Sonyka K

So, I have a half-sister. I only met her once, when I was about 11 and she was about 6 or 7. (I'm in my mid-30s.) We grew up, and still live, in different countries. I'm not in contact with our father, and I doubt she is either (he didn't stay with her mother), so we don't know anyone in common. I knew she was out there, but I figured we'd just have separate lives. I rarely thought about her.

Out of nowhere, I got a friend request from a woman with her name. This woman looks like me, and our last name is unusual, so I'm sure it's my sister. But there was no message— just the "friend me" request. I friended her, but now I don't know what to say. Plus, I'm kind of dealing with some hardcore emotional stuff so... I kind of can't get into it right now. I'd REALLY like to know her, but this is kind of heavy, and I just can't handle too much more yet. I don't want to just ignore her for however long it takes to get my head straight; I want to say something. What do I say?

Note: I have an older (full) brother and I'm sure he'd be tickled to contact her. I haven't mentioned any of this to him yet, but I'm definitely going to. Should I have him contact her instead? Or would that be rude/weird?

I saw this terrible movie a few years ago (less than 5), but I can't think of the name and it's making me crazy. Here's all I remember:

A man and his teen daughter move to a house in a semi-rural area. The daughter is sulky about it, and pissed with her dad. She meets a brooding dark-haired boy (he's got kind of a Nine Inch Nails look) in the new town, but he quickly becomes obsessed with her; at one point he tells her very firmly that she's his boyfriend. She's like, "ok? whatever..." but he gets more and more obsessed, and one night he and 2 friends show up at the house and start menacing her & her dad. The girl calls the sheriff, and when he drives up you think everything will be cool, but as he gets out of his truck, one of the boys just caps him in the head! Somehow they get into the house, and the girl barricades herself into a room. At one point the 3 boys are inside at the top of some stairs. One boy starts to argue with the ringleader– "should we be doing this?" They start to fight, and the ringleader ends up semi-accidentally throwing his friend over the balcony, which kills him. The other boy shuts the hell up. Later he gets killed somehow, too. Later still, the main boy finds the girl locked into a room with an interior window. He writes "BURN" on the glass with his finger, and sets the house on fire. I don't remember how she escapes, but in the end I think she kills him.

What's the name of the movie?

(And no, it's not "Fear" with Mark Wahlberg– it's much more recent.)

I think I read this somewhere, but I'm finding it hard to confirm. Google isn't really helping.

I live in Santa Cruz, CA but there are very few black people here. I've had a number of beauty-shop mishaps in this town already (bad hair, bad makeup) because they have practically no experience with black hair and skin, and they usually won't admit it up front. Lasers can do permanent damage, so I need someone who already knows EXACTLY what they're doing.

Everyone tells me to "try Oakland," but that's a lot farther than I want to drive. I'm not sure where the other nearby "black neighborhoods" are. (And honestly, I can't believe I have to look for one. I grew up in NYC, so I'm not used to this!)

Can someone recommend a practitioner in the Santa Cruz or South Bay area (the more south the better) who's EXPERIENCED in doing laser hair removal on African-American skin?

How did the staff treat you?

What did it cost?

How long did it take?

What have your results been like?

How deep is your color?

Thanks!!

I live in Santa Cruz, CA but there are very few black people here. I've had a number of beauty-shop mishaps in this town already (bad hair, bad makeup) because they have practically no experience with black hair and skin, and they usually won't admit it up front. Lasers can do permanent damage, so I need someone who already knows EXACTLY what they're doing.

Everyone tells me to "try Oakland," but that's a lot farther than I want to drive. I'm not sure where the other nearby "black neighborhoods" are. (And honestly, I can't believe I have to look for one. I grew up in NYC, so I'm not used to this!)

Can someone recommend a practitioner in the Santa Cruz or South Bay area (the more south the better) who's EXPERIENCED in doing laser hair removal on African-American skin?

How did the staff treat you?

What did it cost?

How long did it take?

What have your results been like?

How deep is your color?

Thanks!!

I love love love cop shows. And I noticed years ago that whenever a scene takes place inside a police station squad room, there is ALWAYS a prostitute being booked. What's up with that?

I'm wondering if it's some kind of TV industry inside joke? (Sort of like how film directors will use the fake name "Alan Smithee" when they don't want to be associated with a certain film?) Or am I just crazy?

Can someone WHO ACTUALLY KNOWS (and isn't just guessing) please shed some light?

A friend of mine refuses to register to vote. He never registered with Selective Service, and he's way behind on his taxes, so he's afraid that the government or IRS will "come after him" if he registers to vote. Can they do that? Or is that information safe? I need to know ASAP!

Does anyone know anything AT ALL about a black burlesque scene in the 1940-50s? I've always wondered about this. How come I've never seen-- or even heard of-- a black burlesque star in the style of say, Gypsy Rose Lee, Betty Page or Lili St. Cyr? There were tons of black nightclubs, so why not black burlesque halls? Men are men, so I feel like they MUST have existed, but when I try to look into it, I find no trace.

I love that sexy/powerful/you-can't-touch-this 1940s burlesque look, but I've never seen a black woman that way.

PS: I know, I know; you want to say "Duh, Josephine Baker1!"

She was a huge star, but 1) she seems too early. I think of her more of a vaudeville star (ie: dance/sing/act/comedy). Plus, her style didn't really have that "power" thing happening, as in the 40s-50s burlesque.