What I've Been Up To...

The Store, the bags, the sale?

Well friends, what you see above is one of our lovely shoebags that we sold! Thanks Aimee! How very exciting. Visit the store to see the others.

We also added a new addition to our shop:



Matching lavender sachets for The Shoebag! The lavender is from All Things Lavender in Pike's Market, Seattle - it smells so good. I love them, they're so darn cute.



Last weekend I went to the Domino Bazaar + met a really nice Brazilian woman who was interested in interior design. I also met Jennifer Rubell after she demonstrated one of her yummy desserts. She was cool.


I also bought her book. Good stuff.



Afterwards, I took the 2 train uptown to the Musuem of the City of New York to see the Black Style exhibition. There was a panel of sistas discussing the representation of women in hip hop. The conversation was geared to younger sistas and it was so enlightening. I hadn't really understood how much I've grown - I am a Black woman (not a girl) and it is so fantastic!

The exhibition was really good, here are some of my favorites:

Byron Lars shirtdress 1991.


Michael Butler cocktail dress 2006

Kai Mills gown 2006.




And this is the designer Ann Lowe. She opened her fashion salon in the 1930s in Harlem. Isn't she fabulous!


A little fashion history. Did you remember that the first Black woman on the cover of Vogue was Naomi Campbell and the year? 1989. Go ahead Naomi! How sad that it took that long, eh?


Then I walked in Harlem where I spotted these in a tree:

I love hidden treasures. Those birds must be so happy.


I am thinking of treating myself to a few goodies this month. Here's a thought:

Scent
either Lemon Sugar

from Fresh

or Ginger Essence
from Origins





Well today is my day - woo hoo! The little one and I are going to hang out - maybe watch a movie or two and I might even bake her some dog treats from the Three Dog Bakery book.

Oh yeah, there's a fesitval (Brooklyn Peace Fair ) this weekend. My samba school will hold a workshop at 2:00PM!

Do you remember...or did you ever know?

Today was lovely. The weather was great in New York, but that didn't make the day good. My cousin and I worked on our bags and added a new element. They will be posted onto our etsy site this week. I love being productive!

Today was also a major day for information. I listened to WBAI this morning (I took a break from our beloved public radio station) and tuned into Democracy Now. Great source of information on North Korea's nuclear test, a Russian journalist who was assassinated and the current administration's failed foreign policies.

Yesterday I caught the tail end of Moyers on America (see blog entry below) and wrote down some of the key players/victims of the DeLay/Abramoff scandals. You can watch the episode Capitol Crimes by clicking here.
*Ralph Reed
*the Tigua Nation of Texas
*Congressman Ney

Tonight though I watched Eyes on the Prize. Have you ever seen it? If you have, watch it again! You can never see this series too many times.

If you've never seen it - I'm so sorry. You should immediately write down the date of the next airing (next Monday at 9PM) and tune in. There is only one more chance to see it.

Some of the history that this country (and many others, incidentally) tries to erase from public consciousness is presented in engaging hour long segments. The series takes you into the Civil Rights movement and drops you off into the bus stations, churches, jails and courts that our people protested in, marched on and died inside.

The triumphs are beautiful. The brutality is shocking. Funny that this country with such a short history should have such a short-term memory.

We often forget how people were battered and bloodied in order to live their lives in accordance with Federal laws. Segregation, voter rights, housing equality, intrastate travel, educational equality - these are some of the issues that our people worked and fought and died to ameliorate.

A few decades ago. That's not very long. Forty years ago - can you imagine children being beaten en masse by police officers? Their little bodies pummeled by a wall of water coming from the hoses of firemen? Their cute little faces being lined up and shipped to maximum security prisons for protesting nonviolently? Unless you lived in South Africa or Namibia in the last two decades, I'm sure you're shudder at the thought.

My question...after a mere forty years, is it possible to change the mindset of the people who committed these crimes against humanity? Do you think their children think differently?

Let me know what you think.

Well, it's time to embrace our history. As a country. No more short-term memory. We have to recognize and face our past.

Random Thoughts

I love PBS! If you get a moment (and live in the tri-state area) check out Moyers in America. The episode is Capitol Crimes and it's more than you ever wanted to know about the Tom DeLay + Jack Abramoff scandals.
Airing again on Sunday at 2PM on channel 13.




Rosie O'Donnell scares me... Even during her interview with the lovely but tragic Meg Tilly on (scary music here)... The View. What's up with the name of that show anyway. It's "THE" view? Did you see V for Vendetta?





Should we go to the opera? Check out this link from Daily Candy. I love the idea of opera-for-all and for those of us 21-39 there's even a little club. I'll let you know if mi esposo and I make it.




Damn you expedit! We've been trying for weeks to procure the darn bookshelf to NO AVAIL. I even posted on Craigslist. But how sad are the "Wanted" ads.





Hello leaning desk. Mi esposo and I rallied yesterday + purchased one on Craigslist. Yeah! Thanks Abi for the truck. Thanks Jamie for the desk + also thanks for crating your puppy after he tried to eat my arm, then the buttons off my shirt. Why are puppies so cute and so darn bad? Love them!



Nighty night.
New York today: scale of 1 to 10 (eh...who's counting)

i want a book light

Waaaaaaaaah! So it's obviously that time....I've gone from happy happy to self pity and bleeeecccch (that's the echo of self pity for the uninitiated). Our bodies are amazing though.

Well after reading through a blog or two I feel instantly redeemed - not to mention much happier.

Funny I spent a few moments (10 minutes) checking out the Forever 21 site. I must remember to tell my best friend who still wears the size we wore in high school to stop by there. The clothing will only last for a few weeks, but she won't have to worry about the George Bush-like sizes that the Gap offers. You know, the size 0 is really a size 10 and so on. Yeah, like all those croissants from City Bakery didn't add a few pounds.....

Anyway, I still do need a book light so I can read and not disturb mi esposo. He's so cute when he sleeps!

Enough for the night. Hopefully the moodiness won't continue for the rest of the week.

Night night.

New York today: Eh...

We now pronounce you....

Love love love! That was the spirit of yesterday. Shouldn't that be the spirit of everyday? I think so.

Two very good friends, Lynda + Jeff got married in Williamsburg and it was so very beautiful! The theme was early 1900s Paris, the parade music was provided by their friends (who rock the New York Balkan scene)...oh yes there was a parade! It couldn't have been more fun (except for the Fresh Direct truck that almost took out 1/2 the parade)!


Everyone rang this beautiful bell when they entered the ceremony site

I officiated the ceremony with the legal support of the Brooklyn Society of Ethical Culture . Thank you Rita + Lisel!!

I'm not normally big on poetry. Wow, I must be growing up if I can admit that publicly. Once in a long while I am deeply moved by a poet. The piece I read during the ceremony was from Hafiz, the Persian poet from the 1300s. His book The Gift is so unbelievably amazing. We should all read it.

I could write like 2 posts on the amazing people and how much fun it was! I obviously won't...the memories will always dance in my heart!

To Jeff + Lynda - thank you so much for including all of us in your family!

Today, my neighbor-friend, Abigail asked me to help her with the cat rescue/release program that she and another woman in our neighborhood spearheaded. So we went off to pick up the spayed/neutered cats from 2 places in the City. I considered taking pictures but thought against it.

It's pretty amazing how many people do noble work. She works so hard all week and then takes time to care for all the feral cats in our little neighborhood. That's fuckin' cool!

Now for sure it's time for bed. Our sweet puppy is already knocked out. I'm just waiting for mi esposo to come out of the shower so I can cuddle up next to him!

New York yesterday + today: Thumbs way up
(Fresh Direct: a big fat zero....ok let's stay positive)

Post blog script: I got my memory card back from Paragon! The security guard didn't steal it - he'd just completely forgotten to put it back in my B&H bag. So that ranting blog? Just forget it)