Metal Karaoke

If there was a karaoke night dedicated to strictly metal music I would sing this:

I don't remember when or where I first heard this song. I think it was on MTV (shocker!) early one morning and I was hooked. I think I then went to school and was talking about them and a day later a friend let me borrow a copy of Slipknot's self titled debut album which I promptly dubbed on a cassette tape. Remember those? In high school I always wanted to go to a Slipknot show but I always heard horror stories of their crazy early shows, like jumping into crowds throwing drums into the crowd, throwing poop? Yeah. However a few years ago when they came into the VA Beach Amp me and a few friends went to go see them. It was EPIC. Unfortunately Paul the bassist passed away last year and the future of the band seems to be at a standstill. But I would never forget those times of driving around with my friends doing hoodrat stuff and listening to Slipknot.LOL. Good times man, Good times.

Skating Mishaps

When I was growing up in New York almost every saturday afternoon was spent at the Skate Key (a roller rink in the Bronk on 138th, right up near Harlem). It was the highlight of my pre-teen life. At times my mother would take me and a number of extended family members. Sometimes I would go with this kid named Troy whom was my best friend at the time and I had a MASSIVE crush on (I didnt tell him this until 2 weeks before I left NY to move to VA, we used to do everything together, we were in the cadets, went bowling, movies, ahhh youth...moving on) Of course it was fun, a lot of people, great music, good times. Well, it was good times. One unassuming Saturday afternoon in 1995 I go to the skate key with my brother, cousin Jennifer and God-sister Chasity. Everything was going fine, I was skating along. All of a sudden I felt some grab me, then they proceeded to push me to the ground and fall on top of me. By the way this was a grown man! So the skate officials clear the floor, I pick up my dignity and move to the bench. I sat down, I felt fine at the time but they said they had to send me to the hospital. That's when I started to freak out. So they put me in the ambulance and I am at the hospital, in the waiting room, by myself, for HOURS. My mom finally shows up and that's when they take me in to examine me. I fractured my right wrist (good thing i guess cause im a lefty) I had a cast and everything. It was pretty cool cause all of my classmates wrote on my cast and I had a story to tell. Needless to say though, we never went back to the Skate Key.
Then we move to Virginia in the summer of '97. Around this time we discovered this place called Plaza Roller Rink in Buckroe. On friday nights this was THE place to be. If you weren't at Plaza on friday nights, you were no one! Plaza was the place to go to see your crush, meet up with your friends, put on your freshest FUBU, Nautica, RP55, WU Wear and Tommy Hilfiger gear, and plan to be a part of or watch a fight. Man it was great. Well, it WAS great. Back in the day I used to super duper stunt on them. I always had the "name brand" jeans (that were really from the chinese beauty supply from across the street) the best "name brand" shirts (that my aunt Linda was selling from the trunk) and the dopest pair of Air Force 1's with the coolest colorways (now those were real!) oh with the NY fitted to match. Anyways one xmas my parents got me these Baby Blue Suede low top AF1's with a matching sweater vest(LOL). Those sneakers were my pride and joy and everyone at Lindsay went Oddles a Noodles on em. So one day I go to Plaza with my bestie Shawquana and we switch our sneakers for skates. Me being a dummy I put my brand new sneaks in a cubby instead of a locker. BAD MOVE. The night was fine until I went back to the cubby and seen that my sneakers were not there. I lost it. Mind you at this time (in 1999) I was super hood. Im running all around yelling "WHO THE F@#K STOLE MY SNEAKERS!?" I wound up walking out of Plaza in my socks, my mother yelling at me, and walking on a gravel parking lot. Needless to say I never went back to Plaza. Actually I probably went back twice while I was in high school, but the thrill was gone. One good thing though is that my birthday is not that far from xmas, so I got a new AF1's all gray high tops,


but they were not the baby blue suede joints, ugggh.

All in all I had fun as a kid, and I look back at those times fondly. I decided the other day to dedicate a mixtape to my time at the Plaza. It was a time of fun, laughter, questionable fashion and antics and the beginning of my journey here in Virginia. I'm calling the mixtape "Plaza Roller Rink: Class of '98-'99". It should be here soon....enough. Although this post was lengthy I hope you enjoyed it. This was probably the most fun I have had writing a blog post.
PS here is a bonus video from my days at the Skate Key

Happy Birthday To...

My brother Tyrone. He was born on this day 22 years, and my life has been a living hell ever since JUST KIDDING! No really I hate to say this but my brother is like my best friend. People always talk about how we get along so well. I may be hard on him, but it's for his own good, I mean come on I'm the big sister. And whatever happens in your future I hope that you are successful, just remember, you can always come back home; where I will force you to make koolaid! (he makes really good koolaid) So earlier in the evening on the eve of his bornday we went to this exclusive restaurant where all the ballers go....Applebee's. Later that night we went out to Norfolk to the Wave. My homeboys Frontside aka Teleport Team was performing. Long story short the Wave effed them in the A, which makes sense since it's a gay bar. None the less we all had a good time and it's always good to see my boys. So here are some pictures from a celebration of life.

Jammie of the Day

I remember hearing this song for this first time around the time my family moved to Virginia. In the late 90s southern hip hop was little to non existent especially up north. Hearing this for the first time, I was 'huh', it was a different sounding song, he wasn't rapping on top of the beat, you could barely understand what he was saying, but there was something intriguing to this song that you ended up liking it. I believe this was THE song that opened the floodgates to the south taking over the hip hop nation. Case in point. When I used to listen to Hot 97 (the biggest hip hop station in the nation located in the heart of NYC)whilst at my secretary job online all I heard was the following: Trey Songz...songs, Drake songs, and all southern hip hop songs, go figure. So southern rappers you should drop to your knees and thank Juvenile (and Manny Fresh) for putting southern hip hop on the map, whether for better or worse.

Confessional

When I moved to Virginia in the summer of '96 my mother brother and I lived with my Godsister Pilar and her daughter Asha whom is also my godsister not only cause Pilar is my goddsister but becuase my mother is her godmother, did you get all that? Good. Anyways we lived in these townhomes (I think the name of it was Victoria sq. I cant believe I dont remember the name of em, moving on) And that complex was next to this apartment complex by the name of Langley Sq. All the kids that I went to school with (Lindsay Middle what up!) lived in that complex. I made a number of friends whom lived there and frequented in those parts. But the thing we used to do was go to the Kmart down the street. It was like we were too young to go to the mall and to old to play at the playground so Kmart was the next best thing. This brings me to my confession. Whilst in middle school and living in that area and going to Kmart...I used to steal Lisa Frank Products. Lisa Frank was the shiz back then so dont front. Till this day I get excited when I see a Lisa Frank holographic notebook! I mean it didnt get so bad or out of hand, I wasnt a bad kid. I just used to steal pens, pencils, stickers, small notebooks. Come to think of it in my whole existence this is probably the worst thing ive done. Well it was that one time in high school I stole a wristband from Hot Topic which I inevitably lost, go figure. I had a lot of fun in middle school. Hopping from Langley Square to Sinclair Gardens (which got torn down a number of years ago and is now host to really nice houses and senior citizens community where my grandmother lives.) Going to the Tyler elementary after school program where I was part of the double dutch club and my friends and I would take the short cut through a farm and step in tons of sh!t. Man those were the days...