Pardon my brief hiatus from the blog – real life shit is going on. On Thursday, I underwent surgery to have two benign tumors removed from my right breast. I’ve had lumps in my breast for seven years. I know you’re thinking, “OMG Toi! Why would you walk around with lumps in your breast for seven years??” The lumps are not cancerous, they are benign tumors called fibroadenoma. My doctor says fibroadenoma is pretty frequent among women of color – echoed by conversations I’ve had with relatives and friends. My grandmother and aunt both had fibroadenoma breast tumors, as well as two friends from college. Another friend told me that women in her family have had lumps as well.

I’d always planned to have the lumps removed at some point. I’d put it off for so long. The tumors aren’t cancerous, and the idea of surgery freaked me the hell out. A day came where I had to decide whether to live with the tumors or not. If I didn’t get them removed, I’d have to closely monitor them for the rest of my life. That means mammograms every six months (I’m not even 30!) and frequent doctor visits. I don’t have time for all that because, well, I’m heading into the prime of my life. I don’t want be bogged down with appointments and co-pays. I’m too busying fancying life.

Despite my fear of getting surgery, I got the lumps removed. There is some post-surgery pain. There will be some scarring. I have to wear a sports bra (no underwire) for the next two weeks. These things will pass. My girls look and feel like they’ve been wounded in battle, but my breasts are healthier.

If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.
Charlotte Bronte

If you are a young woman of color reading this, get regular breast exams. If you’re a young woman not of color, get regular breast exams. Fibroadenoma can affect any of us.

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I’m really excited to participate in this giveway!t YuFit- an online personal training portal with workouts on demand – is offering 9 HipHopMuse.com readers a free 60 day membership. Members get access to doznes of HD quality streaming workouts anytime, anywhere there’s an internet connection. Yufit classes include: Yoga Flow, Cardio Kickboxing, Power Body, and much more. Classes are updated weekly, and a social networking component is in place for members to interact with the instructors and other members.

A few years back, I hired a personal trainer to help kick my butt into shape, and I paid him $50 a session. I overpaid, but at the time I was adamant about getting into shape. I made sure to absorb everything the trainer taught me so I would know what to do when I worked out on my own. I’d never pay $50 per session to a trainer again! Yufit memberships are only $9.99 a month, much cheaper than a monthly gym membership. No crowds, no commute, and about the same price as a workout DVD. There’s no excuse to skip workouts with this!

If you want to try Yufit, simply retweet this post and leave a comment below telling me your new year fitness resolutions. I’m collecting entries until Saturday, Jan 21, 2012. This is the chance to get closer to achieving those fitness goals, so hop to it!

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Prince Aries – Pump Your Breaks (Full Mix) by SWTBRDS

Via Prince Aries’ Tumblr

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Chelsea Handler’s red denim/black blouse outfit is cute as well. Chelsea’s style is cool and casual, but still fly and well put together. My kinda girl!

My take on the black blouse/red denim look:

Button Front Tops by Topshop
Platforms by BCBG MAX AZRIA

Video via HipHopDX

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The video is a lighthearted one – I’m talking about the pieces I picked up from Forever 21 over New Year’s weekend. I hope you enjoy…because there will be more coming in the future!

xoxo

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Happy new year comrades! We made it through the holidays…now it’s back to real life. I for one am glad the holiday craziness has ended. January signifies a new year, a fresh start, and letting go of outdated habits and adopting (or readopting) better ones.

I don’t make resolutions, but I do set daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly goals for myself.  Self improvement isn’t something to resolve to do in January – it’s an ongoing, everyday process. Life changes can cause goals and priorities to shift at the drop of a hat so it’s best to have a loose script rather than a rigid list of resolutions.

One of my goals is to prepare my own meals more often. For someone who knows how to cook it’s really a shame – in 2011 my takeout bill was shamefully high because I was too lazy to cook most days. If I dined out less, I could have saved that money and used it to support my shopping habit.

With that thought in mind, when I began craving pasta yesterday I decided to head to my kitchen instead of ordering from my neighborhood Italian kitchen. This fabulous meal is inspired by a dish I had at the Custom Hotel in Westchseter (LAX) last year. The chef’s version was made with penne pasta, but I used rotini since that’s what I had on hand.  Using jarred pasta sauce is a big time saver, but it’s simple and more flavorful to make your own marinara. The final outcome of this dish is on the spicy side. If you prefer a milder flavor omit the jalapeno…but you should really leave it in. Best served with a fresh Caesar salad and hot garlic bread.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1/3 cup onion chopped

1 large garlic clove chopped

1/2 teaspoon jalapeno, finely chopped, seeds and ribs removed (optional)

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 pound Hot Italian Sausage

1 cup rotini, penne, or shell pasta of your choice

Marinara sauce:

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp olive oil

1 can diced tomatoes in juice

1 can tomato sauce

1/4 tsp italian seasoning

salt + pepper to taste

1/4 cup onion chopped

1 garlic clove chopped

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add rotini pasta and cook according to package directions.

In a small saucepan, heat 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp butter. Add 1/4 cup chopped onion and 1 clove chopped garlic and cook until fragrant, around 2 minutes. Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and Italian seasoning. Add salt and pepper to taste. If the consistency is too thick, add a splash or two of chicken broth to thin it out. Bring ingredients to a simmer and cook on lowest heat setting for duration of meal creation.

Heat 2 more tbsp of olive oil in a skillet. Once the skillet is hot, add 1/3 cup onion and 1/2 tsp chopped jalapeno. When the onion and jalapeno begin to brown, add 1 clove chopped garlic. Split the sausage links and crumble them into the pan on top of the vegetables. Cook until meat browns crumbling with cooking utensil as you go, approx 5-7 minutes.

The noodles should be done by now. Turn the heat off on the marinara sauce. Drain pasta. Combine the meat, pasta, and marinara sauce. Top with fresh or grated Parmesan cheese. Pour a glass of Merlot and enjoy.

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How does your hometown influence your style?

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I originally planned to post a few New Year’s style inspiration ideas, but I’ve decided against it because it wouldn’t be true. Because as I type, I am wearing yoga pants, a tank top, and a messy bun. And this is how I plan to stay for the rest of 2011. End of the year soirees and New Year’s Eve parties? No thanks. After the hustle and bustle of Thanksgiving and Christmas I’m over putting on a festive face and participating in the holiday rat race.

That’s not to say I haven’t enjoyed the holiday season. I’ve had a wonderful time hanging out with family, connecting with friends, and getting to know new people, which is always a blessing. I even had my first holiday mini-vacation when I went to Las Vegas for Christmas. By now I’ve had my fill of celebrating the holidays, and I’m over it.

These last three days are a good time to reflect on 2011. How far have I come since Dec 28,2010? Do the values I had one year ago today still apply? Am I living the best life I possibly can? What do I need to do to make sure I’m doing that? Am I where I want to be?

I don’t expect to find the answers to these questions within the next few days, but it gives me something to munch on.

However you decide to spend the last three days of 2011, whether you’re dancing on tables with bottles of Champagne or loafing around your living room in your holey ass pajama pants, I hope 2011 treated you well, and that all your dreams come true in 2012.

xoxo

HipHopMuse

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