Embrace Your Inner N.E.R.D November 30, 2008

 

Today’s post, serves as tribute to one of my favorite groups ever, N.E.R.D, (No one Ever Really Dies),  an innovative group comprised of Chad Hugo, Pharrell Williams, and Shay Haley.   After your visit here, stop by WhySo\’s place (I’m thinking he’s going to pay tribute as well.)

Back in 2002,  I worked in the Probate Department of Providian National Bank.  My cute co-worker, Jesse (we crushed on each other) turned me on to all kinds of music because  I had my head buried in  nothing but Jay-Z and Wu Tang.  Anywho, one day, he put a N.E.R.D cd on my desk, “In Search Of . . .”   After listening,  I was hooked immediately.  These guys were so different; a little bit of  hip-hop, rock,  and weird beats  and I loved it.  My favorite song on that CD is Tape You . 

I played this CD out until “Fly or Die” was released in 2004.  This CD is a little more alternative and rock than the first.   My fav songs:  Jump feat. Good Charlotte,  Break Out, and Thrasher.  Hell, I really wish I could post the entire cd.  This one is my ABSOLUTE FAV!

N.E.R.D released their third cd earlier this year, called “Seeing Sounds,” which includes Time for Some Action, Sooner or Later,  Windows, and Yeah You (about a stalker chick. You’ve got to hear this one!)

I’ve posted a ton of links on here to introduce those who’ve never been exposed.  I hope you like them as much as me.,  if not, slit your wrists post haste.  J/K .  Overall, I hope I’ve turned you on to something new, just as Jesse did for me a while back.  Let me know your thoughts.  Ciao!

 

 

Today’s After-Thanksgiving Activities November 28, 2008

 

It’s the Day after Thanksgiving, you’ve ate well, gained 5 pounds… what do you do now? 

This day is nationally known as Black Friday, when you’re supposed to wake up at the crack of dawn and fight with 100 other customers over the 10 42″ RCA flat screens that have been discounted.

Well, no sir, not me…. As I’ve stated before, I hate shopping.  I’ll enjoy my day off by washing my hair, sitting on my couch and eating leftovers, and doing homework. 

How about you?  Enjoy your day!

Happy Thanksgiving! November 27, 2008

More Than A Day As Thanksgiving Day rolls around,
It brings up some facts, quite profound.
We may think that we’re poor,
Feel like bums, insecure,
But in truth, our riches astound. We have friends and family we love;
We have guidance from heaven above.
We have so much more
Than they sell in a store,
We’re wealthy, when push comes to shove. So add up your blessings, I say;
Make Thanksgiving last more than a day.
Enjoy what you’ve got;
Realize it’s a lot,
And you’ll make all your cares go away. By Karl Fuchs

I’ma think about serving real dinner later!

The RHOA Reunion Show November 26, 2008

 

Hello Guys and Gals and Welcome to the partay!!!

In true Cuzzo fashion we are a day late and a dollar short but the party must ensue.

Please Enjoy some

Mini Quiche

Banana Bread

 

Don’t be shy…Dig in.

Mimosa, Anyone?

My Thoughts:

1 – DWIGHT EUBANKS STOLE THE DAMN SHOW! He’s my favorite honorary Housewife (NeNe has runner up).  And, he’s got a reality show of his own in the making. Fave Quote: “Who is this wonderful person giving a fashion show with no fashions? How dreadful.”

And wasn’t he a true diva! and in his little time next to Kim was more of a friend to her than any of the other women have been. Telling her she needed to step it up with the wardrobe and hair. *snap* Bam!

2 – I ABHOR Kim. She such a lie! i could write so much more on all her wack-tivities but I’m sure you all saw it.

3 - I wanted to kick DeShawn off the stage - she was so boring.

4 – Sheree has not convinced me that She By Sheree will actually be coming out.

5 – Apparently, Lisa is NOT the one (in her own words, lol).

Just about everything that I expected, happened.

So, what are your thoughts on the Real Housewives of ATL Reunion show?

For your amusement (many of you may have seen this already as I posted it before on Comeback):

Just Because I Felt Like It November 25, 2008

Yep, this is a second post for the day. 

Take a commercial break and enjoy N.E.R.D.

Nic’s Repeatable Movie Picks November 24, 2008

I am not a sensitive woman, so I don’t share tears easily… things have to be serious.  

I have an exception. The Color Purple takes me to infant status.   

I was at the hospital with my mom Sunday, (luckily she was on the phone).  When this part came on I cried like a biyatch! I covered it up like I was getting choked from coughing- slick one I tell ya.

This also made me cry:

But this is funny as hell:

I’ve seen this movie more times than I can count, and will STILL watch it over and over again.  There are very few movies I can repeat back to back, which include:

2.  Imitation of Life

3. Napoleon Dynamite (my repressed nerd just came out! LOL)

4.  Jerry McGuire

5.  The Break Up

These are my top 5 REPEATABLE movies.  What about you-do you have any? What scenes send you into tears?  Men, your emotions are welcome here.

There’s Something about… November 24, 2008

Wood Harris

It’s Saturday Night and I’m watching some movie on BET called Dirty in which ya boy Wood Harris acts. He’s not the best looking dude but his packaging is nice. I like him as an actor and he seems like a decent person (i.e. I haven’t read any gossip about him). I met him once a few years back (when he was on The Wire) and he was cool – took a picture with one of my friends and all that – even gave her his phone number.

No deep message here…just something about this dude.

Did You Ever Have The Feeling…? November 21, 2008

People! Aaaaahhhh!

In one of my many favorite Bugs Bunny cartoons (I swear they don’t make em like they used to), there is a scene where bugs asks this character Gossamer: “Have you even had the feeling you were being watched? That the eyes of strangers are upon you…”

I’ve had the feeling and it feels grrrrreat (in the case you’re not making a damn fool of yourself)! I’m piggybacking off my earlier review of Vango here. I was on the dance floor and it was (I’m not gonna say all) most eyes on me. And I soaked it up. I mean men, women, dudes that were with other women (which made we dance lil harder) watching. Some people cop an attitude like what they lookin at? Not me…I smile and dance with strangers - men and women. It’s fun. Like MJB says: Don’t need no hateration…holleration…in this dancery. This one fiiiine guy (who was with some chick) was lookin mad long. I swear it was exhilarating. I don’t know what their situation was but everyone in there “clique” was looking boo’d up.

How do you feel about being watched (in this case on the flo’) – especially when that person is there with someone else? How does this play out into relationships? I think some women are exhilarated by attaining (or the possibility of it) a man that is taken. Maybe you don’t take it there, it could just be flirting also.

Back to Reality…. Nic’s Miami Recap November 19, 2008

I’m back from Miami and we had a gorgeous time. Just in case YOU are planning a trip there soon, I wanted to give you some hints on where to go and what to do.

 

Where to Stay

I’ve been to Miami four times in the last three years. Three of those times, I stayed in hotels that were DEPLORABLE. Although we didn’t spend Arab money, we certainly weren’t doing Motel 6 status either.

 

This time, we rented a condo. It’s called the Knickerbocker and is located on the edge of 3^rd and Collins. It was gorgeous:. 2 bedrooms, 2 bathroooms, and a fold out couch. I video’d but have no idea on how to convert it into something wordpress can work with, so please settle for this pic. Check the happiness! We found it! From now on, I’ll be staying here.

Here is the link: http://www.swoleenterprizes.com/catalog/item/5079824/6163598.htm

 

What to Eat

Pizza is one of my favorite foods… always has, always will be. It was hard finding good food, but I think I have it down to a science, keep it simple. One of the servers told us that they keep food bland because it is a tourist area and there are so many different cultures they are catering to. I am a simple gal, so these places are far from Ritzy, but they are good, all the same.

 

The Big Pink: http://www.bigpinkrestaurant.com/

(my first year, I met Bobby Valentino here. LOL!)

 

11^th Street Diner: http://www.miamibeach411.com/Restaurants/11stdiner.html

Fantastic food and HUGE portions. You must try the Croque Monsieur.

 

Primo Pizza: http://www.yelp.com/biz/primo-pizza-miami-beach

Not only is the owner GORGEOUS, but this is the best pizza I’ve ever had! I think I ate there four times during our stay.

 

Where to Shop

First of all, I hate shopping, so I try to stay out of the mall at all costs. What I love about the strip are the quaint shops that you catch, just walking around. I like this Indian store called Passage to India, which has the prettiest authentic jewelry. I believe it is located on 13^th and Washington (don’t quote me, but I know it IS on Washington!) We also walked down to Lincoln Mall Road where we saw this interesting character:

Where to Party

Since we were celebrating my 28^th birthday, our main goal was to have some good nights.

 

Wet Willies: http://www.wetwillies.com/bar.cfm?wizard=1&CFID=3650248&CFTOKEN=1e057060bb0d4e5c-B2AFE1F9-C891-2104-3C06223CB9435EAE

Don’t come in here lookin casket sharp. This is not one of those places… It’s more like a daytime drinking spot. I love that it is open and you can watch people There are a ton of slushes to choose from and we always ask for an extra shot!

Cameo: http://www.cameomiami.com/

We went here Friday for Dwayne Wade’s party and had the best time. My friends saw him a couple of times inside (I saw nothing with Patron glazed eyes), but we took blurry pics of him as we were in line and he pulled up and in Vitamin D Milk Maybach (corny? I know, but hey, you don’t get stars in Kentuckiania!)

Dream: http://www.martiniboys.com/Miami/Dream-nightlife.html

Sexy, fashionable atmosphere. You don’t have to worry about anyone fighting because you “stepped on their Js.” It’s really dark and they are couches everywhere. This is where you need to be on Saturday.

 

Love Hate Lounge: http://www.lovehatemiami.com/

This has to be my favorite place ever! It is owned by the guys of Miami Ink and is the best spot to go to on Sunday. They play old school hip hop and raggae etc. The DJ is crazy! Promise I lost ten pounds from dancing. (and my eyes aren’t lazy…. that’s from the shots!)

 

Negatives

I must be honest. “I gots to do it!”

 

Prive: http://www.theopiumgroup.com/

I visit Club Opium every time I go, but this time, they were closed. We were instructed to go to their sister club, which is Prive. First of all, you are supposed to come early in order to get in. Me and my girls did this and watched as some pip squeak belittled a Sheik about his religion and girls threw themselves on him to gain entrance. There were us and one other black woman in line, in a sea of exotic Indian browns and pure whites. We watched him ignore us. We couldn’t quite figure it out… we’re nice looking women. It was getting chosen last for Dodgeball teams.

 

We later learned from a random guy who walked us to Cameo that if you’re black, you basically can’t get into that club until Tuesday. Disgusting! I won’t be going there again.

 

I hope I’ve convinced you to go… please do! This is my favorite place in the world…. There are so many other perks, including the beach and good old people watching!

Where is Mr. Right?-Words of Encouragement November 19, 2008

I received this in an e-mail from my cousin in 2006, I hope you all enjoy!

I often warn women who are contemplating marriage to marry someone who
can take care of them. When a woman marries, it ought to be to someone
who is capable of taking her to the next level. If she comes from
poverty, there is no reason for her to get married and still be
impoverished. The role of the man is to take her to another place. When
she gets married, she ought to dress better, drive better, live better,
and eat better, not constantly be in a struggle over where her next meal
is coming from. My grandmother used to say, “I can do bad all by
myself”

For a woman desiring a mate, the objective, of course, would be to find
a Christian man, who’s settled, has goals, accomplishments and a job.
But a goal-oriented and focused man can’t just be approached any kind of
way. So the woman who seeks this type of stability must make sure that
he stands out above the crowd:

1. Make sure your relationship with the Lord is strong and growing.
2. Make sure that you are presentable. Working from the inside out, your
presentation should be representative of both who you are and
whom you seek. Appearance is a reflection of how you see yourself.
3. Have the ability to hold an intelligent conversation.
4. And most importantly, allow the Holy Spirit to take control. You
don’t need to go after him. He’s going to come after you, because after
he sees and smells you and knows that you’re in his presence, he’s going
to want to know who you are!

I know there’s somebody reading this who has been chasing after the “man
of your dreams,” but God says, “Just sit still and allow patience to
have her perfect work through Me.”

Furthermore, it’s never a good idea to be too forward and too
aggressive. Attempting to win a man’s affection by jumping into bed
with him will only backfire and cause him to lose interest in ever
developing a lasting relationship. It causes him to lose respect for
you and question your character. However, if he sees that you are
dressed with quality, that you smell like you are somebody, that you
look like you’re doing fine without him, then that will attract the
right attention from him. He’ll have no choice but to give you his
attention. Stop looking so needy, climbing into bed, trying in vain to
capture a man’s heart.

God woke me up in the middle of the night and said, “The same thing that
Naomi told Ruth to do is the same thing that I want them to do for me.”
God is so sick of saints coming to Him trying to get a quickie and never
romancing Him for Who he is – going to church screaming, shouting and
hollering, but hadn’t been intimate with God all week long! Stop trying
to treat God like a sugar daddy and start romancing Him with worship and
praise:

“I’m yours Lord…everything I’ve got…everything I’m not!”

The God we serve, which is the God of love, demands and requires of us
foreplay before He gives us what we need. In the book of Ruth, the
mother-in-law tells Ruth, “You have to wash.” John 15:3 reminds us, Now
ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. When you sit
in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, you are taking a shower. When you hear
the unadulterated Word of God, then the dirt and grime that you’ve
accumulated all week long begins to wash off of you. Ask God to “create
in you a clean heart and renew a right spirit.” Stand in the word.
Then wait upon the Lord to renew your strength.-Jamal Bryant

And you what say you all? Men, do you think this is the right way to go about it? Women, have you tried this? Is there anything here you think would work?