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I’m SO GLAD its the weekend! Hope everyone is having a good one. Peace!

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I know you’ve seen the pics of award show season queen Mo’Nique and her hairy legs around the web. If not, let me refresh your memory:

Mo’Nique has been quoted as saying (and I paraphrase here) that hairy legs are “a black woman thing.” I don’t know about my sisters out there reading this post, but I know for myself and my peers, hairy legs are most definitely NOT in vogue!

It’s more accurate to say that hairy legs are an old school thing. I know people from back in the day who used to rock hairy stems. I have a relative who told me that men find hairy legs sexy, and that she will never shave them. To each her own, I suppose. But don’t lump all of us in the hairy gams club, we’re not all down with with the fur. #NoPeta

Images: Daily Mail

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L-Boogie has resurfaced! Check out this video of Lauryn Hill performing “That Thing (Doo Wop) at the Raggamuffin Festival in New Zealand. The video looks like it was taken from someone’s phone, but the quality isn’t that bad. She’s crazy as all get out, but she still got it! I hope this gets the momentum going for a US tour…and maybe an album? *Crossing my fingers*

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I stanned for SWV in junior high. Their b-girl/R&B swag resonated with girls who came of age in the 90s. This week’s throwback track sparks much nostalgia. Enjoy, and have a wonderful weekend!

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The lineup for Coachella 2010 has been revealed! Everyone’s favorite rapper Jay-Z is headlining the show this year. De La Soul will also be gracing the stage. Looks like an awesome balance of hip hop, alternative, funk and electronica. I hope to make it to Coachella this year. Check the lineup!

Image: BPM Magazine

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It’s rainy this week in Los Angeles, and I have this cheapo umbrella that flies up and out as soon as the  wind blows.  Makes me so mad! It’s time to upgrade to an umbrella that offers better protection, as well as being cute enough to make me smile on dreary, rainy days.

Bubble style umbrellas offer more protection than regular purse/pocket size umbrellas. The bubble design means that the umbrella won’t fly up and out when the wind kicks up during the rain.

Bubble umbrellas are a little bit more expensive than the typical umbrella, but they offer better protection and last longer than cheaper options. In cases like this, its better to spend the extra $10 to make sure you stay dry in the rain!

Check out these stylish, colorful bubble umbrellas!

Clear Bubble Umbrella w/ red trim, Urban Outfitters $18

Totes Bubble Umbrella, Macy's $22

Stripe Bubble Umbrella, Target $21.99

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One of the goals I’ve set for myself this year is to significantly reduce the amount of heat I use on my hair. For many years I was the flatiron queen. I was known for my bone straight tresses, sans relaxer. I was very handy with a hotcomb and flatiron.

As I evolve, so is my hair, and its decided that it doesn’t want to tolerate high levels of heat anymore. No matter how much I apply, it “goes back.” It refuses to submit to thermal straightening, choosing to wave up, curl, and mend itself to its natural curl pattern. Instead of fighting it, I’ve surrendered and focused my efforts on working with it, rather than against it.

So what alternatives are there to the OG press and flatiron? So far I’ve experimented with:

Braid outs

Twist outs

Roller Sets (with flexi-rod hair rollers)

I’ve been happy with the outcome of my low to no heat styles. I prefer twist outs and roller sets more than braid outs, but that’s my personal preference. Whatever technique you choose, keep three things in mind:

1. Be sure to saturate your hair with moisturizer and setting lotion when setting.

2. DO NOT take your hair down until its completely dry. Either let it dry naturally or sit under a hooded dryer. If you take your hair down while still wet, it will shrink and frizz up.

3. After taking your hair down, “stretch” it by gently pulling it and running a blow dryer over the roots. This will lengthen your locks a bit.

So tell me. What are some of your hair goals? Are you cutting back (or completely cutting out) heat styling? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

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Hi Babies!

The wonderful Maryann at Alphanista.com published my guest post “Don’t’ Let Your Girlfriends Fuel the Fire“…head on over there to check me out! Alphanista is an awesome blog giving the Alpha female perspective on love, life, business, and more. Get over there and join the conversation!

Peace.

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Although Martin Luther King Jr. day is a national holiday, some companies don’t observe this day in its list of company holidays. Whatever their reason for this, some employees choose to use their personal time to observe the holiday.

Me, I’ll be at work. I’d love to have the day off, but since I don’t, I’ll be in the office bright and early at 9am. And no, I will not use my personal time to observe MLK Day. Why should I? It’s a national holiday that my company should have granted as a day off. I refuse to use my personal time on a day that should be granted as a national holiday.

Martin Luther King Jr. died so that I would have the opportunity to go to work everyday without harassment or segregation. So that I can work in an office  side by side with White, Hispanic, Middle Eastern, and Asian colleagues. I’d love nothing more to have a day off, especially a Monday, but the fact that I have the opportunity to work in my field without facing (too much) direct racism means that his dream is realized to a certain degree.

How can I realize King’s legacy while I’m at work? MLK day isn’t just about having a day off work.  It’s about making the effort to respect and be of service to others. If I do this, I’m acting in furtherance of his dream.

So let me have it. Do you have Martin Luther King Jr. day off? Gotta work? How do you feel about it? What are you doing to commemorate King day?

Image: The Fader

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This song and video just feels…organic. It just feels right. Enjoy! Happy Friday!

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