insomnia

Happy Birthday Isaac! if you're reading this. and i hope you have a wonderful day.

can't sleep, and wondering how much John McCain paid Daddy Yankee under the table for that sad attempt to pull young urban voters.

well the tents are up. welcome week is well underway and i've come to terms with summer being over. this last week of relaxation isn't looking up and i wish it would end already. So far i found out that i'm only working ONE day this week. as if i wasn't broke enough already. so it's back to the drawing board, and i'm job hunting once again. that's right...onto Philly restaurant number 6. i wanted to be done with applications and interviews. i'd like it if i could just find a decent job that i can settle down in. to make the situation worse i'm working on the same night as the Common concert. Sunday i wanted to go to the Tu-Phace show at Silk City but couldn't because i couldn't even afford to take a cab. Monday i went to Patterson's to get my check, but they didn't have it. it's been a month since i last worked there, and for some reason beyond me, they can't just pay me. i wanted to snap, but just asked the manager to mail it. i have a feeling he forgot about it 5 minutes laater, and i wont be seeing that check anytime soon. with no work, and therefore no money and therefore no plans this week, i'm stuck in the house. and i'm getting cabin fever, baaaad. as much as i'm dreading, papers, projects, exams, i'm anxious for school so that i can be occupied.



i've been doing research on my professors, and they all sound lame. one of them i already know, because he's the director of photojournalism. i had him for a class last semester, and i'll have him for 2 more next semester...yay. he's okay, but very challenging.
I found this one AF-Am Studies class that sounded so interesting and i was really excited for it: Mass Media and The Black Community, so being black and entering the field of mass media it only seemed fitting. then i found out that the professor is white. i never had reservations about white people teaching Black Studies courses. a good teacher is a good teacher across the board, regardless of the subject, i thought. but after taking Intro to African-American Studies, i learned the meaning and importance of Afrocentrism. it's not red, black, and green; it's not kente cloth; it's not rocking a dashiki and throwing a fist in the air. it's African World View, and it is fundamental in Black Studies. so bottom line, having a truly Afrocentric standpoint isn't possible without being Black. He has a PhD in Africana Studies, which according to Spike Lee, makes him a Niggerologist, lol. i'm mildly interested to see what his approach will be. other than that, i foresee plenty of yawning and nodding off in the rest of my classes.

the countdown begins

11 days...and the chaos of classes begins. i've got those end-of-the-summer blues. when you start to think about how you didn't take that mini vacation, didn't read half as many books as you wanted to, didn't have that fun summer fling, didn't hit the beach. the semester hasn't even started and i can't wait for it to be over.
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I finally found out the proper term for they way i eat. I'm pescetarian, which means, like vegetarians, i don't eat meat, but unlike them, i eat fish. it has nothing to do with morals or animals rights though. One year, back when i was Catholic, i gave up meat for Lent (40 days and nights of sacrifice for those not familiar with this practice). When the time was up, i decided to keep going and i was vegetarian for a year. That was 4 years ago and up until a few months ago i'd been doing vegetarianism on and off (mostly off). and never "re-acquired" much of a taste for meat. but i think this pescetarianism is it for good.

read a f#%*ing book

on tv you can find a good documentary here, and funny show there (King of Queens amd Reno911! are my favorites), but it's mostly crap. skewed portrayals of society that contribute to stereotypes and misperceptions are rampant, so i try to keep my tv-watching to a minimum. during the school year it's pretty easy since i'm so consumed with work. but summer brings a lot of free time and i watch a litte more than usual. some of the shows (especially the reality shows), are so...i can't even think of a word to describe how dumb they are. There was "The Singing Bee" in which the contestant had to correctly sing the lyrics to songs to win money. And then there was "Don't Forget the Lyrics" in which contestants...had to do THE SAME EXACT THING. the creativity behind these shows is groundbreaking. They were hosted by Joey Fatone (who just wont accept that his 15 minutes of fame has been over for years) and Wayne Brady (i wont even start with him). and i really thought it couldn't get any worse after that. then came "I Survived a Japanese Game Show" [sigh]. now, the other day i saw a commercial for a new show called "Hole in the Wall". the contestant is placed on a board moving towards a wall with a hole in it. they have to bend their body so that they'll make it through the hole, or else they'll fall into a pool of water. and i don't even have cable, this is basic network television. it's sad but sometimes i cant help but laugh.

i've always preferred books. My favorite author for the past few years has been Edward P. Jones. He wrote Lost in the City, an award-winning collection of short stories. In 2004 he won the Pulitzer Prize for his novel The Known World.


This book was like no other I had ever read before, and reminded me of how powerful literature can be.







Right now I'm reading All Aunt Hagar's Children, which is his second collection of short stories and it's breathtaking, just as i expected it would be.

whatchu know about some porkchops and pancakes?

Andy and I had another classic cooking adventure and jammed to some CK. he brought pork chops, which i didn't have any of since i dont eat meat. i made strawberry pancakes (strawberries snagged from work). and they were deeeeeelicious.

back in the philth

im back in philly. boston was okay. two more of my cousins from Dominica moved in. so now it's my mother, my brother and his girlfriend, my aunt, and four of her kids. it's like the black Full House in there. i never planned on moving back there, even when it was just my mother and brother. now when she asks if i'm gonna move back in, i just laugh. that many people in one house is madness.

the family reunion. decent. younger cousins

cousin's babies

my mother did this skit that had people in tears



the wedding. my cousin Joe got married 12 years ago. his wife is Indian and they had big, beautiful Indian wedding. but their union was not valid in the Catholic church. so they decided to have a church ceremony.

it took us forever to get ready. by the time we got there, it was basically over. the reception felt like an eternity. at least the samosa was on point.
my cousin sang some song that they heard on their honeymoon. it was cute.

i only got a few seconds of it, which is fine because any more would be torturing you.

check it

Some recommendations:


SEE IT
Lucky Number Slevin - seen at my brother's house; On Demand from some movie channel. I won't get into the plot cuz I don't wanna give anything way, but it's great if you like action, some mystery, and a little cute romance on the side. The twist towards the end will have you like, "ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh snap!".



READ IT
Unburnable - found on my mother's "bookshelf" (the top of her radiator covered with pretty cloth). Set in Dominica and Washington, D.C., this is the story of a girl who ran away after discovering she was adopted and that her biological family background is full of scandal, secrets, and controversy. many years later she returns to face her past and search for answers about her ancestors. The author brings the African Diaspora together (past and present) flawlessly as she hits on racism, sexism, colorism, and classism without it seeming textbooky. I couldn't put it down.



EAT IT
Dragonfruit - found in Chinatown, New York. Native to Central and South America, it's a good source of fiber, antioxidants, and Vitamin C. I love trying new food, especially fruits and vegetables. so when I saw this i had to get it.



HEAR IT
Marvin Gaye. Legends of Soul - cd made for me by mommy. Classic. this album has songs that'll make you wanna two-step, and has "Let's Get It On" for those of you who wanna set the mood for your boo. it'll take you back to a time when music had meaning.

oldies have always been among the top genres i love. it has heart, soul, emotion. it's refreshing. "music" today is trash:
technologically altered voices recite empty lyrics over computer-generated sound, with dollar signs in their eyes, while love and appreciation for the art is nowhere to be found.

everyone's leaving :(

our spur of the moment Walnut Room trip. Denise and Brittany. And i forgot his name but he really made me wanna try Garnier Fructis on my hair.


spanish food from Sunshine with Brandon and Davide! this poor lady. it took them forever to get the order straight. her face at the end is priceless though.

it's 2 something in the morning...i should be getting some sleep instead of blogging, since i have to wake up early, pack, do some photo stuff, and catch a bus to Boston. i might just stay up and sleep on the bus. it's that time of year again. summer's coming to an end and school's starting soon. tonight was the last night Brandon, Denise, Ashley and i will all be together for a while.
hehe

we went to The Gathering and i took pics for two.one.five (www.215mag.com)


i'm leaving for boston tomorrow. while i'm gone, ashley and denise are moving back to maryland. and pretty soon brandon's going back to lincoln. [sigh] I wish i could've stayed this weekend, but i promised my mother i'd come to Boston. For me, family get togethers have never been something i look forward to. that might sound bad, but i barely know my relatives. i'm extremely close with my immediate family though, so that's the plus side. growing up, we never formed relationships with my aunts and cousins. we live in the city, they live in the boondocks. i saw them once a year on thanksgiving. i'm the only one my age, so as a little girl, i had no one to play with. now that i'm older i guess it's not quite as bad, but bottom line is it's still BORING. my brother put it best in this text message:

ain't no party like a bellot party
cuz a bellot party might have a primerica powerpoint presentation
whoo, whoo

that's in reference to a reunion we had before in which our cousin did a powerpoint presentation on investments. All i could think was, is he forreal? aren't we supposed to be relaxing and having fun? my mother told me this year they're making the kids put on skits. i feel bad for the little ones, but at least they have each other. when i was their age, i was alone and bored out of my mind. i'll try to get some funny pictures.