Trouble Sleeping?...

I arrive to work at 12pm and by 12:45, I already feel like I'm going to fall face first into the keyboard. So what do I do? I open up my email and prepare for a massive cleaning. Lets put aside the fact that I only have 4 unread emails and I'm OCD when it comes to organizing my account. Everything has it's own label, folder, and importance. Much ado that did *pssh*. Anyway, I come across an update from the blog, A Black Girl's Guide to Weight Loss--Yes! there is a blog out there for everyone--andf I notice they actually have a post up for people who have trouble sleeping. Can my self-appointed arrows shine any brighter?

If you have Trouble sleeping, I feel like this is an awesome Guide to keep you in the know. It's also filled with cool animation so that you're not just reading someone's boring thesis or script! Check it out and tell me what you think!

So far, I approve! You can click here to be directed to the post.

Free-99 Tales...

I was in my junior year of High School when I experienced my first adrenaline rush on what it could be like to acquire free things. "FREE-99" as my loves like to call it! Granted, it was a $3 Starbucks card--barely enough to purchase a "Tall Vanilla Bean Frap" from the vast coffee chain-- but it was $3 of sweet, creamy, goodness that I didn't have to flirt with to get a hold of...*pause*. And let's not forget to mention that homie was giving out 3 cards at a time just so he could get back to his "in-store" position; safe behind the counter making holiday lattes and mocha orgasms.  

Soon after that, I was acclimated into an organization with a former supervisor and because of all the events she took me to, I was picking up gift bags left and right. Yes! This was my Grammy's. And best of all, I was getting the award, the recognition, and the gift bag. Not just the plaque and a hand clap; poor Denzel and Halle at the Oscars! 

Listen, I don't mooch and I've never thought of possible ways in which to get free things but they sure have been coming my way a lot. Maybe it's my choice of career path or maybe it's a heap of good blessings. Using the word "Karma" would crush my mum--"DON'T YOU BELIEVE IN GOD, BONNIE?" she would ask. Nevertheless, I am pretty secure in writing my vast blessings/karma down. So the gift bags came and then the offers were pushed and I relented. It was just an awesome feeling. The greatest memory I have is of my 2010 summer internship at Penguin Group (USA). 

I was an editorial intern eager to get the job done and to have the bulbs to go off in my head with ideas. Hmmm, that was all good and propah (as the Caribbean would say) but the day I was given the green light...and the official I.D. card to gain access to the editor's storehouse, I didn't make joke to stack up. I'd go down with my awesome supervisor and she'd ask me if I need this or that--for the office I assumed but the day she gave me an extra pack of pens to start off the semester with, I was hooked. For the next ten weeks (1 day a week), we'd go down and she'd fill me up with rubber bands, paperclips, binders, those good-good  recyclable notebooks, fountain pens, highlighters, Post-It labels, Paper Mate markers, anything that would probably help me finish my upcoming semester of college smoothly.

After just a ten week internship, I was not only stocked for my upcoming semester but I was good until I graduated and then some. It was like heaven. 

Another encounter came up when I discovered my love for the health of hair. After taking a Journalism course and doing my final report on the sudden trend of African American women reverting back to their naturally grown tresses, it took me two years to fully gain an understanding for how big this phenomenon was. And so it occurred. I got hooked on to Natural Hair YouTubers like RusticBeauty, Kimmaytube, Blackonyx77, BeautifulBrwnBabyDol, and learned that there were activities to do that wouldn't sound suspect. Natural hair meet-ups are what I'm referring to. At these meet-ups, usually hosted by said YouTubers, we'd get to link up, meet each other for the first time, in a way be bedazzled by how many more women loved natural healthy hair, and in the process we would gain that support system that would banish all the doubts we ever had about transition back to our roots while still living in a Eurocen[trically] styled world. These meet-ups would consist of the gift bags I relished about above and inside would be every product [hair]-junky's dream! Nothing could be better than coming home with a compacted bag of top of the line product samples and possibly a raffle win. 

YES! My days of living under the Free-99 rule have benefited me in so many ways. I could not ask for better blessings...though I do accept other forms as well. And it's not about what I can get really; it’s about how I ironically get it. 

When All Else Fails...Crochet

It has been A WHILE since I have been able to put down my crochet needle. Simply because my main goal was to have a successful D.I.Y (Do It Yourself) Christmas. I know how much ear-warmers and finger-less gloves have been trending so when I saw BobWilson123's Ear-warmer Tutorial and Mikeyssmail's Fingerless Glove Tutorial, I had to revamp my christmas gift ideas and get to crocheting. At my local craft store, I was able to pick up a few fabulous bundles of rainbow yarn and with them, I made two awesome gifts! Pics seen below.

Red Heart Yarn is the best. Both in price and feel!!

I feel like my Fingerless Gloves came out quite nice!

This Flower tutorial can be found here!

A second pair that I made!

I inserted these buttons into the flowers myself!

Tell me what you think! Was the D.I.Y. Christmas gift method a good idea? Or would you still try and catch those sales? Comment below!

It's All About... Dwen!

Today--Christmas Day--marks one month since I sat down to get my very first tattoo. I know this post is long overdue but lets face it, I wasn't quite ready to show it (off) yet.  I got it on Black Friday (11/25/11) at 3pm at an awesome parlor in Park Slope called Third Eye Tattoo. And since then I have seen so many changes--both good and bad.

CHANGES LEARNED...
1) I never realized that tattoos were basically wounds. Okay! whatever, shoot me! But either way you put it, I was still intrigued. To know someone practically wounded me in the form of a beautiful significant symbol.

2) I noticed that the "ugly stage" ain't so ugly at all. Maybe it is to people with larger tattoos but my medium sized symbol made its way through its ugly phase quite gracefully. Almost made me wish it stayed a scab. Pics below

3) The final thing I noticed is the change in me. To put it simply, there is none. I am still the hyper, "young lookin'", over analyzing, smart-ass chick I was before I thought of even getting the tattoo.

CLEANING REG...
1) Washed it by hand, 3x/day w/ Antibacterial Dial Soap Bar
2) Immediately pat dry with a clean/unused paper towel
3) Used Bacitracin Ointment for the first week and a half
4) Followed up with Eucerin unscented lotion thereafter
5) Applied Bacitracin as well if I thought I needed it!
.....And YES! I got it the color red so that it could be an under-the-radar tattoo
So....

Without further ado, here she is. I call her Dwen after her cultural name, Dwennimen. She is an West African Adinkra Symbol.

See pics of my tattoo's stages below:

DWENNIMMEN

"ram's horns"

symbol of humility together with strength

The ram will fight fiercely against an adversary, but it also submits humbly to slaughter, emphasizing that even the strong need to be humble. 

11/25/11. At Parlor

11/25/11 After first cleaning

11/26/11 Inflamed Wound: Ugly Phase Part 1

11/27/11 All Scabbed Up: Ugly Phase Part 2

12/1/11 You Can See: Ugly Phase Part 3

12/14/11 The Aftermath

12/25/11 1 Month-a-versary!

Hope you find this helpful enough to pass along if you and/or a friend are looking to getting a tattoo sometime in the future. Any questions? Just comment below!

Weekend Tunes: On Christmas Day!

It has been some time since I did a weekend tune post and I've been considering a lot of throwbacks for the past week or so. Well it struck me today while I was watching a Sister, Sister marathon on centric.

Today is Christmas Day and though it didn't give off such a strong vibe in my household, it certainly did leave an aura of happiness--even between my mum and I. Anyway, I was watching the episode when Tia & Tamera has their prom and they get a shock when they find that Lisa made them prom dresses....right after they've just purchased their own dream dresses.

Besides the awesome memories Sister, Sister brought back of my own prom, it really jolted me even more when I saw that Jon B. was their celebrity appearance. And which song was he performing? None other than his hit single from 1997 "They Don't Know". Talk about such a THROWBACK!! I was too excited!

Anyway, without further ado, here is my weekend tune! Enjoy...

It's All About... Newspaper Nails!!

For some time now, I have been OBSESSED with jazzing up my nails... More so to disguise my occasionally busted cuticles, but other than that, finding out about newspaper nails was just AWESOME! Not only does it embody who I am as a person with it's backwards wording and random clips--taken from my appeal to write rants--but it also looked awesome! I look forward to improving in them but so far, here was my first take on them.
I used:

• Sinful Colors: "Snow Me White"
• Newspaper Clippings

The heart seen on my wedding fingers were all clippings! I figured if words could transfer then obviously colored photos could too! And these red hearts were the perfect size for my nails! Pics below!

Back to ...THESE Basics??

Hmmm so until I realized I had stopped my crave for water, I didn't know what to do about my poor, dry hair. So on Dec 5th, I escaped from my house--telling my mum I'd be right back--JUST so I could catch the 3 a half hour downtown to the Ricky's on Montague!
I LOVE ME SOME BROOKLYN HEIGHTS!!!
Anyway, I hauled ass into the shop and grabbed the first--well second--bottle I saw! The first was the "TRY ME" sample. Along with that I got my very first self-bought Carol's Daughter product... None other than the Hair Mimosa!
Then I realized the next day while at the Rainy Day Bryant Park Natural meet up that my lack of drinking water was probably the most significant reason as to why I had such a drastic change in my hair and ultimately my skin's moisture... SMH! And though it took a trip to Shea Moisture to have such a revelation, I definitely don't regret my $30 purchase from the day before! Pricing below.
KINKY CURLY KNOT TODAY: $13
CAROL'S DAUGHTER MHH: $17