Life Ro

I can check 1 thing off of my NY bucket list!

2011-12-28T01:18:00.005-05:00

I just had one of those moments. You know, the kind where you walk away saying to yourself "I just did that!!" I've been dancing as a hobby for the last couple of years and was once told that I should take this woman Luam's class because I would like it. I looked her up on youtube and watched her videos for about a year. I wasn't even half as good as the people in those classes, but I loved watching their passionate stomp of every "boom" and beat of every "cack". I watched the videos so much that I started learning people's names and noticing them in other videos - Beyonce, Kelly Rowland, etc. To me, they were celebrities.

Fast Forward to a day when Gilt Groupe's Gilt City had a sale where I could get 3 Broadway Dance Center (where Luam teaches in NY) classes at 40% off. I love a deal, so I bought it and didn't think twice about it. Fast forward 6 months later and I still hadn't used it...5 days before it expired. That day was today - a cold, windy and rainy NY day. I tried to go to the advanced beginning class (which I thought was still probably too advanced for me) but to no avail. Full. So, I naively signed up for the intermediate advanced class 5 hours later. For context, the website describes the intermediate advanced class as apropo for pre-professional and professionals with 10+ years experience. Uh, yeah...I've been dancing for 2 years at the gym.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am generally a very confident person. However, this was not my real life lane. These people dance day in and day out; they are professionals! I am somewhere between novice and top 20% of dancers at my alma mater. And uh, this is my alma mater:

Now that you get my point....I'll continue.

They dance to feed themselves. I dance to feed my inner-artist; the girl who should've been a star.People had come from all over the world to take this class. I'd come from a few stops up on the 3 train. I danced in the back (until she made people in the back come to the front) . I went for it. I didn't trip over myself and I did the moves. Not tripping over myself and doing the moves was 200% better than I expected. For once in my life, I had very low expectations. (And I'm OK with that)

When the class was over I grabbed my water and towel and walked straight to the locker room ( with the Rocky theme song playing in my head). Other people hung out in the studio to talk about their practice for their upcoming tour in Japan, disney auditions etc. Some hung back to take pictures with Luam. I walked out...mostly because I was in awe of myself, but also because I'm too G to be a groupie. (jokesies!! kinda) I walked back, interrupted a fan taking a picture and asked Luam "What song was that? Title and artist?" She replied (very kindly) "The Weeknd. Initiation." I said "Thank you" and walked away. (Told you...G.)

1 thing off the NY bucketlist...49 more things to go!! How much time do I have to do it? Who knows?!? YOLO.

For those who don't know who Luam is, here is a reel of her work:
LUAM CHOREOGRAPHY REEL from Luam on Vimeo.
(I saw at least 10 moves we did tonight in that reel. That's kinda cool)

Here is a link to her Youtube page: LuamWorld

Here is one of my FAVORITE Luam dances...mostly because the girl Maria to the left of Luam kills.It.

Here's another one that's pretty hot.

xoxoRo

Craziest Train Ride Ever

2011-04-19T10:21:00.003-04:00

I rode the train earlier than usual today in an attempt to get to work earlier than usual. This train ride was definitely not the usual. Here's what happened:

I'm riding the train, reading my April Elle and still smirking from the cutie who kept making eyes before just getting off the train. (Super random interjection, but why didn't he just say something? I definitely caught him staring 3+times. This isn't the L train...no missed connections here buddy. OK. This is rude. This story is bigger than this. /digression)

We continue riding and I hear a commotion. A woman is yelling at a guy, but I'm not sure what it's about. I chalk it up to stressed out New Yorkers and continue reading about Gwen Stefani & No Doubt's reunion assuming they would soon realize they were being silly and stop. They don't. The woman gets louder and says "Don't light that thing on the train!" I look over and see that the guy she's yelling at has a lighter and the flames seem larger than normal. It wasn't one of those $.99 cents Bic lighters, it was pretty hardcore. Congratulations kids, I'm now alarmed. The woman continues to tell the guy to stop and tries to knock the lighter from his hand and things get physical. The entire train is looking at this go down and people are starting to get a little frantic. The man tells the woman "I will f*cking kill you". The woman yells at the man "I will f*cking kill YOU!!" They are pushing one another. Another woman steps in to help.

OK. STOP.

This is where I get mad. Like, livid. I don't care if this is a feminist society and we're in the middle of a freaking bra-burning campfire. If a man is getting physical with a woman, why in the hell are men just standing around looking?!? My brain couldn't process this. I finally literally yell out "Why aren't any of you men helping?!?" At that point, 2 men run over to try to help restrain the guy. For context, this guy is probably 5'7 150lbs...I could probably take him. I'm in the middle of the car trying to calm people down and I look over and see blood gushing from the woman's face. While she was restraining the guy in the corner, he took out his ~~knife~~ (edit: according to reports it was a pen) and SLASHED her face - from her temple to her nose. Yes. I'm riding the train to work...and someone has just gotten stabbed in the face. Twilight-freaking-zone. The craziest part is that the woman continues to try to get the ~~knife~~ (pen) from the guy and beats his hand until he drops it. She's obviously running on adrenaline. We are still between 14th & Chambers.

People are freaking out. 2 of us step up. 1 guy stops the people from pulling the emergency lever. That will only make the situation worst. I send someone to the conductor so he can call the police. The train starts to slow down though we are 2 stations away in an attempt to give the cops time to get to the station. The guy is now being held up by 5 guys in the corner. The woman is sitting on the train bench with blood gushing from her face and I'm standing there trying to calm people down. People are looking at me for instructions on what to do next, but what could we do?!

I started praying. Out loud. I prayed for that woman's health, her face and her family. I prayed that we were all safe. Amen.

We finally get to the train station...no cops. I run to every single car on the train and ask for a doctor or nurse. There wasn't a single medical professional on the entire train! (Note to self - donate to a cause getting more kids interested in healthcare) The guys are still restraining the man. 2 trains of people are out, trying to see what is going down. There were plenty of witnesses. A girl even took pics on her iphone. The MTA guy was attending to the woman. I could do no more. I am shaking...and I start to walk to work. I was 2 stops away, but I needed that time to pseudo-decompress from the craziest train ride I've ever had.

This woman was doing what she thought was right. She was standing up to this man for her safety...for our safety. This story will probably not make the news because this is New York - it's not news unless someone brutally dies...or someone involved is famous. My colleague was on a train behind me and was simply told "We are being held because of an 'incident' on an earlier train". I will never think of "incident" the same again.

UPDATE: This story did make the news...and mostly because of this blog. Crazy.
New York Daily News
MSNBC
Village Voice
DNA Info
Daily Mail in the UK (Peep the pixelated photo they swiped from this page that makes me look like a missing person lol. Crazy Brits.)

I also heard this blog quoted on Hot 97's Morning show. Crazy how fast word travels on the interwebs.

Aggie Women - Bigger than the chip

2011-04-06T02:07:00.006-04:00

National Champion Texas A&M Aggies definitely has a ring to it. While this was my first time witnessing my school win a national championship, it felt like we'd been here before. Our women showed the fight and tenacity inherent in people who have overcome something.Their triumph may have literally been basketball related; for me, it was symbolic of the past our university has had to (and continues to) overcome.

Here's a little A&M History for ya...

Founded in 1876, Texas A&M was an all-white all-male all-military school.

After a lot of debate and resistance, it wasn't until 1963 that women were allowed to officially enroll in the university. They were taunted as "Maggies" because they weren't considered real Aggies. (P.S. - this headline makes me think of.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUg7G3CPos0 )
These were...white women of course. It wasn't until the following year of 1964 that black students were allowed to enroll in the university.

This is where Seinfeld would add in a "yadda yadda". As in, "in the years to come there were lots of issues with diversity like racist cartoons in the school paper, discriminating practices by local businesses, yadda yadda".

Fast forward to 2011 when for one night, the country is recognizing Texas A&M as champions largely because of the work of African-American women. Women who, fewer than 50 years ago, would not have been allowed to enroll in the university.

I think that's pretty freaking special.

Gig 'Em (M)Ags.

xoxoRo

Cali: I think I love you

2011-04-03T06:24:00.004-04:00

I spent last week in Cali for work and had the opportunity to take in a few sights in the evening.
The water.
The mountains.
The trees.
The calm.
Maybe the concrete jungle has me fiending for landscape, but I needed that. Simply beautiful.

xoxoRo

You Are South African

2010-05-11T22:23:00.011-04:00

Occurrence of 5.10.10

Like any other post-work evening, I got on the 2 train headed uptown, sat down, opened my book, (I joined a book club!) and began to read. As usual, I scanned the train for crazies. I caught the stare of a slender dark-skinned fella, but this wasn't unusual because people in New York unapologetically stare...all of the time. If you live here, you're probably used to it by now, but it definitely takes time to get pseudo-comfortable with.

I made a mental note of the gazing guy and continued to read my book avoiding eye contact. 30 blocks later I looked up to take another inventory of crazy people and again...he was staring. Finally, we were one stop before mine and he got up to get off of the train. My thought bubble read: "Hooray! He can't get off of the train and follow me home." Before the train actually stopped though, he struck up the weirdest conversation I've had all year.

Staring guy: You South African?
Me: No
Staring guy: Where are you from
Me: Texas
Staring guy: *with a look of unsatisfaction on his face* Oh, so the U.S.
Me: Yeah
Staring guy: *stares*
Me: Well, my grandpa is from Haiti *hoping that will satisfy what seems like a determination to find some "root" of me*
Staring guy: Ah, no darling *hits me in the arm* You...are from South Africa

*****He exits the train*******

Weird!

This is actually the second time a person has said I look South African, but people tell me I look like everything...including their kid sister so I never think much of it. I've all but resolved that I have one of America's most generic faces. This guy, however, had an oracle-like disposition. It was as if he was imparting the wisdom of my heritage on me. Even his punch to my arm was less of an attack and more of a "wake up child!"

My inclination to dismiss him was rooted in the fact that I've never known there to be a "South African look" per se. To me, they've always just been black and white people and some combination of the two. (I admittedly don't know much of the history of indigenous tribes in South Africa) When I google image searched "south africans", this was the first picture that came up:

I don't see any defining characteristics.

There are, however, a few coincidences of my life that can't go unnoticed:

Exactly 6 years after I was born, Nelson Mandela was released from prison.
Though my name is merely a combo of my parents' names Ronnie and Mathea, I've only seen other reference to the name in a South African context
There is a Capetown Library with a building named "Ronethea"
The only other Ronetheas on facebook are from South Africa

While these are all definite coincidences and don't necessarily have me lining up to get a South African Passport, it's interesting to make the connections. In the end, the guy could be right. Perhaps my pre-middle passage roots are in South Africa.

The end.

I Must find Betty's Dress

2010-03-26T13:52:00.009-04:00

I LOVED Betty's get-up in the Million Dollar Smile episode. I'm making it my personal mission to find out who makes this and how I can get it. Granted, it's a pretty classic silhouette, and I'm pretty sure there's some editing done here (shrug added up top, etc) but I would rock the heck out of this! I'm also taking note of the optical illusion of her belt. The detail of the belt only extends across the smallest part of the front making her waist appear even more tiny. Love it!

Here's a Forever 21 attempt at the silhouette. Definitely not close to achieving the actual look, but it's a cute attempt. If it works for you; do it!

Serena Williams Rocking Forever 21

2010-03-26T10:53:00.009-04:00

Check out Serena Williams wearing a Forever 21 skirt! I'd seen this skirt before and wasn't a huge fan, but you go girl for making it work! I guess her line at Steve & Barry's was just one embodiment of her belief in access to fashion for all.

2010-03-15T11:07:00.004-04:00

I LOVE this dress, but the bargain shopper in me knows it will go on sale. So, I will wait...patiently. Don't be surprised if you see me rocking this at a brunch near you soon. :)

xoxoRo

Passing by the Park

2010-02-28T16:36:00.005-05:00

Winter Blues

I got off of the bus and was greeted by this sight. I loved how the blue sky was reflected in the snow and the seeming virginity of the park. It was like I was the first one to discover it in this state. No footprints, no dogs, no passersby. It was all mine. I didn't realize how close I lived to the park and I suspect I'll spend a lot of time exploring it in the Spring/Summer. (Read: another point for Harlem) :)

Still loving it

2010-02-27T20:16:00.006-05:00

Hi Friends,

I realize it's been almost a year since my last post; apologies.

I am, however, still absolutely in love with New York City and while I can't completely catch you up on what's happened over the year, I'll share recent updates.

"Bye-bye Brooklyn"

My first home in New York is like a first love. No one can take away the fact that it was my first and I will always love it because of that. My Brooklyn abode had ample space and all of the amenities that I was used to back home (which is rare for NY). I love love loved the space, but it was entirely too far away from the city...and the rest of my life. Outside of the occasional stop-in to the Dominican barbershop to dance a little bachata or Merengue, I never hung out in my neighborhood. In fact, the closest place I'd ever hangout was at least 30 minutes away. So, on my NewYorkAversary I decided to find a new place to live. I originally thought I'd move to Fort Greene, a cute neighborhood still in Brooklyn, but relatively close to the city. It's famous for its Sunday Flea Market and lots of fun restaurants, shops and bars including a black owned authentic beer garden. (Side-note alert) I hate beer, but found one that I liked while doing a study abroad in Germany. I'd never found it anywhere, but they had it at the Ft. Greene Beergarden!! ( /side-note ) Anyway, shortly after announcing my desire to move, a friend told me she was going to have an open room in Harlem in February. OK. I'd honestly never in a million years considered Harlem. In my few visits to 125th street I'd never felt like "home" the way I did in Fort Greene. So, being logical Ronethea, I weighed the pros and cons.

Pros of moving to Harlem

I would be able to move in with someone I knew and liked
It would be a new experience. After all, that's why I moved to NY in the first place
I would actually live in "the city"
It would be easier to get cabs to take me home
I knew a lot of people in the area and could probably be more of the hostess I enjoy being
There seemed to be more professional "movers and shakers" in Harlem
The lease was only 5 months, so if I hated it I could book it back to BK!

Cons of moving to Harlem

It's not Brooklyn
The area didn't "feel" as safe and I would need to take extra precautions
I'd already built Brooklyn community
Brooklyn fed the artist in me

The pros outweighed the cons and I decided to move! I invited everyone over to dance it out one last time in the old place and celebrate the big move. (I celebrate EVERYTHING, btw)

"Hello Harlem"

So, now I'm in Harlem. People often ask me "how do you like the neighborhood?" I honestly can't say that I've explored a lot of the neighborhood yet, but I like that people I know live in the vicinity. It used to take me an hour and a half to get to and from some of my closest friends here. Now, they are a half hour (tops!) away. I LOVE that. I'll probably be much more likely to explore when it gets warmer, but for now, I'm slowly getting around. My second week in the new place was also my birthday weekend so I had more than enough reason to have people over. It was also Mardi Gras so I merged a celebration of them all! I invited a few of my faves over to have my favorite food - cajun (I cooked jambalaya), enjoy my favorite pasttime - games (especially Taboo), and celebrate Mardi Gras all whilst warming the new house. :) 26 was a great birthday.

I am now on a quest for a church and will keep you posted. I went to one last week that I liked, but I don't want to call it too early. I've gone to at least 8 churches since I've lived here and never settled on one. I went to "Bible study" at one and alternated several places on Sunday. Church community has always been an important part of my life and extends beyond a Sunday place of worship. I want that again and hope that I've found it in this new place. Besides, it's only a 10 minute walk from my house which doesn't hurt either. :)

I think that's enough for tonight. I'll be better in 2010. :)

xoxoRo

The Train Lime

2009-04-15T21:33:00.002-04:00

I actually need to head out of the door soon...I'm meeting people for salsa dancing, but I had to pause to write about this.

So, I'm riding home on the train reading one of my new favorite magazines - New York magazine. Specifically, I was reading about the Tribeca film festival and this new documentary (I think it was called Red White and Blue Closet). It's about politicians who are gay, but living straight lives and who oppose gay marriage. Anyway, as I'm reading it, I start to hear this sucking and smacking. There's so much that happens on the trains (especially the number trains) so I often tune things out, but this noise was so...so...I can't even explain it. Maybe it was annoying, interesting, I don't know, but I looked up to see what it was. Directly across from me, I see this freshly trimmed guy (with what looked like a knife cut under his left eye) sucking the heck out of a lime. A lime!! Yes, a dude hard enough to have a knife cut was sucking...quite seductively...this poor lime. The gay politicians were intriguing, but I couldn't take my eyes off of lime sucker. He had ample lips and he would bite into it and juice splashed everywhere...I felt so guilty for looking...and enjoying...but I couldn't stop!! He kept sucking, I kept looking...then he caught me. And just like that my eyes quickly glanced down to the film story. I could tell that he was smiling and waiting for me to look back up, but it took all of my might not to look again. He kept going at it with the lime with what felt like a new fervor, but I didn't look up. I was at Nevins street...only one more stop 'til Atlantic, my stop. On the inside I was a giddy child, on the outside I (probably looked like a giddy child doing a poor job of trying to play it cool). Finally, I made it to Atlantic street and hopped off the train. As soon as the doors were closing to the point that I knew he couldn't hop off and follow me, I looked at him...he smiled. I smiled back.

I never got to the other films of Tribeca. Maybe on the train ride to salsa...

2009 is almost a month old...

2009-01-31T16:19:00.010-05:00

and I'm just now coming back. Pardon my absence.

So much has happened, but I've learned that trying to recount a month's worth of living is not easy...so I'll keep it to the past few weeks.

Actually, first I must speak to Houston - it was great! Beyond seeing the fam and kicking it with my people, my New York necessity was confirmed. After the first week of seeing and loving on everyone, I was already missing my new (dare I say it) home. But, I'm back and already in the swing of the swift life.

Gotta love Houston

My president is smart!!!

I made the clutch decision to go to the inauguration and somehow pieced together quite the weekend. My "go with the flow" attitude actually pays off sometimes. I booked $25 tickets on the "Bolt Bus" which is one of the many buses that commutes between NYC and downtown DC. I chose Bolt because they had electrical outlets for charging and wireless internet! I optimistically thought I could blog the whole trip, but that clearly did not happen. Bolt was a good choice nonetheless. While waiting for the bus I could feel what would eventually be the spirit of the weekend. Strangers were exchanging campaign experiences and plans for the weekend. There was this feeling of community and collective accomplishment and we were still on the streets in NY! I knew then, that DC would be amazing and it didn't disappoint.

In a nutshell I :
Got to hangout with my insightful, super sweet, and resourceful cousin Rassii
Befriended his hilarious, hospitable and socialite roommates (whom I adore)
Went to the Stevie Wonderful party, danced my toes off, and missed his live performance
Slept for two hours then witnessed one of the most humbling and sobering moments of my young life
Avoided the vendors selling everything from Obama water to Obama condoms like the plague
Regret avoiding the vendors...I didn't get any trinkets to lose/give to the fam for commemoration
Had a blast.

Inauguration Day at the National Mall

The past few weeks have been typical New York - lots to do and never enough time to do it. I've been doing a lot of things alone lately. At first it was comically annoying. I'd never before realized the convenience of being able to call someone up and roll out within the hour to do something. I haven't built those relationships here yet and I kind of like it. A few days ago I rolled solo to the Bilal concert and had a blast! For context - I'd never heard a Bilal album before, but I love live music so I was down to check him out. That guy is definitely on his own process and that's really all I can say about him. Dude is definitely a performer though.

Bilal

On my way to the concert, I got a message from a friend that she knew someone else going and she'd sent him my number so we could connect. While there, I ran into another potluck homey and a girl I'd met at a Halloween party (who told me about the event). lol So, I guess going to events "alone" is all relative in the city. lol

After Bilal sang his last song, the girl who told me about the event introduced me to some of Bilal's band. I first met the pianist, Robert Glasper http://www.myspace.com/therealrobertglasper
I'd heard of the Glasper trio but wasn't mentally making all of the connections fast enough. So, I was like "Your name sounds so familiar". :-/ Anyway, after that silly comment he still considered me legit enough to continue conversing and I asked where he was from and he said Houston. Then, the dramatics began. My response was a step back, grimace and stare. He knew what that meant so he dropped his bag and said..."you Houston" I said "uhhh....yes!!" He asked"so, you Frenchy's" *my stomach grumbled at the mention* and I took another step back and exclaimed "uhhh....yessss!!!" This went on for another few minutes while onlookers probably assumed we were on the same stuff as Bilal, but we weren't. Just two hometown kids caught up in nostalgia.

Updates:
I'm still sleeping on an air mattress though I have a bed with my name on it. I just haven't coordinated its delivery which is more complicated than one might think.
Brooklyn is the bomb and I haven't fully experienced it yet
My birthday is in a few weeks and Chloe is coming to visit!!

Life is good. God is Great.

I'll Be Home for Christmas...

2008-12-20T10:13:00.002-05:00

Must-do's for Houston

Awakenings Movement
Frenchy's
Ride with the sunroof back
Pappadeaux
Kona (HH)
Hang with my people
Leave the house with less than 3 layers
Galleria
Flat
Frenchy's (yes, again)
Dig the scene with a gangsta lean.

Chill.
Repeat.

Blackberry Update

2008-12-17T00:38:00.010-05:00

I gave in and bought the stupid phone. It arrived at the office today and I was less than thrilled. The excitement wore off after all of the drama during the process of getting it. Anyway, I don't have the time right now to really invest in learning the ins and outs of the phone, but I will eventually. I'd like to Blackberry chat with someone so...add me as a contact suckas! I don't know what my "pin" is, but I'll figure that out soon.

Anyway, since I've been slacking on blogs (and I'm crazy busy now) I'll give you some pictures to hold you over. (And by you...I mean the 2 people that actually still read this blog) lol

A few weekends ago I went to Red Bull's Producer Battle Finals.

Unfortunately these two (above) repped Houston. Their beats were mediocre at best and their get-ups were laughable. I guess this was their "New York" Outfit. There was actually a woman also reppin' Houston (EQ) but she got knocked out first round by the young guy who eventually won. So, I guess that's not so bad.

EQ and Savvi repping Houston well!
Digable Planets. Where the heck have they been? I almost forgot that Ladybug was like the original Fergie. Anyway, other than "Cool like that" I was mostly head bopping and fist pumping because I didn't know any of their other songs. Sue me?

Ghostface was there...you know what he looks like.

It was definitely "white boy scary face night". It was like...the scarier the face the better-received they thought their beat would be. And, it worked! White boys ruled the comp! Their scary faces put the crowd in a trance and we were like mummies in Thriller cheering them on. There were definitely much better producers in the comp...but unfortunately they didn't do white boy scary face. Don't believe me? See for yourself.

White Boy Scary Face # 1

White Boy Scary Face # 2

White Boy Scary Face # 2 won. Congrats! (Not gonna lie...his beats were cold) C-Sick's Myspac e

A few more pics from the weekend:

Night Y'all. Houston in T-4 days!!! Woohoo for one layer of clothes and...dare I say it...open-toed shoes!

xoxoRo

New York Love is

2008-12-16T22:22:00.003-05:00

New York Love is:

The guy with the dark denim skinny jeans and florescent hat helping the young mother with her baby carriage up the subway stairs

The chubby jolly Dominican guy offering the homeless man (who gave a 3 minute monologue about how we could help him) a beer (that he declined).

The teenage girl in khaki's and a plaid shirt offering me her seat on a crowded R train.

The two young Indian guys in True Religion jeans giving the old drunk and homeless West Indian guy the last of the chicken and rice meal and peach snapple they had.

The Harlem guy (born & raised in New Orleans) working in the Soul Food Restaurant who gave me free red velvet cake.

The black guy next door, who only lives there every few months, putting his groceries down to help me move my Ikea stuff up 3 flights of stairs.

The countless people who Bless the subway musicians/hustlers with change and dollars as a token of respecting their grind.

Different.

Daily.

New York has a lot of love. I love New York.

Counting down the days 'til home in Houston

2008-12-10T23:43:00.004-05:00

Honestly, I can't wait. I really need to be re-centered because I've been a bit off this week. Nothing has gone right and everything has gone wrong. The good thing about it is that a lot of it I can control. I can suck it up, step up my game, start over next week and be fab. But, until then I may cry myself to sleep.

And by cry I mean not...I'm too G for that.

:-)

Night.
xoxoRo

Still a Black Female Addicted to Retail...

2008-11-23T13:27:00.006-05:00

I'd convinced myself that I'd recovered; and I believe that for a moment I had. Then, I moved to New York. The line between needs and wants seems to blur with every invitation to a sample sale, new gadget release, and winter item that "they don't sell back home". In all fairness, the quest for a good winter coat is one that I will continue to be dedicated to, but I'm going to go for practicality over "cute" & "brand" like before.

I have a 40 minute train ride to & from work everyday which gives me a lot of reading/thinking/music listening time. Two days ago, it was thinking time. I began thinking about how I steward my money and realized that I would be stuck with the same level of assets and income until I proved that I could efficiently manage what I have. And, after going on a tour of the NYC Verizon stores in search for the new Blackberry, I began rethinking if I REALLY needed one and if this purchase would be a misappropriation of funds.

So, here are my pros and cons to buying the Storm:
Pros:

Easy access to my email will become a necessity as my business grows
I'm up for New Every 2 and I'll effectively only pay $100 for it
Compared to the iPhone, which I was considering buying if I leave VZW after my Dec. Contract renewal date, typing & texting is easier with the Storm's Qwerty keyboard
VZW supposedly has the best coverage in NY

Cons:

The Blackberry plan would add $15 to my monthly bill
The touchscreen will take some getting used to and isn't as efficient as my full keypad
Compared to iphone - no wireless. The VZW internet can be slow @ times
I would be stuck with VZW for another 2 years

I'll make a decision sometime this week. I actually had my hands on one yesterday @ the Best Buy Mobile store in Union Square. My sales guy, Jonathan, (who kept Blessing me with his soprano version of "Cold Air" to the tune of "No Air" :-/) had convinced me to buy an ugly gel covering and screen protector and was throwing in a free bluetooth headset. He'd started switching my phone numbers, had updated my plan and was charging the phone. After printing out the contract Jonathan, in his fierce stressed S tone said " Alright diva, your total comes to $220". I asked "why?" and he replied that was the cost. I was warned by VZW people that Best Buy prices might be different, but I figured it was bitterness because they were out of stock. So, the first thing I did when I went into the store was ask if the prices would be the same as my upgrade at VZW and was assured that yes it would! The manager came over and tried to convince me that I was mistaken to think I would pay $100 and when I explained the breakdown he said they couldn't honor the "New Every 2" promotion. Great. I've listened to Jonathan talk about "Hahlum" [Harlem] and entertained his affection for Atlanta for an hour...and I'm still Stormless. Absolutely fantastic.

In other retail news - Miss Jessie's, the cult-like natural hair care salon and product line, is running their annual Buy one Get one Free Promotion right now. This is the perfect time to try their products as they can be pretty pricey ($30 -$60 for a 16 oz jar) and this would be like half off.
I hear the best products are the:

Rapid Recovery
Curly Meringue
Curly Buttercreme

I bought some of the 2oz products at this eclectic beauty store Ricky's NYC (which doubles as the city's best costume store during Halloween and is very unsuspecting as having the wide array of black natural haircare products that it has) to try them out first. Luckily Rickys was having a 20% off all hair products sale so I also picked up a jar of the Kinky Curly Custard which was recommended to me by a homegirl in Houston. Either way, if you've been considering Miss Jessie's or know someone who's natural - this is a great time to either try it for yourself or give it as a gift! They don't have to know you paid half-price for it. :-)

I may consider going to the Miss Jessie's salon in Bedstuy before going home for Christmas, but that's also still up in the air. Remember, I've gotta make good money decisions and $250 hair may not be one of them.

Feel free to hold me accountable to my more responsible approach to money!

xoxoRo

I believe in the crack epidemic of the '80s

2008-11-20T14:32:00.004-05:00

I see reminders of it daily. From the guy who pulled the emergency stop on the train and commenced to convincing me he didn't, to the 30 year old woman who was prepped to trade blows with a teenager, to the guy who ate a sandwich while masterbating on the train - crack is real. Luckily, the crazy happenings of the past week didn't ruin the great ones!

Chateau Ro (& others) is finally open for business! lol A friend from college spent the weekend last week and we hooked up with other peeps in town for a fun Caribbean dinner. We ate, drank and laughed the night away. 'Twas fun.
What was even more funny was that there were at least 5 Houstonians in town this same weekend. A friend from High School was visiting someone else in Manhattan and literally bumped into my friend from college on the train. (Note - they have never met and were perfect strangers) My college friend and high school friend sparked up a convo and found out that they both knew me. They surprised me by BOTH meeting me near work! It was crazy! Millions of people in this city and they run into one another. Boggled my mind.

I drove to Ithaca yesterday with a colleague and it looked like a postcard! Snow blanketed the rooftops and yards. Sure, it was cold; my philosophy on the cold is that it doesn't feel significantly different after a certain point. It's just cold. It's supposed to start snowing in the city soon so I'm going to have to get prepared. I'm looking for a solid coat and snow boots.After some recent conversations I've decided that I need to do a retro-post on my NYC moving process. I realize that I didn't publicize the move to a lot of people until I was about a month out from moving, but I'd been planning long before that. So, I'll share it. I'm also going to have to blog more frequently because the nuance of my life is lost as the days pass. I'll do better.

In other news - the Blackberry Storm comes out on Friday and since I'm due for an upgrade I may join the phone craze. The store near work opens at 7AM...not sure if I'll get there then, but I'll go sometime that morning. I'm hoping the blackberry crowd isn't as fanatical as the young iphone crowd. Standing in a line in the cold for a friggin phone is not cute...and I want Friday to be cute.

Check back tomorrow to see if I actually get the phone.

xoxoRo

I'm not Scared of Lions and Tigers and Bears...

2008-11-10T21:51:00.002-05:00

...but I'm terrified of mice! Unfortunately, they took over my life last week. Mickey and his family found their way into our apartment and gave me 3 sleepless nights, nerves like a crackhead, and gifts to remember them by. I know, I know...everyone says "You're in New York, they have mice there." I get it. However, not all NY environments breed mice. In fact, my roommate who's lived here for four years has only had them once before. But, it was bad this time. I stayed up every night awaiting their arrival. It never failed that at about midnight, one would poke his head from my closet or the radiator in the den and take a few steps until I stomped or yelled at it. Imagine doing this for hours on end....EVERY night. It was quite miserable. I went to work tired every day and really had no retreat. It was the first time that I realized I was so far away from home because at that moment, that's where I wanted to be. I wanted my daddy to come over and pick up the mice in the traps and I wanted to be anywhere but here...because it sucked.

So, I emailed the landlord and let her know the situation could not wait until December (as originally proposed) and insisted that someone immediately come out. After the exterminators flaked out twice, she decided to fly up here on a couple of days notice (she lives in New Orleans) and is taking care of the situation. She is meticulously closing all of the holes in my room and I can say that I finally got my first night of sleep in my own bed in about a week! I'd like to thank the people that helped me get through this - My homey since 7th grade living in upstate NY who talked to me in the wee hours of the morning when I couldn't sleep, Joan Maya Lynn and Toni who provided entertainment and mice "deterring" noise on my laptop, and for my NY Native buddy who walked the streets of the city with me...doing nothing...laughing at everything and keeping me away from the scary house mice.

Honestly, this was SO much of my last week that I'd do it a disservice to even mention anything else. If you're coming to visit...don't fret! The house will be COMPLETELY mouse free within the next couple of days....praise sweet Jesus!

xoxoRo

3 weeks in one post...let's go!

2008-11-05T20:39:00.025-05:00

On October 13, 2008 I arrived in NYC! Two weeks before moving, I flew up for a work event and simultaneously used the time to find a place to stay. My requirements were pretty basic - I wanted my own room, reasonable rent, and I wanted to like the people I'd be living with. I got all of that and more! I found a brownstone, which makes me feel closer to being a Huxtable, in a relatively quiet Latino neighborhood - Sunset Park. ( Yes, I know you wanna say it - "Sunset Park what time is it" Yes, it's THAT Sunset Park...except nothing like it was in the movie...I don't think) Here's a picture of the outside of the house. Cute, right?!
On to week 1. My first Friday in the city was GREAT! I went to this party that reminded me of something you'd see in a movie. The music was ALL good, the people were vibing, and we danced 'til we couldn't anymore. Rich Medina and Q-Tip DJ'd, Cedric the Entertainer and Anthony Anderson came through, and some old guy kept us laughing. Oh yeah, Q-Tip came down and started dancing with us...crazy!

A friend of mine invited me over for dinner that Saturday evening which was great. He was also a HUGE help in motivating me when I got discouraged about moving here. So, it was nice to see a familiar face , chill with some good people, and have some good food. (Good lookin' out on the enchiladas!)

Sunday was cool too.I tried out a church - Brooklyn Tabernacle and, well....I'm going to give it a second go'round. Everyone has an off week.Later that evening I hung out in Bed-stuy. One of my co-workers has monthly Potluck dinners that bring good people together to share their aspirations and connect with others who may be able to support them. In an effort to rep my southern roots, I brought a beef sausage and shrimp jambalaya. I shared my music aspirations and connected with some cool people. There was a filmmaker from Dallas by way of L.A., an author, 2 Emcees, a social venturer, 2 owners of a company whose mission is to help artists make money, a Financier, and a passion excavator/author. Yeah, it was live.The only negative is that most of the cool people live in Bed-stuy which is about a 45 minute train ride and 15 minute walk...which isn't so fun at night. Let's just say that I had a situation where a guy was following me that I'd prefer not to replicate. I'm going to have to spend some time learning Bed-stuy...in the daylight.
One of the people that I met at the potluck invited me to SOBs - a live music joint where most of the artists you love honed their skills. Every single act was a true performer. From the girl who inexplicably stripped down to her undies and a tank, to the woman who emotionally dropped to her knees (think: Fantasia) , to the Brooklyn Emcee with a self-proclaimed Michael Jackson swag and in my opinion Lupe flow dancing all over the stage - we were given nothing less than a real show all night and it was mind blowing. No one disappointed!! Erik Roberson's silly self hosted and here are a few pics from the night.

Week 3 - Halloween!! I did a party in Bedstuy with Eazy E, Spike Lee, and Bob Marley. lol My costume was inspired by my introduction to the Brooklyn Brownstone - The Huxtables! So, I was Denise. :-)

OK, It's getting late and I'm tired of typing. I did two Halloween parties, a birthday party and an election party in week 3.

I promise the blogs will be better when I'm not 3 weeks behind, but there's so much happening everyday and I barely tipped the iceberg. If you have any specific questions about life in NY shoot me an email @ Ronethea@gmail.com and I'll answer them in a blog.

Love you all!

-Ro

It's been on my mind for 3 weeks and...

2008-11-05T19:49:00.002-05:00

I've finally made the time to begin chronicling my life in NYC. I've never been a blogger; I don't even keep a journal (don't judge), but when I left Houston I realized that doing so wasn't just for me. There are others who've wanted and are still wanting to move. It may not be to New York and it may not even be a physical move, but they're wanting to go, but something or someone is holding them back. Hopefully this blog will offer some motivating support. If not, hopefully it will at some point make you smile; either because you read something you like or the oddities of my life make you feel better about yours. :-)

The name of the blog ,"Life Ro", came from a friend ('preciate it!). When I think about it, it makes sense. I thank God for my joy because I truly feel like I've been sentenced to life...and I'm loving it!

The Blog is Born!

2008-11-04T03:08:00.001-05:00

Whoop!