thatskinnybrowngirl

The Green Sofa...

2009-11-11T21:36:00.001-08:00

I think I must have this Green Sofa from Urban Outfitters. It reminds me of the Santa Maria del Fiore... sigh, I miss Italy.

What Dreams are Made of...

2009-11-11T21:31:00.000-08:00

Thank goodness its Fall.... =PIE TIME!

'Colliding Forces' Video

2009-11-11T21:30:00.001-08:00

New Girl in an Old House...

2009-10-26T16:22:00.000-07:00

So its no secret that I'm planning a big move within the next 2 weeks....I've been "moving" for about 2 months now, but Its taking me much longer than expected. You see, Im actually sorta flipping a house at the moment... my mothers old home where she grew up in with my Grandmother and Great Grandma needs to be rented out, and I need to be renting so... In the beginning mom's words were, "If we can all put at least 3 solid days of cleaning in, it should be ready."

Well my friends, 3 days turned into 3 months, but the time is almost near, I can smell the fresh paint in the autumn breeze! (ok, not really) but dad and I did finish painting yesterday (my room is a Behr mix entitledMineral...it looks like ice, a light grey base with tints of blue), which may have been the happiest moment in this whole process. So, now its on to what I've been looking forward to doing...the Interior Design. YES. So, as I journey through this process...the process of furniture thrifting coupled with multiple IKEA trips, researching the rules of feng shui, and cat proofing the pad for my little black cat Amani (we call her Monroe, cause shes such adiva)...

...I'll be keeping a photo diary. Yay. Stay Tuned.

Amani/Mani/Monroe: The ultimate Diva Cat, waiting for her new home to be ready...Clearly you cant look royalty in the eyes

Mineral by Behr: Click Here, and you may have to calibrate your monitor to see the true color... ugh, dont get me into color issues with computers...I get so aggrivated. Thats why I painted my walls this neutral-grey-ish-color. Its pretty crucial when doing any computer aided graphics projects in order to properly see the colors on your screen...

Mellow Nights!!

2009-10-12T05:16:00.001-07:00

A BIG jazzyFAT DISASTER

2009-10-05T05:03:00.000-07:00

So, if you're from Philly or South Jersey, or just a lover of ah...ehem, "Neo-Soul" I'm sure you will remember a little club downtown called, "The 5 Spot". The 5 Spot was/is a place with a performance stage area upstairs, and a club/bar atmosphere downstairs. Many greats of our time have started out doing shows here, including Musiq Soulchild and Jill Scott. I believe it burned down a few years ago but...

Anywhooo, before then a bunch of talented women musicians had a monthly show there called the Black Lily. This is how I came to know one of my ultimate favorite groups.... theJazzyfatnastees...or endearingly called by my sister and I, "the Jazzy's" Either way, I've always been the young one of the group, and so I never actually got a chance to go to Black Lily, because at the time I wasn't 21, and no I didn't have a fake. smh. Either way a few years down the line after the Black Lily set fizzled out I had the opportunity to see the Jazzy's perform at World Cafe. EXCITEMENT. I went. I listened (uhhh, better yet, was entranced) and afterward, a good friend of mine had the bright idea that I go introduce myself and say hello.

I knew it was a bad idea. I said bright, as in innovative, not good.

Oh well, I went against my better judgement, and walked over to one of the ladies, and proceeded to say hello, but I scared her (since she knew not that I was behind her)...and this ensued a chain reaction of her turning around, bumping into me, and spilling RED WINE all over her WHITE outfit. The rest of this story is unnecessary to tell, or rather yet, too embarrassing. They are still my favorite group. However, I've constantly debated on wearing a disguise the next time I go to a concert.

You, however really should check out their music, and when you do...think of me, SBG, the big scare and the fallin wine. You're sure to get a chuckle or two. -SBG

Flo Soundwave Panel by Karim Rashid

2009-09-22T06:04:00.000-07:00

SKINNY STYLE

2009-09-14T17:03:00.000-07:00

A few years ago I delved into the world of blogging under the title "thatSkinnyBrownGirl"... It was fitting enough...I am a girl, I am brown, and yes, I am def on the skinny side. -trust me, this isn't always a positive label, especially now that the thicky curve look is IN-... Anyways, I still post for this blog: thatSkinnyBrownGirl ...mainly about silly events that happen in my life, interesting things I see day to day, thought-worthy quotes, a bit of suga, some spice...you know, just a mixture of things. I never thought about narrowing this mixture down however... until a few days ago.

I had just rushed from the tents at Bryant Park to Port Authority after viewing the ARISE: African Promise Collective Show for NY Fashion week. -Side Note, I love greyhound. I really do. I'd much rather take the bus during my travels than ride the train. Cushy seats, no stops, and sometimes they play movies? YES.-

Anywhooo....I was on a mini high. You see, I had attended shows at fashion week this year, and a year prior, but the ARISE show was one that I'd been dying to see. I just never had tickets...This year however I was able to finagle my way in, (Special SBG shoutout to my friend, photographer Todd Walker, for hooking me up!)

Either way, as I stood in line I noticed out of the corner of my eye a fabulously dressed, curly haired fellow fashionista hanging onto an ARISE fashion magazine..."She must have attended the show." I thought to myself. So, I asked her...she said "Yes", and that started a lovely conversation in which I was introduced to DC born-currently Philadelphian creative blogger Ms. Andrea "FlyGirlBlog" Pippins. We began to chat about the show as we waited for the bus to arrive, and the conversation led to blogging. Never mind what the conversation was about in detail, just know that I was very impressed by Miss FlyGirl and inspired to create something of my own.

Call me a biter... there truly are hundreds of fashion/style blogs. Yet, I just see myself as another set of eyes...another point of view. I am a fellow artist taking a light from the torch and burning it in my own special way. There are tons of things, interesting people, creative pieces, and inspiring new trends that I see on my travels and just want to share with the world... so check out STYLESKINNY.TYPEPAD.COM (go head/click on this link) and get the skinny on what's fresh in style. ...and don't worry, my crazy life and a whole lot more nonsense will continue to be posted on THATSKINNYBROWNGIRL2.BLOGSPOT.COM. Hope you enjoy both!

ps. I've posted about the rest of my time in the tents on the new site.

-SBG/thatSkinnyBrownGirl

skin⋅ny

[skin-ee] Show IPA adjective, -ni⋅er, -ni⋅est,noun–noun

Slang.

a.	accurate information; data; facts.

b.	news, esp. if confidential; gossip: Here's the skinny on the latest Hollywood scandal.

Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Day 1

2009-09-12T10:15:00.001-07:00

Day one of MBFW started off w/ seeing the BCBGMAXAZRIA show with my coworkers. As I walked into the show I spotted Blogzworth behind the scenes filming, and afterwards he threw the mic in my hand, pushing me in front of the camera...

I think I spit out "HEY WE'RE LIVE FROM MERCEDES BENZ FASHION WEEK PEOPLE!" before my hand started shaking...

Ya'll know Im more of a behind the scenes person...smh...either

way I made my escape only to get a BBM 5 minutes after saying, I just missed interviewing Keri Hilson. oh how life works.

The front of the tents

H20 they gave out at the show. I liked the packaging.

BCBGMAXAZRIA show

BCBG Girls

Later on I hit up Fashion's Night Out at Bloomingdale's 59th Street. NICE.

Tons of drinks and DJs on each floor.

Gwen Stephanie performed and I got a nod and "hello" from Brian Reyes :)

I heard Saks was poppin too...maybe next year.

BELOW FormerFW Brian shows love for the brown girls:Amerie & Trace Ellis Ross

Later on I caught back up with Blogzworth and the rest of the ALLSMiLES team

at their uptown studio. We ended the night with chicken wraps, cheese cake, and cookies and cream icecream, which was eaten far before thoughts of snapping flicks came to mind.

More fashion week freshness to come!

I hope they're deleting my horrible on camera action in this photo....lol.

Its the most wonderful time of the yearrr.....

2009-09-09T06:30:00.000-07:00

Its that time again folks. The white tents have been up for a few days now, and I'm def. more than ready to catch the bus up to NY for MBFW...(yes, Greyhound, riding in style, but who's complaining? ...at least I get to see a show or two.) Either way, I'm very excited to see what Tracy Reese, Mara Hoffman, and Jill Stuart have to offer...and of course BCBGMAXAZRIA and Herve Leger. I also am interested in the ARISE: Promise of Africa Collective Show which will feature some of the most current designers from South Africa, Nigeria, and Madagascar...check the quote below...

New York, NY (September 1, 2009): ARISE Magazine, riding on the success of February's inaugural launch, which culminated in a surprise appearance from international superstar Grace Jones, presents the ARISE Promise of Africa Collective star-studded runway show with four of the brightest design talents from across the African continent to Bryant Park on Friday, September 11, 2009. The show will continue the spectacle of what Hilary Alexander of the London Telegraph called “a style and cultural explosion as colourful and diverse as Africa itself.”

I just don't have tickets/invitation to this one...any suggestions?...I'm about to google. Either way, I have to finish getting my things together and then I'll be off... Hopefully I can blog from my phone...I'm trying to figure out that one now too...

Happy Idea Transition Day.

2009-09-07T04:48:00.001-07:00

Happy Labor Day. Hmmm, first year in a while that I haven't been gearing up for the West Indian Parade in BK. Oh well. Anyway, its odd that today is the day I realize a few things about my life in comparison to my work. While there are many things that I do complete, there are even more things in my life that I've started, worked on, but have not finished. This is hard to say. Who likes to admit that they have glitches in anything? Its not fun. Either way, Its not like I don't finish anything I start... I finished school, I finish reading books, art projects, tasks at work etc.

Its the intangible things I fail to complete. IDEAS. My ideas are endless....my brain seems like a little "Idea workshop" that stays open on holidays and doesn't take vacation time. It produces a steady stream of ideas, which is good but there are so many hitting me at once; Its hard to pick the good ones...the ones that have a real chance of working, and running wit

h them. So today, of all days, I'm making a vow to at least write everything down,

no matter how crazy, weird, and/or intangible it may seem....and hopefully pick one or two to really put effort into making a definite reality.

Mr. and Mrs. Murphy

2009-09-06T07:46:00.000-07:00

Last night my sister and I went to a close friends wedding...I had to leave straight from work to attend, so as I was preparing my coworker and I had a short convo.

C/W: you going to wedding?

SBG: yup, a friends.

C/W: you married?

SBG: Nope, not me.

C/W: you have boyfriend?

SBG: ah, No, I don't have one of those either...

C/W: You need to go to more party.

SBG:huh?

C/W: In my country you have party. You invite friend. Friend invite other friend. That friend invite another friend. My daughter meet husband this way.

SBG: Sigh, thanks for the tips.

September 6

2009-09-06T05:53:00.000-07:00

"Some people think that having self discipline prevents you from being open and natural.

They think you should just relax and let everything flow freely.

But to do so is not contradictory to being disciplined.

In fact, you can be truly open only if you are disciplined.

-Lama Thubten Yeshe, In Wisdom Energy

Konnichiwa

2009-09-04T10:12:00.001-07:00

My cousin Courtney sends Aijou (love) from Japan

Iced Mandarins!

KFC... :)

Roomates

Court's Marc by Marc Tote Bag: Bloomies

train station

$10 shirts

some giant blow up thing

"Georgia O'Keeffe" Preview

2009-09-03T21:07:00.001-07:00

Its BLUE BABY...

2009-08-31T19:52:00.000-07:00

I had to give my friend Blue an official SBG Shout-Out after seeing him over the weekend at a friend's birthday party...

(btw Feliz Cumpleanos Nicole & T!)

Blue is a talented young man from Brooklyn, N.Y. out and about in the city taking photos of the world and leaving his mark as a Hip Hop artist as well.

You can catch him on the following tips...

For Music:

http://www.myspace.com/blue

For Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/blue

For Photography:

http://www.modelmayhem.com/urbanoverdose

For The Urban Overdose TV Show:
http://www.youtube.com/urbanoverdose

(photo by BLUE of one of my best home-slices Corinne)

BLUE QUOTES: "I am a Hip-Hop Artist...I have to say that...because its "Deeper Than Rap" .... I love the culture...and I started doing photography because of that...capturing the Urban lifestyle."

SWAN FRIEND VISIT

2009-08-31T19:29:00.000-07:00

A few mornings ago my swan friend came up to visit me...haven't seen him in a while, and haven't seen him since, but there is a new family of ducks on the rise...pics of them to come.

There he goes...at least he brought peace for a moment...

Herbs

2009-08-31T17:28:00.000-07:00

I began planting these little guys in a tiny 16 hole seedling tray about a week after my birthday which happens to be April 2oth. Go figure...but no, these are actually LEGAL herbs. haha. Anyway, I wanted them to be 100% organic and free of all of 'thatbadstuff,' so they're planted in Organic Miracle Grow Soil and fed by only the finest tap water the tri-state has to offer. Who knew miracle grow could be 100% organic? ...hmmm, maybe I should research that.

The first two photos were taken after the first time I repotted them. The second two were taken on 8/20/09 after the second repotting...lets just call them, 'Basil Takeover'. I've always wanted to grow an herb garden and am amazed every day at how something so large could come from something as small as a little seed...Anyway, if anyone wants fresh basil for cooking, I have three types and they are surely taking over day by day.

I hope you enjoy, and join me for fresh chamomile tea in about two more months....

URBAN ROCK! BCBGMAXAZRIA/FALL09

2009-08-31T13:34:00.000-07:00

Save the Bears!:BearNAKED wipes

2009-08-30T20:52:00.000-07:00

During one of my many weekly trips to Beauty Heaven, aka. Cosmetic Store Sephora, a small pale pink package caught my eye...BearNAKED wipes

This little $12/30 facial wipes package donates a portion of all proceeds to the Natural Resources Defense Council's Polar Bear SOS initiative. After finding out that global warming could bring Polar Bears close to extinction by 2050, model/actress Josie Maran created these wipes with the intention to sell a great product and create awareness for Polar Bear preservation.

THE NITTY GRITTY:

-removes makeup and dirt

-natural ingredients: cucumber, vita. E, aloe vera

-no fragrance, parabens, nor petrochemical

-www.polarbearsos.org

Oasis Breaks Up...for Real This Time?

2009-08-29T08:53:00.000-07:00

Oasis, pioneers of 1990s Britpop, announce breakup: TIMES ONLINE-Kaya Burgess

The Britpop pioneers Oasis have split up after Noel Gallagher, the lead guitarist and songwriter, said last night that he was quitting the group.

He and his brother Liam, the group’s lead singer, have long had a tempestuous relationship in the band, which released their first album 15 years ago and helped to lead the Britpop era in the mid-Nineties. It was this brotherly tension that reportedly led to the parting of ways.

Oasis had been due to perform at the Rock en Seine festival in Paris last night, but the crowd were told by Bloc Party, who were due to perform before Oasis, that the band would not be appearing.

Many of the crowd reportedly thought that the announcement was a joke until a message appeared on the big screens saying that Oasis would not be performing due to an “altercation within the band”.

The Scottish singer Amy Macdonald, who was playing in the festival last night, wrote on her Twitter page shortly after 9pm,

“Oasis cancelled again with one minute to stage time! Liam smashed Noel’s guitar, huuuge fight!”

In an official statement on the band’s website, Noel, 42, wrote last night:

“It’s with some sadness and great relief to tell you that I quit Oasis tonight. People will write and say what they like, but I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer.

Call to Artists:Mellow Nights

2009-08-26T13:49:00.000-07:00

Mellow Massage Therapy Center in the East Falls section of Philadelphia is looking for artists for their bi-monthly event, Mellow Nights. Mellow Nights will combine fine art, live music, and massage therapy as a fundraiser for various charitable organizations that support the same artistic endeavors. The first event will be held on Saturday, October 24, 2009.

The chosen artist will have their original artwork featured on the evening of the affair in a “gallery-opening style” event. Artwork will then be required to hang in the lobby and treatment rooms at Mellow Massage Therapy Center for a time period of 2 months.

All pieces will be made available to clients for purchase. Whatever pieces are not sold must be picked up at the end of this 2 month period.

We are looking for art that inspires and/or compliments a relaxing atmosphere. Pieces should be of any medium, however they must be easily hung on a wall. Free standing sculptures will not qualify.

For submission, please provide a link to your electronic portfolio / website. You may also submit 5 samples of your work via e-mail attachment to info@mellowmassage.com. Please note, though only 5 pieces are required as submission for consideration, more may be needed for the exhibit dependent upon the size or the artwork.

You will be notified via email if we choose to display your art. The deadline for submission is Monday, September 7, 2009. All submissions not chosen for the upcoming event will be considered for subsequent months.

Please send questions to Vanessa Hazzard-Tillman at vanessa@mellowmassage.com.

BLUE METHOD LIVE AT WORLD CAFE

2009-08-26T06:13:00.001-07:00

We will ALWAYS love you...

2009-08-25T05:48:00.001-07:00

R.I.P Aaliyah Haughton (January 16, 1979 - August 25, 2001)

If You're Interested, This is Interesting.

2009-08-24T15:40:00.000-07:00

the Harem Pant: Cant Touch this? or maybe...

2009-08-23T08:25:00.000-07:00

I once vowed never to give into sporting anything overly trendy aka overly overdone and sometimes slightly ugly looking. In this time where every penny in my account is accounted for, why waste my hard earned money on something that I'll most likely wear once...maybe twice?

I felt these feelings until I came across.... the HAREM PANT. Overly trendy, tight cuffed petal pushers....AKA. the HAMMER PANT.

Essenyl: Ugh, they're terrible.

SBG: Yeah...they are pretty bad...

*secretly thinking...'maybe I could rock em, with a chuncky stiletto and that belt I saw at Top Shop dot dot dot'*

I eventually pushed the idea away...for about an entire year almost. Out of sight out of mind right?... YES.... until I came across the following photo, and from my own company, rt under my nose, at that.

This yummy pant has a comfortable elastic waist, side pockets, and gold zippers at the cuff of each leg. LOVE IT.

Either way, these will be mine soon... and I will continue to wear them into the Fall even though that may not be the season. I could care quite less. I have given into the Harem Pant Hoopla, and if my duds (yes, I said duds) resemble those of MC HAMMER circa 1990, trust me, I already am fully aware.

Aerosol Obsession

2009-08-22T13:13:00.000-07:00

Recently I find myself obsessing over the art of graffiti. OBSESSING. I've been painting murals for a long time, but a graffiti mural seems like a whole different world to me. So I continue to obsess. I read books. I travel w/ digi in tow to capture new murals and tags. I study fonts. I buy cans of paint and face masks from the hardware store, without any knowledge on what to do with these things. Im obsessing.

So, upon hanging out with a good friend, I recently let my secret out.

Me: "yo, so Im really interested in Grafitti..I'm thinking of getting into it."

Blogzworth:"What?! Do you even have a tag?"

Me: "Hmm...didn't get that far yet."

Blogzworth: "hmm, ok"

Me: *I put on shades and strike my best "B-Girl stance"*

Blogzworth: *shakes his head*

So I've decided to get my ish together and make something happen. I may not be as famous as Lady Pink or have folks coming from afar to photograph my work, but at least Ill get to try a new medium....and venture into a different world. Updates to Come.

Aren't you Glad you Came Along at the Right Time?

2009-08-22T06:53:00.001-07:00

I stepped into my grandfather's top notch condition ’08 Cadillac. The air was thick.

DADDY FRED: “Now you can adjust the temperature to whatever you like...you have your own vent control on your side. I don’t particularly like it that warm, but your grandmother gets hot as soon as she gets in the car.”

I felt borderline suffocation, but said nothing but, "ok" in response. I just laid back and waited for the air to begin circulating as he slowly and cautiously backed up the car.

For the emptiness of the land around us, it was a wonder at how many cars seemed to pass just in the short distance from the house to the road.

As we turned onto the narrow road Daddy Fred immediately began to FLY. 0 to 60 in a matter of minutes. Not so bad, except we’re going through the sticks…swamp lands….. “deep creek”….ditches on either side… one wrong move and....

I shook my head. What was I worried about? This was Simons Land. Nearly all of it, farm fields and forests on my either side. It had been Simons land for over 100 years….acre after acre. Every cotton plant, soybean sprout, and corn ear. My grandfather knew every inch of this road…every speck of dirt. My grandmother knew every person that lived in each of the far spread houses. She knew who lived in them before them, and even the people who were dead and buried on little plots of land next to each house. So again…I sat back in my seat to enjoy the ride from Winfall to Eatonton…to pick up Great Aunt Amy, my grandmother’s older sister.

Rain began to fall, and DaddyFred and I just cruised.

Finally I asked, “DaddyFred…Why out of all this land, is there one or two trees that haven’t been cut down, just sitting in the middle of the fields?”

“We’ll (cough cough) back in the days they would leave one tree planted to sit under, in order to get some shade in the summer time during work. They would also need shade for their mules after plowing….Its hard to believe it huh…that we plowed all this with mules…they couldn’t go into aircondition back then…oh no. I don’t know how we did it…things sure have changed.”

“Yeah…wow….I understand now, things definitely have changed.

“yeah, It does something to you…they tear all these trees down, the animals don’t have anywhere to go, It really does something to you sometimes. But everything must change…”

-We drive for about twenty more minutes as DaddyFred points out buildings on land that were once empty fields... we drive up to the corner of a small road… Coke Rd and Oakland Dr.

Now your grandmother’s sisters use to live in each of these two houses. Amy lived in this one.

He parked the car. “Ok, go on up to the house and get her… call out to let her know who you are, because I don’t think she’ll know”

I walk up to the door….which is slightly ajar. ….”Aunt Amy! Are you in there? Its Renee?”

Great Aunt Amy (mid 90's) “Im heaareeee!”

A tiny pale skinned old woman hobbled over to the door as I let my self in. She was wearing a dark red blouse, mustard colored scarf, and a tan and brown bucket hat.

“Hi Aunt Amy…”

“well hello ….now which one are you? Are you the 25 year old?”

“Yes, Im Gerald’s Daughter. How are you?”

“Im fine, Im just about ready, hmph, 25 huh...are you married? Now I was married with children at 25."

"Ahhh....no mam, Im not married yet." PAUSE.

"Oh alright, well you can go on now, Im ok, let me just lock the door behind you.

-I leave with her behind me, and DaddyFred gets out to help her into the car-

"Its Fred! Oh hi Fred!"

We drive….

“I was just telling Renee how much things have changed around here… and how it only use to be you, Hattie, and the school principal that lived on this block…”

“hmmhhmhm Yess indeeedy yes, all these houses weren’t here. …you try to get away from it all, but it seems to just come back to ya”

“I use to come down here, see that house over there? I use to take my car down there to be fixed. Hmmhmmh yess indeedy…and remember that place over there Fred?" Aunt Amy points to a run down shack, "We use to go there ta dance!”

“Uhh huh yes we did, Bo, You, Greg, and Alice. You didn’t think I could dance now did you, Ne?”

(cackle, laugh hahahha)… "Yes indeedy we did dance! ...and that little place over there too, we use to dance at. It was nice over there, not to many people, more people began to come, but it use to be nice."

"Yes, things where different…and that use to be the liquore store over there on the corner…We couldn’t go into the liquor store…we could work there but we couldn’t go in there to by liquor…. I remember I had my friend Jefferson over to study some agriculture books, and we wanted to get some liquor…so I sent him over there…the next day the whole town was saying, Teacher Simons has a white man staying with him!!"

"Im confused… You couldn’t go into the liquore store because you were black?"

No, it was before integration but, we couldn’t go in there because the church people would talk about you! Black folks were worse than the white folks….the white folks didn’t care if you drank yourself to death or not….”

“So why did they talk about Jefferson?”

"Well, he was one of those black-whites? You know what Im talking about? Jefferson was so light, he could pass for white nearly all the time… so we knew if we sent him in there they would think he was white and no one would talk about him. But you know black folks, they’ll talk about you no matter what. (small laugh)

"….yes sir there use to be a whole area of just black-whites. Rt between Eatonton and Winfall…. They all lived together right around here"

They were so light, us boys couldn’t even take their girls into town… couldn’t take them into Elizabeth City…cause it was against, you know, the law to walk with a white woman, and even though they were black, they looked so white, no one could tell.

Yes…times have changed, this was definitely before integration.

Aren’t you Glad you Came Along at Right Time?"

...We continued to cruise along home in silence.

"Back To School"

2009-08-07T16:26:00.000-07:00

When It Happens To You...-Corinne Bailey Rae

2009-03-19T19:17:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago...scratch that, about a week ago, I listened to this song and felt meaning... I've always like the Blues, but never liked current sad love songs. Sometimes, however, you need to listen to particular ones in order to release the exhaustion built up in your system.

...and then its over.

Dont Stop the Music...

2009-03-19T18:38:00.001-07:00

I haven't posted in a while (a fact that is soon to change). Yet, it saddens me to begin posting on a not so good note....

To my friend Theron Shelton, Talented Drummer for 'the Blue Method' Band, and completely amazing, funny, witty, person all around, Rest in Peace. October 7, 1978-March 11, 2009.

We all will truly miss you.

"I know that you're with GOD and now HE has the BBBBBBBAAAAAADDDDEEESSTTTTT DRUMMER in all of heaven leading His band and you're playing with the best. I love you Theron and I will see you soon cause you'll be back for the 2nd act so everyone keep listening. Dont let the music stop cause that's what kept my brother going and he'd be disappointed if their was no music. It was HIM. HE WAS THE MUSIC. THE SOUL. DONT LET IT STOP. " -Theron's brother, Randel.

ThatSkinnyBrownGirl2.blogspot.com

2008-08-06T18:25:00.000-07:00

So I did what apparently many unsuspecting bloggers do. In the mist of doing a little blog cleanup, I accidently DELETED my entire blog. Within a matter of moments, my blogging joy was stolen from right under my nose. So what did I do?....PANIC. To most folks, a blog is nothing more than a little public journal, but some of my best/funniest/memorable moments have been recorded on this here thing, so you can imagine the chaos that formed in my mind upon learning that, that skinny brown girl had been changed to that non existing brown girl. Either way after bugging the Blogging gods for a good month and a 1/2 (yes! I had faith!)....my blog was restored. However, it is currently under the name, thatskinnybrowngirl2. I have yet to figure out how to remove the "2"....but rest assure....It will get done. 'Till then...happy reading...

BCBGMAXAZRIA: Los Angeles

2008-07-27T03:07:00.000-07:00

Cant have all work and no play...

@ Elevate Lounge/Downtown LA

Our creative director and wife of Max Azria, Lubov Azria addresses us in our morning meeting :)*Yes I boldly snapped a flick!*

The girls and I check out

ROSCO's Chicken and Waffles!

Robin

2008-07-07T15:55:00.000-07:00

So Im leaving the bathroom at work and as I open the door I clumsily bump into the company GM who with a bright smile exclaims,

"Oh Hi Robin!!, Im sorry hun, I didn't mean to hit you with the door!"

I look at her with a dumb founded surprised look on my face. Not because she scared me by almost knocking me out with the help of the bathroom door...but because she called me Robin.

Robin as in Robin Hood. Robin as in relation to Baskin. Robin as in relation to 8th and Walnut. Robin as in the little red breasted bird that can often be heard singing outside my window in the early morning hours, dang it.

I couldn't believe that after working for the company for as long as I've been here she didn't know that Robin is NOT my name! Needless to say a few months go by....

I see her making her rounds again, and she yells out, "Hey Robin!"....

So I think to myself. This must be one of life's defining moments. ....Should I go up to Ms. GM and give her my two cents?!...(or possibly just my true name)....or should I just accept the fact that to the corporate world, I might have to answer to....ehh, Robin.

I chose the before mentioned first option...

So...I walk over to her and say...

Me: xxxxxxx, I wanted to let you know that I haven't been ignoring you these past

few times you've called out to me and said hello. My name is actually Rxxxx,

not Robin, and I didn't respond because I don't usually respond to anything

other than my actual name...

Ms. GM: ooohhhh, I am so sorry Rxxxx!....There's a girl that once worked

downstairs named Robin who looks so similar to you!...Ill try to

remember in the future!...Again, I apologize!"

Cool. Ok, so that went a whole lot better than I thought it would.

Either way, for the next few weeks I didn't see Ms. GM...

Being the boss and all, I rarely see her, unless she makes a morning appearance.

As far as I know, she may never even come to work....I hear she spends frequent vacations in the southern states with a woman with whom she affectionately refers to as her, "sister"....hmmm. Maybe thats another post for the future.

Either way, some time goes by, and the company is having a series of mini meetings. Keep in mind that these meetings are set for a certain category of associates, by which technically I am not apart of but sort of am... confusing? Im sure. Bear with me...

I should have been invited to the meeting but through company policy and logistics I wasn't. So what do I do?....I gather my things and decide that, "Im just going to go to this meeting anyway, humf!, and if they kick me out...so be it!"...haa....this is def. one of those times I wished my subconscious kicked in and the angel on my shoulder would have lightly slapped my face with his wing to tell me I was making a big mistake.

Nevertheless, I sat down in the meeting...Surprise Surprise....Ms. GM happens to be monitering this particular session. the chances?....

So anyway, as I sit down, Ms. GM's assistant flips through a stack of papers, seemingly confused, and looks up at me and says, "are you suppose to me here?....I don't think you're on the list..."...I explain to her the situation and how what is discussed in the meeting highly affects me too, and I should be given the opportunity to participate.

Ms. GM cuts me off...."Um, ROBIN, you are not allowed to be apart of this meeting...."

I look at Ms. GM as she realized that she's mistaken my name...AGAIN.

....I get up to leave.

Later on that day she walks up to me and says, "About this morning...." I say to her, "Oh don't worry ab....." She doesn't even wait to hear the rest of what I have to say, she just cuts me off by saying, "Great!"...turns and walks away.

So, in conclusion, I really have nothing to say. I got kicked out of a meeting, continually called a name that is off mine by 4 letters, and subsequently cut off numerous times by the GM.

I hope she takes another long vacation to the southern states with ehemmm, her "sister"....and never returns.

Phone Games

2008-05-27T13:09:00.001-07:00

"Call me on my sidekick, Never answer when its Private..."

Lil Wayne

Ring Ring!!! (Private Call)

Me: Hello, who is this? (static and voices in the background)

Dude(deep rough voice):Yooo

Me: Who is this?!

Dude: Its me yo...

Me: huh? who is me? and why is this from a blocked number?

Dude: Yo, dat nigga **** ...I met you at dat club down on Broad St., yo....whatchu mean you

dont know who dis is?!

Me: Dont act like you cant hear me, I said, I dont know who this is, because I dont know who

this is, and I dont appreciate people playing on my phone, and I dont know what club on

Broad St. you talking about

Dude: What?! Yoooo, you gave me your number and was all over me on the dance floor!

Me: What? um, Negative...I never am "all over" ANYONE "on the dance floor" And, second of

all, I know that wasnt me because I don't give my phone number out to ANYONE and if I

do its never my cell, its always my business card with my WORK NUMBER. How did you

get this number??

Dude: Yoooo you drawlinnn right now, you gave it to me!... for real I couldn't call you cause I

got locked up for a minute...

Me: You got what?! Now Im certain I didn't talk to you, cause if you looked like the type that

could get locked up, you were the last thing on my mind...

Dude: Yo, I got booked for havin' some tree on me..you know ....they got me with that new stop

and search shit

Me: ok, now im really going to hang up, this is ridiculous

Dude:yoooo what are you talking about? You was reallll drunk thats why you dont know who I

Me: huh? I dont even drink at the club, cause Im the one usually driving! and if you know me

so well what do I look like?...you were prolly talking to one of my friends

Dude: Yo, you had like long hair....

Me:...um, that really narrows it down!

Dude: yo chill!....for real, you light skin and have really big eyes, I been trying to call u but I

had to take care of those things

Me:...ok, for real, who is this, because this isn't funny

Dude: Im not playin yo.... Yoooo....I got to call you right back, you want me to call you back

from a number thats not private? Im serious I just got out, thats why Im callin you back

now

Me: Fine, whatever.

Clickkk

Ring Ringggg (Private number..again!)

Me: now seriously...who is this?

Dude (sounds like a different voice, still deep and gruff): yoooo, whats good

Me: who is this, This sounds like a different voice

Dude: Its me ****, I got booked at the club, thats why I didn't call you back

Me: You already told me that

Dude: No I didn't....

Me:...ahh...yes you did!

Dude: This is the first time I ever talked to you!

Me: (click! hit the little red button on the right side of my cell for "END CALL")

Red Flags and Green Flags

2008-05-14T07:56:00.000-07:00

"Hello Hello Hello Ladies, how you doinnnn? ...Dat nigga crazy girl, don't say nuthin toooeemmmm" Shawty Lo feat. Jeezy and Wayne

This happens to be MY blog. So, regardless of who reads I intend to write whatever I feel like writing. Even so...I still hope the person with whom this post is about, doesn't read this....lol. Oh well...Its not like hes on the computer very much anyway. So for the sake of all purposes lets just call him Fuzzy Sweater....FS for short. Here is the story...

I met FS at a club. I met FS at a club right after I had left another club. During that time I was actually looking for a guy that I had met at the previous club. So, technically FS found me.... because I surely wasn't looking for him.

I thought this was a good sign...I always thought that meeting the person you're suppose to be with would be like that....unexpected... like, waiting for the Second Coming of Christ... No one knows the time or place when its going to happen, but you always have to be prepared.

Needless to say, he came up behind me and proceeded to dance with me, while whispering into my ear, "just dance with me, my boy is watching right behind me, don't play me out." I of course thought this was rather cute so I accepted the dance.

Fast forward to the information I gained about Mr. Fuzzy Sweater, named so endearingly from the feeling that hit my cheek when I accidentally fell into his chest while giving him my business card. What can I say, Im a bit clumsy and it was dark. & What can I say, Business Cards seem more 'grown up' after you turn 24. Easier than whipping out the nearly dead Razor, and a bit more classy I think.

The Information/Green Flags

1.He fit my height requirements...6 ft or above

2.He graduated from college (A Christian School at that in 4 years...possibly 4.5, I cant remember...either way, the man got out, and can probably quote more scriptures than T.D. Jakes)

3. He has a good full time salary paying job that is LEGAL.

4. Fairly good looking and very athletic

5. He made me laugh

These are the top 5 Flags that I deemed were green.

Now the flag system goes as follows....you CANNOT base any full decisions on any one Green flag. However, you MUST base ALL full decisions on any of the Red Flags.

Red flags are the bright loud signs that tell you as my close friend L. Stacey puts it,

"DO NOT PASS GO! DO NOT COLLECT $200!"

The green flags are just there so you can add them up until you realize that there are enough to know that this person is worthy to be with you.

Now, let me explain something. I've been through enough events with stupid dudes to know how to notice the green flags and the red flags by now....Or so I thought..

However I failed to remember what my hair stylist Angie once told me, "Girl they're are always different red flags... the system comes up with New and Improved Red Flags!"

What Angie failed to tell me was that there can be so many great Green flags, that they can blind you from seeing the not so obvious "new and improved" red flags....

Like I previously stated....everyone has a different set of top green flags....yet being a young black successful woman today....a degree and a job are commonly top requested green flags considering a large portion of the black men in America don't have their degree in anything except bullsh*t, are involved in illegal things-drugs-guns-etc, have 3+ different baby's mama's, are jobless (because they CHOOSE too) living off their own mama, are dead, or are in jail....like our good friend Orlando...and then you have the war in Iraq....need I continue?

So here is my conclusion. For the sake of privacy it is completely unnecessary for me to explain the events thereafter. It is completely unnecessary for me to explain how I found out the red flags about FS, or even what the red flags where. In all honesty FS isn't such a terrible guy, he just didn't happen to be the guy for me, and I was terribly blinded by his height, degree, and job.

So let this be a warning to you. Keep your top green flags, but always be on the look out for the hidden red ones and don't be blinded by a good job, a degree, or a soft fuzzy sweater for that matter....because it could all blow up in your face once even the first red flag pops up.

'TIll then...always be prepared...for both the Second Coming as well as the first coming of the one who's green flags add up to a worthy amount and are not counteracted by hidden red ones.

Friday Night at the Club

2008-05-05T20:02:00.000-07:00

Friday Night:

3:30 am: Leave the Club

4:00 am: Hanging outside the car talking to people....

4:15: Hear, "POP POP pop pop pop Pop pop pop pop"

4:16: Jump in the car along with people I came with
and a random boy that I don't really know jumps in next to me...

4:17: Look over to the corner to see two dudes laid out on the
ground from being shot in the head

4:18: Dude realizes he's in the wrong car

4:19: As Dude opens the door, the driver of the car Im in simotaneously (sp?) backs the car up. causing the door to bend all the way back and break, caught on the truck parked next to us scraping it

4:20: We peel away as Im desperately trying to hold the door shut, which is approx. 1.4 feet away from the car....

4:25: We drive home as I peer outside the car door at the Ben Franklin Bridge highway pavement, holding the door as close to the car as possible

4:26: Dude in the front seat says, " You buckled in"

4:27: I say, "Yes you ignorant Nigga, I am buckled in....however you seemed to have waited till we got pretty far to ask me that question"

4:28: Ignorant nigga says, "I'm sorry"

4:29: I forgive him for his ignorant ways.

Watch Boy Stalker Part II

2008-04-17T17:56:00.000-07:00

So, I haven't posted in a quite a while...but I feel as though I should document the latest happenings between I and WBS. Actually, this isn't the latest happenings....this is the run down of events that happened a few months ago, however Im just getting to put it all down in words. So here goes it...

I swore never to give WBS bka Watch Boy Stalker a chance. However, I kept feeling bad as I would take my daily walk to Starbucks every day (yes I started going again) and see him staring at me. ...I felt like I should at least say hello to him...its only the proper thing to do. So, anyway, after a few days of hello, he actually persuaded me to come by to talk for a few minutes.

So on this particular day, I did just that....and low and behold, WBS wasn't as negative of a human being that I previously thought. Now, don't get me wrong... in no way was he on my list of possibles....He was still a stalker, with a head shaped slightly reminding me of Burt (of the Ernie and Burt Sesame Street characters), and least not we forget...the boy still sold watches for a living.

But either way, that day WBS and I shared a few good laughs. (to make this quick....)

He said he'd call me later on. I said ok. Later on I received no call. I wondered why. He text me. The text said...Im in the car now, so I can text you. I'm still confused at this point as to the sense of texting in a car when it would be easier to put me on speaker phone (mind you the no cell in car law only applies to New Jersey, and at this time was not implemented yet regardless)...either way, he says he'll call when he gets home. He doesn't. Im surprised.

Either way, a few days later, after some excuse of a broken phone incident, WBS had my number again, and one more chance. That day we talked again. He's a vegetarian. He went to school for a few years..a couple I should say, considering a few would be three. ...anyway, he has 5 brothers etc. etc. you know the usual info....and he brings up his past relationship with a girl he was once in love with, known for 10 yrs...but they broke up because...blah blah blah...all things I am so not interested in hearing about.

So then I ask where he lives and if he has roomates. And then the silence becomes apparant as I am able to here the coffee beans grind all the way over at Starbucks...and then a light bulb goes off in my head....I ask..."You live with her dont you..."...so to make an even longer story short, I spend the rest of the 10 minutes at the watch place hearing excuses as to why he's living with his ex girlfriend, yet still thinks it makes a bit of sense to be hitting on me.

And you think thats the final clenture of the story. Oh...you are so very wrong.

The next day I dont see WBS. ...the day after that...still no WBS....and the day after that and the day after that...

Then one day my coworker comes in and tells me..."Hey, I saw Orlando in the newspaper. Hes in jail...have you spoken to him?"

So, to finish this post Im ending with this. I was right to ignore WBS, and all other crazy looking/acting guys that approach me, because in the end WBS wasn't a "nice guy, trying to get to know me" He merely was a college drop out, living with his ex girlfriend (thats why he could only text me, and couldn't call me at home), and now a criminal, featured in the Philadelphia Inquire.

I rest my case.

Watch Boy Stalker + Tall Mocha w/ Extra Whip=Migraine

2007-12-17T21:18:00.000-08:00

So in a nutshell, for the past few days I've endured incredible-y bad migraines. Im actually experiencing one of these incredible-y bad migraines as I type, so although I haven't blogged in a good 2+ months, I still have decided to keep this entry fairly short and too the point. Does this sadden you? If so you can blame Orlando aka Watch Boy Stalker....but for time purposes we'll call him WBS.
So....this is my story. Every day I faithfully visit Starbucks before I head into work. I go in at the exact same time every morning....9:55am. At this exact time I order a tall mocha with extra whip and an ice-d lemon pound cake. No. not the entire cake. Just a slice. Its become so regular that on my last visit I was told upon arrival, "Goodmorning hun, since its the holiday season we had to put the ice-d gingerbread pound cake in the case but we still have some ice-d lemon in the back for you" So on one of these fateful mornings as Im headed to work, with mocha in hand, and crumb of ice-d lemon pound cake slice in mouth, I am approached by said boy, WBS. In short here is our convo.

WBS: hey....can I talk to you for a second
SBG:What do you want?
WBS:Why is your face looking like that?
SBG:Im trying to figure out what you want from me
WBS:Well, I work right across the way at the watch place...I see you go into Starbucks every morning at the exact same time and I want to get to know you....Can I take you out to lunch sometime.
SBG:Listen, next time you decide to approach a woman out of the blue you need to introduce yourself first.
WBS: Oh I apologize...my name is Orlando...
SBG: Well, Orlando, my name is Renee, nice to meet you...(I proceed to walk away)
WBS:...Hey wait...you never said if I could take you out!
SBG:....I go to Starbucks the same time every day...you'll see me again.

So after this, I vowed to sacrifice my morning coffee and danish, by never going to Starbucks again, in order to avoid Orlando...aka WBS. However a few days later I thought I would beat the system by going at 11 oclock to throw WBS off, and still go to Starbucks. In essence....the smell of espresso broke me. I gave in. Orlando was at the watch store. He saw me. I was caught. sadness. So fast forward to a week later, when Im sure you can relate to my surprise when I looked up from my paperwork to find Orlando standing in front of me. ...

SBG: How did you find out where I worked?
WBS:I was in here a little while ago and I was watching you the other day, but I didn't want to say anything...
SBG: I cant believe you came to my job....
WBS: You never told me if you would go out with me or not...

The rest of this conversation is unecissary. Just know this...I since have not been to Starbucks for the past 5 days, therefore I am going into Caffeine Withdraw, therefore I am experiencing wildly painful heachaches, all because of my stalker WBS...with whom I still have not gone out to lunch with, and will continue to starve every morning and endure painful migrains in order to avoid his creepy-ness. So finally, for Christmas, all I ask for is a Duncan Donuts Gift Card. Thank you. Good night.

YOU'RE FIRED!!

2007-09-29T17:19:00.000-07:00

I cant sincerely claim that these were the exact words that came out of my manager's mouth that fateful Wednesday afternoon It was more or so like, "Well hun, I think this job is 80% business and 20% creative....you're more cut out for a job that’s 20% business and 80% creative." ...and she based this on one week of work in which i was only asked to make numerous scans, develop excel reports and...just basic admin tasks?

We'll, there you have it folks. Four+ years of college...a dozen or more design studio courses, late nights in the darkroom...late nights in the sewing room, countless crazy mornings stumbling around the city (Bethlehem or NYC?...take your pick) searching for the perfect cafe mocha to get my designer juices flowin...only to find out in my first "real" position that I, double college major graduate, intern queen, fashion extraordinaire....am TOO Creative for my job. The design gods never cease to amaze me.

Flash back to about 4 weeks, prior to...lets call it, "the day of exil". It's about 2 pm at my little retail job at Victoria’s Secret. I toss the last Very Sexy Extreme Plunge Pushup Miami tan (yes, not brown, its Miami tan) bra into the bin and secretly declare to myself. I WILL NEVER PUT AWAY ANOTHER Bra (unless its my own)! I will NEVER straighten up another panty table. I will NEVER again pretend to get excited when the packaging changes for the Dream Angels collection! Sound the alarm! Burn all the bras!!...anddd snap out of it.

My little declaration meant nothing, as I still was pretty much jobless according to my standards. Of course I made a little bit of money doing the retail thing, but not enough to even put a small dent into my 4+ years of college loans....ughhh and for what? I'd interned at some of the top fashion houses in the world...made my connections, freelanced here and there, only to end up stackin bras and countin panties! This was not the life of glitz and glamour that I dreamed of!

So you can imagine my sheer excitement when I learned that I had landed, what I thought would be the most promising entry level fashion job in the world....and they even threw in a clothing allowance...was I dreaming?....ughhh

....so fast forward to the, "day of exile". ...
Boss She-Devil states, "Well, ill let you finish out the week...I usually am good about letting people do that." ...Shes "usually good about letting people do that?!"...does she always fire people after a week and a half?...I told her no! (can you believe it?) I told her that I at least needed a second week to be able to get another job! (in reality I needed wayyy more time than that, and she really could have gotten sued for pulling such stunts, but I’m not even going to go there.)

So I got what I asked for. Another week in hell, but at least another weeks salary to last me until I found something else. And would you believe that it all happened in the beginning of the greatest week of all?...the holiday for all fashionistas....Fashion WEEK?!...and would you believe that my little desk faces outside looking over 42 street and Bryant Park where I can practically count the beads of sweat covering the men who put up the big white tents in preparation? Did I do something bad in a past life?!

Whatever. Whatever is what I say. If this little skinny brown girl contains too much creativity then so be it! I got what I needed from that job....and yes, I spent every last drop of that clothing allowance. No matter what, I gained some great experience, and skills that I can take to another job that hopefully is 80% creative and 20% business oriented. ha.

Ha, I laugh in the devil's face... who apparently wears Prada on the weekends, and Elie Tahari during the work week.