Knowing

Latest construction.

Part of my $30 and below collection/project.

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The festival was great! Seun Kuti wasn't there. :-( But from my understanding, neither was he at 2 other near-by festivals where he was scheduled to be, so something must have come up. Once it was all over on Sunday evening, I did feel just a slight tinge of emptiness, because I'd been loking forward to his performance for a few months. However! I very, very mcuh enjoyed:

Rootz Underground

Dobet Gnahore

é

Locos Por Juana

I enjoyed several others, but these? WOW!

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As for seeing Erykah Badu in New Orleans, it didn't happem. The attempt was made but us running late + a 45 minute traffic delay in Baton Rouge = Us getting off on an exit and making our way back to Lafayette. We wouldn't have made it on time, and showing up 30-45 minutes into a Badu performance doesn't work for me.

I swear, having driven in places like Dallas,TX, Houston, TX, and Atlanta, GA--all 3 of which have high volume, busy traffic--I'd much rather be behind the wheel in those places than in Baton Rouge, LA. It's rare that I'm in that city or trying to get through the city that I'm able to complete my journey without some form of traffic delay. It never fails. At least in my experience in those other cities, the traffic flooooows. It might be fast and chaotic at times, but it moves, dangit!!

Rant over.

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What's interesting about it all, though, is that the day of the event I woke up with the notion that I shouldn't go. No doubt, I wanted to see her performance, but something felt off about it. I was mentioning this to my sistafriend over the phone moments before leaving--how I felt like I should just stay in Lafayette and enjoy the festival here, but since I'd been invited and was being given a free ticket, I just decided to go. Well, seems like things worked out just as they should have.

peace!

Kisses

Well,that's the first word that came to mind when i was trying to come up with a title.
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Collage of a few garments I've made within the last couple of days

The style of the mini dresses is nothing new. I came across more of that gauzy fabric in that same green color and also in gold. The yellow and white striped halter top (cause that's what it is, even though you can't really see the print from the photo) is a style I've done before as well. The straps were just repositioned to see what would happen. I think I like. Oh, and some of you may recall the skirt I made for myself last August.

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Wow.


And yes, that was the name given to him at birth. And I don't know why my aunt had "Linc" put as his nickname knowing everybody called him "Lank"! ha! To all his children as well as grandchildren he was "Daddy."

It was unreal seeing my grandfather lying in a casket. I could barely stand to look at him. I'm more in disbelief than anything else. To know that both of my grandparents are no longer physically here is almost ludicrous! However, I'm glad to know he's no longer dealing with the pain and that she's free from that tiresomeness that she expressed to me and others the day before she unexpectedly passed....a day in a week where she was doing everything from fishing to cooking a feast, giving no signs that she'd be deceased by that weekend. What a bunch of devastated family members we were! But thank goodness for freedom. And their spirits live on...

The funeral was sad and cheerful. It was interesting seeing so many people from my days in the church. I hadn't seen a lot of them in nearly 10 yrs, so it was a celebration of life and a reunion all in one. When it was all said and done, it seemed that everyone left on a upbeat, positive note

I really appreciate all of your kind words on the occasion. Y'all are great. :-)
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Well, in a few hours I'll be heading out to my first night of FESTIVAL!
(http://www.festivalinternational.com)

Since I can't find a good video of any of the artists I'll be checking out tonight--aside from Seun Kuti, who I've posted before--I leave you with music from an artist I saw at festival 4 yrs. ago and another who I'll likely be seeing again at the New Orleans Jazz Fest on Saturday. It's been too long!

Zap Mama and Erykah Badu, "Bandy Bandy"


Cause I'll definitely be somewhere moving my body to the sound of music for the next 4 days.

peace!

Moving On

It's me again--returned home from my road trip with some icky flu-like symptoms. Just where I picked them up, I'm not sure. Could be a result of slightly different weather in the 4 states that I was/am in. Could have gotten them from a friend and that friend's daughter who both seemed to be nearing the end of their stint with the cooties. Or it could have something to do with that unintentional dose of Long Island Iced Tea I had on Saturday. *Note to self: Ask before fixing a taaaall glass of a beverage that appears to be plain old iced tea. Don't be fooled by the fact that it's been poured from its original bottle into an unassuming pitcher.* I don't drink alcohol but don't like to be wasteful either, so I just drank it. Took me over an hour to finish it off, and surprisingly I wasn't even buzzed. A little drowsy, but not otherwise affected at the time of ingestion. Everyone else at the gathering thought it quite funny, but I'm not too fond of stuff that feels like rubbing alcohol (or how I assume it would taste/feel) going down my throat. I don't knock it....just ain't for me.

But hey, I made it through! And it was cause for a good laugh. :-D

So basically, I ended up back in Atlanta/Decatur, GA, which makes 4 times in less than a year. What can I say?...I like the place.

Since returning on Tuesday night (2 days turned into 4)I've been so overwhelmed with tasks that need to be completed. A ten page paper with ten sources due by Monday (I've got 1 paragraph), alterations for folks, general reading, phonetic transcriptions for a class assignment, and then there's the trip home that I'll be making either tomorrow night or Saturday. My grandfather died last Friday hours before I left. While it is heart-breaking, the family has been prepared for it every since he was sent home a couple months again with a statement from the hospital staff that there was nothing else they could do for him. (Interesting considering that what they did do for him over a year ago... unnecessarily inserting a pacemaker which had to be removed in March due to infection...is what precipitated his decline.) Talking to my mother about it over the last several weeks, I concluded that he wouldn't last too much longer, so I made a trip up there a couple weeks ago to see him. He was only a fraction of what he was when I saw him in November...significantly thinner, lost eyesight (due to a stroke somewhere along the way), inactive, confined to the bed, unable to speak, constantly shaking, etc. Truly sad when I take into account all the memories of I have of him as a functioning man.

But nonetheless, the family will come from far and wide to attend the funeral on Saturday. That'll be followed up with food, laughter, and good times, just the way we always do after burying a loved one. He was a well-known person within the community--a retired cop that people just knew--so I suspect that there'll be a lots of revelry.

This year will make 9 since my grandmother passed, and it's still pretty unbelievable to me that she's not here. But I'm just grateful to have had the opportunity to know and appreciate my grandparents on the level that I did. And I'm even more grateful to still have 2 more jewels in the form of my paternal grandparents who are alive and well.

I haven't even had time to consider what I'll wear to the funeral--whether it'll be all black, black at all, or what. There definitely is no time for making anything, but I was just looking over styles I've created in black. Before making her transition in '05, my cousin told everyone she didn't want people coming to her funeral dressed all in black, moping around and such. She specifically requested lighter colors and big smiles, and I did my best to oblige. I suppose it's all insignificant in the larger scheme of things, but something to be considered all the same.


peace!

Ease Up

Apparently I'm the face of Darlascloset.com at the moment...

Well, it's not my face, but that's my turquoise with tiny black polka dots mini dress she's wearing. :-)

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Sometimes ya gotta just breathe and let things/people go. That was my "I knew it, but sometimes I fall off the path" lesson for the day.


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Man, I love this song...



And to think! They were in concert here a few weeks ago and I didn't make it. :-(

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Tomorrow I'm gonna wake up and I'm gonna get in my car and I'm gonna drive to another state and then maybe another. Then I'm gonna come back home in a couple of days. Cause right now I need a different perspective.

Have a beautiful weekend!
peace
:-D

Force

The wanna be dancer in me loves this style of dress.

I'll have to go back add another layer underneath, cause it came out a bit--ok a lot--short on the left/back side. Good thing y'all can't see over there. :-/

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April. April. April
Living in Lafayette, LA that means one thing for me:
FESTIVAL!
(http://www.festivalinternational.com/site.php)

This year April also means that I need to really get on the grind, cause I've gotta make some things happen within the next 2 months...

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A tribute to past festival headliners who I had the honor of witnessing live:

(click photos to play music)

Angelique Kidjo
What a voice!
(Interview)



Lucky Dube
May his spirit live on.

Zap Mama!!!
One of the best performers I've seen
(group leader Marie Daulne)




Burning Spear!!!
This man's music is a spiritual experience for me. Just gets me in the zone.






Have a wonderful day.
peace!!