And So It Begins...

I have always been someone who decided very quickly whether I was comfortable enough with someone to divulge my personal business. If so, I am an open book. By the same token, it doesn’t take me long to decide one should not be privy to that information. So I have walked a blurry line on this blog deciding exactly how much to say. I always wondered how Carrie Bradshaw was able to write about sex, love, and relationships to New Yorkers once a week and not feel completely naked in the street. Nevertheless, it’s probably good therapy for me and a bit of entertainment for you if I am candid.

August 10th began my life as a resident of Los Angeles. But the week before brought me much trepidation about this move for God knows why. My sister got married July 28th, one of my best friends had an engagement party (left), I lived out of suitcases and spent the whole week FedExing my belongings cross country, I got in a fight with my best friend, and I left a good man in DC. All of this left me exhausted, cautious, and insecure - insecure in the sense that my support system is seemingly disintegrating.

So, I found myself sitting on the plane leaving Texas for LA, and it is more than apparent where I am headed as two fake-breasted women sitting more than an aisle apart from one another are having a conversation. Two friends who didn't care to ask another passenger to exchange seats apparently could not go 2 hours and 43 minutes without talking to one another at the expense of the entire plane.
"Hey girl, are you sleepy? Can you believe all of the people on the standby list?"
"Like, no. A lot of them didn't get on the plane."
Woah, are they serious? Do I have to be in this conversation? That was the most ghetto, but I-live-in-LA-now-where-everyone-thinks-they're-special conversation I have ever heard. (It was almost as trife as my mom thinking she could use her blackberry to check emails while in flight.)

So a stressful and lonely couple of days followed as my mom and I unpacked my car full of ish, 13 huge boxes, and more than enough suitcases. My initial sadness slowly turned into acceptance mixed, of course, with excitement about school. Oh, and when my mom left me on Tuesday, I was again sad, especially when I was driving home from the airport and I saw a car with both a Howard sticker on the window and a USC license plate. I reached out from inside my car hoping they'd stop and say, "Hey girl! You went to Howard?! And now you're moving here? Me too!" Didn't happen. Ugh.

Things began looking up when I made plans to have dinner with my cousin, Tyler, who's in town living the bourgie life. (She is in college and travels around the country, asking her parents permission only after. If only I would have thought of that.) Don't get me wrong, she is definitely my rolldog, but much flyer than I was at 20. Me and the gals had dinner at The Belmont Cafe and I basically hung out with them until the following afternoon when my sister began emailing me about Pinkberry. I'm like "What the hell's a pinkberry?" (I thought it was some kind of fancy new Blackberry coming out or something.) Turns out it's some frozen yogurt concoction that Perez Hilton apparently blogs about (uhhh, my sister seems to be a huge fan of his blog). So, I don't even like yogurt and was ready to move along but Tyler loves it and insisted we go and now I am a fan. Like, it was REEEAAAALLLLLLY good. They have toppings like Capt'n Crunch (or however you spell it) and Granola, fresh cut strawberries, blackberries, and mangos. It was outstanding - a true treat. So here's to Leigh (my sis, if you didn't know).

I certainly can't forget about the personal highlight of my week...On Tuesday, when I went to The Belmont with Tyler and her friend, Sarah, I finally had a chance to proudly wear my pink satin avec rose Manolos. Early in the year, I saw these adorable shoes in Bazaar (my favorite of the fashion mags) with no price listed. I couldn't find them anywhere on the web, so I called the NY store and bought them (a bad habit I began in November of last year and can't quite shake). I haven't been able to really do them justice wearing them with the one sexy black dress I own, so in Dallas last week, I found this really simple and casual dress with a hint of pink and wasn't even thinking of the shoes until I got it home and I broke 'em both out on Tuesday and was SO happy.

Tidbits

As a student in television and film producing, it was not difficult to convince my mom that all the premium cable channels and a DVR are necessary parts of my life. In preparation for school, I have a list of classic films to watch, but it is important for me to keep up with current shows and films that influenced my passion to be where I am. So, even though I am in a new city with new people to meet and new sites to see, I am a slave to my tv set. While waiting for the premium cable to arrive (I should have been watching one of the films on my list), I got caught up in what is now one of my FAVORITE shows in existence. Oxygen's Tori & Dean: Inn Love is fantastic. It's a reality show that follows a Tori Spelling and her actor husband, Dean McDermott, as they embark on the business of owning and operating a bed & breakfast. The catch is - she is majorly pregnant and increasingly unable to participate in all the work that needs to be done, they are on a budget, and needing to move into the B&B (as they call it) get the business up and running before she has the baby. I am on the edge of my seat in suspense at every moment as well as totally enthralled with the dynamic between the two of them. Of course, it's tv, but I find them to be incredibly cute and loving toward one another and ridiculously HILARIOUS. I watched the entire first season in a day and just finished watching the Season 2 premiere - They are back at the B&B with the baby, the Jamiacan-born nanny, Patsy, and with some unwelcome mice in infiltrating their business. Eew. Please watch! I was not expecting to be such a fan, but I am hooked. Thanks, mom (for the DVR).

Also, thanks to HBO's Entourage for introducing me to Alice Smith. They used her song "Dream" for an episode a couple weeks ago and I bought the album on iTunes immediately (yes, I BOUGHT it). Check out her website or iTunes to hear the song and others.
Then, last night, I caught up on last week's episode with Mary J. Blige and they ended that one with a new track from Mary J. that I can't find. I am not the only one though - I have read a couple of blogs looking for the song "Grown Woman Complex." It was a hot song and I am not the biggest Mary J. fan. Hopefully, you can find it and listen to it.


A Pictorial History of My Summer (well, some parts anyway)

This is for all of y'all who keep saying, "When are you going to blog about me?" and for those who text and email me angry messages when I don't update you as to what is going on:




Miami, FL - Bye Leigh Brooks...Hello Leigh Butler. Isn't that a gorgeous cake?!







Miami, FL - A long time coming....Me and Mercedes









Coco Beach, Puerto Rico - Me & my boo. Yes, he has huge hands and it looks funny with his hand on my belly, but there's nothing under it. Ain't we cute, though, y'all?









Washington D.C. - Pre-fish fry dinner. I had a fish fry in DC to say goodbye before I moved away. Tyler, Shone, and Chervonti were my helpers. Thanks, girls!





Washington D.C. - Love blossoming!
(Yeah, I said it. I put y'all on blast) I chose this picture to celebrating the blossoming romance between two of my friends - If it doesn't work, I'll delete the pic :)



Baltimore, MD - That's Keyshia Cole, y'all and I know you think my picture sucks, it doesn't! Why? Cuz I took it. Keyshia came to Artscape in Baltimore and performed. I love Keysh (as I affectionately call her) and with her fit new figure and short haircut, she looked great (unlike in her new video which really disappointed me), but her performance in Bmore was WONDERFUL, of course. LOVE HER!





Washington D.C. - Shone came in town to see Ibiza and I gave her this dress. What you don't realize is that leapord print Escada number used to belong to my mom. That dress is HOT and she gave it to me, but I never could come close to filling it out, so I gave it to the well-endowed Shone. (a compliment of course - one of our male friends actually licked this picture when he saw it)




Dallas/Fort Worth, TX (Grapevine) - Kim's cousins, Janeen and Janelle (the two between me and Kim), the gorgeous women I look toward for guidance for when I try to get my "grown woman" on. Whether they know it or not, Kim and I find hope in everything they do and say. This pic is from a night at home with them, Brittany, Kayla, and Cindy to celebrate Kim moving to New York.





Fort Worth, TX - My love: Anthony, my godson. He's so cute!






B.F.E., TX - My ladies. Erika, Kim, and I representin' at Andrew's engagement party.








Downtown L.A. - Tyler's friend, Sarah.




Manhattan Beach, L.A. (or right outside of L.A., I don't really know) - one of my favorite line sisters is on her way to Berkley for grad school and stopped in L.A. with her boyfriend to visit his mom. Turns out, they're from Dallas and she is one of the sweetest (and chicest) mommies I know! I love Texas folk all over this country. It is no mistake that we are known for our Southern Hospitality.