Will the Robert Glasper Experiment Work?

Whenever given the opportunity, I snidely inform you all of how much I detest much of the new music out now. It is why I created Throwback Tuesdays! It why I love TV One's UnSung. On Saturday mornings, I make an effort to get up before noon and tune to the classic soul that will be heard on Felix Hernandez's Rhythm Review because I prefer it to the junk that is out right now.

So when I do come across an artist with a style as fresh as Robert Glasper's, I breathe a sigh of relief. His new LP, appropriately entitled Black Radio, has been rippling through online sound waves since its debut two weeks ago. With successful performances on Letterman's Late Show and New York City's Highline Ballroom, and the number 5 album on iTunes, the Robert Glasper Experiment sent a strong message to the music community. It demonstrated how eager people were for creative, soulful, feel good black music. The former jazz pianist collaborates with a collection of underrated jazz, r&b and hip hop artists including Chrisette Michelle, Ledisi,  Lalah Hathaway and Yasiin Bey (the artist formerly known as Mos Def). Here is Bilal and Lupe Fiasco performing the track, "Always Shine":

My two favorite songs on the album is Ledisi's "Gonna Be Alright" and Erykah Badu's cover of "Afro Blue." Robert Glasper composes songs that weave together complex rhythms and melodies, showcasing each of the musicians' unique talents. While celebrating the diversity of incredible black music, we must ask ourselves why none of the music from our radios sound like anything from this album. 

One of the few conceptual albums to come out in a long time, Robert Glasper certainly sends a strong message with Black Radio. Black musicians from earlier generations articulated black thought and emotion in their music. This is what black music needs to return to. We aren't singing/ rapping about how we feel or about what we think. It's solely what we do. Absent is the soul that used to define black music. For the experiment to work, we need to not have people just enjoy Robert Glasper, we need them to follow his lead.

Web Junk 3 (Slightly NSFW)

Happy Hump Day My Good People!

It has been a hectic time of me balancing between being lazy, a total fatty, and doing homework. But I'm back with this week's web junk.

First is this hilarious tumblr I stumbled upon (see what I did there?) on the facebook. I can't remember who shared it so I can't give them their props. But Celebs that Copy Brandy entertained me highly, especially when they compared Brandy to the Queen of England. Mad props.  

Next is a hilarious video that my lil cuz Jim showed me while he came up from his southern haunts to visit. This video was a bit weird at first but it grew on me immensely. I hope you enjoy the "White Boy Boogie" as much as I did. Skip to 4:28.

And last but certainly not least is my favorite video of the week. This little doozey had my jaw dropping and me ready to go get a yoga mat discount from groupon. Real Talk. I give my girl Eun all the props for showing me this jem. I mean gawddamn. And you'll understand why after watching it. BTW folks. It's slightly NSFW so be warned.

And there you have it. I hope work or school or your kids doesn't kill you and/or give you grey hairs. Happy Hump Day!

My Focus for the New Year

It's a new day my beautiful people. Happy New Year and be blessed!

This year has been surprisingly robust, sometimes challenging, but altogether a blessing for me. This blog has definitely helped me grow as a woman, intellectual, student, sister, daughter, and as a friend. I thank you so much for sticking around, taking the time out to read our thoughts, and just being involved with our growth as women. 

As my friend Zipporah let it be known; the term "resolutions" is like setting your self up to fail. So I don't have any New Year's Resolutions. I have foci. And yes that is a word.  Here are my Foci for the New Year. And of course, you all will be some of the first to know when I succeed and fail. It's a process and hopefully I'll be successful and able to maintain focus.

1. Have my own place. It's nice (and basically free- though I do help with bills) living at home, but I need some freedom. I'm a grown ass woman (I like to tell myself) and it's time for me to be able to fully do me. Because we all know that all of us hide some of ourselves from our parents. 

2. Lose 40 lbs. So I totally fell off my Kanye West Workout Plan and have just had a glorious time eating and drinking whatever I could get my hands on. And this started before the holidays, so I have no excuses. I could blame the treadmill that broke a few months ago, but I was just too lazy to continue my exercise regime. But I'm definitely going to get back on the horse. It's past time.

3. No soda or juice (unless as a mixer) or candy. Following my previous vein of thought; when I started my workout plan I had cut out soda (though I usually only drink diet anyway), juice, and candy. And it was going splendidly. When I started that again....well let's just say it was an epic fail. So I need some discipline. And since I will continue to need a drink here and there, I'll only indulge in the sugary goodness when I need to booze.  

4. Water, water, water [1]. I am the absolute worst when it comes to drinking water. I can go a full day without having a glass, easily. We have a purified water pitcher at home that has helped me with drinking more water. And I take a bottle to work with me every day. But I need to increase my intake but at least 3 glasses a day. Hopefully that will help with my headaches/migraines. 

5. Pay off at least a third of my student loans. This one is definitely a must if I hope to count myself as being financially secure. I am accruing more loans from being in grad school, so I need to be a nice dent into the loans I already have. I've been doing really well so far and hopefully I can continue.

6. All A's in my classes. Dear Grad School. WTF are you so hard? I mean I finished my first quarter with a 3.85 GPA, so I'm not doing badly at all. But damn. Grad School is hard. 

Well my loves, that's it. I think it's a pretty reasonable list of foci. I just need to discipline myself and plow through it.

[1] I know y'all remember that. Those were the good ol' days of tv.
Forgive the spacing everyone. It took me a good 2 hours to get to the final product and I am far from happy. Not sure if it is blogger, the computer, or chrome.


Do You Have Any New Year's Foci?? Any last year regrets?

Happy New Year!!! The Year in Recap.

Oh Hey 2012. What's really good?

Happy New Year everyone! 

We'd like to thank you for all of your support in 2011. You have been good to us. Look out for even more thought provoking, humorous, and just random posts. We hope we can continue to make you laugh, cry, and inspire some aha moments.

So here is a recap of some of our (and your) favorite posts:

1. Safe Sex Commandments
2. Occupy Wall Street- My Story
3. Mississippi Goddam!!!
4. Pig-Pen
5. Why I Hate Chris Brown
6. Personal Libraries
7. PSA for Black Mothers
8. Facing Execution: The Story of Reggie Clemmons
9. Troy Davis: The Death of My Brother
10. Fiore Scott Files: When You Touch My Hair (Part 1)

There's plenty more of course and we will definitely have more to blog about as the year goes on. Thank you for hanging and escaping with us.


What were some of your favorite posts? 

Back to My Escape

Guess who's back in the muva effin house! (cyber shots if you get the song reference)

I'm back y'all and it feels fantastic. Ya miss me? Cause I've missed you all.

While I've been slaving over the computer finishing up my first grad school quarter, I've also been keeping track of posts that I plan on  putting up here as soon as I stop partying. Expect some humor and some internet goodies. So here goes:

1. Web Junk of the Week- This I will hopefully have done by tomorrow actually. (I blame the antibiotics I'm on for not allowing my to drink. Stupid sinus infection.
2. Throwback Tuesday- Since Le Chele has been dropping the ball lately, I have a few throwback posts waiting in the basement to make ya groove, reminisce, and learn a few things.
3. My response to the Safe Sex Commandments - I agree with most of them, but I have to speak my piece on one or two.
4. The promised Fiore Scott Files: When You Touch My Hair Part 2
5. Fiore Scott Files: Retro Video Games (Part 2)
6. Why I Give- This topic has been on my mind for a while now and I want to post about it and see how others feel. 
7. Introducing: Drink of the Week- I like to drink. Sue me.

I'm back for now. I might have to take another hiatus when my finals hit for my next quarter, but I'll be around for a minute and hopefully regularly providing you all with entertaining and informative posts. And please, if you have any questions, comments, or have post suggestions feel free to get at us at sisterescape@gmail.com. And for those of you who have already contacted us, we'll be hitting you up soon if we haven't already. And thanks to all the commenters! Keep em' coming folks.

Cooking for One: Top Sirloin

What's going on ladies and gents?! I'm going to premise this post by saying, for some reason, even with all the grad school work I have to do, I've been finding time to actually blog. It's surprising. Because I seriously thought (and even said) that I would be M.I.A. Maybe my time management skills have gotten better. More than likely, this is just another way for me to procrastinate.

That being said. I've been sitting on this post for a while since my girl Zipporah said she would be starting some Cooking For One posts. I've been waiting for her to deliver but as of yet...nada. Yeah I'm calling you out girl. Throwing mad shade your way.

Just playing. She's been busy so I'm going to hop onto her train and get this thing moving. That being said, my cooking for one segment focuses on preparing and cooking that perfect piece of top sirloin. 

Now I'm a cooker. I will readily admit and boast that I can throw down in the kitchen, any day of the week. I learned from my grandmother and father mostly, and have used my teachings well. I experiment and create fantastic recipes from scratch. And since I'm a huge fan of meat, specifically a good ass rare steak, I take very good care to make sure I don't mess up when it comes to cooking one. 

Step One: Wash that sucka. Now this should go without saying. But I've met some people who don't understand this concept and will slap the meat straight from the package right onto the pan. False boss. I won't be touching your food [1]. Also, depending on how much time you have or are willing to spend, you can also brine the steak. Just set the steak in a salt/water combination for a good hour or 2 before cooking, and the tenderness will definitely be a pleasant surprise. 

Step Two: Ingredients ingredients ingredients! It's all about the seasonings. 

This time I chose to use of combination of sea salt (remember not to add as much as you would regular salt, probably a 1/3 will do), onion powder, Weber Chicago Style Steak Seasoning, and some savory. Umm Umm good. For this particular steak I put each ingredient on one side and on the other I only put the Weber. 

Step Three: Have the right pan! So I've learned the secrets of grilling from my father. We are a big grilling family. He has a huge barrel grill in the back and has even grilled and smoked meats many times during the winter. It's fantastic. That being said, I chose to use our grill pan in order to make sure my piece of top sirloin has grill marks. 

Beautiful ain't it.

However, you can use a regular fry pan as well. Just make sure to add enough oil (I prefer either olive oil or canola) so that it won't stick!

Step Four: Cook that sucka! Now as I mentioned above, I fucks with the rarer side of steaks. I like my steaks bloody and the cow still mooing when it's on my plate. I find it to be oh so delicious when I can dip my steak in the juices, like a sauce. So I chose to cook it for about 3 minutes on each side at medium-high temperature. It is a thick cut steak so I allowed for a bit extra time. However, most prefer their steaks a bit dryer, so allow for a longer cook time. And if you can't gauge the temp of the steak/if it's cooked to your preference, just cut into it while its on the pan. We're not gourmet chefs folks; do what you gotta do. 

Step Five: Plate it and enjoy. 

Yeah, I realized that the steaks are not one in the same. I made two steaks that night but they both came out with the same taste and look, just a lil different in size. And you can choose how fancy you want to plate your food. That night I was ravenous, so I slapped my steak onto the plate and then commenced dying over how yummy it was. It was definitely the best homemade steak (that was not grilled/bbq'd) I've ever had. Sorry dad, I win. 

And there you have it peoples. Simple top sirloin. It took me about 10 mins total with preparation (as I chose not to brine it) and cooking. It was so tender, perfectly rare, and perfectly seasoned. I was in heaven after each bite. I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did. Get to nomming!

[1] Same goes for not washing vegetables. I know this one woman who just takes the mushrooms, dirt and all, chops them up and goes with it. HELL TO THE NAW. Wash my shit. If I wanted dirty food, I'd eat out of a damn dumpster. That is not the business. 

Favorite Web Junk of the Week

So I've decided to introduce a new featured post: Favorite Web Junk of the Week. Now by "Junk" I don't necessarily mean that it is anything bad. On the contrary, I'm usually highly entertained by it and think you will be too. It's just a general term. Thus, I intend to share with you the various blogs, tumblers, memes, viral videos, and pics that have made it into my inbox, convos with friends, and my web browsing while I'm at work.

1. First up this week is a fantastically entertaining picture my bestie Eun sent me:

http://poorlydressed.failblog.org/2011/05/11/fashion-fail-theyre-skin-colored-oh-wait/

Take a look. Keep looking. Figure it out yet? 

Yeah, it's hilarious.

2. Dear Big Sean, I really can't stand most of your music, but you sure know how to make some damn catchy songs. Tell em Le Chele: I DO IT! 

I actually mostly like this song because of Nicki Minaj. #Pause

In all seriousness, I never thought I would actually say that. I mean, since mixtape Minaj was basically swallowed up by her own ass, I haven't really rode with her music like that, nahmean? I mean I played the fuck out of Itty Bitty Piggy but I haven't really liked any of her other stuff except for Super Bass. But I finally recognized that she just isn't really hip hop. She's pop, so I allowed myself to somewhat enjoy her stuff. That being said, I really don't understand why I enjoy this song like I do. When it would come on the radio I would turn it off, but after watching the video, I have replayed it at least 10 times in the past 2 weeks. That's not normal. #ASS 

3. Next up is this fantastic site called Yo, Is this Racist?, which I immediately had to start following. It is very simple in its deliver and makes for some solid laughs. Shout out to Eun once again! Here is an example of some of its content:

billowy asked: Japanese afro cookie packaging “Black Melon Pan”

Yo, obviously. And that cookie looks wack as fuck, too.

Seriously, take some time out at work and allow yourself some laugh therapy. This guy is spot on with his commentary.

4. Rounding out my list is definitely one of the funnest websites found on the internet. Now, don't be one of those who confuses this genius with the actually Ghostface Killah (who is his own genius). Mr. Cocaine Biceps and the legendary Wu rapper are not one in the same. But that's the point. Take a look at dude's review of Drake's new album Take Care.

His delivery will have you rolling on the floor with laugher, literally. My favorite posts are definitely his lists of Softest Niggas in the Game. And the way BigGhost goes in on Drake is just too phenomenal. He even said: "This niggas heart got a ponytail". DEAD ON ARRIVAL.

Dude has a gift.

So definitely check that site out for some good old hip hop infused humor. Be warned it is definitely some straight #niggashit

Aiight. That's it ladies and gents. These are my 4 favorite web junks of the week. All (except number 2- I'm still trying to wrap my head around why I like this video) have had me at work dying. On some my coworkers looking at my cubicle and asking if I'm alright, type of stuff. I hope you enjoy as much as I have. And definitely fell free to email the ladies me any good web junk you come across. Humorous, sad, thought-provoking, anger inducing, or even a lil frightening will work. Hit us up at sisterescape@gmail.com. Hey, you might even get a shout out. Word to your mother.

The Fiore Scott Files: Oh Snap, I Want A Man

Guys and gals. This feeling just literally smacked me in the face. My gut clenched and I felt a twinge in my neck.

It's official. Ladies and gentlemen. I want a boyfriend.

Cue world ending.

Now people who know me know I'm not being melodramatic. I'm not the type of girl who needs a man or usually even wants one. I may go out "man-hunting" every once in a while, but my feelings can go either way. If I meet a guy and we dance all night, that's cool. If we exchange numbers I may gush over it with my friends for a bit. But then I usually just let it go. I'm usually in a period of hibernation. Sure sure, I'm not totally turned off. I'll flirt with a guy in a second if necessary. But at the same time, I haven't really cared one way or another if I started dating a guy or not. I definitely appreciated the fineness that were the multitude of male specimens that happen to pass my view. But now I don't want to just look. I want one. I want a man.

I haven't had this feeling in almost two years. Yes you read that right, two years. It's been that long since I've been involved with someone. Long time ain't it. Well, not really. Before that it had been 3 years. I mean, I just don't really crave relationships. I don't search for them and if it happens it happens. But I usually don't care one way or the other. Even one of my guy friends brought it up two days ago, asking if I had any prospects. I responded that I didn't and that I wasn't really interested because of work and graduate school. But then I have my periods, like now, where chillin' and focusing on other things just isn't good enough. And I won't just settle for flirting and moving on. It's go time. I want a man.

What Kind of Friend Am I?

Ayo dawlins! It's been a minute. I've been hiding behind stacks of books, trying to be productive for class. I have managed to succeed and am very happy with my current standings. Just gotta push it out.

That being said, with grad school, work, and just being plain ol' lazy- I've found myself being a lousy friend. Now I was never really good with communication in the first place. If it's face to face, I can often be the life of the party and keep my friends rolling on the floor with laughter. Or I can sit there and listen to all their problems for hours and then try to give advice. I love my friends. Sure there are those that I count within my inner circle and I often base my inner girl circle on who would be my bridesmaids when I get married. Let's just say I plan on having a big wedding. But that's a good thing right?

These wonderful ladies and gents (you know who you all are) know embarrassing things about me, have known me for a ridiculous amount of years, have giving me a bed or couch to crash on, have seen me at my worst, and have seen me at my best. I've taking care of them when we've had too much to drink, I've cock-blocked, I've given and gotten advice, have had ridiculous random dance parties with, have had road trips with, and have driven/flown miles to see. We've studies together, got trashed together, cried over troubles, laughed over joys, been totally inappropriate, and have created some fantastic memories together.

These wonderful people are the types that I can not have spoken to for weeks, even months, and as soon as we get on the phone it's like we had talked just the day before. And I feel truly blessed that I have so many people that I can call my friends, my true friends, my best friends, my loves, my babes. You get the point.

But at the same time, I know I need to stop being such a bum, get off my butt, and make time to call my friends. There's one particular gent whose been waiting for my call, since it's my turn to call, and you're first on my list. And I've got a couple of people that I missed their birthdays since I usually rely on facebook (I know I know I'm one of those lousy people and you are too), and with the change in layout I barely go on anymore, so I'm always missing birthdays. So to all of you that I've neglected, HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY. You know I've got nothing but love for y'all. Sorry for being a lousy friend.

Honestly, I just want to say this as a public service announcement. Treasure your friends. I'm pretty sucky at doing so, and luckily that hasn't usually adversely affected my relationships. I'm blessed. And with friends like these, I'm a pretty happy camper. I love you guys and gals and thank you for putting up with me for so long.  Nothing but love.

 

Damn I love this song. Don't hate.

La Vida de La Lupe

It was in high school when the Spanish language first sparked my interest. Outside of class, I would listen to the radio station La Mega while trying to pick up the language through song. I enjoy merengue and bachata, the two most popular styles of music in the Dominican Republic but I prefer salsa, especially the good, Fania shit. Fania Records was essentially the Motown of Latin music that housed salsa pioneers like Celia Cruz, Hector Lavoe, and Ray Barretto. Salsa music was instrumental in introducing the larger world to the sounds of Caribbean oriented music, musica tropical. 

But before there was salsa, there was Puerto Rican bomba. There was cha-cha and mambo. Though salsa music is huge, it still is a fairly new genre of music, originating in the 1960's and 1970's. The aforementioned styles of music, as well as many others, were the components of musica tropical and La Lupe was the champion of them all. I can't pinpoint when I first discovered her music, but I promise that I have not listened to music the same way since.

Brash, flamboyant, witty and fiery, the Cuban-born singer was dubbed the Queen of Latin Soul but has been largely forgotten over the years. La Lupe's music was just as much sexy as it was political. Exiled from Cuba, she kicked off her shoes after each performance as a form of protest against Castro's regime.

She started her career singing traditional Cuban music with an orchestra led by Latin jazz great Mongo Santamaria. Impressed with her rich voice, she caught the attention of Tito Puente and together they had a string of hits including her most famous song, "Que Te Pedi." Her mastery of tropical rhythms along with her over-the-top persona, gave her performance an edge never seen before by Latin audiences. She would erratically hit her face, clap irregularly to the beat or at times, even slap her breasts while shouting "Ahi Nama!" With an act like none other, she was on top of the world in the sixties. But it wouldn't last for much longer.

La Lupe's life soon became consumed by alcoholism and drug addiction. Her drug-addict husband, who was later diagnosed as a schizophrenic, became abusive towards her. Between his hospital bills and her endless donations to Santeros, she went broke. The despair that now defined her life began to taint her professional life as she became more and more of a burden to her associates. According to Tito Puente, she her refusal to convert to salsa music and sticking with traditional musica tropical would soon make her a hasbeen. He decided to part ways with her.

In "Oriente," she beautifully emotes her falling out with Tito Puente as she shouts "Ay ay ay, Tito Puente me botó!"- a loose translation of 'he kicked me out.' She died from a heart attack at the young age of 52. How did this happen? She was the first Latin singer to sell out of Madison Square Garden, but some how once ended up homeless and destitute. She traveled around the world, wowing audiences with her musical genius but is relatively unknown to many fans of Latin music. La Lupe was as much passionate and talented as she was troubled. Once loved, but now forgotten, she lived a life free of apologies or restrictions. It may have worked to her detriment but that's what makes her legacy so incredible.

Going Back to Our Roots

Word dropped a few days ago announcing The Roots' new concept album slated to come out December of this year. Entitled Undun, the album is going to be a “existential retelling” of the life of Redford Stephens, a man who was murdered at the young age of 25 in 1999. I was unable to find more information about Stephens but I am speculating that his story is one of symbolism, one that challenges common narratives of young black men while exploring the intricacies of "ghetto life." The band's drummer ?uestlove (Questlove) explains more:

"undun is the story of this kid who becomes criminal, but he wasn’t born criminal. He’s not the nouveau exotic primitive bug-eyed gunrunner like Tupac’s character Bishop in “Juice”… he’s actually thoughtful and is neither victim nor hero. Just some kid who begins to order his world in a way that makes the most sense to him at a given moment… At the end of the day… isn’t that what we all do?”

I think the concept, like the band itself, is brilliant. It took some time for The Roots to gain success in the mainstream, with their fourth album Things Fall Apart being the first to go gold. And although they have made it big, they have been able to stay true to their uniqueness. Hip hop fans respected the insightful content and complexity found in Black Thought's lyrics, giving the group street cred. Critics appreciated their artistry which blended traditional hip hop beats with jazzy, live instrumentation.

The Roots have continued to grow throughout their career with many of their music tackling a variety of social issues. Undun may not sell a mil in its first week like a certain, lesser talented, squeaky voiced rapper but I am expecting nothing short of greatness. I remember back when rap songs used to tell a story. Well, not really considering I'm only 22 but that is besides the point. Many great hip hop songs featured storytelling but to my knowledge, the concept has never been expanded to an entire album. So this December I'll be at the record store, coppin this album. Until then, I'll be rockin' to their throwbacks.

Let the Fun Continue

We've come a long way since the beginning of this blog. Us 4 ladies started this blog back on May 2, 2011 with the idea of given our thoughts a place to breathe. We wanted to create an enviornment where we could escape for a bit and hopefully allow others to escape with us. So far so good I think.

With 36 followers, 100 posts, and 10966  hits (as of the writing of this post)- we are well on our way to doing something pretty big. And I couldn't be happier. This blog has been a great motivator for me. I've kept up on current events, have continued to build my friendships with my friends, have matured extensively, and have learned a lot about my friends I didn't know before. It has been a blessing and I hope you will continue to enjoy this blog as much as we do.

Look forward to more humor, political rants, throwbacks, self-reflections, ruminations on life and friendship, and just whatever comes to mind. And if there is anything in particular that you want us to speak on or if you have some comments please feel free to email us sisterescape@gmail.com. And if you don't already follow or subscribe, get on the horse! We're fun ladies and you'll enjoy it. 

The Fiore Scott Files: Retro Video Games (Part 1)

I was talking to my father about how my 14 year old brother hadn't been able to play his video games since he began high school just two weeks ago, when it hit me, I've been playing video games since my motorskills where advance enough to do so. Now I'm only 23, so I've never even seen an Atari up close, but I'm been appreciating the gamer side of myself since my father
bought us our first system, the Sega Genesis.

I can only remember good times with this system. I would sit next to my brothers for hours just playing Terminator, Sonic the Hedgehog, Madden '93, and my favorite Decap Attack. And yes I did just spend 30 minutes searching the internet trying to figure out the name of my favorite game. I enjoyed it that much.


Sega Megadrive Collection Trailer Decap Attack by objectifsega

My older and I also realized that we only ever where able to complete Decap Attack, while the upper levels of Sonic 1 and 2 and Terminator always alluded us. But at that time, for most of us "gamers", a term that I didn't even recognize I fell under until a few years ago, winning and progressing through all the levels of a game was never the main goal. It was about having fun. My brothers and I never had a problem being stuck on the casino level in Sonic or getting killed on the 2nd level in Terminator. We just started over.

Those wonderful days lasted for many years until the advent of the CD and the creation of the Playstation.  Man how we loved our playstation. Of course my father bought it for my brothers, seeing as I was a girl and didn't do such things, but I considered it mine because I enjoyed playing it as much as they did.

And we definitely played the hell out of system. Especially when we saw just how awesome and upgraded the games where compared to our Genesis after playing the demo disk. I just know you remember those. Those disks contained my first taste of playing a first player snowboarding game, Crash Bandicoot: Warped, Spyro, and Gran Turismo 2 (that wasn't in an arcade). It was also our first time experiencing such gorey video graphics with Mortal Kombat Trilogy.

Now if those aren't some beautiful but crazy graphics, I don't know what is. Seriously people, who thought that up?

The number of games we had drastically went up from the 5 or so Genesis games we had to at least 30 Playstation CDs. I could never get into the Final Fantasy franchise but I also wanted PaRappa theRapper. I would let me brothers spend hours playing Madden or Tekken and wait for them to allow me to get on so I could play my Crash Bandicoot. And God forbid if I ever won against my brothers in Mortal Kombat. It was on then.

But I can't forget about my favorite excuse to leave the table at Denny's, Arcade games. Whenever I got a chance, at it was rare, to go to an arcade the one game that I always made sure to save quarters for was the Simpsons game.

I was usually either Bart (everyone wanted to be Bart!) or Marge with her vacuum. This is the only arcade game I was able to beat, I'm pretty proud to say. And it took many tries and many quarters, but I was always entertained.

And then there was the fighting arcade games: Marvel vs. Campcom and X-Men.

I would jostle with the boys to get a joystick so that I could play. I was usually a female character in both games (I'm looking at you Chun-Li and Storm) and was able to hold my own against anyone who played. Yeah I mostly button-mashed, but it did its job.

I've been gaming since I was 7 and at 23, I'm still plugging away on both consoles and computers.Clearly, my gaming started early and it still has shown no signs of stopping. But that's a story for Part 2.  

What were your favorite old school Genesis, Playstation 1, and Arcade games? 

 

The Fiore Scott Files: When You Touch My Hair (Part 1)

I had already planned on writing this piece because of my recent and past experiences with hair touching, but my sis lemonswithsalt sealed the deal for me when we got into a conversation about people touching our hair. We are both natural haired sisters (as are Zipporah and Le Chele) and with the diverse styles we craft for our coiffure, it isn't unusual for us to get asked about our hair or for it to be touched.

Now everyone knows that many black sisters, no matter how their hair is coiffed, have issues with random people touching their hair. Of course, there are some who are of the school of thought that it isn't that big a deal. But lemonswithsalt and I agreed that it's an invasion of personal space for people you don't know or people who don't ask, to just touch our hair. For her, "it's not about race. Or exoticism. It's about sitting on the train, and someone sitting next to you, reaching over and touching your hair without even speaking". And as someone who's had these very same experiences, I couldn't but help agree.

When I visited some friends who were living and studying in Paris back in 2009, I first really experienced this hair touching phenomenon. My friend Katy and I were staying in Paris for a long weekend and though we had walked everywhere in the city for the first day we were there, the first night we went out we decided to try the trains. While sitting on the train a group of older drunk white men sat down catty corner to us. And the one closest to me automatically started speaking French to me and touching my hair. I immediately started shrugging his hands off and replying in Greek to "not touch me" and to basically leave me alone. Of course, him not knowing Greek and me knowing only a little French, there was a language barrier [1]. But he continued petting me and I staunchly ignored it. My friend wondered why I didn't get up and move and I responded that I didn't want to attract anymore attention or have the group of men following us.  

When we finally met up with my guy friend who was staying in Paris, I immediately told him the story and he refused to believe me. He had been living there for over 6 months by that point and had never witnessed or heard of such a situation, so it was definitely beyond his scope that a random man who just start touching my hair. However later in the night when we had stopped along a street to try to figure out what to do before the end of our night, I had a run in with another random Parisian who was enamoured with my hair. As we stood on the sidewalk I watched from the corner of my eye as a drunk couple came up the street arguing. However I was totally caught off guard when the man stopped behind me and just stuck his hand in my afro and started basically feeling my hair up. He was drunkenly staring at his girlfriend who was staring wide-eyed and annoyed back at him, while I stared wide-eyed back at my friends. And my guy friend was flabergasted. He had never seen such a thing and finally believed me. 

Since then I've had other situations where my hair has been touched by random people and I usually just shrug it off. Sometimes I find it annoying, sometimes I find it humorous. I don't make too much of a big deal, but at the same time, people need to learn that it is an invasion of space to just go up and touch someone's hair. You wouldn't want someone just going up and touching your face or your purse. In the same way it's really not okay for random people to just approach a girl or guy and feel up their hair. Sure you can fully appreciate the beauty of the coiffure but if you want to touch, at least ask. You'll find that many of us don't really mind, especially if you ask.   

But then again, if you approach me the right way, you can touch my hair all you want. But that's a story for part 2. 

But ladies and gents, tell me the deal: How do you feel about random people touching your hair? Does it matter if they ask or not? 

[1] For some reason I didn't use English, but maybe that was because I didn't want to fully showcase my identity.

When an Earthquake Hits the East Coast

Today there was an earthquake that hit Virginia, and after the big stink us east coasters made, you would have thought it was the start of World War 3. Talk about a slow news day.

I did feel the tremors of an aftershock around 2 while I was at work, though I admit that I thought it was an earthquake at the time, and did join in the office commotion. 10 minutes after the tremors our college's alarm system finally sounded, sending us outside, and 45 minutes later we got emergency text messages. Talk about a school prepared....That was sarcasm btw.

I did bask in all the facebook and twitter updates, having a particularly enjoyable one from a friend in DC who asked us Philly friends "when all the looting would start". I chuckled at that one. And I will honestly say that I didn't even think of the seriousness that could have been the situation, though I did hear regular updates from my coworkers who reported on different buildings that had had windows on their top floor shatter or other such things in Philly. I still don't know the extent of of damage in the Virginia area. I can only hope and pray for the best. Real talk, I can only thank God that my DC/Virginia family are doing okay.

That being said, this earthquake brought out the humorous side in many us or maybe it was just me finding humour in things. One particular fav moment of the earthquake was this post, that my sis lemonswithsalt sent me, which quickly became viral. http://jmckinley.posterous.com/dc-earthquake-devastation  Of course it took me hours later to realize that this post was from 2010, but it was no less enjoyable and humorous. There was also this video I happened upon thanks to Huffington Post, of Torrey Smith from the Baltimore Ravens who was doing a promo in Maryland when the earthquake hit:



Maybe it's just me and because I've been sippin' but this is hilarious and it's got me tearing up from laughter everytime I watch it. Homeboy dipped out, literally.

I also admit that when my other coworker started informing me where there where other earthquakes going on, I started to think it was the end of the world, but this too I thought was humorous. I guess if I gotta go, I'm going to go out laughing.

And of course I have to go out with this:

So readers, what was your experience with the east coast earthquake? Did you even feel it? 

Why Yelp Works.

There have been plenty of articles since it's inception which detail the faults, evil genius, marketability, problems, and perfections which encompass the scope that makes Yelp what it is. Many tend to constantly point out the faults and problems, which usually come from their own failed experiences with the website. Some just appear to dislike the reviewers and reviews themselves. And there seems to be no end to journalists critiquing reviewers for their "uselessness". There is even a tumbler dedicated to posted reviews it identifies as "douchebaggery". And let's not forget the growing market for businesses helping other business deal with bad Yelp reviews:  



How To Handle A Bad Review On Yelp? by marlonbaugh1
Sure I've seen the annoying spammers who ruin the experience for some and create fodder for funny Yelp talk discussions for others. And I've also gone to some Yelp high starred places and had mediocre/bad experiences, but I wouldn't necessarily blame Yelp or the Yelpers for that.
My experience with Yelp has by far been way more pluses than minuses. I admit that I am a bit biased since I have become a Yelp elite, but even before I could fathom being in the in-crowd, I loved what Yelp had to offer. It was a place where I could write. I had, once upon a time, a blog which I had started with high hopes of actually doing something with. But I got caught up with college and my blog suffered as a result. But then I found myself unemployed, out of college, and needing an outlet other than hanging out at home watching Korean dramas. And there was Yelp. I loved to party, go out, and hang with my friends- and though I had only used the site to see reviews on businesses I planned to visit, I found myself wanting to write about my experiences. 
This was a definite after my ridiculous run-in with Vango. I had had such a bad experience that I just needed to let everyone else know and hopefully help save someone else's night. And using Yelp has definitely made my night many times and also saved me from sure disasters. 
I've found some fantastic restaurants and have some really great experiences because of Yelp. Since I've become elite I've even been able to meet some other fellow Yelpers and they are extremely awesome. Extremely. They welcomed me with open arms and I have had the pleasure of throwing down on the dance floor with some seriously fun people, eating delicious food, and boozing with people who I hope to be like when I grow up. And boy do we Yelpers booze. Be jealous. 

Businesses often offer Yelp deals and you can sometimes even swing with some freebies.  Yelp, in my opinion, is good for business. Shoot, they've got me feeding my hard earned money back into the economy as often as I can. And I rarely regret a penny lost or moment spent out. I've met some fantastic fellow Yelpers and experienced some bangin' food and drink. I have become a real foodie and I thank Yelp for the extra push. 
So how do you feel about Yelp? Do you Yelp or do you know someone that does? Have any good or bad experiences with it? Speak on it.

The Forgotten Social Network

Before there was the obsolete Myspace, the befuddling google +, and the powerhouse (and increasingly annoying) Facebook- there is one oft-forgotten social network that was for me and many other black youth/adults the start of our true social internet experience. That website is: Blackplanet.

Come on. Don't look at me like I'm crazy. I know y'all giving me the side-eye right now, but I know- I just know- you remember having a profile or two. Especially the old ones which actually started teaching us how to do html and all, since we wanted sparkly banners, flaming icons, backgrounds of our favorite rapper or just cash, and scrolling sentences saying how hot we were. Don't act like you don't remember.

I definitely remember and I won't front about my experiences with it. When our young generation began embracing the internet we all went on there for aol's chatrooms and places like Blackplanet. There was no google search, youtube, wikipedia, or pandora. It was a pretty simple process of waiting until your mom got off the phone, turning on aol and waiting for the annoying scratching booting up modem thingy to connect, then going somewhere trying to interact with others on the internet.

We'd accept friend requests from random people, giggle with our friends over stalker boys, and try to make our profiles as flashy as possible so that we could get lots of hits. But then that quickly became boring and obsolete, especially when things like Myspace came on. Blackplanet was popular in the black community, but Myspace was popular with everyone- even internationally. So I stopped using blackplanet and you did too. That was ninth grade for me.

Then I headed to college and as I said in an earlier post: one of my older college friends had told me about her experiences with dating/being involved with men from the internet, and I was interested, especially because I wasn't getting any attention from the people in my tiny college environment. I wanted to feel pretty and I wasn't getting that from the various men (I admit I was only interested in black men at the start of my college life- quickly grew out of that, thank God), so I decided to try something new and different.

Blackplanet had(s) definitely changed. Now it's mainly a more grown (and sometimes sexy) crowd, and for all intents and purposes, it's another free internet hook-up dating site. It used to be majority middle school/high school kids just interacting with each other, rarely with the intent to actually meet up (or maybe that was just me and my friends?). Now it's definitely utilized for two people to engage each other over the internet than meet up. That's what happened to me. But after my experience I deleted my account, feeling that it was just not for me. It was nice having guys message me expressing how beautiful they thought I was, but I had no interest in meeting up with these guys and they clearly had no interest past sex. That's just not me.

I recently stopped by the site and it still looks the same as it did when I was in college. They've tried to make it more sophisticated to keep people interested, but I don't know anyone who actually has an account (or is willing to tell me they do). I'd say it's pretty obsolete in this current technological age, but maybe you'd beg to differ.

So then: Has Blackplanet become obsolete? Do you even know what Blackplanet is? Have you ever used (or do you still use) it? Got some stories?

I know I'm not the only one who used it. Break it down.

In Defense of Soul Food

Up until about two months ago, I was a vegetarian for almost four years. My decision to return to a diet including meat was caused my increased boredom with vegetarian food and the inconvenience it was to adhere to such a diet when living with two big meat eaters. I live at home with my two lovely parents and am responsible for much of the cooking, especially in light of my father's recent sickness. My mother is from Harlem and my dad hails from a modest farm in McKinney, Virginia and for them, food's purpose goes beyond providing nutrition. For black people in America soul food is arguably the best preserved of our many traditions. Soul food is the story of black people's resilience against the attempt to erode our ancestral history while lacking adequate access to one of life's basic necessities, food.

Our cuisine has become an integral part of our culture, but it has also led us to become vulnerable to diet-related illnesses like diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity. So despite its deliciousness, soul food is often the subject to criticism regarding its unhealthiness. However, many people incorrectly criticize the nature of soul food and not the true sources of our poor health issues.

The Fiore Scott Files: Back in Action

My friends will tell you that for the past year or so my libido has been on cruise control. As in, not a twitch, quiver, or jump. I could stare at a fine ass man at a bar and feel nothing. I'd appreciate his fineness but I never got the jump in my heartbeat or the coil in my body that told me I wanted to jump him. And this happened all the time, so it wasn't a fluke. It happens to the best of us I hope. Sometimes our bodies and minds just aren't feeling it.

But lately my libido has decided to do a 180 and put me back in the ring. It definitely started with my lusting after a cable guy who came to my house (that's a story for another blog post) and a gorgeous Italian guy who I fortunately found out was married before I made a complete fool out of myself. We flirted and danced and I realized that for the first time in forever (over a year), I really dug a guy. I was ready to pounce and was actually ready to make the first move. But God stepped in and luckily I found out from a mutual friend that he was married. I was crushed but I was happy in the fact that I had actually felt something for a guy after so long.

I'm telling you all of this because today I almost crashed my car.

Why you ask?

Because the finest man I've seen in my city was jogging down the block as I drove by. This man in all his fineness made me do a double take. The kind that when I turned back forward, I had to swerve to not hit a car. DAMN. DAMN. DAMN.

He was definitely one of those "God broke the mold when he made you" men. Tall, beautiful brown skin, muscles that had me fanning myself, a cute tribal tattoo on his upper left chest, and beautiful face. I clearly got a good look.

He had me ready to turn my car around and follow him down the street. But traffic wasn't having it and I had errands to run. But I still got to see some yumminess and I felt something. It was delicious.

Maybe I'll see him around. Maybe I won't. But he let me know that I was definitely back in action, no longer on cruise control, and finally steering the wheel.    

AN: No that's not the dude in the picture. I was just giving y'all some eye-candy.

Salute to Me: Happy Birthday Beautiful

Yes I just saluted myself. Yes I did just call myself beautiful. And yes it is my birthday [1].



As I'm typing this I've just finished putting my funfetti cake in the oven and am preparing to head to the hotel room Zipporah Pearce, lemonswithsalt, and I booked for the night. We are going to go out clubbing somewhere or maybe even stay in and have girl time. I just know liquor and ridiculousness will be involved. You jealous Le Chele?

Today is my day, dammit, and I'm going to party like i have a job there's no tomorrow. My theme song for today is this lovely throwback. This is my jam and it is The Jam. Ain't it funky.

As we slowly make our way to 5000 views and continue to gather subscribers, I want to thank all of you readers out there for taking time out to read and comment on our blog. I get warm fuzzies everytime I see the hit counter go up and that people actually appreciate what I have to say. So thanks. Us three ladies will definitely toast to you guys and gals tonight, so I hope you will keep escaping with us.

I gotta give a shout-out to my lovely parents, siblings, uncle, grandfather, cousins, friends, and even to the randoms who sent me facebook well wishes. I wouldn't be what I am or where I am today without their support, pushiness, love, friendship, and presence. I'm 23 years young. I don't feel any older and I even lost a few pounds. I'm headed to grad school in September and I have high hopes for a job. Some money in the bank and a cake in the oven [2]. So life is good.

Happy Birthday to all my fellow Cancers out there (like my lovely lil bro who woke me up with a kiss on the cheek). And Happy Birthday to me. I thank God for another year and for all the blessing I'm sure will come.

 Have a lovely day folks! Peace!

AN: It's been a slow few weeks. It's the summer so the four of us are out enjoying the weather. So the posts have been few and far between. But bear with us and me. We'll be back with more to say soon. And look out for a special 5000 hit post!

[1] It's also Ringo Starr's birthday. So happy birthday Ringo!!!
[2] Not to be confused with bun in the oven. Ain't no babies coming from over here anytime soon without a ring and my own place. Can I get an amen?