"Love me like everyday..." ~ M.B.

Anyone who knows me know that I have an ongoing love affair with the music of one Ms. Monicva Blaire. Her lyrics speak to the experience of the twenty-somthing wombyn. You gotta guzzle Red Bull and OJ just to keep up with her high live octane performances. She invokes a physical and emotional reation everytime I see her live. Its like GD speaks to me through her....EVERYtime.

I'm proud to say that this week Monica Blaire graces the front page of the Michigan Citizen newspaper. It goes into detail about her musical back ground and innfluences. Monica, in my opinion is my generation's Anita Baker. Not so much in her style or music, but because she's a distinctive voice, and a native of DETROIT who is MAKING IT while still based in DETROIT. If you get the chance, check out the article in the Michigan Citizen: http://www.michigancitizen.com/. The article isn't posted on the web just yet since the weekle newpaper is dated Jan 27-Feb 2, 2008, But check out the website none the less. Its a great source of news effecting Afri-mericans in Michigan and across the country. It highlights POSITIVE issues and programs as opposed to just your run-of-the-mill drug busts, drive-bys, and tragic house fires.

Black gurls in Paris

Shay Youngblood has a novel called BLACK GIRL IN PARIS about a young writer who moves to France with little money and the dream of meeting James Baldwin. To keep it cliche': it's an amazing coming of age tale...it was my favorite read for a few years. I read it religiously...annually.
I've always been facinated with international travel.

You'd think that as a flight attendant I'd have more stamps on my passport than pages....But alas. My salary is not proportionate to my debt. I'm reduced to trists around THIS continent. I've always wondered what it was like to LIVE, not visit, in another country. Having been exposed to the likes of Langston Huges, W.E.B. Dubois, Josephine Baker, Miles Davis and others...the IDEA of living in Paris is intoxicating. For a minute there... submerged myself in all things Parisian: food, music, language *limited to two years of high school french*, Canada . Though I've kind of moved on from that minor obsession, the subject is still pretty interesting.

That said, on my news feed today, there's an article frorm the Chicago Tribune about a woman named Rikki Stevens who offers tours of "black Paris". She takes you around to the lesser known spots where Josephine Baker, Langston Huges, and Alexander Dumas hung out...lived..performed. Check the article out. http://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/chi-black_paris_toursjan26,0,4469399.story?coll=chi_home_util

Ironically, yesterday , in totally unrelated visit to the World Wide Web, I added a blog to my personal list of "favorite" websites. It's from another Afi-merican ex-patriate. She's living in Paris and writing about her experiences there. Check out her blog at
http://www.blackgirlinparis.com/.

And speaking of Blk gurls in love with French culture...another homegurl of my mine GLENNISHA M. MORGAN has a magazine coming out called JE SUIS LIBRE (I AM FREE). This baaaad mamma is FLUENT in the language. That's in addition to being a writer, editer, activist, and natural hair care specialist. Has she actually visited Paris? Not sure. Check out her website and ask her yourself!!! http://www.freewebs.com/glennisham/

Episode 1:" Me too" Syndrome

I've had some time off work. Ideally, I would have liked to meditate, drink hearbal teas, burn candles, and read. But of course, that would have been too much like right. So what did I do? I sat around, channel surfed, read, smoked menthols, popped vicodin *more on that later*, played spider solitaire , and SURFED THE NET.

During my travels on the world wide web, I discovered a plethora of ordinary individuals-regular Joe Scmoes and Jane Does, with web sites and blogs dedicated to everything from the Great Election of 2008 to their personal souveniour spoon collections. I found some great stuff.

For example, Terry Howcott has an awesome website full of useful links, thought provoking articles and insightful blogs (PLUG:Visit TerryHowcott.com!). After reading and surfing I decided that I TOO could put together a site. ME TOO!"

So...
Hang on folks. Cause I am Dada Chiku (Sister Chatterer), and now I'm equipped with yet another venue to share!