Random Music That Won't Leave My Head

Yep, another music entry. Can't help it, I'm a writer and music inspires me profoundly. These are my most recent downloads that get me to creating, exercising, day dreaming or dancing around my room like I'm on So You Think You Can Dance.

Lykke Li- Follow Rivers- This artist was played a few times on So You Think You Can Dance and although I didn't see the movie Columbiana, the song for it kept getting in my head every time I saw the commercial and I don't mind at all! I also like her song Little Bit which the rapper Drake has also used in one of his songs.

The Black Kids-  I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance- So this group is not all black in case you were wondering, just the brother and sister. I love this song because it has an 80s vibe that I adore. When I hear it I want to dance around my room doing the Carlton Dance from the Fresh Prince in Bel air. And they are from my family's hometown of Jacksonville, Florida!

Chonique Sneed- Pop Drop and Roll- I heard this song on So You Think You Can Dance. Maybe it was the all girl routine that got me to like it but I rushed to down load it and when I hear it, it gets me shaking.

Otis Redding- Try A Little Tenderness- Yes, this song is as old as Moses but it's just great. So great that Jay-Z and Kanye made a remix of it. But that's not what got me to like it. Nope. It was the classic Pretty in Pink movie in which the character of Ducky (played by Jon Cryer whom I loved at the time simply for this role) lip sang this song to Molly Ringwold's character when she was feeling down. When I hear this song, it is this scene that I remember. For that reason that is the video I choose to put up.

Any songs, old or new, that just won't leave your head?

My Top Five...

I am a makeup/beauty/magazine junkie. Every now and then I will put up a post that will turn off any male readers and this is one of them, sorry. If you are into fashion/make up then you know September is one of the biggest month's for all things glam and just about every magazine is packed with information to feed my addiction. As such I was inspired to bring up my own mini post on some of my own favorite products. Choosing just five is difficult but in order to keep myself in check I must limit myself. So here are my tried and true beauty products that I will invest in time again!

1. Miss Jessies Curly Buttercreme: I have naturally curly hair and therefore it is as dry as a dessert. This stuff will make my hair less tumbleweed and more luscious. It's not cheap (surprising since Targets sells it) but its worth my dime every time!
2. Benefits They're Real: When the Sephora lady told me that this mascara was the best thing out, I had my doubts but I put it on and my lashes looked awesome. Way better than my current Maybeline Falsies. It's pricey (around $21) but worth the investment if you love that false lash look.
3. Dr. Brandt Pores No More: anything in this line really. I did some major research and every review/advice pointed to this line. I have VERY oily skin and I can't stand it! I put this on and no oily skin messing up my make up or making my skin feel iky. Another pricey affair (about $45) but if you have extremely oily skin sometimes you gotta make that investment.
4. Bare Escentuals: Again for an oily skined gal, mineral is the way to go. It's not heavy but fully covers and it last a LONG time because the ingridents are more natural so I don't have to toss it as quickly.
5. Chi Ion flat iorn- I've had mine forever (and I want it to last forever since I dropped a pretty penny for mine well before it got the hype it rightly deserves and other lines started making them for way less). As I stated before, since I have natural, unrelaxed hair, having a chi is literally the best thing since sliced bread for me. When I blow out my hair I looke like Rudi Huxtable but this tames my hair so it looks relaxed and blows in the breeze. Love it!

Any favorite products that are a must for you?

Awkward Interracial Dating?

Just caught the latest episode of my new favorite online show Awkward Black Girl. In this month's episode, our main character goes on her first interracial date and it is indeed awkward. Her friend, an Indian girl, prepares her for the date, including the outfit (a t-shirt and shorts because, per her friend, white guys are more casual). The white guy takes her to a soul food restaurant and spoken word, neither sit right with our girl. The mini episode was cute and humorous but did make me reflect on my own interracial experiences. I am an equal opportunity dater so I've dated just about every race and mix in between. And I have to say...there isn't a great difference. By my late twenties I find that all guys dress pretty well (well, nice for their abilities) for dates (the older the more spiffy!).

Although my first time eating fried chicken and waffles was to a place a white guy took me, it was an upscale joint and diverse place, so no music stopping when we entered the place like on this show (even the black men with white women made faces and her ex said if he'd known she'd date white he wouldn't have broken up with her- I found that sad but not a totally unrealistic occurrence). And although we went to Busboys and Poets after, it wasn't spoken word night but... you know what, maybe this show was right! No, DC, is pretty diverse and we just went there for coffee because it was down the street.

Anyway, I've also done casual outdoor dates with black guys. There simply is no stereotype across the racial lines. Guys are guys, wear some heels and your hair out in some manner (curly or straight) and you're good! As the episode showed, if the pair had just been themselves and taken race out of the equation, they would have had a better time.

Here's the episode if you care to watch...

Watch What You Eat- A Short Story

Been a while since I posted a short story, poem, or snippet. Here's something I'm entering for a submission! Enjoy!

Watch What You Eat

Hunger makes you do dumb things.

I headed to my kitchen and opened the refrigerator door. Nothing. I closed the door in disgust. I frowned and opened my cupboard. It was equally bare. My stomach growled angrily but my eyes suddenly widened as I spotted a can of tuna fish. I grabbed it, opened the lid and dug in with a fork.

I chomped away at the salty fish. It might give me high blood pressure but I quickly gobbled it anyway.

Naturally I choked.

I dropped the tuna can to the floor and coughed repeatedly. I caught a glimpse of a cat trotting into the kitchen. Since when did I have a cat?

Who cares I was dying?!

I laced my hands together and rammed them into my stomach then chest but still no success. Why didn’t I study the Heimlich maneuver?

I dropped to my knees, grabbing at my neck as I saw the cat come closer to me, this time followed by two cats. I fell back to the floor, withering in horror as I choked on the food in my air passage.

I glanced in horror at the cats- five now- descending upon me and then looked over at the offending food. My last thought was that I hadn’t actually eaten tuna fish, at least not the one made for humans, for the image on the can was of a cat’s head; its tongue licking its whiskers.

As the cats walked closer to me, meowing in unison, eyes glowing with hunger; I closed my eyes and died.

*

Denise held her fork midway to her mouth, a frozen look on her face. “Wow; that’s a seriously sad story, Shiela. Ooh, say that three times fast!”

“Ha-ha. You are not a friend.”“Hey, maybe those dreams mean you need a cat.”

“So she can chow down on my body because I died eating all her cat food?! I hate cats.”

 

“Maybe the dream was about you feeling unsafe living by yourself. Get a roommate who can account for you so your dead body isn’t stinking up the apartment building.”

 

“Thanks, Denise, that’s what was bothering me so much. I’ll be dead, screw my neighbors breathing comfort!” I cut into my salmon and realized it smelled like tuna. I put my fork down. “Maybe it means I should stop watching that Animal Hoarders show before bed.”

 

“Or that.”

Real Love?

I'm a big fan of Millionare Matchmaker and it always gets my head spinning about relationships and the foolishness that these wealthy clients have about love, I assume simply because they are rich and no one (except Patty) dared question them before.

I wonder:

What does real romance/loving relationship look like and if we had to put it in a movie would we still watch it? And if we wouldn't, how do we manage our expectations about what a good relationship is? And if we were able to manage them would divorce rates go down? Do we, men and women, make poor choices based on a fairy tale notion that no longer exist?

If you are rich or "ridiculously good looking" is the likelihood that you have an unrealistic look on love stronger? Meaning, you often get away with foolishness that leads you to have expectations when entering relationships that the "common" folk just don't have. Does this mean they'll have a harder time finding a lasting relationship or would you think these people will easily find someone hung up on looks or money who will do whatever they want?

I'm often told that as a woman of the new age, especially a black woman, I have to compromise more to get a relationship. However, if we women have to compromise so much will there still be love there? At what point do we compromise too much (on looks, job/goals/education, number of kids the guy already has, whether he has a car/house, is cultured)? Would lowered expectations lead to lowered interest/dependence/standards/lifestyle/treatment?

Just thinking....

If He's Crazy He Will Come

Been a while, sorry folks, I just moved, been working on editing some writing of mine (excerpts to come) and getting ready for a big conference. However I had to come back and get on my soap box. What’s grinding my gears now? Apparently my new name is “Likes to Get Stalked By Crazy People”. I’ve had this affliction since I was in college. If there is a crazy person around, usually an indigent, I would attract him. It didn’t matter what I had on. I’ve been in a suit carrying a briefcase and had a dude off the street approach me to flirt. I’ve been out jogging, fully covered except my arms, and was half way home when I realized I was being followed by a homeless man. When I turned around and gave him my best Bmore girl glare, he turned around and walked away. I’ve had crazy men look at me on the subway and not look away just sit there and look at me the whole time.

Lessons I learned: when jogging, periodically always look behind you and keep your music down in your headsets. Always be aware of your surroundings so I am rarely one of those people on the train who is engrossed in my iphone or ereader (not that I have either). I need to know who is around me. It’s not paranoia, its learned behavior from past experiences.

At one point my dad gave me not one but two cans of pepper spray. However I never needed to use them when I moved outside DC in the suburbs. Unfortunately, pepper spray expires after a year so you have to keep getting new ones. I need a defense tool that doesn’t expire, like a baton!

Anywho, I thought my days of attracting the crazies and the ignorant were far behind me but atlas, God must have thought I was getting too lazy in my vigilance because in the past 7 days I have been followed by not one but two crazy people!

The first time, I was heading to a little shop down the street from where I live. I was at a light waiting to cross the street and a scary looking homeless man walked up near me. There was a man in between us and he saw the scary dude checking me out and decides to MOVE out the way! He will get his in the future. Anywho, I quickly cross the street as the scary dude starts walking near me and I go into the shop thinking I lost scary dude. NOPE, he pops up RIGHT BESIDE me asking me what the time was. I tell him the time, he tells me I’m beautiful, I thank him then quickly jet away as the store owner calls out for him to leave me alone (thanks, man).

Second time, I’m on the metro and another crazy dude gets on the car at the far end. He’s making a lot of noise and I start thinking of my exit strategy to another car so I can have a nice peaceful ride. Dude starts walking my way and I think, he couldn’t possibly be aiming for me. Just to make sure, at the next stop, I get off. AND CRAZY DUDE FOLLOWS ME, CLOSELY, ONTO THE NEXT CAR! Seriously! He sits down near me and wants to know why I switched cars. I place my Bmore glare back on and said “because I wanted to” and turn my back on him even though he is still mumbling to me. People are looking at me with pity. He eventually gets off.

My nerves are getting bad now, if I get my baton, I’m thinking the only thing that’s going to happen is I end up in jail for assaulting some innocent dude who was probably running up behind me to hand me some money that fell out my purse but better safe than sorry, so friends, start saving up some bail money!

Music of My Generation

So I was listening to internet radio at work and got caught up in some of my generations "oldies but goodies" and it got me to thinking:

Why is it that music from your teen years is the most defining? Did we listen to more music then? This would explain why shows like TRL, geared towards teens, was so successful. Once we hit our twenties does our influence in pop culture die because we focus our money and time on other things?

Whatever the reason, I just find that  any music that is played from the time I was 11 through 21 years of age is the music that stirs me the most in ways that music after that or before that time hasn’t been able to do. Not that I don’t have artist now that I love; it’s just different. I get put in a real place in my life when I hear Crystal Water's Gypsy Woman  (and In Living Color's parody of it) or Jade’s Don’t Walk Away Boy (don’t act like you don’t remember them) and me getting braids.  I get excited and start doing the running man when I hear CL Smooth and Pete Rock "They Reminisce Over You"  and I know exactly where I was when I first heard Coldplay's Yellow and the dance my sister and I did to Lost Boyz Jeeps Lex Coups Bimaz and Benz.  And let's not forget how we played out the Goo Dolls Iris song and The Spice Girls Wannabe (heck, that's still a karaoke pick of mine, I wanted to be like Scary Spice- well she was the only black girl and she inspired me to grow my curls out and stop getting a relaxer).

However, I will quickly turn the station now when Lil’ Wayne comes on (his voice just makes my ears bleed or is that the old “fuddy duddy” starting to emerge in me, if so, www.i’mgettingold.com ) and Rhianna and Lady Gaga music won't get me pumped.

I don't know, maybe it’s simply that when we are kids and teens we need soundtracks for our lives more than any other time period. When I hear these songs I don’t just remember the artist and the videos, I remember me.