Tuesday, May 25

Ain't No Cure for the Summertime Blues (or IS there?)

(courtesy of  http://www.toonpool.com)

It's summer in the city. And for some reason, when the weather gets hot, I do too. I guess spring & summer in the city looks GOOT on me! yes "goot"!

The number of guys that "try to holla" goes up exponentially with every degree over 70! (it's a scientific fact that is empirically based on my on research... thesis forthcoming, or not.) But seriously, the men in this city turn into true predators or something during the warm weather. Howling at everything, sniffing around, salivating... *sigh*

The guys I know always say just because a man says "hi" doesn't mean he's trying to holler. If that's the case, then they need to tell the other guys to stop trying to holler after saying "hi". Too often, after saying "hello", "hey", "whaddup", "Good morning, sweetheart", etc. a conversation tries to rear it's ugly head. And some guy that CLEARLY believes in the law of averages tries to get his stone cold mack on. For years, we have been trying to figure out how to nip this in the "butt", as someone ignant used to say- I forgot who.

Things I've tried:
  1. Pretending not to hear them before or after the hello. That usually gets me cursed out as I walk away.
  2. Pretending to be deaf. I know what you're thinking, that's not nice. But that was in my not so nice days back in '01 when I had no worries, no cares, no religion & no respect! Ha! This only made the dude talk LOUDER, by the way.
  3. Pretending to have a boyfriend. This only causes them to invoke the "Male Friends Clause" which clearly, if you don't have it in  your relationship, then your man ain't a good man!
  4. Smiling and politely declining as I walk away. THIS, apparently is the most heinous of reactions because THIS has gotten me embarrassed. I have been literally HOLLERED at for this as well as had a man sing "Come & Talk To Me" from across the plaza @ Judiciary Sq. This also has gotten me SHOVED in the club, to which I responded with a shove and a blind rage and barrage of words that surely involved expletives. (I don't really recall as I went deaf after being SHOVED by a grown man.)
The situation may seem hopeless, however, I found a solution in the most unlikely of places. I was talking to a married friend of mine outside of  her place of business in the heart of SE, DC. Two unseemly guys were walking toward us as we chatted on the sidewalk. They were eyeballing us from the time they rounded the corner, until the walked up on us at the other end of the block. My girl S, paused in the conversation and in the MOST polite and no nonsense manner I have ever borne witness to she said: "How y'all doing?" They quickly said: "Hello," and added some pep to their saunter. I said, "WOOOOW, that WORKS!?!?" She gave a half-laugh and said, "Girl, yes!"


I was DUMBFOUNDED and relieved. Cobra Kai ain't got NOTHING on me now!
FINALLY, I have figured out how to verbally sweep the leg!


Hopefully, the guy is so off guard that he loses his balance and thus,
I win!



Saturday, May 15

Bri's Weird Song of the Week- Daydream in Blue



THis song was sampled by Lupe Fiasco and sung by Jill Scott... but clearly the original has a  little more going on. Check the lyrics below:
Daydream, I fell asleep amid the flowers,
for a couple of hours, on a beautiful day.
Daydream, I dream of you amid the flowers,
for a couple of hours, such a beautiful day.

I dream a dirty dream of you baby
You're crawling on the bathroom floor,
You float around the room and you're naked,
Then you're flying out the bedroom door,
I dream a dirty dream
I dream a dirty dream

Daydream, I fell asleep amid the flowers,
for a couple of hours, on a beautiful day.
Daydream, I dream of you amid the flowers,
for a couple of hours, such a beautiful day.

I dream a dirty dream of you baby
You're swingin' from the chandelier
I'm climbing up the walls 'cause i want you
but when I reach ya, you disappear,

I dream a dirty dream
I dream a dirty dream

I daydream (x4)

Daydream, I fell asleep amid the flowers,
for a couple of hours, on a beautiful day.
Daydream, I dream of you amid the flowers,
for a couple of hours, such a beautiful day.

Daydream, I fell asleep amid the flowers,
for a couple of hours, on a beautiful day.
Daydream, I dream of you amid the flowers,
for a couple of hours, such a beautiful day.

Daydream, I fell asleep amid the flowers,
for a couple of hours, on a beautiful day.
Daydream, I dream of you amid the flowers,
for a couple of hours, such a beautiful day.

I'm Sorry, You Were Saying?

Let me start by saying, I've been trying to "give a brother a chance" lately, much to J's chagrin.

Yesterday, I was driving out of a parking garage and the attendant happened to be black. I was really surprised. He was asking me why I wasn't smiling and so on & so forth. He asked if I went to church and said he was a minister of music at some church or another. I thought oh a church boy, how nice. I gave him my number, to be nice... (SHUT UP, J!)

He said something weird about his church, something I didn't have time to get into because there was a line forming behind me at the gate. I figured I would still see what he was talking about if and when he called. So an hour or so later, he calls and.... I spent 15 minutes BARELY listening. He began to preach... but not even in a way that made sense. But moreso in a manner that sounded rehearsed and as a catch-all, come to Jesus, I know better than you do way. His spiel was mind-numbing and all I could do was say "oh", "uh huh", and "ok". Everything he said he would quickly defend with some rambling scripture-based mumbo jumbo.

He name-dropped some ministers at mega-churches in this area. I had NO idea who he was talking about. I told him, I go to church every Sunday but I'm not all super churchie. To me a churchie may be different from other's ideas on "churchy". Churchie is a combination of church and groupie. Churchie folks are in it for the status and the sense of being holier than thou. When I told him I didn't know who he was talking about when he said something about some guy at some church as if he was THE guy to know if you knew anybody anywhere at any church. His reply was, I'm not churchy either, I didn't get into the church until I was 13. *blank stare* Sooooo, how is that not churchy or churchie??

Later after he spent 12 minutes ranting and 3 minutes name-dropping he said, "But I'm not tryna preach to you!" Imagine my surprise! "Are you sure about that?" I asked. He said he was just blah blah blah *more spiel here* He says that his church teaches him to go out and recruit souls and share the message of Jesus Christ or something. Now please understand, I am not mocking discipleship in anyway. I hope this doesn't come off that way; anyone that knows me knows I love the Lord. What I am mocking is the dude himself. My response to him was: "Well I always thought that part of discipleship was gauging how receptive your audience is to your message." It reminded me of my homie Leon's blog about the Hebrew Israelites in Columbia Heights (check it out here) and how they just YELL at you as you walk down the street, instantly making you NOT want to hear what they are talking about!


The point is, I ain't wanna hear all that! I am all for letting people know that you follow God, but what I heard from him was just short of cult-like, brainwashed, defensive babbling.

Needless to say, I wasn't feeling him. All red flags had been raised & all bets were off. I was ready to get off the phone and pray because my spirit was THAT disturbed! He made some other churchie comment about listening to some music for church on Sunday. I bid him adieu and instantly saved him in my phone under a name that would ensure I didn't accidentally answer the phone for him again.

Thursday, May 13

If You Want Me to Stay

Click play, then read... you know the drill


Today, I have heard and been reminded of two tales of ungrateful females and their respectuve men. Now, I am not saying that these men involved have been without fault but in these two particular cases, these two men have been trying to make amends.

In one case, there was the guy that wanted to break up with the girl and she wouldn't let him. She continued to claim him and call him, but he was going out with his peeps & hanging and tlaking to her when he talked to her. I didn't understand it. I asked why were they still together, he said: he was trying to make it work... I dind't understand. When they broke up, I was like well, it's about time. And now, they're back together.... Hmmmm.

In another case, there is a guy that is notoriously selfish in relationships. and he was trying to make an effort in this one. She doesn't seem to be meeting him half way. Yet he tries to make it work. And she still does what she wants and chastizes him for not doing what she wants. And she has told him previously to "do what he has to do".

Now in BOTH cases I only got the guy's side, but either way it just seems so DUMB. (Please pronounce the "b".) Why would you want to work things out with someone that isn't budging? What is there to work out? Why would you want to keep someone around that wanted things on their terms? Why would you want someone to stay that clearly wasn't worth staying WITH?

Sly says:
You got to get it straight
How could I ever be late
When you're my woman takin' up my time
How could you ever allow
I guess I wonder how
How could you get out of pocket for fun
When you know that you're never number two
Number one gonna be number one


I took that to mean, he's being a good man to you, yet you still want to hassle him or treat him otherwise.
 
But this begs the question, what does it take to have someone WANT you to stay? Do you have to act psycho and flip out over little things? Do you have to sit at home and wait for him to call? Do you have to act disinterested in whether he stays or goes?
 
I'm not understanding what has them so intent on wanting these females to stay around when some of the qualities they have shown in the past have been less than admirable. And for those that are saying it's "that" in one case I know it's absolutely NOT "that", which REALLY has me buggin! I don't get it!
 
*scratches head and presses play again*
 
Tell me somethin Sly!
 

Monday, May 10

Found Writings: Untitled

(found this on a piece of paper in my old desk)

I was
Holding onto a dream
When I was
Gut-punched by reality
And out of my hands, I watched it fly
And I wondered
What would become of me...

My body, still reeling from the blow,
Flew through the thinning air around me
But I hit the ground with my mind still intact
And I land at your feet

What are you going to do about it?
Can you care about me?
Can you live without me?
I have to wait and see
It's not up to me

You are my new reality
Can you
Will you
Care for me?

Saturday, May 8

When You Think of Me

Today while overdoing it in the mall I ran into a guy I knew from undergrad. This wasn't just any guy, a few years ago at homecoming I realized how CUTE he was! We exchanged numbers and began a torrid long distance love affair. HA! He used to get my form warm with his texts and picture mail. and one day, I was down near his way and we went out. Shortly thereafter, that was it. no more phonecalls, picture mail, nothing. There's MUCH MUCH more to this part of the story, but that's not the point here. The point is he did something mega wack to me & I didn't do a thing about it.

I remembered that so I did just that! I saw him again last year at my undergrad homecoming and stank faced him a little bit and he truly acted like nothing was wrong. I spoke & kept it moving.

Then I saw him today in the mall and greeted him cheerfully. He told me he had moved to the area about 2 years ago & asked if I had heard he was in the Army. I thought to myself "Are you for real, why would I even care?" But I graciously smiled & said no. I was like well good to see you and sashayed away. And I wondered if like in Eric Benet's song: if he felt like dying, or if his world stopped spinning when he thought of (or in this case came face to face with) me. I often wonder that when I see an old flame & they aren't looking too hot. and I know that they know that I am looking GOOD! *tosses hair*

Bri's Weird Song of the Week- Like to Get To Know You



Stumbled across this song a few years ago back during the Launchcast days of Yahoo. The harmonies remind me of The Carpenters a little. But I love it. I found it to be sooothing during a VERY rough time I had late last year. ENJOY!

Wednesday, May 5

Putcho Fives in the AIYUH!



For the past few years, the girls & I have gotten together for Cinco De Mayo which we ALL no isn't even celebrated in Meh-he-co, but WE enjoy it! It usually consists of us gathering at someone's home, eating good food (like my margarita salmon) and blending up some margaritas.

This year, J & I have decided to do a little something different. We are going to go to lunch & make it last til siesta time lol. We'll see how it goes!

During the past Cinco gatherings we have had some classic lines come to life such as: "Who started the fire?" which apparently you are supposed to chant when after: "The roof, the roof, the roof is on FIYUH!" and then there was the year that J's supersessy brother (sorry J, I couldn't resist!) was just hollering out CINCOOOOOOOO in the middle of the bar & telling people to put their fives in the air. So tomorrow at noon, feel free to putcho fives in the air, put on your giant sombrero and take a nap under a cactus... (that wasn't intended to be prejudiced, just humorous... LIGHTEN UP!)

Friday, April 30

Bri's Weird Song of the Week- Glamour Boy

 have had music folks tell me I have interesting taste in music and they are usually surprised that I'm not more actively involved in music in some way. So I figured I would share my eclectic taste in music with you all...

This week's song:
Glamour Boy by The Guess Who

and for those of you that love to read and dissect lyrics I've included those too

Glamour boy



Get your costume on, you got ‘em lined up waitin’ for you


Glamour boy


You got ‘em standing’ in the aisles, don’t hang ‘em up


For $25,000 you can look like a woman tonight


For $25,000 I think it’ll work out right


I think it’ll work out


You never know how you’ll ride it


Think it’ll work out






Glamour boy


You’ve been tops for awhile with a million dollar smile


Glamour boy


You got rave reviews and you’re front page news


For $37,000 you can look like your sister tonight


For $37,000 I think it’ll work out right


I think it’ll work out


You never know how you’ll ride it


Think it’ll work out






So spin with the archer and laugh in his face as he cocks his bow


Steal from his mistress as she’s makin’ love to your family and be aware that there’s not many there


Who want to take time to sing and play an honest song for the people no more






"Ladies and Gentlemen, a warm space age welcome if you will


for the most phenomenal group of the century, RICKY AND THE BALLOONS"






Glamour boy


You’ve really had your fill and it’s all downhill


Glamour boy


You’ve got tales to tell when you see your old friends


For $49,000 you can look like a woman tonight


For $49,000 I think it’ll work out right


I think it’ll work out


You never know how you’ll ride it


Think it’ll work out

Thursday, April 29

Random Dude Update


I realized I haven't done what I CLAIMED I was going to do & that is update y'all on the random dudes I mention in my blogs. So here goes:

Dude from A Failure to Communicate:

I called him the morning of "the date" and told him that I couldn't make it. He asked when I would be available the next week, I told him 2 days. He told me to call him back or some such. I have not, I will not. I'm over it.

Dude from I Feel a Vibe with the unbrushed hair:

He texted me and asked me to go to the movies. I declined and said I didn't like remakes of a classic.

Thatisall...

Wednesday, April 28

Who Says I Can't?

I like to write poetry
And I also like to twerk it to the beat...

I like love songs by Erro
And I also like to follow the instructions in a YingYang Twins song

I like documentaries
And I also like stoner movies where nothing makes sense

I like deep discussions
And I also like laughing about things I see walking down the street

I like CNN
And I also like Bill Maher, Steven Colbert, and Jon Stewart

I like reading Langston Hughes
And I also like to read Augusten Burroughs, David Sedaris, Lauren Weisberger

I like to live my life
And I also like when you worry less about HOW I live my life this way...

I'm well-rounded, I appreciate it all
And you should appreciate all of me...
or don't

A Man that's LISTENING! (from verysmartbrothas.com)

I didn't write this... a friend of mine shared it with me thanks tothe wonderment of Google Reader! The site is called Very Smart Brothas and I'm JUST now getting into it... *hands in my late pass* But Icandiggit!

This was called Defining the "Diva Dude".... *NOTE: The language herein is harsher than that which I now use in my blog.... but the message is not affected by that!* I'm going to highlight (by embolding lol) the stuff that speaks to what I have been speaking to & comment in black. WISHMELUCK:

***this was originally posted two years ago, but a conversation with facebook fame lydia cotton yesterday convinced me to revise and enhance***


an epidemic unique to the black community, the “diva dude” describes the mindset created in certain faulty brothas, developed after reading and hearing about the “good black male shortage” supposedly sweeping through the country at a pandemic rate. (Now see, I thought it was JUST ME, but clearly someone besides my girls & me have observed this)



it’s a condition, an aura which basically lets every eligible woman within a 25 mile radius know “look, i’ve read the same articles that you have, and since i’m such an “endangered species“, i pretty much have carte blanche to do whatever the hell I want with you. kiss the ring, desperate b*tch”. (This guy has been eavesdropping on my convos with the girls! lol)



they’re walking among us, twirling blue and white sticks and passive-aggressively suggesting dutch first dates as we speak, and it’s one of vsb’s crime-fighting duties to locate and brand them before they continue to poison the already murky dating pool.



here are a few characteristics and behaviors synonymous of the diva dude. If any man possesses seven or more of these traits, he qualifies. (*Grabbing a piece of paper and writing some names at the top*)



think of this as a dating DSM-IV. (LOVE THE PSYCH REFERENCE! Are there types at the end? Diva Dude- Disorganized Type)

***before I continue, i want to make it very clear that being a young, successful, black male definitely doesn’t automatically make you a DD. DD’s are bred in insecurity…grown-*ss babies who need female attention to validate their existence. basically, these are the type of cats who would all of a sudden start using initials for their first names when becoming successful, thinking that “t. jonathan butler” on a business card might procure more panties than regular ole “tyrone j. butler” ever did***



1. they’re 25 to 35 years old, straight and single with degrees and decent incomes

basically, they’re the remaining 7.2 percent nightline leaves out when they make their hysterical “92.8 percent of black men are either dead, in jail, unemployable, still rocking FUBU, or f*cking a kardashian” graphics



2. they live in college towns or cities with metropolitan areas over 500,000 people
this is very important for two reasons:
A) most large metropolitan areas are perceived to have more “eligible” women than men, and this assumption allows the diva dude to basically get away with his bullsh*t unfettered.
B) if a group of women get wise and catches them, recognizing in them numerous diva dude characteristics, there’s always another mall or happy hour or convention somewhere in the city where the “mythical black man” shtick will probably guarantee free panties. there are suckers for DD’s with degrees born every minute.



3. they’ve been the proverbial ugly duckling until very recently
this is important, because the fact that they weren’t getting any rhythm before they got “hot” creates an inherent b*tch*ssness that permeates everything they do.



4. they’re only friends with other diva dudes
all DD’s are close friends with between one and four other diva dudes, a safe number which gives them a couple clubbing and tailor trip buddies, but not so many that their diva light doesn’t shine as bright. remember, these ain’t alpha dogs or lone wolves, just a bunch of beta d*cks thirsty for attention.


basically, this is the type of guy whose *edit* would get harder at the thought of a chick at the mall double-taking while he’s walking past her and jigging audi keys in his hand than it would if he actually slept with her.



5. they’re not chivalrous and proud of it
there’s nothing else that screams “diva dude” louder than a grown man who’s practically excited to get the opportunity to let everyone else know all the simple sh*t they’d never do for a woman.
“pay for dinner??? trick, please. what i look like buying you appetizers and water and sh*t when you don’t even swallow??? plus, you make like 31g’s a year!!! you’re telling me you can’t afford to buy your own damn iced tea???”

part of being a grown man is doing the right thing without any expectation of acknowledgment or reward (Karen Clark-Sheard shouting in circles while holding on to my lacefront) , but a typical DD will voluntarily and happily relinquish a crucial component of his own manhood just because some janky broad or two didn’t immediately fellate him when he gave up his seat for her on the train seven years ago.



6. they LOVE to scapegoat

words such as “all” and “every” always seem to find a way into their sentences when speaking negatively about the opposite sex, a common practice used by folks so blinded by bitterness that they can’t see how foolish a statement such as “all black women with master’s degrees give terrible bl*w jobs” really is (even if it might be true).



7. they’re delusional

there’s nothing a DD loathes more than actually admitting that he’s a DD, a phenomenon which produces some of the most hilariously misguided attempts of synonym use known to man.

from “practical” and “prudent” to “rational” and “realistic”, a typical DD will have an endless supply of words and euphemisms that make his DIVA-ness sound much less harsh


“i’m not bitter. far from it. i’m just ahead of the curve.”



8. they’re in a ton of party pictures
diva dudes love posing in pictures at parties more than fat asians love pumas. seriously, if you’re ever at a mixer or happy hour somewhere and you’re looking for a diva dude, just find the ridiculously overdressed cat faux ice-grilling a camera while clutching a mojito. (I laughed so hard I fell out of my chair! no really my chair rolled back without me!)



9. they pledged a graduate chapter of a fraternity

trust me.



10. they don’t actually date
instead of actual dates, diva dudes only interact with women they’re interested in through “meet-ups”; courting arrangements specifically designed to alibi them out of any expectation or accountability. saying sh*t like “let’s chill sometime.“ instead of “friday, i’m gonna take u to da movies” is an affected verbal manipulation allowing them to reap the benefits of a commitment without actually committing to anything. there’s a reason God hates lawyers.

(Let me repeat that for ya: instead of actual dates, diva dudes only interact with women they’re interested in through “meet-ups”; courting arrangements specifically designed to alibi them out of any expectation or accountability. saying sh*t like “let’s chill sometime.“ instead of “friday, i’m gonna take u to da movies” is an affected verbal manipulation allowing them to reap the benefits of a commitment without actually committing to anything. there’s a reason God hates lawyers.)





admittedly, there is a certain allure to living this lifestyle. not so much in the DD actions, but in the figurative thumbing of the nose at all the nightline-esque stats and sistas stating that you’re extinct. but, despite the attraction to this state of mind, you have to remember that these are the dudes who probably will end up like champ kind from anchorman when they reach 40…single, lonely, and unable to function without the aid of his crew of like-minded relationship nincompoops, and all sistas (and brothas) should avoid them at all costs.



—the champ
_______________________________________________________________________

*slow 80s teen movie clap that erupts into thunderous applause*
I don't know who "the champ" is... but I am glad he's hip to how Black women I know feel! kudos!

I'm not sure how this whole blogging abotu a blog thing works, but I definitely tried to make sure I acknowledged these were not my words and came from Very Smart Brothas post entitled defining the "diva dude"!!

Tuesday, April 27

You Hear Me, But Are You LISTENING?

I was going to do a blog yesterday about picking your battles in relationships. But, I just didn't feel inspired after a while to even address it. Most times I have to write in the moment, or it just doesn't flow the way I want or need it to flow.


Last night my girl J & I went to a discussion about Black men & women. And at this point, I wish I had stayed home. We jokingly said we were going to go there just so we could repeat over and over GUYS... DON'T... LISTEN!  But as it turns out, guys don't listen. And they proved it last night over and over again. They also proved that guys are very sensitive. The main issue I had with the guys in the room is that most of them were married or taken. Why are you here? It certainly wasn't to give sage advice... It seems their primary purpose was to say I am going to do what I want and you should accept that and look where it could get you... married to me after 5 years of dealing with my "I should have my picture in the dictionary under the word 'player'" self... That's an actual quote from a married man!

The night started out okay, but it turned into an emotional cauldron when I said I'm not in the habit of talking to guys that get on at Judiciary Square wearing a white tee and jeans because most of the ones I have encountered there have been "on papers" or coming from court. Apparently that statement (well, that is a paraphrase) was the heartbreak heard round the room because all the tee shirt and jeans wearers got up in arms.
Q: Why?
A: Because they HEARD I don't talk to guys in tee shirts and jeans.

Q: Is that what I SAID?
A: NO! But because they weren't LISTENING, they got upset & suddenly every man in the room had a comment for ME!

Q: Was I the only woman talking?
A: NO! Nor was I the only woman SAYING what I was saying. But for some reason, it was all about ME & J last night. *waves to my fans in the stands*

The overriding theme last night was the women's perceptions were based on self-preservation. The guys' perceptions were based on "give a brother a chance"... Am I the only one that sees the problem here?

Most of the voice raising and attitude came OVERWHELMINGLY from the guys. Including one guy who got SO mad at my Judiciary Square comment he went outside to take a breather. Then when he came back, he had SO much to say about what J & I said from the beginning up until I finally just walked out.
Q: Why was he so mad?
A: Because he was just at Judiciary Square in a tee shirt and jeans.

Q: Why was he there?
A: To get points off his license...

Q: How is that different from being on papers, or going to court?
A: I'm not really sure, but he felt that made him better than the defendANTS I see down there on the regular.

Then he tried to say that he has been down there in a suit and tie because he was going to court. And people would assume he was a lawyer. He could not have been more wrong. Lawyers at Judiciary Square have rolling briefcases full of files, etc. If I saw you down here with a suit on and a folder, I'd know. But I never mentioned guys in suits, NOR my preference of men, NOR the guys/men that I have dated, talked to, befriended, etc. in the very recent past. Guess what? They're tee shirt and jeans wearers. But guess where I did NOT meet them? That's RIGHT! Judiciary Square! I even felt kinda bad for the tee shirt and jeans wearers in the room and said I pay attention to the style and brand. But of course that just meant I was a Label Whore. and it certainly could not have meant that I use context clues to weed out the defendants from the hard-working tee shirt and jeans wearers.

The truth is I have dated guys without cars, guys that lived with their parents, guys that had more tennis shoes then dress shoes, guys that only graduated high school, guys that are artists and musicians, guys that were manual laborers. The TRUTH is I give a brother a chance, but the TRUTH is also, I have to be careful when and where. Because as a single woman in a Metro area, I'm all I got. But instead of empathizing with that, the guys that were there last night were waiting for a chance to defend or in some cases offend. People came to my defense last night because they said that I was being attacked. I didn't feel attacked, I found it funny because all attention was on me in a room full of women with similar opinions and I just couldn't figure out why. I can't explain to you HOW in their feelings some of those guys were... It got to the point where I would just laugh when they started talking. Because they were THAT emotional about tee shirts and jeans. But had they bothered to ask me if I dated men in tee shirts and jeans the answer would be an OVERWHELMING yes! One of the men I see most often is older than most of the guys in the room and is an AVID tee shirt and jeans wearer. I have seen him dressed up MAYBE twice.

But once the guy that had been in my and J's face all night suddenly got STANK! I knew it was time to excuse myself before I really got into it with him. He said he wasn't going to say everything he wanted to say because it would make too much sense. My response: "Yeah why would you want to make sense in a DISCUSSION!" and laughed. Apparently that was what turned him into a crazy-eyed HULK and he began spewing madness. Then it carried over into his business-sense and I heard him say probably the rudest thing you would want to hear from a business-owner. and THAT was when I had to leave. He had gotten so emotional about tee shirts and jeans, he let it cloud his business mind. EMOTIONAL!

"Look at me, I can't stop CRYING
Inside my heart is slowly DYING!"

The guys assumed that I was mad at one point, I told them that I was really disappointed because they weren't listening. And they proved it time and again.

And we're not even going to GET on the topic of the blatant lies that were being told and the inconsistencies in stories. For instance, TWO guys said they were players, those TWO guys were tee shirt and jeans guys, those TWO guys got mad at me for not wanting to talk to tee shirt and jeans guys at Judiciary Square, YET those TWO guys just said they were players... But maybe it's just me...

Shout out to alll my tee shirt and jeans wearing men that work hard and do what a man is supposed to do!!! *muah*

WHEW, I feel better now... can you say CATHARTIC!


p.s. I purposely didn't mention the name of the establishment or event because I'm going to "give the brothers a chance" again in the near future...

Monday, April 26

Plus Zero

Just a quick rant...

Why does it seem like some people alwys have something to say, but NOTHING to add. Think about that for a moment. In meetings at work, there is always that one person that has to say something, butin the end, what they say neither adds nor subtracts from the convo. It's just there. like a "+ 0" in a long equation. Why is this here? no matter where it is in the equation: beginning, middle, or the end- the fact remains, it adds nothing.

I know plenty of folk that are "minus one"s taking away from something important. And there are those people that like to give extemporaneous info "Exponentializers", they are the ones that just like to show you how much more they know than you... useless as it may be.

I am sure we have all been one of these or the other at some point in time. But what do you do when a person is a constant "+ 0" to the point where it sticks out like a sore thumb and aggravates you just as much.

For once, I don't know... If I come up with something, I'll let you know.

or not...

Friday, April 23

I Feel a Vibe!





Recently, I have been asked out on second dates that I was not very eager to accept. Why? Because the first date wasn't that hot. Imagine the picture above with the roles reversed and instead of me talking on the phone, I'm tweeting or sending a BBM or otherwise distracted.

I have also been on dates where I have been the girl in the picture. But I knew there would be no second date. And usually so did he. But lately there seems to be a necessity to call someone up or let someone know at the end of a not-so-great date that there will be no other dates thereafter.

A friend of mine, M, told our friend, J, that she liked one of J's brother's group of friends. She didn't say who. So one of them takes it upon themselves to say it was him. He told J's brother, "I feel a vibe!" He could not have been more WRONG! But did that stop him? NOPE!

So what makes some men so oblivious to vibeless interactions? How is it possible that two people can have two wildly different impressions of the same date. Were you not there when I texted an SOS to my friend? Did you not show up to the date high and with your hair unbrushed?

I need to understand why must I be the heavy and actually SAY: "I'm not interested in seeing you again." Especially since after much better dates, I got no callbacks & dealt with it with a shrug & a *delete*. But for SOME reason, recently, I've actually had to tell guys no thank you. And it wasn't very easy. I wonder if I will have to get used to this. *sigh* I hope not. *womp womp*

Wednesday, April 21

What You Won't Do For Love...

Listen to this AS you read... there's no video, so your aren't missing anything... lol


Everyone has their pet peeves and their lists and rules, written and unwritten, of things that they will not put up with in a relationship. The number one thing I find intolerable in any relationship (friends, lovers, family, etc.) is being dismissed or disregarded. Now, normally, that would set me off. But I'm trying to be & do better about letting people know how I feel and why one good time before blessing them out! But it truly makes me feel as if you think I am lesser-than and if I care about or for you, that bothers me tremendously. Now, once I have told you this, I expect to only have to remind you once at the MOST! After that? No holds barred. I'm GOING to go deaf with rage (my ears literally start ringing and I can't hear what I am saying) and let the Hulk out on you, verbally. I had an ex-boyfriend that couldn't quite grasp the concept of listening and it drove me BANANAS! But now, I think I try to be just a smidge more patient with people.

This has led me to the question: What do or can I be more tolerable of in the name of "love", "like", "canoodlery"? Well amongst my more minor pet peeves are:
  • pretending to know what I'm talking about- I don't need you to humor me... if you don't get it, then you just don't & that's cool.
  • stereotyping my girls and me- I can guarantee that neither I nor my group of female friends are like any other females you have ever encountered. So when you think you know how we roll, how we treat one another, what we discuss... you don't! Promise you that!
  • mispronouncing things- I am a stickler for grammar, syntax, and pronunciation, for the most part. So saying things like skrimp, or putting the word "The" in front of store names and an "s" at the end... AGGRAVATING!
  • not being diverse or branching out- If you only eat fried rice at any asian-esque restaurant or don't trust nothing but the burgers at any restaurant with a burger on the menu or ball your face up when I mention hummus, gyros, or feta cheese or think sushi is SIMPLY raw fish... we might don't make it!
  • being an overall bamma- Those shoes with that those jeans? Those jeans with that shirt? That shirt with ANYTHING? *smh* I don't know how I feel about dating a guy that wears stuff that my girls and I would frown on... or do I?
The fact is, ALL of this can be overlookable and even seem a little shallow if you truly like the PERSON and they treat you well. If your friends are really your friends, they should applaud you for overlooking minutae when what you have at the core is a good person. If that person is also compromising in the aforementioned areas, then you may be on to something. But if that person isn't giving way at all and expects you to do all the bending, you may have a problem.

ANY relationship requires some compromise. If someone tells you otherwise they are selfish and not worth your time! Now I have to sit back and ponder what is worth compromising and what is not. I already know being disregarded or dismissed is a "NO GO" in the Book of Bri!!!

Everything else on the short list (very short for me) miiiiight be negotiable. Hmmmmm... We'll see...

Monday, April 19

What Makes a Weekend Awesome?

I had a great weekend... What made it SO great?
  1. Shopping in Georgetown on Friday!
  2. Drinks and conversation on the waterfront!
  3. Cuddling up with a GREAT book!
  4. A GREAT conference call on Saturday morning!
  5. AWESOME shopping finds & secret sale prices!
  6. SANGING for 2 great church services without having to change shoes!
  7. A productive meeting of the minds for an amazing venture!
  8. A great movie & good conversation with a "man's man"!
Lemme break it down.

1. Friday I left work early to handle some biz & then met a friend in G'town for food & shopping. The food was good, the SECOND time. (I had to send my first plate back because it was ice cold *shudder*) Then, we sashayed thru the G'Town streets laughing & chatting as the 80 degree wind whipped around us.

2. We decided to go to Sequoia for a drink. the wind was WHIPPING, but it was so warm, we didn't care! We saw an AWESOME wedding shower/party. The bride & groom had on pink tuxedo tees. The groom's tee was couled with a seersucker jacket. It was AWESOMENESS! Then there was one guest that she & I kept sending the "look over here" vibe. He wasn't getting it. He was wearing a black shirt, tie & vest. and he was ADORABLE! Ah, well, he was probably a d-bag anyway.

3. For some reason last week, the book "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" kept popping into my head. NO idea why. I have never read it, didn't know who wrote it, or where I had heard of it. My girl wanted to go into the B&N on M Street to use the facilities and look for a book that was recommended to her. As we strolled through the fiction section randomly picking up books with interesting titles and reading the descriptions, we stopped at the end of one aisle and I happened to look to my right & there it was! The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Mila Kundera. I told my friend that that title kept popping in my head & then there it was. She remarked, you  HAVE to read it! I admitted I had NO idea what it was about. So I read the back & was IMMEDIATELY ready to sit right there in the store & read it. I handed it over to her & she said WE HAVE TO READ THIS! So we are. She is waaay ahead of me so I have GOT to get to reading today! I came home, EXHAUSTED, but determined to at least START the book. and now 9 pages in... I am way too emotionally involved in it & I LOVE THAT!

4. Saturday morning I was supposed to be on a conference call for a ministry at church. There only ened up being 4 people that called in. But we got alot accomplished & I "took minutes". I'm not great at it, but hey, I had to do what I had to do. There are some GREAT things on the horizon & I am excited & proud to be part of it!

5. Went to a not so local mall to find a pink shirt & possibly a red and or purple shoe. I found both a pink & purple shirt and some nice jeans that rang up cheaper than they said on the sale sign! We strolled through the shoe section and I remarked that the shoes were boring... until I beheld THIS SHOE!
HELLO GORGEOUS!

I asked for a 9, they didn't have it! But she brought me a 8.5 & 9.5 just to see. I tried on the 8.5 & it wasn't fitting properly. :-( I asked if she could find out who had a 9. She brought me back a list. The store closest to me had ONE 9 left. Then there was another with 2 pair & one that was FAR away with 3 pair. I was already prepared to spend a pretty penny on the shoes, but LOOK AT THEM! *drool drool drool* So I dropped my friend off & head straight to the store near me. When I walk in, I see a fuschia suede pair, but not the black leather. *sigh* I ask the salesperson if they have it in black in a 9. She checks, and they have do indeed have one pair in a 9. I try them on & it's as if I was stepping into heaven! I took them to the register all prepared to spend an insane amount of money (for ME anyways) on a great shoe. The salesperson informed me the shoe was ON SALE! *the crowd goes wild!* I proudly and happily pay the sale price and hurry home to try them on! I strutted around the house in them for about 20 minutes and tried them on with various outfit possibilities for church on Sunday! Afterwards, I laid in the bed basking in the glow of a great shopping day!

6. Our church has new monitors & cameras, so how the choir looks is important. We were told to "bring it" on Sunday. So I did. I played in makeup for a WHILE, finally getting a look I could live with & be proud of and headed out the door. I was so scared of messing up the heel of my shoe, I didn't even wear them INTO church. I carried them with me! When I got there I prayed that my feet would not be ABLAZE before offering and put the shoes on. The shoes lasted through BOTH services and well into the evening. As did the makeup! I feared my voice would give out because my section was outnumbered, but it didn't! The message was great & the spirit was high! Boom bang POW!

7. I stopped by to see a friend & run an errand then I headed to a meeting. At this meeting, some great things came together with some great minds. I am really excited about the possibilites and outcome. But I won't share it right now. :-)

8. I checked the mirror as I was leaving the meeting & my makeup was still jammin on the one. I wiggled my toes in my awesome shoes and they were still good to go. The sun was giving me energy & I wasn't ready to go home. I called up a friedn of mine and asked if he wanted to hang out. He said yes & we went to the movies to see "Date Night". FUNNY! Afterwards, we sat in the car and had a long discussion about men & women. And he thought he knew what I was going to say. He did not. He thought he knew how my close friends and I get down. He was wrong. He thought he had me pegged. NOPE!

I wish I could replay this weekend all over again, it was that super-duper! And i look forward to having several more weekends like it!

Thursday, April 15

Did Tawanna Tell You That?: Fenty "Defends" Rhee

A few years back, Allen Iverson was rumored to have thrown his wife Tawanna out of the house naked. Once word spread, the reporters converged on the Iverson home asking questions & making accusations. Ann Iverson, A.I.'s mom comes out of the house and attempts to make a statement about all marriages having their ups and downs. A reporter asks if that includes tossing your wife out naked and Ann gets super defensive telling them to get out of her face and asking where did they get that information and finally she asks:
"Did Tawanna tell you that?"

GOLDEN SOUNDBYTE! GOLDEN!!!

This morning, I got into work a little later than usual because I was watching DC's own Mayor Fenty on Fox 5 fielding questions regarding a supposed budget deficit that ended up being a budget surplus in DC's education department. For those that may not be familiar, Chancellor Rhee was brought in to "fix" DC's HORRID education system and she recently fired 200 teachers. Some of whom had been teaching for years upon years. Some that taught ME & my friends! Anyway, initially it was IMPLIED that the teachers had assaulted or otherwise inappropriately interacted with students. Then she said only SOME of them had.

Earlier this week, it was announced that Rhee may have miscalculated the average teacher's salary by 20K and now the deficit is a surplus. VOILA! I'm not great at math, buterahhhhh... a $43 million deficit turns into a $34 million dollar surplus, HOW?

Fenty came on the show smiling! And then he launched his d-bag defense! He was condescending and arrogant and clearly being defensive! He asked the reporter: "Who are you talking to?" in reference to where she got the information she was sharing with him. At one point he claimed not to have all of the information when he was apparently denying there was a math mistake despite Rhee admitting to her $77 million dollar "OOPS!" He even asked her: "What does that have to do with anything?" when she tried to link the firings (which Fenty claims were a result of the City Council cutting $20 mil), the math mistake, and the surplus.

*TIME OUT*
I'm not a math whiz by ANY means. But, if you get your budget cut by $20 mil and you cut 200+ teachers. Then end up with $34 million EXTRA because you were making good fiscal decisions.... Why couldn't you keep the teachers and make the good fiscal decisions before? But you know what, I'm not good at math or apparently common sense either. So let's move on, shall we?
*TIME IN*

When I shared this with my e-mail crew, one of them replied:
Did Tawanna tell you that?
And that is JUST how the interview felt! He was SUPER defensive like someone was lying on his child! Then he was getting funky on the news reporter like her name was Big Bub. (random 90s New Jack Swing reference) Will the teachers get their jobs back? NO! Will Fenty admit anything went wrong? NO! Will he let you talk bad about the wrong-doings, miscalculations and HUGE MISTAKES his kids hand-picked staff are rumored to have made? NO!


Did Tawanna tell you that?
NO!




Tuesday, April 13

Holly Hobby!

I went to NYC about a year ago for a fabu wedding. And I decided I wanted to but a camera that took better pictures than my rinky dink handheld. I tried to borrow one, but by the time I got someone to let me hold theirs, it was too late to try to get it from them. So I went to NYC with the decision to buy one. I OVERPAID for a FujiFilm DSLR and commenced to taking some GREAT pics!

I fell in love with photography! I started taking pics of some of everything! Here are a few:





I also took some shots of a friend of mine that she loved. Since then I have been asked to do a photoshoot and I was thinking I need to step my game WAY UP! I went to Amazon and bought an umbrella light 


Then one night I was asked to take some pics in a dark club and I realized my flash wasn't cuttin it! I looked into buying a new camera, but as I was researching I realized there was a little invention called a light scoop that helped make the flash less direct. I am excited to try it! So now, I am reading up on digital photography and just in time for summer, I'll be ready to actually charge a little money for my services. 

Until then, I am seeking a male model for some test shots. Nudity not necessary! *wink*

Monday, April 12

A Failure to Communicate

So it would seem, the less interested you act... the more interested a guy becomes. I have two problems with this:
  1. I don't like playing games.
  2. What if I'm really NOT interested?
It appears that I have no choice in the latter. I just got off the phone with a guy I met in Glen Burnie back in February after he gave me his parking space in a crowded parking lot and subsequently pulled up behind me to "holla". I was in a hurry, so I cut the small talk, took his number & ran inside the building. After leaving, I decided to go ahead and get it out of the way, so I called him. He seemed cool. Older, divorced, one child that is about 10, business owner... several businesses. Then, his inconsistencies began to show.

He'd ask what I was doing on a certain day because he wanted to see me go to dinner, etc. Then I wouldn't hear from him for a week. This happened more than once. But I guess since we never set a time, it's not really considered being stood up, right? So after the first time, I just didn't take him as a man of his word... and he didn't make any effort to be one. I stopped calling. He did not. He would call late. He would call early. He would call 2 times within a few hours. (But not in a stalkerish calling everyday kind of way... just once a week or so) I would look at the phone with the "Mm." face. Now some guys may be saying that ain't right, blah blah blah. And really that is true.

The last time he called, I answered. It was late and I was in Miami so I picked up the phone without looking thinking it was one of my friends that was down there at the time. It was not. I was short with him, told him I was in Miami and he asked me to bring him a real estate paper back. WHAT??? He said it would be a good reason for us to link up. After the various previous missed links, I knew there was a very slim chance I would see him or talk to him anytime after that. I was correct.

It has been almost exactly one month since I went to Miami. about an hour ago my phone rings & I recognize the number as his. I took a deep breath and answered the phone. I was determined to make it plain today. I was dry, short & less than chatty. He noticed, but apparently that wasn't enough for him. He continued to talk as if we had just spoken last week. He asked what area I worked in & said he wanted to do lunch. Then he started telling me where he was and asking if that was close to where I worked. I told him no. He kept talking about going to lunch and I point out to him that I never agreed to go to lunch with him. He asks if I have time for lunch today, I say yes. He asks if I can go to lunch today, I say I COULD. I think he may finally be starting to get it.

Finally after a few more minutes of pained conversation I said: "The last few times you said you wanted to see me, you didn't even bother to call back."

His response: "I've been busy, I've got businesses to run. I'm hiring people and firing people. I get sidetracked." (I know someone in a similar situation who has made time to text, or call, or send a FB message... SOMETHING.)

I say, dryly, "For weeks at a time?"

He laughs a little and says. "Well, over that time, as strange as it seems I WAS thinking about you, if you can believe that. I just really been busy."

"Well, you can make time for anything if you wanted to."

"This is true."

"You didn't leave me with a great impression."

Here he goes into a spiel about even if we're just friends he thinks I'm a good person. And good people need good people and this and that and the other. Insert mixed metaphors and misinterpreted cliches here. BLAH! He apologized several times. Then, after allll that he says: "So when can we try again this week?" Is he serious? I said what happened to going to lunch this afternoon. He said he wouldn't be done until 9 PM. Ummmm huh? I reminded him that he JUST said something about going to lunch today. He says he is free until 12. It was 10:50. He says the ball is in my court, yadda yadda. I say I am free Wednesday. He says ok how about an early dinner. I ask what is early. He says 8. I'm thinking 8 isn't early, that's dinnerTIME. He says ok then 6 on Wednesday. I say, sure. And he tells me to call him later. I say goodbye and hang up. I talk to my girl via IM... and then, I share it with you.

So, here is my rationale. I had never informed him that I found his previous actions to be egregious. So I cannot, in all fairness, fault him for them. Upon informing him of such, it is only fair to give him the opportunity to redeem himself. His age and assumed level of experience with women, notwithstanding, I cannot assume that he knew better though I am fairly certain he did. I have made it plain for him and will no longer bite my tongue. We'll see how THIS turns out... *eyeroll*