I just got an unintentional BIG CHOP! (all caps cause this shit is serious!!) The BIG CHOP or BC as it's known in the natural hair community is when a black woman, or African American woman if we're being PC, cuts all of her hair off. The reason can be because it's damaged, or she may want to get all the relaxer out, or she wants a new look, or whatever. As for me the reason why it was unintentional is because I really just didn't know what to do with my hair. I was ok with relaxers. Sometimes women can be allergic or stop getting them because the chemicals can be affecting other parts of their body. In some cases it can be linked to allopecia, or breast or ovarian cancer so alot of women to alliviate the risk, stop getting relaxers. We have to go back just a bit for me. Last year (2012) in January or Febraury I got back in contact with a hairstylist that I used to go to. I liked the way she cut and style so I thought now would be a good time to change my look. Up to that point my hair was rather long and I would do it myself and just get touch ups when I needed them. I even went to the Dominicans a few times which is SO bad for your hair. I scoured Essence magazines and online for the perfect cut. I finally found something and took it to her to do it and I left with something not really what I wanted but it was cute so all was well. As the spring and summer went on, I had her cut more. She didn't really get what I wanted again, but at this point I was rocking an asymetrical and it was flattering on me. SO the final straw was late summer early fall when I wanted to get a pixie cut, which would have meant it was going to be really short but basically all I would have to do is get up tossle it a bit and GO! The night I got it cut, she was having some personal issues, her daughter was not doing well and actually she called a few times at the shop. I really thought though that she would be able to rise above her personal issues and still give me what I wanted, which is kinda odd since up to that point, she had not given me what I wanted. When she was finished and held the mirror up for me to see her handiwork, I said to her "Is this what you thought I wanted?" It may have been rude, but keep in mind I was paying ALOT to this chick and her prices seemed to vary from visit to visit! So NOW I was not happy. Her sister and brother-in-law came to pick her up and I sat in the car like WTF just happened here? I went to McDonald's they messed up my order so I was just MAD for the rest of the night.
Once my hair started growing out I went the braids route. During my first set of braids I got a text from her asking why I hadn't been back. And I told her I was not happy with the last cut and that I wanted my hair to grow out some more. Another thing to note, sometimes when you go to a stylist for a while you know things about them that you may not neccesarily want to know. So I knew this was a fresh start for her and that her clients really were not coming as regularly as she would have liked so she was struggling financially. When I first started going to her back when the daughter who is now about 20 was then about 7 or 8, i left the shop looking GREAT! She was always overbooked (not good for me but good for her). I even had co-workers come up from DC to go to her she was just that good. So over the years I don't know what happened but she just lost her love for doing hair.
Fast foward to a few weeks ago, I took out my 2nd set of braids and was left with some natural some relaxed hair. I saw a woman at Wal-Mart who had a cute style and she gave me the card to a lady near my house. I can be really picky though so I never called that lady. I think I thought I could do it myself by going on blogs like Curly Nikki, and KulChicBeauty, but I really was not prepared to go the natural route alone. And what I thought was some Carol's Daughter at the Marshalls I went to was actually some other brand of conditioner that did NOTHING for my hair. Hair care products can be expensive so you really have to be sure of what you buy. I asked one young lady what she used in her hair and she said Oh I use a product **BLANK STARE** Yes miss I'm sure you do use a PRODUCT but what's the name of the product?!?! She did eventually tell me but I was kinda pissed at that point so I forgot. I was doing my own little twist outs but it was really looking good some days, a hot mess on other, even though I carried it like I was the cutest chick in the world everyday! My BFF was trying to have me go to her hair dresser in Charlotte, but I wasn't real sure what I wanted and I was being to wishy washy. And then I was like if this woman does a good job then who in Baltimore is going to keep it up for me? I called another friend who said, oh you can get a weave! Now I don't knock anyone who rocks a weave, but that just isn't me. She then gave me the name to a woman who does natural hair. Now mind you I have a soror who does natural hair but she moved her butt to Georgia (oh she knows who she is!!). I called this lady and you know how sometimes you can tell everything about a person just from how they answer the phone? She was SUPER professional and even though I was wishy washy with her, she still assured me that she could help me. I was up in the air about everything up until the point of me sitting in her chair and she says oh yeah we are gonna cut this relaxer out and I sat there and said OK? Like yeah ok... but really, what was I holding onto. I am ready for a new look!
So it is short! I am still looking at myself like OMG my hair is SOOOOOOOOO short, but I have gotten compliments from co-workers, even got a double take from the cutie on the 4th floor who held the door for me even though I was WAY across the street, so that helped! Another co-worker who herself is natural said it looked very nice and that I looked adorable! That helped too. She also said that my hair would grow really fast and that I would be doing lots of styles which is what Tara said, who hmmm maybe I should put her link here, because even though she is all the way on the other side of the world in East Baltimore, I think it was worth it!
I need to figure out how to post pictures. WELL I need to TAKE some pictures LOL!
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Thursday, February 14, 2013
adventures in singledom...
I really had been debating whether or not I was going to share my whole speed dating adventure but then I thought, why not! Everything I do seems to be an adventure LOL This is after all Random Chick and what would a blog be without a little random dating entry. Ok so last Monday… oh wait, I have to back up even further. I have a friend who is signed up in a lot of meet-up groups. This is basically a free website that you go on and join these various groups like, the Meet-up group for Anne Arundel County Badminton club, or ones for single fathers over 40 in Laurel (I’m making these up but sometimes they can be that specific) So anyway I went to the site a while back to sign up and it can be very overwhelming with all the groups so all I did was sign up and I get the newsletter weekly. So last Monday I see an ad for the DMV Black Single Speed Dating. And I was like OH HELL yes!! That sounds like something I would want to do. Now I never had any very high hopes if nothing else it was something to do. I see the pics of some of the guys that are going to be there and I was like… uuhhhh BUT to anyone’s defense, some people just aren’t photogenic so I pressed on. I get there and of course there are a bunch of women and a few short young looking guys. I’m not knocking the short men, but I was like OK whatever this is just something to do. After a little while more people came in and there was this one guy in one of those (ridiculous) Ed Hardy shirts with the angel wings on which was kinda fitted and I certainly appreciated that he had been to the gym! So I sign in and no one checks to see if I paid or I just came in off the street. They tell me to sit at an empty table and then all the people after me they tell to sit at a table with the opposite sex. So I’m like well I would have sat with a guy if you told me to. So there are 2 other women at tables near me and we start chatting about the availability of men at this thing and in general, about where the hell do you go to meet men, and about how disorganized this even was. Which it really was, but once I shared my thought process of this just being something to do they laughed and were in agreement. SO once everyone signed in they told all the women to get up and move to the ‘holding area’. We all were like HUH?!?!? So basically they overbooked the women and there were not enough men O_o They counted 24 women to sit at the table with the 24 men that were there. The first guy Michael (no need to change names to protect the innocent) that I sat with was nice enough but he lived in Northern VA so unless there was a definite connection, I know I WASN’T going all the way there for him and I could only assume he wouldn’t be coming all the way to Baltimore. The next ‘round ‘ we sat and waited. So round 3 I get to sit with another guy. Everything I do is random so I really wasn’t scoping out the room I just sat at an available table, his name was Jason. Now this guy too, nice enough 26 *_* live in VA. So I sat there and thought ‘what 20 year old do I know for him?’ cause he was kinda cute, but just young. Some more people came in… a few more men. Third guy, Brandon, I sat with did not even want to be there he just came with his boys and then they were going out to a club after that. He was a chef and I told he needed to lead with that. He said he was gonna be done after me because he was sure the other women weren’t going to be as nice as me. Is this lil dude flirting with me?!?! Still young but cute. Fourth guy was a complete weirdo, D’Andre. I should have known something was off because his ’HELLO MY NAME IS’ was in gold sharpie, not black like everyone else. So he looked at me like a psycho killer. My dude did not blink or look away the entire time which was kinda unnerving. I was doing fine with the small talk up to that point but I could not think of a thing to say to him and he was not good at coming up with anything either. So when they said TIME I hopped up like OK thanks!! Whew that was a long 4 minutes. Next dude, George, which honestly I think he made up just that second because he didn’t even have a name tag. So we started talking about something and he said well if you told me you were 25 I would believe you and then if you told me later your real age, you know after we were kicking it I wouldn’t mind. So I’m sitting there looking at his big ass cubic zirconia thinking why does this fool have 2 BIG ASS earrings in his each ear and then I said Dude why would I lie about my age or anything? It’s not that deep!! And he was like oh well you know cause people do! I was glad when that 4 minutes was up. Last dude Kevin. Completely not my type, well none of them were, but he was the most interesting. He had on this necklace that he made, so we talked about jewelry making, he was an army brat and was well traveled. We both at different points went on a Mediterranean cruise and he wanted to go back to Italy and Greece and I was like ME TOO!! And then we listed the places in each country we wanted to go. So the bad part about this was it didn’t occur to me til after I was in the car almost home that I should have given him my number. He was at least the most interesting and someone I could have hung out with, the rest were pretty much cornballs. Now the good thing about speed dating is that you get to see the person in the flesh, no one is hiding behind a picture (that might not even be them) and a profile (which might be fake). The bad thing is if it is not organized properly the ratios will be off. I had already made up in my mind that this was just something to do, so I wasn’t out for a major love connection. Some of the women there were real (and I hate this term) thirsty!! One ‘crew’ were basically knocking other sistas down to get to this one guy who was in the corner. He was aiight, but not worth knocking someone down. OH and the age range was 24-39 but I really expected more older guys than there were. And there were a few women there who I knew were WELL over 39. I felt like I was hitting the cap already. And really what can a 25 year old do for you other than the obvious which might be mind blowing but then what (LOL)??
General Random
Even though I’m speaking loudly, it’s to myself NOT you, so move along!!
Adult orthodontia is a wonderful thing!
Really dude (or dudette) get off the phone and make the turn. You taking 20 minutes to make this turn is making my pressure rise!
It’s just a day! You may have someone you may not but really it’s just a day… slightly made up and exasperated by Hallmark.
I want to go out on St Patrick’s day for green beer O_o
I honestly don’t know how vegetarians do it. I am freaking STARVING after I eat veggies only. I ate some carrots this morning (not for breakfast but just as a lil snack) and 2 minutes after I was scrounging around for something else. Now carrots with hummus that can hold a chick for a little longer
I had some very specific rants about some friends and I thought hmmm…. If I write that they will know I’m talking about them and the goal is now to be putting no one on blast so we’ll just save that in the Random memory bank for another day
I recently bought popcorn kernels and have been making it on the stovetop. Now I don’t know if it’s nostalgia or if I really just made the best popcorn ever. I’m leaning toward best popcorn ever!! With just a little butter and old bay O M G!!!
One of the big whig dudes who clomps around here like everyplace he has to be is THE MOST urgent thing on the world he looks at me kinda strange like… who is this chick and why is she smiling at me?!? I smile at everyone dude (well except that bitch in the inside office LOL) and I might even say hello cause that’s just the kinda chick I am!!
Inside office gal is a bitch for so many reasons! I can’t even think of a better funner word to call her like tweedle or CR (crazy redneck) or just anything… cause I’m an orphan her at the crazy place I work meaning I have no real home or team, I just wander the halls hoping someone will throw me work (no not really)! One day I said something to her and she smirked at me ACTUALLY SMIRKED!! I kinda let that pass because everyone has their bad days, right? But then just recently she and the admin (who I now refer to as Linda Belcher… It’s a Bob’s Burgers thing) were trying to find space to put all the crap Linda has been collecting over the years, I walked by and weighed in ____________they both acted like I wasn’t there and didn’t say a thing. Linda (not her real name I am protecting the innocent) really probably didn't hear me. But IOB (eewwww that’s good inside office bitch!!!) most certainly did and smirked at me again
If you are funky don’t come to hot yoga cause it is just bad and I’m pretty sure it’s bad karma too. NAMSTE!!
What the hell happened to spell check on blogger.com?!?
General Random
Even though I’m speaking loudly, it’s to myself NOT you, so move along!!
Adult orthodontia is a wonderful thing!
Really dude (or dudette) get off the phone and make the turn. You taking 20 minutes to make this turn is making my pressure rise!
It’s just a day! You may have someone you may not but really it’s just a day… slightly made up and exasperated by Hallmark.
I want to go out on St Patrick’s day for green beer O_o
I honestly don’t know how vegetarians do it. I am freaking STARVING after I eat veggies only. I ate some carrots this morning (not for breakfast but just as a lil snack) and 2 minutes after I was scrounging around for something else. Now carrots with hummus that can hold a chick for a little longer
I had some very specific rants about some friends and I thought hmmm…. If I write that they will know I’m talking about them and the goal is now to be putting no one on blast so we’ll just save that in the Random memory bank for another day
I recently bought popcorn kernels and have been making it on the stovetop. Now I don’t know if it’s nostalgia or if I really just made the best popcorn ever. I’m leaning toward best popcorn ever!! With just a little butter and old bay O M G!!!
One of the big whig dudes who clomps around here like everyplace he has to be is THE MOST urgent thing on the world he looks at me kinda strange like… who is this chick and why is she smiling at me?!? I smile at everyone dude (well except that bitch in the inside office LOL) and I might even say hello cause that’s just the kinda chick I am!!
Inside office gal is a bitch for so many reasons! I can’t even think of a better funner word to call her like tweedle or CR (crazy redneck) or just anything… cause I’m an orphan her at the crazy place I work meaning I have no real home or team, I just wander the halls hoping someone will throw me work (no not really)! One day I said something to her and she smirked at me ACTUALLY SMIRKED!! I kinda let that pass because everyone has their bad days, right? But then just recently she and the admin (who I now refer to as Linda Belcher… It’s a Bob’s Burgers thing) were trying to find space to put all the crap Linda has been collecting over the years, I walked by and weighed in ____________they both acted like I wasn’t there and didn’t say a thing. Linda (not her real name I am protecting the innocent) really probably didn't hear me. But IOB (eewwww that’s good inside office bitch!!!) most certainly did and smirked at me again
If you are funky don’t come to hot yoga cause it is just bad and I’m pretty sure it’s bad karma too. NAMSTE!!
What the hell happened to spell check on blogger.com?!?
Friday, February 8, 2013
Yay Friday!
my blogs are long as HELL!! I'm sitting here at work working REAlLY hard and reading some of them from last summer. I got BOLD and bullets and... well randomness but that is to be expected
I'm glad it's friday!! The week wasn't bad it's just always a very welcomed day.
Tomorrow I'm taking my sister to see the Alvin Ailey Dancers. I think the last time I saw them was in Pittsburgh and I was a kid.
I went to a non-musical play on Tuesday and was left with WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED HERE?!?! The quick and dirty of August: Osage County is the patriarch goes missing and then dead; and he's an alcoholic. The matriarch pops pills. Basically there are just secrets that all families have, but the one that stood out the most for me were the 1st cousins carrying on a relationship and it turned out they were brother and sister. As attractive as I think my family/cousins are I can't imagine kissing let alone having sex with them. And my brother?!?! I am sick to my stomach. The other sister was engaged to a man who I could tell was about to mess with the 14 yr old niece. I would kill a fool if he put his hands on any of my nieces, nephews too!!! So it was a good play, but I think I'll stick to the musical variety!!
There is a 2 hour delay for schools in this area, but no snow O_o
So glad I bought 4 bottles of wine on Wed!!
The office people are STILL complaining about the cubes they put in front of them
It's probably a good idea to NOT be writing my blog or looking at FB or tweeting or not working when 1 of my managers walks by. Yeah that's a good rule of thumb. Even though I am somewhat of an orphan, this is the one that authorizes the time sheet so yeah.
I'm addicted to a new vlog on youTube, BeatFaceHoney. She is a make-up person and her tips are really good. I actually thought she was in drag, but I think she was born with all girl parts! I need to step up my make-up game. For some reason the spots that are on my face seem to get bigger by the day. NOT REALLY, but a lil concealer and foundation aint never hurt nobody!! When I was working from home, my aunt told me to wake up everyday shower and put on some lipstick!! Which I usually did!!
people say the dumbest shit on FB and the meanest nastiest shit on twitter and on the comments of YouTube most likely becasue there is more anonimity. I guess people think they are protected by the computer and feel fearless. But TRUST if I wouldn't say it to your face, I wouldn't write it to live on forever and ever in cyber space! Maybe that's just me. Then once said, folks be surrying around to explain what they meant or, take downa comment that was offense. WHO has time for that, just DON'T say it in the first place.
I'm glad it's friday!! The week wasn't bad it's just always a very welcomed day.
Tomorrow I'm taking my sister to see the Alvin Ailey Dancers. I think the last time I saw them was in Pittsburgh and I was a kid.
I went to a non-musical play on Tuesday and was left with WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED HERE?!?! The quick and dirty of August: Osage County is the patriarch goes missing and then dead; and he's an alcoholic. The matriarch pops pills. Basically there are just secrets that all families have, but the one that stood out the most for me were the 1st cousins carrying on a relationship and it turned out they were brother and sister. As attractive as I think my family/cousins are I can't imagine kissing let alone having sex with them. And my brother?!?! I am sick to my stomach. The other sister was engaged to a man who I could tell was about to mess with the 14 yr old niece. I would kill a fool if he put his hands on any of my nieces, nephews too!!! So it was a good play, but I think I'll stick to the musical variety!!
There is a 2 hour delay for schools in this area, but no snow O_o
So glad I bought 4 bottles of wine on Wed!!
The office people are STILL complaining about the cubes they put in front of them
It's probably a good idea to NOT be writing my blog or looking at FB or tweeting or not working when 1 of my managers walks by. Yeah that's a good rule of thumb. Even though I am somewhat of an orphan, this is the one that authorizes the time sheet so yeah.
I'm addicted to a new vlog on youTube, BeatFaceHoney. She is a make-up person and her tips are really good. I actually thought she was in drag, but I think she was born with all girl parts! I need to step up my make-up game. For some reason the spots that are on my face seem to get bigger by the day. NOT REALLY, but a lil concealer and foundation aint never hurt nobody!! When I was working from home, my aunt told me to wake up everyday shower and put on some lipstick!! Which I usually did!!
people say the dumbest shit on FB and the meanest nastiest shit on twitter and on the comments of YouTube most likely becasue there is more anonimity. I guess people think they are protected by the computer and feel fearless. But TRUST if I wouldn't say it to your face, I wouldn't write it to live on forever and ever in cyber space! Maybe that's just me. Then once said, folks be surrying around to explain what they meant or, take downa comment that was offense. WHO has time for that, just DON'T say it in the first place.
Monday, February 4, 2013
Weekend stuff...
I had a great weekend! Didn’t do anything major just a happy hour, the play Fela! And the superbowl (well not really the superbowl, but I’ll get to that in a minute).
Happy Hour
So I recently reactivated my membership into Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. The main reason I stopped was because I didn't have a job. Sorority life no matter which one belong to can drain your account if you’re not careful. And at the time 2008 I think, having just lost my job and no real prospects for a new one thanks to the hellacious economy, letting that go was very easy. Now when folks say ‘where have you been?’ I just say around. Not working is kinda embarrassing even though I know I wasn't the only person in that current condition. Many of my friends and family were in constant pursuit of finding a job. And it wasn't that I was laid off or downsized, I was fired for really dumb reasons. I fit real well with folks who got laid off or downsized, which I guess is a nice way of saying fired. I worked little piddly jobs but nothing anywhere near to what I was making or doing. My credit went to pot. The house...AWW LAWD all I was trying to speak on was the damn happy hour. SO here lately anytime something is going on and I go I have been getting so excited! It’s almost like I’m a housewife with 5 kids that never gets to do nothing; and that is so not the case. So when I heard about the happy hour I was majorly excited!! It was at a bar/restaurant that I went to a few weeks ago (again I was very excited to go that night too) so I knew what to expect. And nothing dramatic happened it was just a good time with some ladies I haven’t spent time with in a long while.
FELA!
This was the highlight of the weekend. So I sent out a rather last minute email to my friends asking who wanted to go. I belong to several list-servs and sometimes I pay attention and sometimes I don’t. But I saw the ‘flyer’ for Fela! and I remembered how I wanted to go see it on Broadway. I don’t know why I never made it up there but I knew I wanted to see it. What I knew of Fela Kuti was very minimal. I knew his songs were long as hell, any given song could be 20 minutes long and the music plays for a good 10 minutes before you even hear singing. But that was alright with me. I’m a househead so I have heard many versions of the songs over the years. And I knew he was an activist of some sort. But just like Bob Marley and Jamaica, there are corrupt governments all over the world, and that’s about the extent of what I knew of Fela. So I encourage any and every one to go see this play. We got to the theatre maybe 5 or 10 minutes before it was to start. Parking is bad in DC and garages will rip you off if they can. The 2 attendants with there not so good English at one garage after they told me the rate wasn't a flat $15 even though that was what the sign had said, and that it would be $11 per hour… uh YEAH NO I need to find the $7 garage which was a few blocks away but worth it. So in the theater, the band is onstage already playing music, and people milling about. Several dancers are already... well dancing and the men are acting as if they are on the street pounding each other up. I love when stuff happens in the audience. Just like when I went to see Lion King and the animals were coming down the aisles, at first it freaks you out and then you start singing along with THE CIRCLE OF LIFE!! So a man tries to pound my friend and she is like HUH WHAT?!? But then she gets into it. Then Fela and his entourage come out on the steps and the play begins for real. So the setting is the Africa Shrine (a club) in Nigeria and he is talking to us like we are the audience at the shrine coming to see his show. It’s not a linear play, things have happened and things have yet to happen and of course I got a little confused. The music and dancing were awesome!! I had to youtube (thank LBJ for youtube) the actual music because the main song ‘Water Get No Enemy’ I knew that beat. It’s one of those songs that took 5 minutes before you hear singing. And not that every song has to have singing, but you know it's coming you're just not sure when. And the set was very colorful and vibrant! And the dancers!! I know I already said the dancers, but the women you could see the muscles in their arms and backs. So my new goal in life is to be a African dancer in Fela! The men... ok so any man who can move with such grace and agility you HAVE to love. And a few of them were real sexy!! The choreography was just great and I would definitely go see it again. I got a little overwhelmed in the gift shop. I wanted to buy something but there were just to many recordings and actually I didn't even see how much the tee shirts were. But it was great and I really enjoyed the show!
Superbowl
Ok so I really didn't watch the superbowl I watched AT it mainly for the commercials which were really not all that great. And I’m happy with the outcome. I mean I am not a Raven fan...but contrary to popular belief I am not a hater either. What I am is a Steeler Fan! I rep Steeler Nation no matter where I live or go. So when I wear purple, it’s because I look good in purple, AND THAT’S IT! And please PLEASE spare me the stories of how you were harassed by some random Steeler fan in Pittsburgh or even in Baltimore at a game between the 2. That has never been my MO so save it. To me all I see is Black and Gold and that's about it!! I will say though that the SNL skit with Keenan playing Ray Lewis was freaking hilarious!! I don’t even hate Ray Ray! I honestly wasn't rooting for one team other the other EXCEPT if the 49ners had won they would have tied us for Superbowl rings... and we can’t have that. And I really (REALLY REALLY) enjoyed the news when they kept showing Torrey Smith and his beautiful locks running to... wherever the hell he was running. That shit made me VERY happy!! I hope to see it again tonight when I watch the news!!
The halftime show. I said this jokingly to one of my FB friends from high school that this is Beyonce's world and we are just privileged to be in it. And again not hate or shade to Bey. But at one point I thought WOW narcissistic much?!?! Don't get me wrong the show was amazing, but the screen of Beyonce's both behind her and below her and the cut out pic of her where the 'fans' stood was a bit much. It was nice that she allowed 'an nem' to perform... i mean Destiny's Child (bka Beyonce an nem) But why OH why was Michelle so stiff. She was supposed to have been in Fela! so I know she is in shape, but maybe she just needed one mo rehearsal and she woulda killed it. Everyone is commenting on the Kelly and her thickness. She definitely got a booty now! Because Beyonce has soooooo much music out and every cd has so many songs that get air play I would have liked a mega melody and forgone the Halo song which I never really cared for that much. But it still rocked. the pageantry and her freaking legs that you know one day I will have long lean light skinded legs LOL
Jennifer, girl we know you can sing! You don't have to shout or over sing it or church it up. Just sing the damn song and we will still love you!! I promise!!
Alicia, my dear sweet honorary soror ***loud sigh*** You tried. But next to Harry Connick Jr., that was about the most boringest rendition I had ever EVER heard!
Torrey Smith and his locs... HIGHLIGHT!!! :)
Other stuff that had happened
HOT yoga. Ok so the men in hot yoga go topless. And actually most of the women wear just the bra top. I am not quite there yet. I know I need to feel less self-conscious about my body because truly no one is paying me no attention. The goal is to breath correctly and to focus on yourself and getting into the pose properly (which is still a journey for me). I thought I had seen the hairiest man my first time there... BUT OH NO, I HAD NOT!! Let me say there was a very attractive guy in the class I took Saturday, but then after the sweat started pouring the attraction faded. The guy next to him was as my mom would say, one of the last to evolve. He had hair on his chest, he had hair under, over and all over his arm. He had hair on his back O_o. I kept trying not to look at him but I could not look away. It is hot yoga you are supposed to sweat and I get that, but I always wonder where all this sweat is coming from these people around me? Like dude, are you really drenched and sweat is dripping off you shin? I mean I sweat too and it’s aggravating because it gets in my eyes, but there are literally puddles around these people.
I had the best lamb chops at Chop House in DC! I was mid-sentence, mid story and I took a bite and was like MMMMMMMMMM this is GOOD!!
I had an cupcake. The actual cake was just ok, the icing was freaking DELISH!! I kept trying to figure out if I should have gotten more than one. I mean nowhere on any eating plan is a cupcake a preferred food. So it was a cheat. I still enjoyed it because of the icing.
and that about sums it up!!
Happy Hour
So I recently reactivated my membership into Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. The main reason I stopped was because I didn't have a job. Sorority life no matter which one belong to can drain your account if you’re not careful. And at the time 2008 I think, having just lost my job and no real prospects for a new one thanks to the hellacious economy, letting that go was very easy. Now when folks say ‘where have you been?’ I just say around. Not working is kinda embarrassing even though I know I wasn't the only person in that current condition. Many of my friends and family were in constant pursuit of finding a job. And it wasn't that I was laid off or downsized, I was fired for really dumb reasons. I fit real well with folks who got laid off or downsized, which I guess is a nice way of saying fired. I worked little piddly jobs but nothing anywhere near to what I was making or doing. My credit went to pot. The house...AWW LAWD all I was trying to speak on was the damn happy hour. SO here lately anytime something is going on and I go I have been getting so excited! It’s almost like I’m a housewife with 5 kids that never gets to do nothing; and that is so not the case. So when I heard about the happy hour I was majorly excited!! It was at a bar/restaurant that I went to a few weeks ago (again I was very excited to go that night too) so I knew what to expect. And nothing dramatic happened it was just a good time with some ladies I haven’t spent time with in a long while.
FELA!
This was the highlight of the weekend. So I sent out a rather last minute email to my friends asking who wanted to go. I belong to several list-servs and sometimes I pay attention and sometimes I don’t. But I saw the ‘flyer’ for Fela! and I remembered how I wanted to go see it on Broadway. I don’t know why I never made it up there but I knew I wanted to see it. What I knew of Fela Kuti was very minimal. I knew his songs were long as hell, any given song could be 20 minutes long and the music plays for a good 10 minutes before you even hear singing. But that was alright with me. I’m a househead so I have heard many versions of the songs over the years. And I knew he was an activist of some sort. But just like Bob Marley and Jamaica, there are corrupt governments all over the world, and that’s about the extent of what I knew of Fela. So I encourage any and every one to go see this play. We got to the theatre maybe 5 or 10 minutes before it was to start. Parking is bad in DC and garages will rip you off if they can. The 2 attendants with there not so good English at one garage after they told me the rate wasn't a flat $15 even though that was what the sign had said, and that it would be $11 per hour… uh YEAH NO I need to find the $7 garage which was a few blocks away but worth it. So in the theater, the band is onstage already playing music, and people milling about. Several dancers are already... well dancing and the men are acting as if they are on the street pounding each other up. I love when stuff happens in the audience. Just like when I went to see Lion King and the animals were coming down the aisles, at first it freaks you out and then you start singing along with THE CIRCLE OF LIFE!! So a man tries to pound my friend and she is like HUH WHAT?!? But then she gets into it. Then Fela and his entourage come out on the steps and the play begins for real. So the setting is the Africa Shrine (a club) in Nigeria and he is talking to us like we are the audience at the shrine coming to see his show. It’s not a linear play, things have happened and things have yet to happen and of course I got a little confused. The music and dancing were awesome!! I had to youtube (thank LBJ for youtube) the actual music because the main song ‘Water Get No Enemy’ I knew that beat. It’s one of those songs that took 5 minutes before you hear singing. And not that every song has to have singing, but you know it's coming you're just not sure when. And the set was very colorful and vibrant! And the dancers!! I know I already said the dancers, but the women you could see the muscles in their arms and backs. So my new goal in life is to be a African dancer in Fela! The men... ok so any man who can move with such grace and agility you HAVE to love. And a few of them were real sexy!! The choreography was just great and I would definitely go see it again. I got a little overwhelmed in the gift shop. I wanted to buy something but there were just to many recordings and actually I didn't even see how much the tee shirts were. But it was great and I really enjoyed the show!
Superbowl
Ok so I really didn't watch the superbowl I watched AT it mainly for the commercials which were really not all that great. And I’m happy with the outcome. I mean I am not a Raven fan...but contrary to popular belief I am not a hater either. What I am is a Steeler Fan! I rep Steeler Nation no matter where I live or go. So when I wear purple, it’s because I look good in purple, AND THAT’S IT! And please PLEASE spare me the stories of how you were harassed by some random Steeler fan in Pittsburgh or even in Baltimore at a game between the 2. That has never been my MO so save it. To me all I see is Black and Gold and that's about it!! I will say though that the SNL skit with Keenan playing Ray Lewis was freaking hilarious!! I don’t even hate Ray Ray! I honestly wasn't rooting for one team other the other EXCEPT if the 49ners had won they would have tied us for Superbowl rings... and we can’t have that. And I really (REALLY REALLY) enjoyed the news when they kept showing Torrey Smith and his beautiful locks running to... wherever the hell he was running. That shit made me VERY happy!! I hope to see it again tonight when I watch the news!!
The halftime show. I said this jokingly to one of my FB friends from high school that this is Beyonce's world and we are just privileged to be in it. And again not hate or shade to Bey. But at one point I thought WOW narcissistic much?!?! Don't get me wrong the show was amazing, but the screen of Beyonce's both behind her and below her and the cut out pic of her where the 'fans' stood was a bit much. It was nice that she allowed 'an nem' to perform... i mean Destiny's Child (bka Beyonce an nem) But why OH why was Michelle so stiff. She was supposed to have been in Fela! so I know she is in shape, but maybe she just needed one mo rehearsal and she woulda killed it. Everyone is commenting on the Kelly and her thickness. She definitely got a booty now! Because Beyonce has soooooo much music out and every cd has so many songs that get air play I would have liked a mega melody and forgone the Halo song which I never really cared for that much. But it still rocked. the pageantry and her freaking legs that you know one day I will have long lean light skinded legs LOL
Jennifer, girl we know you can sing! You don't have to shout or over sing it or church it up. Just sing the damn song and we will still love you!! I promise!!
Alicia, my dear sweet honorary soror ***loud sigh*** You tried. But next to Harry Connick Jr., that was about the most boringest rendition I had ever EVER heard!
Torrey Smith and his locs... HIGHLIGHT!!! :)
Other stuff that had happened
HOT yoga. Ok so the men in hot yoga go topless. And actually most of the women wear just the bra top. I am not quite there yet. I know I need to feel less self-conscious about my body because truly no one is paying me no attention. The goal is to breath correctly and to focus on yourself and getting into the pose properly (which is still a journey for me). I thought I had seen the hairiest man my first time there... BUT OH NO, I HAD NOT!! Let me say there was a very attractive guy in the class I took Saturday, but then after the sweat started pouring the attraction faded. The guy next to him was as my mom would say, one of the last to evolve. He had hair on his chest, he had hair under, over and all over his arm. He had hair on his back O_o. I kept trying not to look at him but I could not look away. It is hot yoga you are supposed to sweat and I get that, but I always wonder where all this sweat is coming from these people around me? Like dude, are you really drenched and sweat is dripping off you shin? I mean I sweat too and it’s aggravating because it gets in my eyes, but there are literally puddles around these people.
I had the best lamb chops at Chop House in DC! I was mid-sentence, mid story and I took a bite and was like MMMMMMMMMM this is GOOD!!
I had an cupcake. The actual cake was just ok, the icing was freaking DELISH!! I kept trying to figure out if I should have gotten more than one. I mean nowhere on any eating plan is a cupcake a preferred food. So it was a cheat. I still enjoyed it because of the icing.
and that about sums it up!!
Friday, January 18, 2013
FIRST BLOG OF THE YEAR!! and other random shit...
I was just listening to an inane lunch time conversation between a newlywed woman and a unmarried and as far as I know never married woman. It was silly because some of the things the new husband is doing sounded like stuff that should have been taken care of before the nuptials. You should really REALLY know the person you are going to marry so the little things they do shouldn’t be the start of WW3. Now I’m an unmarried chick myself so I don’t offer advice to folks in relationships I know nothing about. I mostly just listen when they vent and keep it to myself if I think they are doing something that to me doesn’t make sense to me. But there are an array of things I do know about and as I’ve said before and I’ll say it again just like assholes, everyone’s got an opinion. But that doesn’t mean that folks what to hear what you have to say and sometimes they are even in a space to hear what you have to say. It may not sink in until the next week, month whatever. One time I was given some advice and I turned to my friend, who thankfully still is my friend, and said BUT I DIDN’T ASK YOU!! She looked so hurt and said it was very rude of me to say because after all she was just trying to help. And I apologized for being rude, but then after I thought about it, it still stood that I DIDN’T ask her. She volunteered to take on my issue, whatever it was, because I honestly can’t remember what it was but all I really needed was for a sounding board, someone to just listen. Sometimes people feel like if you tell them something they should try and solve it or help you out and that is not the case. OR they go on and on with their opinion because naturally their opinion makes more sense than mine. And that is exactly what is getting on my last good nerve here lately. I’m entitled to my opinion just like you! So please don’t tell me that I should think or say something other different from what I already think or say because it’s MY opinion. One real strong opinion I have right now is that people over 70 should take the bus to the DMV and turn in their driver’s license because they shouldn’t drive. That’s what I think, that’s the way I feel, it is a generalization and it’s MY opinion. I said this to my co-worker whose parents are over 70 and still driving and she said ‘Well my mother drives really good so you can’t say that.’ To which I said I ABSOLUTELY can say that because we are in America and I can say what I want and that’s my opinion. I thank Little Baby Jesus my mother who just recently turned 70 gave up driving about a year or so ago (who now can’t even drive if she wanted to cause she went and broke her shoulder). She wasn’t seeing well at all and it was just a bad situation when she drove. ALL of my grandparent drove HORRIBLY when they were alive and had to schlep me around to various school, church or whatever activities. My father’s mother would literally drive down the middle of the road because that was the only way she could see. My mother’s mother would do U-turns in her big ass red LTD as me and my cousins sat nervously in the back as traffic going both ways had to stop because instead of just driving around the block, this old woman felt the need to do a U-Turn in the middle of Bennett St. (for my Pittsburgh people… for everyone else it’s a 2 lane residential street NOT MUCH ROOM!!). My grandfather would just drive about 15-20 miles per hour no matter the speed limit. But he left at least 2 hour ahead of time so he was always on-time. There is a certain 76 year old who shall remain nameless, but let’s just say when I rode with her to my cousin’s bridal shower, I was afraid!! Whew I digressed… LOL
I intended to do a year in review blog but as the days in December came to a close and just the events of the end of the year, things just got away from me. All in all I’m glad 2012 is over, it wasn’t a horrible year but it also wasn’t the best either.
· I started off the year at a job I know I had to get the heck up outta there. After I requested (well not really a request more like a notice of when I was going on vacation) time off which was 4 months in advance. Not 4 weeks, or 4 days, 4 FREAKING MONTHS, my manager who had decided that she too was taking time off at the same time felt the need to give me a hard time. I know what pissed her off was when she asked me if I could move it I said NO I already bought tickets and paid for the hotel. She was HEATED!! She sent about a 2 page email about how company policy was this and that and that I have to be mindful of the part-time person who was there and that in the future to not buy tickets or may reservations until it was approved. Yeah that bitch was crazy!! She really didn’t know me!! And I already knew I needed to go, but that was the final confirmation!! This vacation wasn’t even a real vacation, it was 2 days close to the Memorial day holiday so I could go to Texas for my family reunion. What was HILARIOUS is I had interview about a month before the ‘vacation’ and knew I was going to be giving notice. To start working at a place where the stress was not due to the whims of 1 person was/is HEAVAN!! I know I complain about regular work stuff here, but this is CAKE compared to what I put up with.
· I went to the Dominican Republic… oh no wait that was 2011. I guess I had such a good time it felt like last summer!! No I went to Rehoboth Beach with my sister, mom, nephew and his friend. Um…. The highlight of that was…**thinking real hard** uuuhhhh… getting out of Baltimore for the weekend? That’s bad how about Cracker Barrel, Fins, and the Royal Treat all restaurants. OH and the caramel corn… still food. And that’s about it!!
· Went to Pittsburgh for the wedding of the Century which I have talked about before. My cousin recently asked if we had a good time. I had a FREAKING AMAZING time!! Nothing like a good open bar!! IT was just a good time with family and some friends!
· I went to Ft Lauderdale. It was supposed to be a solo trip to counteract the time I had at Rehoboth but then why travel alone when my friends can travel with me. I stayed at my cousin’s house. She is the hostess with the mostess!! And her crazy husband who made sure all of my chardonnay needs were met. We went to the spa, went to the beach, ate at Primanti Bros which was right at the beach OH yeah and the comedy show!! Sheryl Underwood is hilarious and the little guy before her, whose name I can’t remember was funny too!! This vacay was food and relaxation just what the doctor ordered. Well not my actual doctor who said I was healthy-ISH and that I needed to get my blood pressure and weight under control
· I joined a gym… well a 60 day program at a gym. And my instincts were right, maybe more of a self-fulfilling prophecy, but I am not a gym person. After the trainer pissed me off I stopped going. OH and I did not drop 1 oz let alone a lb!! And I don’t believe that crap about gaining muscle. At least not in this case. I did start doing Bikram yoga, which is the HOT yoga, but that will be a 2013 highlight!
· My mom fell and had to get her shoulder replaced which is probably why I couldn’t get the blog together at the end of the year. She is doing well, but still kept her and my siblings in prayer!
· Christmas and New Years were very uneventful. But I’m so glad to welcome 2013!!
2013/Resolutions
So each year I avoid making resolution because as much as I want to think I will stick to them, I don’t. For a while I would say my resolution was to be a better me. Now ain’t that some fraken nackle BS!?!? This year as my doctor ordered I have got to get my weight and BP under control. I’m not sure if I thought yoga was going to be easy, because it really is not!! I’m doing the hot yoga so the room is heated to get your bones and muscles relaxed I guess to get into the various poses. But last night what I learned is, DON’T EAT before you go. I got a little nauseous toward the end. Well really toward the middle. And then I make my own modifications as I see fit because the girls prevent me from putting my chin on the floor. I look at all the little boobed women and think yeah ok chin on the floor, you’re a size nothing!! And then legs on are bent when I lay on the floor because of my massive booty!! LMAO!! My modifications are because the goal is to get flexible, I am certainly not there yet.
So this one vlog I watch Kid Fury had some resolutions which I thought were hilarious (doing a quick thesaurus check… need to start using comical or amusing). His first one was ‘stop being so damn dramatic’ which he further states that he has to have a conference with himself and says ‘SELF sis, calm your tits and get glad you’re overreacting like fuck!!’ WHO SAYS THAT!?!? I fell out when I heard that! I put it on my FB as a status update to calm my tits and get glad and people were like HUH?!?! What tits? What are you talking about? This was after a nice jumbo glass of wine so there were no holds barred that night! He lists a few more but the other most comical one was ‘tell people when they are ashy’! Again… whew. He says it so matter-of-factly. I just love my black gay men that keep me up on things that relate to pop culture. He also did a vlog on the whole Chic-Fil-A fiasco and how people protested and did kiss ins, which I didn’t even know. Now I must admit, when I initially heard that the CEO of Chic-Fil-A was not feeling gays and them wanting to marry and what have you, I took it upon myself to do a little silent boycott. And then after a few months I said to myself Chick you aint gay and this is not your fight go get you a chicken sandwich! And I did. There are plenty of people who don’t like black folks, women, short people, big boobed people, people have an opinion and a stance on everything. If I based my life on everything someone else said or did out of hate, I couldn’t live my life. Now I get not wanting to support a restaurant because they whole heartedly do not believe in what you believe in, but that dude is not the 1st nor will he be the last to say something that someone didn’t like. This is America he can say what he wants!
Turning 39
Is GREAT!! Right??? So I’ll keep saying it until I believe it. I am glad that I am blessed to see 1 more year. And I need to make to most of this year because I still have some silly notions about turning 40 which are MY THING!! And as Stuart Smalley says... that's O-Kay!! Everyone has their own thing about whatever age they turn that freaks them out. One thing I do need to do for sure is update my passport. I have nothing planned, but I need to go ahead and be proactive!
I intended to do a year in review blog but as the days in December came to a close and just the events of the end of the year, things just got away from me. All in all I’m glad 2012 is over, it wasn’t a horrible year but it also wasn’t the best either.
· I started off the year at a job I know I had to get the heck up outta there. After I requested (well not really a request more like a notice of when I was going on vacation) time off which was 4 months in advance. Not 4 weeks, or 4 days, 4 FREAKING MONTHS, my manager who had decided that she too was taking time off at the same time felt the need to give me a hard time. I know what pissed her off was when she asked me if I could move it I said NO I already bought tickets and paid for the hotel. She was HEATED!! She sent about a 2 page email about how company policy was this and that and that I have to be mindful of the part-time person who was there and that in the future to not buy tickets or may reservations until it was approved. Yeah that bitch was crazy!! She really didn’t know me!! And I already knew I needed to go, but that was the final confirmation!! This vacation wasn’t even a real vacation, it was 2 days close to the Memorial day holiday so I could go to Texas for my family reunion. What was HILARIOUS is I had interview about a month before the ‘vacation’ and knew I was going to be giving notice. To start working at a place where the stress was not due to the whims of 1 person was/is HEAVAN!! I know I complain about regular work stuff here, but this is CAKE compared to what I put up with.
· I went to the Dominican Republic… oh no wait that was 2011. I guess I had such a good time it felt like last summer!! No I went to Rehoboth Beach with my sister, mom, nephew and his friend. Um…. The highlight of that was…**thinking real hard** uuuhhhh… getting out of Baltimore for the weekend? That’s bad how about Cracker Barrel, Fins, and the Royal Treat all restaurants. OH and the caramel corn… still food. And that’s about it!!
· Went to Pittsburgh for the wedding of the Century which I have talked about before. My cousin recently asked if we had a good time. I had a FREAKING AMAZING time!! Nothing like a good open bar!! IT was just a good time with family and some friends!
· I went to Ft Lauderdale. It was supposed to be a solo trip to counteract the time I had at Rehoboth but then why travel alone when my friends can travel with me. I stayed at my cousin’s house. She is the hostess with the mostess!! And her crazy husband who made sure all of my chardonnay needs were met. We went to the spa, went to the beach, ate at Primanti Bros which was right at the beach OH yeah and the comedy show!! Sheryl Underwood is hilarious and the little guy before her, whose name I can’t remember was funny too!! This vacay was food and relaxation just what the doctor ordered. Well not my actual doctor who said I was healthy-ISH and that I needed to get my blood pressure and weight under control
· I joined a gym… well a 60 day program at a gym. And my instincts were right, maybe more of a self-fulfilling prophecy, but I am not a gym person. After the trainer pissed me off I stopped going. OH and I did not drop 1 oz let alone a lb!! And I don’t believe that crap about gaining muscle. At least not in this case. I did start doing Bikram yoga, which is the HOT yoga, but that will be a 2013 highlight!
· My mom fell and had to get her shoulder replaced which is probably why I couldn’t get the blog together at the end of the year. She is doing well, but still kept her and my siblings in prayer!
· Christmas and New Years were very uneventful. But I’m so glad to welcome 2013!!
2013/Resolutions
So each year I avoid making resolution because as much as I want to think I will stick to them, I don’t. For a while I would say my resolution was to be a better me. Now ain’t that some fraken nackle BS!?!? This year as my doctor ordered I have got to get my weight and BP under control. I’m not sure if I thought yoga was going to be easy, because it really is not!! I’m doing the hot yoga so the room is heated to get your bones and muscles relaxed I guess to get into the various poses. But last night what I learned is, DON’T EAT before you go. I got a little nauseous toward the end. Well really toward the middle. And then I make my own modifications as I see fit because the girls prevent me from putting my chin on the floor. I look at all the little boobed women and think yeah ok chin on the floor, you’re a size nothing!! And then legs on are bent when I lay on the floor because of my massive booty!! LMAO!! My modifications are because the goal is to get flexible, I am certainly not there yet.
So this one vlog I watch Kid Fury had some resolutions which I thought were hilarious (doing a quick thesaurus check… need to start using comical or amusing). His first one was ‘stop being so damn dramatic’ which he further states that he has to have a conference with himself and says ‘SELF sis, calm your tits and get glad you’re overreacting like fuck!!’ WHO SAYS THAT!?!? I fell out when I heard that! I put it on my FB as a status update to calm my tits and get glad and people were like HUH?!?! What tits? What are you talking about? This was after a nice jumbo glass of wine so there were no holds barred that night! He lists a few more but the other most comical one was ‘tell people when they are ashy’! Again… whew. He says it so matter-of-factly. I just love my black gay men that keep me up on things that relate to pop culture. He also did a vlog on the whole Chic-Fil-A fiasco and how people protested and did kiss ins, which I didn’t even know. Now I must admit, when I initially heard that the CEO of Chic-Fil-A was not feeling gays and them wanting to marry and what have you, I took it upon myself to do a little silent boycott. And then after a few months I said to myself Chick you aint gay and this is not your fight go get you a chicken sandwich! And I did. There are plenty of people who don’t like black folks, women, short people, big boobed people, people have an opinion and a stance on everything. If I based my life on everything someone else said or did out of hate, I couldn’t live my life. Now I get not wanting to support a restaurant because they whole heartedly do not believe in what you believe in, but that dude is not the 1st nor will he be the last to say something that someone didn’t like. This is America he can say what he wants!
Turning 39
Is GREAT!! Right??? So I’ll keep saying it until I believe it. I am glad that I am blessed to see 1 more year. And I need to make to most of this year because I still have some silly notions about turning 40 which are MY THING!! And as Stuart Smalley says... that's O-Kay!! Everyone has their own thing about whatever age they turn that freaks them out. One thing I do need to do for sure is update my passport. I have nothing planned, but I need to go ahead and be proactive!
Monday, December 24, 2012
Christmas Eve
twas the night before Christmas and it feels like another day...
why you ask... cause I'm almost 40 childless just finished 2 jumbo glasses of wine contemplating another but know I won't cause I will have a hellified headache (no spell check I DID NOT MEAN qualified!!)it's snowing and the little baby Jesus was in the manager right about now over 2K years ago about to be swaddled well after He gets borned that is!!!
my mom is such a gangsta... her just having had her shoulder replaced ass told her roommate at the rehab hospital that she had a turkey neck and to mind her own damn business!! and for her to WHEEL her over so she could punch the woman. It's not funny.... dammit YES IT IS!!! See this is why I act the way I do I get it honest I DO!!
LMAO!!!
my littlest niece whose hair is ALL over the placed in her light brown/blond mixed chick curls said to me yesterday 'I like your hair' which I guess would be a compliment if I didn't look like I just stuck my find in a light socket.
i made some party wingettes for myself and I feel as though if I eat one more I'm gonna be sick but they were SOOO GOOD!! so really the contemplation is more wings AND more wine, both of which I just need to say NO!
...that's it!
why you ask... cause I'm almost 40 childless just finished 2 jumbo glasses of wine contemplating another but know I won't cause I will have a hellified headache (no spell check I DID NOT MEAN qualified!!)it's snowing and the little baby Jesus was in the manager right about now over 2K years ago about to be swaddled well after He gets borned that is!!!
my mom is such a gangsta... her just having had her shoulder replaced ass told her roommate at the rehab hospital that she had a turkey neck and to mind her own damn business!! and for her to WHEEL her over so she could punch the woman. It's not funny.... dammit YES IT IS!!! See this is why I act the way I do I get it honest I DO!!
LMAO!!!
my littlest niece whose hair is ALL over the placed in her light brown/blond mixed chick curls said to me yesterday 'I like your hair' which I guess would be a compliment if I didn't look like I just stuck my find in a light socket.
i made some party wingettes for myself and I feel as though if I eat one more I'm gonna be sick but they were SOOO GOOD!! so really the contemplation is more wings AND more wine, both of which I just need to say NO!
...that's it!
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
lots of random!!
i'm going to label each section because you know I can keep wrting a sentence well after it shoulda had stopped...
THE GYM
I just recently joined a gym, well rather I joined a 60 day program at a gym and they are consistently trying to sell me on getting the year package. I keep insisting that I’m not a ‘gym person’ and the little skinny chick who signed me up had this perplexed look on her face like ‘what does THAT mean’. Well my petite young friend it means I will be ALL IN for exactly 4 weeks and then I will find ever excuse in the book not to go. What is driving me now though is this spare tire that quite literally came out of nowhere. I have never been a small chick (no never); I have always had a belly but it used to be cute (or at least maybe in my mind it was LOL). It is so far from being cute right now let me tell ya!! And the girls, oh those would be these heavy ass breast that just hang (I could be real crude and say the men LOVE them, but most of the time they are clueless as to how to make them truly happy, and being a drill sergeant (left, NO MY OTHER LEFT) can get tiresome), they have gotten even more plumper. So I am working with a trainer 2 times a week and do cardio 3 times a week for 60 days. I maintained myself during the Thanksgiving break which is a VERY good thing (more on that later) under the circumstances and of course all the crap I ate. This gym is a local/regional gym and has 2 women only gyms and like 5 co-ed. I didn’t realize how comfortable I was at the women only gym until I went to the co-ed gym. I was excited at the prospect of seeing boys!! That put a huge grin on my face until I got there and there were boys there. So the energy there was so very different. All the body building dudes (I pick things up and put them down...) yammering on about whatever; all the skinny housewives in tiny shorts and all the young looking boys lifting to bulk up for football. I am not a self conscious person, but there I felt myself tugging at my now too short shirt and pulling up my too tight spandex (I know spandex is supposed to be form fitting but it felt extra tight). And I felt watched like a dirty old man was sitting there watching my every move. There was one guy I did lock eyes with him and gave him my ‘STOP LOOKING AT ME’ glare. Now there were a few cuties but then I felt like the dirty old lady looking at the young boys : )
The classes… OK so I have taken 3 classes so far and is always pure hilarity. The first class the woman was a sub and it is clear they do not let her teach many classes. She had this snake/body wave move that was her go to move which was ridiculous. The thing about me, is I will try anything and I will smile throughout the class mostly because I am laughing to myself either AT myself or the teacher, or the other people in the class cause there is always something to laugh about. So she was up there losing count doing the snake to the left then the right and because this was my first class my body was glad to be moving but class was really bad. I meant to ask what her name was so I didn’t take her again. Class #2 taught by the owner of the gyms which I thought was cool. She is well into her… hole up let me google real quick...well couldn't find exact age, but let’s say her 50’s and so full of energy. NOW this class was the Zumba class which is a worldwide phenomenon. I even have a friend who enjoyed it so much she is now an official Zumba instructor. So this is at the women only gym and the women in this class are of the older variety, but the kicker was they all had the booty scarf thing wrapped around them like what the belly dancers wear. And they were all off beat LOL. This was not my first Zumba class but it is always interesting to see how different instructors do things. It was a good class. Thanks to this class my new song is ‘I work out! wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle’ by #LMFAO The third class… I might need to mention all of my instructors are white ladies, so when they do something with any form or rhythm it throws me off for a second, not that my white sistas can’t get funky!! LOL So class #3 I’m standing there feeling watched in the co-ed gym and the instructor comes up and starts talking to the regulars about thanksgiving and eating and carpools and whatever else. She turns off the light and puts on this house song with a little techno flair that I actually knew so that was good to get me in the groove. So the class was supposed to be heavy on the choreography but her moves were a little, damn I can’t even think of a good word but they weren’t hard move just cumbersome. So since I was at the gym the night before I was a bit stiff so there was no dropping like it was hot or warm. OH and I need to point out also, I’m not a turner. If the move requires a turn to the left or right then I will try it, but if you just threw a spin or turn in there just for the heck of it, I am going to do a 2 step. I don’t know if I get dizzy or if it just make sense to me. Often I’m in a class muttering to myself ‘Oh I aint doing that!’ And that was me in that class. She said she had a lower back issue but then she kept telling us to GET LOW!! Yeah… no I aint doing all that!!
**UPDATE** so I took class #4 tonight and it really reminded me how flexible I USED to be!! Actually this one was my favorite so far maybe because the teacher asked me my name and kept saying HEY WHAT ARE YOU DOING CHICK? and she did modifiers for everything she did which is what I need. I also should mention I'm not a jumper. The girls just can't handle all that extra motion. So if I can do a side step or march in place that is what I do. She was British and skinny and fun (not that you have to be any combination of this... it just worked for her!) OH and yesterday the butt scarf janglers were so off I lost count when I was on the machines!!
MY HAIR
India Arie’s song ‘I am not my hair’ really resonated with me and it still does. When it first came out I think I identified with it on the level of weaves; like you don't have to attach fake hair to your head to make yourself feel better. What I didn't include were braids. That too is something you attach to your hair, but for some reason in my head people know braids are fake, getting a weave is perpetrating a fraud. But my view of the song and hair has changed over the years. I made a music mix (oh yeah I'm a part time DJ, mostly at the end of the year as a means to sum up my year in music AND as an inexpensive Christmas gift!) for someone who I thought was going through some ‘hair issues’. I honestly don’t know if it was received in the vein it was given because I had to explain why I put each song on the CD. But the reason for ‘I am not my hair’ was to remind that we are much bigger than our hair style, how it’s cut, if it’s relaxed, colored, what have you. What troubles me is that sometimes I feel like I AM MY HAIR! I got my hair braided because the cut I got back at the end of the summer was just bad. I wanted it to be short and funky and it just so wasn't. So now as I rock the braids which need to be taken out soon I sit here wondering what do I do next? Relaxer or not relaxer? Wig? More braids so my hair can grow out some more? Weave?! Oh wait I am NOT my hair so it doesn't matter right? But it does. It matters! I had an intention with this but I severely lost my train of thought!! LMAO
THE BATHROOM
I do not like bathroom banter. We do not need to chat, I don’t care what outfit or shoes you got on, I just need to get in and get out hopefully not completely stink up the place OR smell whoever was before me. So this morning I’m in there trying to put up my braided hair that was massively crooked. So the lady come out of the stall and sees my hands up and says ‘Oh I thought you were praying!’ I start laughing and say ‘no... well I do need to be doing that too but my hair was crooked so I’m trying to uncrook it.’ She starts laughing hysterically and I know the people in the hallway are wondering what the heck was going on in there. Sometimes bathroom banter is not so bad LOL.
NO APPLE
I am convinced that me and a handful of people are the onliest ones that have not drank the Apple Kool-Aid. I sat and watched yet another accessory that will help people see the screen for the iPad. So not only have you spent about 800 bucks for the actual iPad, then you gotta turn around and buy extra shiznit so that it’ll work better. Like a keyboard, and a cover and speakers and... the list goes on. Why not just get a laptop??
NEW STUFF?
I can't remember if I posted this so I'll add to it and pretend liek it's fresh even if it's not!! LOL
YOUTUBE (ie LIFESAVER)
I am now addicted to YouTube! I get on people’s page and then just stay allllll day. My current obsession is Kid Fury who taught me that you have to fight shade WITH SHADE!! Which I must admit I am practicing with all these shady mofos that I work with. I said HELLO not give m your wallet you silly bitch! And then there is RoomieLoverFriend which I admit the story line is a bit for the 20 somethings... but they keep me coming back!!
I'M A FOODIE
(((You really can’t mess up a sandwich, I mean come on it’s just bread, meat, maybe some cheese and maybe some lettuce and tomato. But you absolutely can improve on it.))) It has come to my attention that I not only love food but I enjoy savoring it. I'm a foodie! Taking a bite to see what the flavor combination is going to be. When I cook throwing things into the mix because I know garlic and cilantro will go good together. So it baffles me when folks do not share the same adoration as I do. If I go out I don’t want chicken strips. I want chicken brined in citrus for 2 days then roasted to perfection with rosemary vinaigrette sauce (ew I just made that up but it sounds GOOD!!). I like basic food kicked up a notch. I went to the Gypsy Queen food truck this past Saturday and had not just the crab cake cone, but the CRAB CAKE CONE WITH BACON!! OMG it was so good!! They were parked behind a church that was having a craft fair. I attempted to go in and see the crafts, but there were to many people and babies so I headed for the truck. So after about a 1/2 hour in line, when I finally get my food I do a little happy dance and savored my food! So today I go to a chain with a co-worker who would probably kill me if she knew I mentioned her and had the chicken ceasar she raved about. Uhhh let me just say the spongeyness of the chicken should have immediately turned me off but I ate it and I truly don't see what the fuss was. It was your basic chain restaurant chicken ceasar. I will stick to my gut from now on!! LOL
THANKSGIVING DRAMA
So my mom fell down the steps at her house, fractured her shoulder had 1 surgery where the pins did not hold, (hospital #1)had another surgery (hospitals #2 & #3 because UPMC has ALL the hospitals in the Burgh on lock so even if your room is in 1, the doctors may be coming from another and then the surgery might be in yet another... but they are all connected by those handy dandy walking bridges) where they replaced the whole thing she is in a rehab hospital (#4) doing PT and OT twice a day is a bit fussy about the whole thing but she got some GOOOOD drugs so all in all for a 70 yr old chick she is doing alright! And that was the Friday before Thanksgiving. We intended to go the Wednesday before but that is what had happened so we went that Saturday. Now I know it is alot but I was and AM thanking LBJ for just the fracture. My grandparent's neighbor fell down the steps and died. It was so tragic and then his kids found him in the buff because he had just gotten out of the shower. That is just SO HORRIBLE. So I'll take the inconvenience of a shoulder replacement ANY DAY!! Her spirits are good!! Now what needs to happen is my siblings and I need to be on the same page and book for what needs to happen next.
I must say I do not enjoy cooking lots and lots of food. I like a theme and cooking a few things and having a signature drink. That's my thing. But it seemed like we (and I'm using 'we' lightly since my sister did the bulk of the cooking) cooked for tons of people and it really was just a few of us. The point was to keep is small, but I still think we went over board. When you watch those cooking shows they have like 2 sides and it looks really good so why do we need to have 7 sides? Wait am I exaggerating? mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, greens, green beans, stuffing (or dressing), mashed SWEET potato, potato salad (damn we had alot of taters!!), corn pudding, deviled (or angel) eggs, cranberry sauce, gibletless (LOL*insider*) gravy, olives, bean dip, spinach dip (ok I have gone into the relish tray), chips and pretzels OH sweet potato pie and apple peach pie and ice cream. YEAH THATS A HELLA LOT!!ijs not to mention the turkey and ham (well but the ham was small and we only did a turkey breast)
THE END... for now :)
THE GYM
I just recently joined a gym, well rather I joined a 60 day program at a gym and they are consistently trying to sell me on getting the year package. I keep insisting that I’m not a ‘gym person’ and the little skinny chick who signed me up had this perplexed look on her face like ‘what does THAT mean’. Well my petite young friend it means I will be ALL IN for exactly 4 weeks and then I will find ever excuse in the book not to go. What is driving me now though is this spare tire that quite literally came out of nowhere. I have never been a small chick (no never); I have always had a belly but it used to be cute (or at least maybe in my mind it was LOL). It is so far from being cute right now let me tell ya!! And the girls, oh those would be these heavy ass breast that just hang (I could be real crude and say the men LOVE them, but most of the time they are clueless as to how to make them truly happy, and being a drill sergeant (left, NO MY OTHER LEFT) can get tiresome), they have gotten even more plumper. So I am working with a trainer 2 times a week and do cardio 3 times a week for 60 days. I maintained myself during the Thanksgiving break which is a VERY good thing (more on that later) under the circumstances and of course all the crap I ate. This gym is a local/regional gym and has 2 women only gyms and like 5 co-ed. I didn’t realize how comfortable I was at the women only gym until I went to the co-ed gym. I was excited at the prospect of seeing boys!! That put a huge grin on my face until I got there and there were boys there. So the energy there was so very different. All the body building dudes (I pick things up and put them down...) yammering on about whatever; all the skinny housewives in tiny shorts and all the young looking boys lifting to bulk up for football. I am not a self conscious person, but there I felt myself tugging at my now too short shirt and pulling up my too tight spandex (I know spandex is supposed to be form fitting but it felt extra tight). And I felt watched like a dirty old man was sitting there watching my every move. There was one guy I did lock eyes with him and gave him my ‘STOP LOOKING AT ME’ glare. Now there were a few cuties but then I felt like the dirty old lady looking at the young boys : )
The classes… OK so I have taken 3 classes so far and is always pure hilarity. The first class the woman was a sub and it is clear they do not let her teach many classes. She had this snake/body wave move that was her go to move which was ridiculous. The thing about me, is I will try anything and I will smile throughout the class mostly because I am laughing to myself either AT myself or the teacher, or the other people in the class cause there is always something to laugh about. So she was up there losing count doing the snake to the left then the right and because this was my first class my body was glad to be moving but class was really bad. I meant to ask what her name was so I didn’t take her again. Class #2 taught by the owner of the gyms which I thought was cool. She is well into her… hole up let me google real quick...well couldn't find exact age, but let’s say her 50’s and so full of energy. NOW this class was the Zumba class which is a worldwide phenomenon. I even have a friend who enjoyed it so much she is now an official Zumba instructor. So this is at the women only gym and the women in this class are of the older variety, but the kicker was they all had the booty scarf thing wrapped around them like what the belly dancers wear. And they were all off beat LOL. This was not my first Zumba class but it is always interesting to see how different instructors do things. It was a good class. Thanks to this class my new song is ‘I work out! wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle’ by #LMFAO The third class… I might need to mention all of my instructors are white ladies, so when they do something with any form or rhythm it throws me off for a second, not that my white sistas can’t get funky!! LOL So class #3 I’m standing there feeling watched in the co-ed gym and the instructor comes up and starts talking to the regulars about thanksgiving and eating and carpools and whatever else. She turns off the light and puts on this house song with a little techno flair that I actually knew so that was good to get me in the groove. So the class was supposed to be heavy on the choreography but her moves were a little, damn I can’t even think of a good word but they weren’t hard move just cumbersome. So since I was at the gym the night before I was a bit stiff so there was no dropping like it was hot or warm. OH and I need to point out also, I’m not a turner. If the move requires a turn to the left or right then I will try it, but if you just threw a spin or turn in there just for the heck of it, I am going to do a 2 step. I don’t know if I get dizzy or if it just make sense to me. Often I’m in a class muttering to myself ‘Oh I aint doing that!’ And that was me in that class. She said she had a lower back issue but then she kept telling us to GET LOW!! Yeah… no I aint doing all that!!
**UPDATE** so I took class #4 tonight and it really reminded me how flexible I USED to be!! Actually this one was my favorite so far maybe because the teacher asked me my name and kept saying HEY WHAT ARE YOU DOING CHICK? and she did modifiers for everything she did which is what I need. I also should mention I'm not a jumper. The girls just can't handle all that extra motion. So if I can do a side step or march in place that is what I do. She was British and skinny and fun (not that you have to be any combination of this... it just worked for her!) OH and yesterday the butt scarf janglers were so off I lost count when I was on the machines!!
MY HAIR
India Arie’s song ‘I am not my hair’ really resonated with me and it still does. When it first came out I think I identified with it on the level of weaves; like you don't have to attach fake hair to your head to make yourself feel better. What I didn't include were braids. That too is something you attach to your hair, but for some reason in my head people know braids are fake, getting a weave is perpetrating a fraud. But my view of the song and hair has changed over the years. I made a music mix (oh yeah I'm a part time DJ, mostly at the end of the year as a means to sum up my year in music AND as an inexpensive Christmas gift!) for someone who I thought was going through some ‘hair issues’. I honestly don’t know if it was received in the vein it was given because I had to explain why I put each song on the CD. But the reason for ‘I am not my hair’ was to remind that we are much bigger than our hair style, how it’s cut, if it’s relaxed, colored, what have you. What troubles me is that sometimes I feel like I AM MY HAIR! I got my hair braided because the cut I got back at the end of the summer was just bad. I wanted it to be short and funky and it just so wasn't. So now as I rock the braids which need to be taken out soon I sit here wondering what do I do next? Relaxer or not relaxer? Wig? More braids so my hair can grow out some more? Weave?! Oh wait I am NOT my hair so it doesn't matter right? But it does. It matters! I had an intention with this but I severely lost my train of thought!! LMAO
THE BATHROOM
I do not like bathroom banter. We do not need to chat, I don’t care what outfit or shoes you got on, I just need to get in and get out hopefully not completely stink up the place OR smell whoever was before me. So this morning I’m in there trying to put up my braided hair that was massively crooked. So the lady come out of the stall and sees my hands up and says ‘Oh I thought you were praying!’ I start laughing and say ‘no... well I do need to be doing that too but my hair was crooked so I’m trying to uncrook it.’ She starts laughing hysterically and I know the people in the hallway are wondering what the heck was going on in there. Sometimes bathroom banter is not so bad LOL.
NO APPLE
I am convinced that me and a handful of people are the onliest ones that have not drank the Apple Kool-Aid. I sat and watched yet another accessory that will help people see the screen for the iPad. So not only have you spent about 800 bucks for the actual iPad, then you gotta turn around and buy extra shiznit so that it’ll work better. Like a keyboard, and a cover and speakers and... the list goes on. Why not just get a laptop??
NEW STUFF?
I can't remember if I posted this so I'll add to it and pretend liek it's fresh even if it's not!! LOL
YOUTUBE (ie LIFESAVER)
I am now addicted to YouTube! I get on people’s page and then just stay allllll day. My current obsession is Kid Fury who taught me that you have to fight shade WITH SHADE!! Which I must admit I am practicing with all these shady mofos that I work with. I said HELLO not give m your wallet you silly bitch! And then there is RoomieLoverFriend which I admit the story line is a bit for the 20 somethings... but they keep me coming back!!
I'M A FOODIE
(((You really can’t mess up a sandwich, I mean come on it’s just bread, meat, maybe some cheese and maybe some lettuce and tomato. But you absolutely can improve on it.))) It has come to my attention that I not only love food but I enjoy savoring it. I'm a foodie! Taking a bite to see what the flavor combination is going to be. When I cook throwing things into the mix because I know garlic and cilantro will go good together. So it baffles me when folks do not share the same adoration as I do. If I go out I don’t want chicken strips. I want chicken brined in citrus for 2 days then roasted to perfection with rosemary vinaigrette sauce (ew I just made that up but it sounds GOOD!!). I like basic food kicked up a notch. I went to the Gypsy Queen food truck this past Saturday and had not just the crab cake cone, but the CRAB CAKE CONE WITH BACON!! OMG it was so good!! They were parked behind a church that was having a craft fair. I attempted to go in and see the crafts, but there were to many people and babies so I headed for the truck. So after about a 1/2 hour in line, when I finally get my food I do a little happy dance and savored my food! So today I go to a chain with a co-worker who would probably kill me if she knew I mentioned her and had the chicken ceasar she raved about. Uhhh let me just say the spongeyness of the chicken should have immediately turned me off but I ate it and I truly don't see what the fuss was. It was your basic chain restaurant chicken ceasar. I will stick to my gut from now on!! LOL
THANKSGIVING DRAMA
So my mom fell down the steps at her house, fractured her shoulder had 1 surgery where the pins did not hold, (hospital #1)had another surgery (hospitals #2 & #3 because UPMC has ALL the hospitals in the Burgh on lock so even if your room is in 1, the doctors may be coming from another and then the surgery might be in yet another... but they are all connected by those handy dandy walking bridges) where they replaced the whole thing she is in a rehab hospital (#4) doing PT and OT twice a day is a bit fussy about the whole thing but she got some GOOOOD drugs so all in all for a 70 yr old chick she is doing alright! And that was the Friday before Thanksgiving. We intended to go the Wednesday before but that is what had happened so we went that Saturday. Now I know it is alot but I was and AM thanking LBJ for just the fracture. My grandparent's neighbor fell down the steps and died. It was so tragic and then his kids found him in the buff because he had just gotten out of the shower. That is just SO HORRIBLE. So I'll take the inconvenience of a shoulder replacement ANY DAY!! Her spirits are good!! Now what needs to happen is my siblings and I need to be on the same page and book for what needs to happen next.
I must say I do not enjoy cooking lots and lots of food. I like a theme and cooking a few things and having a signature drink. That's my thing. But it seemed like we (and I'm using 'we' lightly since my sister did the bulk of the cooking) cooked for tons of people and it really was just a few of us. The point was to keep is small, but I still think we went over board. When you watch those cooking shows they have like 2 sides and it looks really good so why do we need to have 7 sides? Wait am I exaggerating? mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, greens, green beans, stuffing (or dressing), mashed SWEET potato, potato salad (damn we had alot of taters!!), corn pudding, deviled (or angel) eggs, cranberry sauce, gibletless (LOL*insider*) gravy, olives, bean dip, spinach dip (ok I have gone into the relish tray), chips and pretzels OH sweet potato pie and apple peach pie and ice cream. YEAH THATS A HELLA LOT!!ijs not to mention the turkey and ham (well but the ham was small and we only did a turkey breast)
THE END... for now :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)