STYLE SKINNY

A BIG JazzyFAT Disaster: throwback post

Just a little throwback post from my old personal blog, for your Friday amusement.  Since I rarely post there anymore, I sometimes repost my favorites on StyleSkinny just for the heck of it. lol. So, Happy Friday and dont forget to see, "For Colored Girls" It comes out today! xoxo-SBG

So, if you're from Philly or South Jersey, or just a lover of ah...ehem, "Neo-Soul" I'm sure you will remember a little club downtown called, "The 5 Spot".    The 5 Spot was/is a place with a performance stage area upstairs, and a club/bar atmosphere downstairs.  Many greats of our time have started out doing shows here, including Musiq Soulchild and Jill Scott.  I believe it burned down a few years ago but... 

Anywhooo, before then a bunch of talented women musicians had a monthly show there called the Black Lily.  This is how I came to know one of my ultimate favorite groups.... theJazzyfatnastees...or endearingly called by my sister and I, "the Jazzy's"  Either way, I've always been the young one of the group, and so I never actually got a chance to go to Black Lily, because at the time I wasn't 21, and no I didn't have a fake.  smh. Either way a few years down the line after the Black Lily set fizzled out I had the opportunity to see the Jazzy's perform at World Cafe.  EXCITEMENT.  I went. I listened (uhhh, better yet, was entranced) and afterward, a good friend of mine had the bright idea that I go introduce myself and say hello.  

I knew it was a bad idea.  I said bright, as in innovative, not good.  

Oh well, I went against my better judgement, and walked over to one of the ladies, and proceeded to say hello, but I scared her (since she knew not that I was behind her)...and this ensued a chain reaction of her turning around, bumping into me, and spilling RED WINE all over her WHITE outfit. The rest of this story is unnecessary to tell, or rather yet, too embarrassing.  They are still my favorite group. However, I've constantly debated on wearing a disguise the next time I go to a concert.  

You, however really should check out their music, and when you do...think of me, SBG, the big scare and the fallin wine.  You're sure to get a chuckle or two. 

Phone Games: throwback post

I often times like to repost from my old blog 'thatskinnybrowngirl' ...heres a little tidbit for your morning enjoyment. lol This took place many moons ago, and I still dont know who I was talking to, or which one of my evil friends decided to play a joke, lol o_O -SBG

Phone Games

"Call me on my sidekick,  Never answer when its Private..." Lil Wayne

Ring Ring!!! (Private Call)

Me: Hello, who is this? (static and voices in the background)

Dude(deep rough voice):Yooo

Me: Who is this?!

 

Dude: Its me yo...

Me: huh? who is me? and why is this from a blocked number?

Dude: Yo, dat nigga **** ...I met you at dat club down on Broad St., yo....whatchu mean you dont know who dis is?!

Me: Dont act like you cant hear me, I said, I dont know who this is, because I dont know who this is, and I dont appreciate people playing on my phone, and I dont know what club on Broad St. you talking about

Dude: What?! Yoooo, you gave me your number and was all over me on the dance floor!

Me: What? um, Negative...I never am "all over" ANYONE "on the dance floor" And, second of all, I know that wasnt me because I don't give my phone number out to ANYONE and if I do its never my cell, its always my business card with my WORK NUMBER.  How did you get this number??

Dude: Yoooo you drawlinnn right now, you gave it to me!... for real I couldn't call you cause I got locked up for a minute...

Me: You got what?! Now Im certain I didn't talk to you, cause if you looked like the type that could get locked up, you were the last thing on my mind...

Dude: Yo, I got booked for havin' some tree on me..you know ....they got me with that new stop and search shit

Me: ok, now im really going to hang up, this is ridiculous

Dude: Yoooo what are you talking about? You was reallll drunk thats why you dont know who I am

Me: huh? I dont even drink at the club, cause Im the one usually driving! and if you know me so well what do I look like?...you were prolly talking to one of my friends

Dude: Yo, you had like long hair....

Me:...um, that really narrows it down!

Dude: yo chill!....for real, you light skin and have really big eyes, I been trying to call u but I had to take care of those things

Me:...ok, for real, who is this, because this isn't funny

Dude: Im not playin yo.... Yoooo....I got to call you right back, you want me to call you back from a number thats not private? Im serious I just got out, thats why Im callin you back now

Me: Fine, whatever. Clickkk

Ring Ringggg (Private number..again!)

Me: now seriously...who is this?

Dude: (sounds like a different voice, still deep and gruff): yoooo, whats good

Me: who is this, This sounds like a different voice

Dude: Its me ****, I got booked at the club, thats why I didn't call you back

Me: You already told me that

Dude: No I didn't....

Me:...ahh...yes you did!

Dude: This is the first time I ever talked to you!

Me: (click! hit the little red button on the right side of my cell for "END CALL")

 

Relationships: Men & the Flag Game

Today I felt like posting a throwback post from a personal blog I've had since 2007.  This post has nothing to do with Fashion...just a little snipped of my life way back when I was..ehhhh 23-24ish? lol. My, have times, life...and a bit of my views on the topic at hand, changed. If anything, this should add a little chuckle to your day. :) -SBG

Red Flags and Green Flags

"Hello Hello Hello Ladies, how you doinnnn? ...Dat nigga crazy girl, don't say nuthin toooeemmmm" Shawty Lo feat. Jeezy and Wayne

This happens to be MY blog. So, regardless of who reads I intend to write whatever I feel like writing.  Even so...I still hope the person with whom this post is about, doesn't read this....lol.  Oh well...Its not like hes on the computer very much anyway.   So for the sake of all purposes lets just call him Fuzzy Sweater....FS for short.  Here is the story...

I met FS at a club.  I met FS at a club right after I had left another club. During that time I was actually  looking for a guy that I had met at the previous club.  So, technically FS found me.... because I surely wasn't looking for him. 

I thought this was a good sign...I always thought that meeting the person you're suppose to be with would be like that....unexpected... like, waiting for the Second Coming of Christ... No one knows the time or place when its going to happen, but you always have to be prepared. 

Needless to say, he came up behind me and proceeded to dance with me, while whispering into my ear,

"just dance with me, my boy is watching right behind me, don't play me out."

I of course thought this was rather cute so I accepted the dance.  

Fast forward to the information I gained about Mr. Fuzzy Sweater, named so endearingly from the feeling that hit my cheek when I accidentally fell into his chest while giving him my business card.

*What can I say, Im a bit clumsy and it was dark. & What can I say, Business Cards seem more 'grown up' after you turn 24.  Easier than whipping out the nearly dead Razor, and a bit more classy I think.

The Information/Green Flags

1.He fit my height requirements...6 ft or above

2.He graduated from college  (A Christian School at that in 4 years...possibly 4.5, I cant remember...either way, the man got out, and can probably quote more scriptures than T.D. Jakes)

3. He has a good full time salary paying job that is LEGAL. 

4. Fairly good looking and very athletic

5. He made me laugh

These are the top 5 Flags that I deemed were green.  

Now the flag system goes as follows....you CANNOT base any full decisions on any one Green flag.   However, you MUST base ALL full decisions on any of the Red Flags.  

Red flags are the bright loud signs that tell you as my close friend L. Stacey puts it, 

"DO NOT PASS GO! DO NOT COLLECT $200!" 

The green flags are just there so you can add them up until you realize that there are enough to know that this person is worthy to be with you.

Now, let me explain something.  I've been through enough events with stupid dudes to know how to notice the green flags and the red flags by now....Or so I thought..  

However I failed to remember what my hair stylist Angie once told me,

"Girl they're always different red flags... the system comes up with New and Improved Red Flags!"

What Angie failed to tell me was that there can be so many great Green flags, that they can blind you from seeing the not so obvious "new and improved" red flags....

  

Like I previously stated....everyone has a different set of top green flags....yet being a young black successful woman today....a degree and a job are commonly top requested green flags considering a large portion of the black men [or any race of man for that matter] in America don't have their degree in anything except bullsh*t, are involved in illegal things-drugs-guns-etc, have 3+ different baby's mama's, are jobless (because they CHOOSE too be) living off their own mama, are dead, or are in jail....like our good friend Orlando...and then you have the war in Iraq....need I continue?

So here is my conclusion.  For the sake of privacy it is completely unnecessary for me to explain the events thereafter.  It is completely unnecessary for me to explain how I found out the red flags about FS, or even what the red flags where.  In all honesty FS isn't such a terrible guy, he just didn't happen to be the guy for me, and I was terribly blinded by his height, degree, and job.  

So let this be a warning to you.  Keep your top green flags, but always be on the look out for the hidden red ones and don't be blinded by a good job, a degree, or a soft fuzzy sweater for that matter....because it could all blow up in your face once even the first red flag pops up.

 

'TIll then...always be prepared...for both the Second Coming as well as the first coming of the one who's green flags add up to a worthy amount and are not counteracted by hidden red ones.

Reflections on being FIRED.

This past week has led me to really reflect on the past few years of my life, in and out of the creative world and fashion industry.  As cliche as it sounds, I've been up many mountains and through a lot of bumpy roads...I've been hired, loved, and promoted. On the contrary, I've sat in cab rides with a boss and coworker who talked amongst themselves acting like I wasn't even in the same vehicle, let alone in the same company.  I've been told that my works are innovative and relevant... and other time's bashed for being, "too original." 

These past few years have been an interesting ride, to say the least... and now-a-days I'm writing high school internship recommendations and advising college grads on how to "break into the fashion industry" which is funny, considering at times I really don't feel I should be the go-to-girl for the direction of a person's career...I'm still seeking out advice for my own path.  But so it is...and so I will let it be. God's given me a few gifts, and I'm grateful for  them.  Hopefully I can continue to do the things I'm doing and continue to make my mama proud! (hehe)

Below the photo, in honor of my "Reflections", I've posted my first ever POST, that was made by, thatskinnybrowngirl2.blogspot.com. Read on, and laugh, because I still crack up reading it, and remembering my first 'real fashion job.' that lasted about 3 days...-SBG
source

YOUR FIRED!

 

I cant sincerely claim that these were the exact words that came out of my manager's mouth that fateful Wednesday afternoon. It was more or so like, "Well hun, I think this job is 80% business and 20% creative....you're more cut out for a job that’s 20% business and 80% creative." ...and she based this on one week of work in which i was only asked to make numerous scans, develop excel reports and...just basic admin tasks?

We'll, there you have it folks. Four+ years of college...a dozen or more design studio courses, late nights in the darkroom...late nights in the sewing room, countless crazy mornings stumbling around the city (Bethlehem or NYC?...take your pick) searching for the perfect cafe mocha to get my designer juices flowin...only to find out in my first "real" position that I, double college major graduate, intern queen, fashion extraordinaire....am TOO Creative for my job. The design gods never cease to amaze me.

Flash back to about 4 weeks, prior to...lets call it, "the day of exil". It's about 2 pm at my little retail job at Victoria’s Secret. I toss the last Very Sexy Extreme Plunge Pushup Miami tan (yes, not brown, its Miami tan) bra into the bin and secretly declare to myself. I WILL NEVER PUT AWAY ANOTHER Bra (unless its my own)! I will NEVER straighten up another panty table. I will NEVER again pretend to get excited when the packaging changes for the Dream Angels collection! Sound the alarm! Burn all the bras!!...anddd snap out of it.

My little declaration meant nothing, as I still was pretty much jobless according to my standards. Of course I made a little bit of money doing the retail thing, but not enough to even put a small dent into my 4+ years of college loans.... ughhh and for what? I'd interned at some of the top fashion houses in the world...made my connections, freelanced here and there, only to end up stackin bras and countin panties! This was not the life of glitz and glamour that I dreamed of!

So you can imagine my sheer excitement when I learned that I had landed, what I thought would be the most promising entry level fashion job in the world....and they even threw in a clothing allowance...was I dreaming?....ughhh

....so fast forward to the, "day of exile". ...

Boss She-Devil states, "Well, ill let you finish out the week...I usually am good about letting people do that." ...Shes "usually good about letting people do that?!"...does she always fire people after a week and a half?...I told her no! (can you believe it?) I told her that I at least needed a second week to be able to get another job! (in reality I needed wayyy more time than that, and she really could have gotten sued for pulling such stunts, but I’m not even going to go there.)

So I got what I asked for. Another week in hell, but at least another weeks salary to last me until I found something else. And would you believe that it all happened in the beginning of the greatest week of all?...the holiday for all fashionistas....Fashion WEEK?!...and would you believe that my little desk faces outside looking over 42 street and Bryant Park where I can practically count the beads of sweat covering the men who put up the big white tents in preparation? Did I do something bad in a past life?!

Whatever. Whatever is what I say. If this little skinny brown girl contains too much creativity then so be it! I got what I needed from that job....and yes, I spent every last drop of that clothing allowance. No matter what, I gained some great experience, and skills that I can take to another job that hopefully is 80% creative and 20% business oriented. ha. Ha, I laugh in the devil's face... who apparently wears Prada on the weekends, and Elie Tahari during the work week.