As one of the millions (billions?) of Michael Jackson fans, I was very saddened by his passing on June 25, 2009. I grew up listening to his music and experiencing his videos. I have very vivid memories of being 6 years old and seeing the Thriller video for the first time. It scared the crap out of me but I wanted to see it. People were so excited about it, I had to know why. While it was scary, it was also awesome. Unfortunately, I woke up that night screaming for my mom because it gave me nightmares. My mom had to take down my Michael Jackson poster because I was traumatized. It's a really cool thing to think back on.
I wanted to do my own little tribute to the man that revolutionized pop music and music videos. So I'm going to post my top three favorite Michael Jackson songs.
Dirty Diana
This was a grittier side to him and I loved the song. I loved it so much, I would put on his "Bad" album right at the spot where this song began. Enjoy!
In case they disable the embedding at some point, here is the direct link:
Dirty Diana
The Way You Make Me Feel
This was another song that I could cue up on the "Bad" album. It was so cute and playful. I especially liked the video. I couldn't find this in an embedded file so click the link and enjoy the playful side of Michael Jackson.
The Way You Make Me Feel
PYT: Pretty Young Thang
I have an 80's styled sweatshirt with these words on them that I LOVED to wear as a kid. It was pink with purple writing on it and although I'm not a fan of pink, this was one exception. I didn't remember ever seeing a video for this song and I couldn't find one so my memory serves me correctly. Here is the song anyway. Enjoy and dance around!
I hope he was secretly working on an album that will be released posthumously. I would enjoy hearing how his musical ability has grown since his last album. My best wishes go out to his family. He will be missed but his music has immortalized him in the hearts and minds of millions.
June 27, 2009
March 09, 2009
The Whys of it all
Over the past weekend, I was on the go. I had the opportunity to see some improv comedy, which was VERY cool. I also helped with an event called She Remembers. It was an event held in honor of Women's History Month (March) dedicated to HIV/AIDS awareness. The event consisted of a prayer vigil and panel discussion about the effect of HIV/AIDS is having on the black community.
Ever since I was in high school, I have been an advocate for educating people about HIV/AIDS. It started when I was a volunteer with the A.S.K. U.S. program at AID Atlanta. A.S.K. U.S. is the youth based education and outreach program. A.S.K. U.S. stands for Adolescents Seeking Knowledge Understanding Safer Sex. As a junior/senior in high school, I was very active in the A.S.K. U.S. program at AID Atlanta. I joined the program because a good friend of mine did it first and when she told me about it, it sounded very cool. I was (and still am) always looking for cool and different things to get involved with. Well I joined and went through the training and came out with a passion to educate as many people as possible about HIV/AIDS. Not only did I want to educate them about the disease and how to interact with people who have it but I also wanted to educate them about protecting themselves from the contracting the disease.
Over the weekend, I was asked by someone (thanks Jodine Dorce for the introspection!) why I was an advocate/volunteer for HIV/AIDS. I answered her question but later I realized that I never said why. I only explained how I became a volunteer. I have a friend that has told me the why is the most important thing to discover. Once you know the why, you'll truly understand the person. Well here is my Why.
When I was officially introduced to the severity of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, I wasn't very sexually active. I was in high school and trying to figure out who I was as a person and how my sexuality fit into the whole scheme of things. I was dating and having boyfriends so sex was definitely around me. Two of my oldest friends had gotten pregnant at 17 and I knew of several other girls that had babies as well. I was definitely aware of sex but as far as I knew, the biggest ramification was pregnancy. Now that was enough to make me pause because I had absolutely no intention of having any kids while I was still a kid.
Then I learned about HIV/AIDS. I was floored at how this disease that was preventable and not passed through every day contact was spreading so quickly largely because of a lack of education and a stigma. It made very little sense to me how something as simple as using a condom could greatly reduce your chances of contracting this incurable disease but people weren't using them. I was saddened to learn that kids my age were contracting this disease because no one was talking to them about it and they didn't feel comfortable going to their parents. I totally understood and wanted very much to help.
As a part of A.S.K. U.S. we went out and did presentations and educational seminars for kids our age. We would do skits, presentations, demonstrations and question and answer sessions to educate them about safe sex, STD's and HIV/AIDS. We went to churches, community centers and other gatherings of our peers. We were trained how to deal with the questions we may get and how to educate with care. It was awesome. I became much more outgoing and extremely comfortable talking about sensitive subjects like sex, STD's, condoms and everything in between. I met some really cool kids of different backgrounds and socioeconomic statuses. Some of the kids in the program with me were gay, lesbian and bisexual and I learned to accept everyone for their differences and embrace them in spite of them.
It was a great time in my life and I shared it with two of my closest friends and one other classmate of mine. Going through that experience helped make me the person I am today. It also helped create the passion that I have for educating people about HIV/AIDS and safe sex. When I left Atlanta and traveled to Tallahassee for college, I took a big bag full of condoms with me. I created a tin o'pleasure that I kept full of condoms for anyone to stop by my room and use. I encouraged everyone I met to let me know if they needed condoms so I could get them for them.
I also did some volunteer work with Big Bend CARES, which was the HIV/AIDS organization in the Tallahassee area. So now that I'm back in Atlanta, I'm back at AID Atlanta. I've been doing mostly health fairs but now I am seeking other ways to get more involved.
So that is one of my Whys. Why am I am advocate for HIV/AIDS education? Read above.
Ever since I was in high school, I have been an advocate for educating people about HIV/AIDS. It started when I was a volunteer with the A.S.K. U.S. program at AID Atlanta. A.S.K. U.S. is the youth based education and outreach program. A.S.K. U.S. stands for Adolescents Seeking Knowledge Understanding Safer Sex. As a junior/senior in high school, I was very active in the A.S.K. U.S. program at AID Atlanta. I joined the program because a good friend of mine did it first and when she told me about it, it sounded very cool. I was (and still am) always looking for cool and different things to get involved with. Well I joined and went through the training and came out with a passion to educate as many people as possible about HIV/AIDS. Not only did I want to educate them about the disease and how to interact with people who have it but I also wanted to educate them about protecting themselves from the contracting the disease.
Over the weekend, I was asked by someone (thanks Jodine Dorce for the introspection!) why I was an advocate/volunteer for HIV/AIDS. I answered her question but later I realized that I never said why. I only explained how I became a volunteer. I have a friend that has told me the why is the most important thing to discover. Once you know the why, you'll truly understand the person. Well here is my Why.
When I was officially introduced to the severity of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, I wasn't very sexually active. I was in high school and trying to figure out who I was as a person and how my sexuality fit into the whole scheme of things. I was dating and having boyfriends so sex was definitely around me. Two of my oldest friends had gotten pregnant at 17 and I knew of several other girls that had babies as well. I was definitely aware of sex but as far as I knew, the biggest ramification was pregnancy. Now that was enough to make me pause because I had absolutely no intention of having any kids while I was still a kid.
Then I learned about HIV/AIDS. I was floored at how this disease that was preventable and not passed through every day contact was spreading so quickly largely because of a lack of education and a stigma. It made very little sense to me how something as simple as using a condom could greatly reduce your chances of contracting this incurable disease but people weren't using them. I was saddened to learn that kids my age were contracting this disease because no one was talking to them about it and they didn't feel comfortable going to their parents. I totally understood and wanted very much to help.
As a part of A.S.K. U.S. we went out and did presentations and educational seminars for kids our age. We would do skits, presentations, demonstrations and question and answer sessions to educate them about safe sex, STD's and HIV/AIDS. We went to churches, community centers and other gatherings of our peers. We were trained how to deal with the questions we may get and how to educate with care. It was awesome. I became much more outgoing and extremely comfortable talking about sensitive subjects like sex, STD's, condoms and everything in between. I met some really cool kids of different backgrounds and socioeconomic statuses. Some of the kids in the program with me were gay, lesbian and bisexual and I learned to accept everyone for their differences and embrace them in spite of them.
It was a great time in my life and I shared it with two of my closest friends and one other classmate of mine. Going through that experience helped make me the person I am today. It also helped create the passion that I have for educating people about HIV/AIDS and safe sex. When I left Atlanta and traveled to Tallahassee for college, I took a big bag full of condoms with me. I created a tin o'pleasure that I kept full of condoms for anyone to stop by my room and use. I encouraged everyone I met to let me know if they needed condoms so I could get them for them.
I also did some volunteer work with Big Bend CARES, which was the HIV/AIDS organization in the Tallahassee area. So now that I'm back in Atlanta, I'm back at AID Atlanta. I've been doing mostly health fairs but now I am seeking other ways to get more involved.
So that is one of my Whys. Why am I am advocate for HIV/AIDS education? Read above.
February 27, 2009
My Seduction Style
So I need a brain break and one of my lovely friends emailed a test to see what your seduction style is. Here are my results:
Enjoy and take the quiz too. It's really cute and fun.
Enjoy and take the quiz too. It's really cute and fun.
February 17, 2009
Fashion Week 2009-William Rast
Well I'm in New York for Fashion Week. I am working with Ground Crew (the same company I did Victoria's Secret for) as a dresser. Last night I worked the Tony Cohen show in the tents and I had the chance to attend the William Rast show. The Tony Cohen collection was really cute. It was a collection of lightweight dresses, slim fitting pants and interestingly cut shirts. Here's a link to the review of the collection by Women's Wear Daily: Tony Cohen Ready To Wear Collection-Fashion Week 2009
I got to dress the lovely Martha who was a pleasure to work with for my first show.
After working the Tony Cohen show, we went into the Lobby to wait for the William Rast show. We crowded in to wait for the show to start and I scanned the crowd for celebrities. I spotted Anothony Anderson, Miss J of American's Next Top Model, Aisha Tyler and Aubrey formerly of the group Danity Kane pretty quickly. It got more crowded so I stopped scanning and waited for the show. From what I've seen in the past the William Rast line is a fairly casual line but the clothes have a great fit and clean lines. I was excited to see what they would be offering for the fall.
I was disappointed. From the looks of it, they were going for a retro vibe but they chose to focus on denim with sparkly jackets, rhinestones and scarves. Unfortunately to me the line looked like the kind of stuff I've seen in stores like Kmart in the 90's. I didn't like the retro look of the clothes and overall the line wasn't overly exciting. In spite of that, it was cool to be there and I look forward to working Michael Kors tomorrow and possibly attending some more shows. Check out the pics and judge for yourself:
Here's a review of the line from examiner.com: William Rast-Fashion Week 2009
Enjoy the pictures and check back for more Fashion Week coverage.
I got to dress the lovely Martha who was a pleasure to work with for my first show.
After working the Tony Cohen show, we went into the Lobby to wait for the William Rast show. We crowded in to wait for the show to start and I scanned the crowd for celebrities. I spotted Anothony Anderson, Miss J of American's Next Top Model, Aisha Tyler and Aubrey formerly of the group Danity Kane pretty quickly. It got more crowded so I stopped scanning and waited for the show. From what I've seen in the past the William Rast line is a fairly casual line but the clothes have a great fit and clean lines. I was excited to see what they would be offering for the fall.
I was disappointed. From the looks of it, they were going for a retro vibe but they chose to focus on denim with sparkly jackets, rhinestones and scarves. Unfortunately to me the line looked like the kind of stuff I've seen in stores like Kmart in the 90's. I didn't like the retro look of the clothes and overall the line wasn't overly exciting. In spite of that, it was cool to be there and I look forward to working Michael Kors tomorrow and possibly attending some more shows. Check out the pics and judge for yourself:
Here's a review of the line from examiner.com: William Rast-Fashion Week 2009
Enjoy the pictures and check back for more Fashion Week coverage.
February 10, 2009
January 30, 2009
Video Blog!
Hi there! Here's another video blog from me. I am working on stepping up my video game with a web cam so hopefully the shaky cam video will cease soon. Enjoy!
January 23, 2009
Great video by a single mom about Ann Coulter
While doing some research, I came across this great blog by a single mother. The blog is called Ms Single Mama and the website is www.mssinglemama.com. I found this blog both entertaining and informative. I was browsing through it when I came across a post that she'd written about Ann Coulter's book, Guilty. Well I'm not a follower of Ann Coulter but from what I've seen and read about her, she is very right wing in her views and she has no problem taking direct aim at specific people or groups. While I can't fault her for her beliefs, I can definitely fault her for her tactics. Ms Single Mama posted a video on CNN's website, www.ireport.com about some of the statistics that Ann Coulter is using to support her current attack on single mothers in her new book. This video was very well done and she made some great points. I wanted to share it with you. I'm not a single mother but before my mom and my stepdad got together, I was being raised by a single mother. Although that was a short time period in my life, I saw my mom do her thing with taking care of me and handling her business. I have so much respect for single mothers. Please take a moment to watch this video then visit her blog at www.mssinglemama.com.
January 17, 2009
Review of Notorious
Earlier today I took some time to check out the newly released movie about the great rapper, Notorious B.I.G. For those that aren't familiar, Notorious B.I.G. or Biggie Smalls was a rapper that came to glory in the late 90's and was killed at the age of 24 in 1997. He was the protege of Diddy (who was Puffy or Puff Daddy back then) and one of the early artists signed to Bad Boy Records.
Notorious starts in the 80's with Christopher Wallace (Biggie Smalls) as a kid in elementary school in the Bed stuy area of Brooklyn, NY. He is attending a private school and you can tell that his mom placed a lot of emphasis on education. The movie moves through his life and shows how he was lured into the street life becoming a drug dealer while in elementary school. By the time he was 17, he was making lots of money and living the high life. The movie goes on to chronicle how he was introduced to Diddy, who was working at Uptown Records at the time, and subsequently became known as one of the greatest rappers of all time at the ripe old age of 24.
I have never been a hard core hip hop fan. In fact, I gave away my copy of Biggie's first album, Ready to Die, because I just wasn't feeling it at the time. I do still have the copy of his second project, Life After Death, that I liked a lot more. In spite of me not being a hard core hip hop fan, I do work in the music industry and I have a lot of respect for hip hop. I am a fan of the way that some rappers are able to use words to create a picture. Biggie was very good at doing that. Initially he created vivid pictures of his life growing up in Brooklyn and being on the block. As he grew, he began to paint pictures of his life as a superstar recording artist, living the good life. I appreciate him for that.
The movie was really good. I think the actors all held their own and the guy playing Biggie, Jamal Woolard, really morphed into the late rapper. I could tell he really studied his movements, rap style, voice and even his different personas. As an artist, Christopher Wallace had to wear different faces. Jamal was able to successfully move between Christopher Wallace, Biggie Smalls and Notorious B.I.G. There were even times when I felt like I was looking at Biggie himself but not in an eerie way. Jamal did a wonderful tribute to a guy that was extremely multifaceted.
Some people saw Biggie as simply a drug dealer turned rapper but he was also a man, son, father and friend. I think the movie humanized him. It did a great job of showing the different aspects of him as a person and making him more real. Before I saw the movie, I only saw him as a superstar that was taken away before he got to truly realize his talents and abilities. Now that I've seen the movie, I can better empathize with his family and friends. I got to a glimpse into his relationship with Diddy (Puffy) and how close they truly were as well as his tumultuous relationships with Faith and Lil Kim.
I recommend this movie to anyone. If you are a fan of hip hop, I definitely think you should check this out. If you are curious about the music industry and how things can go sometimes, you should check it out. In a nutshell, I give this movie four out of five stars. I wish the movie had focused on at least one of his relationships more and gone more into it. From what I saw, Biggie was fiercely loyal and loved hard. I would have liked to see that explored with at least one of the people closest to him. Overall, it was a good movie. Go check it out.
January 15, 2009
A sexy Marvin Gaye song
This is the song that is playing in the background on the commercial I posted earlier for the perfume, Jadore. I have to say that I stopped by the department store to smell Jadore because I was considering buying it. I did not like it. It smelled really flowery. I was disappointed because with that commercial, I figured it would smell more heady with musky undertones or a hint of sandalwood or something. A scent that's almost masculine but light enough to be a perfume. Nonetheless, I still love the commercial and one big reason is this song. Enjoy!
January 07, 2009
A New Year...and the adventures continue plus a video!
Happy New Year everyone! It's finally 2009 and things started off really nicely for me. I went to a friend's house and set off some fireworks to bring in the new year. Then we played a serious game of taboo for shots. It was the guys against the girls and we kicked the guys booties! They took a couple of shots while we only had to take one in a close heat in the final game. It was lots of fun and I felt good about going as I sleepily drove home.
After that a good friend of mine had a birthday party at her new apartment the following Saturday. We've known each other since 9th grade and have been close ever since 10th. She loves to have gatherings where everyone comes over, has some drinks, plays spades and chats about things. So that's what she did. She looked really cute and I'm very happy for her because she has two of the cutest little girls and while she was pregnant with her second, she lost her job. Now she has a new job and things are much more improved for her. Well since we went to high school together, her gatherings are often a mini high school reunion. Apparently we are some of the rare people that still actively keep in touch with people we went to high school with. I talk to so many people that may keep in touch with one or two people where we keep in touch with a large majority of our class along with people that were the class before and class after us.
Well this party was no different so the guests were a mix of her co-workers and her friends, some of which are from high school and others from elementary or both. Well one of her friends from both elementary school and high school came and she is six months pregnant. Well me and this lady weren't close in high school but we did cross paths occasionally. She was always very over the top in some of her antics and this has not changed. She came in with a small bottle of Patron Tequila in her purse that she claimed was for the birthday girl, but I have my suspicions. Then she proceeds to partake of the food (which was very cool because she is 6 months pregnant) and the drinks (which wasn't cool because she is 6 months pregnant). The funny thing is that I was disturbed but not overly surprised. Not necessarily because she is a destructive person (which I don't know her well enough to know) but because she has always been over the top. What I've noticed that the way people act in high school doesn't change a whole lot over time. If someone is considered an oddball (which I was), they will still be an oddball after high school. If someone is very over the top and extra (as she was), they will still be over the top and extra.
I actually doubt that she drinks very much because she has three other children and is in school to become a medical assistant. So I see that there is a responsible adult in there but that's not the image she chooses to display and I suppose that's ok. Now what I did find an issue with was a story she told about being arrested. Her being arrested wasn't that shocking because with traffic tickets and some of the over zealous police in Atlanta, it can happen. The bad thing was that when she was pulled over, they discovered she had a warrant in one county and arrested her for that. She proceeded to curse the arresting office out because they only arrested her for the one warrant rather than the FIVE warrants she had in another county. Several fouls occurred here. A mother of three has SIX outstanding warrants and when she escape arrest for FIVE of them, she CURSES out the officer because he arrests her for only one. I'm surprised she isn't still in jail today, goodness.
But then this raised a question with a friend of mine as we recapped the party afterward. Because we were slightly shocked and appalled at the whole situation, we wondered if we were bougie. So it inspired me to keep a running tally on examples of bougieness. I will save that blog for another day. So stay tuned and enjoy my first video. I'll be adding a video component to this blog so I hope you enjoy the upgrade.
After that a good friend of mine had a birthday party at her new apartment the following Saturday. We've known each other since 9th grade and have been close ever since 10th. She loves to have gatherings where everyone comes over, has some drinks, plays spades and chats about things. So that's what she did. She looked really cute and I'm very happy for her because she has two of the cutest little girls and while she was pregnant with her second, she lost her job. Now she has a new job and things are much more improved for her. Well since we went to high school together, her gatherings are often a mini high school reunion. Apparently we are some of the rare people that still actively keep in touch with people we went to high school with. I talk to so many people that may keep in touch with one or two people where we keep in touch with a large majority of our class along with people that were the class before and class after us.
Well this party was no different so the guests were a mix of her co-workers and her friends, some of which are from high school and others from elementary or both. Well one of her friends from both elementary school and high school came and she is six months pregnant. Well me and this lady weren't close in high school but we did cross paths occasionally. She was always very over the top in some of her antics and this has not changed. She came in with a small bottle of Patron Tequila in her purse that she claimed was for the birthday girl, but I have my suspicions. Then she proceeds to partake of the food (which was very cool because she is 6 months pregnant) and the drinks (which wasn't cool because she is 6 months pregnant). The funny thing is that I was disturbed but not overly surprised. Not necessarily because she is a destructive person (which I don't know her well enough to know) but because she has always been over the top. What I've noticed that the way people act in high school doesn't change a whole lot over time. If someone is considered an oddball (which I was), they will still be an oddball after high school. If someone is very over the top and extra (as she was), they will still be over the top and extra.
I actually doubt that she drinks very much because she has three other children and is in school to become a medical assistant. So I see that there is a responsible adult in there but that's not the image she chooses to display and I suppose that's ok. Now what I did find an issue with was a story she told about being arrested. Her being arrested wasn't that shocking because with traffic tickets and some of the over zealous police in Atlanta, it can happen. The bad thing was that when she was pulled over, they discovered she had a warrant in one county and arrested her for that. She proceeded to curse the arresting office out because they only arrested her for the one warrant rather than the FIVE warrants she had in another county. Several fouls occurred here. A mother of three has SIX outstanding warrants and when she escape arrest for FIVE of them, she CURSES out the officer because he arrests her for only one. I'm surprised she isn't still in jail today, goodness.
But then this raised a question with a friend of mine as we recapped the party afterward. Because we were slightly shocked and appalled at the whole situation, we wondered if we were bougie. So it inspired me to keep a running tally on examples of bougieness. I will save that blog for another day. So stay tuned and enjoy my first video. I'll be adding a video component to this blog so I hope you enjoy the upgrade.
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