Minister Faust

I try to make sure I'm always reading something. Right now it's "The Coyote Kings of the Space-Age Bachelor Pad" by Minister Faust. And...so far, it's so-so. But don't let that discourage you from reading it, I sill recommend it. I say "so-so" because even though the writing is great and the story line is interesting, the content is a little different for me. It's about 2 average guys, Hamza and Yehat, who live together and work dead-end jobs. I'm working my way through it (halfway there), but every now and then I get lost. See these guys are really into comics, Star Wars, and things of that sort, which i know NOTHING about. so the references completely throw me off. Plus there's a number of other characters. so many that it gets confusing figuring out who's who and why they're important. and then different characters take turns narrating, to make it even more confusing.
aside from all that, the author really has a unique and humorous style. not many books i've read made me laugh out loud. it gets 2.5/4 stars.

out of town

the internet connection in my apartment hasn't been working for quite some time now, which explains my lack of blogging lately. i didn't last the full 10 days of the detox, and when i started eating again i got REALLY sick.

right now i'm visiting family in Boston. Union Trust is closed this week 'cause they're shooting a movie there, so i figured, when else am i gonna get a week off from work? might as well take a little vacation. plus my dad is up here right now. i saw him today for the first time in over 2 years. it was a little awkward to say the least. but im enjoying all of the things i dont have in Philly: cable, internet, a kitchen with food in it.

the next few days are gonna be brutal though. tomorrow. i have to catch a 6:30am bus. get back to Philly around 1:30ish. then go home and get ready for work at 4. then work saturday and sunday as well. then i'll have some time to breathe. i can finally start on my home decorating that i've been putting off for so long. i've been in my apartment for 2 years now and it still doesn't feel homey. since i'm not taking classes right now, i can use some of my free time for apt. upgrades. yup, the most exciting thing going on now is getting blinds for my windows. might even get shades if i feel like getting crazy. and then i wanna get a huge, soft rug.

the romantic life is wonderful by the way. don't wanna get all mushy and cliche, but damn. just the thought of him makes me smile.

Detox - Day 4

I spent the day inside, watching TV, sleeping, reading. Nothing exciting.

Detox - Day 3

So Day 3 wasn't so bad. believe it or not, it's a milestone. A lot of people quit by Day 3. i spent most of the day in bed watching TV. then i went to Whole Foods to get some more lemons and maple syrup. the cashier said something along the lines of, "Let me guess, you have the cayenne pepper at home?", and i just laughed and said yeah. then i went to see my boyfriend since he works at nearby restaurant. as we were talking, my eyes kept drifting to the buffet table.

i might extend it to 12 days instead of 10. we'll see. I started thinking about what i'm gonna eat to celebrate my completion. i think it'll be a home-cooking dish of mac-and cheese, string beans, sweet potatoes, and pan-fried fish (catfish or tilapia). everything from scratch. nothing will be canned, frozen, etc. i've always wanted to make baked macaroni and cheese. i'm gonna use parmesan, mozzarella and cheddar. mmmm. okay i need to stop talking about food.

Detox - Day 2

It was a little shaky. my strength wavered a couple times. i daydreamed about a soft pretzel, pasta, tater tots, M&Ms, and sushi from Swanky Bubbles. I tried to go to KMart to buy a scale, but the only ones they had were too expensive.

Detox - Day 1

• 8 oz water
• 1 tbs. fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tbs. maple syrup (Aunt Jemima doesn't cut it, sorry. you have to use real, pure Grade B maple syrup)
• dash of cayenne pepper

Sounds gross, but it's really not. Cayenne pepper breaks down mucous, and pepper in general increases metabolism. Here is a breakdown of what the lemon and maple syrup do.

Today was okay. I had a brief craving for french fries, and the M&Ms at the front desk at work haunted me, but I made it. ahh, 9 more days

Back

I've either been working or tired from working. That, and the fact that nothing worth blogging about has happened lately. I recently started hosting at Union Trust Steakhouse, and i'm still at Ms. Tootsie's, and freelancing, so i'm pretty much running around 7 days a week. Lately, i've been low on energy, and i haven't been eating as well as i should be. so i thought, 'what a good time to detox?' Nothing but water, lemon juice, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper for 10 days.....mmm. Ill be documenting it.

Smokin' Betty's

Location: 11th and Sansom



All the way from The Poconos.........

..........it's Andrea!!!!!!

awwww

mmm food. i didn't have any of the ribs of course, but according to everyone else at the table, they were amazing. i had the shrimp quesadillas with a side of fries, both of which i would highly recommend.

Ready...Set...Rhyme

click on images and poems for larger view

23rd Birthday, Pt. 2

It was picture perfect (no pun intended). Slumdog Millionaire was magical. I was scared it wouldn't live up to all the hype but it surpassed that. I spent the last five minutes trying not to cry.

Then we went to Buddakan

MUHSINAH: Live at Silk City

MUHSINAH





JEDI

My Life as a Pescetarian

I made this for my Documentary Photography class

Click this to watch

My Shoot for Liberator Magazine

Stephanie and Danielle










model getting prepped by Makeup Artist, Danielle and Designer






stay tuned, more photos coming soon...

Femstar's VDay Mix

http://www.mediafire.com/?aijmzwoidzl

The Artists' Piazza

Location: Tower Gallery
969 S 2nd Street, Philly!


fellow photog, Hannan

check out the full album at www.215mag.com!


tired from a long night of free food and an open bar

Why American Idol? Why?

I didnt catch American Idol last night. this season as usual, I watched the auditions to see the bad ones. but this time, one singer, Jamar Rogers stood out because both his style and his voice are so unique. He blew the rest of the competition away without effort. This morning, I discovered that for some reason, he did not make the cut. I was speechless. I'd never taken the show seriously before, because i've never been impressed by the contestants. it's sad. some of them, even in the top 8, just plain SUCKED. but this season i actually had some faith after hearing Jamar and his best friend Danny (who is also really good) sing.
Of the people who did make it, one of them choked during his performance, another forgot the lyrics, one was just plain bad, and most of the rest have decent voices, but are bland overall. and then there's this clown, Norman Gentle. i figured they just brought him to Hollywood for humor and ratings, but to actually keep him on the show is ridiculous

like seriously? you put this guy through?...


and you cut this one?

They Shootin' / Andy's Get-Together

So last night I was getting ready to head to Andy's for a little shindig (hit me up if you know the correct spelling of that word). I'm half getting dressed, half watching TV, when I hear a round of gunshots. i look out my window and see some guys start running away. For some reason i go downstairs and peek out the front door. And then i see a man on the ground, fighting for life, blood pouring from him onto the sidewalk. several police cars arrived immediately, and i slowly walked back up to my apt. in disbelief. had i left just a couple minutes earlier, i would have been right there on that corner, and couldve gotten hit. I've been saying this for a while but, i've never meant it as much as i do now: I CANNOT wait to move out of North Philly! Too bad I'm stuck here for another 6 months til my lease is up. I was gonna stay in, cuz I was so shaken up, but after i calmed down, i decided to still go. There were police officers everywhere, so i felt safe. all of my problems, although they still suck, seem smaller now.

Moving along, the "party" was fun...
we discussed menstrual cycles, good times back in J+H, guns, Brandon's ----, Sha's Eskimo hat, Steak, what foods you can cook to get you laid, Isaiah pleasuring himself to a photo of Sha', fake thugs from Cali, Afghanistan-Dominican drug trafficking, and a bunch of other stuff that liquor wont let me remember


Isaiah


Sha', Andy, and Triz


Brandon talkin some nonsense


great face Andy

Say Yes Sundays

Location: The Walnut Room

JL Sullivan's

DJ Active



Brandon and Jo

This was my first time there, which is crazy cuz i used to work right across the street. it wasn't exaclty poppin (probably cuz it was freeeeezing outside), but we still had fun.

2008 Album of the Year

Of course it goes to Erykah. This one was really for the hardcore fans, and well worth the wait.



I cant wait for Part II to come out next month.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

current read



favorite part:

"...you read a lot. Every chance you get. That's good, but not good enough. Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with the shades of deeper meaning."

New Years Eve

Location: Mac's House