grandparents who never talked about things such as this, and I had to learn through reading and people who actually knew their history on the topic.

Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, is an annual holiday or holiday observance in 27 states of the United States. Celebrated on June 19, it commemorates the announcement of the abolition of slavery in Texas. The holiday originated in Galveston, Texas; for more than a century, the state of Texas was the primary home of Juneteenth celebrations. However, one small community in Arkansas (Wilmer) boasts that its celebration, called "June Dinner" has been consistently observed and celebrated, except for one year, since approximately 1870. Since 1980, Juneteenth has been an official state holiday in Texas. It is considered a "partial staffing holiday" meaning that state offices do not close but some employees will be using a floating holiday to take the day off. Twelve other states list it as an official holiday, including Arkansas, New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Alaska. In California, Governor Schwarzenegger proclaimed June 19th "Juneteenth" on June 19, 2005. However, some of these states, such as Connecticut, do not consider it a legal holiday and do not close government offices in observance of the occasion. Its informal observance has spread to some other states, with a few celebrations even taking place in other countries. Though the Emancipation Proclamation had been issued on September 22, 1862, with an effective date of January 1. 1863, it had little immediate effect on most slaves’ day-to-day lives, particularly in Texas, which was almost entirely under Confederate control. Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, the day Union General Gordon Granger and 2,000 federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas to take possession of the state and enforce the emancipation of its slaves. Legend has it while standing on the balcony of Galveston’s Ashton Villa, Granger read the contents of “General Order No. 3” The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor. The freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere. That day has since become known as Juneteenth, a name derived from a portmanteau of the words June and nineteenth. Former slaves in Galveston rejoiced in the streets with jubilant celebrations. Juneteenth celebrations began in Texas the following year. Across many parts of Texas, freed people pooled their funds to purchase land specifically for their communities’ increasingly large Juneteenth gatherings — including Houston's Emancipation Park, Mexia's Booker T. Washington Park, and Emancipation Park in Austin. Juneteenth celebrations include a wide range of festivities, such as parades, street fairs, cookouts, or park parties and include such things as music and dancing or even contests of physical strength and intellect. Baseball and other popular American games may also be played. As of June 2008, 28 states, as well as the District of Columbia, have recognized Juneteenth as either a state holiday or state holiday observance; these include Texas, Oklahoma, Florida, Delaware, Idaho, Alaska, Iowa, California, Wyoming, Missouri, Connecticut, Illinois, Louisiana, New Jersey, New York, Colorado, Arkansas, Oregon, Kentucky, Michigan, New Mexico, Virginia, Washington, Tennessee, Massachusetts, Vermont, and North Carolina

Happy Fathers Day!!!!!!!

We have long celebrated the mothers of the world, but today is the day for the dads out there. Happy Fathers Day to those men out there that are handling their business and being real dads!