ORANGE HAIRED LADY SIGHTING

Ok, on Tues. (Dec. 23) I was heading for the bus to go home and saw an elderly lady talking to some young women at the corner as I walked by. I've seen this woman before because she dresses pretty outlandish, and she's always got this huge rag tied around her head.

The one thing that I hadn't noticed before was "orange hair" peeking out from all this wrapped hair and rags. COULD IT BE?? IS IT REALLY HER??? I looked at her clothing and she was dressed in a beautiful full red skirt with crinoline underneath. The skirt also had gold trim and she wore a red jacket or blouse. She had so much stuff in her arms and on her body, I couldn't tell where one thing ended and the other began.

I immediately began looking for my camera. Oh no! It was at the bottom of my tote bag. My arms were full with Christmas bags, so I couldn't quite reach it. And then I saw the bus approaching.

As I got on the bus and sat down, I saw her get on too and she sat in the first seat right behind the driver. I searched for my camera again, but she held her head down and hid her face behind all her packages.

C'mon lady, give me a break here! You're right here, right here and I can't get to my camera. There were people blocking my view too, so I couldn't very well ask them to move so that I could get a shot of this eccentric lady in the red outfit.

I almost got off at her stop, but I had to pack that night to leave town for Christmas vacation. I'm making progress though. I know that she lives in my neighborhood. So I will not miss the next opportunity to either talk to her or get her photo......I will show the world who you are Orange Haired Lady!!

She's as infamous as the Asian woman who used to ride the bus with me who wore decorative face masks and carried awesome handbags. I may have mentioned her in an earlier post, but the great thing was that this Asian woman and I did speak about one particular purse she was carrying because I just loved it. From her inspiration, I made a similar purse and submitted it to be published in Haute Handbags...and they accepted it. Thank you wonderous and mysterious women of the universe...you are in my presence for a reason.

THE ORANGE HAIRED LADY

I was waiting on a subway platform one evening when this elderly woman with Orange hair walked by. I could tell she was a woman of the world by her attire, not to mention that big orange wig she was wearing. She was dressed rather fashionably in a well worn leather jacket and boots with shirts tied around her waist. She was a bit displaced, as she was mumbling to herself, but I couldn't help myself. I found her fascinating and watched as she walked to the far end of the platform and boarded the train as its doors opened.

I said to myself, "I can't believe her hair." I wished I had thought to take a picture, but I didn't.

Some months later I was going home on the Metro train, and this woman walked past me from the rear and sat in a seat two rows ahead of me. I could not believe that it was the Orange-haired lady again. I pulled out my camera phone and took a snapshot. I couldn't believe my luck to see her again and get a chance to take this photo.

I just sat there in amazement, thinking about her; how she came to create her persona. What was with the orange hair? I was too embarassed to walk to the front and try to take a picture of her face.

So I left the train smiling because fate brought her to me again, but left me realizing - who she is and who she was will have to remain a mystery.

AMERICA HAS SPOKEN.....our 44th President has been elected!

Congratulations Barack Obama!

MAMA OBAMA

In ancient times, a Queen ruled beside her King. She has risen again to take her place on the throne.

All Hail Michelle Obama...the next first lady of these United States of America.

GOIN' TO LAS VEGAS...LOST WAGES!!


I'm a little late downloading these pics, but better late than never. Cousin Dena and I traveled to Las Vegas and met some great folks. One in particular, our friend Ed.

We were everywhere in Las Vegas.....Rio Casino's Voodoo Lounge......Jay-Z's 40/40 Club....the Convention Center....Shopping in the mall....we had a blast!























WE WON OUR SHARE OF MONEY TOO, JUST NOT LIKE THESE TWO.



Kiss'n Kuzn's has left the building!!

OUR HEARTS ARE SO HEAVY





















In memory of Bernie Mac (8/9/08) and Issac Hayes (8/10/08)....Rest In Peace to these soulful and comedic geniuses. We always say that the good die young and it is oh so true in these cases. Even though Issac, aka the "Black Moses" was 65, he wasn't old by anyone's standards. He and Bernie had just completed a feature length film, "The Soul Men" with Samuel L. Jackson. How ironic that God called them both home on the same weekend and said, "Well done my sons, well done."

We will miss you and cherish you always.

NEW MUSIC - AL GREEN & JOHN LEGEND

Oh how I love thee...let me counts the ways. I recently downloaded a few tunes from Al Green's new CD - "Lay It On Me" and I am loving most of what I hear. I especially love Al and John Legend's collaboration entitled "Stay With Me (By The Sea)". Oh my gosh...this is the new version of "Let's Stay Together" in my opinion. The melody and lyrics evoke that old soul down to the bone feeling and it feels so good. Mellow, easy smooth groove, make you wanna moan is what it sounds like to me. I am so serious. I play it almost every day...."LALALA...LALALA...LALALA - STAY WITH ME."

Mr. Green has also collaborated with Anthony Hamilton and Corrine Bailey Rae to name a few. His producer is none other than Questlove from the Roots and they put it down on this CD. You hear new music with old school reminiscing. Gotta love it.

JOHN LEGEND

I happened to watch a video on John Legend's website that promotes his new record label and the artists signed to it. Wow, was I blown away by the talent he has lined up.

His brother, Vaughn Anthony, is a rapper/singer and is going to blow up in a minute. That's right, keep it in the family, and show love always by supporting those who have talent and desire to make it in the business. There's room for everybody. Vaughn chose to use his first and middle names and not the Legend family name as he wanted to be recognized on his own merit.


Estelle is a young UK rapper/singer who has been bustin' up the charts with Kanye West and John Legend since last year. She's making a name for herself and I hope she continues to rise to the top with her unique style. Check out the video post on this site "Touch Me, Tease Me" as it features Estelle doing her thang with the group 3 SL.


And last but certainly not least is the awesome threesome that make up the performance artists called The Jones Gang. Oh my Gosh....they are incredible! You've got to see them to believe what they do...they sing, they tell stories, they beat box, they rap, they dance and they look good as hell doing it. Their style is OutKast unique, Andre 3000 cool and their musical style is like no other I've seen.





















I applaud John Legend for his vision to bring these up and coming musicians and singers to the masses. I can't wait to see more of what I've already seen...they are phantastic!!

HATS OFF TO THE LADIES

I recently went on vacation to the ATL and had a marvelous time. I attended an affair to remember and wanted to share pics of the Queens who wear glorious crowns.

BELLY DANCE USA - PART II

As promised, here are some photos taken at the Belly Dance Carnival. Enjoy!

Goth Belly Dancer

Silk Fans Flowing
Beautiful Belts at the vendor Bazaar

Any one for a "spot of tea?" - says the curiously dressed onlooker.

Fabulous boots I couldn't take my eyes off.

MISS SADIE

I enjoyed this performer more than any other. She was a wonderful dancer with masterful skills. See her on the video below.

BELLY DANCING USA

I had the pleasure of attending a Belly Dance Carnival on June 7 in Arcadia, near Pasadena. What an experience this was!!

My mentor, Miss C, has been belly dancing for about a year now. Yes, the same Miss C who is a Senior Citizen...not that it matters because it doesn't, but as a point of reference - every one is belly dancing these days.

It was fun to dress up and wear traditional belly dance costumes. I wore blue & gold harem pants with a gold blouse, my gold coin chain belt, sequined slippers and a hip scarf. She wore a hand made a pair of yellow sequined harem pants, and a yellow gauze blouse. She also wore gold dance slippers, and a gold coin hip scarf. To top it off, she wore a beautiful gold headpiece that looked so amazing against her gray hair. Everyone who saw her stopped her to take pictures and asked when she would be performing. :0)

We walked around taking in some of the vendor's wares until we saw the outdoor stage featuring various dance groups. I really was taken in by the range of diversity of the performers. There were children, men, young girls, young and old women....and all shapes and sizes to boot. Seriously, ALL shapes and sizes.

The costumes and routines were amazing. I would soon find out that there are many types of traditional and non-traditional belly dancing styles. As we made our way into the indoor complex, we found more vendors and another stage for performers.

All the while we were walking and taking in the sites I was taken aback at the people who strolled through the carnival. These costumes were some of the most unique, creative and unbelievable costumes I have ever seen. I also learned that they also cost a pretty penny to put together. Miss C and I knew we could get a lot of the items in downtown LA in the fashion district, so I wasn't too bothered by not picking up some of these items.

COIN BELT

However, we did come across some wonderful "Bindi" jewels that are applied to the face. I immediately remembered that I had purchased these some years back and wore them out only once. Miss C and I bought several packages for future use.

TRIBAL
Tribal belly dancing incorporates a more "ethnic" look, but the style is similar to traditional dances. You could even say that the tribal is reflective of the Gypsy culture too. The Ethnic costumes of tribal dancer are not the same beautifully flowing and skimpy attire that that you usually see.

The tribal wear has beaded head gear, more use of the spinning skirts (multi tiered skirts/broomstick skirts), belts with heavy medallions, tassels, cowrie shells, and beading. These belts are also laced with leather straps and have metal beads and coins attached. The cloth is woven designs like you'd see on Peruvian Indians, or Chinese Himalayans. And the dancers wore their hair in "dread locked" styles with lots of yarn ribbons flowing with silk flowers tied to ponytails.

TRIBAL SKIRTS

BEZEM Y MAI LAN

Here is a beautiful example of the tribal wear that can be found in the fashion industry. I absolutely love these designers. Bezem Y Mai Lan are young (25 yrs) designers from Paris/London.

What is so exciting about their runway shows is that they incorporate African, Ballet and Belly dance to show off the attire. (See YouTube video posted above). Every day I find more and more belly dance inspired clothing and lifestyles and I'm loving it.

Extraordinary!!!

GOTH

What amazed me the most that day was seeing that there is a genre of belly dancing incorporating Goth culture.

Their costumes consist of leather and vinyl wear, striped arm and leg warmers, oversized boots, and dark makeup.

Since there are many forms of Goth expression, the differences were evident in the dance styles. It's definitely a cornucopia of dance tradition and costume styles.

As I watched all the performers that day I began to feel a connection to the rhythm and the graceful gestures. This one young group of dancers used beautiful fans covered with flowing silk fabrics. What an amazing spectacle that was.

I have danced since Jr. High school, but never attempted to learn belly dancing. However, I have seen so much of it in videos (Beyonce / Shakira) and movies (Love Guru, Bollywood) lately that I really like what I'm seeing. And sky is the limit on the style you choose to dance.

The most unique dance troupe we saw chose to do a "themed" dance presentation. They chose "Alice in Wonderland." The choreograpahy and the costumes were amazing. No expense was spared. When they first came out, one look at their costumes had us wondering just what we were about to witness. Well, every scene in the fairy tale was interpreted in costume and belly dance like you wouldn't believe. I was very, very impressed with this group.

Not only do I love the costumes, but the music is enchanting and the dance itself is a wonderful way to exercise and keep your body very flexible. Miss C has invited me to attend a workshop to learn the basics. So I will go and satisfy my curiosity about this newfound dance form.

The day ended with us taking lots of photos, more shopping and Miss C even graced the stage when there was a call for a dance "free for all" during intermission. (Photos to come)

This past Saturday I was shopping downtown and happened upon one of the many boutiques that carry Middle Eastern apparel. It didn't take me long to decide to purchase a hip skirt with gold goins and two sets of Zils. I guess I'm now committed to learning the art of belly dancing. Or perhaps I'll just have a great Halloween costume this year!

HIP SKIRT WITH COINS

ZILS (Finger Cymbals)

NEW ARTIST

I took a trip this weekend, and on the ride home I heard snippets of a very cool song that I just had to find out about. I was in the mountains, and there was a lot of static and the signal was going in and out, but thank God I waited long enough to hear who the artist was. I also found that the radio station was coming out of UTAH. Imagine that.

The artist I heard was a new artist (to me) by the name of Little Jackie, and her song is called "The Stoop." I thought I heard something about being in the hair salon, but she was just describing her Bed-Stuy neighborhood and the people in it. The lyrics and the hook line were so cool and different.

So I found the radio station on the internet but couldn't find her on the artist lineup. I then found her My Space page and found the following information. She'll be performing tomorrow night at the Viper Club in Los Angeles, as well as performing on Conan O'Brien. I'll be sure to watch.

LITTLE JACKIE

"Blend the old-school R&B sound with a quirky hybrid of hip-hop and pop and you get Little Jackie, the creation of genre-defying singer-songwriter Imani Coppola and programmer Adam Pallin. With a nod to the soulful Motown rhythms of the past and a sneer to many of the social and cultural issues that consume the public today, Coppola has crafted an album of musical sugar and spice, filled with sweet, saccharine-tinged melodies and spicy, bold commentaries."

I was able to listen to some of her other songs, and I'm beginning to like her. There's "Black Barbie" which has a very funny video featuring Barbie dolls doing wicked things, and then there's "The World Should Revolve Around Me" and "Crying For the Queen".

Check her out. She's got a very different sound that is hip, pop and cultured.

WILL SHE OR WON'T SHE MARRY MR. BIG?

Today is the day the rest of the world finds out if Carrie Bradshaw marries her Mr. Right, aka "Big". The SATC girls have had a couple of premieres, abroad and in New York, and today the movie hits theaters everywhere. I truly hope it doesn't flop. It seems that since the show was such a success that all of us die hard fans are going to support it, right? Let's hope so.

I have been a fan of Sex and The City since it appeared on HBO way back when. I loved it the moment I saw it and was very sad when I had to miss a few seasons because I moved to Cali and could not get cable right away.

However, I was able to catch up on the major character's life changes and story lines by watching the reruns at 11:00pm on my local station. When I found out that Miranda finally married Steve, Charlotte married and converted to Judaism, Samantha had cancer, and Carrie moved to Paris - it was all too exciting.

However, I knew that these were very watered down versions because these ladies never bit there tongues, nor did the writers ever stay away from any taboo subjects. They taught me so much about lots of things I dared not even reveal an interest in (wink). Sex and The City put it out there and they did it with humor, class and dignity.

I think I'll probably go alone because there aren't too many folks in my circle who have even expressed an interest. No matter. I'll enjoy it all the same. I've seen the incredible fashions, and I hear the plot is full of surprises and twists and turns....even fantasy sequences. So the big question in my mind is will Carrie and Big live happily ever after in a grand luxury apartment on the Upper East Side with her big closet of designer shoes and duds. I sure hope so. It's every girl's dream, even mine!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SISTER

I am blessed to have two wonderful sisters in my life, as well as two (remaining) brothers who I adore. We've been through a lot as a family, and I'm grateful to be able to see this day as my oldest sister reaches a milestone.

My sister Tobie was the first to graduate from college in our family and I remember attending her graduation at Long Beach State. Our family came all the way from Sacramento to this place I had never heard of, or been to before.

My middle sister and I ended up staying with cousins we had never met before and learned some very interesting things about folks in Los Angeles. We were in Gardena as a matter of fact and the year was 1970. The Temptations had a song out called "Ball of Confusion" and I learned the entire lyrics to this song from my new cousin Jean. She and her friends were sooo cool. They played bumper pool (billiards), hung out on the street corner, partied, and did things me and my sister Fran had never done. And this happened all in a weekend, which felt like an entire week. Even though we "country girls" were like fish out of water - we had so much fun.

We arrived at the college and made our way into this huge auditorium. Wow! So many hundreds of seats, and this huge stage was decorated with flowers and such. It's amazing that as a kid you really can't take in the brevity of a situation until you look back on it many years later, or now as understood when I graduated from college and my family attended. I remember when they said her name and we cheered so loud, I just knew she heard us from way down below on that stage.

Yep there I was, a kid of 13 attending my oldest sister's college graduation. I'll never forget that day, as I was so proud of her. I dodn't know if I ever told her that, but my being there was evidence that we loved and supported her.

She went on to accomplish so many more "firsts" for our family and inspired me along the way to reach for my goals and dreams. She was the youngest supervisor in her department at GE telephone company after college; she was a mere 24 years old. She was also the first black female to anchor the news in Baltimore in the 1980's. She worked at WMAR, an NBC affiliate. This was the same station that Oprah Winfrey got her start on television.

So today she's having a birthday and I'm so happy to wish her another one. Blow out another candle sister, and I wish you many, many more to come. I love you!