Baduizms, March 20 and 27

Y'all KNOW I love me some Ms. Erykah Badu. She is like ... church. I always feel like I've been blessed when I hear her music and last year when I got to see her at JazzFest, I was BEYOND exuberant! So when I heard there was going to be a play at the FringeFest that celebrated her music, I was like ummmm I'm not sure. My friend Sarah (who makes me look like a someone who just bought a cd before b/c she's the ULTIMATE fan having seen her over 10 times!)and I were skeptical to say the least. But it was such a good show (I wrote about it here)! The ladies did the music justice and I really enjoyed myself. So when I heard they were doing a new show, I got UBER excited!!! They've added new music and all! Well, then something crazy happened. I got an email from the woman who wrote the play! She somehow ran across my blog post on the show and contacted me. She wanted to say she appreciated my review. We chatted a bit and she WOW-ed me. She's amazing. She's from Lake Charles, La. and just always liked to write. Here's the thing, she's so talented. She not only wrote the play, she is one of the actresses and she can BLOW! I haven't met her in person yet but I could feel her spirit through the email. I really like her. So I am so excited to go see the show on March 20 (who wants to come with?!?!)! Hmmm, I wonder if she'd like to be the next person I profile on "She Makes Me Wanna"? Maybe I could run the Tuesday before the play? That would be an excellent way for me to express how much she's inspired me!!!

Hip Hop Saved My Life

On last Thursday my life got VERY busy. I was prepared but it was difficult when everything hit at once. I went from a very laid back, nothing to do daily scenario to having to work ALL day on so many different projects. I had to two hours away to work over the weekend and randomly popped in a Lupe cd (it was dark so I just grabbed something and stuck it in). I instantly felt just fine when HIP HOP SAVED MY LIFE came on. When I was waiting tables unsure of how I'd make it through, this song got me through it! I'm no rapper but I am a person on the grind to make some big things happen. This song more than inspires me! It makes me believe its only a matter of time! ENJOY!!!

Lupe Fiasco Feat. Nikki Jean - Hip Hop Saved My Life
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One of Those Days ...

Today was an interesting day. A few weeks ago, I got a call from the powers that be of the pilot I worked on in December. The show had been picked up and I'll get the opportunity to work on the show in an awesome capacity I've never gotten to do before. This position is so in line with my future goals. They were calling to ensure my availability. Since then I've spoken to many of the higher ups so I know this job is a go but it doesn't start until sometime in April. In the meantime I've been focused on my company, DaVida Chanel Productions. I've got four good consulting clients and I'm working very hard (details to come). That was all good and I'm so excited...well I was until today.
A huge movie is coming to town and before I got to work on the pilot, my goal was to get a job on this movie. It will last a long time and it's the biggest budget production in Louisiana history. My position on this film will not be as creative as the one on the pilot but because it is so big, it'll look good on my resume. Well, after months of trying EVERY contact I had to get on this show, it seemed like no hope for that gig. Today they called to hire me. He asked point blank if I'd be working on anything soon and I told the truth. He said thanks and good luck but for the job he was offering he needed a full commitment for the show. I thanked him for his time. As soon as I hung up, BREAKDOWN. What if my gig on the tv show falls through? What if I am notMore...able to come through on my promises to my clients? What if I'm in over my head? ARGH! The self doubt and insecurities creeping in. Here's the thing. I KNOW what I KNOW. I KNOW where I'm headed and I KNOW that I create my reality. I KNOW the power of my subconscious mind and most importantly I KNOW what God has told me. I KNOW there are no coincidences and I KNOW I've been in tough situations before and it worked out. But knowing all that, it is still scary sometimes to really put it all on the line for something not so certain (remember all the what ifs?). And its not like I've got money stacked somewhere and the bills keep coming (I have different level clients so the money is not all coming in at once). Deep breath. This is the time that I've got to get my faith on. So I walk by faith and not by sight. Time to start walking ...

Ashlee Nicole - Friend in My Head

If I've said it once, I've said it a million times - social media networking is a great way to meet like minded people without all the bs that would sometimes keep us apart in "real" life. By reading people's tweets, status-es or blog posts, you can really learn a lot about who they are at the core. You naturally gravitate towards like minded people. Ashlee Nicole is a lot like how I was at her age ... well how I would have been had the web been like it is now. She's has a strong work ethic and always abreast of what's going on. She's extremely supportive too, a characteristic not always present in young women. Ashlee's blog shows her dedication to pubbing events-not just the ones she is promoting. And speaking of promoting, she's ON IT! She's had a hand in bringing some of the freshest acts to New Orleans (and not just the typical for a black girl in New Orleans - a convo for another day, but folk here still do a lot based on race. Not her, she's into cool stuff, regardless of if it is white or black.) For these reasons, Ashlee Nicole is a friend in my head.

Like the AyeLifestyle crew, I see her as an innovator and trendsetter. In my head we meet every so often at the coolest bars in the city and exchange war stories over the latest cocktails (I'd introduce her to Pimm's cups in the summer and she'd put me up on the latest drink folk her age are indulging in). More... I see myself randomly running into her on Melrose on a random day we both just so happen to be in L.A. When premieres and other Hollywood type events come to town, I see us sharing toasts at the bar. On a more serious note, I see her coming to me to get my "been there, done that, in my opinion" advice on the two fab career opportunities she's torn between. I really believe NOLA is on its way to being the spot for entertainment - I see her being at the forefront of the movement, which of course is another strong facet of our friendship in my head. All in all, I think this chick is amazing and that's why she's a friend in my head! Don't believe me, read her blog. WARNING: She's going to end up being a friend in your head too!

Boy, You So Artistic

Have you checked out Kanye's new blog? Very great, very understated, very artistic. Peep it at www.kanyewest.com.

Ten Days of Sobriety...

On Friday night I hosted my women's power group at my home. It is a small group of ladies and we meet to discuss endeavors and provide one another support for our goals. We are working on setting a groundwork so in the future when other women join, we could show some tangible results of our our support of one another have helped us reach whatever goals we have set. In the midst of our discussion I realized that I wasn't having a drink (they aren't big drinkers so we never have alcohol at our meetings). I further recognized it was the first day that week I hadn't...I realized my drinking has been heavier since I moved to New Orleans.

I don't have drinking issues per say-no DUI's, no blackouts, no drinking til I throw up-nothing like that. I just really enjoy the way certain cocktails taste (my fav is the pineapple mojito at the Bridge Lounge!). I hate the taste of alcohol so I drink fruity concoctions that are appealing to my eyes (and nose). They taste so good, I'll have a couple (or a few depending on the occasion) and bc I know my limits I don't think its that big of a thing. Recently I was at the doctor's office and read a magazine article about this young, black woman who worked in entertainment and it sounded a lot like my life (except her career rise was in NYC as opposed to L.A./NOLA). More... It was very similar in a fun way until she said how she hit 34 and the drinking began to affect her differently (headaches, longer recovery time, stomach issues, sluggishness, forgetfulness). While I don't think I'm an alcoholic by any means, I am not naive in that I know liquor can have plenty of adverse affects. I've seen the horrors of substance abuse in my family over the years. Also, it is not always as easy for me to bounce back as it used to be. And where I used to feel tipsy after one good drink, I'm no where near that after 2 now. In addition to reading the article and facing concerns about ending up in AA, the fact that I've cut out plenty of normal diet and am not losing weight indicates that dumping cocktails may help out those goals a bit. I'm going to go a little cold turkey and give my body a rest. While I'm not committing to NO alcohol forever, I figured 10 days liquor free would be a great start. So as for now, no drinks for this girl. We'll take the days after that as they come.

If You Look Into Your Heart

One of my favorite movies of ALL TIME is Sparkle. It is the story of a love, family, tragedy and triumph. If you enjoy musicals, this is a must see. It was made in the year of my birth but its message is timeless. My aunt shared it with me when I was around 7 or 8 and the music still sticks with me to this day. So for your music motivation, please enjoy ...