Does anyone else......

.....listen and watch music videos on youtube and google the lyrics in another tab and have a personal karaoke sesh in their own room??

this my ish. . . .

I will always think of New York City's Puerto Rican Day Parade when I hear this...BORICUAAAS IN THE HOUSEEEE!!!

The Birth of Cool

On Saturday, Mr. Rosas and I hung out in Santa Monica, and also saw and experienced the fine work of artist Barkley Hendricks. The Santa Monica Museum of Art located in the Bergamot Station has been showcasing Hendrick's The Birth of Cool for some time now and will be doing so until early August. Barkley's work is mostly comprised of portraits that are striking yet subtle, simple yet specific. Here are a few paintings of his....i'll let the work speak for itself....

shine shine baby, its cool

In times of deep stress and strife
I look at birds in the sky and on the
ground and wish
I were one too -
no financial problems to
age me past my years
no rent to worry about
no cell phone to worry about losing or
keeping charged
no career competition or clothes to fuss w/,
I don't think they have to worry about
finding romantic companionship either.

This morning I looked outside my
window into an ordinary and common
Los Angeles alley.
The weatherman said it was 88 degrees Fahrenheit but
the cracked concrete looked 108.
-I thanked my God for keeping me
cool (in the A/C).
When comparing her nests to my bed -
-I'd take my top bunk anyday.
The bird may be able to fly freely whenever she or he may please
- but I like staying in sometimes with a cup of hot sweet tea and a bagel or grapes.

I can't find any comparisons that make my money problems seem small
- but I thank God for being here - a human - w/ problems and all.

PERSIAN (فارسی ) PARTY!

Since I've been in college in Los Angeles, I have experienced a number of things and attended events that I would NEVER have thought I'd find myself at. From indie rock concerts with the LA hipsters to standing on the red carpet at the BET Awards face to face with personalities from television and radio - I seriously try to absorb every event and person I meet so as to somehow get a deeper understanding of the world around me. I don't know if I'm understanding this world any better, but I'm having all kinds of fun just trying.

Last week, at the request of my wonderful friend (who happens to be of Persian descent), my roommate and I attended a semi-formal dinner party in Beverly Hills where Farsi was the language of the evening and meat was the stock of almost every dish. At first, I was nervous. "Im Black, they're gonna be looking at me like I'm crazy!!!...at least my Mexican roommate can pass as Persian...what if they're mean?...how many people are gonna be there?....am I dressed okay?...let me make sure I smell good so when they hug me they remember! ...should I bring my resume?...."

Upon arrival to the party, my heart is beating fast as a jackrabbit, and I get a little nervous. But at the sight of my friend's unique smile, I feel cool again "yea i got this...no worries...these people dont scare me" Once inside, I find that Persian people are some of the nicest people I have ever met!! Usually, when I go to non-Black friends' houses, I feel uncomfortable and unwelcome (but then again, that's in Pennsylvania and Texas..), but the people at this party made me feel as if they wanted to know me, as if I, with my own smile and courteous small talk, could enhance the lives of their own! It was refreshing and interesting.

Though the food wasn't all for me as a vegetarian - meat was a main ingredient of almost EVERY dish present - the salad and uniquely seasoned rice were both fancied by my tongue. In attendance were some some Persian big shots...some radio personality guy, an actress, a famous singer/tar player...and it was interesting to see all of these people so poised yet seeming to have such an enjoyable time. Oh, also, I can't fail to mention the funny/semi-creepy guy with the whitish-grey ponytail who, while introducing himself to us and getting to know us through exchange of conversation, managed to lowkey kinda scare us a bit!

It was interesting to see clear Persian traditions still prevail in the land of decadence and assimilation. The stand-out moments of the night for me were the performances by the tar player who sang songs in Farsi while the rest of the party chimed in, and when my friend's mother cut a rug and showed us her Persian dance skills!!!

All in all, I had a good time, and the fruit was delectable! I must say though, during the party I couldn't help but wonder how each person felt and/or was affected by the recent and not-so-recent political strife...??

Oh and did I mention how good the fruit was???? Fruit was so juicy made me wanna learn Farsi! Mmm....good times!

Shab bekheyr va khab hay e khoob bebini!

6 days strong.

For the past 6 days I have been living the life of a vegetarian. It started as a detoxification of my body (and something to prove my friends wrong about), but after more reading and research, I have come to like the idea that nothing dead is entering my body that is LIFE! Some may say it's only in my head, but I have felt very energized during the past few days while filling up on fruits and veggies. Perhaps, this is a lifestyle change??? I don't know. We'll see. As of right now, I plan on going past the 1-month limit, and will continue to cater to and properly nourish the temple that is my body. As of now, I'm formally considered a lacto-ove vegetarian, meaning that I still consume some dairy and egg products (for me: milk, eggs, and cheese).

Any recipes would be greatly appreciated. ;-)

R.I.P. MICHAEL JOSEPH JACKSON

There's no way I could continue to blog without mention of this man whose life has contributed so much to my own. Since my days in the womb, Michael's music has beat my eardrum. So many family gatherings, birthday parties, and car rides have been seasoned with the music of Michael that he had become a constant force in all of our lives. Let us remember the philanthropist, humanitarian, musician, and father. Let us celebrate the man who "constantly used his power, money, and influence to help others" and "who constantly sang of love and peace, and used his talent to entertain, uplift, and inspire millions".....We will always miss you Michael! May you rest in peace!!

So we were bored one night.

I must tell you, this summer has not been what I have wanted it to be in some ways. I have known for a long time that things never ever go as planned, so I never expect anything to be a certain detailed way when it comes to events/meetings/friendships/jobs/money situations. Sometimes though, even in my non-expectant mode of life, even I am thrown for a loop. Saturday night, THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW threw me for a loop.

I had been acquainted with the movie through late night vh1 and comedy central, but supposedly, and according to the "narrator" at the theatre, that wasn't authentic. The movie itself isn't that bad, imo, but the patrons are! (i know, i hate ending that sentence with a verb too)...Men and women alike were cross-dressed, people were half-naked, sex was the root of EVERY joke, and everybody looked sweaty! With that description alone, you should know how I felt about it already! It felt like someone threw me into Babylon to see how I would react. Still, I can't say I hated it. The RHPS in-theatre experience is in a class of its own. I appreciated its uniqueness, but perhaps my naivete did not allow me to completely understand what was exactly going on. (i know, i ended that one with a preposition) The only true gripe I have is the jokes towards Afrikan-Americans and Jews, I DID NOT APPRECIATE THAT AT ALL...AND IN NO WAY SHOULD THAT BE TOLERATED AT SUCH A FAMOUS AND WELL-KNOWN SHOW!

All in all, let's just say I won't be back to the Rocky Horror Picture Show. I'm glad I experienced it, but I won't be back.

IM SORRY Y'ALL

....I've been busy on the career hunt and plannin my life with spurts of meetin new people and hanging out with the ones that get on my nerves. I'll leave with a bit of the usual this blog is known for so far: a poem, a video, and a piece of me.....


uber chill video im feelin a whole lot right now....to me, it sounds like summer...

Everybody sucks and so do I
My clock ticks too fast
when the dishes are dirty,
but my water is loud
when I have company.
Will u respect me like I ask?
Or leave me in the dust to
spite me so hard!!
This world doesnt hurt us any longer
so leave my family alone.

(I wrote that in 10th grade about an experience that I wont go into detail about - its an oldie, but is it a goodie??)