myYearbook.com 90's Party w/DJ Jazzy Jeff

I started this blog back in 2008. Some of my posts documented my so called ‘Party Life’. You know, I’d crash events. Say I’m with the DJ. And just like that, Nat + 1 made it in yet another celeb filled, exclusive, open bar event. Like the Apollo 75th Anniversary.

Tons of fun, right?

My friends back home thought I was running this city… per Facebook photos and this here blog. But in real life, Nat wasn’t that “party all the time” chick. That was then. You should see me now. After a few years of NYC living, you get over that rockstar lifestyle. It gets old. Hell, I got old.

Ok, I’m not old. Just overit.com *Tamar Braxton voice*

I mean, I’m not a square. I’ll definitely make it out to a good party. But it gotta be GOOOOOOOD. I mean, real GOOD. The venue has to be tight. Crowd must be to my liking. And most importantly, I MUST know who is DJing. The DJ makes the party.

About 3 weeks ago, my girlfriend (Thx, Ange) sends me this invite for her job’s corporate event. See below:

*jaw drops*

Practically everything I care about in life was on this invitation. Skates. Free Alcohol. Cereal. Peanut Butter & Jelly sandwiches. 80s/90s music. Period.

When I created my May 2011 Social Calendar for my fabulous NYC chicas, I posted this event in BIG BOLD GRAFETTI font. This event can’t be missed. Nothing happening on May 19th can trump this. You gotta be a fool to miss it. I’ll go ALONE if I have to. Those were my thoughts.

I rallied up the gals. Some flaked. You know who you are. I came away with 2 troopers who were down for the cause. Hey Tiff & Coco.

My outfit! What in the world am I going to wear? Well, this is what I came away with? Likey?

Over the top, but that’s ok. When I do it, I do it big. You should try it some time.

Sidebar: I was the only one dressed up. Ask me if I care.

Upon our arrival, we had to sign a waiver. Here’s why:

Good Units (the venue) does not want to be liable for any injuries that may occur at this event. Good Units is an event space. Not an official skating rink. (I don’t think there’s a roller skating rink in Manhattan.) There’s an open bar. The liquor is a flowin. There are people who don’t know how to skate. Not me. I’m a pro. I own skates. Pink ones with glitter foam letters attached that read “No Skating Allowed” (#greekpun) Been doing this since I was 5. Yep. I had those Fisher Price adjustable joints. Don’t Play!

I digress.

So the waiver… we have alcohol, non-skaters, strobe lights, uneven pavement /stairs & drinking in the “rink” meaning wet floors thanks to the non-skaters. NO MOP in sight. Oh wait, there was a mop. We used it for the limbo contest. Bwahhhhhhh! Sign your life away and the good people at Good Units ain’t responsible.

Me to the person standing in front holding up the line because they were actually reading the waiver: “Yooo! What’s the hold up? Sign me up! They playing my sooooong!!”

Which brings me to my next topic… the DJ.

If you ain’t familiar with DJ Jazzy Jeff, Kill Yo Self! He started his set with the theme song from “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”. Raise your hand if you don’t know the words to that? I’ll wait.

I started to plot in my head how I was going to get past Jazzy’s camp and steal his laptop. Seriously. If it was a hit in the 80’s/90’s, he played it. From New Kids on the Block to Tone-Loc. We’d be here all day if I listed all the records he played. Ok, I’ll say a few more… Aerosmith, Phil Collins, Niravana ("Feels like Teen Spirit"), MJ, Prince, Sir Mix A Lot, Young MC, MC Hammer, Rob Base, KRS-1, Slick Rick, JJ FAD ("Supersonic"), Montell Jordan, Salt & Pepa, Run DMC & Bon Jovi. “Living on a Prayer” is my SH*T. “Oh Mickey You So Fine, You So Fine You Blow My Mind!” Yes. All of that! He ended his set with the theme-song to CHEERS!!

*drops the mic*

I was dancing non-stop. Drink in hand. In skates. While hoola hooping. I kid you not. I was in my element.

At the end of the night, I came away with a few goodies.

Posters


A Boomboox
Candy
All in this handy SOUL GLO tote.

If that ain’t 80’s, I’m not sure what is.

If you know me well, you know I’m a true die-hard 80’s baby. If you didn’t know, now you know.

Thanks for listening!

NN

"Where Is The Husband?"

“Nati, where is the husband?” my Ethiopian aunts asked.

Last weekend, my family hosted a bridal shower for my cousin. She’s getting married in Ethiopia this month. Our small celebration included traditional food and dancing, gifts, marriage advice, etc. Tons of fun!

Having a family of foreigners can be a bit challenging at times. In fact, you develop a tough skin growing up in a foreign household. You know, they say whatever they want directly to your face. No shame. For instance:

(Said in the best Ethiopian accent)

“What happened to you? You gained a lot of weight!” Then, they scrunch their faces up in disgust.

“What is going on with your face? If you drink XYZ (insert something from the health food store here), your skin will be clear. “

“What did u do to your hair?? I don't like it.”

“You still haven’t found a boyfriend, yet? What’s wrong with you?”

And my favorite:

“When are you getting married? Your baby cousins are growing too big to be flower girls.”

Gasp!

Yep. I hear these remarks every time I come home. This past weekend, they drilled me. I mean, we were at a wedding shower hosted at my mom’s house. Someone in my family was getting married. Just not me. And it may not be me for some time now. I’m cool with it. My aunts and cousins aren’t. That’s just stateside. Let’s not get into the family overseas. Don’t let me get a $5 calling card to call my aunt in Ethiopia to wish her a Happy Easter. After we get the pleasantries out the way, I get that same marriage question in Amharic. I don’t speak the language, but I definitely understand that golden question. I guess they need time to make travel arrangements. I get it. Trust me, they will have plenty of time to prepare for US travel after I make the announcement. Relax.

I’m approaching 30. That’s an old bride for foreigners. They are used to arranged marriages at the age of 14. Six children by the age of 27.

Yea. No.

How do I respond to this, you ask? Aside from the eye rolls, deep sighs, fake smiles?
Uhhh… I tell them the truth. “I’ve been married for 3 years now. Mom didn’t tell u?” I love to see their reaction when I say that. They actually start thinking to themselves like “There was a wedding? How did I miss that?” Confused as hell.

Sike.

After I get them to chuckle, I hit them with this, “Look. Stop asking. You will be the first to know. I just don’t have it right now. I know you are frustrated, Auntie Mimi. Please!” *walks away* If I had that attitude at the age of 14, Auntie Mimi probably would have yanked my ponytail as I walked away and beat the sh*t out of me with the nearest weapon (telephone cord, wire hanger, etc.) They don’t play with the “American Attitude’ thing.

I digress.

As you can see, weddings are a big deal in my family. It ain’t about the bride and the groom. It’s about the parents bluffing to their friends. Showing off and carrying on. I know my mom is so ready to throw this Broadway production of a wedding. One time, she called me at work to tell me MY wedding colors. She sure did.

I love my parents to death. I know they want me married with children living in a huge house out Northern Virginia somewhere. But, they don’t want me to rush it, marry some loser, and then end up in a nasty divorce 2 years later. They want me to do it right and when I’m absolutely ready. So my folks get that part. They actually stopped inquiring about my relationship status a few years ago.

It’s my aunts and cousins who worry the hell out of me.

“Where is the husband?” GTFOH!

NN

An Evening with President Obama at Town Hall

I’d be lying if I said that man didn’t make me tingle when he graced the stage Wednesday night. That man being, President Obama.

Heart fluttering, pits sweating, hands fidgeting. For some reason, I couldn’t compose myself.

“Oooowww!!”
“Wooooo!!!”

Yes, I did the most in cat calling at one of the most powerful men in the world. Shame on you, Nat!

Foursquare coined this event as “An Evening with President Obama at Town Hall.” You know I checked in! I wanted all my followers to know I was in the place to be. And how unfortunate it was for them to have to hear about it through my show-off tweets.

The evening began with a 45-minute wait in the security check line. Felt like the airport. Metal detectors, frisking, bag searching, etc. I was cool with all that. I mean, you have to understand that it’s the President. I’ve never felt so safe in my life. We finally get into the 1300-seat theater located in the heart of Times Square. Balcony seats for the $44 tickets. Not a problem. Better for photographing purposes anyway.


The program begins with a few words from the Gen44 host committee. Gen44 is a new program created to cultivate and empower a rising generation of leaders for the Democratic Party. Read more about Gen44 here.

Their speeches were short, sweet, and very social network. “Very social network”? What you talking about, Nat? They specifically asked everyone in the house to take out their phones and text “I’m In” to 62262 (Obama); Go to Facebook and “Like” the fanpage; Tweet & Facebook your status as “I’m In #Gen44nyc” & Check –in at the official Foursquare location, “An evening with President Obama at Town Hall.” Since I have a bad case of social network OCD, I did of the above repeatedly throughout the night. Social Network is huge and will play a significant role in Obama’s re-election. You’ll see.

Bring out the legendary Roots Crew.


They walked on without an introduction. All you need is a noticeable Questlove to walk on stage. “Oh there go the Roots.” Am I lying? They performed about 3 tracks. Got the crowd hype! Jammin and carrying on. Good stuff. The Roots definitely cater to all audiences. The Jimmy Fallon gig solidified it. They are good money (literally). After the performance, the announcer goes “Ladies and Gentleman, please welcome Jim Messina, the campaign manager for President Barack Obama's 2012 re-election.” Oh! Whew! By the sound of the announcer’s voice, you would have thought the Preso was about to come out. Sike a boo boo. Not yet. Hold your horses. 5-minute speech from him. Then, here he comes!

Now, I hate the word SWAG. Buried it years ago. But, I have to bring it back to life for what I’m about to say. Yo! His SWAG was on a 100 thousand trillion. He glided on to that stage. Just so cool. Waving. Cheesing. I lost it. You would have thought I was at the Prince concert. I went bonkers on steroids. He’s just so, so…. COOL! It’s that simple. It nearly took the crowd 10 minutes to hold the applause for the guy. We just couldn’t stop.

He begins his remarks with a relevant introduction. ““My name is Barack Obama; I was born in Hawaii; no one checked my ID on the way in.”

*drops the mic*

His birth certificate documents were just confirmed that morning and I’m almost sure that was a jab at Trump. Who by the way lost me as a Celebrity Apprentice viewer. He’s rich, bored, and picking on colored folk. Leave us alone! Back to Obama.

Great stage presence. Cracked a few jokes here and there. Especially at the protesters who snuck in with a cloth banner (posters were prohibited). Two little white chicks started a rant about something. They tried to unfold their homemade Michael’s Arts & Crafts banner that they probably stayed up all night making. Seconds later, Secret Service manhandled them. Yanks them into the lobby and throw them out. Easy. Did they really think they were going to get a word in edgewise by disrupting our President? Girl bye! Take your raggedy banner and your little cause elsewhere. Mess around with Secret Service if you want to. And lose your life.


They were quickly booed by the crowd. Obama made fun of them by saying, “See, there’s always something going on in New York City. OK, OK, thank you. All right, so let me just say – no, they can stay. I think they made their point. They’re all right. That's all right.” He added, “But if any of the rest of you has something to say, let’s just knock it out right now.” *pause* “All right, where was I?”

So suave with his.

Let me tell you something. He loves that Michelle. Up and down. He referenced his hair turning gray. But Michelle loves it. *insert cat calling here*
But on to his speaking points… in a nutshell he covered gas prices, troops, healthcare, tax cuts, social security and unemployment. He was short and sweet with his remarks. He acknowledged he had not reached all of his goals and stressed how he needs our help. The job is not over. We are a family. Let’s do this. The End.

I wore red Wednesday night. I wanted him to see me. I think he did. I waved. He waved back. I love that man. He just warms my heart. This was definitely one of my most memorable experiences to date. You’ve got my vote (with your fine self).

Thanks, Mr. President.
NN

Pleasure to meet you, Mr. President!

My bestie shook the First Lady’s hand at the White House Easter Egg Roll on Monday. She cried. Soror Michelle is phenomenal. I want to shake her hand, too! *tear* But, I was in New York City working on Easter Monday.

Shortly after receiving her BBM, I got an email with a subject line that read “Join President Obama and The Roots!”

*jaw drops*

Who me?

I was cordially invited by the Young Professionals United for Change to a fundraiser reception featuring remarks by President Obama and a mini-concert by the Roots on April 27th at Town Hall at 7:30 pm.

Yep! I’m going to meet the President tonight. Well, that’s the plan.

I’m probably the only person who didn’t attend Inauguration 2 years ago. I mean, I was definitely in town for the festivities. Attended a few balls here and there. But, I couldn’t get my lazy a$$ up on that freezing morning in January. Now that I think about it, I went to sleep at 6am on Inauguration Day. Why didn’t I just stay in the city like everyone else? Bundle up, take a few shots of Café Patron, and start my trek from U Street to the Mall? What was I thinking? Missing history in my own backyard. SMH! I know. Shoot me. Take away my black card, or my common sense card for that matter. My bad.

But tonight!! I’ll finally be in this man’s presence. He’s on his 2012 re-election campaign and I’m so there. This event wasn’t free. When I initially heard about it, tickets were $100. I know I’m not the only person who rolls her eyes when she sees an expensive fundraiser ticket price. I love our President, but dropping $100 for a short speech & a mini-concert by The Roots just wasn’t in my budget. I know it’s for a good cause. But I just didn’t have it. A week later, I got the same email with reduced tickets. $44. O_O Now, dropping $44 for a short speech and mini-concert by The Roots was in my budget. I can handle that. And I did. Tickets were as good as mines!

I’ll let you all know how it goes.

NN

The Resurrection

Hi.

*blows the dust off her blog*

I’m back. I was cheating on my blog with a thing called Tumblr. It made my so-called blogging life easy. All I had to do was follow other Tumblrs and reblog their posts. No thinking involved. Just go to my dashboard, check out my feeds and re-post. #lazyblogging

Here’s the thing with my Tumblr: If you don’t tumble, you can’t comment. Or something like that. So when I’d post like an 80’s Ebony magazine cover of Denise Huxtable, folks would click on it and probably want to comment. But, can’t. Blower, right? I rarely post any original content. Just photos. Maybe 1 or 2 quotes/tweets. A few interesting articles. That’s about it. Plus, I have a MAC. The layout is dope on MACs. But when viewed on PCs (my work computer), it’s all out of wack. Just doesn’t look as cool as I see it when I click publish. That’s not fair.


My cousin jokingly, (but so sincerely) complained about me clogging her feed on Facebook. My beau said he doesn’t click on my Tumblr at all. It’s just too much. *sigh* My linesister said this in her best Brooklyn accent… “Yo. What’s good with your blog? That tumblr sh*t is dumb, yo! Just pix. What’s up with the content you used to post?” She made me feel like I was something like a subpar blogger, which is good because I don’t think I’m a blogger/writer at all. I just rant and post. After my loved ones shared their thoughts with me, I immediately decided to resurrect this here blog.

P.S. I’m still keeping my Tumblr, though. Just staggering my posts. My fellow tumblr Defending Champs shared that tip with me. Thanks, Wes.

BRB with my first post in 5 months…

NN

Remember This?

Over dinner this past weekend, the whole Nicki vs. Kim debate came up. Personally, I think Kim's new diss track was weak. It was like I was on the edge of my seat waiting for her to spit some fiyah then the record repeated itself. Like looped back. Huh???? Maybe the DJs did that. But, I didn't care to hear the rest of the track. I heard it gets better towards the end. My ADD kicked in and I closed the window.

#TeamNicki

Anywho, we were reminiscing on Kim's old stuff... "Quiet Storm," the entire Hardcore album and so forth. Then my girl brings up the Total joint "No One Else" Remix feat. Fox, Kim & Da Brat. Wowsers! I had to dig it up and share it with yall. Classic 1996 sh*t.

Remember this?



NN

Nike: Lebron "Rise"

I'm not a Kobe fan for many reasons. He's too cocky; He thinks he's Michael Jordan; He's a ball hog; etc.

Now, Lebron James... He's da homies! (Not in real life, but you get my drift.)

Team Bron all day!

Here's why:


Now, leave my friend alone!!!

NN