Adventures on the CTA: Seedy Situation

My daily CTA rides had started to become quite mundane providing little amusement. Could the bus really just take me to and from work? Well, last night the CTA God's opened up the gates of heaven and poured down a little blog-worthy material for me.

Black folks - I understand our obsession with sunflower seeds! They're good. They're kinda fun to eat, sucking off the salt, cracking open the shell, eating the seed, spitting the shell out - - It's a blast. However, could we please learn to use a napkin, cup, SOMETHING to put the shells in after we're done? I don't think the floor of the bus is the appropriate resting spot for all of your sunflower seed remnants. I was appalled and slightly embarrased for our race when I was on the bus last night because you just knew that someone of a wonderful brown shade had sat there and proceeded to feast on seeds and throw them on the floor. Why can't we take better care of things that are ours? I know it's just the bus but damn. They just rose the rates for 2009 and it's annoying that people continue to treat public transportation like shit.

I'm someone that hates how people are using Barack Obama being the President to prove a point but ... Barack Obama is the President now. We can take a little more pride in how we present ourselves to the world around us and for whoever had to watch this person grub on seeds and then spit them on the floor, ewww...

From my pics it looks like the the bag just fell on the floor and the seeds spilled out, but I assure you (since I sat in the damn seat) the seeds were all missing and just cracked shells remained.

Any thoughts?

Nail Art - Part II

In a previous blog I talked about my trip to Sally's and all the cool stuff I was able to purchase. After the initial excitement of having so many new polishes to play around with died down (you can recall I went all out and had a cluster f*ck of designs on my nails) I roped in my wild imagination and focused my creativity on this metallic silver with white/pink stripes combo. This design is the latest winner. I love this color combo and for some reason it reminds me of candy - my personal twist on the traditional candy cane.

Reality Wrap-Up

Bad Girl's Club - The ladies are home from Vegas and easing back into their usual routine of partying, arguing, fighting and relaxing. After the Ambers play a prank on the girls by placing gummy bears all over the house, the girls vow to get them back... but first things first, they're ready to party. They all go to a club and things seem to be going well until Ashley returns to the booth they've been sitting at and discovers that her purse is missing. Instantly she starts spazzing out - tossing the table, throwing glasses on the floor, screaming at whoever will listen. Bouncers try and calm her down as well as Tiffany who insists Ashley ask the other girls if they have her purse. Finally that realize that the Ambers have the purse. Amber B. was only "trying to help" since Ashley (being super wasted) left her purse unattended in the booth (asking for it to get stolen). Ashley is still pissed off and is adamant that when "people take something without telling you it's stealing..." (insert eye roll here) When the Ambers go out the next day the girls devise a plan to prank them, putting their shoes on a raft weighted down in the middle of the pool and cooking oil in their shampoo and face wash. The Ambers find their shoes when they get home but never discover what's making their skin break out. The next night the girls are off to a show that features a rock cover band... they look like something out of the 80s... something that should've stayed in the 80s. The ladies are backstage partying with them before the show, taking shots, and of course being slutty. Ashley and Sara cease the opportunity to slut it up and flash their boobs. (I don't know if they realized that these guys weren't even famous - they're a cover bad. They sing OTHER people's songs) Anyways, it isn't long after the show starts before the girls find themselves in a "bar brawl" and what else, getting kicked out of the club. When they get home the "fab 5" are in need of someone to blame their issues on and start attacking the Ambers. The Ambers do a good job of looking like deers in headlights and playing stupid. They don't admit to saying anything, barely defend themselves and pretty much maintain their puzzled looks. The episode ends with the Ambers wishing Kayla was back in the house and we are left with a glimpse of Kayla pulling up in a limo. Will she be back? We'll have to wait until next week to see!

Reality Wrap-Up

The City - Whitney (sticking to the reality script of everyone having to start off as friends) invited Olivia to a concert to watch Jay and his band perform. Olivia rocks Chanel on the regular... I wouldn't even waste my breath inviting her to a dive bar... let alone be seen in a place like that myself. After a few outfit changes Olivia was ready to go but the girls were running late. Whitney and Erin are like the worlds most passive people. I would've left Olivia if it were really that serious to be there by a certain time... or better yet, it's NY. Just let her hop in a cab and meet y'all there! Instead, Erin and Whitney nervously drank champagne and made crazy "we're running late but afraid to rush the almighty queen bee" faces. They finally arrived to the show, late of course, and while watching Jay perform (their music isn't that good to me... they remind me of a band that plays cover songs at a hotel in Hawaii) Olivia awkwardly moved to some beat and kept bumping into the girl next to her. Just because your rich doesn't mean you're void of rhythm. I suggest Olivia take a dance class or something STAT... but maybe all you need to do is look cute as you sip champagne in your VIP booth... Feeling "bad" about leaving early and making Whitney late for the show (this is what they want us to believe) Olivia gets Jay's band a gig at some charity event her friend is throwing. It's a swank hotel and Nevan and Olivia are shit faced that Jay and his bandmates show up in plaid shirts. They keep referring to them as the "plaid mafia"... I like Nevan because he's flamboyant but manages to still play the "I'm straight" card but he was being a tool the entire night. After his set, Jay grabs Whitney and they storm out. Olivia is disgusted that she wasn't thanked for setting the gig up for him. How dare he bite the hand that just fed him. Fast forward to Olivia and Whitney at work the next day. You can tell the uneasy tension that's in the air. The girls exchange a few words ( I really was hoping Whitney would throw a "fuck you bitch" or "kick rocks" towards Olivia... but no such luck). Olivia wins this round and keeps the upperhand throughout the conversation. She advises Whitney that they keep their work life separate from their personal lives. I can tell that things are going downhill from here. In other news, Erin is going back and forth between dating her current boyfriend (Duncan) or her ex and first love, J.R. Her story line is not nearly as pathetically dramatic as Allie but from next week's preview it looks like MTV will find a way to force a love triangle.


Daddy's Girls - Jessica is desperate for a larger butt (aren't all black girls?) and is eating everything in site to get one. She states that she wants her "track booty" back and the majority of the episode is spent watching her eat breakfast foods junk food and protein shakes. Vanessa and Angela are starting to feel cramped (due to Jessica staying in their living room) and start the process of looking for a house. (I wonder what'll happen to their neighbor Alycia when they move out of their "hills" apartment). They view a few different places and end up falling in love with one (see right) They make an offer and we'll have to see if they get the house.

Nail Art

I've been following the youtube tutorials of a very talented makeup artist, Lauren, for quite some time now. She always finds innovative and fun ways to play around with eye makeup, futuristic designs, and lately nail art. After watching this video I was inspired to give it a try myself. I went to Sally's and bought a bunch of nail art polishes in funky shades and headed home to let my imagination go wild. It was fun playing around with different ideas and after some time I decided on a silver/black/white/hot pink combo. This is my first time really trying to do something this different. The cashier at Sally's thought I was a nail tech buying all these products... just a creative girl yearning to express herself thru nail design. Some people write poems, some paint pictures... I like to write and do my nails.




Here's the video that inspired me:

Wake up, Mr. West...

Lately it looks like Kanye West has boycotted hair cuts. He's been looking, well...."rough" would be putting it nicely. My friend wrote a hilarious open letter to Mr. West's hair. The original can be found here (He also has a funny open letter to Sarah Palin and Facebook)

Dear Kanye West’s Hair:

Would you please tell the person with whom you share DNA to taper you down? No samples will be necessary … yet. But we, his fans, want to help in any way possible. We all understand that he’s been through a lot in the last year or so. The album 808s & Heartbreak aside, nothing has said that better than you, his hair.

For the last six months, I’m pretty sure you’ve been screaming at him for the shears the way a dusty car would be yelping at its owner for a wash. To no avail. The problem is that Kanyeezy thinks he can do no wrong. He earnestly believes he “could stand there in a Speedo, and be looked at like a (bleeping) hero.” Those are his words, not mine. And that’s some serious false hope.

I wish that Icould tell him that you, his hair, look as bad as a baby with diarrhea smells. If he literally wants to be “the (poop) and the urine,” so be it. But I don’t think it’s a sound idea, and I think we, his fans, have the man’s best (public) interests at heart. He’s my favorite rapper. I want him to succeed.

But it’s tough when all I can do is shake my head when I see him on television. Seriously, you were at the Grammy Awards with him. You know what you two looked like on stage with Wayne, Jay, T.I. and M.I.A. (Lord, I don’t have the brain capacity to comprehend why that woman was on that stage looking like a pregnant ladybug ready for her water to break). Can you make sense of the debauchery that is Kanye’s head? Did you even try to stop him or try to talk him into putting on a hat or a comb through you before he hit the stage?

It’s hard to support a man known for being clean cut when he openly decides that wants to be the Black Shaggy from Scooby Doo. It would be different if he was Anthony Hamilton, and if you were a part of that soulful image. That would be acceptable. Kanye is supposed to be the preppy, smart aleck rapper who keeps that fresh taper consistent. But you, Kanye’s hair, are just a danger to the black man who potentially thinks you are a good non-haircut.

I know you have little control, and I don’t know what to tell you to do. I guess I’d suggest that you just keep screaming as loud as possible in the morning so that when Kanye looks at the man in the mirror you startle him so much that he sees glimpses of Michael Jackson about 30 years ago. That should scare him into the barber’s chair. I hope.

Sincerely,

Dame (definitely not Dash)