I love the positive vibes of this song! Thank you universe/ Rdio for randomly bringing this song into my life!

 I tried a new recipe from realhousemoms.com to take to a potluck and it was a HIT! Check it out.

• 2 15-oz cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups spinach
• ¼ cup sweet onion, chopped finely
• Juice from 1½ limes
• ¾ cup fresh Cilantro
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp kosher salt + ground pepper

Instructions

1. In a food processor, add the spinach and pulse a few times until chopped very small
2. Add the processed spinach, drained garbanzo beans, and chopped onion into a large bowl
3. In the food processor (no need to rinse the bowl!), add the lime juice, cilantro, mustard, sugar, garlic, cumin, and oil and process until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed
4. Pour the dressing on top of the spinach/garbanzo bean mixture and stir well
5. Add salt and pepper to taste
6. Refrigerate for about 10 minutes to let the flavors develop
7. Enjoy

I'm a fan of Kevin Hart, but I haven't gotten the chance to see his film with Ice Cube, Ride Along. However, I did have my own ride along with the local police department and it was an experience, to say the least. Read my response below. 

  Up first on my summer reading list is The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander. Let me just say that Michelle is KILLING THE GAME! During the first year of law school, I became extremely fascinated with law, punishment, and the criminal justice system.  My mind is boggled by the arbitrary nature of it all and the substantial societal impacts of encounters with the criminal justice system. It's what I like to call "blatant disregard for human life." Michelle highlights many of these problems and consequences using social science literature and legal cases. Her book is an easy, yet informative read. She utilizes historical analysis to put together the puzzle pieces in a manner that makes you want to kick yourself for not having noticed the silence surrounding this modern day social issue. The New Jim Crow is fantastic for reviewing the literature and providing a starting point for further research on mass incarceration.

I can't wait to get started. 

I also watched the PBS Documentary "Slavery by Another Name" which establishes the modern day penal system in a historical context. A must see. Check out the preview below. 

My three goals for 2014:

Focus.
Finish everything I start.
Surrender. 

On December 21, 2013, Duke University announced here that J. Gregory Dees passed away.  I am deeply saddened because Greg Dees was truly a pioneer in Social Entrepreneurship. It was his early writings that sparked my passion for socially innovative work. His work has challenged me to academically fill the many voids that proliferate the social enterprise literature and continue to explore the frontiers of social purpose ventures. He paved the way for social entrepreneurship as a field of academic study, and in his memory, I proudly carry the torch. I am lucky to build upon such a great legacy.

Standing on the shoulders of giants. 

Anybody that knows me knows that I LOVE cookies! Chocolate chip, macadamia nut, snicker doodle, you name it, I'm a true cookie monster. 

Besides my guilty pleasure of indulging in delicious delectables, cookies have been on my mind--internet cookies, that is. Cookies have become avenues for targeted advertising, creating a new phenomenon on the World Wide Web. A friend mentioned something about a french coffee press, so I went to Cooking.com to check out the different presses. Next thing I know, I log on to Facebook, and BAM! At the top of my news feed is an ad to "Like" Cooking.com. It's also happened with clothing sites, and several other random sites that pepper my internet experience. I found a way to opt out of this targeted advertising on Facebook, but Gmail and several other sites engage in the same practices.  I understand the economic advantages of targeted advertising, but geez, these blatant violations of privacy are annoyingly imposed on Internet users for capitalistic gains. 

I just want it to stop. Leave my cookies alone. 

This semester has been a whirlwind, to say the least. However, there is one thing that is certain and has been a consistent theme throughout all of my endeavors: the value of a supportive team. My team is composed of family, friends, colleagues, mentors, peers--anybody and everybody who plays a role in my journey. I appreciate my "on the ground" team, my friends who are physically there for the ins and outs of daily life: they're beside me in the library during the wee hours, pumping iron with me in the gym, providing notes for a missed class, or hanging out on a Friday night. Equally important is my "cross country" team, those individuals who I can call on day and night and not mention one thing about school. I may only see them a few times a year, but our relationship is so genuine that it never skips a beat. They keep me grounded, shape my perspective, and bring joy into my life.

One of the things I love about most traveling and meeting new people is a recurring revelation: We're not that different. There is just something that transcends geographical boundaries, religious ideologies, and cultural traditions, let's call it HUMANITY. I love when it is captured in photography. Check out this photographer's project posing strangers as family on the streets of New York.