Sooooo, I was thinking....

What are you carrying? Whenever I have time to reflect, like now when school is out, I am drawn deeper into myself. I tend begin to reflect on recent events and how seemingly unrelated events in my life have really all been connected one to the other ....you know, putting recent events in a larger perspective. This process of riffling through my emotional, spiritual and psychological bags always leaves me knowing that I still have clutter that needs to be sorted through. Indeed, there is always work to do, improvements to make.....But it's all good - growth is a never ending process...anything that is not growing is not living.... God is merciful. Got any bags that need clearing? Your girl thinks that now is a good time to begin thinking along these lines. Get good and ready for the New Year. Maybe you don't need any major work - perhaps just a tune up. Whatever your state of affairs, you know it best. Remember ya'll- you matter. The energy you put out into the world matter...

Family Reunion - Jill Scott So you guys remember the opening scene of "The Wiz" when Diana Ross was in her family's Harlem apartment and everyone was preparing for Christmas dinner. Food everywhere, kids laughing, too many people and not enough room? That is my favorite scene of that movie because it reminds me of gatherings with my family. So I am here taking a break from mixing, pouring, measuring and stirring. I am in the middle of making my famous German Chocolate Cake and Banana Pudding. Okay, maybe they are only famous with my family, but really it's their opinion that matters to me anyway. The last post I wrote was about friends who were like family to me. This post is about family who are like friends. I don't think that it was until I left home for college that I really began to appreciate the gift I had by way of my family. I had always had them around and I guess that I just took for granted that everyone had large familys with whom they were close. Whe...

I love my friends. Many of my friends are like family to me...whom I also love dearly I might add. This weekend we celebrated a momentous accomplishment of one of my dearest sista-friends....we will call her Dr. K. Dr.K recently successfully defended her dissertation and is the proud owner of one of the highest achievements academia can bestow. I have long admired my friend Dr. K for her sharp wit, agile mind, strong faith and boundless altruism. She has the biggest heart and the smallest ego of anyone I know. I know a lot of folks, and she is by far one of the most gifted of the bunch. The thing that makes Dr. K so special is her humility. To see her walking down a local hood near you, you would never make her out for the Ivy League Alumna that she is. She loves hip-hop, would lay down her life for one the kids she works with, has a spray painted mural on her garage wall and can rock a pair of Chuck Taylor's fresher than the rest! While I totally respect her intellect, it is her s...

I stumbled upon this video and could not stop watching her dance. I am fascinated by the interplay of indigenous cultures, however it manifests itself throughout the world. Candy striped spandex outfit notwithstanding...(which btw,kinda reminds me of something Salt-N-Peppa rocked in their "Push-it" video.) what strikes me about this woman is her simple beauty. The sensuality that just oozes from her subtleties. No bells, no whistles, okay yes there are drums, but there is no gyrating her self into a frenzy, no pumping grinding and hair tossing.... yet she manages to convey her points nonetheless. I have been trying to infuse a bit more of this simplicity, this softness into my daily life. Walking a little softer, smiling a little easier, touching the cheek of a loved one and expressing my love for myself and, by extension, them - with a simple gesture of the hand....a knowing glance, an blink that lasts a few moments too long - accented with a smile. I know that many of you w...

Nobody Beats The Biz - Biz Markie What should I be doing right now? Helping Big Shug with his homework and getting my ass on that treadmill! What am I doing instead? Giving him yet another lesson in "real hip-hop" and wopping so hard I think I pulled a neck muscle! Do we even have muscles in our neck! P.S....here is a little Grand Puba for good measure! LOOOOOOOVE IT! I Like It - Grand Puba

This photo has Big Shug written all over it!

Wow! What can I say! Big shug and I were up all night watching the numbers. Of course any time he gets to stay up past his bedtime is reason enough to celebrate for him! I still don't think the reality has settled in for me....the significance of it all. My cell was blowing up all day with texts and messages and calls and just stuff. I think one part of me is just feels like dancing in the street, kinda like dude they showed on t.v. last night who was doing his version of the "chicken noodle soup" dance (see below) upon hearing the news of Obama's victory. Despite the challenges that this man faces, I just want to take the next few days to revel in the gloriousness of it all....wow, I am even at a loss for words on this one......Yes We Can!

It just occured to me, as I was researching this dancehall artist named Movado, that I still have not replaced my missing copy of Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley's 2005 release "Welcome to Jamrock". If you loved his dad Bob, you need to take a stroll on over to Imeem and check out some of Damian's work. I have added a live version of probably the most popular song from this album "Welcome to Jamrock" below....take a listen. I tell you what, I have had a taste for stewed oxtail ALL WEEK LONG! Just today my girlfriend commented that we needed to look into another girlfriends getaway to Jamaica. Hmmmmm, I am noticing a pattern emerging here. I just left a Fela Kuti, all things Nigerian phase. I think I feel myself on the precipice of,yet another, all things Jamaican phase. Which has me thinking, when was it that I fell in love with Jamaican culture....the food, the music, the people, my people to be precise. Probably after my first trip there back in 1996....

So...Jah and I are driving through the mean streets this afternoon and I find myself doing something I almost never do...listening to the radio. Anyone who knows me well knows that I have removed the popular New York based garbage proliferating radio stations from my memory. I have NPR, WBAI (listener sponsored radio) and a Jazz station (also listener sponsored) on memory, but other than that....I usually listen to my CD's in the car. Well today, I am driving along and feeling real kinda mellow. As time goes on, I am catching a vibe from somewhere that I can't quite put my finger on. Then Jah starts his new "look what I can do" skill, whistling. Then it hits me..there is this slow dub rockin' out on the radio for like a minute that just has me in a straight zone! Music certainly does soothe this savage beast. I slowed down a bit, breathed a little deeper and let all sorts of folks cut me off in traffic and cross the street when they know I had the light...but I di...

Lately I have been fascinated, obsessed really, with the classics.....especially the ones with the pronounced horns and the perfunctory heavy bass. Fela Kuti, James Brown, Sylvester, Earth Wind and Fire just to name a few. Yeah, been taking it back to the basics these days in terms of my musical preferences, food and style of clothing. Simple, timeless and classic....that is what I am feeling right about now. Maybe my upcoming birthday has me in this mood..getting older, reflecting on times past and all that...who knows. Whatever the case, take a moment and check out this classic tune from Sylvester with me and see if it does not have you swayin' in your seats too. Despite all the trouble in the world, there are still things to smile about. I hope that you all are still finding ways to enjoy each day as much as I am. BTW....anybody seen my Penny Loafers??????????? Over and Over - Sylvester

Being in the audience for this show was by far the greatest experience I have had in a while. Transformative. Fela is a legend....a man after my own heart in so many ways.

Okay, okay....so it is actually me who has been M.I.A. I am so damn flaky sometimes. It is a sad state of affairs when you cannot even remember the last time you visited your own blog. The thing is that there has been soooo much going on and sooooo much to write. Fact is, I have been spending most of my days reading the New York Times Op-Ed, watching you tube clips and basically scouring all media for any in depbth information reading what other folks have been writing, particularly as it relates to the presidential race. I crave information which outlines the salient issues of our times so as to make more informed decisions as I listen to the candidates. I just finished watching the debates. I have never watched a debate, by choice and on purpose, in my life! It was quite interesting. Actually Tom "marionette" McCain (as i like to call him) did not do as bad as I thought he would. I thought that Mr. Obama stumbled a bit from time to time, but overall stayed the course and ma...

I hate it when I plan to do something and at the last minute decide that I am too tired or just don't feel like being bothered. I get so damn lazy sometimes, flaking out on doing things that I know damn well I will regret at some later date. Like not going to see Jill Scott for FREE in Brooklyn this past Monday because I did not feel like dealing with the crowds. I think that i am beginning to take this vacation thing a bit too far now. I think I got it twisted because this is the type of stuff you are supposed to do while on vacation..you know, like when you don't have to get up to go to work the next day. Anyway, That is just so me. Well, I am kicking myself right now for missing Ms. Ferrell perform in NYC this past spring. This sista's voice is nothing short of magical. What range! What talent! Please take a moment to check out the clip above and try to check out her show if she comes to a town near you....trust me, you won't be disappointed. Meanwhile, I am going to...

Love That Girl - Raphael Saadiq I love this dude. He is like a chameleon always transforming his sound and style....love it, love it, love it. I am so upset because he will be coming to the NYC in a few weeks, but I will be away. The last time I saw him was with Lucy Pearl and ya'll know it has been a minute since they were together. Anyway, as I continue to completely veg out on my vacation....I wanted to share with you some of the tunes that are helping to me to maximize my slacker ways!

So, today is the first day of my official vacation. I say official becuase while I have been physically showing up to work for the past few days, I mentally and spiritually checked out some time last week. This school year seemed like it took an inordinately long time to be over. In our district, some personel work 10 months and 22 days....your's truley is one of them. Seriously, I was clocking my time like a prisoner awaiting a release date- unabashedly. I told my secretary that I was not taking any work related calls AT ALL while on vacation, so don't bother me with the foolishness. They have had my mostly undivided attention for the past 10 months and 22 days and now, it's Miller time! (the joke here is that I don't even drink beer, but if I did, well you get my point). I remember one summer they were blowing up my cell phone, while I was on vacation, over some straight bull shit! Some stuff that anyone with half a brain could have handled. To say that I was an...

If you don't know who Meshelle Ndegeocello is, you might want to find out. This sista defies categorization and is by far one of my favorite artists. I have had the pleasure of seeing her perform a number of times and even had the chance to meet her. She is a beautiful spirit. I don't know what is going on with youtube file transfers to Blog, so that is why I did not embed a clip for you to enjoy. However, click the title above and you can check out her myspace. She is pure genius. Side bar..... I ran into Marsha Ambrosious of Floetry fame tonight in Phili...upon query, she told me that she was busy in the studio working with Dre on her new album. I am sad to have seen Floetry part ways, but I am excited to hear what she and mind behind Chronic will be able to lay on us. Never forget to support that which you love, be it good music, art or whatever. Show your support people, it makes a difference.

Much to my surprise, it seems that the good people at my job actually respect me. Hell, I would even go so far as to say that some of them even like me. I find this amazing considering that I am- on the outside- so foreign to so many of them. The way I look, the way I dress, the food I eat, the way I speak (you know I speak "so well" according to them). The other day I showed up to my office full of school administrators and highly conservative folk rockin ' my latest hairdo- a curly quasi Mohawk . (Only the women at work are usually brave enough to outwardly inquire about my the mechanisms of my myriad hairdo's.) At work, I am pretty low key. In fact, I make it a point to try to kind of keep to myself. I don't get involved in office politics, water cooler gossip and stay as far away from the teacher's lounges as possible. I just come in, do what I have to do, and bounce. Perhaps that is part of my allure ....my draw if you will. I tell as little of my own sto...

So I just returned home from a full day of sewing, meeting and talking with friends. I had a very good day. While this week was a bit on the stressful side, all things seem to be working out for good. I don't really have much to say today besides the fact that I am extremely thankful for all the good stuff in my life. Family, friends, good times and bad...i am thankful. Pain in the ass co-workers, I could be unemployed. Too high energy and gas bills, I could be homeless and walking. Too many things to do in one day, I could be without the health and strength to accomplish them all. Life will ALWAYS present us with reasons to complain, legitimate reasons in fact. However, in each moment we have a choice as to how we will respond to the issues. I try to make conscious choices each day as to how I respond to the myriad stimuli and or stressers which come my way. Meditation and prayer help a great deal toward this end, but I am not as consistent in these practices as I should be....bu...

If it is one thing that pisses me off to the heights of pissivity it is rude ass self absorbed people. People who are so oblivious to the wants and needs of others that they could really give a f*#k about you, how you feel and or how their behavior impacts you. I realize that everyone has the potential to get on a nerve every now and then....but, I am taking issue in this post with repeat offenders. Perhaps it is because I, for so long, operated from this standpoint of self absorption that I get so incensed by this breed - but whatever the case....they piss me off. You know the kind- people who find a way to revert every conversation you have with them, back to their favorite subject of THEM! People who complain all the damn time about how they have been slighted or wronged and just cant let shit go. People who insist upon having their way or having their two cents be heard, even when you have agreed that they are right, have been right and will always be right. Last but not least pe...

As interesting as the concert replete with West African superstars was in Central Park last weekend, even more interesting was the 'friend' I made while on my journey that day. I must put my kickstand down here for a moment....... my BFK is ALWAYS riding me for my liberal application of the moninker 'friend' to strange people that I meet and seem to find myself engrossed in conversation. Be it the rasta who proposed marriage after an hour of conversaion on the beach in Negril or the Hassidic attorney who stopped to ask my advice on furnishings for her office- who ended up inviting me to lunch- for some reason, I am always drawn to folks and vise versa - from all walks of life- with whom I so easily fall into conversation. I have been told that I am easy to talk to and that I seem trustworthy and that is why people talk to and confide in me. (We previously discussed my early onset dimensia which makes it pretty damn difficult for me to gossip and tell people's busisn...

Never, ever trust a woman with a haircut like the one in this clip to do what is expected, conventional or even socially acceptable. What makes me such an authority on the subject? Well, have you seen my hair lately?????

"Bill Cunningham narrates an audio slide show about the large, colorful purses women seem to love carrying in New York City." NYT Long gone are the days of my carrying purses that cost more than my mortgage payment. However, I must admitt, they are fun-fun-fun to look at. I do love LV the best - what can I say? Anyway, as I so often warn Jah when we enter a store with delicate things that we CANNOT afford to replace if broken - when it comes to these over the shoulder budget busters - I'm using my eyes, not my hands! Wanna see the show??????? (click the Fashion & Style- NYT title above, be redirected to NYT page, scroll down a bit till you see the picture above- center page under "multimedia title"-, click and enjoy the show!)

My dear readers (mostly my dear mother and cousins, I think)...I am so very sorry for staying away so long. I have been sewing and traveling and relaxing and having so many wonderful experiences that I want to share with you. I admitt to being a bit of a closet perfectionist and I have so many posts in draft form waiting to see the light of day. I had a little talk with myself and have decided to throw caution- and obsessive editing- to the wind and just write. My cousin KTC just got on me in the Fela Kuti post and she is right. I need to write more frequently 1. because I enjoy it and 2. that is why I started this blog is it not....to share my experiences. I will leave the red pen for work! So thank you cousin, she is a great task master, for getting my ass in check. I would also like to take this time to wish you a happy belated birhtday. I really don't know what my damn problem is and why I cannot seem to get anyone's birthday straight, not even my own mother's! T...

So this morning at around 9:45 a.m yours truly was inhaling all the wonderful vapors that the BQE under construction could muster. It was a gorgeous morning, but I was getting a little anxious sitting in the infamous NYC traffic because a sista had somewhere to be by 10. I have attracted much criticism from family and friends for what seems to them to be my latest entry on the ever growing "weird ass things only Khadijah would do" list. But, not one to be dissuaded by the lack of practicality of a venture, there I was, sewing machine in tow, whipping, dodging and weaving - trying my best to make it to http://www.harrietsalteregoonline.com/ on time. Alas, the traffic opened up and I was breezing down Atlantic, whipped a right on Flatbush and four blocks later, after busting a highly illegal U-wee, found my self easing in to a parking space reserved especially for me in front of Harriett's. I must tell you that my uber cool girlfriend KG first introduced me to Harriett...

AOL Says: It's almost impossible to overstate the impact and importance of Fela Anikulapo (Ransome) Kuti (or just Fela as he's more commonly known) to the global musical village: producer, arranger, musician, political radical, outlaw. He was all that, as well as showman par excellence, inventor of Afro-beat, an unredeemable sexist, and a moody megalomaniac. I say: Get to know this cat....he is a musical genius, to whom we owe much. Sample some Fela tunes to the right, be sure to check out one of my favorites song...Coffin For the Head of State.

This dude is pretty slick and he is educated...ivy leaguer w/swagger it seems...engineer, producer and artist...got that whole "used to be a nerd, but look at me now" steez on lock...check him out.

I was recently reminded just how human I really am. I was further reminded of just how much I need other people and what an important role friends and family really do play in my day to day affairs. This weekend, after a nice family gathering in Atlantic City celebrating my cousin's birthday, I came face to face with my mortality. I was driving on the Garden State Parkway and it began to rain profusely, with wind blowing to boot. To say that visibility was limited was an understatement. I had just received a phone call from my mom a few moments earlier telling me that the weather advisory had just issued a tornado warning for the area through which I was traveling. At the time when visibility was completely removed from me I was on the phone with my cousin, who was not far into his departure from Atlantic City. I was warning he and my other cousins of the hazardous weather conditions. As I was talking to him, I decided that I needed to pull over to the shoulder because I really cou...

I was recently watching a video of Shug, circa two years of age, running around the house with a pull up, too small t-shirt and a birthday hat he got from God knows where singing " Happy Bert - day Me!" Suffice it to say, it was December and was not his birthday. But alas, this month, Shug did celebrate his 7th birthday.....My heavens, Shug is seven! Corny, but true. This post started off as a nostalgic testament to the fact that I have now had the honor and privilege of mothering one of the sweetest, smartest, most endearing children on this planet for the past seven years- but I see it evolving into something else as I write. I can hardly believe that seven years have passed so quickly. I can now say to other folks with younger children, enjoy it now- because time with the wee ones DOES pass very quickly. It seems like yesterday that I was spread eagle in the delivery room- with all my once treasured goodies on display for the world to see - refusing to scream from the shee...

Check him out ya'll- for he is pretty dope if you ask me.

Hola y bienvenido mi amigos (hello and welcome back my friends), It's been a minute I know. I recently returned from a much needed escape to Puerto Rico. It was a very relaxing trip and gave me some time to sort some things out and look at some things from a different perspective. I came away from my trip refreshed and with a couple of realizations that I would like to lay on you. Got a minute? Good. While I would never volunteer to act as an interpreter during a meeting at my job-unless forced to do so- I really do know more Spanish than I let on. My college professors were right, language immersion is the key to bridging the gap to fluency. Had I been as smart as my cousin Kecia, I too would have taken a semester to study in South America while in college. But no, I was too busy being cute in D.C. But I digress. You see after having studied Spanish for 8 consecutive years and living in an area largely populated by Spanish speakers, the problem I still have is that when I speak Sp...