Words and sounds

Ever heard a song that just explains everything you may be feeling at the moment?

Take Care by Janet Jackson.

It is just speaking.to.me.

I suppose that is what I get for being celibate. Oy.

Feelings.

(Just a lil' throwback random ramblin')

Feelings.

This post is about feelings.


Yes, feelings. We all feel sometimes, whether it is joy, extreme sadness, anger, or even indifference. It is human nature to feel. Of course, no one wants to be taken advantage of, as many people have no qualms about playing with these very emotions that makes us all human. As you may have realized by now, I am referring to matters of the heart. Some of us choose to take their chances in hopes of finding someone who will handle their heart with care. People may brush our actions off as foolishness because this does indeed leave ourselves susceptible to hurt and pain.

On the other side of the spectrum however, there are those who choose to built a wall, a shield, or fort if you will. Used as a faux means of protection. A preventive measure in not getting "caught up" as our generation likes to say. The vast majority of these people like to "do them" so to speak. A world where sexuality is the ideal substitute for everything and emotions are null and void so "being hurt" is not a possiblility.

Hmmm....

I find this interesting because in the end, living this way would cause nothing but hurt, because you are living a lie. Yeah, I said it...living a lie. Yes, you may get all the nice, casual, no strings attached sex that a man or women could possibly yearn for and for now you may be content with it... but you know what...that shit will eventually get old and unfulfilling. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, maybe not even five years from now...but eventually, it will. And by that time, when that nice fort you built comes under attack, no one will be there to save you from that emotional jail...because in order to save you, one would have to know you. To truly know you not only in the biblical sense, but to know your hurt, your sadness, your past, your desires...the list goes on and on. As long as you submerge yourself in this parallel universe, it is impossible for someone to give you the orgasm of the mind as well as the body.

Like I stated before, some people take their chances with matters of the heart and that may be brushed off as foolishness...and you know what? I am one of those people. Call me stupid if you will, but at least I can go to sleep at night knowing that when someone is ready to love me, they don't have to struggle with breaking that wall. Not everyone is strong enough to break that wall (even the person who built it), and even if they were...they might not think its worth it to spend that energy.

Think twice before thinking you can't let your feelings be known, because not everyone is out there to hurt you. They just might be more interested in healing you.

You should know this song.

VH1 Soul saves the day once again. Fucking excellent all around.

(Click the link for the whole song...after the jump)

Love That Girl - Raphael Saadiq



You're welcome.

Raw deal.

As soon as I saw the commercial advertising the $5.99 deal at Popeyes, I knew there were gonna be problems. Blackpeople love Popeyes.

So naturally, as I am driving home from work yesterday I see the drive thru line at Popeyes go into the middle of the street. I should have taken a picture. I've never seen such a long ass line for some damn fast food chicken. All over NY the lines were busting through the doors.

That was tame compared to this: Behold the "Fried Chicken Fracas"




Nice. Well, you know they say about black people and chicken.

Just some watermelon and Red Kool aid and we're good to go!

I fucks with their Chicken bowl though.

Nasty grind indeed...

Whats wrong with this video? Scroll down and you'll know the answer.

I don't know what is worse.

This video in general, or the fact that I know the song in the background.

And yes, clearly another woman is filming and lovin' it (not that there is anything wrong with that of course).

Back to the (pathetic) future

Who is this jerkoff exactly? Please let me know.

Apparently this dude has nothing else better to do with his time than to show up at events dressed as Tupac.


Here is our friend at a Lil' Wayne concert:




What a loser. At least tickle the imagination and think of how Pac might dress here in 2009 instead of sticking with that ass rag on your head.

Talk about desperate for attention...almost as desperate as the real Pac before he got...well, Pac'd.

(ok, that was wrong.)

Tell me about it...

Yes, it does say "out of serves. Courtesy of a eatery on Canal.

Indeed.

Last laugh.

If you are watching a talent show, what would you think if you saw this woman hit the stage?



Keep it real. You'd be ready to laugh...and you wouldn't be more wrong in this case. Just ask the judges on Britain's Got Talent.

Susan Boyle is proof positive that judging books by their covers are NEVER a good idea.

Susan Boyle on Britain Got Talent
Uploaded by dwarthy

She is wonderful. I damn near teared up towards the end. God really gives the greatest gifts in unlikely packages.

You know you shut it down when Simon has nothing to say.

Lost and found(?)

Have you seen this man?

My Brooklyn brethen, have you run into him on the J train lately?

Maxwell is missing.

Well not quite, but he might as well have his face on a milk carton. I need new music to come from him like yesterday.

The buzz is that Black Summer's Night (the supposed title of the forever coming soon album) has been on the shelf for a few years because the record company was not feeling so called "homoerotic" material on the cd. Don't know if there is any truth to this (but at this point who freakin' cares?)



This is supposedly a clip from the album called "Pretty Wings." Listening to this is not helping the situation. Its like Oreos without milk. I need the whole package!

Maxwell, bring yo' ass back and make sure you have cuts like these on it:



Real talk. I play this damn song AT LEAST once a week. Why didn't I go to that damn concert when I had the chance?

eta: so apparently Black Summers Night will be divided in three albums...the first, "Black..." to be released this summer.

We shall see.

Know this...

I've never been the girl who goes to church every Sunday (I want to change this). I would like to find a Sierra Leonean church to attend. Looking back, I enjoyed them when I spent my summers in Boston.

I prefer contemporary Christian music to traditional gospel.

I say that to say this;

I am grateful for the sacrifice that was made to enable us to live our lives day to day.

Whether you attend church once a year (like many people are doing today) or three times a week, we should all know that Jesus rose all those years ago so we could rise to achieve whatever endeavor we set our hearts to.

Don't flop.

Bad broad- Grace Jones

"If you want a man, you GRAB HIM...AND TAKE HIM!"
"This....is the scent of a woman..."
"Pull up to my bumper baby, drive it in between."

As she is a slave to the rhythm, I am a slave to Grace Jones. Jamaican don(diva) dada. Original Queen Bitch. Genderfuck icon.

Grace is my first entry in my "thats a baaaaaad broad" series. I admit, she scared me as a child. Looking back though, I see how much a genius she was. In a industry where image can make people forget that you can't sing for shit, people forget that Grace can actually sing-- the image she crafted for herself was so striking at the time it was impossible to ignore.


I mean come on, who can pull this shit off even today? In 2009 its all about the pretty faces. I don't think society nowadays can appreciate a style like this.

Why is Grace Jones a baaaaad broad? Let me count the ways.

- Andy Warhol loved her ass (and he had a flair for icons)
- She once slapped a talk show host on live television because she felt like he was ignoring her
- She can get away with rubbing her panties in a dude's face (see "Boomerang")
- Flawlessly executed the genderfuck style

That is just stratching the surface...but here is more proof in case you needed it.


This is Grace...at 59 years old. 59.

So thank you Ms. Jones. Keep doin' what you been doin' for decades cause' these young chicks can't see you.

For your listening pleasure...

(Pretend to) Hear no evil...

Woman Suing MTA Over Rape Has Case Tossed

Maria Besadin Upset, Claims NYC Transit Workers Did Nothing To Stop Violent Attack On Queens Platform


Google "MTA RAPE CASE" and tons of articles will pop up...for you lazy ones, here is the gist of it.

Rapist meets woman on subway platform, rapist does what he knows. MTA workers hear it. MTA workers do nothing. Woman sues MTA. Idiot judge says "no bueno" and throws case out.

So apparently hearing a woman being brutally raped in your workplace is none of your concern.

Grand.

Just curious. What was going through the minds of those MTA workers when they were hearing the seductive pleas for help while being violated in the worst possible way?

Did they think a new Halloween movie was being shot?

Did they imagine the shrieks were from this woman:



(I *heard* she does dirty movies)


Or perhaps they weren't thinking. At all.

Fuckery.

I'm done

The road less travelled....

This loc journey has been something else.

I started locing a little over a year ago after years of fryin’, dyin’, shavin’, jheri curlin’ (don’t ask). I actually wanted to loc from 2006 (when I bc’d—chopped off my relaxed hair) but alas, the friendly skies were calling and they weren’t trying to hear about fuzzy starter locs.

Toward the end of my tenure in the sky I just said “fuck it” and started my journey. I didn’t really shop around (which in retrospect was dumb, but I digress). I just wanted them so bad.

So I got em’. And I loved having them.

But I just couldn’t shake this feeling that my parts were a little too big.

Here is one month into my journey:


Something just wasn’t right to me.

I ignored my feelings and the constant “your locs are too big.” Now I know what other people say shouldn’t matter, and that is definitely true. However, with any hairstyle…if you are not 100% in tune with her your hair, the unhappiness is going to eat at you. So while my hair may look like




I was feeling more like


Now don’t get it twisted. These locs are beautiful…for him…and that is the beauty of locs. For me though, it just didn't feel 100% right. When I finally mentioned my dissatisfaction with the size of my locks, my loctitian was offended. Hell, I could even say she threw me a little shade. It didn’t help that my locs up until that point were being maintained by latching. For those of you who don’t know, let me put you on to latching. Latching involves using a hook to “crochet” your locs into tightening. So while it may look neat, it leaves a knot at the top your loc.

Sorta like this:



Here is a closeup of my lovely illustration.



Two of my friends convinced me to see someone else. That I did, and it was a great decision. Haven’t heard from the latching lady since. I wish her the best, but her style of maintenance wasn’t for me, Now that that I was ready to switch to palmrolling, what was I gonna do about this…



Something had to be done. I was still holding on to the hope that my hair would get itself together as it grew longer, The truth of the matter however was that it was going to grow out exactly like this. So I made the decision to take my locs down. When you take locs down, you’re basically undoing them like braids. Thing is, the process takes at least three times as long. It took about 45 minutes for one of my locs to unravel. It was a tedious process (that gave me sore fingers) but it was worth it.



With the help of my Senegalese sistas to twist my hair up, I'm back in business. Some would call my situation a setback, but I think things are turning out just the way they should have.

This is my journey. My loc journey.

And I love it.

Sick and tired of being sick and tired.

I love my kiddos...Lord knows I do.

But they stay giving me all kinds of cooties.

Another weekend, another cold.

Go figure.

The appropriateness of inappropriateness

Miss, whats wrong with reading an article on my favorite singer?" he asked.

Nevermind this was in the middle of class when I had to take a magazine from one of my students. When I looked at the cover however, all I could do was shake my head.




It was Ashanti on the cover of King Magazine scantily clad with her digitally enhanced titties.

Ah, the joys of middle school.

As he argued and pleaded with me not to report, all I could say is "you know that isn't appropriate!"

But who in the hell am I kidding? It was absolutely appropriate. Let me explain myself.

So a 13 year old boy brought in a magazine to look at boobies and booty. The teacher in me would say "I'm calling your mother!" Me in sneakers would say "let me see" (most women have a little quasi lesbian in them whether they choose to believe it or not). I have to be honest with myself. Do I really expect kids newly initiated into their teenage years not to think about breasts and pecs? I mean really.

True story: So I'm in class with some of my favorite students. I'm walking around as they are working on a project...and I begin to hear strange noises. Like making a sexy time noises. Giggling ensues and in turn I give the student "the eye."

"That is not appropriate" I say.
"But its natural Miss" another student chirps in. "I'm sure you've made those sounds before."

Now don't get me wrong, it is wrong to talk to an adult that manner (and I definitely let him know it)...but shit, he was right (even though its more like beeeffooorrreee if you catch my drift).

What do you say?
Afterwards, I told the class that although I appreciated the level of comfort they feel with me, that some things shouldn't be said.

Good enough right?

But seriously, how can I condemn them for having freaky thoughts. I am the same person who once typed up the lyrics to lil' kim's "Dreams" in typing class. My friends and I used to sing Akinyele (yeah, THAT song) within earshot of our teachers. Hell, we used to try to do splits in class (well not me, I just watched). Damn, now that I think about it, we were much worse.

So how can I knock them? Despite all my nonsense, at heart I was quite the prude even well into college, and I'm willing to bet that most of my students will be too. So for now, hear no evil...see no evil I guess.

...and hopefully they'll remain all talk...at least until 2015 or so.

Charming.

So who won the the second season of I love Money?

Certainly not Saaphyri.

She recently got popped for a three year bid for being on the run since 2005.

On the run.

Interestingly enough, Saaphyri Wanda has made numerous television appearances since skipping out on a court date involving the theft of her uncle's identity. Had she appeared in court that day, she would have faced around six-months max.

For your viewing pleasure..............




+



=





Damn is right...or should I say

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Poor Wanda could use some lipchap...and hairchap...and skinchap.

Hot baby.

The WTF pic of the week. Courtesy of Easy Pickins









(Yes it does say "Party Naked" )



High fashion.

Music makes the viral go round

I LOVE VIRAL.

Video that is.

From the bizarre to the damn right sad, random online footage can be the perfect remedy for even the worst case of boredom (as I am suffering from right now...laying in bed sick is sooo not the business). However, there are times where just the video isn't enough. Sometimes you need that perfect soundtrack to add that extra spice.

Exhibit #1



Nothing funny about this...right? Poor baby. But get in the lab, add some music, stir it up a bit and...



VOILA!!!!!!!!!! Awesome viral video.

Exhibit #2- Watch out for the big girls



At most this ghettotastic video would bring a chuckle and the gas face. Shiiiiiiittttttt, you might even twerk a lil' to it.

This video needs a lil' magic.



Would you look at that? From mildly amusing to hilariously bizarre in two seconds flat.

Sometimes you just gotta realize that its the music stupid! Thank goodness for people who have infinite time on their hands.

Chris Brown- The face of remorse.

What would you do if you were a 19 year old dude accused of assaulting your famous girlfriend then fleeing on foot like a runaway slave?

Go into hiding? Check.

Partake in guilt ridden silence? Check.

Issue the obligatory apology claiming counseling from your pastor? Yep.

So whats next? Radio interview? Nope. Award show pleading a la Justin Timberlake? Negative. Cry your heart out on Oprah? Nahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!







PARTYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY DUUUUUUUDDDDDEEEEEEEEEE

Look @ this niggarish nigga. Instead of laying low and at least pretending to have a drop of remorse, this fool is in Miami doin' it up at Diddy's mansion (Oh Diddy, always managing to insert himself into something-take that how you want). The new word on the street is that Chris' camp AND Rhianna's camp were holed up in Miami trying to make the star crossed lovers reconcile their differences. No sight of Rhianna, but Rhianna AND her peoples ARE there.

*At press time, everyone is off to LA to face the music*

Now I must admit, I laughed my ass off when I first saw this pic and its STILL funny as hell to me. Right now I'm battling walking pneumonia so I sound like a cross between a donkey and Bea Arthur. I mean, scroll up a bit and look at the pic again. Better yet...



Take a closer look. Do you you see the joy in this fool's face? I have seldom seen such pure happiness in anyone much less someone who has been very publicly put on blast.

The truly sad part is that it sends a clear message that you can pummel a female and straight cheese on jetski like not a damn thing happened.

Rhianna, if you get back with him, I don't know what the hell to say to you either. I'll have no ammo to explain to some of my students who insist what happened to you is your fault.

May a thousand chumleys rain on both of them.


p.s. Who is Chumley you ask? Youtube it.

So, what makes a blog?

So I've been mulling over the past few weeks whether or not to start a blog. I mean, its been all the rage for a few years now and serves as a great avenue for one to broadcast their thoughts. So yeah, I decided to do it...but then a dilemma hit me. What direction do I go with this? Should I focus on celebrity hijinks, world events, random shit? Should I go the political pundit route (which would be quite funny- as a loc'd, Africana Studies degree having Sierra Leonean, some of my political views may surprise people).

But isn't that the beauty of it all? Unconventional thoughts? It is my belief that the mind is a mosaic of illusions. If you're thoughts are easy to decipher, then quite frankly you need some confusion in your life. Then again, nothing is cornier to me than masquerading as an know-it-all, littering their words with hyperbole, analogies, and punchlines (I'm looking at you FA-BO-LO-US).

So what the hell makes a blog?

I say, it is a little bit of everything...and that I have.

How so? Well...put it this way. I am as close to someone with multiple personalities as you can get. I have been (or currently am) a Beauty Queen/nerd/popular kid/basketball player/ Michael Jackson fanatic/Dancehall head/Spoken word artist/Math whiz (well at least the math team certificate I found says so)/World traveler/receptionist for a craigslist "business" (don't ask) and so much more.

I'm feeling my way around this whole blog thing. So give me some time, cause' I can get the hang of this.