Regina King recently shared who was her all time celebrity crush. She has been crushing on Sam Elliot since her late teens.
As most people know my current celebrity crush is Jack White however my first celebrity crush was Roland Orzabal. Roland is the lead singer of Tears for Fears. I have always been a huge fan of Tears for Fears and I will continue to be.

Tameeka
Top Metal and Rock Ballads
What’s Valentine’s Day without music? So I thought of my favorite rock/metal ballads.
When we think of a ballad the first thing that comes to mind is something that romantic and then R & B or even country music follows but wait any genre can make a ballad. A ballad is a song that tells a story which can be romantic, dramatic, or even funny.
There is something about hearing Phil Anselmo and James Hetfield singing a melody accompanied with heavy riffs the goes all through me!!! Oh my stars!!!
Here are my top 10 favorite ballads:
10. Fly to the Angels- Slaughter
9. The Thin Line Between Love and Hate- Iron Maiden
8. Close My Eyes Forever- Lita Ford and Ozzy
7. Love Bites- Def Leppard
6. Dream On- Aerosmith
5. Is this Love- Whitesnake
4. White Moon- The White Stripes
3. Without You- Motley Crue
2. This Love- Pantera
1. Nothing Else Matters- Metallica
Valentine’s Day and Black History Month
First off, Happy Happy Happy Valentine’s Day to all! I hope and pray that you will be spending today and beyond with your special someone. Enjoy this wonderful day.
When we think of February, three things comes to mind Black History Month, Valentine’s Day, and that it’s the shortest month of the year.
Valentine’s Day is when people buy gifts like cards, flowers, chocolates, and jewelry, etc.
Black History Month recognizes well and little known facts about African Americans of the past and present.
Valentine’s Day and Black History Month can both enjoy their recognition. Valentine’s Day popularity is right up there with Christmas because it’s the day that people express their love through gifts for their significant others. There are several blacks owned businesses that can help to make Valentine’s Day memorable during one of the most critical months of the year.
A very popular gift that people get on Valentine’s Day is chocolates. It is estimated that a whopping 19.6 billion dollars will be spent on chocolates alone. Phillip Ashley Rix is the founder of Phillip Ashley Chocolates. Phillip Ashley Chocolates has a clientele of celebrities such as the incomparable singer Stevie Wonder. These chocolates will win anyone over with the visually gorgeous, bold colors, and unique shapes which are unlike any others.

Feeling like you and your loved one would enjoy a playful glass of wine? Check out Brown Downtown Napa it’s the first and only black-owned winery in the state of California. It’s one of five black-owned wineries that are located in the United States.

Perhaps your special lady would enjoy some colorful flowers with an artful setting that will leave an lasting impression? Check out Hibiscus Flowershop located in New York they even make fudge. How cool is that?

How about seeing your lady in something sexy? Aimanosi Lingerie will have your lady looking sexy while being affordable.

Want your lady to know how you feel, but you can’t find the right words? Trust African-American Expressions to find the perfect words for you. They even have a collection by my favorite poet Maya Angelou.

Fellas I haven’t forgotten about you Talley & Twine Watches have beautifully designed one of a kind watches that will show you just how your lady feels about you.

February may be the shortest month, but it has two events that can leave lasting memories that people could never forget.
Peggy Jones
Here’s another interesting piece of black history Peggy Jones aka Lady Bo was the first African American female rock and roll guitarist. She played guitar in Bo Diddley’s band.
In my opinion black history is a part of American history. We are Americans point blank. Black history month is when I take the time to find out about little known facts. Little known facts that wasn’t recognized by not many people at all.
It’s so awesome being able to share another amazing moment of black history.
When Bad Does Good
The 61st Annual Grammy Awards show took placed last night. As I have shared I haven’t watched a music award show since probably the 90s. Music award shows aren’t like the way that they used to be due to the fact that music isn’t like it used to be. A lot of music of today lacks passionate and meaning unless it’s from an artist of the past. The Walking Dead beats out the Grammys everytime when it comes to which I choose to watch. That’s right I choose to watch flesh eating zombies over the Grammys.
Chris Cornell won a Grammy last night for Best Rock Performance. He won the award for the song When Bad Does Good. The song When Bad Does Good was an unreleased track that was in Chris Cornell’s personal archives. The song is featured on the self-titled legacy album Chris Cornell that was released on November 16, 2018. I’m glad that Chris Cornell is finally receiving the recognition that he deserves. He was an amazing song writer with a one of a kind voice. Chris Cornell will truly be missed no one sings like him anymore.
Lyrics to the song When Bad Does Good :
Standing beside an open grave
You’re fate decided, your life erased
Your final hour has come today
Lit by the fire of your temples burning
You were a child and so was I
Now you’re a hunter but I am a lion
And I will cut you down like I’ve done so many times
But sometimes bad can do some good
Sometimes bad can do some good
Sometimes bad can do some good
And I heard you say that flesh sells by the pound
When blood is raining down it cuts a deep river
And I’m diving
Now shine a light down onto the earth
And shake this gold dust out, out of the dirt
No saints beside me and no prayers to guide me
Sometimes bad can do some good
Bad can do some good
Sometimes bad can do some good
I’ve chosen a side and I will show no pity (rain down, heaven is falling)
And spare no lives
For those who try me (rain down, heaven is falling)
Let it be understood
Sometimes bad can do some good (rain down, heaven is falling)
Sometimes bad can do some good (rain down, heaven is falling)
Sometimes bad can do some good
Three Years Strong
Hooray!!! Happy Birthday to Be Lifted.
Ever since I was young I loved to write. I remember the day that I decided to become a blogger. It seems almost like yesterday when I started my blog. It’s my blog that consists of my thoughts, poetry, diet lifestyles, and choices of music.
Three years later Be Lifted is still going strong. I look forward to many more years of blogging.

The Story of My Life
Growing up my walls were plastered with posters of Skid Row, Kiss, Cinderella etc. My mother bought me t-shirts with Guns N Roses and Pantera on them. I’ve never went a long with what was considered to be the collective of the black community. I listen to all music but metal/ rock music is my favorite besides the lyrics in the rap music of today are disrespectful. I’m not interested in music that constantly degrades women it just isn’t cool. There are some women who listens to this kind of music with the excuse of well they aren’t talking about me. Which is so completely lame. Some of these rappers only concern is to make money not even wanting a gold or platinum record like how it was years ago. Rappers years ago wanted to make positive changes in the community. Things are so different from years ago that it almost breaks my heart.
The thing about the internet and social media people are able to connect and tell their truths. I can totally relate about being told that I’m not black enough because of my choices in music, social views etc. What’s being black enough anyway? Isn’t my skin color enough? I never understood the phrases “acting white” or “not being black enough”. Still I’ve heard this most of my life. It only kept me isolated when I was young. I can definitely relate to this video it’s the story of my life.
My Idea of Love
First and foremost
Love has no color
In my eyes
If anything
We only deprive
Ourselves of
The endless possibilities
By limiting ourselves
Because we are afraid
To think outside
Of the box
Which has nothing
To do with preferences
Let’s be clear
It all boils
Down to fear
Why not step
Beyond our comfort zone
We become free to fly
High and broaden our horizons
We find out that
There is a whole
New world
To explore
That will embrace
Us and give
Us what we deserve
And a lot more
What a treasure
When we realize
That we can
Have better
We begin to change
We begin to grow
We become less hard
We feel more safe
In our womanhood
Understanding that we
Can be tough as nails
Or soft as Daffodils
There is something about
Being a confident lady
Where we feel safe
It changes things
We owe it to ourselves
To see what’s
Out in the world
To stop questioning
Our worth
Because our past relationship
Choices showed it
Our name is not
The United Way,
Salvation Army,
Or Goodwill
We are not
Charity cases
Therefore no one
Should expect to
Come into our worlds
All while displaying
Very little effort
We deserve more
Than lazy daters
We deserve more
Than deadbeat fathers
Who have multiple
Children mothers
All of which they
Have zero thoughts about
Life is so short
Each passing day that goes by
Should consist
Of choices
That reflects realistic
Plans that were thought out
We are better
Than spontaneous decisions
Unless we are traveling
Around the world
Having a priceless worth
If not it will
Be our future
That will be hurt
The right mentality
Will attract the right people
Who are destined to
Be in our lives
But it can’t happen
Without being open
To change
And valuing who we are
We are courageous
We are radiate
We are brilliant
We are a gift
Anyone who says or thinks different
Is out of place
It’s our life
People who wants to
Bring us down shouldn’t be in it
It’s our choice
People who express negative
Is the opposite of positive
They do not serve a purpose
So let them go their way
As we keep shining
Being a beacon light
For true love to find us
Who Can We Trust?
I will be sincere I have trust issues, and you can trust me on this. Depending on who we talk to trust isn’t thought of in the same capacity. Some people don’t trust certain people due to specific “experiences” while giving other people a blank check to do as they please. They will chalk up trusting a lover who’s a repeat cheating offender as “Everybody plays the fool sometimes.” In a nutshell, trust isn’t always what it seems to be.
Trust once it’s broken will never be the same again. Is this a statement that we can trust? Whether or not we choose to admit it at some point, we have to trust somebody such as the people who prepares our food at restaurants, grocery stores, trusting drivers to obey the rules of the road, authors of books that schools teach our children with, etc. We don’t necessarily trust politicians, but we still vote and put them into offices. The government cannot always be trusted with the shutdowns and layoffs. Thinking of who can we trust, and the possibility of being let down can bring on all types of anxiety.
How about our pastors? Sadly the church has lost a lot of our trust due to some people’s bad behavior and always asking for money. The situation with the church is deep, in my opinion; the wrong kinds of people lead the church. People should have their eyes on God, not on people. People will quit going to church, give up on God, and use their bad experiences with people to justify their actions. These same people will trust certain people over and over again. I will go deeper into this subject at a later time.
We can trust our family, friends, and significant others, right? Hmmm. I suggest that you don’t look at the divorce rates or watch the Maury show.
In recent years I have seen a lot, and other people have as well. As times goes on, less and fewer people are inclined to trust anything or anyone. It seems that most people who are trying to gain our trust have hidden agendas. Some people try to get close to pump you for information that they will use against you down the line. We are human beings we all have made mistakes, and as long as we live, it will happen again. I can’t take people who pick and choose the people who they decide to give great trust to seriously. It just shows the lack of importance placed on trust, which is the reason why I have trust issues.
Trusting a person’s experience is also a gamble I have learned this from the interviewing of victims and witnesses class. To trust a person’s experience would mean trusting their memories, there are things which can taint the accuracy of their memories like their feelings towards certain people or subjects, which is the reason why detectives rely heavily on forensics because a person’s memory isn’t always accurate and false memories are still possible. Even relying on the memories right after an incident may not be authentic multiple people can witness it but have different recollections. Yep. Trust, at times, can be a tricky thing.
Three top mottos have helped me a little with my trust issues:
Be a person that can be trusted.
It’s possible that we could be wrong about a situation.
Expect the unexpected
I pray for discernment because the thought of opening myself up to trust people is just downright scary.
What’s Tameeka Listening to?
Two of the keys to successful weight loss is exercising and great music! I enjoy walking. There is so much music that gets and keeps me pumped. Music from every genre is awesome however I be wanting to rock. Here are my top 10 songs on my morning walk :
10. Wild International- One Day As A Lion
9. Anthem for the year 2000- Sliverchair
8. Cinnamon Girl- Type O Negative
7. I Don’t Care Anymore- Hellyeah
6. Thunderstuck- AC/DC
5. Spoonman- Soundgarden
4. I Loud It Loud- Kiss
3. What You Do To Me- Straight Line Stitch
2. I’m Broken- Pantera
1. Over and Over and Over- Jack White
This black girl loves to rock. Oh Yeah!