It’s Friday, and that means it’s time for me to let you in on the song that has been constantly playing in my headphones or in my car. This week, I had the pleasure of having my house mostly to myself, and that left me with the opportunity to drive my mom’s car, which has an iPod cord so that I can play it through her stereo. Her system is much better than mine, so I always hop at the chance to drive her car, especially when I know I’m going out and it’ll take me a long time to get back home after a night out with my friends. When I’m driving down the highway by myself, I love to sing extremely loud and do some dancing if I can manage…this song has been belted by me way too many times, and I’m sure I’ve even choreographed my own dance routine to it.
The song I’m talking about is Eric Roberson‘s “The Moon.” It’s featured on his CD “Appetizer,” and is probably one of my favorite songs by him. It has a true 90s feel to it (I think it was originally released in the 90s), and all I can do when the song comes on is start to body roll like the Black Ranger no matter where I am. Beyond the feel of the song, he says some really sweet things to the girl who’s pretty much scared to fall in love with him. For instance: I know you’re scared/cuz love is risky/but you’re gonna have to relax and put your trust in me/cuz you’re secure/as long as you’re here/but when things get steamy baby/you just can’t disappear…
Now that you’ve heard the song for yourself, tell me what you think! This is definitely going to be one of those songs that doesn’t quite fit the occasion of a wedding reception that I’m going to use in mine. It’s such a cute song to me, and it just makes me feel good inside…perfect for driving down the highway with the windows rolled down (when the heat index is less than 111 O_O), singing to the top of my lungs. What other songs just make you feel good inside, especially during the summer? Share with me in the comments! Until next time…
I can’t lie, as I sat down to write this post, I had no idea what song I was going to pick. I scanned through my memory to try and think about what I had listened to this week – what really stood out to me. After pondering for about 2 hours, I was still completely lost as to what to write. Then it hit me…I haven’t written about Big KRIT yet…
How could I forget?! I don’t even remember what made me download his tape Return of 4Eva (I probably saw it in one of Resha’s tweets), but I – like a fool – let it sit on my iTunes and in my iPod for a long time before I ever listened to it. I have a really bad habit of doing that, and I swear I have to get out of it. I miss out on some really solid music (like this tape) when I do. When I finally did…man…it became my go-to tape. I literally like every single song on the tape. Especially “R4 Theme Song.” I mean, a song that the first line is “Refrain from bein’ lame”? How can you not like it?
I swear this video makes me want to be in the studio…
As is probably already known, I’m not the largest follower of rap and hip-hop. Don’t get me wrong, I like it and all, but my lane is more R&B and soul, which is fine. Everyone has their preferences, and I recognize good music when I hear it…and Krit? Good ass music. In the morning on my way to work, I try and hype myself up for a 9 hour day in the office, and now that I have Krit in heavy rotation in my iPod, this is typically the first song I go to. The beat is sick, and when I’m walking down the street to the office, I know that people look at me like I’m crazy when I’m rappin along to the words and walking down the street to the beat…ask me if I care.
It’s been a while since I’ve been hype to have a hip-hop artist put more music out, but I CANNOT WAIT for Krit to drop more music. He’s so talented, and I love him for making me actually want to listen to rap. What say you, my dear readers? Heard of Krit yet? If not, please stop failing at life and go download Return of 4Eva. If you have, do you feel me on this song? Leave your thoughts in the comments. Until next time…
I know that I typically wait until Fridays to talk about music, but an event happened this past Monday that I could not wait four days to talk about. It was an event that I had been waiting actual months for, and I was so excited to be a part of it. What am I talking about? I’m talking about the release of Zo!’s third installment of his “just visiting” series, aptly titled “…just visiting three.” When the announcement hit the Twitter airwaves that the listening party in DC would be held on Monday, July 11, my face went from 🙂 to -_____- in about five seconds flat. Go into the city after I’d already gone home after work? On a Monday? Man…I like my sleep! Let me stop playin’, I knew from the time I saw the tweets that I was gonna go. Monday night after I got home from work, got some dinner, and changed into something slightly sexy ;-), I headed out to pick up my lovely friend Peebz and head down to Tap and Parlour on U Street. When we got there, the crowd was slightly small, but we ran into Panama Jackson at the door, and since 3’s have fun everywhere they go, we struck up a nice –ratchet- conversation while people started to file in. I ran into The Jazzy Belle, and she, Peebz, and I found a table that just so happened to be directly across from where Zo! was sitting. Score! While people were still coming in, and mixing and mingling with one another, the DJ was playing a nice set, with everything from Zo’s earlier work to The Foreign Exchange, The Roots, Bilal, Common, and an array of other artists. The lovely Husky Monreaux joined us at the table, and we all sat and talked, sipped some beverages, and waited patiently for 12:00 to hit so we could hear the new album.
Zo! got on the mic promptly at 12 to announce that the album was ready to go, and the DJ dropped the beat on the first track. From the second he pressed play, everybody in the room seemed to be locked into the music. Heads were nodding, toes were tapping, bodies were rolling (ok, maybe that was just me), and everybody was taking in the album second by second and track by track. I’m an observer by nature, so I tended to look around the room to see how different people were reacting to the music. Some were completely silent and looked as if they were stuck in a trance; others continued their hushed conversations underneath the music, while some others were partying like they were out at a club. Everyone in the place showed genuine love and appreciation for the record, which was an awesome sight to see. For me, new music is like a gift under the Christmas tree. All of the anticipation of Christmas builds up in the weeks and days before the holiday comes, and it peaks just as you turn the corner and see all of the gifts under the tree on Christmas morning. Unwrapping the gift is the culmination of the anticipation, and laying eyes on the gift for the very first time gives you a sense of glee, joy, and thankfulness. That’s how I felt listening to “…just visiting three” for the first time. It was like Zo and all of the rest of the team that worked on the album had taken months to perfectly wrap the gift, making sure every crease was laid straight, every piece of tape was secured tight, and that they put the prettiest, shiniest bow they could find on top, and the listening party was our (the fans’) chance to sit under the tree and open the gift. It was an amazing experience to be around so many people listening to the same work of music for the first time, and it’s one I won’t soon forget.
After the album was done playing, Zo got back on the mic, and they dropped it again! This time, it was like everyone was dancing at their uncle’s cookout, except without the burnt hot dogs and red solo cups full of whatever you can think of, or we were all at the skating rink during the free skate where everyone got to show off their tricks. During the second round of the CD, Zo was more than happy to hug or dap the fans that came out to support him, to take pictures, and to hold conversations with people. He’s so nice and so down to Earth, and I’m personally excited that the album was so well received, and that there is so much love for him here in DC! I had an absolute ball at the listening party with my friends, and I didn’t even kick myself in the face too hard on Tuesday morning when I got to work later than I usually do because it was completely worth it.
The man of the hour and yours truly!
Zo! and Peebz of the award-winning DirtyPrettyThangs.com!
In case you don’t have it (which if you don’t, you’re loafin), it can be downloaded here for absolutely FREE! Take advantage of amazing music, and support an awesome musician. Ya’ll already know I have it loaded up on every device I own. Once you listen to the EP, share your thoughts in the comments! Until next time…
It’s no secret to people that know me that I’m single. Single as a dollar bill as I love to say. And you know what, that’s ok! Sometimes I relish in the fact that I’m a single girl living in this cool world with no one to answer to, no one to check in with, and no one to have to integrate into my already busy life. BUT…I’m still human, and more importantly, I’m still me, so…I know I want a relationship. In some ways, I’m not even 100% certain why I want a relationship, but I know I do. That whole…support, having each other’s back, and keeping each other in check thing is kinda attractive to me, what can I say? In keeping with my tradition of letting you all have first dibs on my mental mind, I thought I’d share with you my top 5 ridiculous reasons why I want a man. These are in no particular order, so just go with me.
1.) To have someone to cook for
Ya’ll. Listen. This past month or so has been absolutely ridiculous for me. I have never felt so many urges to cook for someone in my life. I’ve literally gone to the grocery store and dropped bills on bills on bills on groceries just to come home and cook for someone! The person that’s benefitted the most from this is my good friend Shon, since she’s been present for damn near everything I’ve cooked in this recent domestic binge. From salmon with watermelon and shrimp salad to turkey burgers and fried plantains to shrimp and broccoli alfredo to nutella cheesecake bars, she’s been here for it all. She’s even said to me, “Girl, if you had a man, I’d tell you to make this for him…” -_- hmph.
2.) To have someone to shop for
I know, this sounds absolutely ridiculous, but…let me explain. I have a slight sneaker addiction/obsession. More than half of the shoes in my closet are sneakers, and well…if I could wear them everyday, I swear I would. Now everytime I walk into Finish Line, I first head for the kids section to see what I want, but then I somehow always end up in the men’s section looking at shoes! Whose feet can fit those? Not mine! I walk past Nike Air Max 95s, Polo sneakers, Sperry Top Siders (even though they aren’t sneakers), take a longing glance at them, and walk out of the store empty headed and sad faced. And don’t get me started on when I go into Macy’s and hit the Polo section and go into Express to the dress shirt and tie section. Apparently, I want someone to spend money on. Where in the hell did this come from?
3.) To have someone to go places with me
It’s common knowledge to anyone that knows me that I like to go out and have fun and that I love to travel. Going to the bar? Count me in. Headed to a sporting event? Yep, I’m there. A concert is in town? Hell yeah, I’m going! The crew wants to go somewhere? I’m putting my planning hat on and making the reservations. The problem is…who the hell is going with me to these things? I love my friends to death, and love it when they go places with me, but I know they have lives! And their lives don’t always revolve around making sure I have fun when I go somewhere. For me to have a built in travel/fun buddy? MAN! That would be dope as hell. Granted, he’d actually have to like to do some of the same things I like to do, but…we’re not talking specifics right now!
4.) To have another driver around
I’m about to start shouting in here just from typing that. The thought of not having to always drive myself?! Listen. I think outside of work, I spend more time in my car than I do anywhere else. Everywhere I go, I drive, and sometimes I even drive other people where they need to go. The gas usage doesn’t really bother me (yet), but the time spent behind the wheel is starting to drive me up a wall. Sometimes I wanna text while I’m in the car…other times, it’d be nice to catch a quick 5-10 minute nap while I sit in the passenger seat…can I do that now? Nope! Do ya’ll know how excited I would be to just be like “hey babe, can you drive from Waldorf to Landover to Silver Spring to Baltimore and back to Largo tonight?” *does dougie* Seriously, the man might get a meal and a new shirt off of that alone…
5.) To have someone’s clothes to steal
If you looked in my pajama drawer, you’d swear I was a semi-pro basketball player. Nothing but tank tops and basketball shorts in there since I moved the lingerie to a different drawer. Now I remember there was a conversation on Twitter about how if a girl takes a guy’s clothes, that means something serious between the two of them. Let me tell you how I’d love to be sleeping in a shirt that smells like my man or in a pair of his clean basketball shorts. *rolls around in bed at the thought* I have a thing about scent, so to have something that smells like the man I’m with? *shakes head* If I steal his clothes, I’ll have built in pajamas whenever I stay at his place or he stays at mine…I think that’s a win-win for everyone involved.
So there you have it folks – my top 5 absolutely ridiculous reasons why I want to be in a relationship. What say you, good people? Any of my single readers want to be in a relationship, and if so, can you relate? For my readers out there who are living the boo’ed up life, have you ever had urges like the ones I talked about here? Take a minute and share some thoughts with me…until next time!
Howdy folks! Welcome back to Feature Fridays, and today I have a pretty personal song chosen. I know it’s the Friday before a holiday, and everyone is amped to get their long weekend started (I KNOW I am), but I decided I needed to share this song with you all since it’s been on constant rotation for the last week.
It always feels like Christmas to me when an artist that I love releases new music. With every track that passes, it’s like ripping another piece of wrapping paper off of the biggest gift under the tree. When Jill Scott released her new album, “The Light of the Sun,” it was no different for me. Her music has been a soundtrack for me in both sad and happy times, so I was eager to see what direction she took this new album in. As with most new music I buy, I bought it on my iPod, so I pulled my headphones in while at my desk at work and began to listen. 1 got to track 5 and immediately stopped in my tracks.
“Le Boom Vent Suite” seems to speak to every corner of my life. It’s almost as if Jill took a trip to DC, asked me what was going on, and wrote a song about it. The beginning of the song is completely empowering for me, and inspires me to make some changes in my own life, while the end reminds me that it’s sometimes easier said than done. That balance between believing that someone doesn’t want you and you deciding that it’s time to leave with the realization that maybe they do want you if you stick it out, coupled with your realization that you completely want them and you feel that they’d benefit your life if they’d just get it together? Man. It’s like she knows me. It’s so beautifully painful for me to listen to that I can’t seem to turn away from it whenever it comes on. As if you couldn’t already tell, I relate best to music, but it’s especially gripping for me when I’m going through something or trying to get to a place that’s described in a particular song. Whenever I feel strongly about a song, I tend to listen to it over and over, and that’s exactly what I’ve done with this song this week.
If you haven’t done so already, please go buy her album! It’s a work of art from start to finish in my opinion, and as a woman, there are a few songs on there that I completely relate to and that I feel very strongly about, with “Le Boom Vent Suite” taking the lead for the one I feel the most about. Are there any songs that you all have that seem to just kick you in the chest because it most accurately describes your life at a certain point? Let’s chat about them in the comments! Until next time, folks…
Ah, the smell of burgers and dogs on the grill, the sight of girls in sundresses and sandals and guys in Polos, shorts, and their best pair of kicks, the blazing hot sun burning on the back of your neck…there’s no season like summer, and I’ve always loved it. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always associated some of my happiest memories with summer, and all of those memories involve music. Now that summer has officially hit, I would be remiss not to do a summertime song for this week’s feature. The all-time summertime anthem is now, and forever will be, DJ Jazzy Jeff and Will Smith’s Summertime, but I think this song I’m featuring here will become a close second, at least for me. This week’s Feature Friday is “Summertime (So Hot)” by Eric Roberson featuring Chubb Rock. Now, I had actually heard part of this song maybe about a month and a half ago when Eric did a Ustream that I was able to catch because I was off work, and ever since then, I was hoping I’d be able to hear it again. Lucky for me, Eric decided to release the song for download a couple of weeks ago.
Now that you’ve listened to it, try and tell me that you don’t hear summertime all up and through it! It’s almost as if they peeked into the future and captured the very essence of summertime and laid it on a track. As soon as the beat drops, I’m ready to stop whatever I’m doing and either a) 2 step around the room, b) go to the nearest car wash and clean my car, or c) drive down the highway with the sunroof open and this blasting from my speakers. It’s such a smooth, fun song, and I am absolutely in love with it. It conveys the spirit of summertime perfectly, and a smile can’t help but to spread across my face when I hear it. The song just makes me want to gather some friends, have a cookout, and sit and just enjoy each other from the daylight until dusk (and of course get up and dance with this comes on). I make a lot of playlists for general purposes, but I have to create a Summer 2011 playlist just to add this song to it.
After listening to it, and reading how I feel about it, I hope that you go download the song (it’s free), and that you add it to your cookout playlists. Speaking of summertime tunes, what other songs do you quickly associate with summer? I have an entire arsenal of songs that remind me of my favorite season, but I’ve done enough talking. Leave me some good songs in the comments, and I’ll see you all next week!
Those of you that know me well know that I spend almost all day listening to music. Whether it be on YouTube, on my iPod, on Pandora, or on the radio, I always have my headphones in or my music in the car blasting. Music is one of the only things I can relate to all the time! Well, it dawned on me not too long ago that there are a lot of lyrics out here that I just don’t understand. I don’t know where the writers came up with them, don’t know why they were included in the song…I just get really confused sometimes. I chatted my good friend Cheekie up on Gchat hoping that she’d be able to help me find the answers to the questions that I have. Maybe you all out there can find some clarity in this as well…
Stevie Wonder – Ribbon in the Sky Cheekie: tell me who put a ribbon in the sky for stevie wonder’s love? Like, he couldn’t afford a jet? You know Stevie be PAID and he just threw a ribbon up in the air? me: LMFAO
maybe that’s how the Goodwill Blimp got started
#shrug Cheekie: probably so… I’m just saying… Stevie was like, “yeah just toss a ribbon up there and she’ll be cool. Ribbons are purty… I’d imagine.” me: LOL
Mary Mary – I’m Walking me: ok, so…Mary Mary…in your new hit, you state a minimum of 87 times that you’re walking. well…where exactly are you walking to? Target? Grocery store? Down the Green Mile? Cheekie: HAHAHAHA me: to the bus to head to church? Cheekie: That is the longest walk evah. Like, they be struttin. me: to the crossroads?
if they galloped, they’d get there faster Cheekie: If they going to the crossroads, st. peter gon’ be there like… “ok which mary are you again? Hol’ up! That ain’t eeem your name.”
YES! Galloped. Mr. Ed game proper me: LOL
Joe – All The Things (Your Man Won’t Do) Cheekie: aight, so tell me THIS. How come Joe be all philosophical in “Things Your Man Won’t Do” talmbout “what good is a diamond, nobody can see?”
that is some tree in the forest SHAT me: *ponders the meaning of life*
i mean…
geez, i’m at a loss, that’s truly deep. Cheekie: I bet. In fact, I think Kay Jewelers should change their slogan to that
better yet…
their competition Cue Jewelers should do it.
I’m not sure if this exists
but my point is, it’s a great slogan me: you can start a business!
there’s your slogan, BAM Cheekie: I should!
Be like Cheeks Blings: How prosperous is a diamond, that Stevie Wonder views?
circle of life
pow me: EEYAHMUNEHHHHH bam!
YC feat. Future – Racks me: ok i have a question of the young fellow that squawks raps “racks”
the entire gist of the song is racks on racks on racks
well…racks of what?
spice racks? clothes racks?
racks of ribs? Cheekie: lamb?
mint jelly up in this piece me: maybe Chili’s can use that song for their new jingle
we got racks on racks on racks of ribs Cheekie: YESSSSSS
girl call up corporate NOW me: *scribbles down a note* Cheekie:as they send you a gift card to thank you me: hahahaha
Ace Hood – Hustle Hard Cheekie: girrrrrrl.
i still don’t understand why they say hustle hard. i can’t imagine how anyone could possibly hustle soft
it’s not a hustle then! me: unless you hustle toilet paper, teddy bears, goat cheese, or pound cake Cheekie: not pound cake doe
*drools*
but anyway, i guess you can hustle soft because he claims to do it “each and air’way”
so i assume that includes hard, soft, just right
it’s the goldilocks of rap me: thats what she saiiiiid! Cheekie: HA!
i do wonder how many different ways it is to hustle, doe. Like, can i hustle even when i’m breathing in and out?
i guess that’s when you have asthma me: or bronchitis Cheekie: hmm, which i’ve had
so i can relate me: can you hustle underwater?
or is that reserved for Michael Phelps? Cheekie: synchronized swimming? me: oooooh good one. Cheekie: phelps is gangsta
i also think dirk nowitzki is related to him somehow
perhaps a distant cousin me: i’d agree
Nicki Minaj – Did It On Em me: ok nicki…in your new hit “Sh*tted on Em”, you state repeatedly that you have, in fact, sh*tted on em…well…don’t you think that’s kinda disgusting? doesn’t that violate a health code somewhere?
did no one have toilet paper for you? who hurt you? Cheekie: i think she should’ve considered hustling soft and she would’ve had toilet paper
and it is quite disgusting. she has a large rump. imagine what comes outta THAT a-hole. lawd.
actually don’t
don’t imagine it me: yeah, thanks for ruining my appetite for the next 3 days. Cheekie: it’s called the “gross out” diet. Hopefully it works for me. lol me: like she tells us she sh*tted on em, then says “man i just sh*tted on em”…is that for emphasis?
do these people have access to a shower? Cheekie: like the “man” makes it official
oh gawd i hope so!
YMCA! me: right apparently before that man was added, we weren’t sure if she had, in fact, sh*tted on em
LOL Cheekie: *snort*
So as you see, we have questions! I mean, we tried to answer them for each other, but…we didn’t get too far. Can ya’ll help two lacking all sense ever sistas out? Drop a line in the comments and let us know!
Hey ya’ll! It’s been a while since I’ve been here…a long while, and in my opinion, way too long. In order to interact with you all more, and to keep the place looking like something, I came up with the idea of starting a weekly series. I came up with an idea for a series to do two things: 1) it’ll get me in a consistent writing/posting habit (which is key as a writer), and 2) it’ll give you all out there an idea of where my head is on at least a weekly basis. I win, you win, all we do is win (x3). Khaled.
The name of this new series is called Feature Fridays. In the series, I’ve decided to showcase one song per week, give you the audio of the song, and also discuss why the song was so vital to my week, what the song means to me, and then give you a chance to maybe discover some new music and to learn something about me along the way. If you’ve been following me for some time, or you know me in real life, you know that I’m always surrounded by music. When I go to work in the mornings, I have my iPod in my ears, when I’m at work, I’m on YouTube for the music, and when I come home, I have music on in the car, and on my computer while I’m doing work. It, in a nutshell, is my life. What better way to dig deeper than to see what I have in constant rotation?
Without further adieu, I present to you the first Feature Fridays track: Zo! Feat. Sy Smith – Greatest Weapon of All Time
We all know how I feel about The Foreign Exchange and any and everything that comes off of their label, so it’s no surprise that my first song comes from an artist on their label. This song was vital to my week for a couple of very distinct reasons. For starters, I’ve been in a bit of a rut when it comes to my writing. It’s always been a dream of mine to not only write, but to publish a novel. I struggle with the thought that what I write isn’t up to par with what else is out there on the market, so instead of trying to write more to get better, I clam up and write sporadically (as we can se by how I tend to this blog). Needless to say, that’s completely counterproductive to what I’m trying to do, and I’ve gotten to the point where I need to change that if I ever want to see my dream come to fruition. There’s a line in the song where Sy Smith says “Don’t ever underestimate/the power/of your heart and soul/cuz they might write the greatest/love story that’s/ever been told.” Now I know I’ve heard this song countless times before this week, but for whatever reason, that line has been on repeat non-stop in my head! It’s almost like it’s exactly what I needed to hear in order to get some inspiration. Within the last seven days, I’ve done research on what is needed to create a successful story, read a book about how to properly set yourself up to write, and created a skeletal plot outline. Talk about motivation.
The song has also helped me on a more personal note. I have my days where I feel like I live the cookie-cutter life: get up, get dressed, go to work, come home, work out, play on the computer, shower, eat somewhere within the day, sleep, rinse, and repeat. It’s not a hard life to live in terms of work, but it’s pretty difficult to live such a structured life when I used to thrive on freedom, which allowed me to do the things I wanted/needed to do without becoming an insomniac. After listening to this song on repeat a few (read: many) times, it dawned on me that I still have the freedom to do exactly what it is that I want and feel like I need to do – I just have to be a bit more creative in how I approach it, and if I want it bad enough, I’ll have to make the time to do it. It starts within my mind, and telling myself that I actually can achieve the things that I want to do, and to stop underestimating myself and what I’m capable of and destined for. As someone who spends a lot of time in internal reflection rather than projecting feelings outward, it’s been a difficult task to convince myself that I have what it takes to be successful. Whenever I feel like I’m not cut out for my dreams, I cut this song on, close my eyes if I can, and envision myself living out the life that I feel inclined to live. It’s an amazing feeling to see yourself in situations that you never imagined possible before.
For those of you that have heard this song, do you see where I’m coming from? Have you ever had a song that gave you the right mix of inspiration and motivation to get you to where you wanted to go, even if it was a very short journey to get there? For those of you that haven’t heard the song, check it out above, leave some of your thoughts and comments, and be sure to follow Zo! and Sy Smith on Twitter to keep up with them! Until next time, folks…
Ah, the weekend. It’s the best part of the week if you ask me. Sometimes the work week can be so long and mundane that I’m practically begging for Friday to come back around. On the weekend, I don’t have to get up early (at least not early like I would if I was going to work), I can lounge around in bed if I want, and it gives me time to do the things I really love to do…like writing, taking pictures, and hanging out with my friends. But this past weekend? This past weekend was unlike any other weekend I’ve had in recent memory. It was chock full of things I’ve never done before. Now normally, I wouldn’t be particularly intrigued by me doing random things on the weekend, but this time is different. Things happened this weekend that I swore in a million years would never happen, and I’m still in awe that they actually happened. Well, are you going to tell us what happened?
Glad you asked! For starters, I went thrift store shopping for the first time ever in life. Peebz sent out a Facebook invitation for people to join her at the Unique Thrift Store in Silver Spring, MD, and I figured what the hell? I’ve never done it, I’ve heard that people have gotten great deals on clothes, and I wanted to go do something different. While there, I finally met my Twitter buddy Eric, and me, Peebz, her daughter Tee, and Eric all traipsed around the store, finding random hilarious things along the way, and having a ball roaming around that HUGE store. I had a really fun time thrifting with them, and I got somewhere around 8 pieces of clothing for just about $60. That definitely wasn’t the last time that I plan on doing that, and I now have friends and family members that want me to take them with me the next time that I go find some more things out in Silver Spring.
Although I’ve lived in the DC Metropolitan area my entire life, I don’t take the time that I should to properly explore my city and surrounding areas. Going thrifting on Saturday and taking Peebz back home allowed me to see parts of the city that I haven’t seen in a while, and I really enjoyed the experience. Far too often, I just hit 50 West, head onto New York Avenue, make a right on Florida, end up on U Street, or keep going to Adams Morgan, and I’d forgotten that DC is so much more than that. I saw parts of the city that I had never seen before, and other parts that I hadn’t seen since I was a kid…I’ve got to take some time out this summer to go to the less-traveled, but exceedingly authentic parts of where my family is from.
To round my weekend out, I went to and participated in One Degree From Me’s DC Quarterly Flow Dating event. Now, anyone that knows me knows that I don’t even go to work alone (my mom and I commute in together to save money – stop judging), much less go to a dating event alone, but guess what? I did it! And to top it all off, I had an amazing time doing so. It was so nice to meet different people from all parts of the country that ended up in DC, as well as people that had been here their entire lives. There were people from all different walks of life, from all different professions, and at all different points of their lives with one goal in mind — to have meaningful conversation with other like-minded individuals. I got to meet some very friendly men and women on Saturday evening, and the entire atmosphere was warm, inviting, and pleasant. I was especially proud of myself for actually engaging people in conversation…I love talking to people, but sometimes my introvert starts to show and I end up in the back of the room just taking it all in. I didn’t let that take me over this time. I started conversations with people, maintained ones with others, and ended up with contact information for a couple of guys and a couple of women. I’m sitting here in anticipation of the email that I’m supposed to get with my mutual interests’ contact information in it, but regardless of the outcome of that email, I’m extraordinarily proud of myself for getting out of my own way and doing something I never thought I was capable of doing. It was just the boost I needed to not only become an active participant in my dating life, but to get out there and to try new things and see what life has to offer me. I have to give a special shoutout to Paul Carrick Brunson and his One Degree From Me team for putting on an amazing event, and him for being such a warm and inviting person, and for striking up conversation with everyone that came to him wanting to talk.
Takeaways from the weekend? 1) Try new things – there’s no telling what can happen if you just go out there and do something that you were previously afraid/skeptical of doing. 2) Have some fun – I literally spent all weekend laughing, joking, talking, and with a smile on my face. That doesn’t happen often, but I’m making it my priority to see to it that it happens more often than not now. 3) Get out of your own way – I don’t know how many times I had to tell myself this on Saturday night, but I’m certain that if I didn’t, I wouldn’t have had as much fun as I did. All of these lessons can be applied to my life, and I have faith that they can be applied to the lives of you all reading as well. If you’ve gotten this far in the post (I salute you), let’s talk about what things you think you can do to add some variety back into your life, or some things you’ve always wanted to do, but have always been too afraid to attempt.
No really, I want you guys to come on a trip of sorts with me. We’ll start from last year…May of 2010, to be exact.
Awww...:-)
Now this was me about a year ago. You see that color? See those bangs? See the waves? I was too cute for school, wasn’t I? 😉 At this point, I was trying out the idea of growing my hair out to try and go natural. I was concerned about length, so I wasn’t about to chop it all off, but I wanted to see what my hair would do in its natural state. So, I stopped getting perms, and started doing more roller sets, more crinkles thanks to my friend Vogue, and a lot more trying to hide the new growth coming in on top with the permed ends I had. Well, that eventually got really old, and really tiresome…so one day I went to the hair salon and decided, hey, let’s cut all my hair off, and go natural from here!
Something New...
As we can see from this picture up here, it didn’t quite happen that way. I saw my stylist’s haircut, and BAM! I wanted almost the exact same one she had there. She had to put a perm back in my hair in order to achieve desired results, and while it sucked at the time, I was genuinely happy with the haircut I got. I loved how vastly different it made me look, how easy it was to deal with, and the feeling of getting a shape up. Why didn’t any of my guy friends tell me how awesome shape ups were? What I didn’t like was the amount of money I had to spend on the upkeep. My hair grows extremely fast, so every trip to the salon included a cut, which brought my grand total to around $60 every two weeks including tip. Needless to say, there were other places where that money could be going.
And that brings me to today…
This is me...now!
Yep! You guessed it folks, as of Saturday, April 30, 2011, I cut about 90% of the perm out of my hair…there’s still a few strands that are not like the others, but that’s quite alright. I am so happy with how it turned out! I’ll be honest, I was scared of what I was going to think, scared of going shorter, scared I wasn’t going to know what on Earth to do with my hair…but you know what? I absolutely love it. It’s so me! (Ironic, right?) Of course, I’ve already got the faces that look like O_O when people see that I’ve cut it again, but I don’t care…I’m ready to see what my hair looks like, what it does, how it reacts to certain things…it’s been a long time coming, and I’m glad that I finally decided to cut my hair and see exactly what I’m workin’ with. 🙂
how this libra lives... 