I can’t believe that I am exactly one week away from my 27th birthday.  Normally, I would have been thinking about this for weeks.  But there have been a lot of other things going on that have been distracting lately.

Now that I have the big day on my radar, I’m pretty excited. Now I need to start figuring out what my plans for that weekend would be.  I really am just looking forward to a good time with my hubby and friends, lots of presents and surprises would be nice… and cupcakes… (YES! Lot’s of cupcakes!)

I seriously can’t believe how far I’ve come in this life of mine, how many moments of happiness I have been so blessed to see. That is an amazing feeling to have.  I think I will keep that in my pocket.  Happy Friday, everyone .

MTV released their Hottest MCs VII List.  What elements make MCs on top of the music game….Mix tapes, Record sales, Lyrics and Fan base? All of these are part of the mix. Here are my top 10 Hottest MCs List. Who do you think is winning over all this year?

Jocelyn’s Hottest MCs

#1. Rick Ross

#2. Drake

#3. Kanye West

#4. Jay-Z

#5. J.Cole

#6. Tyga

#7. Big Sean

#8. Nicki Minaj

#9. Machine Gun Kelly

#10. Wiz Khalifa

Tyga performing at the Fox Theatre in Detroit.

I had the opportunity to do a story today on a cheerleading competition that is dedicated to raising money for cancer research.

I have to say that this story was really a blessing for me to do.  Cancer has, and will touch so many of us.  Although it’s a tragic thing, I learned from these girls, that it’s not about the tragedy, but about what we do to live on and continue the fight for those that we have lost.  I lost my Grandmother to cancer many years ago.  This just brought back great memories of her,  for me.

Being a storm spotter not only means dedication, but also training. Each spring the Cleveland office of the National Weather Service trains members of police & fire departments, emergency management officials, amateur radio operators and weather interested citizens on spotting techniques. Typically the training is coordinated by a local group (such as an emergency management agency), and a NWS meteorologist serves as the guest instructor. The goal of the training is not just to recognize tornadoes, but to have some understanding of storm structure, which in turn better prepares the spotter for the extreme and unusual circumstances.

SKYWARN Training is FREE and open to the public. Please attend any of the training sessions listed above. You will be trained and enrolled in the program. You do not need to pre-register. Click here for dates and information on registering.

Have you ever knocked a knife off the counter and you do the salsa to avoid it and it hits the floor and you let out a huge sigh of relief? Yea, so have I. But not on Monday. Making a sandwich before work on Monday, I went to grab the bag that holds the Swiss Cheese when all of a sudden I felt a shooting pain in my left foot. I looked down and there was a knife standing straight up in my foot. I apparently did not know the knife was under the cheese bag and it fell off the counter before I even had time to react. It was instant pain, then shock then more pain. Oh, and a lot of blood. I took myself to the hospital, the diagnosis? 4 Stitches and Bruised pride. Lol Doctor told me to stay off of it for the day to let the stitches settle so the wound could heal. I missed work on Monday. Tuesday? I was a walking (sort of) gimp, but I was happy to be back to work and away from sharp kitchen utensils. But of course, I am also a walking/limping punch line. I have to laugh at myself now because it is kind of funny. Two days after it happened, it actually feels a lot better. Still a little tender, but much better than the day it happened. So if you see me hobbling around, feel free to hold open a door for me, it would be greatly appreciated. Also, be safe in the kitchen.

Ouchie

Do you remember back in 2003 when we had a northwest Ohio girl take the American Idol stage?  I’m not talking about Crystal Bowersox this time.

Candice Coleman was our local girl who made it to the top 24 back then. I remember just starting out working at Fox Toledo when Candy was making those national headlines. What an experience.

Through the years I have spoken to Candy for different stories. After Idol, she made herself known in the Toledo music scene. She has been involved in several bands, including East River Drive, Candyland, and Endaci.

Stay tuned for IDOL REWIND on Wednesday night. We sit down with Candice again to talk to her about how the Idol experience changed her life, and why she believes facing those judges made her a stronger person.

By the way, you can check out Candice every week here in northwest Ohio.  She plays with Chris Brown, who is a talented pianist.  She’s usually at the Star Bar on Monroe St. on Wednesdays.. and at Trotters in south Toledo on Thursdays.

No matter what, Jeremy Lin is an amazing story.

Think about what he is. A guy who’s scored at least 20 points in five straight NBA games, all wins for the previously struggling Knicks. That’s not easy, no matter the sample size. And historically speaking, anybody who’s pulled off this kind of run has been at least an NBA veteran, but mostly players who were All-Stars at one point in time or another. What I’m saying is that past history suggests this small sample size is enough to predict that Lin will, at the very least, stick in an NBA rotation somewhere.

And this comes from a guy who so many people say “came out of nowhere.”

But did he really?

Kobe Bryant said, “Players don’t come out nowhere” after Lin dropped 38 on his Lakers. He’s right. Guys don’t just come into the league randomly and score 5 straight wins while scoring 20+ points and 7+ assists in each. That stuff doesn’t happen overnight.

Jeremy Lin won a high school state title in California when he led his team over powerhouse Mater Dei. He was named Northern California Division II high school player of the year. We’re talking talent-rich, population-rich California. We’re not saying he was player of the year in Northern Hawaii or Northern South Dakota. We’re talking California. So it’s not like he wasn’t good in high school.

So how many Division I scholarship offers did he get? ZERO. Yup, zero. Try finding another Cali high school player of the year who didn’t get a single scholarship offer to play ball.

Coaches can say all they want about how his athleticism didn’t really stick out. The guy won a state title in Cali, for crying out loud. They had enough sample size to watch his basketball IQ and how it could lead to winning. He wasn’t a role player on a good team – he was a PLAYER OF THE YEAR.

Am I saying race is an issue? Let’s keep it real here. Of course I am. I can’t say I blame the coaches either. These coaches look for upside, right? Public perception doesn’t exactly scream high-flying athleticism when it comes to Asian Americans. We’re known for being smart and, if we’re playing any sports, it’s supposed to be tennis, golf, or badminton. People don’t expect a Jeremy Lin to crossover his way past John Wall and then dunk it. Lin may have achieved what he did in high school, but coaches placed athletic upside over basketball IQ. It happened. Accept it.

I first noticed Jeremy Lin when I saw that Harvard beat Boston College during his junior season. Not only was an Asian American dude hooping it up on the highlights, he had the stats to show it across the board, whether it be points, assists, and steals. This guy LED them to the big win. They pulled it off again the next year. Lin also had a strong showing against UConn.

That said, I can’t say I expected Lin to be drafted. And I don’t blame race for that. Let’s face it: how many Harvard kids get drafted? How many Ivy League kids get drafted? But he did his thing in the Summer League against Wall, Golden State noticed, and picked him up. Both the Warriors and Houston Rockets cut him, and they had roster situations and financial considerations that forced them to do so. Plus, as both teams’ GM’s have publicly said, they had no way of knowing Lin was going to be like THIS. I agree with them. No one, not even his most ardent supporters, could’ve predicted this.

I’m absolutely stoked to see Jeremy Lin excel as he has. He’s proven he can ball. He’s proven that it doesn’t matter what background you have… you can achieve your dreams.

And if you think race had nothing to do with his “coming out of nowhere,” please find me a high school player of the year in a large talent-rich state who didn’t get ANY DIVISION I OFFER.

It’s simply Linsanity.

I am currently obsessed with cupcakes.  I mentioned a few weeks ago, that I was trying to bake some to avoid emptying my pockets on gourmet ones.  I’m sad to report, my pockets have been emptied, my belly is full, and I’m quite happy about it.  I ate the MOST amazing cupcake ever late last week.  It was pure heaven in the form of a baked good.  It was a Red Velvet Cheesecake cupcake.  Talk about amazing!!!!

As fate would have it, twice this week, my stories have lead me to the neck of the woods where cupcake shops happened to be.  I fell victim every time.  If you notice a few extra pounds that would be why. . LOL.

I think in my next life I will open  a cupcake shop of my own.  I’m taking name suggestions. Email me your ideas.

I just heard something that’s reflective of this weird winter: we’ve had 17 straight days of above-normal temperatures.

That’s made it rough for the good folks from the Toledo-Area Metroparks, who tried to give families a couple of outdoor venues for wintertime fun.

They installed sled riding hills and offer ice skating at Sidecut Metropark in Maumee and at Pearson Metropark in Oregon. The Maumee facility also has outdoor fireplaces for folks to keep warm.

Unfortunately for them, there’s been little snow and temperatures to warm to freeze ponds or an earthen ice rink.

But the deep freeze will hit just in time for the Whitehouse Winterfest this weekend. An Arctic blast is on the way, which will provide below-zero wind chills for the annual event.

Whitehouse Winterfest runs 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the downtown area of that Lucas County community.

Organizers had planned cardboard box sled races, a snowman building contest, a snow angel contest, and ice carvings. It’s hard to tell at this point whether those can be done.

However, there will be horse-and-carriage rides, music, food, and a Snowy Night Light Parade at 6:30 p.m.

Don’t know how “snowy” the parade will be, but the event will go on as planned—with or without snow and ice.

I’m not a wintertime fan, but here’s hoping there’s at least a little of the weekend white stuff so folks can enjoy both the outdoor Metropark facilities and a winterfest.

We’re just a little over a week past Groundhog Day. Here in Toledo we got to hear the predictions of two prognosticator and they offered different predictions.  Holland’s HuckyToo did not see his shadow, meaning he is predicting an early Spring.  HuckyToo Says Early Spring.  Meantime, Pennsylvania’s Punxsutawney emerged from his lair to “see” his shadow on Thursday, in the process predicting six more weeks of winter.  PA. Groundhog Predicts 6 More Weeks of Winter .

If you would like to learn more about the history of Groundhog Day, get some perspective on some of the background and the folklore surrounding this day, Click Here…