Teenage Love Affair Revisited

So I finally got to see the loves of my life...wait for it...New Kids on the Block.

Me and my old high school pal, Jaime McNally (4 Musketeers 4eva!), met up at Madison Square Garden to swoon, lust and see our teenage heartthrobs in the flesh. Yes, I admit, I was hopelessly in love with all the guys but especially Jordan Knight. Years later, I stood in the sea of thousands of thirty-something year old females and found myself lip--syncing every word, to every song. Step by Step, Please Don't Go Girl, Right Stuff, Cover Girl and of course...Hanging Tough.

And for once, I wasn't the only black girl in love with NKOTB's blue-eyed soul. I was surrounded by sistas taken back in the moment. I caught a few eyes and we winked at each other knowingly. For a fleeting moment, I wondered where were all these sistas when I was growing up and teased mercilessly for being an oreo, just because I like the New Kids?

Ehhhh...who cares? Do you and live your life. I'm living mine and enjoying my NKOTB. Here's a peek from my nostalgic night out.


-30-

Soulful Saturday at Lola in SoHo

On a drizzly, Saturday night, me and fellow classmates, Jessica Hopper and Agnes M.F. Kamara-Umanna trekked over to SoHo for some good, nouveau soul-food and live jazz at Lola. I'd read about the place in The Village Voice a few months ago and how they were having trouble with their neighbors and the SoHo alliance, who weren't too happy about more loud music in their already crowded neighborhood. The article reeked of racist tones through the people that were interviewed but the reporter, Chloe A. Hilliard (a fellow NABJ member), followed through and made sure to get both sides of the story.
I'm not sure if all the complainers have been by yet but all that I can say is that we had a lovely time! The music was soothing and the ambiance was just right. I adore hob-knobbing with New York's finest and that's exactly who was at Lola's that night. From a New Orleans inspired menu, I had the Shrimp & Grits (scrumptious!), Agnes had the Pecan Crusted Rack of Lamb (tender!) and Jessica had Lola's Famous Spiced Fried Chicken (delish!). The staff was gracious and we even ran into husband and wife owners, Tom & Gayle Patrick-Odeen, as we were leaving and expressed to them what a fine place they had. If you get a chance, don't miss out on this jewel, sparkling amongst SoHo's ordinary...you won't be disappointed. We certainly weren't and have already been back for seconds! Cheers...see you at Lola!

Doing What I Can

Like I need something else to do right? Between working with MTV, going to grad school at Columbia, family, friends, new friends, love, volunteering, shopping, relaxing, hustlin' and oh yeah, sleeping, who has the time?

Well, apparently I do. And even when I don't, I'll make the time.

Going back to school at 30 years old is not an easy feat...especially when you've been out of school and working for the last 8 years. For as long as I can remember, I've been holding it down with one full-time job and at least 2 other part-time jobs. My life is hectic but I thrive on it and in the process I talk about it, whine about it, laugh about it, rejoice about it, hell, sometimes even cry about it.

Thing about it is, I am a communicator. Always have been, always will be. And I need to be able to document my experiences and tell you about them. And since I'll be running around NYC covering beats for class and chasing students down for my MTV gig, and working on my Master's Thesis, I won't be as accessible to talk on the phone. So you can read about my trials and tribulations right here...

At times, I may go unpublished for a few days due to assignments and deadlines and plain old exhaustion. But if that's the case, I'll log on and blog about that instead.

Say some prayers for a sista...I appreciate it.