my awesome buddies | Erin Jackson

Homecoming and ‘headlining’

So I was in Jersey this past weekend working at the Catch a Rising Star comedy club in Princeton. Princeton is about 20 minutes away from where I grew up so it was amazing to be home. I get nostalgic for Jersey a lot because there’s stuff you can get there that you just can’t get south of the Mason-Dixon — like an authentic bagel shop bagel w/ cream cheese and lox in the morning, a good thin greasy pizzeria pie… and Puerto Ricans. I really miss those things. Puerto Ricans most of all ;)

I was closing the shows this weekend, which was exciting and scary at the same time. I hesitate to say that I was headlining, because until I really get the hang of the closing spot, I’m not a headliner. I’m just up last. I never feel prepared to close, but I also know that there’s no other way to figure out the art and pacing of closing a show other than to do it. There were 4 shows this weekend and I’d say that 2.5 of them went really well. It definitely helped that I was close to home and had a bunch of friends come out!

Nothing makes you rethink your material like your former Sunday School teacher sitting in the front row ;) But I knew Mrs. Winfrey could handle it. She was like the “Scared Straight” version of a Sunday School teacher. Heart her forever.

If it’s possible to have two sets of parents who you absolutely, positively love to pieces, then this is my second set — Charles and Ada Martin a.k.a. Jersey Ma & Pop. Through every mistake and triumph I’ve made in my entire life they’ve been there to support me. From sliding me money when I was broke and building me a computer when I couldn’t afford to buy one, to cheering on all my successes and helping to put my setbacks into perspective, I couldn’t ask for two better people in my life. I mean, other than the fact that they’re diehard Jets fans, I’d be hard pressed to come up with one negative thing about them ;) And even then, they still root for the Green & White ;) If you’re a fan of the martial arts — karate in particular — you might be familiar with Pop. He was featured in the martial arts documentary Fighting Black Kings and he is a Shuseki Shihan in Seido Karate — which is the highest honor a student can achieve. He’s in the Martial Arts Hall of Fame and he’s like a rock star in pretty much every country in the world. So don’t mess with him… Or me… cause he’s still got it ;) Continue reading →

These are a few of my [new] favorite things…

No, I’m not channeling Oprah, and I know most of y’all don’t come here for my shopping advice ;) but I ran across a few things today that I really wanted to share with you… It’s Sunday again, and in addition to feeding my football habit, Sundays also mean my weekly trip to Eastern Market. I skipped the early games today, but I am planning to watch Dallas/NYG later… since I don’t have NFL Sunday Ticket and can’t see the Eagles game ;(

Is there anyway both of those teams could lose?… ‘Cause that would be ideal.

This week I took the fabulous DWJ with me. She’s not a regular market-goer, but I’m trying to ruin her and get her addicted ;) D runs an awesome blog about accessories called The Art of Accessories. If you haven’t already, please check her out! Her blog is perfect for girly-girls and fashionistas and even girly-girl wannabes like me! I’ve known D since sophomore or junior year at Howard. I think she initially saw me as a ‘project’ a’ la Tai in the movie Clueless. Ten years later, she’s finally begun to rub off on me ;) Tee hee ;)

One of the first stops we made was to this booth that had these amazing handbags made out of old book covers. Sounds funky, right? Well wait ’til you see ’em! I immediately saw one that I thought would be perfect for D… and then right next to it, there was a bag made out of the cover of an old Bible and it was screaming my name. Please see below:

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“May see me in DC at Howard’s Homecoming…”

Ahhh… The Notorious B.I.G. immortalized Howard University’s homecoming in the posthumously-released hip-hop classic (can we call this a classic?… Has it been long enough?…) Kick in the Door because really, there’s nothing in the world like it! Yesterday was the culmination of Howard’s week-long homecoming celebration. And if you’ve never been to a Black college homecoming, I suggest you do it before it’s too late!

I graduated from Howard a few years ago ;). And I love and appreciate my alma mater more today than I did when I was a student. With a 141-year legacy of educating some of the brightest, most progressive minds and talents from all over the African diaspora, Howard is one of (and I only say “one of” because I don’t wanna start an e-fight :) the greatest Historically Black Universities in the nation. I actually used to work as a recruiter for Howard’s Office of Admissions and it was my job to travel around the country telling people how great Howard is, educating them about the opportunities the University offers, and sharing my experiences as a student and an employee. I traveled to Oklahoma City and Memphis, New Orleans, Boston and Anchorage… and no matter where I went, people came out… they signed up for my information sessions… because they knew about and respected my university. It was an amazingly validating experience AND I got paid for it. Life was good.

Thousands of Howard alumni, as well as folks who attended other schools or just happen to live in the DMV area come out for the festivities. When I was younger, homecoming meant a week of non-stop partying, attending fashion and comedy shows and poetry slams and pageants, but as I’ve gotten older, it’s become more about catching up with old classmates, meeting their families, and reminiscing on what will always be one of the greatest periods of our lives…

But I still party a little ;)

Here are a few snapshots from my weekend:

These are my girls Christina and Keisha a.k.a. Kellz. We have a photo of the three of us from every homecoming we attended as students and alumni. I was looking back at some of them this morning. My, my, my how we’ve changed ;)

Me and my boy KG. You may remember him as one of the assailants in the underground video classic Ghetto Superstar.

The fabulous DWJ with her godson (another one of our HU friends’ son), Ajani. I remember when his mom was pregnant with him. Now he’s seven and super duper adorable. Man…

And this is me, X-Tina and Kellz again. See, told you we still partied a little ;)

Good friends can be better than family

Because they know all your ugly *!@% and they still CHOOSE to love you.

Hysterical Ladies

This is me with fabulous lady comics Desiree Burch (Hysterical Festival producer), Retta, Jiwon Lee, Aparna Nancherla, and Diana Saez.

Headlining the Hysterical Festival’s Ambiguously Brown Comedy Hour show was Retta, who I’ve been a huge fan of for years. I hadn’t been doing comedy long when I saw her Comedy Central Presents a few years ago. But I remember thinking, “If she has a special on Comedy Central, there is a place for me in this industry.” Really. She’s super smart — a lot more of a storyteller than just a set-up/punch kind of comic and just laugh out loud hilarious. Heart her ;) Jiwon Lee was the only other comic I didn’t know prior to the show and she is hysterical. Check her out. Aparna and Diana are my DC homies, although D defected to NYC about a year ago ;( I wish I could have stayed for the entire festival. But from the looks of things Desiree and her team did an awesome job! Sisterly love. It’s a beautiful thing ;) Can’t wait til next year.

Hating and Debating

OK, so Sarah Palin didn’t do nearly as badly as I had hoped she would. I can’t even lie… But I’m not gonna let a little thing like that stand in the way of the hateration I’ve been waiting all week to spew. She didn’t crash and burn, but she didn’t really answer the questions either. I blame Gwen Ifill.

My favorite pundit quote of the nite so far came from Harold Ford after being asked how he thought Palin performed. He said, and I quote:

Well … she had a set of answers to a set of questions. Even if those questions were not asked.

Tee hee ;) … Before the debate started, I enlisted some of my friends to send me their best “Sarah Palin B*tch, PLEASE” photos. I thought this would be fun.

It would’ve been way more fun(ny) if she had sucked worse.

Name: Me
Age: 30
Location: Washington, DC

“No really… Say ‘NU-CU-LAR’ one more time…”

Name: Dana
Age: The “new” 20
Location: Clinton, MD

Name: Roman
Age: 6 1/2 months
Location: Atlanta, GA

“I don’t even know what you’re saying, but I don’t believe you … Now what is that smell?

Name: Mo
Age: Old enough to know better
Location: Washington, DC

“This is me reacting to Sarah Palin’s mention of fighting for women’s rights. Hmmm… was she referring to her fight to overthrow Roe v. Wade?…”

Name: Kingston
Age: 6 months
Location: Washington, DC

“I am a dog and I cannot even bear to listen to your shrill ass voice.”

Name: She pleads the fizzith
Age: <, >, or = 30
Location: Atlanta, GA

“I’m going out for some Toasted Oats…’Cause this chick is trippin'”

Name: Diana
Age: 100 (according to her MySpace page)
Location: New York, NY

The Brotha with the banjo

Not quite as artistic as Henry O. Tanner’s “The Banjo Lesson”…

But it’s way funnier ;)

This is me and very good friend/godsend/all-around-amazing guy Odyssey Michaels in the green room at the Richmond Funnybone. Don’t ask for an explanation. I was there and I don’t have one. Suffice it to say, he actually does play the banjo.

You’re welcome.

Cool new blog: This Week in Blackness

So some of my NYC buds (Elon James White, Baron Vaughn and Reese Waters) started a new blog called This Week in Blackness. So hilarious. They haven’t been up for long, but there are some really funny features on there. My favorite is “IS THIS RACIST – with Baron Vaughn” — a must read for sure ;) Check it out and submit some of your own questions. It’s all in fun and I am willing to guarantee that you will holler at the response he posts. I heart Baron. Such a funny brotha.

Support their site! But then come back here ;) No defecting allowed! tee hee ;)