Okay ladies, I’m coming to you crying tears of sadness again as comments, ratings and likes have been pretty scarce . *lol*
As I mentioned when I ran this poll the first time, I know how it is. Sometimes you don’t have anything to say or you mean to comment, but can’t because … ya know, you’re at work and not supposed to be on hair blogs. Or maybe you visit a site every day, but don’t even think about commenting or rating. Or maybe you really, really, really want to comment, but just don’t have the 30 minutes it takes to enter your info and decipher the CAPTCHA: “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” to get past the spam firewall. But, you know, comments, likes and ratings are a bloggers bread and butter … they let us know that you are actually enjoying what you’re reading and seeing and want us to keep doing this thing .
So, anywho, just to hopefully make myself feel better , I’m bringing back a couple of polls I did in January. There was a GREAT response and I had a grin from ear to ear for a couple of weeks:). If you already answered these polls, thank you very much for brightening my January!! But, I don’t think you can do them again. For those who always comment, thank you so much as I read every single one and get so excited when I see a new message in my inbox!! For everyone, if you have any thoughts that you’d like to share, I’m all about it!! If there is anything that you’d like to see or read more of, I’m open to suggestions about that too, so use that comments section !!
And, without further ado (shoot, I probably lost a few people who didn’t make it through that intro!), here are the polls!!
But seriously, what are Black Widow and Hawkeye going to do with a gun and an arrowagainst Loki and aliens? A superhero without powers is a liability. Unless you’re Batman. And, they’re not Batman.
I know. My OOTD pics are so bootleg!! LOL! But, I’m not a fashion blogger by trade and Wei’s not around to take pics. So a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do … and the work it takes to crop out the door and mirror frame out of all these pics is just too much;)!
So, anywho, this is my work outfit from yesterday! I really liked it, so thought I’d share. The two tops are sheer florals I purchased from TJ Maxx or Marshall’s. I think they were hanging right next to each other, and I thought the two patterns worked well together as they were both petite florals with almost identical color schemes! As the cream top is billowy with a long hemline, I decided to pair it with a belted pencil skirt, also from Marshall’s. Pairing loose/oversized items with more form-fitting ones keeps the proportions balanced and prevents the figure from being swallowed up in too much fabric. Finally, I’m wearing these Vince Camuto fabric and patent leather platform peep-toes that I absolutely adore. I picked them up from MJM a few years ago (I should have gotten them in the black too !).
So, I also cleaned up at TJ Maxx and Marshall’s over the last week!! Figured I’d share my hauls as, for once, I’m sharing things I bought recently that you may be able to get if you are willing to hit a few stores in your area!! Whenever I have an improptu shopping spree, I refer to it as an “incident.” Well, yeah, I had several incidents in the last week! And sadly, I’m not even including the things I ordered online from ideeli and DSW!! BUT, most of the purchases were made with gift cards from my birthday, so they were essentially “free” … guilt free shopping … ahhh, that’s the life! LOL!! And get this, one of my purchases from DSW is being returned to the store, because I found the same shoes for $30 less at Marshall’s! Guilt free savings!!
Oh, one last thing. I don’t think any item was over $40!! Now, when you buy multiple items at $40 a piece, it can add up! But, I still think that I didn’t do too badly !!
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(p.s. If you want to see bigger pics, check out the Facebook album!!)
Last month, a natural friend of mine posted the following status update on Facebook:
I definitely prefer wearing my hair straight and blonde over wearing a huge, dark brown afro … It’s simply more flattering. Not a political or cultural statement. Simply a preference.
Of course this prompted a flurry of responses, including the following question and my friend’s reply:
Q: Playing devil’s advocate here- if this statement is not meant to be political or cultural- why vocalize it on Facebook in the first place? Just curious.
A: I recently unfriended an acquaintance on Facebook who had the nerve to tell me how he thought I should wear my hair and his preference for a more “natural” looking woman. Never mind the fact that I am romantically committed to someone. Never mind that my hair is personal and none of his business. This man felt so deeply offended by what he saw as a deeply political act that he was compelled to send me a message voicing his disappointment. Thus, the status update explaining that fashion, at least in this instance, is a matter of stylistic preference, and not a defense or critique of the how’s and why’s of what other women of African descent choose to do their hair.
Now, generally speaking, I am not one who likes to stir the pot of controversy. It’s just not my thing and that’s probably why I am not a fan of reality shows . I also belong to the “camp” that qualify anyone who doesn’t relax their hair as natural, regardless of whether they weave up, wig out, press and/or permanently color their hair. It’s just that simple to me. Anywho, my friend asked me to chime in on the topic and my reply was as follows:
As you know —-, I’m a fan of the huge, dark brown afro … but, you already know, I love huge, curly hair. That being said, I agree with you that how you chose to wear your hair is your decision and a casual acquaintance has a lot of nerve to tell you what HE prefers. I don’t care what YOU prefer. I myself wear my hair curly, but on occasion wear it pressed. If someone who I knew peripherally, after seeing my hair pressed, had the nerve to tell me he preferred my hair straight, I’d be pissed. And, it would have nothing to do with how I view myself, but with that person’s belief that they have a right to tell me what they think of how I wear MY hair [as if] their opinion should matter to me when I know them not.
At the end day, I found my friend’s statement to be about the presumption of male privilege rather than issues with self-image and acceptance. And, let me clarify, my friend loves her hair in every form and has rocked it in a variety of styles in its natural state. However, she has indicated that she currently prefers it blonde and straight.
So, what do you think? Is this about preference, male privilege or racial politics? Can a Black woman’s preference for “straight and blonde” hair simply be an aesthetic choice and not fueled by a deeper, hidden meaning or self-hatred? Did the explanation that prompted the statement change your initial, visceral reaction to it?
If you don’t know, now you know. LOL! Wei popped Luke James’ debut CD in my car about a week ago, I guess. I’ve been killing the album daily. And this song … this song right here? Played it on a loop for at least an hour of the two hour ride home from my Trenton office today. This joint is so hot … nah, let me stop talking. Listen to it yourself.
The boy ain’t hard on the eyes either *fanning self* (he does look a bit like Kanye at some angles though!)!! Hmmm … Wonder if Wei can hook it up for him to sing at the wedding as this may have to be our other song . LOL!!
I got a big surprise this past Saturday. My sisters and aunt threw a surprise birthday party for my 40th! My middle sister, Sheri, called me on my birthday and mentioned that a neighbor was having a get together on Saturday night. She said that I should come down if I wasn’t doing anything and that she would text me the details later. Then, she lured me with the promise of a birthday cake if I showed.
On Friday, she texted me that my niece had two piano recitals on Saturday, so I should plan on meeting her and my brother-in-law at the house at 9 pm. She added that she still had to find a dress and that it was cocktail attire. I told her that I had to check with Wei, but I would let her know. Immediately thereafter, I started bemoaning the fact that it was a dressy event when I expected it to be casual. I also began to really debate whether I felt like going (you see, I’m a total homebody). However, I also started suspecting that a plot was afoot;).
So, on Saturday, it was hair washing day and I decided to do a normal wash with DevaCare No Poo, rather than the Terressentials Mud Wash. I figured it was better to err on the side of predictability rather than experimenting and ending up looking like “who done it and what for.” However, by the time I was done pre-pooing, shampooing, doing a 2 minute Keratin treatment, deep conditioning and styling, I was rushing around trying to get dressed, put on make-up, pack an overnight bag and get out of the door for the hour plus drive.
We left 15 minutes later than I had planned and then had to turn around because I forgot my engagement ring on the sink (it snags in my hair when trying to finger-comb, so I tend to remove it)! I just couldn’t go without it! So, we ran back to the house and Wei grabbed it . As I waited in the car, I texted my sister that we were running 30 minutes late and that we could meet them at her neighbors. She said that they would wait for us. So, as we hit the road again, I expressed my suspicions that we were heading to a surprise birthday party as it didn’t make sense to me that my sister would wait for us when the affair was next door. Wei acknowledged my words, but didn’t really say much of anything.
An hour later we pulled up in my sister’s drive way. Now, my suspicions were that the party would be at the neighbor’s house. So, I was caught off guard when we opened the door to a sea of faces and everyone screamed “Surprise!!!” I was grinning from ear to ear and the grin got progressively wider as I started looking around the room and saw all the people who were there. Now, when I say that my “Spidey senses” were tingling that this was a surprise party, I meant, like, I thought my sisters, brother-in-law, niece, parents, grandmother, aunt and uncle would be there. Y’all, there were 70+ people at the house!! My best friends from work, college and high school were there. Many close friends that I’ve made over the years were there. Shoot, Miche’al, who I met through this very blog was there!! And, an assortment of aunts, uncles and family friends all greeted me with hugs and smiles. I was so surprised as many had travelled from more than an hour away to get there.
I was just stunned and so, so happy! I couldn’t believe that they had put this all together for me. And, my sisters and aunt didn’t half-step! There was a DJ, a bar, servers and food galore! It was just so overwhelming you guys. I can’t even tell you how moved I was by it all. And then, what really put it over the edge was all the cards and gifts that I didn’t really get a chance to see until the following morning. It really feels like too much. Everyone’s presence alone was the biggest gift that I could ever ask for. I seriously keep tearing up thinking how generous everyone was and how blessed I am to be surrounded by so much love. If any of you are reading this, I love you and I thank you!
Okay, I’ve rambled long enough! I really didn’t plan for this post to be so long! But, if you know me … well, you know that’s me. LOL!! So, now, I’m done and here are a few pictures of the festivities!! (Oh, and since this is a hair blog, note that my hair was still totally wet when we arrived!! Yeah, the “Guest of Honor” was hugging and kissing everyone with drowned rat hair!! Ugh!! LOL!! I really need to start planning these things better! No more washing my hair on the day of an event!)
My besties from work
Is this a birthday party or a natural hair meet-up:)? *lol*
Mi familia
The promised cake .
And I’ll leave you with this song that has become “our” song!
To all of my Avatar fans, want to see the 2 part premier of Avatar: The Legend of Korra three weeks before it airs on TV?!?!? Then check it out on KorraNation.com here!!! I don’t know how long we’ll be able to watch this, so I say, watch it today or you may have to wait until April 14th!!
Now, if only Wei would wake up so that I can watch it too!! He has 10 minutes to finish his nap or I’m watching it alone!! I know, it’s wrong … but, what can I say? It’s AVATAR!!! I’VE BEEN WAITING 4 YEARS FOR THIS!!!
UPDATED TO ADD: Without giving too much away, just wanted to tell you all that I watched the first two episodes and my initial thoughts are that it has a different feel and flow than the original. The characters feel undeveloped as of yet and I think that was definitely a strength of the original series. ATLA seemed to have an innate ability to quickly develop characters that you loved within one episode. I mean, c’mon, remember the Cabbage Man?!?! LOL! Also, the music in some places feels more forced and “out front” than the original. However, I’m hoping that the show with “settle” in a few episodes and that it’ll feel more natural once we get to know the characters a little better. That being said, my butt will be firmly glued to my seat for this one. I don’t expect it to surpass or even match ATLA, but I do expect a great story. And, I can’t wait to see the flashbacks that I know are coming that will reveal some of the missing puzzle pieces of ATLA … such as, how did Zuko reunite with his mother? Why did Uncle go into the Spirit world? Will Koh reappear and keep his promise to Aang, “We’ll meet again?” I have my suspicions and theories, but won’t ruin it for you;).
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