Sooooo, I was thinking....

So here is a dramatization of how an I.M session between my girlfriend and I went the other day after, to her dismay, I referenced a particular man in whom I am interested as being merely a "friend." Her :...... I will ask offhanded, why the term "friend" and speaking so generically about your man ??? Why would you call him a "friend", I thought he was your man ? Me : 'cause he is not my man . Her : Oh, my misunderstanding. I thought "my boo", "my baby", etc. were synonymous with "my man". Hence, me taking my butt to counseling and trying to understand this adult dating stuff.......LMAO. Me : LOL- No. I would agree that such words might be synonomous. However, I do not recall ever referring to him in this way. I typically refrain from using such descriptors, unless speaking to the object of my affections directly and in jest. Perhaps I am too careful, too jaded and need some counseling too! LOL Her : Oh no, no, no mami! I ...

"If we're going to be buddies, better bone up on the rules 'cause don't nobody bring me no bad news. You can be my best of friends - as opposed to payin ' dues. But don't nobody bring me no bad news......" Evelline from The Wiz I don't watch the news & I don't read the paper. Never really did. I am far too much of an empath to hear about all the stuff going on in the world to move through my day unfettered by the weight of it all. For most of my career, I have chosen to work with under served populations. They are the people, despite my myriad experiences, whom I most readily identify with and whom I believe, most need my help. I have volunteered & worked professionally with in correctional institutions (much to my mother's dismay), teen aged moms, persons affected by HIV/AIDS, the homeless, those affected by substance abuse, chronically mentally ill and alleged perpetrators of myriad infractions, crimes and misdemeanors. Given that m...

After months of planning, I along with several fabulous women, had the pleasure of hosting my BFK's baby shower this weekend. It was a rousing success replete with food, folks and lots of fun. I am an only child, and as such, have hoarded each and every relationship of meaning that I have entered into throughout my life. From grammar to grad school, with few exceptions, I have been blessed to maintain some form of contact with most of the friends that I have made at different points in my life. I also have developed many relationships with the family and other friends of the "primary friends", thereby adding to the list of folks that I know and love. Okay, so where am i going with this? Well, as I floated around the room at the shower this past Saturday, I could not help but be moved by the overwhelming show of love and support displayed toward my BFK as she begins her new life as a mother. Like me, she was raised as an only child. Like me, she is a Libra and a hoarder of...

The Roots are my favorite band and IMHO Black Thought is THE illest MC's of all time. Yes, I said it and I meant it! One day I will elaborate, but for now you can click on the title of this post to get an idea why I feel this way. Enjoy!

Carrying on with the announcements of flip-flop-friendly activities, looks like some of my faves are gonna be at this outdoor concert, which is taking place in what I fancy my second hometown- Jersey City aka "Chilltown J.C ." Let's see.... on deck we have The Legendary Roots Crew (yes, I respect them enough to call them by their full government...they've earned it), Little Brother (dope group of of North Carolina), K'NAAN ( representin ' Mogadishu to the fullest- how's that for East Side) Jack Johnson (smooth dude on the strings out of Hawaii) and Amadou & Miriam ( the blind couple from Mali). Enough said. Time to call the fam and tell them that I will be coming thru on the weekend of August 8th - you guessed it- flip flops in tow!

What made the Brown Hornet, Aqua Man and Hong Kong Fuey all so special? I'll tell you - they were all super heros. When the chips were down and all hope was lost, they made it do what it do and, ultimately, saved the day. Well, many have argued that my beloved hip-hop is in dire need of some super hero type salvation. I wish I could disagree. Wonder twin powers- activate! "Form of a real M.C"...."Shape of a producer who can actually produce, not just loop a tired track". Have no fear, Buck & 9th are here! Introducing one of the greatest (ergo, you will NEVER hear them on the radio) collaborations in Hip Hip - Buck and 9th. Buckshot hailing from Boot Camp Clik and Black Moon fame. 9th being the beat making force behind many of his Justus League cohorts and having lent his talents to Jigga Man, his lady "B" and De La Soul to name a few. (damn I wish I knew how to activate the links). The music these cats make is pure ear candy. Check out their new r...

"Picture a mic, the stage is empty, a beat like this might temp me...." Wow....this time I digressed before I even began. But a sista wonders, is it just me or does there seem to be a line from at least one hip hop song to sum up or spice up every situation? Is it just me or do you too find yourself thinking " umph , umph , umph " ala Big Daddy Kane upon catching some poor soul in act of half - steppin '? Am I the only one who chooses to remind would be adversaries that, just in case they missed the memo, punks really do jump up to get beat down? Finally, is it me or do you too know "what time it is", who exactly "got the props" and where Q Tip left his wallet? If you are a friend of mine, I bet you do! So onto the real reason for this post...The Shoes. "The Shoes? The shoes? It's gotta be the shoes!" (see, I told ya) I stumbled upon these little numbers during a recent cyber shopping marathon and fancy them rather cute! I ca...

Ladies and Gentlemen......Presenting one of the best that's ever done it - MC that is - AZ. His new album "Undeniable" is in stores now. Granted, AZ has never ranked on my top 10 list, but I like AZ because he is consistent. Has been ever since he so eloquently informed us, on Nas ' classic " Illmatic ", exactly what life was and what happens to you after it's over. Can you believe that was almost 15 years ago? Yeppers . Alas, while not a top 10 contender, AZ has long been one of my road trip go-to- guys. Picture me on a summer's day, doing 85 down 95, sunroof open, shades tilted low, seat tilted lower, bass massaging my spine, me and AZ ridin ' out! Agreeing, at least for that moment, that " Life's a ----- and then you --- that's why we get ---- cause ya' never know when you gonna go!" War & Peace it's not-but there is a time and place for everything & I love it! Ever true, AZ always stays in his musical lane a...

Don't front. You know his speech on race relations in America was dope. A topic we may have turned every which way but loose in the privacy of our own homes, social circles, barber shops and beauty salons- but avoid like the plauge in mixed company. But Obama , bless his heart, really did put the whole sordid truth on blast! He was smooth gangsta with it and I loved it! I even caught myself clapping at the monitor, throwing one hand up in the air while gently rocking to-and-fro, straight church lady style. All that was missing from my little Race Relations Revival was a collection plate and my serving notice to Barak that he " betta preach!" Yes indeed! Barak's speech was in as neat , tidy and easily digestible a package that the vast majority of Americans have come to depend on when getting bad news. It was a tough pill to swallow - has been stuck in the collective throat of America for years. But, it just might be the beginnings of a cure for what has ailed thi...

...as in Oscar the Grouch! I want to take a moment to send an extra special shout out and to wish a felicitude of multitudinous good stuff- (All requests for clarification on the aforementioned should be submitted to Mrs. 1 from Oz , or to his highness George Bush, who is apparently also from Oz) - upon a very trusted and loyal friend whom- for our purposes today- we will refer to as Oscar. Wait a minute, let me get this right- ( to get the full effect of my sincerity- you must read the following "thank you" as robotically and unenthusiastically as Dee used to deliver every single one of her lines, during every single episode of "What's Happening" in which she appeared.) All together now, we are going for quintessential Deadpan here people- let's rock n' roll- and, action : "Oscar - dearest - you- are- the - one - who- has - my - eternal - thanks - for- making - all -aspects - of- this - blog - possible. I - could - not -have- done- it- w...

Spring has sprung, which means summer is not too far away. Almost time to shed those winter boots, wool tams (shout out to my grandma who can rock a tam like no body's biz) and heated seats for open windows, wash & wear locks and my all time favorite summer accessory-FLIP FLOPS! I absolutely LOVE flip flops and IMHO- the cheaper the better! So, with the advent of weather conducive to rocking a flop righteously - it is time to start surfing the net for all the juicy flip flop friendly activities that start to bloom around this time of year. One of my favorite summer activities is heading over one of the bridges, Big Shug in tow , to one of the many FREE outdoor festivities being held in NYC. One of the most popular venues for this type of entertainment is, of course, Central Park and it's infamous Central Park Summer Stage events. The City Parks foundation http://www.cityparksfoundation.org/ , hosts countless events of this type throughout the city all summer long. I hav...