Really?… Always?

So a friend and I were on the Metro the other day and there was an advertisement in our car for a company called eurAuPair that had a picture of a kid and a young girl on it… And she was kinda staring at it for a while. So I asked her what was wrong and she said, “What does AuPair mean again?” So I told her it’s like a nanny but from another country usually. And she said, “Oh yeah. That’s right. I always get that confused with au gratin.”

Word?

Just admit you had no idea what the word meant before this moment. Cause I mean really, what could you possibly be doing or where could you possibly go that you’re “always” confronted with these two words? Plus I just can’t see a situation in which you could ever confuse the two. Have you ever heard of context clues?…

“Please Mr. Waiter, I’d like to have the steak medium-well, and the potatoes with the young European caregiver sprinkled on top.”

or maybe…

“Sure we’re free to go out with you guys tonite. The melted cheese and breadcrumbs are at home watching the kids.”

AAAAHHHH!!! I can’t stand when people can’t admit that they don’t know things. Who knows everything? I mean, besides Oprah ;) I have much more respect for people who ask questions and ask for help than people who prefer to pretend to know things and marinate in their ignorance. I told her I’d be writing this blog and said all this to her while we were on the train so I don’t feel bad about it. I apologize for the early morning Friday rant, but I had to get that out.

What you talkin’ bout, iPod?

They say you can tell a lot about a person by the kind of music they listen to. So we here at You’re Welcome, thought it’d be cool to start a new feature called, “What does your iPod say about you?” No pressure, (ahem, ahem), but it’ll only be fun if you participate ;) I thought it’d be cool to list all the artists that fall under a particular letter of the alphabet on my iPod and see what you think they say about me. And then you can send the artists on your playlists, and I can tell you what they say about you. For instance, if you listen to only rap music, your iPod might be saying that you are a 14-year old white kid. See how that works? This is probably gonna fall flat, but it won’t be the first time … or the last ;)

So OK, here goes… Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you my “S’s” along with a little color commentary to jump things off: Continue reading →

Communism is so gangsta

You gotta love Fidel Castro.

And by ‘gotta love’ I mean absolutely, positively MUST adore. Forget his oppressive communist government, dude has his countrymen’s backs. Yeah its 5:21 a.m. and I can’t sleep. And as I was publishing the last post, I heard a story on MSNBC that Fidel Castro issued a statement in defense of the Cuban Olympic taekwondo fighter who kicked the ref in the face because of alleged bribery rumors.

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I don’t know how long it’ll be up, but the video of the incident is here if you wanna see it. There are some stills up front but the video kicks in towards the end. Apparently Castro defends dude saying that the face mash-up was warranted. Dude’s not even the president anymore but expressed “total solidarity” for the fighter and his coach who I think got banned for life. Then he said the fighter “couldn’t contain himself.”

HELLS YEEAHH Cuba! Castro basically just said, “If you mess with us, be ready to get craned in the face. Point blank… Me and what army? Me and THIS army, sucka!!!” I mean, of course I think dude was wrong for what he did, but I don’t think Bill Clinton would have my back in a fight — right or wrong. I’m just sayin’. Cuba is so gangsta. I think I’m jealous. Alright, I’m going to sleep now.

5:42 a.m.

K-Ci and Oh No!

So this showed up in my Google reader as one of the most-viewed videos of the day. And I truly believe I’m solely responsible for this. Because I have watched this clip 312,457 times… and counting ;) Man, do y’all remember how dope Jodeci was? … I need to pull out Forever My Lady or Diary of a Mad Band STAT. Thems sure was the days…

Sidebar — WHO in the hell told K-Ci that it was OK to bare his cracky chest? Over the past few years, I don’t think I’ve seen one clip of him with a shirt on… (SMH). The funniest part is that K-Ci keeps singing. Michael K over at DListed says, “If K-Ci stops singing, they won’t get paid for the gig and who will pay for their crack rocks?!” Tee hee ;) … too funny. Why did dude just pick up the mic and keep stepping?… Like that ish happens every nite. Oh man…

I think Whitney said it best. Crack is whack… Do YOU know?

I heart art

I like to think of myself as a fan of modern art. I haven’t formally studied or read a great deal of literature about it, but when I see a piece I really like there’s little to nothing that can stop me from buying it — and I mean nothing, including not having a place to put it or enough money to buy it. I’m reckless that way.

While I was at Howard I developed a fondness for collage and mixed media art. There is a permanent piece in the Howard University Gallery Lounge by renowned African American collage artist Romare Bearden that I fell in love with. And ever since then I’ve had a weakness for the medium. Clearly I’m in no position to fill my little 1 BR with original pieces of art from some of my favorite collagists, but I’ve discovered some amazing local DC artists who do amazing work that I’ve been fortunate enough to meet and purchase pieces from.

As y’all know I spend most Sunday afternoons at Capitol Hill’s Eastern Market. Even when I’m inside-out-pocket broke, I’ll rustle up some loose change or a few singles from my ’emergency stash’ and at least come back with some fresh cut flowers or some fresh fruit or veggies… Here are a few pieces I’ve bought from local artists who have booth space at the Market:

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This piece is by Jackson-Collins. Bottom line, he is amazing. An internationally acclaimed artist, you’ll often find him at the market working on a piece he’s not planning or willing to sell. If you get the chance to go and just talk to him you’ll be intrigued, I promise. An art and music purist, his love for both shines thru in all he does and says. Continue reading →