7 Hours of …

As I’m writing this I’m on a flight to Italy. Italy guys! How exciting that must be for a girl from Brooklyn who’s never been further than about 10 states and a couple of Caribbean islands on the average cruise ship. I’m too excited. I’ve been excited since the day I booked it back in October. But come on, 7 ½ hours on a plane. I’m going to need physical therapy for the restless leg syndrome I’m developing.

I’m with the homie DMB who’s so far gone right now. Hopefully she’s dreaming about all the pizza, wine and hot Italians we’ll meet (hopefully Prince isn’t reading this, btw I miss him already). I'm hoping for the Julia Roberts experience.

Anyway, updates coming frequently. Tune in. And I’m planning on bringing everyone back Fendi bags. Don’t mind the “Made in China” tags (inny).

BC Time!

It’s been a while. Blame it on my hair. It’s not behaving itself so I had to put it on a time out therefore I had nothing to write about. I could have written about the foolishness I see on a daily basis, but I spared you. You’re welcome.

Anyway, I’m here now and I have some news. My hair is growing beautifully! I haven’t straightened it out to know but I can tell.

This strand is from the front of my scalp and is about the length of a newly sharpened pencil.

(this picture was taken at work so i had to utilize my simple resources)

There is just one exception. There’s a spot dead center that is not budging. I noticed it back in September after I took out my birthday weave and now it’s December and there’s hardly any growth. It is no longer than an inch and constantly irritates me. I’ve done everything from massaging it with coconut oil to moisturizing it with shea butter, and even clarifying it with tea tree. Nothing is working (fast enough). But I have the ultimate solution.

BIG CHOP!!!

Yes, I'm going to start all over again and I'm going to do it right. You all know how I started with regular products and weave caps. This time my hair is going to be treated like royalty. I'm joining MopTop's Challenge to keep me focused. Plus I get to look like Chrisette!

Jack of All Trades

I’ve done it all. Well, at least attempted it all. At some point of my life I’ve been a hairdresser, a party planner, a bag designer, a photographer, a poet, and a knitter. The list can go on if I were to name the things I’ve only tried once but never maintained. This time around I think I’ve found something.

Before I reveal what that something is I just want to put it out there that everyone should be testing out their capabilities. You never know where your talents can take you until you try. And if it falls through, that gives more reason to test out your next talent. Besides, it’s a good method to unwind after the stressful days we all endure.

OK, the wait is over. As of September 2010, I am a… jewelry designer.

I came up with this particular hustle after realizing that I was spending way too much money on accessories and other costume jewelry. In a previous post you can see that I had to reorganize my whole closet just because of my surplus of jewelry. Then I began to examine how the pieces I owned were made. I said to myself, “I could do that!” A short trip to Michael’s pioneered my addiction to creating my pieces. And two months later, I have about 30 pieces.
Here’s a sneak peek...


St. Tropez

LoveLockDown

Chain Reaction

Put Some Clothes On

So many times you walk into your closet and see absolutely nothing. I mean, you see clothes but create excuses as to why you can't wear any of them leaving you with nothing. A problem among most of us doesn't have to get the best of us. And don't feel alone because many of us share this issue, hence the mass production of those "Nothin To Wear" t-shirts.

Well, Eureka! Solution found. I was reading looking at pictures in an old newspaper today and saw a world wide trend that’s so simple but high on the fashionista charts.

Whenever you’re in a crunch, take out your favorite blazer and pashmina scarf. Viola! You can pair this with jeans, slacks, cargos, and even a skirt if you’re feeling girly. You don’t even have to worry about a top since the blazer can close and the pashmina falls over. Keep it simple with a white tee. Try it yourself and watch the stress of picking clothes leave your mind and closet.

Don't forget to accessorize!

***Find theses styles below at Old Navy and Urban Outfitters***

Frugal Extravagance

I started thrifting about a year ago when I just happened to be walking in the neighborhood of my job. I passed by a store that always had things on the sidewalk that I thought would look perfect in my dream house. Very vintage chairs and sets of plates that were just very unique and cute. I happened to go in one day simply to look at the furniture but was quickly intrigued by the clothes and accessories too.

This past weekend I did some research on thrift stores in my area since I cant frequent that other place for often anymore. I found Beacon’s Closet and at the same time I found heaven on earth, just at a cheaper price.

I found this jacket on a rack that I wasn't even supposed to touch. But it was an obvious choice. That day I walked out of the house with a leopard blouse and a cropped faux fur vest. Put those together and you have this jacket. I had to purchase it. Plus it was Free People for only $35 which is usually upwards of $200!

I tried these leopard platform shoes on by Carlos Santana. They were really cute and obviously I was having a moment with animal print. Ultimately, I had to say enough and decided against them. I also had a pair of Steve Madden black and red patent pumps for $10 (on the left).

I left the store with two items. The jacket and these pebble leather Calvin Klein pumps for $20 were one. They looked like the were wore once. I decided to go with something that is unlike anything I have in my closet and these will be great when the weather warms up.

Hair I Am

I started to love my iPhone 4 (a surprise if you’ve read my previous post). And because of it, I am taking more pictures. Almost daily I pose for myself to capture my beauty and of course my hairstyle. LOL. Pictures below.


This was a casual Monday. Started my week with a bigger twist-out than I'm used to.


You can't really see the hair, but the outfit was nice. Coral, black and silver. This was one way that I incorporated my Srping/Summer items into this frigid Fall.


Back to the hair. I retwisted my hair every night and finger combed it in the mornings. Nice.


I'm like an angel with the halo casted over my head. I have a center part to spice it up.


Pinned the sides and fluffed the front and back.


I obviously took out my twist out and didn't bother to finger comb. The sections are still visible which gives me the Sideshow Bob look (my uncle gave me that name).

This was the day of the Transcendence Natural Hair Show in Brooklyn. I was trying too hard and ended up with this. I didnt let my hair dry and later on that day my hair shrunk.

Harlem Knights

Yesterday officially made 4-weeks at my new job. I started working at the Harlem Children’s Zone as a Middle School Tutor. It’s definitely a shock coming from the Talented &Gifted school I’ve worked at for the last 4 years. I’ve become accustomed to students who were self sufficient and intelligent beyond their years. Now I’ve been put into a place that makes me believe the movie Precious still resounds in our modern days.

I have one student who can’t read or write, other students who can almost read, and then there are those who can read the words but have now idea what the words mean. My first thoughts were how I can make a quick but professional exit. I didn’t and still don’t believe I can make any change. Geoffrey Canada, the founder of Harlem Children’s Zone, has had his name broadcasted throughout the country as his program is supposed to make huge leaps in education amongst low income children. How can I live up to that?

Whatever my fate is at this new place, I can’t help but be upset with the fact that the level of education will not increase anytime soon amongst low income neighborhoods which so happen to house mostly Black people. I’ve been lucky enough to live within the status of the Middle Class. But what about the poverty stricken. What about their education? Not granting them an equal chance means that the cycle will only continue.

So I hope we aren’t surprised in a couple of years when there’s an inflation of Black boys in prison, Black mothers of only 15 years old, a decrease in graduation rates, an increase in government assistance and a slew of elderly people who have no support.

Anyway, wish me and my new children luck. I will try my hardest to make the change that Geoffrey Canada has established. I just might go bald and sleep deprived while doing it.