My goals for Indianapolis

I have one goal for Indy:

• This city needs to become so freakin awesome that we get a CRUNCH somewhere (and not in Carmel…that defeats the point)

Just some of the highlights of Crunch membership:

• Boxing Ring
• Sun Deck
• 3 Story “Fun Slide”
• Peekaboo Showers (whatever those are I want one, they sound fun)
• Live DJs in the evenings
  

If Indy had a fitness center/studio like Crunch…I’d cover my walls in mirrors. ‘Cause I would look that good.

De Tropix + Cherry B

Cherry B is probably better known as “M.I.A.’s hype-girl”. But this lady from St. Vincent & the Grenadines is one part of the duo DE TROPIX. Check them out.

Group: De Tropix

Location: London (and St. Vincent & the Grenadines)

Sound: Reggae/Dancehall/Club

Members: Cherry B — vocals, Instinct — producer, vocals

Songs to listen to: “Oi Oi Oi” — on Cherry B’s MySpace; “Tap Tap” — on De Tropix MySpace

“Oi” — on De Tropix MySpace

Here’s a video of Cherry and M.I.A. dancing at the Virgin Festival.

And here’s a vid of Cherry on Letterman with M.I.A. performing “Paper Planes”

J*DaVeY (I’m BACK!)

J*DaVeY

I’m lovin the sound of J*DaVeY. The duo from LA is a breath of fresh air. NO, not just a breath, a deep after-passion inhalation/exhalation.

I know that people are going to tell me that I’m late on them. But it’s never too late to discover beauty.

My first exposure to J*DaVeY was the track “Take My Time” with the UK electro-soul group 4 Hero. Jack’s vocals on that song are sweet, innocent and sexy.

4Hero feat. J*DaVeY - Take My Time

And now, their debut album “The Beauty In Distortion + The Land of the Lost” drops July 1st.

Here’s another track to get you excited…

J*DaVeY - No More

Visit J*DaVeY’s MySpace page. I suggest listening to “Rock The Dancehall” and “Hi’s Lo’s.

And Watch this MySpace TV Video: J*DaVey Who New?

Peace. And it’s good to be back.

Blog Vacation

I will be taking a vacation of sorts…

I won’t have internet access from Sunday 6/22 (today) to Thursday 6/26.

But on Friday I’ll be back!  So don’t miss me too much

Puma Black Label

My mama ingrained in me the idea that flip flops are made for two places—the shower and the pool/beach. To this day I have severe problems with wearing flip flops as everyday footwear. Not to mention the fatigue that I feel after attempting to walk/stand in them all day (memories of Lolla ‘06).

Puma has created my alternative to the shower shoe–Black Label Lancio Sandal

I absolutely love this sandal because it provides the ease of the flip flop without the rubbery-ness, and just a touch more style.  Doesn’t look like you rolled out of bed and put just anything on your feet…although you probably DID just roll out of bed and put something on your feet.

Looking like you care doesn’t have to be hard and this shoe proves it.

Fancast - Online TV

Maybe I’m late on this, but Fancast is amazing.  Since I no longer have cable TV, I’ve signed up for Blockbuster Online, and now with Fancast, will be able to watch some of my favorite TV shows online, for FREE.  Yes free.

Not sure how they do it (advertising/sponsor money perhaps?) but Comcast’s website Fancast has
select full length episodes of several popular TV shows.  I just finished watching Family Guy, and I think I’m going to watch House now.

This might not be of interest to a lot of you, but for me this is the discovery of the summer.

Katy Perry

Interested because she and I share the same surname, I can’t quite decide if I like Katy Perry or not. I think I do.

My issue is: I’m a pretty big Lily Allen fan, and to me Katy’s music sounds too similar and not quite as clever. Also, there’s no accompanying English accent. So, that’s a negative too.

The two songs I’ve heard “I Kissed A Girl” and ” Ur So Gay” are fun but…I don’t know. The chorus of “I Kissed a Girl” says: “I kissed a girl and I liked it/The taste of her cherry chapstick/I kissed a girl just to try it/I hope my boyfriend don’t mind it” I could have written that. But I didn’t, so I guess I should just give her credit and keep moving. “Ur So Gay” is a funnier song…or maybe I just think it is because I know someone like the individual described in the song.

Go to her MySpace or Official Page to hear more.

Katy Perry - I Kissed A Girl

Stereogum v. team9 2007 Mashup

So this has been out for about six months now, but in case you haven’t seen this, here it is.

This mix album of mashups features some of the hottest indie singles of 2007. Download the whole album at Stereogum or take a listen to some of my favorites.

From Stereogum v. team9 - MySplice2.0 2007

M.I.A. v. The A-Team Theme “M.I.A.-Team”

So, not necessarily the best, but it puts a smile on my face.

Bangers + Cash v. The Bee-Gees “Loose Dancing”

Bloc Party + The Cure “A Forest Prayer”

Word A Day - RAKE

rake \reyk\

noun:

An agricultural implement with teeth or tines for gathering cut grass, hay, or the like or for smoothing the surface of the ground.
Any of various implements having a similar form, as a croupier’s implement for gathering in money on a gaming table.

verb:
To gather, draw, or remove with a rake
To clear, smooth, or prepare with a rake
To clear (a fire, embers, etc.) by stirring with a poker or the like.
To gather or collect abundantly (usually fol. by in)

Yeah, yeah, you know the word rake. It’s a thing; it’s an action. So by now, you’re trying to figure out why I chose this word as a Word A Day selection.

Well, here’s a meaning I don’t think you were too aware of.

rake \reyk\

noun:
A dissolute or profligate person, esp. a man who is licentious; roué.

Origin: rakehell

————————————————————

This video posted on Kinetik’s facebook prompted this word entry.

Increasing our vocabulary one day at a time.

Off-Topic and Religion Related

Ugh, I don’t like using this for overly personal reason, but I’m effing annoyed as hell and need to share it with someone.  Anyone.

Warning: Discussion of religion to follow.  So if you’re a person of faith (ANY faith) and tend to be close-minded and judgmental (which is another topic in itself), please either refrain from reading this or refrain from commenting.

_______________________________________________________________

My mother is a wonderful woman with an addiction to chain emails.  :-)  Yesterday she sent me one with the subject of “Prayer for Barack”  or something like that.  I generally open them all, because…I’m quite often bored.  I open this one.  It’s just a general Christian chain email with prayers, Bible passages and such.  I noticed that a random stranger had commented on the fact that this email had been sent using several different business/organization email addresses.  He made a silly comment about organizations not promoting a single candidate and I replied (accidentally…oops) to all on this chain mail about how that was an unnecessary and silly comment to make.  This opened the “holier-than-thou” floodgates.

I’m a huge believer in the power of religious convictions.  I mean, with the state of the US and world, how could you not?  Even the most adamant atheist would have to say that religious beliefs have power in people’s lives.  However, I’m also a huge believer in religion being a personal experience and journey.  Well, the people on this email list OBVIOUSLY don’t think that way because for the entire day, I have been deleting email messages sent to me about how God’s love could help me, Bible passages about the power of prayer…blah, blah, blah.  I’m sick of people assuming that I should think a certain way about religion because I’m black, or I was raised Methodist or a whole slew of other ways people can classify me.  My personal religious journey—which is still happening to this very moment—is just that: PERSONAL.  And I just wish that everyone else could respect that.  If you, as a Christian, would like for me to “live in God’s light” or “see the beauty of His works” then hopefully, all I have to do is look at your life and see how wonderful it is.  I don’t need for you to shove anything down my throat or into my brain.  Just lead by example.  That should be persuasion enough, right?  You as a Christian should be the best billboard for His goodwill and blessings.
This whole stupid situation was started because, yet again, I forgot that the whole world is filled with closed-minded individuals and being able to make a comment about anything is forbidden.  AAAAAAAAAA!  My comment wasn’t even about Christianity or the prayer, or anything religious.  I just spoke my mind to the wrong crowd.

Or I can just chalk it up to the fact that the man who made that pointless remark is a McCain supporter.

I’m done.  No more personal tirades for awhile.  Promise.

Word A Day - CAJOLE

cajole \kuh-JOHL\

transitive:
To persuade with flattery, repeated appeals, or soothing words; to coax.

Cajole derives from Early Modern French cajoler, originally, “to chatter like a bird in a cage, to sing; hence, to amuse with idle talk, to flatter,” from Old French gaiole, jaiole, “a cage,” from Medieval Latin caveola, “a small cage,” from Latin cavea, “an enclosure, a den for animals, a bird cage,” from cavus, “hollow.” It is related to cave, cage and jail (British gaol).

Increasing our vocabulary one day at a time.

LOL Cat!

I haven’t posted one in a while.  Enjoy.

N.E.R.D. + Drum and Bass

I’m gonna bet that most of you reading this have the new N.E.R.D. album. And a select few of you know that I love Drum & Bass. My name on this thing is “queenofthejungle”; a reference to my absolute love, borderline obsession with drum & bass/jungle.

With your new knowledge of my dnb obsession, you might not be surprised to find out that my favorite track (as of now) is ‘Spaz’.

Enjoy. I know I do.

N.E.R.D. - Spaz

Word A Day - QUAGMIRE

quagmire \KWAG-myr; KWOG-\

noun:
1. Soft, wet, miry land that shakes or yields under the feet.
2. A difficult or precarious position or situation; a predicament.

Quagmire is from quag, a dialectical variant of quake (from Old English cwacian) + mire, from Old Norse myrr, “a swamp.”

Increasing our vocabulary one day at a time.

Giggity.

Word A Day - CONGERIES

congeries \KON-juh-reez\

noun:
A collection; an aggregation.

Congeries is from Latin congeries, “a heap, a mass,” from congerere, “to carry together, to bring together, to collect,” from com-, “with, together” + gerere, “to carry.” It is related to congest, “to overfill or overcrowd,” which derives from the past participle of congerere.

Increasing our vocabulary one day at a time.