yeah, yeah it's that Tuesday again, and I might be getting the swing of it. this past weekend it snowed in Atlanta. about one to two inches and the whole city shut down. the thought of this is probably highly offensive to you if you are from anywhere that has a real, shovel the snow, and take your butt to school and work winter.
but in an effort to preserve my safety, I stayed at home that whole day. the weather really wasn't so bad, but Atlanta drivers…don't know how to drive on a wonderfully sunny day so I wasn't taking any chances. spent the day wrapping up an article draft and watching a couple of flicks, gone with the wind and hoodlum to be exact. it was hoodlum that inspired this week's top ten list. here's a gangsta line I loved from the movie, I'm leaving out a couple of expletives ? :
bumpy: how do you sleep at night?
bub: how do you know I sleep at all?!
here's a list of ten films I find pretty gangsta. hit me up with any add-ons.
1. the godfather
2. goodfellas
3. Donnie brasco
4. carlito's way
5. hoodlum
6. city of god
7. new jack city
8. scarface
9. the godfather 2
10. the untouchables
and of course a clip from my favorite...
1.22.2008
1.15.2008
10 Ways to Stay Awake at Work
today has been a good day, a productive day, but nevertheless a long one and right now…a sista is sleepy. but I will not shut my eyes for any amount of shuteye until I finish this blog! which reminds me of another place I always used to find myself feeling sleepy…at work. I have absconded many of these ideas from true, reality-tested, office-worker approved, cubicle alertness tactics. I really wish I could use a couple of them right now to keep me from putting the mac down and laying it down myself…for your weekly enjoyment…?
1. create a crunk CD or playlist.
crank up some lil jon, an old remix of whoomp/whoop there it is, some seriously metal rock music…anything irreverent and loud will do. don't be a softie! Kenny g can't save you from the uncontrollable headnod. just don't listen to too much public enemy at your desk, the man doesn't take too kindly to you yelling, "fight the powers that be."
2. talk to the resident talk-a-holic.
yeah, you're seeing their face right now. you know the one. they never have a lack for conversation. always have a story to tell or some epiphany or revelation from an oh-so-interesting weekend…wait…I think I was that co-worker! lol by the time he/she finishes telling you about the third date that seemed like an episode of tales from the crypt, you'll find you're not yawning anymore. nothing ups adrenaline like a good scary story to tell in the dark.
3. take a walk.
understand the art of doing your work and appearing to do your work. as long as you are seen at your desk typing or looking pensive at least three times a day, couple of passes in the hall with a notebook and pen, a little business convo in another co-worker's cube, and you're good to go. taking a walk is much better than being found snoring at your desk. trust.
4. indulge in an internet break.
so you have the most boring assignment at your desk. every time your eyes scan the words, numbers, spreadsheet lines, you feel exhausted and nauseous. open yahoo, espn, amena brown's blog, whatever's your speed and let reading a couple of headlines be your reward for doing some work. this counts as one of the times you can be seen at your desk looking pensive.
5. snack!
you're not up on your cubicle game if you haven't stacked that desk drawer chock full of snacks! nobody said you had to share 'em. this ain't elementary school, trading my fruit roll-up for your gushers! keep your snacks a secret if you want to, but get some! peanuts, popcorn, candy…ahem…ok as a health PSA look up superfoods and get some of those in your drawer, as a chocolate lover myself I encourage some candy every now and then, but be warned…it will send you crashing…which will send you to one of these other ten tips.
6. enjoy a caffeinated beverage.
I'm personally a starbucks fan. that portable frappaccino is almost as good as the sleep you should have gotten that would help you to not be in the nodding off position you're in now. some trust in red bull, others in coke and mountain dew, I choose starbucks. and I'll let you know when they start paying me for these endorsements.
7. call a lifeline.
I know you want to be a millionaire, so start with taking some cues from the game show. this is when it pays to have ignorant friends. this is why you should befriend the witty, the goofy, the closet comedian, because in a drowsy moment like the one that is sure to hit you at about 2pm after that too big lunch, you need somebody to make you laugh so quietly loud in your cube that your stomach hurts. call the friend that you would never put on speaker phone and be assured laughter will send you the right endorphins to make it to five o' clock.
8. go home and start again tomorrow
note: this is only for the privileged, the contract employees, the graphic and web designers, for those of you who have the cool job where you can wear crocs and slightly inappropriate tagline tees. your boss is too busy tossing the nerf ball to your work team to be worried about whether or not you are chained at your desk. for you, cool co-worker, take advantage of your flexibility, go home, watch oprah, take a nap, and finish up your work from that cutting edge laptop the company gave you. yes it is possible to finish up that last assignment while watching reruns of the office. sho ya right.
9. take a nap.
note: this is only for the brave, bold, completely rebellious, and desperately fatigued. now…choose a secret location, a bathroom with little to no traffic, or maybe your own office if you're privileged enough to have one and get a power nap. notice I said power nap, not afternoon nap. this nap has to last no more than 20 minutes. again, your goal is to make it to 5 o' clock, not to make up for the sleep you missed last night. nobody told you to try and watch the whole season of lost in one night.
10. chew gum.
this was one of my favorite work pastimes. my flavor of choice was dentyne fire, the cinnamon one. they are not paying me for that endorsement either, but when they do I will post 10 ways to get an endorsement for your reading enjoyment. chewing gum helps digestion, chases away cavities and the like, and gives your brain something to focus on besides the dim lighting and quiet in your office.
did I miss any tips? did you stay awake through that whole thing?! that's big blog talk can you answer me?! sorry…I had a flashback, but if you can tell me what song that line came from I will surely give you a blog shoutout…priceless. ?
1.10.2008
10 reasons NOT to procrastinate
as I type this I've got a couple of articles to finish and in true writer fashion I've been procrastinating. :O I don't why procrastination is so addictive. clearly, common sense says that waiting a grip to finish something will not make the task easier or results better. but still I wait, for a perfect moment, for inspiration, for some cocky chick to show up at the keyboard and kill 'em with her choice of syntax, diction, and alliteration and type amena brown in the byline.
goofy side note: does anybody remember david the gnome? as a child, I used to daydream that david and the gnomes would come and take care of the tasks I didn't want to handle like washing dishes, cleaning my room, etc. but no matter how hard I wished they never came to the kitchen and actually handled the dawn, sponge, and gritty dishes. want to know more about david the gnome? oh the wonder of you tube. ?)
10 reasons to stop procrastinating
1. it will bring back all-nighter memories from college.
2. you are getting too old to work well under pressure.
3. it's not sexy. try using the word procrastinator in a pick up line and see how it works for you. try using a pick up line and see how it works for you.
4. it doesn't solve the root problem: fear. procrastination is driven by fear. ask yourself what makes you so afraid to finish ______?
5. procrastination is like getting drunk. is the buzz really worth the consequences?
6. you are focusing so much on what you can't do that you haven't taken a good enough look at what you can do.
7. it prevents your success and keeps you from achieving dreams, goals, and accomplishments.
8. you will be more confident to take risks.
9. procrastination=stress and who wants stress?!
10. procrastination and laziness are first cousins if not siblings
I may have to read these ten reasons over again in order to get these articles done. all right dear readers, your turn. blog back one area in your life where you are constantly procrastinating.
goofy side note: does anybody remember david the gnome? as a child, I used to daydream that david and the gnomes would come and take care of the tasks I didn't want to handle like washing dishes, cleaning my room, etc. but no matter how hard I wished they never came to the kitchen and actually handled the dawn, sponge, and gritty dishes. want to know more about david the gnome? oh the wonder of you tube. ?)
10 reasons to stop procrastinating
1. it will bring back all-nighter memories from college.
2. you are getting too old to work well under pressure.
3. it's not sexy. try using the word procrastinator in a pick up line and see how it works for you. try using a pick up line and see how it works for you.
4. it doesn't solve the root problem: fear. procrastination is driven by fear. ask yourself what makes you so afraid to finish ______?
5. procrastination is like getting drunk. is the buzz really worth the consequences?
6. you are focusing so much on what you can't do that you haven't taken a good enough look at what you can do.
7. it prevents your success and keeps you from achieving dreams, goals, and accomplishments.
8. you will be more confident to take risks.
9. procrastination=stress and who wants stress?!
10. procrastination and laziness are first cousins if not siblings
I may have to read these ten reasons over again in order to get these articles done. all right dear readers, your turn. blog back one area in your life where you are constantly procrastinating.
1.01.2008
10 Songs that Inspire
first of all, happy new year! this year I have an ambitious aim. every Tuesday I am promising top ten Tuesdays. a top ten of what I don't know, but that is officially 52 top ten lists. disclaimer: all top ten lists will expressly be the opinion of amena brown and may be goofy and have no evidence to back them except some random stuff I like. reading may be entertaining, which may cause LOL or SOL (that's smile on line grasshopper…or could be the other one you thought too…) anyway enough bantering…check out the first one…
top ten songs to keep you inspired!
so it's the first of the year and I don't know about you but I'm feeling like the past is behind me and I've got this long stretch of future in front of me. January is a great month. your work out plan turns out all right, you finally stop dealing with the people that you need to let go of, you are on day 5 of stopping that bad habit, but somewhere around February the gym gets empty, you have a weak moment and let a stray back in, and you are smoking that cigarette or whatever your stress vice is. these songs may help you to keep going towards your goals this year even when you stumble. send me any inspirational songs that help you make it past January and you will surely get a blog shout out.
1. strength courage & wisdom – India.arie
"I close my eyes and I think of all the things that I want to see…so let it be"
2. off the wall – michael jackson
"life ain't so bad at all, when you live it off the wall."
3. american dreamin – jay-z
"you can redefine the game as we know it, one dream at a time."
4. I wonder – kanye west
"I wonder if you know what it means to find your dreams…"
*If you can name the original that kanye sampled you get a blog shoutout! :D
5. press – fred Hammond
"til I become what He wants me to be…"
6. that's the way of the world – earth, wind, & fire
"you will find peace of mind, when you look way down in your heart & soul. don't hesitate because the world seems cold."
7. bag lady – Erykah badu
"let it go, let it go, let it go."
8. everything is everything – lauryn hill
"what is meant to be will be."
9. breakaway – Kelly Clarkson
"take a risk, take a chance, make a change, and break away."
10. work that – mary j. blige
"work what you got"
top ten songs to keep you inspired!
so it's the first of the year and I don't know about you but I'm feeling like the past is behind me and I've got this long stretch of future in front of me. January is a great month. your work out plan turns out all right, you finally stop dealing with the people that you need to let go of, you are on day 5 of stopping that bad habit, but somewhere around February the gym gets empty, you have a weak moment and let a stray back in, and you are smoking that cigarette or whatever your stress vice is. these songs may help you to keep going towards your goals this year even when you stumble. send me any inspirational songs that help you make it past January and you will surely get a blog shout out.
1. strength courage & wisdom – India.arie
"I close my eyes and I think of all the things that I want to see…so let it be"
2. off the wall – michael jackson
"life ain't so bad at all, when you live it off the wall."
3. american dreamin – jay-z
"you can redefine the game as we know it, one dream at a time."
4. I wonder – kanye west
"I wonder if you know what it means to find your dreams…"
*If you can name the original that kanye sampled you get a blog shoutout! :D
5. press – fred Hammond
"til I become what He wants me to be…"
6. that's the way of the world – earth, wind, & fire
"you will find peace of mind, when you look way down in your heart & soul. don't hesitate because the world seems cold."
7. bag lady – Erykah badu
"let it go, let it go, let it go."
8. everything is everything – lauryn hill
"what is meant to be will be."
9. breakaway – Kelly Clarkson
"take a risk, take a chance, make a change, and break away."
10. work that – mary j. blige
"work what you got"
12.16.2007
8 Weird Things
dang it kimpossible! you know if i get tagged, i have to respond according to blog etiquette rules. and clearly you tagged me a grip ago! so in response to said tag here are weird things about me that i'm sure you dear readers can't wait to hear. lol
UNO. i have a pen fetish. i only write with uniball vision pens, preferably the light gray one. but any of them will do. no ball points. no other rollerball pens. the vision. that's it. it makes that wonderful scratching noise when i write and the ink comes out so rich.
DOS. i talk to myself. i'd rather refer to it as thinking out loud. lol sometimes in order to process my thoughts i have to say them out loud. which means a lot of self-reflective conversations. some of my close friends have even caught me in the act! lol
TRES. i don't like feet. i don't believe toes should be anywhere except the ground. the feel of toes is unwelcome in my world. i inherited this honest from my dad, i'm even not sure i’ve ever seen his feet! lol
CUATRO. i get down with quotes. in a movie. in a conversation. from a book or a magazine. i love ‘em! here are some honorable mentions:
“you a liar and you a cheat and I don’t want ya!” – angela bassett as katherine jackson in the jackson family: american dream
“shame on me for kissing you with my eyes closed.” – liv tyler as…forgot her character’s name…in that thing you do.
CINCO. i like to lip sync. does anybody remember the lip sync show they used to have on mtv? if you do and you drop me a line, it will win you an official blog shoutout! priceless! lol i really wanted to be on that show. when record labels start signing lip sync acts i’ll be the first one they sign, because me and beyonce (michael jackson, john legend, alicia keys, india.arie…i could go on…) kill ‘em when i’m riding in my vehicle. belee dat!
SEIS. this kinda goes with numero cinco, but i also really like to sing. i didn’t say you’re gonna want to hear it, i just said I like to sing. i listen to my music extra loud so that it sounds like I can really sing my tail off. if I could have a gift for 24 hours, it would be singing and I would be a diva. I would expect white roses in my dressing room and force everybody to call me ms. brown…I digress…and that’s why i don’t have the gift to sing, because i would be nothing but ignorant with it.
SIETE. i like to time things. sadly my current cell phone doesn’t have a timer on it anymore, but it still has an alarm clock which can act as my bootleg timer. if i’m waiting in line or at a restaurant, on hold with customer service or only have ten minutes to do something i like to time it or set my alarm so i can be sure to take exactly that amount of time. dang, that’s probably the weirdest so far. lol
OCHO. ok…i almost hate to admit this but dang it, it’s true. i buy almost all of my hip hop albums from walmart because I want to hear the content without all the expletives. i want to appreciate jay’s lyrical wordplay without having to hear all the obscene words he might use. i have gone to great lengths to purchase the clean version of these albums even when i download. this sometimes causes great shock when I finally do hear the real version of the music. :O
all right that’s it. that’s all I’ve got for my 8 weird things you may not have wanted to know. lol
UNO. i have a pen fetish. i only write with uniball vision pens, preferably the light gray one. but any of them will do. no ball points. no other rollerball pens. the vision. that's it. it makes that wonderful scratching noise when i write and the ink comes out so rich.
DOS. i talk to myself. i'd rather refer to it as thinking out loud. lol sometimes in order to process my thoughts i have to say them out loud. which means a lot of self-reflective conversations. some of my close friends have even caught me in the act! lol
TRES. i don't like feet. i don't believe toes should be anywhere except the ground. the feel of toes is unwelcome in my world. i inherited this honest from my dad, i'm even not sure i’ve ever seen his feet! lol
CUATRO. i get down with quotes. in a movie. in a conversation. from a book or a magazine. i love ‘em! here are some honorable mentions:
“you a liar and you a cheat and I don’t want ya!” – angela bassett as katherine jackson in the jackson family: american dream
“shame on me for kissing you with my eyes closed.” – liv tyler as…forgot her character’s name…in that thing you do.
CINCO. i like to lip sync. does anybody remember the lip sync show they used to have on mtv? if you do and you drop me a line, it will win you an official blog shoutout! priceless! lol i really wanted to be on that show. when record labels start signing lip sync acts i’ll be the first one they sign, because me and beyonce (michael jackson, john legend, alicia keys, india.arie…i could go on…) kill ‘em when i’m riding in my vehicle. belee dat!
SEIS. this kinda goes with numero cinco, but i also really like to sing. i didn’t say you’re gonna want to hear it, i just said I like to sing. i listen to my music extra loud so that it sounds like I can really sing my tail off. if I could have a gift for 24 hours, it would be singing and I would be a diva. I would expect white roses in my dressing room and force everybody to call me ms. brown…I digress…and that’s why i don’t have the gift to sing, because i would be nothing but ignorant with it.
SIETE. i like to time things. sadly my current cell phone doesn’t have a timer on it anymore, but it still has an alarm clock which can act as my bootleg timer. if i’m waiting in line or at a restaurant, on hold with customer service or only have ten minutes to do something i like to time it or set my alarm so i can be sure to take exactly that amount of time. dang, that’s probably the weirdest so far. lol
OCHO. ok…i almost hate to admit this but dang it, it’s true. i buy almost all of my hip hop albums from walmart because I want to hear the content without all the expletives. i want to appreciate jay’s lyrical wordplay without having to hear all the obscene words he might use. i have gone to great lengths to purchase the clean version of these albums even when i download. this sometimes causes great shock when I finally do hear the real version of the music. :O
all right that’s it. that’s all I’ve got for my 8 weird things you may not have wanted to know. lol
12.02.2007
Born in the USA - Spoken Word Version
a few months ago I performed in 500 Songs for Kids, an event where hundreds of Georgia artists came together to perform Rolling Stone's top 500 songs and raise money for kids organizations. finally posted the video on youtube. shout out to brandon thomas for playing with me.
billboard & hip hop rant
spent part of this week covering the billboard r&b hip hop music conference here in atl. went to pick up my media pass and took a minute to listen to the artist showcase that was going on. a down south rap group was up and they had a young lady in their crew. she had a mic in her hand but her booty seemed to be the part of her that was most important to them. every couple of minutes her booty became the prop of a lyric or maybe just for the audience to have some sort of visual while the song went on.
and i feel pretty young. i don't feel like an old head, but i shook my head and swiftly walked out of the room. and here comes my rant. it's not any different than a lot of purist hip hop rants you hear. and i'm not even a hip hop purist. i grew up in the south so i have spent some time in my life shaking it to " scrub the ground" and "hydraulics scarred," so clearly i have a special place in my heart for dirty south hip hop. but i do believe i have a bone to pick with one of my favorite genres of music.
i miss women in hip hop. not shaking it in a video. not singing on the hook. not playing the love interest who spends her five minutes cutting her eyes and looking seductive. i miss female emcees. and i wasn't feeling that this young lady's booty was way more important than if she could rip 'em to shreds with her 16 bars. and while i'm at it, i miss lauryn. i'm glad we got lupe but who is the next mc lyte? queen latifah? monie love? bahamadia? i'm really jonesin' to hear a female emcee who knows how to tell a good story, ride the beat, who's subject matters covers all aspects of life, not just her body and sexuality. (sigh...rant over...at least for now)
this weekend i didn't get my female emcee fix, but i heard some wonderful music by two great women artists. leaf and janelle monae. leaf has been featured on the tv show girlfriends and recorded her live cd project this weekend. janelle monae did her thing at lenny's bar for her birthday show and she's already sold 10,000 units of suite 1: the chase, the first suite from her debut cd. check out some pics.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)