Living In The Stuy...

Celebrate Brooklyn

2011-07-13T14:21:00.008-04:00

Summer 2011 has been fresh to def (showing my age). We joined our local CSA and eat kale on the regular. We are supporting farmers of color and eating much healthier than ever before, in a million years I never would've thought this would end up being where/who I am at this very moment. The CSA is dope. We get organic/locally grown fruits and veggies. Farm fresh milk in glass jugs that is thick and yummy and farm fresh eggs. Have you had a farm fresh egg? They are pretty dang tasty. We are definitely doing our part promoting urban agriculture and spreading the word on eating healthy. I actually have some neighbor hood ladies that want me to give them some tips and a cooking class on eating healthy. It is such a lie that women of color are not interested in taking care of their children by feeding them healthy. They are, they just need more education and more neighbors in the community willing to not be afraid about discussing eating healthy!

Our bikes are clockin' miles around BK. We have seen Talib @ Redhook Park, Nice and Smooth @ Van Buren Park and last week the dopest show to date; Lyricst Lounge with Raekwon, Joell Ortiz, Smif and Wessun, Sean P (the brokest rapper for real)and some other folks. We have the privilege of VIP passes for Celebrate Brooklyn through my job so we sat off to the side and enjoyed the show. My 17 year old (Tasiya) even referred to me as a groupie (of Joell Ortiz)- Yo he is so cute, I love him for real. It's a beautiful thing when families can enjoy hip hop together. Even though the range of what I consider good hip hop and what she considers the best hip hop don't even come close. I just am not nor have I ever felt Lil Wayne. He is a joke I think. So degrading and his voice is annoying as all hell... I can not identify a Wiz Khalifa bar but after walking down Cortelyou with Tasiya I am now familiar with "Taylor Gang" as a young boy made a reference to her rockin' red chucks... Something like yo gal in the red chucks {pause} Taylor Gang!. I actually thought he was referring to her wild blond hair and called her Taylor Dane. My bad- these kids have no idea who Taylor Dane even is.

Anyway love is in the air we are the happiest we have ever been life is as close to perfect as one can wish for! Brooklyn LOVE!

Turn the cheek...let it slide!

2011-06-08T10:20:00.007-04:00

After browsing through my favorite "hip hop blogs" this morning, I was put onto this new video by Pharoahe Monch ft. Styles P & Phonte, "Black Hand Side". I love that the back drop is in Bed Stuy, where I have seen Pharoahe Monch from time to time. I won't go into how "real hip hop" is missing these days, but this is definitely some "grown folk hip hop".

Peep the video and as simple as the video is...it's all that is needed to tell the story.

Spring Love

2011-04-27T20:19:00.002-04:00

The sun is out and the weather is getting warmer. It means that we will be able to ride our bikes without bundling up and it makes us both so happy. The trees are starting to show signs of life. The street have more people on them.

I just had to post this...

Spring Love - Stevie B from Daniel Henriqué Sousa on Vimeo.

Seasons Change: Verse 2 (and 3yr Anniv Of Living In The Stuy)

2011-03-23T12:20:00.006-04:00

New Haircuts, new attitudes, one of the kids has a new address, new commitments, and a lot of old behavior. Damn I am glad the winter is over! I find it remarkable the amount of shit the human heart can bare. The bone chilling winter, the endless snow storms,the ache of a broken heart and the willingness to put the winter of 2011 behind us...

Brooklyn, the place I have always longed to be. Brooklyn the borough where I have never sinned. Never had a drink or a drug. Never kissed another man besides my husband. The planet, the place where I learned to be a wife. The place Todd decided would be our home. Do or Die the place where my soul started to grow. Bed Stuy, where I lay my head every night next to his and fall asleep and get to dream of the magic that we are capable of grasping.

I have grown to fall in love with these streets. I have fallen in love with myself as walk down Fulton and I have fallen more in love with him as we walk down Hancock. I look up at the giant sky and really wonder if I deserve this. The second definition of home in the dictionary is: the place in which one's domestic affections are centered. I am glad I didn't have to come up with that line because it would of taken forever. The definition is exact. It describes what happens on the first floor of our brownstone everyday.

We have a love, a home, a truth that is un-shakable. It exist only in those who are willing to take a risk The chance of a broken heart that can be repaired, the willingness to move to a new place where you don't know anybody. The idea of starting a new life from the windows looking out into the most beautiful place in the world. A fear that is so healthy you can only grow from it.

There is no music to reference in this post, no hyperlinks to take you somewhere else. The only thing you get is a brief journey through my mind.

IT'S BIGGER THAN HIP HOP

2011-02-02T19:47:00.005-05:00

Well sort of...okay not really in my world.

Hip Hop has meant so much to me and I can tell you exactly where I was when I heard some of my favorite songs. A few years ago my best friend told me that he was part of this group that was going to try and build a HIP HOP MUSEUM. I was skeptical at first, kind of rule number 1 to me in HIP HOP. I had many questions and a bunch of suggestions. Anyhoo, my friend has been working closely with a bunch of dedicated folks who love this culture of ours. I mean they are doing this without making $1.00 from all of the work that they have put in so far.

I'm not going to go into what they have been through, but...do you love hip hop?

Love and Marriage, Love and Marriage....

2011-01-25T12:44:00.006-05:00

We have made it through our first year of marriage. A few doors were slammed, a couple of F-U's were tossed about and a night or 2 was spent on the couch but, for the most part we fell deeper in love with each other. Finding a place for unconditional love seems easy but the practice of it is not. Self centered fear (the fear of loosing what you have or not getting what you want)bloomed in my soul like a rotten flower...

Finding true love was really hard (for both of us). We both have a reckless past and many hearts have been broken, some more than once but in the end I have the most amazing husband in the world. He loves me the best he can and I do the same. For christ sake I am a Puerto-Rican hoodrat from the projects.... he knew what he was getting into!

There was a night when John Legend ended up getting stuck on our itunes for about 3 hours and so now every song is associated with the happiness that night brought and in moments when I am restless, irritable or discontent I can listen to a little JL and smile. I have to remember that music soothes me. It can fix what is broken, it can heal the past and help to make love to the future. There are albums that got me through some of the most devastating times of my life. Das Efx- They Want Efx brought me through my best friends Death. Jaheim- Still Ghetto was the first CD me and my daughter (who was 8) sang to every morning without missing a word and when I lost custody of her I listened to it over and over remembering the mornings I drove her to school and was filled with something that only that CD could give me. Mary J- Whats The 411 did for me what it did for every other 17 year old girl at the time. Jean Grae's- Jeanius got me through a traumatic experience a couple of years ago and the list goes on and on...

Thank God we have music! What song heals you?

What What!!!!

2010-10-09T18:46:00.007-04:00

It was not the most memorable of summers. We did see Jay Electronica in Red Hook which was pretty dope,we took the kids to see John Legend out in Coney Island there was about a 15 minute show we caught in Von King Park. I can't even remember who it was.... Sadiq from Platnium Pied Pipers moved in with his girl upstairs so I usually get some fresh beats from Detroit on my day off but other than that the summer was kinda dull.

The fall however went hard today. Restoration Plaza set off a community day in Bed Stuy, closing Fulton between Marcy and Brooklyn Aves. Lots of African art, face painting, red velvet cakes, vintage sheepskins and music for all people. The sound system was less than mediocre and the first group up Cubic Zirconia paid dearly for the techies mistakes. From what I could decipher it was upbeat hipsterish music that may have been pretty good if they didn't sound like they were performing in the lower Hudson Bay. Up next was one of my favs Invincible, the sound system improved and she tore it up. Sympathizing with Palestine, calling out for the end of "blood diamond" mining and taking a moment to give a shout out to all the queer kids who are suffering..... Her music says more than anyone else out right now (I think). It is the definition of intelligent hip-hop.

Holy shit do you know who Tamar-Kali is? Well you should because she is a monster on the mic. Todd said Talib tweeted about her being "our generations Nina Simone" her voice is powerful, her presence is huge and her music is loud. I wanted to start a mosh pit with my girls but I don't think they mosh in the hood'.

And last but not least my favorite blogger/tweeter/rapper Jean Grae!!!!!! She rocked out with a Halloween skeleton theme and had a beat from The Itchy And Scratch Show, she is bonkers. She called for parents to "ear muff" their kids when she repeatedly dropped the F- bomb, how can you not love her? She reminded me why I call Bed Stuy my home, why we have this blog and why we love Hip Hop. Brooklyn, Bed Stuy particularly is like no other place in the world.

It was all a dream, but now it's a surrounding view...

2010-07-26T23:19:00.003-04:00

We just had dinner and while eating we had on our ITUNES. Of course, we are "hip hop heads", so there was a lot of cursing coming on. Needless to say, we had to fast forward through a few songs. The funny part is that Lexie's daughter, 16 years old, is a fan of today's Hip Hop so, she knows all about cursing in her music.

I remember a twitter feed that I read earlier from John Forte, so the search was on. I found the song and here it is. He's from Bed Stuy...so I think it fits.

This to me is what late 30 somethings need to listen to.

What do you think about it?

Live From Bedford Stuyvesant, The Livest One.....

2010-07-15T15:11:00.005-04:00

Even though Biggie lived in Clinton Hill he repped Bed Stuy and so do we. I read a lot of blogs, message boards, newspapers and such on the internets and lately anything on twitter with #bedstuy. I am baffled by what people think of my hood. On twitter you would think Bed Stuy is the equivalent of Beirut. It is 2010 and this a public service announcement for all heads who want to know what Bed Stuy is really like.

Bed Stuy has CSA's, organic markets, outdoor flea markets, bike lanes, summer concerts in the park, block parties, block associations, summer camps, basketball tournaments and hundreds of other positive things. Why is this always left out of the conversation? Why is it so much easier to focus on the bad? How come the only time Bed Stuy is on the news is to report another shooting? Bad shit happens everywhere. In major cities there is more crime because there are more people. Bed Stuy is equivalent to a major city. It's just the way it is.

I have thought about moving out of the Stuy a few times in past couple of years but we have really made the south side of Bed Stuy our home. For many reasons we have chosen to stay. This is a direct quote from my 16 year old "Mom lets go to Peaches, I love to see see all the beautiful black professionals there at brunch". Put that in your next article or post.

We Went To White Castle And We Got Thrown Out...

2010-05-27T11:32:00.009-04:00

I can't believe I am going back to the summer at the end of 6th grade. The year was 1986. I was 11 and "License To Ill" dropped. It was the last day of school and our teacher said that we can listen to music. Some girl had Madonna's, "True Blue" and I of course had The Beastie Boys Tape (it was a creamy white with black writing and brown tape). We had a vote and Madonna won, I was heated..... School was over the next day, so I just went about my business.

The good thing is I lived in projects, albeit, not what you typically think of when you think of the PJ's. Most of the families were white, and we had a few non-spanish speaking Puerto-Ricans and 2 Jamaican families. The things that brought all project kids together back then no matter what color you were was rap, breaking and the whole b-boy look and AG (Adams Garden) had it in abundance.

I was just a kid so I watched in amazement the battles in the playground. The crew form AG was "The Fresh Breakers". There was linoleum behind Slick Vick and Snakes building and most days were spent watching this beautiful movement take place. There was Adidas jump suits, shell toes, fat laces and a lot of Beastie Boys and Run DMC. Their was Newports being smoked and Michelobs being drank. There were kids from neighboring towns and other projects coming to check AG. This was going to be the best summer of my life and it was.

24 years later "License To Ill" is still in my top 2 favorite albums and I am still in touch in one way or another with JL, Slick Vick, Rob Snake, Pat-Ski and Mr.Mean.

Gang Starr - Just To Get A Rep

2010-04-21T12:29:00.000-04:00

Leavin the Bodega I Say Suave'

2010-04-21T12:09:00.006-04:00

We have this chalkboard in our kitchen. Sometimes we leave love notes, sometimes reminders, once in a while just a statement appears there in the morning. When I went to get a bowl of cocoa krispies this morning it just said "hip hop". Todd must of wrote it this morning so in keeping with passin' notes I replied "is the soundtrack to our lives!"

It is so true with the exception of the past few weeks while we have been watching Lost (streaming from our Wii to our TV.... so dope) that hip hop is playing in the background. Our taste is not always the same but it's still all love. I will never get enough of Das Efx and The Lost Boys, I don't care what you think about it but I love both of those groups to death. He wants to listen to anything with a message. New, old in between my husband is "conscience brother" I am a party girl and our worlds can always meet on a Guru/Gang Starr track. As long as it's not Dwyck, he loathes that song, most any Guru track is a hit in our Bed Stuy crib. The past couple of weeks I have been playin' Guru and Erykah Badu's Plenty so of course I felt a little more connected to the news yesterday because his voice has been a constant at work playing the song over and over (i'm like that).

It is always sad when our beloved hip hop looses a pioneer. What I am grateful for is that there was no violence or police brutality involved in his passing. Guru will be missed. RIP

I Saw You...Standing In The Rain...

2010-03-14T19:35:00.004-04:00

I'm sure I've talked about my friends group Si*Se on this blog before. Well with music label politics, they are back after 5 years with new material. Friday night, they had an EP release party at Le Poisson Rouge, and they put on a great show. If you don't know about them, please check them out. They are a bunch of talented artists from NYC.

Check the videos/songs below and support good music (my humble opinion).

Cliff aka U F Low aka The Crystal Pharoah

Farley aka R Grizz

I got you guys...

I like black timbs and black hoodies.....

2010-03-09T12:17:00.004-05:00

I sat all day in my kitchen listening to Hot 97. By the time Angie Martinez came on everyone in the world, it seemed like, knew that Biggie had been killed. A part of my generation had been taken. The soundtrack to my fundamental years (the ones following my graduation from HS) had been shot up. That was March 9th 1997. It is hard to believe that was 13 years ago. That my daughter was only 3 years old. That eventually she like her mama would know every line to every Biggie song ever recorded, that's some Elvis shit as far as I am concerned!

Every song on Ready To Die reminds me of someone or something. Juicy is my little brother Slim's theme song. Suicidal Thoughts was on repeat on my CD player during some pretty desperate times in my life. Gimme The Loot was a straight bass kicking, trunk shaking ride around with nowhere to go jam. One More Chance..... let's just say I think every baby mama loved this one. Ready To Die put how we felt about our fathers who had abandoned us into words. I can go on and on but you get the point.

I never imagined that I would end up in Bed Stuy. That everyday I would ride my bike up Fulton St always looking to the left then right trying to figure out which apartment Voletta Wallace raised Biggie in. I am now part of the neighborhood I heard so much about in his lyrics. It's just another reason to love Livin In The Stuy...... RIP Christopher Wallace.

A little help from my friends

2010-02-24T17:53:00.003-05:00

My black history month lessons did not go as planned. I do however want to share this with you. It was shared with us by a lovely friend of ours.

http://www.ls.cc.al.us/blackhistory/blackhistory.html

Black cat is bad luck, bad guys where black, must of been....

2010-02-06T17:22:00.003-05:00

The sad fact is that I am having trouble coming up with someone to write about.... Me and my friend Jay are going to spend some time paying homage to black history month this February. Being schooled in a white suburb in Fairfield County the only person we ever learned about was Rev. Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. When I entered High School I read Malcom X's biography and saw the movie and that then completed my education on black history. So today it has been 17 years since I graduated high school and 17 years since I have really thought about black history month.

My daughter and husband are both black and I wonder how they would feel about this.
My mother in-law is involved with the NAACP, her sister belongs to Jack and Jill and The Links and I can not name 5 black people who have contributed to the building of this country. I am saddened by my ignorance today and promise that by Monday I will have a lot to say.....

Rhymin' and Stealin'....

2010-01-21T23:11:00.009-05:00

These days, I am feeling a bit unsafe in my home, in my hood, and on my walk from the train in Bed Stuy in general.

Being part of gentrifying a neighborhood can be amazing and brutal at the same time. Bed Stuy is in the middle of what I think is the most racially diverse swing in Brooklyn. Before I start, I am aware that I am "generalizing", but this is how I feel.

My take: Park Slope = white, Clinton Hill & Ft Green = blacks and whites with some money, Bed Stuy = blacks and newer whites with less money.

So here on our colorful block, crime is up this week. Cars have been getting broken into like it's Prospect Heights, people are getting jacked on the street supposedly at gunpoint early in the morning. The laundry mat got robbed 2 days ago and that's just what I heard or saw in the past few days.

Gentrification doesn't stop crime but it does lessen it, more police presence . But when a neighborhood like Bed Stuy is gentrifying for reasons not related to coffee shops and hipster bowling alleys what's gonna happen? White people who are not well off are moving here because the blocks are beautiful, it's close to the train and you can rent a huge 2 bedroom brownstone for like 1400-1500 a month. So is that even gentrification? Is it getting the best bang for your buck or is it an invasion?

I think it's an invasion and we are part of it. Sure it's a plus that the late great Frances White and Jigga are from Bed Stuy but, we moved here because it is what we could afford. Now I'm second guessing it. Our lease will come around in April and I am not sure if we will be putting in a third year in 11216. I know people are broke, unemployment is up and times are hard. I am just not fond of the idea of getting stuck up. I'm also not fond of the idea that we need to bring our light and dark brown asses to Park Slope or Carroll Gardens to feel safe.

Are you coming with me...

2010-01-18T15:33:00.004-05:00

The Electric Slide, to me, is getting old. We went to two different surprise birthday party's for my oldest sister and my cousin this weekend. It amazes me that no matter the function (if there is music), at some point "that" annoying song will come on. I can't front either, I definitely know how to do the Electric Slide and I usually will participate for one full revolution and then I sit down and laugh.

The beauty of this time of the evening, is that almost every generation gets out onto the dance floor to participate. It's that early to late teen that did not join in on the fun. That would be my step-daughter (we just got married...shout out to Tasiya), my younger cousins, nieces and nephews all did not participate. It could be that they are at the age that dancing with older folks is corny, but I applaud them for not partaking in the nonsense.

What's crazy is that it is an annoyingly LONG song. Also, right after that song, the Cha Cha Slide comes on, and after that The Cupid Shuffle. I'm not even sure if it's a proper line dance or what. I do know that I was out of the loop when this song came on. This of course, makes the "Line Dancing Segment" at parties seem to drawn out.

Please, let's not forget about the Macarena, we don't dance to this song at "black functions" these days.

Anyways...I know there are more "line dances" that I don't know or can't think of. Let me know what songs/dances that I'm missing and whether or not you're a fan of such dances.

I VOTE...HATED IT (shout out to In Living Color)!

Those same teenagers that I was talking about, enjoyed watching a 36 year old man try to do "The Jerk" and the "Stanky Leg". Just to show them, I had to do the Wop, the Cabbage Patch, The Roger Rabbit, The Mike Tyson, The Running Man, and The Pee Wee Dance. This will be another topic for another day though.

If I Was a Rapper, My Favorite MC Would Be Me

2010-01-08T08:09:00.005-05:00

Tasiya vs. Mom

Nicki Minaj, Trey Songz and Drake...

My daughter thinks they are the 3 greatest artist that have ever graced a mic. She is in 10th grade and her lot to pick from is small and meager...Just my opinion!

A Tribe Called Quest, Jodeci and Mary J. Blige...

These were my favorite artisits when I was in the 10th grade. My lot was big and inundated with cats. "Low End Theory", "Forever My Lady", and "What's the 411" are 3 albums that I can sing word for word and know the next cut on the album when I hear the song before it. Those were magical years for hip hop and R&B, (just ask Dan J). We were introduced to remixes by crews around this time and every R&B song had a hip hop remix to go along with it.

The only reference I have to Nicki Minaj is the cypher that she did during the BET awards. I thought/think she is whack, that it is evident Lil Wayne is writing her rhymes and directing her flow. I don't think she has much to say. Trey Songz and Drake are just doing their thing. They will just never be K Ci and Jojo but Jodeci didn't have the biggest staying power either, they were just dope at the time. I am un-clear if Drake is a rapper or an R&B singer (Ja Rule anyone). I don't have the same disdain for them, that I do for this Nicki Minaj trick. I do not approve of my daughter looking up to her, she is trashy!

So back to my high school/middle years...Come and Talk to Me, today we 30 somethings throw a party and that cut comes on and the reminiscing begins. The Buggin Out video? Hold up we got 2 videos in one. I am not sure if that has been duplicated, BET and MTV stopped playing videos, years ago. "What's The 411", in my humble (or not so) opinion, is on the top 5 albums of anyone that went to HS in the early-mid 90's. The only discussion is what track is better, You Remind Me or Love No Limit.

I have tried to share this music with Tasiya. She has some on her IPod but thinks it's for "grown people". I did hear her listening to ATCQ a couple of weeks ago. I did not comment and kept walking by her room. There is still hope for her :)!

A Message To The Messengers

2009-12-29T11:53:00.009-05:00

Since we have gotten rid of our cable, we have been using Netflix ALOT more. I have watched some bad movies over the past few days, but there is one that stands out, it's called, "American Violets". This is one of those movies (being black and all), that never shocks me. However, it is another reminder that RACE is still a huge issue in our country and it probably always will be.

What irritates me is that I didn't know anything about this movie (truth be told, I'm not a huge movie buff), but this story needs to be discussed and told. This is one of those movies that probably didn't gross much, so I'm certain that it went away quietly.

I beg all of my "liberal" friends, black, white, yellow, red, and brown to watch this movie. I know, we voted for Obama and all. I ask, how often do you watch movies with a predominately black cast?

This is not a discussion about how people of color, usually from lower socio-economic backgrounds need to address OUR problems. We are not always innocent and we need to stop being victims.

I keep her hair braided, bought her a black barbie

2009-11-29T10:21:00.007-05:00

Tasiya is about to turn 16 so I feel like Disney is a little late on the black princess debut for us.....

I was in the bike lane heading toward Flatbush on Bergen Street when I saw this, an illuminated bus stop ad for the new Disney movie, The Princess and the Frog. This is Disney's first black princess (really??). Did the powers that be no that this ad was going up in Brooklyn. In Brooklyn where 36% of the population is black and 19% is hispanic and another 4% is mixed race? Did they no how offended I would be, a Puerto-Rican mother with a 1/2 black daughter. Are they purposely being disrespectful? I am reminded daily of racism even more so since living in Brooklyn. I have been called a devil white bitch, funny cause i am not white, I have been accused of being in the wrong neighborhood by white cops, I have been harassed by a car full of black boys while riding my bike, I have been stared at by other woman when I am with my black fiancee..... I feel like my integrity as a light skinned minority has been called out over and over.....

What is funnier though is that I am from Fairfield county where I was looked at as a spic....

Where I was not questioned about my ethnicity, where everyone knew I was PR and I belonged right in the low income housing complex where I was born and lived for 30 years.

I feel like even though I am "accused" of being a white bitch her in Brooklyn the 32 years I spent in CT have given me the balance t know who I am and to stand up for what I believe is right. This ad is fucked up, It sets my daughter back another giant set of years. It instills in young black girls and boys the right to use the n word and refer to white people as the devil. It brings out hate and racism if even more ways. Disney owes an apology to me, you and our children.

And if you are lost the ad is minus said black princess!

My Philosophy...

2009-11-24T11:30:00.004-05:00

This entry doesn't have too much to do with Bed Stuy, but it does represent what I think is one of the problems with my beloved Hip Hop. I often find myself defending my love for Hip Hop, by telling people what I don't like about it. I often have to say things like, "I don't like Hot 97" or "I used to listen to De La Soul when my friends would listen to (fill in any hip hop pop artist here)".

I'm checking out one of my daily sites, hiphopdx, and there are a few articles that got me thinking...again. I read the article about Lupe Fiasco, and I'm happy to hear that a true lyricist is upset because he was left off of that bullshit list of MTV's "Hottest Rappers" of todays list. I get what they are saying, but I don't like it. I just don't understand how a Gucci Mane (no disrespect Combat Jack) can make any "greatest anything" on any hip hop list. I really understand that if the "kids" like it, then Corporate America wants more of it. However, this "old school" hip hop junkie, has a higher standard of greatness for an emcee.

So...what ultimately caused me to write this post is another article on hiphopdx. Some knuckle heads that are down with Rick Ross, named Triple C's belittled KRS 1's legacy. Please click this to read the article. I am offended by the fact that these guys disrespect a legend in the game. What kills me is that he never said anything about them directly, but they had to nerve to talk about him in a disrespecting way. Blasphemous!!!

Anyways...I would like it if every Hip Hop record label made their artist listen to 25 albums that changed the game. Before you could do any recording, you need to be able to quote and discuss each album on the list. The 25 albums would, could, and should be debated. These new cats should not be able to record a damn thing without knowing the music of OUR founding fathers. They should be students of their craft.

Good idea or what?

..you could see Bed-Stuy if you lookin in my draws...

2009-11-16T16:42:00.004-05:00

What a wonderful weekend!

She told me to go home after work and get ready, because she wanted to take me out for dinner. Pretty unusual because it seems that "dinner plans" are usually made by me, but she got us invited to a newish spot. She is a yelp fanatic.

We ended up at Sarah James Speakeasy and the food was delicious. I loved the ambiance and the overall feel of the place. I'm pretty sure that when it is all said and done, this place will be very successful. She ate the pork chop (I don't dig on the swine) and we don't have it in our refrigerator. I had the steak and everything was seasoned to perfection.

Next up...Saturday. Back up to Westchester so she could enjoy her Bridal Shower and I could meet up with some of my childhood friends.

Sunday around noon, we went to Ms. Dahlia's Cafe. The service was a bit slow, but that didn't bother me any because I wasn't in a rush. She ordered the Cucumber Lemonade. I have never tasted anything so amazingly refreshing in my life.

I had a flat tire and my favorite bike shop wasn't open, so I ended up at Lit Fuse Cyclery. I was definitely pleased with the service and even got a chance to speak with Damian. It turns out that both of us being New Yorkers (him from Manhattan and me from Westchester) have knowledge of one person. I'm sure if I stayed and talked longer that we could possibly know a few more people. This bike shop makes a great back up shop for me. After getting my flat fixed, I ended up at the Tiny Cup. I sat outside and enjoyed my cup of coffee with a native Bed Stuy resident. This place is truly a haven for the gentrifying population. It was pretty amazing for me to witness what was going on here. I spoke with this gentleman about the changes that the neighborhood is making and we both agree that the change is welcome for us. The only problem is for me is that this place was not very diverse. I was sitting in Bed Stuy and every patron beside myself and this guy were white hipsters. Believe me, I do not have a problem with hipsters. I have a bit of hipster in me, look at my bike. This place to me resembles everything that is wrong with gentrification, a completely separate facility for the new comers.

JADAKISS,PAPOOSE,TALIB & HI TEK-WHERE IT ALL STARTED (NY)
by ZICARLOS

I want to ride my bicycle bicycle bicycle...

2009-10-28T18:30:00.010-04:00

These are the new bikes.

We purchased them about 2 months ago, but they were works in progress. They are complete now and it was time to post some pics of them. We mos def have "HIS & HERS" bikes. We got them from our great friends at Fulton Bikes (1580 Fulton St). These are the 4th & 5th bikes that we have purchased from this amazing bicycle shop.

Some of the accessories we had to buy online because we are not in the most "hipster" neighborhood in Brooklyn, So Lex's top tube pad was ordered from Dion at Ugly Pads and our NY U Lock holsters were ordered from Fabric Horse.

I can't front like we don't have a little hipster in us?

Once their website is up & running I...we are going to create other posts about them.

New Kicks...

2009-10-25T15:54:00.006-04:00

Man do I love some kicks aka sneakers aka tennis shoes....

My friends at Alife are having a warehouse clearance sale and they rented out the old Nort/Recon space. To me this is so poetically ironic and clever as hell. We didn't purchase to much, because they only had their products, but I did buy a pair of construction Timberlands. I have not owned a pair of the "official hip hop boot" in a few years, but I decided that this would be the perfect time to purchase a pair. Hell, they were only $50.00 (that might have been an additional friends/family discount) and these are special.

I often get frustrated when I look for kicks. It seems the only pairs that I like these days are the "re-issues" of the kicks that came out when I was coming up. However, I have always noticed that the women have a crazy supply of dope and cheaper options. Sneakers always look better in smaller sizes too (my humble opinion), they just look extremely different when they are a size 12. It's a good thing she has tiny feet!

Here's To You Mrs. Robinson

2009-10-19T15:57:00.010-04:00

I am living a life far beyond my wildest dreams. In a million years I could never imagine that my wedding day would be soon approaching..... We are walking down the isle in about 3 months and I am going to be Mrs. Robinson. I am thrilled, scared, excited, anxious, humbled, amazed and blessed. Our lives were never lived with the intensions of being someones spouse, especially not each others.

We have spent the past few years falling madly in love with each other. There have been many soundtracks to this romance. It started in the TLC No Scrubs and comeback by Sporty Thieves, No Pidgeons phase. We would drink and dance and act a fool in clubs like Two Eyes and 205 . Wu Tang dropped Forever around this time and I jacked his and bumped it in my Accord for a few years.......There was a big dancehall movement at that time also, Spragga Benz, Beenie and Buju (he is not a fan of dancehall at all- I love it). Then we parted for more than a few years...

When our Itunes became one it was scattered with all types of music. I being a die hard Jay Z lover since "Reasonable Doub t" and him a Nas, "It Ain't Hard To Tell" kinda guy, we had to mesh again..... By this time I had branched a bit more out of hip hop (that was made after like 95-96). He had been introduced to Fela Kuti and some beautiful world music. I was listening to alot of punk and independent shit he was just not gonna get down with...I did however fall in love with his 2 favorites Mos Def and Talib Kweli and that brought us to a very happy place. I feel like "Never Been In Love Before" has become the soundtrack to our life.

Music is a huge part of our life. It's the backdrop to our home. Raekwons new record "Only Built For Cuban Links II" has been his most played tracks of as of late and I have been splitting mine between Joell Ortiz and Jay's Blueprint 3. Don't get me wrong though Arctic Monkeys and Flogging Molly still get spins, just not when he is home!

This is the song, for my Warriors...

2009-09-30T17:26:00.002-04:00

I haven't written here in awhile and it's a shame.

My man Nas did something that needs to be done more often by our black/latino superstars. The beauty of this is that when one of "our artist" has time to mature and grow into a man, his perspective should and usually does change. Imagine what the "warrior" Tupac Shakur would be writing about right now? It's so sad that any artist (Hip Hop) that tries to be the voice of and for the people, tend to get overlooked. Why is that? We can blame all of the record execs and the media outlets all we want to, but we have to assume some responsibility.

Please read the HipHopDX.com article and especially the letter.

Nas Pens Open Letter After Death Of Chicago Teen | Hip Hop News HipHopDX.com

F%@K The Police

2009-09-22T00:00:00.009-04:00

Riding on a sweet new bike (Surly Steamroller's his and hers), is a whole new ride and I am trying to be safe. I usually wear a helmet but you will often see me flying down Fulton St and Atlantic Ave. The Surly is fast, I mean really fast and I am still getting used to it. I decided to ride in the bike lane for my first commute to work on my new bike. Ok, I'm in the bike lane on Bergen (clearly marked) riding towards Smith St., when bam...pow...oh snap there is a cop car double parked in the bike lane. What made this so troubling and annoying was that there were empty parking spots on both sides of the street along with the stripped lines on the outer part of the bike lane. I think that may be for double parking while still keeping the bike lane open. You all pretty much know how I feel about the NYPD and the amount of taxes we pay is so disproportionate to our income that I feel obliged to let the cops know how I feel. I first stopped and took a picture of the car and then I went to the window. I was definitely thinking NWA but I know what time it is. Two cops were sitting in the car, chillin'. I politely asked the white cop, (the passenger cop was Spanish) why he was parked smack in the middle of the bike lane? I pointed to all the empty spaces and the possibility of parking in the striped section just in case they really needed to be in the middle of the street. He was kind of baffled looked at his partner in crime and then apologized. It was pretty funny getting the apology, I wasn't sure what to expect. I have no problem going up against the "po po" especially when I deserve an explanation for blatant disrespect to the law. I wish I could have handed them a ticket like he got for riding on the sidewalk and be like" here now we're even!".

Untuck Your Nunchucks?

2009-09-06T12:58:00.007-04:00

I see Fresh Daily out and about a lot and dude seems cool. I've never spoken to him but I'll introduce my self the next time that I see him somewhere. Anyways, since I'm at my moms house and my Grandmother is napping in the other room, I decided to play on the computer. I read some news, checked some friends blogs, and fell onto this Fresh Daily track. "Untucked Numchucks" (watch below), is a song where he is discussing being from Bed Stuy.

Just wanted to hear what you guys think of his music. It reminds me of this "New Age Hip Hop", and that is not necessarily a bad thing.

Smooth Criminal

2009-09-03T15:54:00.004-04:00

I took Fulton from Throop to S.Portland this morning and it was just an array of madness.... A middle aged man was just berating the shit out of his woman in the middle of the sidewalk, screaming at her about disrespecting him (imagine that). How he can put her in, her place and so on. Directly across the street an old crack head lady grabbed some guys wallet and 2 plain clothes Jakes snuffed her! They had her in handcuffs in about 2 seconds. ( The dude may of been undercover). The amount of plain clothes cops with their guns in plain sight was maddening this morning. I must of seen 8 or 9 cops with their gats just chillin' . It is not comforting. It does not make me feel safe. I am unsure of anything the NYPD does. I feel like they are an under trained mass of 20 year olds from outside the 5 boroughs. Some shit was going down on Fulton this morning. Maybe for the better maybe for the worse but I have so little trust in the department that is supposed to protect and serve us I was just straight up nervous. Last week we went to the Michael Jackson Bday Party that Spike Lee threw in Prospect Park. Now I have never seen ANY violence surrounding an MJ event. ( I have seen plenty of violence at Woodstock 2 and events like that) but not for MJ.... The amount of cops at Prospect Park was plain criminal. Last Saturday was the day to rob a bank, do a giant heist or be just plain old rowdy in your hood and get away with it. Why? Cause every cop that was on duty in NY was at the park...... I felt sick and again unsafe. It is really sad that when ever I see a cop, a cop car or a gathering of our boys in blue I want to get as far away from them as I can. And we are not criminals or doing anything illegal, we are just residents of Bed Stuy.

It's Bigger Than Hip Hop

2009-08-30T14:27:00.006-04:00

It's been a great August and neither of us has done any blogging. We seem to write more on facebook these days, but I digress.

I've been to a few "Hip Hop" events and I have also read a few Hip Hop articles that are the inspiration for me writing this post. One of the articles was posted yesterday on www.hiphopdx.com. The responses to this article made me think about where Hip Hop has been and where it is going. I know this seems to be written about so often, but it is our passion for HIP HOP that makes this topic such an anomaly.

A few weeks ago Red Hook park had a free show with the legendary Hip Hop Producers, DJ Scratch and DJ Premier. I mentioned to her that because of our age we are fortunate to have been around and actually enjoyed the Golden Era of Hip Hop. You cannot claim to love Hip Hop if you do not know about either of these guys...PERIOD. The two DJ's played songs from the Motown Era (before Hip Hop was born) thru the Golden Era. It was amazing to me to be a part of and witness my generation going bananas when they went thru the "classics". I often think of what songs will be played in the next 15-20 years, when these late teens/early 20 somethings will be my age. That is another topic for another day. It is hard for me to think of any songs that will touch anyone like T.R.O.Y or Dwyck (if you have ever been to a "Hip Hop" party, this song most likely was played and it is not a song that I particularly care for) or anything that Wu-Tangs came out with (Enter The 36 Chambers). To watch this crowd go nuts is an understatement, they really took it there.

It is important for me to stress that I got sick and tired of the whole Mafiosa Hip Hop thing during the 90's, but I remember when it was 1st done. In my humble opinion, not many people could do it like Raekwon, Ghostface, & Nas. Just like everything in Hip Hop, everyone started copying the format and it got old and stale.

Again, it seems that todays lyrics and wordplay is just corny. Maybe it's my age, but is there really any discussion about the lyrics that came out of NYC, especially emcees from New York area during the 80's & 90's? I appreciate the new "style" of rappers today. Kid Cudi, Wale, Charles Hamilton, Skyzoo, & etc., but we have to remember that without my generations Hip Hop stars, none of this would be possible. I'm all about evolution and growth in Hip Hop, but I can not and will not accept what my Beloved Hip Hop has become.

I remember when the Hip Hop radio played more than 15 different songs all day. Hell I remember when there wasn't even a Hip Hop radio station. Maybe we should go back to those days, and then the radio would be forced to play more artist (underground and popular) to fill up the time slot.

I've been saying for awhile now that Common needs to do an updated version of "I Used To Love Her". It would be really interesting to hear about the many changes that Hip Hop has gone thru.

If I ruled the world, I'd love em' love em' baby

2009-08-05T15:13:00.007-04:00

I like to imagine sometimes... On the short 3.2 mile ride to work this morning I was led to this abandon building that I love on Fulton Street. I refurbished it in my head, I gave it a name, I love it... It would be some kind of multi-cultural center. It would be called Do, Not Die. The old Bed Stuy aka Do or Die would be lost in the center. Love would be printed on the walls in graffiti, cursive, bubble letters and so on. Trust would be felt when you walked in the doors. Music would fill some rooms, computers, tutors, turntables, cooking classes, mentoring sessions, parenting workshops, alateen meetings and whatever else brings young people closer together with a peace of mind. This would be in the 4 walls that I would help create. I would let him have his say too... I dream of this and think, just a little bit that one day it will be possible. I could teach little kids Shell Silverstein poems. I can help teenagers recover from drug and alcohol filled homes with the help of a 12 step program especially for them. Mom's could come and learn how to cook healthy food for their children with chefs who donate their time. Teachers who began to teach to help kids would be able to do so without the politics of test scores and numbers. Computers would be available for everyone to use as a learning tool, not for watching youtube (I see young kids watching Dipset videos when I'm in the library). I want to be part of this community, I want to give back to help raise children as loving, kind, respectable and honest kids. I would love to have the means for this one day. In the meantime I will go volunteer somewhere. I will take suggestions on places and my search begins tomorrow... I owe something to Bed Stuy, I have found myself here. I have spent the last 18 months falling in love with myself and it has taken place on these streets.

Where I'm From

2009-07-29T00:08:00.006-04:00

As she watches General Hospital on DVR (another story for another day), I tend to check work emails and play on the internet. One of my favorite things to do is to read blogs, look at stuff that I can't afford, and listen to music.

One of the blogs that I ended up on is "The Real Fort Greene" blog, and I read a post called "The Soundtrack of Fort Greene". I commented on what songs I thought should be in the soundtrack. She suggested that we do one for Bed Stuy.

Here's a list of songs that remind us of living in Bed Stuy:

Her:

De La Soul, "Saturday"

Him:

Roy Ayers, "We Live In Brooklyn Baby"

Her:

Mos Def, "Brooklyn"

Him:

Blackstar ft. Common, "Respiration"

Her:

Jay Z ft. Biggie, "Brooklyn's Finest"

Him:

Hi-Tek ft. Jadakiss, Papoose, Talib Kweli, Raekwon, "Where It All Started"

Her:

Jean Grae, "Don't Rush Me"

Him:

Stevie Wonder, "He's Mistra Know It All"

Any song by Mos Def reminds me of Brooklyn, I mean the dude mentions Brooklyn/Bed Stuy in just about every song that I've ever heard from him. I tried to find the original, but the only video that I could find is a remix. I also had my favorite Jay Z track before...well we all know.

I Won't Stop Rocking Till I Retire

2009-07-23T21:01:00.005-04:00

It's been the best of Bed Stuy the past 2 days. Brunch at Peaches, dinner at Saraghina. A beautiful lotus flower tattoo from Brandy at Tuff Gurl. Walking with my daughter on SOLA where she reveled in the beauty of black americans like herself going about there daily business, eating in nice restaurants, shopping at black owned book stores, reading the newspaper and working on laptops outside of Bread Stuy. I wonder if I do enough to teach her black history, I being a non spanish speaking Puerto-Rican might not be the best qualified for this job. I bought her black barbies and kept her hair braided (like Talib rhymes about in Black Girl Pain). I bought her books like Black White Just Right!, about being mixed. I encouraged her to watch The Making Of Thriller DVD and MJ's other music videos instead of Disney movies. I don't think I did enough though, and i'm not sure how much you can do being the parent of a mixed kid (I don't like the word bi-racial). Being black has been the hot topic in our home this week. We watch alot of cable news and the Soledad O'Brien, Being Black In America has been on, the Professor at Harvard, Henry Louis Gates being arrested IN HIS HOME BY A WHITE COP, The Sotomayor hearing, the mess at Prospect Park, lots of fuel is being added to the already blazing fire that is racism and sexism in this country. I am just grateful that we live in Bed Stuy. That at any given time there are professionals, musicians, cyclist, moms, dads, students, skateboarders, volunteers, church people, all of color all handling there business together. Ohh and cars are still blaring MJ as they drive down these beautiful brownstone lined streets!

When Dove's Cry

2009-07-21T14:33:00.006-04:00

It's been awhile since either of us has done a post and I am feeling like we are letting people down. I know...I know..we're the only people reading our own blog.

I was watching Tavis Smiley last night and he was airing a Prince interview from a few months ago (April 27, 2009). Last night I became even more of a Prince fan. It's ironic, well to me, that on the evening of Michael Jackson's death, I got into a discussion with a few younger kids (late teens and early 20's). They were adamant that Prince was a better artist than Michael Jackson and I took Michael Jackson's side, but I made it clear that Stevie Wonder was and is a better artist then the both of them. Truthfully, it really doesn't matter, they are all amazing and talented humans.

Towards the end of last nights segment, Prince mentioned Dick Gregory and urged everyone, to watch clips from the State of the Black Union. Needless to say, I was up late last night trying to and successfully finding Dick Gregory's comments. I'm not even sure if I saw this years State of the Black Union, but I know and I am always shocked that not everyone knows about this awesome yearly event that has been going on for 10 years. Prince mentioned that he likes to make his white friends watch footage when they go over to his house, and I completely understand where he is coming from.

I have to stress this, IN MY OPINION, one of the problems is that I don't have any non-black friends, lover, or colleague that has any interest in the State of the Black Union. It's a shame to me, because as blacks, browns, yellows, and reds we have always listened to, learned, and experienced the State of the Union (really white America). Remember as African Americans (I despise that phrase), we are the only group of AMERICANS that do not and cannot relate ourselves to any other country besides America or the continent of Africa. My Puerto Rican fiancee and best friend (neither of which speaks Spanish), or my Irish American co-worker or my childhood "Italian friends" always refer to their Great Grand Fathers birthplace. I mean my Great Grandfather is from North Carolina and I really cannot identify with being from there. More often than not, they do not know the language, they wave their flags, and swear because they know a few recipes that they can claim this other nation of theirs. I mean do you even have a relative that still lives there? When you get to "your country" and most have never been, what do they call you...AMERICAN I bet! I'm a proud American these days, I just wish that others would be too.

I'm not sure what this has to to do with Bed Stuy. I know that we need to stand up and recognize that we have a lot of work to do as a nation if everyone is going to have their civil and human rights.

I just chose this clip, but there is so much more.

Can it be that it was all so simple babe.....

2009-07-15T14:46:00.005-04:00

I'm in the middle of a Wu Tang/ Mobb Deep battle in my head. Mobb Deeps "Eye For An Eye" is blaring through my headphones while I've got that crazy hard head nod going. I am surrounded by Ft Green types and wish I was in Bed Stuy so I could take out the headphones and start the fucking party at 2:49 on this hot ass Wednesday afternoon..... Hip Hop is a cure all sometimes. I am now listening to the intro of Wu Tangs, "Can It All Be So Simple.... This was the summer before I became a mother, the year I graduated high school. Shit was so much more simple back then. No major decisions had to be made. Was I going to drink a 22 oz Heine or a 40 of Private Stock? Was I going to sleep all day or hang out on the rec steps smoking blunts? Today is a far cry from those days. I have covered myself in tattoos, (tried) to change the music I listen to, changed what I drank, I did everything to not remind myself of that person I was on those summer project afternoons. Still I have ended up where I was supposed to be. Five..5 years sober sitting in a coffee shop garden, (Big L now playing thru the headphones, still head nodding). I have come at least half circle in life. I have him, the person I will share the rest of my life with. I have new friends, I have my crew I grew up with, my family and my daughter (who is in the middle of teenage angst). I have to be grateful that this is where I ended up. It could have ended tragically. The things that I am sure I will always have in some capacity or another are as follows: Tasiya, him, hip hop and my tattoos! Now I am going to end this listening to a classic Jay cut. Feeling it!

Wu Tang Clan - Can It Be All So Simple
by G-Mike

Busy end of the week...

2009-07-13T13:53:00.008-04:00

She gets better with age...

Paper Thin

Uncle Ralph

We took the bike path over the bridge

On our way to the ferry

From the ferry looking at Governor's Island

Trying to be Mr. Liberty

Lady Liberty and the Staten island Ferry...truly amazing views!

Is she really smelling her armpits?

A piece in progress

It was a busy end to the week...

We went to see MC Lyte at Von King Park in Bed Stuy on Thursday. Little did we know that you need to get there early to see a performer with Lyte's resume. The place was packed and the seating was very limited. I wasn't able to get a good pic of her for our or your viewing pleasure. I was able to get a pic of Ralph McDaniels aka Uncle Ralph (Video Music Box). I remember before cable, watching his show on the U setting of TV's...always channel 31 though. Nowadays Uncle Ralph in involved with alot of NYC based Hip Hop events, in particular one of my favorite websites. I tend to check out some of my favorite oldies.

Friday night, I came straight home after work and she did the same. I cooked for us and we decided to stay in.

Saturday...well that was posted the other day, see below.

Sunday was a bike ride into Manhattan with some friends and a ferry ride to Governor's Island. We took a couple of laps, saw a serious bike race, had lunch and just relaxed. It was a pleasant day with some friends. We headed back to Brooklyn and stopped for some ice cream. Of course, we had to go to a church basement. Before we went to meet our friends, she wanted to stop by and view some graffiti that was on display in Park Slope.

MC Lyte - Paper Thin
by Dante35

Represent-Represent QB

2009-07-11T22:38:00.007-04:00

I planned on staying in all day and maybe going to see a friend. However, like usual, I jumped on my bike...headed over the Williamsburg Bridge...rode up the East River and ended up at the Queensboro Bridge. It was my first time over the bridge and it was truly amazing. Once over the bridge, I saw the housing projects of one of my favorite MC's Nasir Jones aka Nas aka God's Son .

After getting an iced coffee in Long Island City, Queens...My boy Ivo called me. It has been over 4 years since I last saw him, but he heard through the grapevine that I was newly engaged. I got back into Manhattan with 2 hours to kill, so I went by Central Park Summerstage. After staying at Summerstage for about an hour, I rode through that park a bit. I met Ivo near Central Park West, and sat down and chatted for an hour and some change.

I had to keep it short, because it was my night to cook.

Once back in Bed Stuy, I went to the Food Town on Myrtle...Oh yeah, Michael Jackson is still playing in some cars.

She wanted me to add some Mobb Deep, they are from Queensbridge too, but when she takes the ride with me, she can add their videos.

07/12/2009 Route
Find more Bike Rides in Brooklyn, New York

Tis true...

2009-07-08T18:25:00.017-04:00

I am an engaged man...We are an engaged couple!

It's weird because I'm getting used to referring to "her" as "my fiancee".

As soon as I get used to it, it becomes my wife and I'll

have to get used to that.

Either way I am just being silly and I am excited to be

engaged. I never thought that I would do something

like this, but I have a wonderful woman. We take care

of each other, we watch each other grow and we are

in love. We do not have a date and I'm sure that this

alone will cause more stress on our relationship, but

I am willing to compromise. That's what a healthy

relationship is...not that I have a ton of experience

with healthy relationships. This just feels right.

A little more love a little less hate

2009-07-07T22:27:00.003-04:00

I am thinking of the Talib Kweli lyrics from More Or Less...... It's been some few days. Last night we heard helicopters for hours circling over our house with the spot lights blazing. Today we learned there was a triple shooting up the street and an innocent bystander was killed, they were all pretty young. Our neighbor has left in an ambulance twice in the past 3 days..... Problems. My daughter's friend Veronica (who she has grown up with her whole life) Mom passed away, way to young to die leaving behind 2 kids in High School. I spent the greater part of the day crying watching the MJ footage on CNN/Facebook. The sadness is numbing. His daughter pushed me over the edge with sorrow. All these deaths are painful and pretty senseless. I feel like there needs to be more love. We need to tell people we love that we love them and that our lives are better because of them. Praise your children, love your parents, be kind to your neighbors. Like Talib says let's give the devil less enjoyment..... Love Love Love. And so now is my time to go give him some more love. Goodnight and be loved.

He finally asked me.....

2009-07-06T09:52:00.006-04:00

We got engaged yesterday!!!!!! This was was one of those perfect weekends. Balance, fun, love, ice cream, diamonds, the ocean, fireworks, the longest bike ride ever. Everything that makes us happy either together or apart. I never thought my life would end up in this place. Bed Stuy has brought me the most amazing year ever. We have meshed here, we have become a power of example to others (they tell us this), we have found our way. We have made new friends, some really good ones too! I choose to share my time with people I really like, life is too short to be unhappy with your surroundings. We each did our own thing on Saturday. I went to Ft Tilden with the ladies, he went on a coastal Brooklyn bike ride solo. That night we joined friends on a rooftop for fireworks and seltzer. But the real fun happened Sunday afternoon... After sleeping in we rose finally for a bike ride. I had no idea where we were going and I have learned not to ask many questions because he carefully maps out all bike trips on his own before we leave. I did know though that he was going to ask me to marry him at some given point in the day so I just followed along. We eventually, and I mean eventually landed at The Cloisters up in Washington Heights. It was an amazing ride. The bike lanes were packed so bobbin' and weavin' were critical. At Fort Tyron park he sat on the bench next to me and asked me if I wanted to be his wife..... YES, of course I want to be his wife!!!! He put the ring on my finger and I have not stopped smiling since. I love him more than there are stars in the sky.....

It came on my pandora today...

2009-07-04T12:58:00.002-04:00

If you don't have Pandora make sure you get it. I've found some pretty dope songs on it.

I LOVE MY MOM!

2009-07-03T18:42:00.004-04:00

My mom came into town to spoil her son and to spend some time with us. She came with her famous meatballs and sauce...YUMMY!

I picked her up at Grand Central Terminal (it was a nightmare) and we decided to walk over to the A train at Port Authority/42nd St and 8th Ave. We walked through Time Square and saw all of the bright lights. She was thrilled, and I was feeling like a tourist.

I wanted to take my mom over the Brooklyn Bridge so we took the train to Broadway/Nassau. Wouldn't you know it, we were right near the World Trade Center. Again, I had this feeling like I was being a tourist. It was her 1st time down there since "that day". I took it for granted because I worked in Jersey City last year and was down there everyday for at least 6 months.

Onto the Brooklyn Bridge...I must admit that it is much nicer being a pedestrian on the bridge and not being a bike rider. I will never...ever...ever ride my bike over the Brooklyn Bridge again.

We went to visit Lex at work and back to Bed Stuy. Glad to be back, and it is awesome that in Bed Stuy, Michael Jackson music is still playing. Long live the KING...

Damn damn damn...

2009-07-02T11:14:00.011-04:00

One of my co-workers told me about this new video by Drake, "Best I Ever Had" and it's Kanye West's Directorial debut. I can think of a few words words to describe the song and video, but I'll make it really easy...AWFUL!

It got me wondering why does Hip Hop keep doing the same songs/videos over and over again. Is there no sense of originality? Are they afraid to take a risk? Is the public that stupid that this is the only thing that they can comprehend? I LOVE HIP HOP, but I hate when I feel the need to justify it to people that are not fans like myself. There is so much quality music out there. I don't want to rant about the downfall or about the HIP HOP IS DEAD movement. I don't care about whose fault it is or isn't, but I'm sick of the mindless repetition.

Please help us...here are a few videos that always remind me that not all of it sounds or looks the same. Notice the almost naked women and overall violent tones of the videos...NOT!

Talib Kweli - More or Less
by hushhush112

Guru's Jazzmatazz - State of Clarity (feat. Common)
by Gurus-Jazzmatazz

Mr. Len feat. Jean Grae : Taco Day
by casty2002

Syd and Diesel

2009-07-01T20:15:00.004-04:00

So I am leaving a church basement as I do most evenings and I was traveling light (no backpack, no backpack means no camera). There is a reason a blogger such as myself always needs to travel with a camera. Tonight's reason is Syd and Diesel. I had to take these snapshots with my camera phone. The first I took from the back and was going to be discreet, then as I was passing them in the bike lane going down Franklin I asked them if I could take a picture for our blog. They acted like I was taking pictures for People Magazine. They were so excited. You see some funny shit on the streets of Bed Stuy but this duo on the motorized scooter is by far one of my favorites. I don't know who is Syd or who is Diesel, I do not know which one of them is handicapped and thus owns the scooter, I don't even know if they know...... What I do know is they pulled up to the bus stop on Franklin and Monroe and told everyone at the bus stop they could hop on for a free ride!

See you later...gator!

2009-06-29T22:55:00.004-04:00

Clio...

We were cleaning out some photos and we found this video of you. You by far might be the funniest person that we know, of course your accent only makes it funnier to us. Silly Americans huh?

Have fun this summer and we look forward to seeing you soon. She will be on the Jitney by mid July.

Somewhere Over The Rainbow

2009-06-28T00:47:00.007-04:00

It started with the usual visit to Fulton Bikes before a long ride. Then brunch in Queens. I was syched to get another welcome to Brooklyn sign shot. This was at the Pulaski Bridge and it seems to be my favorite thus far. The days dynamics changed a few times in the earlier part of the afternoon. We were supposed to have 2 of our married coupled friends over for a meal but that fell through due to circumstances that married couples have, so we went with plan b. There seems to always be a plan b in our lives, it's pretty amazing how that works. So it was back in the bike lane, riding through Williamsburg again. He got a flat on the way to Beks Bday BBQ and luckily it was not far from the bike shop, the detour was well timed because as soon as we got inside the sky opened for the daily downpour. Todays was terenchal but unlike the last 27 days of them there were 2 presents left in the sky. I once believed that Oz existed at the other end, today I was just grateful I got to share the beauty with some pretty cool new friends.

R.I.P. Michael Jackson

2009-06-26T11:22:00.003-04:00

This is not my "all-time favorite" MJ tune, but I do love this song. This is just my little way of showing my condolences to the Jackson Family.

Jackson Five - Can You Feel It
Uploaded by sofresh305. - Music videos, artist interviews, concerts and more.

The Bike Ride Series

2009-06-26T00:18:00.007-04:00

I have been able to ride my bike to work Mon - Thurs. It did rain at the end of the day on Wed, but I was able to wait it out. This is just a short clip of the ride back into Brooklyn from the Manhattan Bridge.

I hope that you enjoy my terrible footage.

Seasons Change

2009-06-23T23:35:00.004-04:00

Finally, a reprieve from the rain today. I feel like Brooklyn may be going back to normal. I was starting to believe that it was going to rain forever and ever, that the seasons would never change again. That Prospect Park was going to float off into the abyss. The past 20 or so days have been so long, miserable and wet. My rain boots sprung a leak, my bike seat has been soaked, the roads are as slippery as bacon grease, his mood has been for shit ( I think it's that weather depression thing people in Seattle get). Even the kittens have been crazy at night. I am not sure of the forcast tomorrow but if I had to put money on it and I have the day off I am pretty sure it will be a wet one. Lots of stuff has happened in the past couple of weeks. A personal revelation (that took place at Coney Island) that God does not punish me for my past and he can only heal me in the present. That there is such a thing as global warming. The pro lifers (who are murders) won another battle against our (women when I saw our) rights. Iran has some crazy shit happening. There has been nothing in the press about the cops who murdered one of there own and left him to die. I had to fire someone at work which sucked but I also get to hire someone which will bring them some happiness (now I just have to figure out who). He is getting ready to wife me. Our neighbors have cooked out every night the past 2 weeks no matter what the weather. AA anniversary parties are better than Andrew W K's club. Lenny Dykstra (the namesake for one of the kittens, the other is Mookie Wilson) lost all his 10's of millions of dollars and is still a giant ass hole. He has started falling asleep every night before me. And finally my daughter made it through 9th grade. It's been a pretty busy couple of weeks in Bed Stuy while I have sat in front of the TV and took it all in. Hopefully we will be back on our bikes and life will return to normal, sans the rain.

This past weekend...

2009-06-22T22:25:00.003-04:00

It turned into a fun, but not so relaxing weekend.

There was Coney Island on Friday night to enjoy the fireworks with friends. I was the only boy and I have to say the the ladies were as giddy as a bunch of teenage girls. We all had a blast! We rode out with one of our friends, and it was her first bike ride out to Coney Island. It was a late night, but it wasn't a school night so it wasn't too bad.

Then a rainy Saturday, I worked a party in New Jersey. Good looking out on the gig JRC. If you have ever been to Port Authority, you know how weird that place is, both SKETCHY and confusing at the same time.

Sunday we helped a friend move and it was a rough start to the day, but it ended with dinner at Bed Stuys own Peaches and an episode of True Blood.

Raining Again...

2009-06-18T11:39:00.009-04:00

Will it ever stop?

It seems that I've been buying Metro Cards more often than I'm comfortable with. I just want to ride my bike, but there seems to be no chance of that in the near future. What to do?

This weather makes me want to stay in bed and sleep while the rain hits the window, but I can't I have to get up for work. What is the point of a rainy day, if you can't sleep in?

Due to the inability to ride my bike, I am not able to take pics for this blog or write any interesting posts. It seems that I am stuck writing stories about the weather, and trying to find music with themes of rain in them. YEAH!!!!!!!

I would be very easy to put The Weather Girls, It's Raining Men video on here, but I'm not sure if it's appropriate or worthy. ;-)

Angie Stone - No more rain
by foxysoul

Eurythmics - Here Comes The Rain Again
by Discodandan

Bed Stuy Love...

2009-06-14T10:01:00.004-04:00

Last year I took my mother to Hattie Carthan Community Garden and there was a United Nations Brooklyn Farm Tour and we had an awesome time in the garden with other Bed Stuy residents. I was fairly new to this part of Brooklyn and my mother was impressed with the community.

Yesterday, there was the International Food Festival, but I wasn't able to attend. I had to go to a bbq in Park Slope to help support a friend.

Anyways, I hope you all had fun...

Here is a video/song that I was listening to when I decided to write this blog.

John Forte Restoration Plaza

2009-06-12T02:33:00.002-04:00

Sorry, we wanted to add this to the previous blog, but we had some technical difficulties. Please do yourself a favor and listen to his words.

John Forte Restoration Plaza...Bed Stuy from Todd Whitney on Vimeo.

Photo Exhibit?

2009-06-12T00:40:00.006-04:00

I often try to "understand" art and I never do. I guess I'm not that sophisticated or cultured. Anyway, my friends at ALIFE Rivington Club (click the ARC on the bottom left) had another fun event. There was music (not my type), and a young hip(ster)/downtown crowd.

I hung out with longtime friends and saw another guy that I hadn't seen in years.

There will be more events at ALIFE this summer and I'm sure that I will be at a few more. I didn't get pics of the party, I wasn't really in the mood and I didn't have the camera.

A long way from eating mangos in Trinidad with attorney's

2009-06-10T23:03:00.008-04:00

We have inadvertently kind of been following Mr. Forte since W commuted his sentence from federal prison in December. We first saw him at The Roots opening night at the Highline Ballroom where he blessed the stage and was officially welcomed back to New York. He has passed him on the streets of SoHo and we have posted one of his videos on this blog. His presence is gigantic and his words are powerful. We caught him tonight at Restoration Plaza in the Stuy speaking to a group of brown and black young adults from BK as he put it.

The young people were about to receive certificates from NYC Justice Corps. They are young folks who have been involved with the law. This is their shot to not fall off the edge completely and spend 7 years and 4 months in prison like John Forte did.

The teacher who gave the invocation talked about, experience being the greatest teacher. Having a black President, the young officer Omar Edwards who was (I believe viciously murdered by a white cop), slavery and John Forte from Brownsville, Brooklyn.

John Forte came to the stage smiling and gave a brief history of himself. He spoke to them as a man with knowledge and shared his thoughts...He said things like, a life of success can turn into a life of disaster in an instant. Your best friends can become strangers, you rather look like a million bucks rather than save a million bucks.....He shared how in prision he felt like a "chump" not a baller. He explained that him still living is proof that a mistake can be over come. He told this graduating class to celebrate their achivements of the program. That they are stepping stones to a greater life.

He also shared a quote by William James "man can alter his life by altering his way of thinking." I am going to assume that some of these young brown and black skinned kids have never heard or listened to simple sayings such as these.

He sang 2 songs for them. This was about the summer of 2009 graduating class of the NYC Justice Corps. Good luck to them all.

As Forte said to them "keep going, keep going, keep going, the world is yours.

As always I love Bed Stuy.

Shout out to Bed Stuy Blog! Thanks for keeping us in touch with the "goings on" in Bed Stuy.

GOOD Pizza In The Stuy

2009-06-09T20:41:00.003-04:00

I am a "pizza snob", and Saraghina's finally opened there doors. It was a long time coming and I don't have to eat Papa John's anymore. She can eat Elio's and enjoy it.

We arrived a bit late, 10:00. Work and our visit to church basements sometimes mean that we eat late at night. We rode our bikes there...of course.

I can't say how excited I am that quality pizza is a 1.5 blocks away from our house.

I understand that they aren't open completely, but from what I can tell this will be an appreciated new destination in the neighborhood. We waited 20 minutes for a seat and the staff, I believe one was the owner, were all so polite and apologetic. I really appreciate that. We wanted to try a couple of different pizzas but they ran out of a few items. I do not think that they anticipated the turnout. When we got there, people were still showing up to be served.

We settled for a salad, margarita pizzas, and she had the mousse. I enjoyed the salad, but I really enjoyed the pizza. It was perfect in my opinion. She enjoyed the mousse too. We cannot wait until they have their full menu and open up the space completely.

I am sure that we will be enjoying visits to Saraghina's...hopefully they will have delivery service too.

Not even in the top 15

2009-06-05T23:18:00.008-04:00

I have been sitting here trying to spend less time on facebook. That unfortunately leads me to spend more time on Yelp. I Yelped Bed Stuy and was laughing and appalled at the same time. Andy's posts crack me up and I know he really loves Bed Stuy but some of the other misfits leaving their reviews have left a nasty taste in my mouth for tonight's dessert. Between the fear that strangers are trying to instill in each other and the blatant disrespect of its residents, I just want to make clear what an amazing place this is to live.... We are on the south side of the Stuy. We can walk out our door and have an amazing brunch at Peaches, go to Fulton Bikes to get a tune up, sit in the most beautiful Garden Of Hope, chill out at Bread Stuy and so on.... I rarely if ever hear gun shots and if we do I am pretty sure they are the celebratory kind not the murderous. If you give these kids a rep they feel they need to live up to it. Now I am not saying it's the safest place in the world it's a big city and crime does occur. People get shot, pitbulls attack, bodegas get robbed but that same shit happens in middle America they just call it by a different name.

Here is a list of the 15 most dangerous cities according to the FBI's UCR:

1. Atlanta 2. Miami 3. St. Louis 4. Tampa 5. Little Rock 6. San Bernardino, CA. 7. Baltimore 8. Baton Rouge 9. Detroit 10. Flint, MI. 11. Chicago 12. Washington, DC 13. Oakland, CA. 14. Birmingham, AL. 15. Kansas City, MO.

Balki Bartokomous Resides In Bed Stuy...

2009-06-01T22:15:00.006-04:00

Actually he doesn't but my friend/co worker Niko aka The Bulgarian Price aka Balki now lives in Bed Stuy. He has been here for a little over 2 months and we haven't seen him since he moved into the neighborhood.

He doesn't know Brooklyn that well and since we ride ALL OVER this lovely Borough, we decided to have a picnic in Prospect Park with him. When you ride bikes and other people don't, it can be a little annoying, but WE love him anyways. I told him how to get to the park via MTA and it was a really quick trip for him.

We sat out in the sun, had some food and drinks and caught up with each other. We both used to work in the same boutique in the East Village and we both got new jobs at the same time. Needless to say, ALOT of catching up to do.

He borrowed her bike and it was funny to watch him ride a bike for the first time in a long time. I joked that it isn't like riding a goat in Bulgaria. I showed him some cool spots in the park. I think he might have found "HIS" spot.

Here are some pics of Niko in Prospect Park and Grand Army Plaza.

Welcome to Brooklyn and more importantly BED STUY..."don't be ridiculous cousin Larry".

Took the weekend off

2009-05-30T23:30:00.005-04:00

We had to take this weekend off from riding. It is pretty lame but sometimes you have no control. I had to have a tooth pulled on Wednesday, #12 to be exact. The pain has been relentless. The past few nights I have cried and meditated in unison to try and fall asleep. Today it has started to subside I finally rode my bike to work. The subway is an awful fall back to the Giant Sedona. I feel out of sorts riding on it. I belong in or out of the bike lane (depending on my mood). Hopefully tomorrow we can get in a few miles.

I'm looking forward to this new album...Mos Def

2009-05-28T17:40:00.002-04:00

Mos Def - "Casa Bey" - The Ecstatic - 6.9.09

Mos Def stays representing Bed Stuy. It seems that every song that I have heard from him, he mentions Brooklyn and/or Bed Stuy.

MGMT Kids

2009-05-26T22:43:00.001-04:00

A song I like today.

Monday was Memorial Day

2009-05-26T19:28:00.008-04:00

A view in the park, Prospect Park.

A little bit obsessed with sneakers.

Same as above!

Damn my feet are pretty. She wanted to catch some sun and I sat and sweated with her.

It is Memorial Day and there was a orchestra performing at Greenwood Cemetery. It used to be a public attraction and what a beautiful place. I don't make it a habit of hanging in cemeteries, but this place is a must see. Thanks to all that have served OUR country and the family and friends of those that died while doing it.

My idea of a great tombstone!

Her idea!

A view from the highest point in Brooklyn. Amazing!!!

People were out and enjoying the beautiful weather and the music.

We decided to head back to Bay Ridge to check out Shore Parkway Greenway during the day. This is the Verrazano Bridge. Truly a perfect day to sit on the water.

Jet skis...are we really in Brooklyn?

Fishing...I don't think that I would eat anything out of the water, but we just might.

She liked this because the barge has the word ZIM on it...

I love riding with him

2009-05-26T12:39:00.006-04:00

Yesterday was HOT! The sun was beaming and I love it. The morning started lazy. I am having some teeth issues and was in an astronomical amount of pain. I took 800 mg of motrin and it subsided. I told him I wanted to go to Ft Green Park. We got there then I changed my mind.

Prospect Park...

We laid out all morning on a blanket while I tried to channel the sun away from his dark skin to mine fairer skin.... He finally couldn't take it anymore so it was back on our bikes.

Greenwood Cemetery...

We didn't find Boss Tweed's gravestone but the cemetery is a pretty amazing place. I was trying to find headstones with our names on them, morbid but fun. We did not stay with the dead for to long, we are alive and it was like 90 degrees.

Verrazano Bridge...

The ride out there is kind of like a bad video game until you get to the bikepath. The worst drivers in all of the world are in Sunset Park. They may of all been on 5th Ave at the same time yesterday afternoon having a conference or something. It felt like we were dodging cars for about 2 miles.

Biking around Brooklyn has become our time together. It is not always a fun time but it is ours.

Another ride...

2009-05-25T00:20:00.004-04:00

We didn't have a BBQ to go to and a lot of our friends are out of town for the weekend. I also didn't want to go up to Westchester for the weekend either.

So...

We decided to ride to Prospect Park and chill by ourselves and enjoy the day. What a lovely day at the park. There were bbq's, frisbee, ball tossing, soccer, and every other park game that you could think of.

The sun was hot but there was temporary relief every few minutes due to a few clouds in the sky. Then the 1st few raindrops fell. We jumped on the bikes and went looking for fresh coconut for her and a smoothie for me...near Drummer's Circle (quite an interesting scene, pics to follow).

We had some time to kill, we had to be at another church basement around 6:30. Due to the rain coming down slightly harder off we went.

I wanted to come home to watch the playoffs but we rode over to Grand Army Plaza and hung out for an hour or so. Didn't want to go straight home!

Another Crazy Friday Night Bike Ride

2009-05-23T09:25:00.011-04:00

Friday night seems to be our designated "biking" adventure night. I came up with the brilliant idea to go for a ride out to Jacoob Riis Park. I checked www.ridethecity.com for the safest route from her job to the park.

After a bit of arguing (sometimes H.A.L.T.ing is necessary), we arrived 1.75 hours later in Queens. On the way there, I had a spill/crash, and it changed the dynamics of the ride. I think that it was pretty funny, but she said that it scared her. Either way, I fell, I conquered, and we kept riding.

There were rabbits, opossums, bugs, swans...OH MY!!! The bike paths, were dark and scary. Almost the perfect setting for B Movie Horror Flick. Did I mention that we really weren't sure of which direction we needed to go?

We leave Jacoob Riis Park and cross over the Marine Parkway Bridge, to the Flatbush Ave. Greenway to the Shore Parkway Greenway. We got off of the path, at Carnarsie Beach Park, (what an amazing place) I cannot wait to visit there again.

Now we are off of the Bike Paths and it's onto the roads with traffic again. There is something really tricky about riding with/in traffic when you're not really sure where you are. We ride through the Flatlands (stopped for pizza, garlic knots, and slushies), Remsen Village, Brownsville, Crown Heights and into Bed Stuy.

All together, it was a nice ride...BUT it's nice to be back in Bed Stuy!

More signal confusion while bike riding

2009-05-21T22:05:00.003-04:00

So me and him were riding home from a church basement dance in Williamsburg last saturday night. We were trying to beat the rain so we were moving. A turn onto Leonard and once again I am completely baffled by an illuminating stop light. Red, yellow and green. What is happening to me? Where is my traffic direction. This is very peculiar since it's the second time I have encountered a malfunctioning, tell me what to do sign. The crosswalk one was confusing but this one was just down right dangerous. As I always carry me camera in my pink back pack I pulled onto the sidewalk (where it was safer) and started taking some pictures for all of you to see. I can wonder what my next encounter with the mean malfunctioning Brooklyn streets will be.....

10 Reasons I love Bed Stuy

2009-05-17T14:04:00.002-04:00

10. The saxophone player who lives across the street

9. The lazy mornings are quiet and peaceful

8. Loosies

7. Bike lanes

6. Fulton St dollar stores

5. Garden of hope

4. Sweet neighbors

3. Big flower pots on our block

2. The corner bodega gives us credit

1. It's where we call home

Bed-Stuy Bike Ride This Saturday!

2009-05-14T14:28:00.001-04:00

Bed-Stuy Bike Ride This Saturday!

Posted using ShareThis

Happy Birthday To You...Mr. Stevie Wonder-ful

2009-05-13T16:18:00.012-04:00

Being a black person, and I hate saying this but an African American, we all know two versions of "The Happy Birthday Song". There is the original version (Wikipedia the info if you really want to know who wrote it) and then there is Stevie Wonders version.

Happy Bornday Mr. Stevie Wonder!!!

I would love to go to both events, especially on Saturday, but our budget won't allow it. So it appears that I will be at the free party on Thursday...good enough for me/us.

This week there are a few party's to honor the GREATEST MUSICIAN EVER (my opinion). Please name another artist that has a better catalogue...seriously! I can hear all of The Beatles or Elvis Presley lovers now.

***Please forgive me for not finding the actual video***

When will it end?

2009-05-05T18:41:00.005-04:00

rain rain go away...come back another day!

It's seems as if it's been raining forever and all I want to do is ride my bike. I've been taking the train to work and I almost forget how nice it is to just get on my bike and go. I cancelled my transit check last month because I thought that I would be riding my bike to work...not so much.

Notice the rain theme in all of the songs. I wish they made a video for Rainy Dayz by Raekwon. That song is such fire and everytime that it rains, I think of that song and exactly where I was when it came out.

Missy Elliot killed it with this song.."I Can't Stand The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)".

Ashanti "Rain On Me"

Talib Kweli, The Blast"...One of my favorite songs!!!

De La Soul ft. Chaka Khan "All Good"

2009-05-01T12:15:00.001-04:00

I heard this song the other day and it makes me smile whenever I hear it.

De La Soul Feat. Chaka Khan - All Good
by Momo59-93

Huge De La Soul fan over here!!!

Searching For More Spirituality

2009-04-29T19:22:00.003-04:00

I forgot about this episode of Def Poetry Jam and how dope this "poem" is. Talib Kweli made this a song off of his Ear Drum album.

I hope you appreciate it like I do...

Gentrification or what?

2009-04-29T17:22:00.006-04:00

Earlier today I go to the grocery store this on Fulton Street. Doing my shopping is pretty simple, meat, veggies frozen and fresh, the Goya aisle and 100 cal snack packs. Well to my surprise this clip board is hanging in the what I will refer to as the "hipster/white kid aisle". I am not sure if that is politically correct or racist but it is what it is. I find it very tasteless that, "that person" can request what they want very easily right there in the aisle. What if I want a Goya product that don't have. Do I go to the customer service desk and start requesting? I am almost positive that request would never come to fruition because it is not as important to the new gentrification of Bed Stuy. Now here is where I have the bigger problem.

We are part of the gentrification......

We have only lived in Bed Stuy for a year. Our backgrounds are black and Puerto-Rican, I feel like we "belong" here. That we have a right to improve the neighborhood by planting flowers and cleaning up the street. By getting involved in the community, our block at least. I love Bed Stuy I plan on it being our home.

Street Vendors Helping Out

2009-04-29T13:57:00.002-04:00

This street vendor on Court Street is looking out for the community by offering discounts to those who qualify. So if you need a belt, cell phone case or other assorted urban trinkets I would go see him!

The Keelers

2009-04-27T16:06:00.003-04:00

I come from a very "non loving" home. We were cold to each other at best most of the time..... It hardens your soul and spirit over time. Reversal can only come in the form of love and kindness. This process has begun for me. And this is how it's happening.......The matriarch of this family is Meme (Mary Keeler). She is Todd’s grandmother. She is tough and witty and amazing and beautiful and has wisdom that goes for miles..... Todd often finishes his sentences with Meme said..... or Meme would..... She is almost 87 years old and still drives a car (not at night or on the highway but still drives). She lives in a home where stories of talent shows and Christmas morning photographs on the stairs are told often at family gatherings. Todd’s mom Heather is the youngest of 4 children and this is where my journey of being loved by a "mother figure" has begun. She will have angels wings one day. Heather makes sure that we are taken care of no matter what. There are no limitations to what she will do for us. I know that is mostly to make sure her baby boy is taken care of, but I do fit in the equation. She made a party for me yesterday that exceeded any expectations I could of had. She did it purely out of love and kindness. I am learning what the true definition of family is by watching them and being open to be part of it as well. There have now been: happy Thanksgiving meals. Easter Sundays. Christmas gatherings (with not so secret, secret Santa). Journey’s of a new way of life. Wedding showers. Anniversary Parties. And just hanging out in Meme's living room where she tells stories and shares her traditions. My favorite is how she sets a little lemon timer in the afternoons and begins to pray. She begins with her late husband and works her way down the list of family...... I am even mentioned by name (that is my favorite part). I love this family. Todd is lucky because he has always had them but I feel luckier because now I do too!

Friday Night Bike Ride

2009-04-25T22:44:00.005-04:00

(Not the best shots, but you get the idea)

I met her at her job on Friday, and had plans to take a bike ride. Neither of us knew how far we would travel. We rode down 2nd Ave to 67th St (Brooklyn of course) to the Shore Parkway Greenway. Amazing and we can't wait to do it during the day. The Verrazano Narrows Bridge seems so far away but we rode and went underneath it. We rode it to Bay Parkway and ended up eating at some terrible Turkish Restaurant. I will not mention their name, it could have been a bad night for them.

(Coming from Staten Island on the bridge)

Of course I didn't really know where we were, so we took the long way home. Oh well, it turned out to be an amazing night to take a long ride.

Just about 20 miles...

I'm excited for the the great weather...a lot more riding to come.

Violation Code 19-176

2009-04-24T10:37:00.007-04:00

I had no idea what that meant either until I was asked to pull over on my bike. I am not a fan of bike riding on the sidewalk, but I had no better option. My options were to either swerve into on-coming traffic, slam on my brakes, run into the back of the garbage truck, or to jump up on the sidewalk. I opted to jump onto the curb and ride it for a few brief seconds.

I ride on Broadway (Williamsburg) and it is some scene early in the morning. I probably should choose another route. It definitely wakes me up in the morning.

As soon as I jumped off of the curb, I heard the officer...hey you...come here!

Of course I wanted to head for the Williamsburg Bridge (I ride that to work in the morning), but I thought better of it and decided to go over to his van. He started asking me questions in the middle of the street and I asked him (politely) if he would mind if I could lean my bike against something so I could get my I.D. He suddenly realized that it was a good idea and suggested that I go over to the corner. Him holding up traffic and talking to me in the middle of the street wasn't the greatest idea.

This is normally the time when I have a few choice words for "the boys in blue"...

After wondering if I had a warrant for my arrest (I always go there) or if I was going to be late to work, he handed me a summons and told me to "be careful out there".

Damn...good hip hop from Houston?

2009-04-20T20:47:00.004-04:00

This going to be my song for the summer. I know that I can be a "hip hop snob", but I get really excited when I hear something new and it doesn't sound like all of the other stuff. It's a shame that this won't get regular spins on your local "hip hop radio".

H.I.S.D. & K.O. "Summer So Good" from FWMJ on Vimeo.

H.I.S.D. = my new favorite group.

Talib Kweli "Eat To Live"

2009-04-15T11:49:00.003-04:00

Here's another one of my favorite lyricists. Ah, music with a message...

"Eat To Live" - Talib Kweli from The ICU on Vimeo.

We never wear them at the same time...

2009-04-14T18:31:00.005-04:00

So I found a dope sneaker store in Bushwick, Spicy Action (more about them later), and my new friend gave us a deal. I was watching a documentary about Georgetown hoops from the 80's and I remembered when Patrick Ewing wore these. However, theirs had HOYAS on the back of them and not NIKE.

They are so sick and so simple.

We bought "his n her" and we vowed that we would never wear them on the same day, at least not on purpose. You know where this is going. I leave before she does, and we decided to go to dinner in Ft. Greene on a Friday in February and when I met her there...we had on matching kicks.

I felt like we were high school students, but f-it!

Beautifying Bed Stuy...

2009-04-14T10:36:00.003-04:00

I wanted to be a part of this project "The Bed Stuy Meadow Project", but I had to go home on Saturday to spend time with an old friend that lost his 11 year old son.

R.I.P. Poppy

The age old discussion of gentrification, is it good...is it bad? I don't know, but I'm black and not rich. I feel like I don't appear to be an outsider, but I did grow up in Westchester.

Anyhoo...click to listen.

Falling in love

2009-04-13T14:59:00.003-04:00

We fell in love with each other again yesterday. It started at a coffee shop in Bed Stuy with an interlude in The Slope. There was cake, a meeting, a bike ride in the freezing cold, a fight (he is so OCD), tears, laughs, and finally sleep. The thought of our life in Brooklyn makes me smile, I love it!

Walking over the Brooklyn Bridge

2009-04-12T00:42:00.005-04:00

So I finally walked over the Brooklyn Bridge. I have lived here exactly 1 year and finally made the trek..... Here was the best part of it. I forgot the name of the crew but they were some chill Mexicans from uptown but made it clear not the Bronx! Uptown Manhattan.... I love how he posed when I asked him If I could take a picture for our blog. He might think he's famous.

I had to use Wiki to figure out some of the lyrics...

2009-04-10T18:14:00.008-04:00

John Forte, welcome home and was pardoned by George W. Bush of all people. I always respected his flow and delivery, dude has something to say.

He makes me remember why I LOVE HIP HOP!

Style Free from John Forte on Vimeo.

Racism that has confused me

2009-04-10T13:37:00.002-04:00

Definition: A belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race . So that is the definition. I am going to explain 3 things that have happened to me lately. 1. A black school girl called me a white devil bitch. 2. Last Friday a very white (blond hair blue eyed) 20 something year old cop asked what I was doing in this neighborhood. I was getting off the C train at Kington Throop to go home. He told me it wasn't really a safe neighborhood for me. 3. Yesterday a white woman in an AA meeting (in BK HTS) asked me if "those" people were nasty to me in meetings in my neighborhood. (She lives in Crown Heights). I asked of course what she meant by those people hoping desperately she was not going to say black people, and of course her ignorant ass said the black people....... She has been the only one I have responded to. I finally felt the need. And my response was something like this, my partner is black, my child is 1/2 black and I am Puerto-Rican, so no I am not exactly sure what you are asking me....... The problem here is I am a minority who passes for a white girl. I am proud of my heritage, it is expressed by my full name which is Alejandra, the abundance of Puerto Rican Flags I own in the shapes of bandana's, car air freshners, beaded necklaces, coquis carved in wood, picture frames, the foods I cook, music I listen to, traditions like little Christmas we kept as children and so on.... The ignorance in some does not surprise me in the least it just makes me infuriated. I wish sometimes I looked more Puerto-Rican but writing that sounds so ridiculous. I love who I am and how I look and when I am in the Bronx or Bushwick there is no mistaking that I am PR, we can tell eachother apart.

Mos Def "Ghetto Rock"

2009-04-09T15:20:00.006-04:00

I was going through some videos and remembered this song. It looks like most of this video was shot in BED STUY! Unfortunately, I could not embed the video in the blog. I was torn about what version to copy & paste in here, so of course I chose the"clean version".

Hope you enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12IYVa3pwSQ

5 Years Clean and Sober

2009-04-08T17:31:00.005-04:00

Today marks my 5 year anniversary. The journey has been that of life, love, friendships, pain, strength, happiness, hate, compassion, empathy and loss. I stopped drinking and getting high 5 years ago this very day. I know where I was, I know how much pain I was in and I know how everyone around me felt. I was sick and dying and I could not stop drinking. I never imagined 5 years latter, 1. I would still be sober 2. I would be the happiest I have ever been 3. Have the most amazing partner and 4. Have my daughter back in my life. Sobriety has been part amazing, part fantastic, part disaster and part painful. I have never done any of it alone though. I have had a cheering section the whole time comprised of a strange set of women who I would probably not be friends with in the "real world". These are the women of the Port Chester Group of AA. for the sake of anonymity I will leave it at that. I owe my life to them. I would not be here today had I not fallen in their arms and let them take care of me...... I cried myself to sleep last night hanging on the edge of our bed. I missed drinking, I missed the chaos, I missed the numbness that it all brought..... I woke up this morning and it had passed.

Siji..."Yearning For Home"...

2009-04-07T12:55:00.005-04:00

To me a wonderful and beautiful song...I could be wrong!

SIJI - "Yearning For Home" Music Video from SIJI on Vimeo.

Back from Georgia...

2009-04-07T10:19:00.004-04:00

GRATITUDE...

I am 1 of 8 children that my dad has. I only know/knew 4 of my siblings. I grew up with my sister Blythe, and have a close relationship with my half sisters (Lizzie & Celeste) and my half brother (J.L.). We don't like to use the word half, because we are all siblings! This is a pic from Sunday 4/5/2009. In the pic are Celeste, Darrell, me, and Lizzie.

Well, I know/knew of 3 other brothers (Eric, Nevada & Anthony and Darrell, Georgia). Turns out that A & D grew up in a small rural part of Georgia and were raised by their Aunts and Grandmothers. My brother Anthony passed away last week, 2 days before he was to be released from jail. He had what they are calling an asthma attack. His Grandmother is in possession of letters written by his fellow inmates and there seems to be neglect on the part of the staff at the jail. So when I say that my brothers are from rural Georgia, I mean rural Georgia. I felt like the "city slicker" when we went into the church on the day of the funeral. It's a place where everyone at the funeral knew everyone, we were the obvious outsiders.

Their Grandmother wanted us to make copies of the letters written by the inmates and "see what ya'll can do about the situation...those boys are going to need protection." Immediately, I felt like I was in a Morgan Freeman/Ashley Judd type flick where the "smart yankeess" go down South to help out the "country folk". Think "Color Purple"!!!

While driving to their "Aunties" house we saw a man with a straw hat sitting on a porch. I could sense the despair and unforgiving conditions that my brothers grew up in. I could hear the "old negro spirituals" being sang. It did not seem like it was 2009. I should have asked how they felt about our President being black.

I can go on for days about my feelings about not knowing my brothers, them living in the conditions where all of their friends drop out of high school. How about the "babies having babies"? I used to think that the town that I grew up in Port Chester, NY in Westchester County was full of despair...how f-ing ridiculous. There are many of the same issues where I grew up, but there are that many more opportunities to make it. I mean NYC was 40 minutes away from me.

My life is better than most. I am fortunate and blessed (I can't believe it either) to have my life. What do I really have to complain about?

A rainy monday morning....

2009-04-06T15:06:00.004-04:00

I am over the weather, I was hoping I would be on my bike until at least next November, this is not happening. With no service on the A/C line in Bed Stuy on the weekends and the rain during the week life seems to be that much more difficult. I hate, let me repeat hate the B26 Bus. The driver is a nice man who I wish no harm upon but......the riders deserve to be struck by lightning. I have never been in one place where so many people feel the need to all talk on there cell phones at the same time. I actually asked someone to hang up there phone the other morning and they did, I was lucky. There was definitely a chance the conversation could of taken a turn for the worse but I held on to the hopes I would no longer have to listen to why he had no more clean underwear. This morning as one man berated his baby mama the gentelman next to him explained the NBA, the Lakers, the over under and then made a $20 bet with the same person. By the time I get all the way down Halsey I know everyones business riding that bus. I am going to start riding in the rain........

The cheese factor...

2009-04-02T22:40:00.003-04:00

It has just come to my attention that we have a few items that are similar. Here's one of many...

Pretty sure that this will get embarrassing...oh well!

When the signs stop making sense....

2009-04-02T22:18:00.002-04:00

So sometimes I just have to walk. The bike lanes make me crazy and I feel like I spend most of my day policing them so, just trudging on my feet a few block makes perfect sense. So here I am at at the corner of Marcus Garvey and Macon...... Now I am amused and baffled at the same time, do I cross, do I stop, do I do cartwheels??? The confusion was hysterical and indeed reminded me that I love Bed Stuy.

There are no "auto-matic do overs" in life.....

2009-04-02T17:21:00.004-04:00

So you either quit smoking or you don't. I quit drinking almost exactly 5 years ago. I quit smoking 4 days ago. It is a way of life I am choosing to live now. I don't want to die of cancer, I don't want a hole in my throat like my grandfather had. I don't want to talk into a machine that translates my voice into that of Darth Vader. I want to live, I want to be free, I am sick of being in a realationship with cigarettes that I get nothing out of, it is so one sided. I must be ready....I must. I am not craving, or angry, or mad. I am excited about being an ex-smoker. I am a really great ex. I am an ex-drinker an ex-drug user an ex-liar and so on....... I have manged those things and I will manage this. I am not sure about Todd though, he is not as happy about this as I am. He has been extra pissy the past couple of days.....I think the main reason he wouln't smoke is so I don't "WIN". Competition is a huge character defect of his....... I hope we can beat the bitch together, I want to live as close to forever with him as possible!

Blah blah blah

2009-04-01T14:22:00.003-04:00

After going to bed late last night...1:30, what a difference 2.5 years can make. I am exhausted and have decided to kill some time while bored at work. Is 1:30 (a.m.) really that late? It used to be when I was just getting ready!

Here we go...

Jadakiss f. Nas - What If | Hip Hop Songs > HipHopDX.com

Quitting smoking.....

2009-03-30T12:22:00.002-04:00

So he is going to try and give up the smokes (i am jumping on his band wagon for emotional support). So we are hopefully going to be smoke free. We have both smoked more than 1/2 of our lives so this is not going to be easy, I am sure of that. Since it's the only vice either of us have it is poor planning on my part to be the supportive girlfriend and quit with him........ In the words of my friend Mike, "I can assure you this will not end well"

A bike ride in Brooklyn

2009-03-30T00:00:00.003-04:00

Outside the crib

2009-03-29T23:21:00.002-04:00

If you look outside our window this is the view... Kind of Do The Right Thing. We love it. There is a calm that Bed Stuy streets bring to the borough. Brownstones on tree lined blocks oozing generations of wonderment.

Bride's Maid Dress Shopping

2009-03-28T09:25:00.000-04:00

Well of course, I (him) have much better things to do on my day off. However, she asked me to go with her to pick out dresses or shawls (she has tattoos and the couple wants her to hide them). If it clears up outside (the ground is wet), we will ride our bikes today to find the perfect shawl or something like that.

The things people do for their "significant others". My Uncle Charles has done much more for my Auntie, so it's the least that I can do.

This is not a love ballad.....

2009-03-27T12:38:00.005-04:00

So a little about us.... This blog will probably get pretty personal at times so you might as well know us.....Him, tall black and beautiful. Smart, prep school educated with street cred and an amazing person. She, (thats me) cute, Puerto Rican, a bit hood and whitty as fuck. We are best friends, lovers, parents, members of a community and blessed to still be alive. Our realationship has been 13 years in the making, i'm sure we will get into that at some other time. The past 3 years have been spent figuring out where to live happily ever efter and so we ended up in Bed Stuy April of 2008. Our lives are full.....We forget about each other sometimes, hit a wall and then fall back in love all over again it's kind of perfect how it always works out.... We love music there is usually hip-hop from an earlier genre as a back drop in our 2nd floor brownstone apartment. If He's not home it might go a little bit to british pop or irish hardcore as well..... We have 2 kittens (should of just gotten 1 but they are so cute at 5 weeks old) Mookie Wilson and Lenny Dykstra......We have 2 kids Anastasiya, 15 and Shanti, 6 they both live with there other parent (we will just call that wreckage of our past for now). And crazy families that we both love termendously! Our lives sepertate for the day, he goes to SoHo, I go to Cobble hill, we meet back up usually in the middle on our bikes to go home together....It works, we work, life is pretty fuckin good........