Partying like it's 1999! And I'm not just saying that. I'm a bonafide member of the c/o '99. That's the year I graduated from high school and entered the world of higher education, freedom, parties and well...liberating experiences. I had a flashback to those good times this weekend at the Classic*. My alma mater, FAMU, represented well. The band and the team both left TSU feeling like a step child. Then, I got my party on with some familiar faces. It was fabulous and I was fierce thanks to my girls who were on makeup and hair detail. We had an authentic ladies' night and there is nothing else like it.
[Classic-when rival black colleges meet on an annual basis to pit football teams and marching bands against each other. These events bring out students and alumni alike to reconnect, reminisce and celebrate. lol]
I have a bit of an obsession at the moment. This young lady named Jazmine has hit the music scene with a fury. No! That's an understatement. This singer/song writer just bust the windows out with some hard hitting and universally relatable truths.
And her smoky smooth voice really gets the message under your skin. I get goose bumps when listening to the track "In Love with Another Man." I feel like I'm eavesdropping on a conversation that I wish I'd had the courage to have at some point in my life. She's so gut wrenchingly honest.
With "Lions, Tigers and Bears" it feels like she picked fears right out of our collective and deepest thoughts. The message is much deeper than the title may suggest. "I'm not scared of Lions and Tigers and Bears, but I'm scared of loving you....why do we love love, when love seems to hate us?"
But the lyrics are just amplified by the rich and haunting melodies and that soulful voice. That voice! This is one for the ages, I'm sure we'll be crying, drinking, and (fill in the blank) to Jazmine for some time to come.
I saw Alicia Keys in concert back in the spring. The tickets were free. Otherwise, I wouldn't have attended. It's not that I don't like Alicia Keys, she's just someone I'd never felt compelled to see in person. I like most of her songs that I hear on mainstream radio and that's as far as it goes.
Well, that's how far it went, until that night in Philips Arena. That's when I became a fan. There is something so real about her, so authentic. And hearing her describe her songs and give us explanations behind the lyrics and inspirations helped me really see that. One song in particular I'd heard on the radio but it went right over my head. I thought it was a bit cliche Superwoman. We've heard that one before, big whoop. The melody didn't grab me, nor did her vocals. It was nice, but that was about it.
Then, on May 21 while impressing me with an awesomely charismatic show, she started talking about something every woman can relate to. The blues. She listed the usual remedies - shopping, calling a girlfriend, partying. But she expressed how one day she felt so blue that none of the above consoled her. So she decided to write some words of encouragement for herself and realized those words could be motivational for all women in all capacities of life: motherhood, matrimony, professionalism, activism...
That song, "Superwoman" has been my anthem ever since. Because I feel tired most days from working 8 hours at the office, then coming home to work another 4 to 6 of overtime with my toddler, in my kitchen, the bedroom, on my laptop, on the phone. It's exhausting, but most women maintain similar schedules.
I, too, am a super woman. But thankfully I'm getting a sidekick, a nanny/sitter, to pick up the slack on a regular basis so that I can devote just a little more time to being myself, writing, working on freelance projects and studying design, which will ultimately earn me a few more titles. And that's just, well.. super!
There is a gas shortage in the metro-Atlanta area and it's pretty frightening. I am nervous, uneasy and not altogether confident about this situation. And it's not the risk of being trapped at home unable to commute. It's the thought of being attacked by other consumers in mass hysteria.
Hurricane Ike hit Texas two weeks ago. At the time, I refused to buy gas because I felt stations were price gouging. It took a week for it to catch up to me when my gas light came on this weekend. The prices were still too high, but I had to submit.
To my chagrin my trusty BP was sold out, the Shell down the street was also out and the Chevron, all the Mom & Pops...
The QT up ahead was my last hope. As I approached, I saw that not only was gas available, but that there were about 100 or more cars also in need. Horns were blaring, curse words and fists were flying in the air. I was nervous. I in no way intended to get attacked over some unleaded.
I took a deep breath and pulled in. My car is extremely compact so I had no trouble squeezing up behind a Chevy Malibu to wait my turn. Other cars were creating a bottle neck in an attempt to circle the other fully-occupied pumps. I waited in the madness.
When my turn arrived I got out and patiently pumped my gas. Then one crafty lady backed her bumper right up to mine. She was waiting her turn, then she did the unthinkable and left her car unattended to enter the station.
Did I mention my car is compact? It was full before she reached the doors! I imagined the maniacs ramming her car out of the way or forming a mob to lift and toss that emerald green Corolla. So I moved as slowly as possible, taking my time to put the pump back, pull out my receipt and recap my tank. She reappeared to ask me if I was finished. I told her yes and she made the unbelievable decision to reenter the station.
I'd had enough! The horns were blowing incessantly, growing to a crescendo. I decided it was her or me and got back inside my car. Thankfully, for the sake of her little Toyota, she returned as I turned on the engine and drove safely away. I hope the shortage ends soon, my nerves can't handle much more of this.
I Decided to take a chance and spend the 9.99 at Target on the sophomore album from Beyonce's lil sister. After seeing her perform the single on Fashion Rocks last week, I couldn't stop singing the tune. It's so retro, which is just right for me.
I am delighted to have discovered that Solange stands far apart from her iconic big sister. And she declares that point right away in the opening interlude. "I'm not her and never will be....Let my starlight shine on it's own. I'm no sister. I'm just my God-given name."
Solange departs down a more nostalgic path full of Motown-inspired rhythms. The track "Ode to Marvin" is a clear tribute to Marvin Gaye's classic "What's Going On" in topic and tune. And the bulk of the tracks are fueled by real instruments instead of synthesizers and sound machines used by many artists today.
Her lyrics are edgy and her voice is a bit raw, but in a good way. It's a refreshing redux of the funkadelic past. I visualize people roller skating around a rink in bell bottoms to this one.
What day is it anyway? I missed a week's worth of activity. I was hit, stricken, downtrodden and blind sided. The culprit is yet unidentified. However, the prime suspect is Strep throat. Labor Day weekend I had a fun-filled Saturday full of shopping, family, friends and a kids' party. I even bounced around in a moon walk. So the exhaustion I felt by night fall seemed reasonable.
Then, some time down in the evening, as I sat enjoying a comedy show with friends, the jokes stopped being funny. The food was excruciatingly painful to consume and I was freezing. Wasn't anybody else cold? Just like that - I was feverish and slightly delirious. I spent the next 48 hours in bed - too weak to move.
On Monday, while the country was observing a national holiday, eating barbecue, relaxing and such. I longed for the return to business as usual. I was waiting for the blasted holiday to pass so I could go see a doctor.
As soon as the sun rose, I hit Park Central Family Practice. Then, I waited for a diagnosis and a cure, some relief. After some poking, x-rays and prodding, Dr. Manlove-Simmons surmised I have strep and prescribed some antibiotics. I'm on the road to recovery.
