Weekend recap: ?uesto’s Love Sessions & Jennifer’s birthday
Current mood: grateful
Category: Music
So I actually got quite a bit of studying done this weekend.. whole bunch of reading.. and I'm pretty sure I'm ready for the Physical Dysfunctions/Disabilities midterm I have on Tuesday. That said.. I still had a lot of fun.
Friday night:?uestlove hosted the LoveSessions in support of the Obama campaign.. and Inverse did an opening set.. There was fundraising, sign-ups for volunteer work, and even voter registration. The whole event was great. I hung with Noah, Evan, and even Dub for a little bit. Shouts to Tunj for hooking up the guestlist situation.
I only have pics from the first half of Inverse's set, because the security guards were really strict about who could take pictures for some weird reason. Lame. Anyway, here's what I have:
DJ Vocab and Paul Dateh, getting the crowd ready..
Mr. Yoel on the keys..
Action shot.
..yes, Tunj's shirt says "My President is Black." Classic.
Saturday night: my little sis Jennifer celebrated her birthday at (everyone's favorite basement-level sweaty but generally enjoyable) Zanzibar. Paige and Julie joined in on the fun.
I would love for you and your friends to get with me and my friends but the problemo is your attitude be on the stank side and I no longer like you eff it, now you can't ride but wouldn't you like to? (me, Julie, Paige)
..and they ain't leaving til six in the morrrrning. (Jennifer, Jasmyne, me)
Could you be my American boy? (Julie's sooooong)
Two of the Jackson Five. (Jennifer, Keith)
All in a day's work..
Wherever there's music and movement, I tend to sweat a lot.. but I still have fun. Thanks for a great weekend, fam!
Currently
listening
:
Rising Down
By
The Roots
Release date: 2008-04-29
So Saturday night, I hung out at V Lounge to celebrate the birthday of Nicoooole. (You have to sing her name when you say it, like this)
The whole night was so much fun.. mostly because we ran into these two incredible guys. If Steve Urkel and the Czech Brothers had a kid, it would dance like these guys. They were incredible. We boogied the night away. Anyway, here's the recap.
Feeling like Mike at his baaaddest.. Melody, Nicole, me.
Mike and Ari.. eyeing the scene.
Grant = dance fever.
Mark, me, Kristin, Nicole.. this type of ish be happenin' daily.
Grant and Nicole.. alllmost a normal picture.
Group shot: me, Mark, Kristen, Grant, Danielle, Nicole.
Another group shot.. Ari blinked, Mike is red, and Nicole's double-fisting like a champ.
It's a celebration.. eff your couch!
Currently
listening
:
Rock Steady
By
No Doubt
Release date: 2001-12-11
West LA UMC - Ohana Celebration
Current mood: awake
Category: Friends
So I've been a little bit M.I.A... or maybe even a lot M.I.A. Probably a lot, since Chanira just left me a Facebook wall post that said "just checking to see if you're alive." My bad. I've been hanging out with my textbooks and hustling containers. Don't hate the player, hate the game.. and the tuition.
Anyway.. Saturday morning/afternoon, my church had its annual Ohana Celebration. Game booths, snacks, crafts, entertainment.. Here's a quick photo recap of the beauty, love, and support that always pours out of West LA United Methodist Church.
Chirashi booth.. mmmm.
(Often imitated, never duplicated)
Plants for sale..
Mark and Kevin in the sno-cone booth! It's in the muuuusic..
Anyway, here's a quick photo recap.. only four pics because my camera battery died (I completely forgot to recharge it after Vegas trip number two).
Kris and Geramie, before that adios kicked in. Isn't my sis beautiful?
Family reunion! Rochelle, Tunj, TiRon, Cook, and me. That's a pretty solid starting five.
The beats were incredible. My intention was to get a whole bunch of video clips, post em up on the blog, and be a youtube hero for the week. Instead.. my camera took the night off and I only got two action shots.
This is what hip hop shows look like to those of us who take "yo shorty, c'mere" literally.
Anyway.. the night was incredible. Who would have thought I'd catch M-Phazes on his FIRST EVER trip to the states? Hip hop from LA, North Carolina, Jersey, and even Australia, all in one place. Thank you, internet.
Oh, and speaking of geography.. How many of the 50 states can you name in 10 minutes? Quiz yourself here.. and leave a comment with your results!
( I forgot New Mexico.. my bad, Randi. )
Currently
listening
:
Connected
By
Foreign Exchange
Release date: 2004-08-24
So I actually went back to Vegas again this weekend (yes, really). Kris asked me to join her team's roster for the annual Vegas basketball tournament.. how could I refuse? (especially when Dee and Rosa were playing too!)
Kiki and Victoria came to show their support (read: crash in Vegas for free). It turned into a mini-Pomona reunion, with a couple extra folks sprinkled in. As far as the games go, let's just say we had moral victories (which is most important, right?) It was still really fun to be back on the court with those girls. My lungs barely survived the smoke-filled casinos though.. right now I sound like Darth Vader when I breathe.
Anyway, here's the recap. I don't have the full team pic yet, because it's on Kristin's dad's camera. Heeeeere we go..
Voice: "The tram doors are closing, please stand clear." Kiki: "Why does this bitch always tell us what to do?"
Saturday night: Main Street buffet!
Brittney = my honorary little sister for the weekend.
Caitlin and Kris = actual sisters.
Wynn hotel.. one of Rosa's more alert moments of the evening.
So grown.
Our only Street Force fans!
Stumbling to the Flamingo.. or maybe Planet Hollywood.
My little sister Dee.. the security guards were on their J-O-B.
MATT MARTINI!
Random guy: "I won't lie, you're pretty.. but you're not fine as hell though." Kris: "Adios, muhfucka."
Kiki and Britt.. and their inappropriate hand signals.
I ran into the Maru boys!!
Washington Apples for everyone at Planet Hollywood..
So after casino-hopping at the Wynn, Flamingo, Planet Hollywood, and back to the Flamingo.. and making stops at 7-eleven, McDonalds, Walgreens, and (yet another) McDonalds.. Kris and I finally headed back to our hotel around 4:30 am.
Sidenote: Kris looks good. She gets free stuff from dudes.. like a drink at a bar.. or even an egg mcmuffin at McDonalds. The most I've ever gotten was free copies at Kinko's (not complaining at all).
Anyway, we headed back at 4:30 and got stopped on the overpass by the same dudes that were trying to talk to us earlier (at 7-eleven). Somehow, Kris and I miscommunicated.. I was running interference because I thought she was enjoying the talk with her dude.. and she was only doing the same for me. Whoops.
Note: the guy who was talking to me was a dope boy.. with aspirations of becoming a more successful dope boy.. and eventually being So Dope Boy Fresh. His promise to keep me in fresh Jordans was tempting.. but I declined.
We finally got back to our hotel (don't sleep on the South Point) at around 5:30.. crashed.. and woke up at 10 to head back to LA.
Two things that will always end a Vegas weekend on a good note:
Beef jerky.
Tommy's chili fries and a chili dog.
So now I'm back to my grad school grind, buried in textbooks and hustling for tuition (maybe I should rethink the dope boy's proposition, hmmm).
Overall.. it was a great weekend. So refreshing to be back with my P-town hoopers again.. and hilarious to see the things that people do when they realize they're in Vegas.. baby.
Crab Pot and Birthday Cake
Current mood: tired
Category: Friends
This week has been insane.. so I'm just now getting to the recap of last weekend. I have to make this quick, because I'm leaving for a bball tournament in Vegas in about 15 minutes.
The Crab Pot is an incredible restaurant in Long Beach, on the water (click here for info). I drove down there to meet up with my AC fam, including some folks who were in town from Fresno. I ate enough that I could probably hibernate right now and be okay through the Winter.
Sunday.. Chanira was three hours late to her own surprise party. She was shocked.
The setup..
Friends love you enough to NOT eat your cake before you show up.
Kambria and Cherie, killing time..
Vidhya and I, doing the same..
SURPRIIIIIISE!!
(Just to clarify)
Make a wish..
The whole night was a success.. it was a birthday/movie night, including 4 Boondocks episodes, Friday, Fakin' Da Funk, Sparkle, and Why Did I Get Married? (Jill Scott is my hero in that movie.. if you don't know, ask somebody.)
Incredible weekend.. with some homework sprinkled in here and there.
And yes, I'm going back to Vegas. I'm not the Vegas type.. but basketball, buffets, and going out with my P-town girls should still be pretty fun.
Currently
listening
:
Southern Comfort
By
Anthony Hamilton
Release date: 2007-04-03
Baby do you want a MASSAAAAAAGE?
Current mood: happy
Category: Music
Friday night, Dean and Nicole came over.. and then we headed to the Key Club to catch the Little Brother show. Without exaggerating at all, it was insaaaaane.
I saw these guys in Claremont about four years ago, and they were such engaging, friendly, strong, feel-good performers.. Let's just say that nothing has changed. I'm pretty sure they've even gotten better. Here goes the photo/video recap:
The place was packed.. but somehow I ran into Priscilla, Yoel, and Noah King!
Next up: The Oddibles
..followed by Those Chosen.
Right around 11:45 (this was the most punctual hip hop show ever, by the way).. Little Brother hopped onstage! They performed songs from The Listening, The Minstrel Show, aaaaand GetBack.
Check out Big Pooh's shirt.. incredible.
No zoom. We were thisclose to Phonte. He touched my hand at one point. *swoons*
Hahaha man.. It was such a great night. They ended up rocking the stage for almost 2 hours. For the first time in a while, I was at a hip hop show where everyone seemed to be in a good mood, the crowd wasn't full of other rappers who were too busy hating on the performers to enjoy the music, and I wasn't even the tiniest bit worried that an ego brawl might break out. To close out the show, Phonte asked the light man to turn down all of the lights.. had everyone put up their cell phones or lighters, and LB finished the night with After the Party's Over.
Out on a Friday night Big smiles and flashing lights But where do all the lonely people go When the party's over?
3 cheers for beautiful music.
Currently
listening
:
Getback
By
Little Brother
Release date: 2007-10-23
BRING the beat back
Current mood: amorous
Category: Music
Hooray, a video for Talib Kweli & KRS-ONE - "The Perfect Beat."
I was at the Street Sounds show where they shot this video. If you see a flash of red shirt and khaki jacket onstage by the DJ table.. that's me! Well.. there was another (larger) guy wearing the same colors.. so it might be him. But I was there too, I swear.
Proof that I was there.. no zoom.
Random thought: KRS-ONE's volume and intonation control would be great for narrating children's plays.
Currently
listening
:
Eardrum
By
Talib Kweli
Release date: 2007-08-21
grateful
geeky
awake
tired
)
dorky
stoked
loved
happy
amorous
