I Love the 90s Friday: Deborah Cox

I have never had any beef with Deborah Cox's music. I feel with the right material, she could have gone very far. Not to say she hasn't been successful; because she has. This Canadian songstress has such a strong voice, and she is gorgeous. She is of Guyanese descent; apparantly Canada has a significant Guyanese population. I digress. Here is my favorite 90's song by her, Sentimental.

Under the Sea (and River!) News

Transparent fish






Since 1939, scientists have thought the "barreleye" fish Macropinna microstoma had "tunnel vision" due to eyes that were fixed in place. Now though, Monterey Bay Aquarium researchers show that the fish actually has a transparent head and the eyes rotate around inside of it.
Full article here.

Giant stingray caught




This baby-eating (baby-eating not verified) beast weighs 771 pounds and is 7 feet by 7 feet. It was found in a river. Imagine a mother-flippin' Yao Ming sized stingray coming atcha. Well, since it's 7 feet BY 7 feet, imagine TWO Yao Mings, coming at you in a T-shaped formation with vampire-like wings of death and a venomous sting on the butt. Full article here, originally spotted on Yahoo.

All of this supports my theory of a giant, possibly evil and soul-stealing octopus dwelling in the depths of the ocean somewhere waiting to wreak havoc. Soon my pretties, soon...

Mis-heard Song Lyrics

Go to the 20 second mark and just wait. The background lyric I hear is: "Got a New Jack SWING comin' up!" My husband hears: "So you can New Jack SWING on my nuts!"

Please somebody help me. I...I just cannot accept his version of the lyrics. I quit life at least twice already because of this. What do you hear?

*****EDITED*****So apparently my husband is right. The line is from an Ice Cube song...link in the comments if you want to check it out. Thanks to Cheron and everyone else who corrected me. I will never live this down at home, ya'll have ruined my life!! The More You Knooooooow! *NBC rainbow music*

Other mis-heard song lyrics: TLC-Waterfalls. The chorus goes "Don't go chasin' waterfalls..." WHY did my mom think they sang: "Go, go, Jason's waterfalls..." Her: "Who is Jason?" Me: "...What?" Her: "JASON....GO, GO, JASON'S WATERFALLS?!" Me: *flatline*

Crucial Conflict-Hay. Chorus: "Smokin' on hay...HAAAAAAAY..." and so on. My friend's dad: "Circle of pain...PAAAAAAAAIN..."

What song lyrics have you mis-heard or has someone else mis-heard? Holla in the comments!

3-D Street Art

I originally saw these months ago and am still amazed by the concept. It is crazy what one can do with his/her passion when he/she really lets go and dives into it. Julian Beever creates these 3-dimensional street drawings out of chalk. I am a huge fan of trompe-l'oeil art so I could look at this type of work all day and be fascinated.

Hair Conference

I have been so busy this week, so many apologies for the lack of blogging. Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday I was at a conference from work. I got into a few conversations about natural hair. One that stuck out the most was when a co-worker from a different department approached me about my hair routine. She was sitting behind me in a seminar and was staring at my head, I guess. She has two daughters, the oldest one had hair that she compared to one of our white co-workers who has kind of loose curly hair...the co-worker seemed proud that her daughter's hair was like that (she said it was also long, "down to here"). Her younger daughter apparently has hair like mine but "frizzier" and she doesn't want to perm/relax the hair. "She's only 3, so I don't want to perm it." This disturbed me a bit, the way so many (black) women automatically consider the perm because they don't feel like/know how to deal with their daughters' hair. I was bothered that (it seemed) only because of the daughter's age was she not getting a perm, while the daughter with long, loose curly hair was obviously prized. Another thing that bothered me was that she kept touching my hair and flipping it around with her fingers like I was her fucking 5-year old.

Since she asked, I went into great detail about conditioners, braiding, air-drying, de-tangling, everything because I wanted to convey that she had many options and that my hair routine is so low-maintenance. I plan on e-mailing her too once we get back to the office. I am a kinky/curly crusader, what can I say? ESPECIALLY when it comes to the wee ones.

I just wish more women would at least be open to keeping the hair natural; there are tons of resources/products available now and it can be lower-maintenance, healthier, and cheaper than maintaining a relaxer over many years.

Here is how my hair looked today: (Disclaimer: I literally just took this picture after a long day at work/school and I had it in a bun, and un-bunned it for the picture so it's a little frizzy. I'm also at the end of my hair-week meaning I will wash tomorrow or Sunday, so the curls are looking frizzy at the front...but check out those back curls, lol!)

Trust me, I feel as tired as I look in these pictures, lol. The weekend won't bring a respite either, but you just gotta keep on truckin' (my Texan is showing).

Let It Take You

Rules:
1. Copy and Paste this note into a new note
2. Turn your ipod or media player, etc on "shuffle songs"
3. Answer each question by writing down the name of the song that appears when you hit next.
4. Type it no matter how silly it sounds.
5. Tag whoever you want including me

IF SOMEONE ASKS YOU, "ARE YOU OKAY?", YOU SAY...Morning-Amel Larrieux (Cool!)
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF? Come Over-Estelle (This is actually pretty true. I am shy, so I love when friendly people reach out to me.)
WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL? Between the Bars-Madeleine Peyroux (This song is about drinking away your troubles...so apparently that's what I like in a person, lol)
HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY? That Hump-Erykah Badu (LMAO! Today is Valentine's Day and I just want to get over that hump. Classic.)
WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE? Different-Goapele (Awesome.)
WHAT'S YOUR MOTTO? Every Time He Comes Around-Minnie Riperton (Ha! That would be kind of awkward.)
WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU? I Like the Sunrise-Amel Larrieux (Aw! That's sweet.)
WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU? Thinking of You-Lenny Kravitz (Hilarious.)
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN? Country Livin' (The World I Know)-Esthero (Interesting.)
WHAT IS 2 + 2? I Belong To You-Lenny Kravitz (Wow, way to avoid the question.)
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND? Can You Feel What I'm Saying-Minnie Riperton (Since I call my husband my best friend, I guess this won't be that awkward, lol!)
WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY? Take Time-Lenny Kravitz (I can roll with that.)
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP? A Song for You-Christina Aguilera/Herbie Hancock (That's kind of nice.)
WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?For Real-Amel Larrieux (Makes sense.)
WHAT SONG WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING? Fastlane (Cottonbelly Mix)-Esthero/Jemeni (I am already married but this would be HILARIOUS...and awkward.)
WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?Hey You-Floetry (WOW that would be kind of scary/creepy. The chorus goes: Hey you...I'm sorry that I had to leave, I'll try to come back...one day. Wow this is a perfect one.)
WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST? Precious-Esperanza Spalding (Um...)
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR? Wild is the Wind-Amel Larrieux (This makes sense in a way.)
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET? Don't Speak-No Doubt (Ha! These answers are hilarious.)
WHAT DO YOU WANT RIGHT NOW? Enchantment-Corinne Bailey Rae (Nice.)
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS? Don't Explain-Billie Holiday/Verve Remix (Um...)
WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS? Let It Take You-Goldfrapp (Ha!)

I am tagging Alicia/InstantVintage, MrsMaryMack, Karrieb, LittleMissKnobody, DocBrown, Desiree, Chanel, Lex, Marlo, Vesper, and EVERYONE!

I Love the 90s Friday: Toni Braxton

Toni dominated much of the 90s with her love songs. I feel a lot of nostalgia when I hear one of her songs from this era.

Seven Whole Days


I love how blues-ey she sounds in this song: "What's a girlllllll to doooooooo" They are so wrong in this video for showing the women tearing pages off the daily calendar and drawing X's through the days, lol! They didn't have to make them look that desperate. Although, Toni took the approach that I would take in a video if I was a musician. I would have other women lookin' all sad and alone, I'll be damned if I'm playing the lead role in my own music videos lookin' a fool, lol! 90s video checklist includes close-cropped teased hair, soulful dancing (lmao @ the background singers and guitar player; they were feeling this song!), jeeps, and raw emotion.

Love Shoulda Brought You Home


Heaven help me if I ever got caught singing this song, lol. You can really get into it. Also, LMAOOOO @ the 4:04 mark.

How Could An Angel Break My Heart

Toni Braxton - How Could An Angel Break My Heart (Official Music Video) - Amazing videos are here

This song/video used to make me so sad! I think it was because I was going through the after-math of a break-up at that time. I love the Kenny G. saxophone bridge: "Oh, my soul is...dyyyyyyyying, it's cryyyyyyyyying...I'm tryyyyyyying, to unnnnnnnnnnderstand, please helllllllp meeeeeee"...just wonderful.

You're Making Me High


This song is so fun. I love the blue background of the video.

Toni really had a bunch of great songs. My Honorable Mentions are: Breathe Again, Another Sad Love Song, Talking in His Sleep, In the Late of Night. What are your favorite Toni Braxton songs and/or videos?

123 Book Meme

I saw this over on Wicked Anomie: Sociology Run Amok.

The game: open the nearest book to page 123 and reproduce the 6-8th sentence.

"Her casket must be both comfortable and eternally durable. And-oh yes, do be sure her burial footwear is really practical? Perhaps it does not often happen just like that."

This excerpt is from The American Way of Death (Revisited) by Jessica Mitford.

This book is a fascinating glimpse into the world of the funeral industry. It is a business, remember, and they sucker people into parting with money when they are at their most vulnerable. Most people don't realize this because we will (hopefully) seldom have to plan many funerals in our lifetimes. One interesting point the book makes is that America is one of the only countries to practice embalming. Most Americans are under the impression that embalming is necessary for sanitary reasons, preserves the body for a long time, and is required by law. None of those are true. The main reason behind embalming is to temporarily preserve the body for open-casket viewing. Open-casket viewing leads to the heart of the sales, the casket. America is also one of the only countries who view bodies in an open casket.

The author was sarcastic, witty, and funny in this book. The excerpt I quoted is dealing with a (fake) supposed internal monologue that a person would have when considering what to buy for the deceased. Yes, there is a market for burial footwear, specially designed to fit the foot after the body goes into rigor mortis.

I could go on forever about the information I learned but I'll save that for another post. In the meantime, I am tagging ChocolateOrchid, InstantVintage, Chanel, Desiree, Marlo, Karrie B, Mrs.MaryMack, Lex, LittleMissKnobody, Muze, Vesper, TheJadedNYer, Zombietronics, and anyone else reading this. I want to see your excerpts!

Whimsical Eye-Candy

One of my favorite inspirational blogs is My Marrakesh. Maryam and her family moved to Morocco to build and open their own boutique hotel called Peacock Pavilions. She has a wonderful way of weaving thoughtful words and magical images together and inviting readers into her life. For one of the boutique hotel rooms, painters from Modello Designs created this fanciful wall mural:

I have always been part-unicorn so I love this type of aesthetic. I can't wait to see how the room will look when it's completely finished.

The same painters created this floor design for Maryam's son's bedroom:

Love that they included a Barack Obama quote.

So creative, and just a perfect complement to a child's imagination. I think everyone could use an inspirational spot in their home.

Maryam's son is at the age where innocence can be harder to hang onto, and the cruelties of other children and life come into play. She wrote:

If only she could provide some protection against the hardening of his nine-year old heart.

Perhaps if he slept among the wise words, among the magic numbers, among the street signs, it would penetrate some how and leave an indelible imprint just below the surface……… for times when he felt lost in the maze of his little boy life…..

Click on the link above the floor design to see more of her blog.

Esthero

I love this woman's music. I love how her music switches in tempo. I love the sensuality, ethereal-ness, submerged feeling her music puts you in. Her Myspace lists her as Soul/Jazz/Pop. I am a big fan of artists who grant their fans some degree of accessibility to them and Esthero is one of those artists. She has a ton of blogs on her Myspace, she interacts with her fans, responds to notes, etc. I guarantee (*guarantee not valid by law) that you will like at least one of her songs which will lead you to another, and then another. Here are my favorite Esthero songs:

1. Dragonfly (Outro)

Dragonflys Outro - Esthero

The melodies and music of this song turned up loud just envelop me. The song cloaks me in an atmosphere of cloudy dusk skies with a storm breeze blowing, with dragonflies and fireflies flitting about in an open field...while the busy lights of the city lay below the hill I'm standing on. The way the instruments come together in a heady mix accompanied by the opening vocals is wonderful: "Find me...find me in an open sky..."

2. Country Livin' (The World I Know)

Country Livin (The World I Know) - Esthero

The instruments and melody in this song also wrap me up and take me on a journey. I love the soaring music and lyrics: "We can drive around all night, we wouldn't have to go too far...just look at the stars". This song and Dragonfly are 2 of my favorite songs period.

3. I Drive Alone

I Drive Alone - Esthero

The beat and lyrical maze on this song are insistent, pulsating, driving, and sensual. "Can't go on, but I...can't go home, and I'm...not so strong, but I...make my way to the...place I know, in...side my heart, where I...used to go, to get...brave, and I don't wanna be lost anymore"

4. My Torture

My Torture - Esthero

This song is slow-motion, slightly trippy, despondent, longing. I know many of us can relate to the opening lyric: "Set myself on fire...anything to...turn your head" and I love the tempo switch-up toward the end. I can re-live the pain in her voice when she says: "I want you to comfort me...I want you to stop...disturbing my sleep" and "I want it to stop hurting...so bad, so bad"

5. Fastlane (Cottonbelly Remix)

Fastlane (Cottonbelly Mix) - Esthero

Cottonbelly (from Sweetback) has a tendency to porn-ify a song via remix. I think this song is fun and seductive, especially with Jemeni's spoken-word vocals at the end: "You can tie my hands behind my back and lick your initials in my neck"

Here is her official website if you want to know more about her and support her. I think she is immensely talented. FYI, she also co-wrote Kanye West's Love Lockdown.

Notes From The Weekend

Jesus Christ on a cracker. Back to your regularly scheduled blogging program.

*So I up and caught the flu for no reason. Or at least, "flu-like symptoms". How the hell do you know if you have the flu or flu-like symptoms? I am at the end now (I hope) and I thank you all for your well-wishes, especially ChocolateOrchid for checking on me periodically!

*I am the Natural Belle of the week over on Hairspiration, check me out! Thank you again for featuring me (it says natural for 4 years, but it's been 3 years and some change)!

*I watched The Wrestler, Bubba Ho-tep, and Pineapple Express over the weekend.
The Wrestler: Good movie, wonderful acting.
Bubba Ho-tep: If this isn't one of the brokest movies of all time, I don't know what is. That's what the appeal is though. I met my demise toward the end of the film where the villain/mummy starts cursing in hieroglyphics.
Pineapple Express: This movie was a tad over-hyped (and so unnecessarily violent, lol) but it did have its funny moments. "FUCK THE PO-LICE (in slow-motion)!"

*I have recently been in awe of all the big-ass pickup trucks I see driving around Houston. I mean like unnecessarily, Canyonero big. I am in awe because:
1. I wonder why I'm just now noticing all these big-ass trucks because
2. This MUST be a Texas thing right? MrsMaryMack, Tanijoy, Desiree, TheHoustonGirl, any other Texas lurkers help me out. Are ya'll seeing these too?
3. It makes me realize that not only does one country have a unique culture, but regions cannot be under-estimated for their own culture. Like seriously, you wouldn't see this in New York, California, Oregon, etc.
4. THAT makes me then wonder how much we underestimate other regional cultures of other countries. Vesper, does Canada differ noticeably in culture depending on region? What about England? I know Italy and South Africa do. What about Australia? Anywhere else?

That's all my congested ass can---wait that sounds gross. That's all my congested self can think up right now. Blogging shall resume! Have a magical day!

Pre-Sick

I'm feeling what I call "pre-sick" today. I have a cough, and feel a bit run-down. Hopefully my immune system will fight it off by tomorrow. Since I feel like ass, regular blog-posting will resume tomorrow (immune-system willing). In the meantime, let this get you through your day.

Apples and Poodles

Here are the last of my leftover pictures to share.

If you can't read the fine print, this is a package of dried apples which should just contain...dried apples. The fine print here says "May contain peanut, tree nuts, milk, soy, and wheat." The hell? Wtf else may this package contain? A french fry? 4 Skittles? The Da Vinci Code?

This is Pookie. Who the hell does he think he is? From this picture you'd think he was either some sort of Roman emperor poodle or had been working the fields all day. I can't even get that comfortable on my own damn couch.

Natural Hair Inspiration-Esperanza Spalding

I am adding Esperanza Spalding to my Natural Hair Inspiration Hall of Fame (can be viewed on the sidebar). For my previous post on Esperanza, click here. Also, click here for the best article I have read on her so far. To sum it up, Esperanza is a singer (in English and Spanish), song-writer, composer, bass-player, and professor of music. She is a formidable talent. Look up her songs Espera, I Know You Know, and Precious. If you like those, check out her whole music catalog; she is very smooth.

Today's* Colors: Gray, Blue, Green, Gold

*Today's actually means yesterday's... :-l


Gray sweater, green camisole, blue-n-gold celestial necklace, gold hoops, navy pants, navy dress socks, gray and yellow flats.


Gray, Green, Blue, Yellow - by Bohemian Bookworm on Polyvore.com

Notes From The Weekend

*Bought tickets to see Erykah Badu in concert in March. So. Excited.

*I studied with a few classmates who all smoke (3 on Saturday, 2 on Sunday). This morning I noticed small red blemishes on my face. My precious face. They've tarnished it with their cancer sticks, tarnished it I say!

*I feel good about attempting to live more simply and healthier. Gave up cable and fast food and giving up items that serve no function around the house.

*In search of some fine bed linens. I want the white, hotel look.

*Check the poll in the sidebar. Out of 10 votes, only 2 consider Sunday as the start of a new week. Interesting.

*Upcoming book review blog post soon (maybe Wednesday if I have the chance).

*While looking at different funeral home websites for a research project, I stumbled upon this gem. He is apparently a DJ in addition to his funeral home duties. "We can funeralize your loved one at a price from..." and "This ain't no ranky-dank funeral home. This is a first class funeral home run by first class people" are sending me to an early grave myself. Please look at his website. For me. I am not responsible if you fade to black after you view it.

*Here is a recipe I cooked up. This was so full of yum due to the different seasonings:

Rigatoni with zucchini, diced tomatoes, red, yellow, and orange bell peppers. Used nutritional yeast to give it an almost parmesan flavor (you can find it in the bulk aisle of natural-food grocery stores and regular well-stocked grocery stores and it's full of vitamin B12), red pepper flakes, and chicken seasoning (which is basically paprika, garlic, onion, pepper, and some other spices). SO. YUMMY.