THE NAKED & THE NUDE

The Naked and the Nude
Robert Graves

For me, the naked and the nude
(By lexicographers construed
As synonyms that should express
The same deficiency of dress
Or shelter) stand as wide apart
As love from lies, or truth from art.

Lovers without reproach will gaze
On bodies naked and ablaze;
The Hippocratic eye will see
In nakedness, anatomy;
And naked shines the Goddess when
She mounts her lion among men.

The nude are bold, the nude are sly
To hold each treasonable eye.
While draping by a showman's trick
Their dishabille in rhetoric,
They grin a mock-religious grin
Of scorn at those of naked skin.

The naked, therefore, who compete
Against the nude may know defeat;
Yet when they both together tread
The briary pastures of the dead,
By Gorgons with long whips pursued,
How naked go the sometime nude!

Sidebar: I don't know why this came to mind, maybe my quest for passion, for heat, for the desire to do. I thought about my English teacher Mr. Rey and how much we both liked this poem, the way the words rolled off our tongues as well as its sexual seduction. Maybe you've heard of it, maybe this is the first time. Enjoy!

WHO ARE WE, REALLY?

Sooo, I got my Showtime back although I've missed out on the last 2 seasons of the L Word, my beloved Weeds and Californication. My new addiction is this united states of Tara chick. I haven't been this excited to tune in since The Wire. Watching Toni Collette and her enormous range of talent should make most of these networks ashamed to greenlight this bullshit we call television, especially when I had to wake up this afternoon to yet another Tyler Perry marathon. The shit just isn't funny anymore. But wait, was it ever? Now, Buck on the other hand {one of Tara's alters} is so funny it hurts. I can't help but see pieces of myself and I wonder if that yucky feeling I get in the pit of my stomach sometimes when I'm turned off by everyone including myself is just my way of transitioning. Does it ever happen to you? I think the most intriguing people suffer from DID, it makes coping with this thing called life a lot easier. Like Weeds, I look forward to hearing the theme song almost as much as the talent behind Diablo Cody's two-finger creation. Not because the plot is off-the-wall different, but because there are hundreds of layers that have yet to be explored. I hate that I can identify with Tara but still feel that pang of skepticism when she goes in & out of reality. Shit, don't we all wish we could...

WHEN I TELL 'EM ROLL UP!

Whether you twist up, favor the yak, pop or D. all of the above, please do it and watch this clip of Travis the Chimp. Fucked up that he went Hannibal on that lady, but this shit is hilare. This is still a wild, fuckin' monkey yo, so why all the disbelief? I haven't lmfao like this in a long time.

*Note: Xanax may decrease inhibitions, increase risk-taking behavior, rage and/or hostility.

A YEAR STRONGER

What exactly do birthdays teach us? I've always looked @ them as my personal New Year where I look back, remembering the times I thought I couldn't make it through this thing called life, understanding just how far a sense of humor can carry a sista. For me, a yearly ritual of reading the journal from the year before, laughing at all of the silent promises that I broke, tears and bath water that smeared my purple ink, tryna figure out where I want to go... They say that if you fail to plan, there really is nothing waiting for you around that corner. Well, I say planning never got me anywhere. As much as I have tried, my life takes its own route. Nevertheless, this gal right here has had major fun, met the most intriguing people and above it all I have loved hard. This year I brought my 28th in @ the 3-card poker table @ Harrah's Casino in the AC where the floor was packed with people gambling their worries, false happiness, drunkeness, and income tax returns away at tables whose limits were way high in honor of Cupid and President's day. If you've ever played 3-card you know how easy it is to fall for the game. When that straight flush comes your way and you're breaking even, the come up is orgasmic, instant gratification @ its best, and then "poof" the thrill is gone! Born on the Day of Inventiveness, I cant wait to see the many ways I'll reinvent MissWomble (2.15). Cheers to me and a round for the eccentric, chaotic crazies who share the same day:

Charles Tiffany, Founder of Tiffany & Co.
Galileo Galilei, Grandfather of Scientific Revolution
Griselda Blanco, Original Cocaine Cowgirl
Baby, Cash $ President
Matt Groening, Creator of The Simpsons
Susan B. Anthony, Women's Activist
John W. Nordstrom, Founder of duh!

Sidebar: Picture us @ the roundtable

JEALOUSY IS LOVE.?.

Not sure if that's a question or a truth. Both, depending on your experiences with the gut-wrenching emotion. Last night I came across the movie, The End of the Affair (1999) starring Julianne Moore and Ralph Fiennes. Instantly pulled in by the words, "This is a diary of hate," I gave it a shot. As I've said before, I'm a fan of dialogue and in awe of any writer who places words exactly where they should be. Set in London WWII, the look of the film is authentic without appearing too grainy. Bendrix, played by Fiennes is consumed by his love for Sarah (Moore), the neglected wife of a dull man who is more interested in serving his country than making love to his wife. Like the movie Unfaithful, I found myself taking sides with these women, both in search of something new that would excite them, make them feel alive, adored, beautiful, wanted... The love scenes are so palpable a girl can't help but clench those thighs tight. Before I continue, one should be in the mood to watch such a movie. It's reminiscent of those 1920 AMC joints where it rains a lot, but don't let that fool you. If you're up for a good story that builds like a top-rated movie should, indulge. After two years of a love affair left in the wind, Bendrix runs into Sarah's husband Henry who is wandering in the rain aimlessly in search of his wife whom he later admits to Bendrix is sleeping around. Embarrassed, Henry confesses that he has thought about seeking out a private detective to reveal the mystery man. Bendrix offers to go in his place, showing us the first signs of jealousy for this woman who cut him off in the midst of fire and desire. I like film reviews but can do without spoilers, so back to the diary. Not sure if it was hate for Sarah, Henry, God or above all, lack of control over one's emotions. Anywho, no matter how many movies tell a tale of infidelity, there will always be an audience struggling with their own existing jealousies, those that have pushed many away and the ones that have yet to be revealed. ?Que piensas?

LEGENDSTATEMENTSTAR

LSS here~~I’M BACK AGAIN, creeping through the shadows as you can always count on me to. Sprinkling my goodie dust (read: that supreme herbal treatment) all over my girl Twig’s blogspot is what I intend to do and fashion, in particular, is what I do here so let’s get right to it, shall we?

It’s gonna be a longer post than usual children, I’m feeling froggy so I’mma leap dammit!

Fashion with a purpose in ’09 bitches is where I’m headed (remember: I don’t compromise comfort to be cute; neither should you!)

So, President and Mrs. Obama have made it officially official (YAY) by shutting down the District of Columbia today with a star-studded inauguration celebration. Being there and feeling the energy was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G…

Mrs. Obama gets an A+ on her first grand fashion appearance on the world stage. She gets an A+ for the following reasons: (Ladies, please-relax and take notes)

• She supported an American designer (check plus Mrs. O)
• She WAS NOT a label whore (check plus Mrs. O)
• She mixed it up by pairing couture with J.Crew (check plus Mrs. O)

Most importantly, Mrs. Obama introduced us (read: the entire world and that dry ass white house) to her brand of “black girl swag” by being daring enough to rock a spectacular Golden-yellow-greenish “grown lady sexy” day dress, shrug and matching overcoat by Cuban-American designer Isabel Toledo to the daytime inauguration events. The critics gonna hate (they already are) but I absolutely adore her color and style choice. It exuded femininity, queendom, optimism and renewal; green, yellow and gold are all colors that usually remind us of LIFE and LIVING and to much of the haters delight is not a color that is typically worn in these cold winter months. Nevertheless, our first lady’s dark brown skin glowed against that beautifully elegant and well-put together ensemble. Let’s not even get into how she straight kilt (yes I said kilt) the “don’t be a label whore” game by pairing her green Jimmy Choo’s with her green J. Crew leather gloves. She made me proud today!

To the 10 (count them T-E-N!) official inauguration balls in the District tonight, Michelle graced the world’s fashion stage again in a Jason Wu original design---an Asian-American designer (she holding ‘em down right? Change certainly has come hasn’t it?). Jason Wu is only 26-years old, by the way, and an extremely talented designer. He’s young, focused and his first line recently debuted! I mean, Mrs. Obama is definitely walking the talk so far in terms of her fashion sense.

Message “to-go”: Keep it grown and sexy in ’09 ladies, don’t be a label whore, support American designers whenever possible, and never be afraid to pair couture with chain store finds.

Cheers and here’s to the fashion forward first black family!

p.s. (did yall check out Mr. President’s razor sharp “black boy” shape up? Dude was so very fresh and so very clean)

GOTTA LOVE THIS CITY

Get 'em! 13-10 Ravens v. Titans

Snoop & Anthony B. in my hometown

{Why they won't give us one more season of The Wire}
"This thing is bigger than Nino Brown, and I got a list to prove it. If I'm going down, I'm taking a lot of people with me."
-Mayor Sheila Dixon & her boy boy Gov. Marty O'Malley-

FOR YOUR DOWNLOADING PLEASURE

Special thanks to Fader for the link to the new Clipse mixtape sponsored by Complex. I mean, there really isn't too much to say when it comes to these dudes because the music speaks for itself. If you've ever rode out to any Clipse mixtape where your mind just starts zonin' for a good 2 hours, you can feel me. Will the cmonwealth residents get the proper respect this year?

POP FICTION

Getting back to the idea of purity, you finished this album in three weeks. Are you creating without thinking about it as much now?
Yeah, but when you say don’t think about it... People say, “He’s a pop singer now,” and I’m like, Yes, correct! They’re like, “It sounds like he wrote this in five minutes,” and I’m like, You’re right, it took me five minutes! Is something better if it took five years than if it took five minutes? I feel like all the words are in you, you’re just blocking yourself, you’re blocking your creativity. Society has put up so many boundaries, so many limitations on what’s right and wrong that it’s almost impossible to get a pure thought out. It’s like a little boy, looking at colors, and no one told him what colors are good, before somebody tells you you shouldn’t like pink because that’s for girls. Why would anyone pick blue over pink? Pink is obviously a better color. Everyone’s born confident, and everything’s taken away from you. So many people try to put their personality on someone else. Especially me, they try to suggest what I should do. What I want people to realize at this point is, I don’t give a fuck. That’s why I made this album. I’m using Auto-Tune because I don’t give a fuck. I like the way it sounds. This is the way I’ma put my shit up, this what I like the most.
-Kanye, Fader Magazine