JILL SCOTT HAS A HEAVING, PENDULOUS BOSOM

And in typical "celebrity" fashion she's found a way to make ducats off of it.

Butterfly Bra for Jill's "Beautiful Breasts"

I guess this is good news for chicks with them ginormous ta-tas that shop @ ashley stewart?

But yeah, she's designed a bra with the buxom in mind. Straps that don't dig into the shoulders, cups that don't runneth over - creating the dreaded quadra-boob effect, and some kind of dual fasteners in the rear that eliminate the embarrassing appearance of back fat.

So yeah, she and the Ash have created a bra to solve all those problems. And given the fact that the average woman's bra holds abt 7lbs of weight - i guess she's onto something.

BTW am i the only one who finds Jill's way of speaking irritatingly affected?

i mean even the way she says "griiiiiiits" reeks of artifice.

So yeah...

i've been busy lately without much time/or energy to blog - which kind of sucks. I mean i don't be saying much on here, but i still find it cathartic.

Which is why, at almost midnight, i'm sitting at my PC, listening to wes montgomery, and typing out my thoughts - such as they are.

I really need to go to bed. But, not yet.

My boy is having girl problems, or - should i say - woman problems, and I, being the listening ear that I am, (or allow myself to be) have become his sounding board. We just ended a conversation a few minutes ago and i'm already having advice remorse. Normally, when my friends come to me with problem, i try to keep my suggestions to a minimum - being fully aware, that as much as i care about this person, i am only getting his/her half of the story. Knowing this, I keep my judgements to myself, just providing them with the listening ear and the emotional outlet. You know, cuz if you do more that listen/console - and actually give someone a suggestion, sometimes YOU(or I) wind up being the bad guy.

But...tonight i fear i was a little lax and i just started giving advice all willy nilly. Now im wondering if i should have just kept my mouth shut.

But its my boy you know? I don't want to see him hurt.

Blah.

::Wes' version of Eleanor Rigby is absolutely lovely.::

As usual im late, but im happy to say i've discovered the soporific soap opera that is The Tudors. I'm positively hooked. I've been playing catch up with season one's episodes, and now im ready for season two, which begins March 30. Is anyone else watching, and as amped as i am?

And, might i add, that Anne Boleyn is a hussy among hussies.

I'm done with Wes, and on to the genius of Oscar Peterson. "call me" is playing.

If you're feeling sad and lonely
There's a service I can render
Tell the one who loves you only
I can be so warm and tender...

This man was a genius on the piano. A virtuoso even. I would love to be able to play the keys like that, but alas, its too late for me.

I totally plan on forcing my kids to learn though. I will live vicariously through them, or die trying. :/

I kid.

I think.

I'm going to bed now.

I'M SO DESSICATED RIGHT NOW

My house has me feeling like an inverted mummy, its so dry in here.

With the cold weather, I have the heat going, and with the heat going, i'm becoming increasingly dry. Its gotten so bad, that like on the weekends, i'll walk around with a body slathered with vaseline to keep my skin from looking like Danny Trejo's face. Not sexy, but so necessary.

Seriously, i'm about to go the old school route, and have bowls of water and humidifiers everywhere just to get the moisture level up.

The arid air is making my eyes feel scratchy, and my insides feel like i swallowed a silica gel cocktail. My nose feels dry and itchy. It not a very good time.

Anybody else have this problem? Suggestions would be appreciated :)

...Also, I'm craving paella. And sushi. What one has to do with the other - or what either has to do with my parched house is beyond me.

LUNAR ECLIPSE TOMORROW!

And this one we'll actually be able to see!

I was reminded today(thank goodness because i forgot) that the moon, sun, and earth will create a total lunar eclipse tomorrow night. It begins at 8:43 p.m. EST, when the Moon first touches the dark inner portion of the shadow. The Moon will be completely immersed in the shadow, starting the total eclipse, by around 10 p.m

The moon might appear orange brown or red. These colors arent emanating from the moon itself, but rather, the colors are the result of the earth's atmosphere acting as a lense and bending the sunlight that reaches the lunar surface.

Got a camera? Take pictures.

Eclipse Facts

Date: Feb. 20/21

Penumbral Eclipse Begins: 7:35 pm

Partial Eclipse Begins: 8:43 pm

Moon Completely Eclipsed: 10:01 pm

Full Moon (Snow Moon): 10:30 pm

Total Eclipse Ends: 10:52 pm

Partial Eclipse Ends: 12:09 pm

Penumbral Eclipse Ends: 1:17 am

This will be the LAST total lunar eclipse until 2010(not that far away but statements such as these add drama)

Bonus:

Look to the lower left of the moon, about 4 degrees - or approximately 8 moon-widths. See that heavenly body?(NO not mine *wink* lol) Thats Saturn. It may look like a star but its not, its that gas giant with its trademark rings.

Tomorrow night is a night of visual feasts. Enjoy it :)

ITS A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD

beautiful day for a neighbor...

So today was pretty much awesome weather wise. Sunny. Warm. Pleasant.

Perfect day for a day off. (Oh...you had to work? So sorry.)

Anyway, Instead of boring yall with my usual prattle, I decided to narrate my day through pictures.

got the rumbles in mah tummy

gonna get somethin yummy

from this new greasy spoon to eat



feelin satisified




Hopped in my ride

i wanna spend money you see.

thrift shop? Why not?

they got cute things dirt cheap





Some time later, spent some paper

got me some new gear

a sweet handbag, a hat, so fab

to accessorize my winterwear

still sunny out, more shopping? no doubt

time to hit the local mart

my cupboards were meager, my wallet was eager

to fill the shopping cart

uh oh

tanks low

i better fill her up



3.07 a gallon? aww man they wilin'

that is so messed up

day, still young

on good weather, im sprung

what else can we drum up?

thought in my brain

go down memory lane!

lets visit my old school.

park on the street

escuela so chic

hate to brag but look:



so fly, no lie,

top it? Don't try.

it should be in a book




Its been fun

out in the sun

And work ain't on my mind

time to go in

fun's over my friend

This day was sho' nuff fine

:)

KISS AND SIGH

So they're phasing out the Polaroid camera.

Oh no! Say it ain't so!

Just like that, another slice of americana is obsolete.

This means i have to buy one now. And stock up on film.

I've been wanting one for years, and i suppose this latest bit of information was the impetus i needed to get my butt moving.

Somewhere, somehow, Jermaine Dupri is at the bottom of this.

P.S. I bet you thought this was gonna be about valentine's day didn't ya? ;)

THE WORST THING ABOUT HAVING GONE TO SCHOOL FOR "COMPUTERS" IS...

Most folks expect you to know EVERYTHING about them. They also call on you whenever anything goes wrong.

I just hung up from an hour long conversation with my grandmom. With 650 miles between us, we tried her configure old printer so that it works with her new computer.

I love that my grandparents are - considering their age - quite computer savvy.(my grandma emails me on the daily) But despite that fact, there still remains a latent fear that if the wrong button is pushed, they just might blow up the world.

Its especially funny when i talk to my grandfather, because his field is electronics. Seeing him nervous about the computer is kind of amusing.

So...long story short, the printer is still not working. I suck.

Vista is not recognizing the printer, and though i delved deep into my bag of tricks to try to solve the problem, it was to no avail. Unfortunately vista is notoriously finicky when it comes to older hardware.

Spending time on the phone with grandmom reminded me of those nightmarish days when i still was doing the tech support thing. School found me a job through the co op program. I was one of the technical support drones for the end users of PCs manufactured by a large computer corp that has since been swallowed up by another, even greater IT corp.

*cue dreamlike fuzzy sequence*

The call center was an assembly line, with about 50 folks on the floor, talking, plantronics planted firmly on their heads, all looking like little space cadets. Reminiscent of a news ticker, the call que monitor was mounted high on the wall - and at any time you could look up and see how many calls were waiting to be answered, how many calls had been dropped, and how many employees were on the phone @ any given moment.

My first time on the floor i was a wreck. I had sweaty pits, but my hair was fly. I was escorted to my cube(ah the geometric jail cell) and my team leader apprised me that he would be listening in on my phone calls to see how i was doing. Oh. Joy.

I recall the first few calls being issues that were solved relatively easily. Just as i got comfortable I got one call that that through me for a loop. What the issue was i can't remember, but i know that it was something that i was too green to handle.

After about 10 minutes of pathetic troubleshooting(i really had no idea what to do) the lady on the other end of the phone screamed at me:

"Do you even know what you are doing?! I want to talk to your supervisor!"

Her words stung and left me speechless. In typical chick fashion i could feel tears welling up in the back of my eyes. I began apologizing to the lady for my incompetence.

There was a click @ the other end of the line, and i knew that my supervisor had been listening in. Yup. Before i could finish stuttering my words, he was in my cube. He relieved me of the phone call, apologized to the lady for any inconvenience, and escalated the issue to a more senior tech support person.

I knew i was dunzo.

But surprisingly enough, my team lead was really nice and understanding. He explained that every new person gets nervous on the phones, and not to let rude customers affect me. That as i go on, i'll gain more practical knowledge - as opposed to just head knowledge.

Well time went on and i got better at it. A lot better. Most folks i could resolve their issue(s) within a 3 minute period. But the job still sucked. I got out of there as soon as possible.

*End dream sequence*

So now i'm still in IT, but i ain't doing phone support no more. ever.

Regardless, i have family and friends(but mostly family) that call me up whenever they have a computer problem. Like my grandmom. In fact, my mom called me the other day. She was on the web when an alarming window appeared on the screen. The window stated that her PC was infected w/ spy and malware and she needed to run some kind of program. She was ready to freak out until i told her to "relax, its just a pop up. Click the X in the upper right hand corner of the box to close it. DON'T click ok or cancel."

She did that and the "disaster" was averted.

I don't mind being the go-to person, in fact i like to help out when i can. I wish folks would understand that i am not the computer genie though.

It gives me performance anxiety. lol

IT'S GHASTLY OUT

There's a gruesome mix of snow, sleet, and rain falling down outside, which makes driving a nightmare, and walking a precarious endeavor.

Boo.

I mean really. Will it hurry up and be spring already?

Who hath wrought this evil down upon us? I'm guessing its the homie Rashad, with all his snow globe fantasies and winter wonderland wishes. :(

(just kidding R!) ;)

But yeah, this entry was intended to be about kitchens. I just got sidetracked because im hearing the sleet hit up against my window and its vexing me.

So yeah whenever I watch HGTV(which is often) i always come away inspired and ready to do house stuff. HGTV is a menace like that.

Kinda like when I watch food network and all of a sudden i'm ready to cook a three course meal with all of the fixins AND a side of the works. Tell me i'm not alone?

I'm easily swayed.

Currently I'm remodeling my kitchen and the labors of hercules could not have been more...laborious.

It takes a lot of time, effort and $$$, none of which i have a lot to spare. All of these factors make it slow going.

Fortunately I have the basics down, Stainless steel fridge, SS Stove(Gas), and SS Dishwasher. Granite countertops.

Its nice for a work in progress i guess.

I'm at a loss as to what else should be done now though. But i know as far as appliances that thats enough stainless steel. Don't you think? All that stainless steel can make a kitchen feel cold, and that is not the aim. I dont want the kitchen looking like the Medical examiners office. How can I warm it up?

IMO the best kitchens have a nice mixture of modern amenities, with old school charm.

Like, i'm a fan of the state-of-the-art Viking with a billion burners - but i'd i LOVE one of these:

Old stoves are the hotness. Unfortunately I'm not the only one who thinks so, which means they are terribly expensive.

Sidebar: My Grandmom had a stove quite similar to this. In one of those "Grandma! why???" moments, she threw it away. No one knows the reason, it was in perfect condition. Things that make you go "hmm."

A moen is nice, but I like the the vintage-y feel of an apron sink. Unfortunately the sink i want is totally not in the budget. One day though.

I like this kitchen:

Save for the white cabinetry, this is the look i'm going for. Not down to the letter, but, you know. You see the apron sink?

This one as well. The darker cabinets are more my speed. and the granite countertops are closer in color to what i already have. The flooring is nice, but since I have hardwood, I won't be tiling my floor.

::if you still want to read more about kitchens click here::

UP @ MIDNIGHT, WATCHING THE PELICAN BRIEF

You know, cuz i've never seen it before. But, lord knows i need to go to bed.

Remember when john grisham was *the* man? His tomes ruled the early to mid 90s. And, almost everything he wrote was made into a film. The Firm, Pelican Brief, The Client(RIP Brad Renfro) and, A time to kill. Wait, i think rainmaker was as well. The Grish was everywhere, like Win 3.1. I know I was a Grisham junkie. It began when I went on my first trip to TX. I was 15 and the firm had me on the edge of my (airplane)seat.

So, anyway....some randomness.

::I finally worked out tonight after a few days of slacking. :/ I feel so good that i vow to never let my laziness take over so that that happens again.

::Star Wars is here! My boy texted me that vital info this afternoon. Bless his heart. The star wars exhibit is @ the franklin(institute) and you know ima there so hard that its not even funny. You should too. For info click here

::After much postponing, i finally got my chimney cleaned. This is ridic, but I really expected the chimney sweep to look like a dickens character. Sooty face, ratty hair, and a strong cockney. I'll admit, i was a bit disappointed that he was none of those things. Just some bloke w/ a jersey accent. (yuk) At any rate, thanks to him, i was able to light a fire in my study tonight. dope. creosote begone!

::I'm a sucker for an infomercial. I saw an advert yesterday for some kind of pad that you stick to the bottom of your foot and it -hold on to your butts - it extracts all the toxins in your body,the nast evidence visible on the pad. Oh really? How cool is that? Sold! You know i decided that I desperately need it. Now. (now if only i could remember the name of the product...)

::Homemade cornbread using blue cornmeal and jalapenos. Made some tonight, and i'm finna eat the whole pan, its just that good. try it now and thank me later.

::I need a tan. The winter pale is setting in and the other day I was called a redbone. That took me by surprise. No offense to redbones but I've never considered myself one of them. My legs say otherwise though :( *slathers on self-tanner*

::Hmm. This pelican brief screenplay stays pretty true to the novel, but I'm not sure how I feel about the casting. Julia Roberts is just *ok* as an actress(i think its her eyebrows that bother me) and I can't see Denzel as Gray Grantham.

*edit* oh snap! Thanks to google i was able to find exactly what i was looking for(lol i won't even tell yall my search string) but yeah - its called Kinoki Detox, and i totally believe it does everything they say it does. I mean if it didn't do what they say it does they wouldn't put it on TV right?

OPRAH AIN'T GOT NUTHIN ON ME!

Except for wealth, fame, fortune, power...

But, I digress.

Last year - or, was it the year before? I became engrossed in a program where Oprah and a few other black folks put their family trees together, along with providing some DNA samples in order to get blood quantums. Riveting stuff eh? At least i thought it was.

Well, even before that program aired, I've been heavily involved in reconstructing my own family history. Its a labour of love, and i've run into many a brick wall. However, there's nothing as satisfying as scaling that wall and getting the information you really need. As its black history month, i figured I'd share a little piece of my history with yall.

My great-great-great grandparents

These are my great-great-great grandparents. Aaron and Laura Ragin. (Nee' Martin.) He was born in 1831, she entered the world in 1864. Yes, she was quite a bit younger. lol In fact, Laura's father was born the year prior to Laura's husband. Her husband and father were the same age! Why her daddy let that old man marry his daughter is beyond me. Why she would agree to marry someone that much older is equally unfathomable. Perhaps there were extenuating circumstances. Or, maybe my great-great-great granddaddy was a smooth operator. A Sean Connery type.

The photograph was taken about 1905.

Laura was Aaron's third and final wife.(hm..maybe there is something to the smooth operator thing after all.) All together he had about 22 children. Laura being the mother of 10 of them. Aaron was Mulatto, his mother half white and half native, his father half white, and half black. Laura was Native American.

Though he was born before slavery ended, he was never a slave. Don't ask me why - it just was.( I also have record of his father, his father's father and his father's father's father).

My Grandmother actually remembers Laura - which is awesome. Unfortunately Laura died when my grandmom was only about 8, so the memories she has are those of a child. According to my grandmom, Laura was a "mean Indian woman", with a stoic personality.

The original of this portrait is in my grandmom's care - i have only a lowly copy - and it hangs in a place of honor in her great room. She's already told the family that when she passes *MY* mom gets the picture. Yay!

I guess i was a weird kid, because all through my growing up years, whenever i'd get around my elders I'd drill them for information about the family. Who was whom? And how are we related to them? Where did they come from? Stuff like that. I'm sure it was annoying at times - and maybe even appeared fresh on my part - but, to my recollection, no one seemed to mind. Of course - i was a kid, so i may have been oblivious to their irritation.

They patiently would sit and tell me things; stories, anecdotes, whatever - and i'd soak it all in like a sponge. My mom told me she did the same.(Inherit the weird?) Now that i'm an adult, i'm glad i was a pest. As the older ones die off, there is less of a direct connect to the near past. And the stories, if not told, are lost, and the people in the photos are just that, people in photos. The stories are what make them real.

I'm fortunate to know, and - to have known - my grandmother, great grandmother and great-great grandmother. My great great was born in 1892 and died in 1988. There's a picture of the five generations -me, my mom, grandmother, great grand, and great-great grand - that was taken when i was a baby. Its dope. That, too, belongs to my grandmom. But yeah...All of them were victims of my relentless interrogations lol.

My grandmom has tons of other pictures, many on tintype and other forms of early photographic medium, that she's accumulated from her mother and grandmother, and whenever i go down south to visit her, its the same thing:

"grandmom, can i look @ the pictures?"

She dutifully pulls them out, and we pore over them for hours. Once again, i'm asking who this that and the other is, and more recently my question is "are they still living?" More often than not, the answer is no.

I'm hoping that she'll leave those precious photographs to me, but i don't know. She has five other children, excluding my mother, that would probably fight me to the death over them. lol

My great grandmom(she died 1n 1994) has a cousin who was born in 1914 and is still living. My grandmom is making arrangements for me to talk to her!

Family history is a thing of beauty. If you have access to family elders, i suggest you talk to them. Pump them for info. Be they direct ancestors or aunts, uncles and cousins. All of them can provide vital pieces to the puzzle.

THERE'S AN ECLIPSE TOMORROW

Unfortunately its only visible to those residing in New Zealand, Antarctica, and Australia. It figures.

The next one that will be visible to those residing in the U.S will be August 1 - And that will only be for those who live in the northeast. Mark your calendars.

Annular Solar Eclipse

Anyways, my clumsy behind slipped and fell down the stairs today.

Honestly I don't think i've met anyone as clumsy as I am. Its way tragic.

So yeah...only three steps but that mess hurt!

Flipflops and hardwood staircases are not a good mix. At least not for me. I was wearing these:

The soles of which do not provide much traction. My bum is sore, and i'm quite positive i'll have a nasty little bruise there by tomorrow. If there isn't one already.

QUEENS REPRESENT, BUY THE ALBUM WHEN I DROP IT

-Extra P

If you know like i know, then i know that you know that that whole verse was majorly dope, and that the last line was like cream cheese icing on an extra moist dopeness cake.

So yeah I was listening to midnight marauders today and realized that this is one of those rare albums that i can listen to all the way through - no skipping. Even if i do skip, its not because a particular track sucks. It just means my train ride or car ride is almost over and i want to hear one song before i have to turn the music off.

I can't say that about many albums, which is why i began digging in my memory for other gems that -in my book- are perfect. Joints that you can listen to all the way through, and don't have those "wtf?" moments that have you reaching for the remote. I thought of a few, and here they are:

My definitive, but by no means all inclusive - list of perfect albums:

(Off the top of my head and in no particular order)

- What's Going On - Marvin Gaye
My parents had the lp and whenever I was able to sneak and listen to the record(my dad did NOT want his vinyl scratched), I'd stop after side A was done. Don't ask why. Laziness? Or maybe i was ready to listen to something else. Whatever the reason, it wasn't until I was about 16 that i decided to flip over to the other side and find out what it was talking about. Wow. I was sleeping. And when i finally got grown to afford it on CD, and was able to listen to it front to back with no flipping in the middle is when it dawned on me what exactly Marvin had accomplished. This album is a seamless masterpiece.

-Minnie Riperton - Perfect Angel
This record was THE soundtrack when i was growing up. My mom bought the album right before she got married, and after she got married and started having kids, it was still in heavy rotation. Minnie's vocals are sublime, and a welcome aural break from the powerhouses and vocal histrionics that permeate the airwaves today. The one thing that strikes me about her voice is how clear it is. You know how mariah has the range, but she has that throaty gravelly thing going on? Minnie's voice is the audio equivalent of waterford crystal. Featuring production from Stevie Wonder, this album is short, sweet and beautiful. No filler and absolutely perfect.

-Stevie Wonder-Innervisions/Fulfillingness' First Finale
I tried and tried to pick which one of these albums i preferred over the other. But...i couldn't and gave up. These are both stand out pieces of art, and from a catalog as vast and accomplished as Stevie's thats saying something. Depending on where your mind is at the time will have a bearing on what you're in the mood for. If you'd like a little more introspection and political awareness - go with innervisions. If you're feeling a little more romantic go for fulfillingness. Either way you can't go wrong.

:: I know a lot of folks think that Songs in the Key of Life was his perfect album but i don't agree. While it has some great cuts, its ambition makes it wayy too long and meandering.

-Anita Baker - Rapture
This album makes me think about traveling in the family van down south. Every summer we'd make the 600 and some-odd mile sojourn. Well after this album was released this became one of the trip's soundtracks.(along with daddy's oldies mixtapes and nat king cole) My dad borrowed his friends record, and dubbed a copy on memorex. That poor tape was used and abused from 85 until about 92, which is when he finally bought it on CD. From the opening drums on "Sweet Love" to the rousing outro on "watch your step", this album is a remarkable piece of work from the songstress. With her ole mash potato voice.

-Michael Jackson-Off The Wall
Need I explain? Yeah, thriller may have sold more copies, but IMO this is/was the superior album. Don't get me wrong, I love thriller to pieces - but whats coming close to the one two punch of Don't stop til you get enough and Rock with you? Whats more fun to sing along to than the title track? Don't you wanna dance after hearing get on the floor? I can't help it has the beauty of warm summer breeze. Can you deny the catchy-ness of its the falling in love? Who doesn't want to burn a disco out? Michael was on point on this one forreal.

-Sade -Stronger than Pride/Love Deluxe
Another two-fer. Is that cheating? Hm...Who cares? Its my list! lol Forreal though this is another group of albums that i can't pick my favorite to save my life. Stronger Than Pride is one of my favoritest songs ever. Which should give the edge to that album. But, "I couldn't love you more" is like a hot bath after a long day of work, so sensual and relaxing;

I wouldn't wanna lay/ or ever love/with another

A great great song. Both of these albums i can listen to straight through, and i do. Often. I guess if i HAD to choose(on some "pick now or your firstborn is dead" status), i'd choose love deluxe. The reason? It has a better album cover.

-Black Sheep - A wolf in Sheeps clothing
The first rap/hip hop album I *owned*. Not borrowed from a cousin or a classmate. I saved up my little pennies and bought this little ditty. Mr. Lawnge's beats, Dres' lyrics and their playful misogyny(oxymoron?) made me a fan. The skits had me dying.(l.a.s.m anyone?) Strobelite honey gave me insight into club hijinks @ a time when i had no idea what went on in a discotheque. La Menage was...yeah. I haven't listened to it in years so maybe my fond memories are failing me and its not a perfect hiphop album. But - if it isn't, it sure is close.

-The Roots - Do You Want More?!
Quest was fat(ter), Black Thought had dreads. Malik B was smack free(i think). Scott Storch was still the nerdy Jewish kid. I know a lot of folks will argue me down saying that Illadelph halflife or even TFA is a better album, but not to me. This is the quintessential Roots album. Every track is dope, and Malik B(factoid: his fam lived down the block from me @ my childhood home and i know his sisters very well.) Malik Badded that little bit of something that the roots are missing these days. The other albums are good, dope even. But nothing's coming close to the mellow smoothness of DYWM.

Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool
Let me preface the following by saying: I love jazz. BUT, i am by no means a jazz head. What i do know about jazz is from my brothers, an ex boyfriend and ken burns*drumkick* (thanks folks, i'm here all night). They're the jazz heads. I'm sure there are albums which may be considered more perfect in the jazz world, perhaps an album by Miles Davis. That being said, this is a jazz album that i absolutely adore. There was a period of about a month when I would pop this cd in @ work and just have it on repeat all day long. Yes, it was that serious. Its so adult, so chic, so refined, so...cool.

-A Tribe Called Quest - Midnight Marauders
We all know about the MM vs. LET thing, and i'm not going to even get into that. They both are superb albums. But unlike Fulfillingness/Innervisions, i have no trouble deciding which one i like better. Midnight Marauders all the way! The tour guide concept was brilliant. From Steve Biko to God Lives through, this one's a winner.

De La Soul - Stakes is High
"Sick of swole head rappers with their sickening raps" Yo. The first time I heard this track, I was in love. And not just with Dave aka Trugoy the Dove. I mean I was a fan of De La since the daisy age, and 3ft high will always be a classic -but it wasn't until Stakes is high came out that they really hit a chord with me. My girlfriend had the cd, and whenever i spent the night over her house we'd often find ourselves getting gussied up with this CD as background music. Everything about this album is dope. And while their catalog is awesome, If you could only own one of De La's albums, I'd recommend this one.

Erykah Badu - Mama's Gun
I bought this album a week after it came out, and sat on it. Bag Lady(the remix) was getting rotation on the radio but the version on the CD wasn't the same. The first track on the album was some kind of rocker crap. I was pissed. What the heck did i waste my 18 dollars on?? My sister got her hands on the CD and once she heard it, begged me to give it another chance. I did, and the rest is history. This album is her "whats going on" minus the overt feeling of protestation. I can't believe i slept so hard. Penitentiary philosophy(the rocker crap) is phenomenal. The dilla produced didn't cha know is like butta. A.D. 2000 is BEAUTIFUL. I prefer the album version of bag lady now. Times a wastin' is inspirational. Green Eyes is... Green eyes is Erykah's Opus.

My mind says move on/My heart lags behind...

just make love to me/just one more time and then you'll see/i can't believe i made a desperate plea/what's with me...

yeah. I was sleeping. Yeah baduizm was good, But Mama's gun was indescribable. It embarrasses me to think that i wrote it off so quickly.


So...thats it for now, since this is off of the top I'm sure there are others, especially from different genres. I may come back to this topic if i can think of others "perfect albums". Until then...thats my story, and i'm sticking to it.

I ALWAYS KNEW I'D NEVER BE FAMOUS...

Because there are no videos documenting me as a youngin'.

You ever notice that all famous people have video recordings of them when they were little kids? It doesn't matter if they were children in the 1980s or in the 1910s. The video exists. I'm watching Docs on these old singers and actors and i'm like "it was the great depression...who the heck had the money and time to record ray charles plucking a piano???" All these rappers and sangers who grew up penniless? Doesn't matter. There is some kind of motion picture featuring them doing...whatever.

So this entry was really gonna be about my weekend, which was pretty awesome. But as usual, i got sidetracked by my own mental sidebars. Sad.

Speaking of sidebars, i'm blogging with a face smothered in vaseline. The things we do for beauty. What??? I know yall know petroleum jelly is a great moisturizer. I slather this on at night, wakeup in the morning and wash it off. I highly recommend.

Don't do this with your good pillowcases though. Unless you like greasy silhouettes imprinted on them.

Oh yeah for added moisture i also do an oatmeal mask. its gross and disgusting and i totally like to threaten folks with a kiss when im wearing it. Its great.

But yeah where was I? My weekend.

My fam had a little thing for my uncle who just got married(more like eloped) and to formally introduce the bride to us my richie rich grandma threw an impromptu reception for him(remind me to get in her good graces lol). About a hundred people. It was nice. I tried out my red lipstick which was a hit. Unfortunately i eat lipstick so about an hour into the thing it was all but gone. :( My grandma decided to have a pig there(we eatz pork in our fam) so she went down to the italian market and ordered a whole pig for the guests. lol it was interesting. Seeing it almost made me wanna go vegetarian. Almost. I had to snap a picture though.

Wilbur? Noooooo!

What else.

I know i've gone on diatribes about hipsters, but i kinda want some huge glasses. Not cazals though. But the kind my mom rocked back when i was little. Pearle by Pearle vision. I'm trippin i know. But i think that'd be hot. I dunno. I'm just trying to edge up my look a little. Plus I look cute in glasses. Despite the fact that i don't need them. 20/20 vision here baby! Does that make me a poseur because i wear them simply for the look? Don't answer that.

I finally ventured into American Apparel this past weekend. Hated it! That store is an exercise in ugly. From the sickening lighting, to the brightly colored clothes, the austere accoutrements and the nausea-inducing music. I felt like a total idiot. I wanted to do a grandpa simpson as soon as i walked in but...i chilled. © I didn't want to judge to quickly. Unfortunately my first impression remained unchanged as i browsed the aisles. Some things were cute. But...they just weren't me. Tons of lycra and spandex and other synthetics. Lots of unisex fashion. I dunno. Everything was very trendy.They had cute t-shirts though. I bought one. And i bought a pair of socks. Other than that, i just felt very unhip and had to apply 40 ccs of jcrew to get rid of the icky. But at least the American Apparel spell was broken. Their guerilla marketing almost made me got nutzo and order the whole collection online. Phew!

FOOTBALL IS THE GREATEST SPORT IN THE HISTORY OF EVAR...

Football is so freaking awesome. What other sport can have an upset like the one tonight? Ok i'm sure there are others but they don't matter. We're talkin football here! The giants were the underdog of underdogs. Brady and Co. Had a 17-0 record. All signs pointed to them as the victor. But the little engine that could - Eli Manning - said, "no way jose. We're gonna take this." And take they did. And tonight in the U.S.of.A there are a great many people united and content in the demise of the mutually loathed New England Patriots. I said i was going to bed as soon as i got home, but I'm like forget it. I'm too amped after that freakin AWESOME superbowl. Seriously. My voice is a little froggy and my head hurts from all of the hootin' and hollerin'. You couldn't have asked for a better game.

The shot(and subsequent catch) heard 'round the world

Some observations:

-Whenever a group of my peers get together and watch sports, the chicks and dudes usually segregrate themselves. Tonight it was no different. All of the wives/girlfriends/babymommas were in the kitchen clucking while the menzes were watching the flat screen. It wasn't until halfway through the second quarter that I realized this. I was the only girl in the livingroom with all of the dudes. I felt weird for a bit, but then i shrugged it off. I didn't come to cackle and gossip. I came to watch the game.

-I think dudes are surprised that I know as much about football as I do. Or that i actually like football. For gameplay. Not just for glute gawking. Of course i'm not expert on the sport, and I don't pretend to be. I'm not above asking why a certain call was made, or what certain terms mean. I don't do it in a ditzy way though, cuz thats not cute. I also don't overcompensate for being a woman by trying to dazzle the boys with my all encompassing knowledge of the game. That's not cute either. I'm just a girl who likes football for the game. And the glutes. :)

-Madden has made every man a football coach. In his imagination. Because of madden, every dude is an expert on every play. Ever made. Its cute and endearing in an annoying "shutup or i'll box your ears" sort of way. Cuz like, i want to hear what the commentators are saying. You know the guys who are paid to talk through the game about the game, during the game -not your stankin behind. Unfortunately I can't because the armchair QBs won't shutup. Every dude wanted to out "coach" the other. And if i hear the term "flea flicker" one more time...

-I don't eat much when I'm out. Who knows why, but I always lose my apetite. I drink like a fish though. I had 4 cans of soda this evening. :(

-Leaving lip balm @ home will drive a sane Lex crazy(look im referring to myself in 3rd person!) I left my carmex home, and almost had a hissy fit. I started digging through my bag looking for it, in vain. No carmex. No vaseline. No nothing. Once i ate and drank off my lipgloss, i had to deal with dry lip for the rest of the night. Ugh.

-Tiki Barber. When the game was over, and after the collective shouting jumping and yeahhhs died down, my boy was like:

"yo...what about tiki?"

and collective group of male voices and, my soprano responded with:

"yooooooo"

It was amusing. It was like we all took an impromptu moment of silence for #21. Poor Tiki. Saltiness is never ever fun.(And no matter what HE says, you know he's salty.)

-The Giants aren't my team, but until next season starts, I'm on their bandwagon. Hard. I've always been a fan of Eli, but now I have such great respect for the rest of the cast and crew of the Giants organization. They played a serious game. My hat is off to them. Of course, after the season starts I'll be back to hating them. This time with begrudging respect though.

-I don't want to, but I feel bad for Junior Seau. Goshdarn Howie Long and his Interview with the man! All that backstory and struggle talk about Jrs. long career almost made me root for the Pats. Almost.

-All those folks that say that Superbowl Sunday should be a Nat'l holiday, with an observance on the following Monday? I agree with you.

TONIGHT'S DA NIGHT© FUNK DOC

February 1st yall

Yes Yes Yall

Spring is on its way yall

I hope we don't get no mo' snow yall

Now that i've "yalled" yall to death, lets move on


So yeah tonight its all about me me me me me © mya

I'm gonna do the whole spa @ home thing. Wash my hair, do a deep condition and the whole nueve. Do my nails, epilate mah legs. All the girly crap I balked at when i was 13. Maybe order in some Sushi or something. Hit up the local blockbuster and rent a movie. I don't think i've seen this and as a fan of the film noir genre, i'm always looking for new goodies.

(Sidenote: Don't you hate when you think you haven't seen a movie and rent it or whatever and realize about 20 minutes in that you indeed HAVE seen it? That mess sucks. Especially if you saw it and "hated it!" © toine. It even happens with TV. I was watching murder she wrote the other night and was all settled in for a good hour of cheese and 80s makeup until I realized that i had seen that ep before. And it was a corny episode at that. What a letdown. I was like traumatized for an hour.)

Also...its black history month. I always hated this time of year when i was in elementary school because it meant that i was going to be bombarded with assignments. Research so-and-so. Give a report on such-and-such. And then we always had a play, which everyone had to participate in. So being the shygirl i'm is, i wanted to lay in the cut, but i couldn't. Scary times.

But yeah, my point? Well, I got black in me. And i love history. In keeping with february's theme I'll probably be interspersing my regular prattle with some topical black history stuff.