Come On Irene

Greetings, my people. I haven't posted in a MINUTE. Forgive me. I started a new job, did some traveling, and moved to a new location!

If you're like me and not sure what to do during this 24 hr hurricane, then maybe this list of to-do's will help you out.

1. Try/Pretend to Make Babies.

Self explanatory...

2. Get on the phone!
Catch up with an old friend or two. I mean seriously, NO ONE is busy! Everyone is cloistered in their house without shit to do... so chat the night away.

3. Clean Yo' House.
This way you can get it ready for any post-Irene parties you'd like to host.

4. Spa-at-Home Day
I LOVE rain because I love water. To me, it symbolizes renewal and purity. So all of this rain really makes me want to give myself a wonderful, deep cleasning facial using my favorite Bentonite clay. I might even throw in a pedi in there!

5. Learn How to Meditate
The sound of pounding rain can provide the perfect soundtrack to an afternoon spent in meditation. I wish I could meditate better, so when I find a quiet moment I try it out. It's something that takes a lot of practice, so dont be discouraged if it doesn't feel 'right' on the first try.

What have I been doing today?
OH, you know, the usual. Made some Kraft Mac N cheese (throw a lil cayenne pepper + yumm), made some oatmeal + raisin + almond cookies* and found a bottle of red wine. YUM. OH and did I mention that 'Good Times' is on right now. Phst, grrrl I'm set!

How did you spend your Irene induced lock down?


*I found the recipe from Smitten Kitchen's site. I basically cut the ingredients in half b/c I'm just baking for myself. Oh, and I added almonds. CAUTION: If you use white instead of brown sugar then your cookies will not get brown on the top. Keep this in mind when they are baking so that you don't wait for them to brown and end up burning your cookies!

Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing: RIP Nick Ashford

I'm sure you've all heard the news by now, and if you haven't you must be living under a rock or just reading the wrong stuff. Good thing you're reading our blog, ne?

Nick Ashford, one half of the amazing married songwriting duo of Ashford & Simpson, has passed away at the age of 70 due to complications with throat cancer. He leaves behind his wife Valerie Simpson and two children, not to mention a bevy of hits that have shaped the way many of us have grown up.

Nick Ashford had arrived in New York in the early 1960s, homeless, sleeping on a park bench, but determined to make it in the entertainment industry. He met Valerie Simpson in the choir at White Rock Baptist Church in Harlem [1]. The couple would go on to marry, but before then a songwriting partnership flourished, the pair penning hits such as Ain't No Mountain High Enough and Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing for Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, I'm Every Woman for Chaka Khan, and their own 1984 hit Solid (As a Rock). "They had magic," said Verdine White of Earth, Wind and Fire, "and that's what creates those wonderful hits, that magic."

I can still recall the times my father would blast Ain't No Mountain High Enough and remind me that there is nothing that would stop him from coming to help me wherever I am and whenever I need him. (Love you Daddy.)

Ashford & Simpson's songs and Motown hits have definitely helped shaped my love for soul and old school classics. My Temptations and Jackson 5 Pandora stations are definitely key and whenever Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell come on these stations I am belting out the lyrics right with them. It still breaks my heart thinking about how Marvin went downhill (in some aspects, while creating some awesome songs in) after her death.

But there was definitely magic between the two of them. Magic that created a union of music and love that would last for years. And even their own music was solid (pun intended).

Their music showcased their feelings for each other and really embodied soul. If I can find that joy with my husband I think I could be happy together forever, real talk.

I can only add to the RIPs that have been sent out to such a music pioneer. We have all been touched by his music if we have ever listened to Biggie, Beanie Sigel, Rob Base, or even Jessica Simpson. As that generation continues to get older, it saddens me to think of all the talent that will be lost. But I am grateful that their music legacy survives and continues on well after them.

Rest in Peace Nick Ashford and thank you for blessing us with such music gems.


[1] Big up to all the Baptists out there. 

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? 

Grateful

There are have been some days when my faith in Jesus was sorely tested. Going 7 months without any job prospects after college while trying to deal with my lack of independence while living at home, was an especially rough patch, but I always told myself to keep going on and that 2011 would be my year. In my darkest hours I even got on my knees and poured my heart out to God for guidance, strength, comfort, and motivation. And He has done exactly what I needed over and over again.

I know that I'm not the best Christian. I rarely read the Bible, don't go to church as often as I should- and when I do sometimes I'm stingy with tithes, do many things that are foolish, overindulge, am stingy and self-absorbed, often have a lousy attitude, and don't speak to God or listen to Him nowhere near as much as I'm supposed to. And I have the habit of going to Him when times are rough but not giving Him His due when I'm doing well.

Yet through it all, God has continued to bless me, comfort me, and provide for me. He has always come through. And this past weekend it took some extremely trying events happening which forced me to sit down and confront the fact that I had been living too fast and not making time for God. I realized that God had really blessed me this year, giving me two jobs, helping me get into graduate school, blessing my family many times over, and giving me many other untold blessings. And I have definitely taken them for granted.

I'm glad I am able to slow it all down and put things into perspective. I've been making a lot of moves in the right direction but also been messing around quite a bit. There's nothing wrong with enjoying life to the fullest, but I realized that I might have been enjoying some of the wrong things. I can only thank God that he put me in a difficult situation that allowed me to fall back and get myself right. In the words of TI and Kanye, sometimes you have to drive slow.

So today and everyday after that, I'm going to continue to thank God for really sitting me down and helping me remember what I need to do to improve myself and really make things happen for me.

Childhood Poverty on the Rise, Racial Inequality Worsens

I came across this depressing piece of news today on one of my favorite blogs, Colorlines.com. I could not ignore it:

31 Million U.S. Kids Live in Poverty Today As Racial Inequality Deepens

"Today, one in five U.S. kids are living in poverty, says a new report on how kids are faring in the recession. Everything about the foreclosure crisis and recession and the attack on the public safety net that has made the last few years difficult for U.S. adults has also made things tough for U.S. children. But for kids of color, the numbers are much worse.
More than one in three black kids—a full 36 percent of black youth—live in poverty and 31 percent of Latino kids lives in poverty. And for many of the indicators of child welfare that the Annie E. Casey Foundation, whose 2011 Kids Count Data Book was released on Wednesday, tracks, like infant mortality rates and school achievement, black and Latino kids fare far worse than their white counterparts. 

For example, in 2009, a full 16 states reported poverty rates for black children that were upwards of 40 percent. And in five states, South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Arkansas and Alabama, more than 40 percent of Latino kids there lived in poverty. However, no state has a white children’s poverty rate that’s over 23 percent. 

While the disparities are nothing new, there are several key explanations for the deepening inequality, said Jann Jackson, a senior fellow with the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
The foreclosure crisis, which had a disproportionate impact on communities of color, stole much of whatever wealth black and Latino families had been able to accumulate throughout the 1990s. And while everyone’s been hurt by the ongoing economic recession, white folks who have more access to the markets, have been able to regain some of their footing as the stock market has recovered somewhat, Jackson said. Whatever recovery has happened has bypassed communities of color, though, just as public support systems like unemployment insurance, food stamps and health insurance are being eroded."

More at link:

http://colorlines.com/archives/2011/08/31_million_us_kids_live_in_poverty_today_as_racial_inequality_deepens.html

Last year I read that it was 1 out of 6 kids, now its reported that 1 out 5 kids are living in poverty. The collective dismissal of this issue is disgusting, yet our government is only partially to blame. We-as a populous- have also ignored this saddening reality by not recognizing it as a priority. Poor people are our most despaired, and it is often said that we are judged most by how we treat our most vulnerable. 


Our country has a long history of being hostile to the poor. From Reagan's infamous caricature of the "Welfare Queen" to our thin safety net, the very currently under attack. The insensitive and ill-informed like vilify the poor, blaming their actions for their situations. These accusations are too outrageous for me to even entertain them, so I will not. We- especially us people of color-need to focus our concern on correcting the growing social inequality in our country. 


Tavis Smiley and Dr. Cornell West have been criticized for their nationwide poverty tour, some believing that their pressure on President Obama is misguided and unfair. While this is somewhat true, structural poverty has not been addressed federally since President Lydon B. Johnson's Great Society programs, Smiley and West are valid in their decision to bring attention to the fact that more and more families are living with the effects of the Great Recession and virtually nothing is being done to alleviate their suffering. The least we can do is acknowledge them.

The Culture Club

I loves me some blue eyed soul and few have done it so well as The Culture Club. Their music was a luxurious blend of r&b, calypso, new wave, soft rock and pop. With the sultry voice of lead singer, Boy George, the  band had an unique, soulful sound that paired well with fresh songwriting . The British band's talent catipulted them into international success but internal conflict caused their decline to be just as rapid.

Lets face it, Boy George was great. He had the whole glam rock thing going on (think David Bowie) with his colorful get up and playful persona. After accepting the 1984 Grammy for Best New Artist, he is quoted as saying, ""Thanks America, you've got style, you've got taste, and you know a good drag queen when you see one." I can't believe there was any doubt about his sexual orientation. When political correctness goes wrong. Anyway! He was fun, and now is crazy. But with his beautiful voice and fierce two step, Boy George was the perfect lead for an alternative-y band.

Their name was an intended reflection of the group's diversity, Boy George being Irish, Mikey Craig a Jamaican-Brit, the Jewish drummer Jon Moss, and an Anglo-Saxon Englishman Roy Hay who played the guitar and keyboard. Its likely that their mixed background gave way to their eclectic sound. George succumbed to serious cocaine and heroin addictions that would continue for years after the group's end in 1986. It was his drug problems and romantic conflict with drummer Moss (a long held secret) that led to their decline. It is a shame because with the string of hits they acquired in a short period of time, the Culture Club music could have mad them a powerhouse in pop culture history.

Baby I Need Some Motivation

 Well, not that kind of motivation.

A few months ago, you all learned about my journey as a writer. Since then, my poetry has been heard at a few open mics and has received a fair amount of positive feedback. With the support of friends and fellow writers, new ideas that were once scarce, began to flourish. My confidence began to grow as I entered this new chapter in my life.

However, it is still a struggle for to produce. The time spent on perusing blogs and watching Law and Order marathons, could instead be used to write Broadway's next big tragicomedy. The only time I write is when I'm on the train and that is usually to avoid the crazy mothaf*ckas surrounding me. I am lacking discipline. I need a Catholic nun to strike me on the knuckles with a ruler when I'm downloading music when I could instead be writing.

Writing is not easy. It can be very lonely and at times, very aggravating. While working on something, I read it back to myself and think "God, this is terrible." Maybe my confidence is needed more during the writing process and not just when I have something finished. There is a lot I want to share with the word, hence this blog and my frequently updated facebook statuses. What a shame it would be for my talent to waste away by just a lack of motivation.