THE DECADE IN REVIEW 2000-2009

(the good, the bad, and the oooh i forgot about that!)

So, im at a point in my life where im thoroughly unoriginal, so i figured i'd jump on the bandwagon and do a review (by way of list, of course) of the past decade. Oh, and spare me the lecture of how "its technically not a decade until 2011, because there is no zero year...blah blah blah." We all know that. Don't we? No one came here for a treatise on the gregorian calendar anyway, and if someone did, i'm sorry to disappoint.

Anyway, here is my list of some of the most noteworthy things to have happened in the 10 years. Some things are only relevant to me (it is my list after all) others are on a worldwide scale. The list is in descending order, number one being the biggest event to happen in the past decade. Happy New Year!

50. sushi - for YEARS i refused to even try sushi. My argument? "I refuse to eat raw fish." Well since then i have mended my ways, and now i go HARD for sushi. And then i had the nerve to learn that the word sushi isn't even referring to the fish itself. Sushi is the vinegared rice. lol. What an idjit. Talk about eating crow! In fact I could go for some now... (sushi that is. not crow.)

49. high speed internet - WTF did we do before broadband?? I entered the decade still on 56k. Im leaving it with cable, and hopefully fios soon... whenever it gets to my neighborhood. lol. But yeah. It wasn't a big deal though, because the internet still was pretty new. But then I discovered...

48. napster - In 2000, before the dark times... before the empire, I discovered this little website called napster which can only be likened to musical crack. Every song I ever wanted was on there, and did i mention that it was free? Free before the copyright nazis got to it.

47. college graduation - y2k baby! I didn't think i'd make it. Here's the thing about me, Im a good student, but a lazy student. Good grades have always come easy for me, so I rarely if ever applied myself. Well this pathetic work ethic almost had me sitting at the sidelines come graduation.

46. the 80s - The 80s came back in style in the 2000s and though i grumbled initially... i eventually succumbed to its siren song. Frankie says what?

45. social networking - I can only speak for myself, but there is a singular thrill in see classmates that were all that back in the day, and realizing that being an early bloomer isn't what you thought it was.

44. First serious relationship - Yes somebody actually owned up to being in love my black a$$. lol.

43. getting engaged - And yes that somebody actually wanted to marry me! I know, its hard to believe. :-)

42. Elian Gonzales - What happened to dat boy?

41. puerto rico! - My first trip out of the country with my girlfriends, and it will always hold a special place in my heart. They have fine men there too. Aye Papi!

40. mexico! - tequila shots, senor frogs, sterling silver, ancient pyramids, snorkeling... and a bad case of montezuma's revenge. LOVED it!

39. italy! - Ciao Bella! The men like brown girls with big hair. At least the men i encountered. Very flirtatious, and they can make homeliest girl feel like halle berry. Oh, its beautiful too.

38. Cell Phones - My dad and my brother both had a cell before I did. Yep, the self-proclaimed technophile was late on the celly-bandwagon. Now that i have one I can't imagine what I'd do without it, especially since i cant stop...

37. Texting - Texting is one of the greatest inventions in life. You can have private convos in public. (just don't be rude please.) I've said this before, i text more than I talk (on the phone.) Texting tapped into the Mavis Beacon that lives inside of me and gave her wings. I cant fathom having a phone without a qwerty, and a plan that doesnt include unlimited texts.

36. Youtube - The first thing i saw on youtube was SNL sketch, "Lazy Sunday" (Its the chronic WHAT? 'cles of narnia) Since then, I can't think of a day i haven't visited the site, looking for random stuff... and i find it. Movie scenes... shoot, whole movies! Old school videos, basically, if you can think of it, its on youtube. And then there is the whole youtube celebrity thing...

35. You got pierced where? * Ahem*

34. AOL instant messenger - My BFF Ryan hooked me up with my AIM acct, he asked if i was on instant messenger, and was shocked when i said i wasn't. lol.This was way back in 02. I haven't used my AIM in months (its all about Gchat now) but AIM revolutionized my workday. Boredom no more!

33. Demotion of Pluto - I don't know about you, but I grew up with a 9 planet solar system. in 2006 it was brutally taken away and i'll admit, i'm still reeling.

32. C cup status - TMI? Maybe. The sweet spot of boob size. Not too big (gravity makes those puppies hang loooow outside a brassiere.) and not too small. One day i woke up, and i had some nice jubblies! lol. I remember getting teased in 8th grade for being flat up top, and wishing like the dickens for something up there. Well 10 years later i got them and now its like how ya like me now?

31. my first gay proposition - We were buddies at work, she was leaving the job, but not before she telling me that If i ever wanted to experiment, that she'd be down for the cause. Oh and she was ever so serious too.

30. Enron - Escandalo! Billions of dollars lost, and with them dreams of many were crushed. My first look into corporate greed.

29. Ipod - you mean i don't have to carry CDs with me any longer?

28. Pilates - in 01, i kept reading about this "Pilates" thing (i was pronouncing it py-lates in my head. lol) it was like very much like yoga.. but it wasn't, though i found most folks who did pilates did both. I took a class and fell in love. Initially i just wanted to be able to do a split. Now im all into it. Being flexible is pretty cool.

27. Salsa - the year is 04. My girl calls me up asking if i'd like to go to this salsa class with her. I say "why not?" and we go. Talk about hooked? Five years later and im still into it, strong. It really is a lot of fun.

26. Upright Bass - Yeah, im learning to play the Bass. I love it. It had been years since i'd taken a music lesson (i play flute actually) but now im learning this big commanding beast of an instrument, and its pretty dope. Look for me to perform in your local hip music venue in five years ;-)

25. Jam Master Jay is Murdered - Its still surreal.

24. 9/11 - Our Generation's 1914. The day that everything changed.

23. Shock and Awe - Orwell spoke on this kind of euphemistic wording in his brilliant essay "Politics and the English Language"

22. Sarah Palin - wait, so that accent just wasn't for the Mom's voice on Bobby's World? People really talk like that?

21. Random a$$ celebrities - Notoriety isn't just for movie stars and musicians anymore. It could be me, but it seems the 2000s ushered in an era of being famous just for being famous. Socialites weren't just content with being rich, they also had to be in our face 24/7. There is no reason that my dad should know who Paris Hilton is. But yet, he does.

20. Mama's Gun - This album had me open for a year after its release. I was an incense burnin, flowy dress sportin, headwrap wearin, deep "sista" for a LONG time. The live instrumentation, the lyrics... and GREEN EYES. I've since toned down the bohemian vibe a little(...i recently discovered im still quite boho lol), but all it takes is a few notes from Orange Moon and im there all over again...

19. Indian Ocean Tsunami - The death toll kept rising and rising... i remember getting up in the morning, before work, and checking the news hoping that the number hadn't changed. Seeing the wreckage afterwards and being so sad, that after a while i refused to watch the news anymore. Unfortunately, the very next year...

18. Hurricane Katrina - I came down with the flu the day before Katrina hit. I laid up in bed for day, fixated on CNN, watching the destruction that followed. I was horrified, but couldn't look away. I couldn't believe this was happening on "our" soil. Whereever did i get the idea that the USA was impervious to natural disaster?

17. Sade - This woman is timeless, effortless. In the past ten years she's released ONE ALBUM. She's gone for years, comes back and she hasn't been forgotten, people want her even more. She has a cool beauty, a refinement, a cerebral sexiness that I can only hope to have. She makes me want to be 50. (i'll be patient though.) ;-)

16. Elian Gonzalez (what happened to dat boy?)

17. Wardrobe Malfunction - the busted seam heard 'round the world. You haven't lived until you have the pleasure of seeing janet jackson's nipple with your (then) 14 year old brother.

16. Victor Yushchenko - who? The former president of the Ukraine who suffered (and eventually died) from dioxin poisoning. Political Intrigue is real.

15. Terry Schiavo - :-(

14. My New Crib - Can I claim grown up status?

13. Swine Flu - Stop kissing pigs you freaks!

10. Dirty Thirty - That 30th birthday was a doosy. Now im a little more okay with being in my 30s... kinda. lol.

9. Hometown sports - BBall championship in 2001. No win. Superbowl in 2004. No win. Finally we reach the prize in 2008 in the world series.

8. Wikipedia - (finally a compendium of all things, great and small. At my finger tips even. (fact check before quoting your source though. lol)

7. Snuggie - don't front, you kinda want one too.

6. Nerds - we came into our own in the year 2G and beyond. Folks didn't realize all the sexy hiding behind the glasses. Now everybody wants to be one. NUH UH. Poseurs!

5. GOOGLE - my mother, my father, my sister, my brother, my pusher. What is the internet without google? For all intents and purposes, google IS the internet. (and can someone explain to me google wave??)

4. Three bammas and an Oscar - Or their professional name: 3-6 mafia. I still can't believe they won either. LOL.

3. Obama - "though it seems heaven sent, we ain't ready to have a black president" On a remote island in the pacific, tupac is puffing on a stogie, smiling with disbelief.

2. Michael Jackson dies - I still can't believe he's gone.

1. S-E-X is invented- Standing ovation for trey songz and his pioneering spirit! Where were you when sex was invented? Better yet, what were you doing? I can tell you what you weren't doing, you were definitely not having sex. So, what have we been doing all this time? And for that matter, how did we all get here? I don't know, but it wasn't through sex. But now that its been invented, i hope we all have plenty of it. :-)

So thats my list. I've left many things out i know. You have some? Please share. :-)

TOP 10 "SEASONAL" THEMED SONGS

This time of year we are bombarded by holiday music. Unfortunately most songs are just sentimental schmaltz. Then again, i shouldn't balk, because I'm a sentimental schmaltz. So, perhaps thats part of the allure. At any rate, if you venture out into public places, its near impossible to escape its tinsel tinged clutches. Add to this the fact that these songs have the unerring quality of getting stuck in your brain. By the end of Christmas season your senses wil have been so overwhelmed by the sound of ringing, you won't know if its sleigh bells or your tinnitus.

Anyway, here are 10 songs of the season that I enjoy and don't mind hearing (especially since I don't have a choice. lol)

1. The Christmas Song - Nat "King" Cole's version please. In my opinion, its the best. Others will do, but only Nat's silky vocals can do the supreme justice to the song (which, btw, Mel torme wrote!)

2. This Christmas - Donny Hathaway. LOVE this song and I only want to hear HIS version. The breakdown in the middle (1:59-2:16) be getting (yes BE) me open! Chris (two fists) Brown did a version and it was an abomination. Autotune and Donny do not belong together. *shudder*

3. Last Christmas - Wham. Another song where only THEIR version will do. Some teeny bopper (taylor swift?) remade it recently and when I heard it blaring through Dollar General's sound system, I almost commited hara kiri on the spot.

4. Let It Snow - Boyz II Men - I hate snow, but when this song comes on, i almost don't mind it. Almost.

5. Baby Its Cold Outside - Any version as its almost impossible to do this duet wrong. I am partial to the Vanessa Williams and Bobby Caldwell's rendition.

6. Sleigh Ride - TLC. I came of age in the 90s and thus this song holds a special charm for me. Don't judge!

7. Skating - Vince Guaraldi/Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack - a beautiful song that i wish was longer.

8. Winter Wonderland - Don't know who wrote it, but any version will do. Its just a fun song to sing.. and torment people with at karaoke! :)

9. All I want for Christmas is you - Mariah Carey (see number 6 for exposition. lol)

10. My Favorite Things - John Coltrane. Easily one of my favorite songs of any genre. Love this song.

So here they are. What do you think? What are yours? Did I miss any?

My Favorite Things - John Coltrane

HAPPY WINTER SOLSTICE!

In Ancient Rome this time period was marked by festivals to their harvest god Saturn and accompanied by feasts that celebrated the Return of Mithras (their Sun god) from his slumber. I won't be doing all that - though i did wiggle it just a little bit(as it grooved) when i awakened this morning - but still, the day bears remarking. Why?

DAYS WILL NOW BE GETTING LONGER. (i know, i totally did this same entry around last year lol. But now you know how important this day is to me.)

Yes, it also marks the official start of winter (and given the obscene amt of snow dropped upon us this past week, we are off to an auspicious start!) but it also means that the hours of daylight are increasing. Gradually at first, but eventually the sun will be caressing our skin as we make our way home from work, a reprieve from the dark skies and cold breezes that are our lot now. I couldn't be happier. The sun actually will actually sets a minute later tomorrow than it did today, and that minute is a salve to my soul. Today is a "hang in there, its almost over" kind of day.

Of course it also means that springs is on its merry way, and with spring comes my birthday, but i'll obsess over that later. :)

And now we come to the part in our program where i must give a few shout outs. My fellow bloggers, Jazzbrew, and Mr Mobley, have both been priveleged to conduct interviews with the redoubtable Terence Blanchard and Kareem Abdul Jabbar, respectively. Yes, you read right. The musician and basketball star. Mmhmm. So don't get all jealous that they have skillz and you don't, just click those links and check for the interviews. These gentlemen both killed it.

50 THINGS THAT DIDN'T SUCK ABOUT 2009

With the new year quickly approaching (2010?? I never thought i'd see the day) I figured i'd enter it with a little positivity. Its very easy to recount the bad, while the good remains unremarked upon. I know i'm guilty of this all the time. See: 95% of my entries.

Anyway i figured i'd try something new, as im in a ridiculously good mood. These are the first 10... I'll be posting the rest in the upcoming weeks.

Let us begin:

1. My bank account: While never a spendthrift per se, Once i got my first decent paying gig - i fell into the bad habit of indulging myself. ALL. THE. TIME. I had a nice wardrobe, but my bank account was smaller than meager. Now i've learned to balance my needs and wants. And wants vs. wants. Now im not embarrassed if the person behind me sees my receipt from the atm. lol

2. My hair - I go hard for natural hair. In fact, i always have... but for other people. I used to be too shy to wear my fro to work. Strictly a vacation, slumming look. Now i'm wearing it all the time and loving it.

3. My nephew. I'm like a real grown up now, because i have a rugrat calling me - ok he aint talking yet - aunt. (well tia to be exact) He's the illest.

4. People. Ok... people did suck in 2009(as they did every year before that) but serendipity kissed me on the forehead and blessed me with meeting a few (emphasis on few) that did NOT suck. Even moving into the echelon of my favorite people/persons. Its refreshing to genuinely like someone. Three cheers for kindred spirits!

5. Battlestar Galactica.

6. Celebrity nude photo "leaks." - I'm sure we've all seen the Rihanna and Cassie photos. If you haven't, google using the keywords "rihanna nude". And while that sucks for them, it was a boon for me. Why? I saw what they're working with and realized that yeah... if i had the publicity machine behind me, i'd be killin em too. They look great, but, not to toot my own horn, so do I. And for that matter, so do you! It was all a matter of putting things in perspective. And though i may never be as taut as beyonce during her world tours, it doesn't mean i look bad. Somebody gon' like it!

7. Leggings. I did them in 89 and again in 92. I fought the trend hard when it came back around, but now i can say im a believer. They're comfortable, allow ease of movement, and if youre in decent shape, make you look good too. lol

8. Gone with the wind (as long as im making lists, i will find a way to put this on it. lol)

9. Esperanza Spalding - You know how people tell you to check out an artist, and its like "meh?" Well from the moment i heard her version of Ponte De Areia, i knew i was going to be a fan. She is now my bass playing muse.

10. My skin. Finally like, no zits! Of course the years when i was the young debutante who could have USED flawless skin are behind me, but better late than never I suppose. Finally a face not marred by blemishes! Ok, i got one the other day but even its like not social life threatening (the measuring stick by which i monitor all my skin conditions is: "will i go out like this?") Who am i kidding? I don't go out. But if i did, my skin would surely the barometer...

Eddie Kendricks - People... Hold On

50 THINGS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY

This one is at the behest of my homie/antagonist, "that dude". You might know him from such posts as...lol

Anyway, i find making lists is not as challenging as writing an actual entry, so maybe i'll be listing until the mood to blog hits again...

Without further delay...

1. my nephew
2. phone calls and emails from my grandmother just to say hi, and a "i love you"
3. an afternoon full of absolutely nothing
4. seeing a pair of shoes on sale, asking if they have any left in my size - and finding out they do.
5. a favorite movie being broadcast on television. Nevermind that i own the DVD.
6. dancing
7. finding money left in a coat pocket from a previous season.
8. Being myself with someone.
9. a full tank of gas.
10. Surprising people with gifts.
11. My mommy.
12. Meeting someone and realizing you're going to be great friends.
13. Gone with the Wind (movie or book)
14. Waking up in the middle of the night and seeing its only 12, and you still have hours left for sleep.
15. Fresh, hot, expertly salted McDonald's Fries.
16. Target.
17. Seeing a movie and it really lives up to the hype.
18. That moment on a friday when you get home from work and you have the entire weekend in front of you.
19. Making someone laugh.
20. Having someone make me laugh. To the point of tears.
21. Napoleon Dynamite
22. Peach Cobbler
23. Being retweeted on twitter.
24. learning a new word.
25. Scrabble.
26. Road trips.
27. Youtubing videos of Esperanza Spalding.
28. Dorky inside jokes. (Strong filly! LOL)
29. Finally understanding a mathematical concept.
30. Lucky Charms.
31. Apple cider WITH the cinnamon stick.
32. Quoting a movie or a song and people GET the quote.
33. Having my headphones on and listening to the same song over and over, but no one can get mad because im the only one hearing it.
34. Cream Soda.
35. Hearing my dad grudgingly admit he likes a song made post 1975.
36. Hearing him trying to explain why he likes said song: "well it sounds like an oldie..."
37 A good natured joning session.
38. Perfectly cooked steak.
39. Blog comments :-)
40. Being productive.
41. Being okay with not being productive.
42.That moment you finish cleaning your bedroom and everything is in its place.(cuz you know its only seconds before it starts getting messy again)
43. Fresh high thread count sheets.
44. Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens :-)
45. My skin after a shea butter application. (soft like whoa!)
46. Finishing a crossword puzzle.
47. Tea.
48. listening to good music
49. Twilight zone marathons
50. Long hugs. (from/with someone i care about. Not trying to share a protracted embrace with jimmy the janitor. lol)

SWV - Use Your Heart

OH WAIT...

So i make my last entry, and then i see this. lolz :-/

Confound it! I hate when the internet touches a nerve!

The Meantime Girl -

She’s the one you call when you’re bored or sometimes when you and your significant other had a fight because she makes you laugh. She’s the one you talk to when you’re feeling down because she’s willing to lend an ear and be a friend. She’s the one you spend time with between buddies, before you find “The One”. You know the one who hangs around in the meantime.

She’s too laidback, too easily amused by the same things your male buddies are amused by. She’s too understanding, too comfortable – she doesn’t make you feel nervous or excited the way a “real woman does. But she’s cool, nice, funny and attractive enough that when you’re lonely or horny and need an intimate female companionship, she’ll do just fine.

You don’t have to wine and dine her because she knows the real you already. She’s not easy, but you know that she cares about you and is attracted to you, and that she’ll give you the intimacy you need. And you know you don’t have to explain yourself or the situation, that she’ll be able to cope with the fact that this isn’t the beginning of a relationship or that there’s any possibility that you have any real romantic feelings for her.

It won’t bother that you would text her sometimes just to say not to text you because you’re with your girlfriend. She’s just sooo cool…why can’t all women be like that? But deep down, if you really think about it (which you probably don’t because to you, the situation between the two of you isn’t important enough to merit any real thought), you know that it’s really not fair. You know that although she would never say it, it hurts her to know that despite all her good points and all the fun you two have, you don’t think she’s good enough to spend any real time with.

Sure, it’s mostly her fault, because she doesn’t have to give in to your needs —- she could play the hard-to-get bitch like the rest of them does, if she really wanted to. But you and she both know that she probably couldn’t pull it off. Maybe she’s not really your type. Whatever the reason, somehow life has given her a lot of really great qualities but has left out the ones that men want (or think they want) in a woman.

She’s just too thoughtful. She’ll sometimes buy you things you need; she’ll sometimes buy you or cook midnight snacks for you and personally deliver it in your place. She wants to be special to someone, too. We all do. She has feelings. She has a heart. In fact, she probably has the bigger heart than any woman you’ve ever known because she’s had a front-row seat to The Mess That Is Your Life, and she likes you anyway. She obviously sees something worthwhile and redeeming in you because although you’ve given her nothing, absolutely no reason to still be around, she is. She’s just your convenient excuse to fool around.

(via email, 2001)

New Edition - You're Not My Kind of Girl

GENDER NEUTRAL?

What's the inverse of a fag hag?

Somewhere along the way, i've become a guy's gal, and im not sure how I feel about it. The formerly unknown transition was made painfully evident to me last Thursday evening, when i stopped through my boys house and sat with him and his buddies for a few hours. (He's Trinidadian, and when he cooks I always gotta come get some. lol)

We laughed, joked, watched the game, talked about women (shakira vs ciara vs rihanna vs beyonce vs halle vs nia vs stacey...) talked about sports, talked about electronics...

It was an enjoyable time, none of the guys made passes at me, everything was copacetic.

But as the hours passed, a funny thing occurred. I started to feel neutered.

Here i was, a reasonably engaging woman, looking cute (if i say so myself) surrounded by a bunch of dudes...

and none of them made a pass at me?? LOL

What's worse, i was getting shoulder nudges and pounds like i was a dude! Seriously. It was like i was a guy. WTF.

Ordinarily, i would have been cool with this, but for some reason that day it bugged me. I love that dudes always feel cool around me, but i began to wonder if my ease in masculine dominated environments are because of my perceived lack of womanly-ness. I don't want to seem cool because i am viewed as another man. Or if not a full blown "man", a man-like substance.

The icing on the cake was when my boy declared that he was glad that i wasn't "so girly."

Um what?

I mean i have breasts and a booty and a waist dangit! How much more girly can you get? Is that why you are giving me pounds and slapping me on my back like im your homie from around the way?

Ok, i am his homie from around the way but still.

It was very unsettling. Here i am, thinking im just a cool person, but now i wasn't so sure.

Not that i want every man to see me as a sex object. But dang. Is there a healthy happy medium? Do i either have to be uber sexy woman or tomboy-esque?

Im probably coming across as vain. I admit my vanity was a little, um wounded.

Even if you don't want me for yourself, surely you can't be blind to my femininity? When other women entered the room it was a different vibe. But as soon as said woman vacated, it was back to boys club.

I guess i could take it as a compliment, but i mean... yeah.

As is my usual MO, im probably putting way too much thought into this.

But still, when i came home, i sat in front of the tv, sulked, and ate an entire pint of haagen dazs.

How's that for girly?

Les Nubians - Makeda