I heart The Polkadotted Stripe By Jaspects...

And not only because the Atlanta-based sextuplet is a mosaic of harmonious male hotness... (wink)

The ideal mix of self-described Funk, Jazz, Hip-Hop and Soul…Reeling with free-thought and expression, this album has moved me to a place of undeniable soul searching. With themes hovering around freedom and sovereignty, its no wonder I’m ready to concur, or at least steal back my world, after even just one listen.

The Album’s title song Polkadotted Stripes is emotionally moving. With child-like innocence, it asks the question,

“America Don’t you love me?
I just need for you to tell me the truth…”

It’s a question that we’d all like to ask. And of course we know the answer… but messages are coming at us left and right stating that our best interests are at the heart of American decision making… If we ever decided to take the high road and give America a chance to answer honestly, this might be how we’d ask the question.




Another outstanding track, Fallin, is a poignant conversation between the American public (both misfit and main street), and their favorite Uncle Sam. While the figurative main character of the song strolls nonchalantly along Main and Wall Streets with gradually emptying pockets, The Great Uncle incessantly tags along chanting a mantra-like reminder that we are “falling for ever in debt” to him. So simple and well stated are the lyrics that it’s easy to soak up the message in just one listen. But one listen won’t be enough… trust me. The smooth sounds of this horn and harmony rich tune are on repeat at my house... I find myself in a trance like state, as I stare somewhere into space thinking, “Goddamn I AM falling in debt to Uncle Sam!”

The most inspiring aspect of this song is that it creates social movement in a gentle way. It doesn’t anger you to action. It quietly helps you to realize your position, opening your mind to the possibility of other themes to come... while connecting your spirit with the energy and vibration of others who are tired of feeling used.




The Rhythmic and Melodic 2010, (one of my favorites) is a cut that grabs your attention right from the start with a pulsating beat and blaring horns under intense almost chant-like enchanting lyrics. Ebbing and Flowing… Building all the way through until it ends with the declaration:

“I Just want to be free as I can be,
Someone please help me,
help me to be FREE!
I JUST WANNA SEE FREEDOM!”

Janelle Monae does a beautiful job with this one.




This album leaves me ready to find myself and allow myself to be whatever it is that I find. To find freedom and hold it worthy above all that equates to what’s “right” in my neighbors eye. In awe and reverence, I’m ready to throw all that is stagnant and full of societal-cliche out the door... for the knowledge of liberation and self-determination.

My Sis

Arise :: FW 2010
Originally uploaded by Esennyl

This is my sissy Ne.

She blogs here

...and is quite Fabulous and Awesome! LOVE HER!

TBM - Vol. LIVE!

The Blue Method's new album Vol. Live! is available for sale!

Check it out Here!

Oh Yeah Solid Travels to Europe!

As most of you know, I will be leaving tomorrow for a trip abroad.
The trip consists of vists to Germany (Munich), Czech Republic (Prague) and Italy (Florence, Rome)

I will be posting info and pictures throughout the trip here at "Oh Yeah? Solid." and also at the following site:

http://www.oystravels.blogspot.com/

Check in frequently to catch-up with me!
See you all when I get back!

Subscription to My Life

I think I’m due for an entry here. It’s much better than doing the mounds of work piling up… Damn pile. It’s never ending.

I gotta say that the more things happen, the less able I am to pull them together into some sort of cohesive written text for mental digestion. That’s why I’m always in and out of blogging… Sometimes I can’t get my thoughts together.

But in summary, we are still convincing people to come in for massage almost to my amazement. They’re trickling in one at a time that’s for sure, but they’re still coming nonetheless.

Had our first creepy-can’t-comeback-ever client too. That’s an experience I don’t want to go through again.

Good reviews are coming in. (woo-hoo!)

AND we’re finally up on Myspace and Facebook. Be our friend. Thanks.

Random Stuff…

Finally sent Sungee’s Cuff back to LA to be sized since apparently I have no idea how to estimate a wrist size. Thanks to Sunny for being so ready and willing to fix it for us so that he can actually wear it. Yay!

Also, added a couple links to the right side over there… Someone has taken the time to list out the things that “Educated [as oppose to just plain ‘ol] Black people like”. It's a response to someone else’s list of the “Stuff that white people like”. Let me know what you think. Do you subscribe to these stereotypes?

And speaking of subscriptions, did you know that you can get magazine subscriptions from Ebay for like pennies? Dude I lie not. I got 5 subscriptions for a total of about $10. Two have started coming. They are current, addressed to me, and very real I assure you. It's insane… Please just make sure to read the fine print so you end up with a new subscription and not a bunch of old back issues. Thanks Jerry.

xo,
G

Dooce

I think its amazing that this woman has so much traffic to her blog that she was able to sell enough ad space to make both herself AND her husband stay-at homers. Life is so strange. I couldn’t have predicted we’d be so addicted to the internet… I think I just found a new goal.

Cookies? Yes Please!

M’s Holiday Cookie Exchange was last night. Who knew I’d have such a good time. AND who knew I could make Oatmeal cookies? Go figure. Actually, M helped me cheat by directing me here for some easy recipes. The punch was exceptionally good so I wanted to share the recipe with you… hope she doesn’t mind! :)

Pomegranate and Champagne Punch

Ingredients
2 cups champagne
1 cup pomegranate juice
1 cup seltzer
1/2 cup citrus vodka
Lemon twists for garnish

Preparation
Combine champagne, pomegranate juice, seltzer and vodka in a large bowl or pitcher. Serve over ice with a twist of lemon.

Mmmmm so so good!

In Other news, Sungee went to pick up the desk for Mellow… we have a front desk now people!! Unbelievable how far this thing has come… as always promised, pictures to come soon.

And, since he's one of the only people that I know reads this blog on a regular basis,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAM!!!

(This is where I'd link to your blog if you had one.)

Cold Rain

It’s a rainy nasty day outside. Not the nice warm comforting rain but the cold miserable kind that is only nice if you can stay dry in your warm bed for the day. It’s making me kinda sad… I’m trying to force myself to get out of the doldrums… especially since there is so much to be happy about.

I handed in my last final for the quarter last night. A case study on the Eastman Kodak Company and why Kodak had such a hard time keeping up with competitors given its once monstrous presence in the film market. So now I can rest from school at least until January.

Chair massage at Swarthmore today… We’re really excited about that because it’s our first college final exam stress buster type event. That’s always been something that I’ve planned for so it will be nice to see how it goes. We are currently looking for more On-Site chair massage business so if anyone is in need of some “good rubbin”(R.M. Sungee), give me a call.

Oh and the maintenance man has FINALLY caulked the window at Mellow so we’ll now be able to keep the heat in. Its about time… we could literally see the outside courtyard clearly around the edges of the window.

Not sure how the handmade gift thing is going to go. I’ve gotten some things that are handmade but I don’t think I’ll be able to find something handmade for everyone on my list by Christmas… so I’ll have to resort to store shopping. At least a little. I’m proud of the artists that I did support though… I’ll tell more after the gifts are given.

And the Coffee thing is going alright too. I’ve definitely still been drinking coffee… but not the $4 Starbucks lattes. My pockets are feeling a bit fuller now that I’m thrifting my way through the coffee crave. Not full enough to buy my plane ticket to Munich though…

I got these in the mail last week.

Please understand when I tell you in all honesty, I AM IN LOVE with these earrings. They are light and beautiful and I have to have them ALL. And the best best best part about them is that whatever silver she uses… I don’t seem to be allergic to it. Could it be that there is no nickel here? Could it be sterling? It’s like heaven. The earrings I’ve been searching for all my life.

· Wood
· Hypoallergenic
· Lightweight (no old lady torn earlobes)

I knew everything was made better in Montreal…

xo,

G

Freedom for the Jena 6

As many of you know, I attended my first march/protest this past Thursday in Jena, Louisiana. The story of the “Jena 6” and the resulting protests, and rallys are everywhere and I’m certain that if you don’t know what’s going on down there, you’ll “google” “Jena six” or click on the following link to find out the details. Please remember that it’s difficult to link to an article because links are often outdated as details change or are confirmed, etc.

Jena Six


Thanks for your support and prayers as my sister and I took this journey. We did our best to make you proud. I want to take some time to focus on some of the things that I learned along this amazing, over 48 hour round trip bus ride into the deep deep south where the most ugly face of racial injustice is quite apparent… not at all hush hush as most of us are used to.

We boarded the bus at 5 am on Wednesday September 19, 2007. All were represented… every one from 6 to 81 years of age, every race, every religion. ALL were represented within the two busses that traveled together. (A total of about 15 busses traveled down to Jena from Philadelphia; however our bus traveled the entire trip with one other companion bus.)

Though we were all so different, we had one very important trait in common. We had no idea the immense impact that this impending journey would have on our lives, our way of thinking, and our way of viewing and perceiving this thing called activism.

In short, we were seeking to show our support for the “Jena 6”, a group of young men being accused of things so ridiculous and in such a matter, that most people actually let out a slight (albeit disgusted) chuckle when listening to the accusations and details of the case. It’s unreal to think that a 16 year old could be charged and convicted in an adult courtroom for attempted murder with a tennis shoe after participating in nothing more than a high school fist fight. Yet this has happened, and those on the trip felt it our duty to fight for, support, and show love for these young men and their families during this time.

Some expected that we’d have Mychal Bell, the only young man still being held in prison, freed by the end of Thursday. Freedom for Bell and the remaining 5 young men was our mission. Our goal… our purpose.

Though Freedom did not prevail, the energy and momentum that was generated from this journey was so extreme that we could feel and smell it in the air. Touch and taste it in our conversations with the local black folk that thanked us over and over and over again, claiming that they needed our presence and support.

In our supposed loss situation, we actually came out on top. In relationships, in energy and attitude. In ideas and faith. In hope, in fire, in determination and in understanding that this is the beginning of something great; we all gained.

No sense can be made of a town that lives decades behind its time. A town in which blacks are not held to the same standards as whites in a court of law. A town in which high school children (and yes people, no matter how grown we think we are at 15 or 16, we are absolutely and without doubt, still children) are forced to participate in a separate but certainly not equal, lifestyle… And it is in fact so ridiculous and gives one such a headache in trying to make sense of it, that it has ignited a fight in the 10s of thousands of people who journeyed down to show the nation… the world… that we can unite. We can organize. We can act civil and peaceful in demanding respect. And make no mistake about this. Respect will be demanded from here on out. In 2007, there is no room for a town like Jena. A town that takes away the lives of our black children in an attempt to rid the nation of our race. It stops right now.

Many of these wonderful people that we traveled with are already meeting and planning our next steps. The most important lesson learned during this trip was that the struggle is not over. It is very much real, present, and frightening. If we do not fight to end the racism, and injustice in this country, we will lose. I for one will not lose something that I have not at least fought for.

I’ll post more information about what you can personally do to help with the fight for the “Jena 6”. Please do not take the attitude that you as one lone individual have no influence. You alone have all the power that thousands together have. As I’ve mentioned before, You MUST stand up for what you believe in. no matter what it is. If you don’t, you CAN NOT expect anyone else to stand up for you.

In Jena and now after, I feel certain that I, as one, can and will make an impact. Every protestor that attended the march in Jena is one person on their own. However, together, we flooded the streets of that town… proving that we are a unit that will not stand for others to control our future.

For now, peace people.

P.S. MELLOW IS COMING!
Details soon.

Mental Enslavement

a.s.i.s.

$48?

No offense and much respect to Ms. Spencer... the earrings truly are adorable and i guess you're paying for the hand-craftedness... but $48??


NOTE TO SELF: Must make stuff to sell for a living. All research points to one fact... It can be done.

Pete the Cat

Today shall be remembered as the day i fell in love with Pete.
Next to my guys, he is quite possibly the coolest.