Best Nine: 2017 Edition

2017 gone already? Well, Best Nine says these are my best pics of last year. Not a bad assessment. There are sprinkles of adventure, dance and protest, and you see me around the city, at work and in protest. I love that my grandmother appears twice. So does the Capitol. Is the system trolling me?

Get Off the Fence!

In general, I love a brunch. When brunch comes with flowing mimosas, an unfiltered Jenifer Lewis and swag, I'm pretty damn giddy. As any good mama does, Mother Lewis laid gem after gem after gem. A couple of my favorite quotes below.

You better find the colors in your life. That's why I put the red on. Pop it! - Jenifer Lewis, entertainer and author of The Mother of Black Hollywood

When you get on the fence, it's bad, but a lot of it is a pity party.

That's how Mother Lewis relayed a time in her life when her mother's passing coincided with her being under the spell of a con artist. She literally fell onto a fence while walking her dog and had to consciously remind herself to get up and move on not only from the fence, but also the relationship, which was a farce. This is a great piece of advice for trips - the literal and the metaphorical. Your current situation doesn't have to be a permanent residency. For me, I imagine other destinations, but the most difficult part is making and executing a plan to get to there.

When you in bed & you're so depressed, thank God you have to pee.

Truth! Funny! Common sense! Thankfully, there are some general bodily functions that are hard to do while lying on your back. Again, the simple Mama Lewis theme here is "Get up. Move."

To Be Continued

This month, my trip to Spain came and went, and two weeks later, I'm still sorting through pictures. One thing I know - this is my favorite image. I like that I'm off center in this gorgeous landscape. I love that I spent the day with my niece in Barcelona, and she took this image. This photo reminds that there are many more adventures ahead. 

Double Your Rates

I love a creative conversation, and tonight, Candidly 02 "Knowing Your Worth and Getting Paid" satisfied that need and taught me a few things about Fin(e)ance. Get it? You see "fine," right?

Ok. My creativity is reaching there, but ya get it. These entrepreneurs focused on how they have come to understand their value and get paid for that intellect. What I enjoyed is that few of these creative leaders profit from just one skill.

Farrah Skeiky is a photographer and social media guru who specializes in restaurants and such. Amazingly, she has 14 clients on a monthly retainer. Christian Dutilh (along with his partner Jacob Weinzettel) runs the cheeky creative agency Composite Co. 

When I grow up, I want to be a dancer/writer/activist just like Holly Bass. Virginia Arrisueno is the principal designer of fashion brand DeNada, and she happens to also run the creative agency Blanca Concepts. 

Notes & Tidbits

1. Always ask your potential clients what their budget is and set your rates from there. That's also a fast way to discover whether they are ready to hire. 

2.  Approach the people you'd like to work with and outline what you can do for them. That's one way to create opportunity and exposure for yourself.  

3. Set your value based on what the client is getting in return. Also, if you ask for what seems to be an extravagant price, there's a good chance you will be treated as a luxury.  

A Good Day

At the end of the day, if I can say I had fun, it was a good day. --Simone Biles

Multi-tasking...I took this lovely pic while in line to get our food and drink.

In our hyper-connected lives, we curate tales focused on the good, and as viewers, we also watch for those good moments that often inspire Fear of Missing Out. FOMO. That's what happened the first time I heard about Diner en Blanc, a pop up party that happens once per year in cities across the world (mainly Europe and North America I think).

There are literally thousands of people who descend on one public area to have dinner together. And there are rules, many rules. You must dress in all white. Your table decoration must be all white. You must bring all of your dinner supplies with you or rent them through the official DEB vendors. In 2015, through Twitter, I saw associates of mine excitedly journeying to a secret location with picnic tables, chairs and decoration in tow, and I wanted to know - how did I miss this? 

The payoff for your effort is moments like this. I had dinner and danced on Pennsylvania Ave.

So last year, I vowed to get in on this party. I first tried the proper channels of registering through the website with a chance to buy tickets in the third round of sales. Third Round. The third round rarely works out, and even though I was online at noon right when the few remaining tickets when on sale, I got nothing but the wait list. It was time for a work around. 

I just happened know a group leader and felt bold enough to reach out directly. I got in within an hour. That's actually what I recommend for any first-timer. Contact someone you know is going because tickets are often traded on the message boards, and some folks sell the tickets eagerly.

I really enjoyed last year. My meet up spot was Foggy Bottom, so it was a relatively easy stroll to the Henry Bacon Park on the National Mall. And it was all new. I wore a dress I already had, but stressed over shoes and table decoration. It all worked out. You can wear white sneakers!

This year, this vet relaxed. Seriously. I wore jeans and a shirt. Comfortable, but still cute. My group met at Dupont Circle, and we were essentially forewarned that we'd be riding the metro. We checked in and journeyed to Judiciary Square...where the escalators DID NOT WORK. Need I remind you that each group was carrying a table plus chairs and for some people, extra fancy decoration? The work it took for hundreds of us to walk up the stairs was extraordinary. Also, we all just happened to look like the Leftovers' Guilty Remnant (sans the chain-smoking).

My table companion, Candace, guessed that we were headed to the Capitol, and she was right. About 4,500 people converged on Pennsylvania Ave., and we were on the end closest to the Capitol. It was an amazing, coordinated sight. Too bad, dinner set up didn't go as smoothly as last year. We had to move our table no less than four times. The line for food and wine looped around, and I missed the napkin wave while in line. I believe these hiccups came because this event had 1,000 more people than 2015. Better planning on my part and the event planners' part is necessary, but will I be back next year? Probably. 

A few tips for a good time:

Most of this decoration came from my bestie - TJ Maxx.

1. Relax. If dressing up like a princess or socialite isn't you, don't. The requirement is to wear white. Whatever you do make sure it's you, and you feel good. Also, your shoes can be a neutral color. I even saw some reds this year.
2. Shop the clearance section for clothes and decorations. Again, this doesn't have to be a large investment. I got many of the items I used - LED candles, napkins, napkin rings and plates - in clearance at TJ Maxx. Also, it's turning fall, so I got my jeans and blouse from the super-duper sales at Ann Taylor Loft and Banana Republic. Also, if you want to be dressier, Gilt had several white dresses on sale.
3. Bring your own food. This is me next year. I don't need a big full meal. I would have enjoyed cheese, fruit, bread, crackers and hummus more than the chicken and fancy vegetables and sauces I had.
4. Carry your materials in a grocery cart. Colors don't matter here. Definitely use something that will make going a distance easier.
5. Get your wine after you've eaten. The lines died down pretty quickly once everyone started eating. Also, this may ensure you don't get tipsy early on.

Meet the Edmonson Sisters (Since We're Talking About Statues)

While Confederate honoring statues are dominating the conversation, let me focus on a different statue and history from a different point of view. This statue of Mary and Emily Edmonson sits in Old Town Alexandria right on the same block as my barre studio, and I noticed it for the first time yesterday. 

Mary and Emily Edmonson were sisters who tried to escape slavery as teens. In 1848,  they joined an Underground Railroad trip that promised a journey from Washington, DC to New Jersey. Alas, the boat was caught, and as punishment for trying to escape, they were sent to New Orleans to serve as prostitutes.

Amazingly, they ended up returning to Virginia because there was an outbreak of yellow fever in New Orleans. The Edmonson sisters were slaves because they were born to a mother who was in bondage. However, their father was a free man, and upon their return and with the assistance of abolitionist Henry Ward Beecher, he was able to pay $2,250 to buy their freedom.

The Beecher family including author Harriet Beecher Stowe supported the education of the girls who attended Central College and Oberlin College, and both sisters became abolitionists. While Mary died at a young age from tuberculosis, Emily continued to work for civil rights throughout her life.

One thing that stands out to me - this statue stands in the place where a slave trader's pens once were. With a Whole Foods across the street and a fancy real estate agency at its back, it's easy to ignore this piece of Old Town's long history. I come to this block at least once per week and had no idea of this corner's legacy. History is literally with us every day, and we need to understand, not romanticize, our foundations.

I applaud the existence of this statute, but unfortunately, the sign doesn't share this full story and significance of this block. Without curiosity, many will never know the history. 

A Night to Protest

That's me standing behind Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi as we stand watch at the Capitol last Thursday, the night the Senate voted yet again on an Affordable Care Act repeal. Or was it Repeal and Replace? Skinny Repeal? Who knows these days. What's accurate is that the current administration and its Republican colleagues in Congress want fundamental changes to the way health care functions in our country. And somehow this equates with dismantling the current system and ensuring millions lose care. 

I'm trying to give the Capitol a side eye. I'm working on the technique.

This protest wasn't my original plan for a Thursday night. I went to Capitol Hill to attend a rooftop Sip 'n' See for the upcoming Diner en Blanc, a pop up party that brings together thousands of folks to dress in white and dine in an outside location. It's a whimsical event that is part of my bougie in the city life. As I sipped my wine, I couldn't help but look over to the Capitol and wonder what was going down. I felt a need to show up. To show my face and my displeasure at what seemed inevitable at that point (no, I didn't trust John McCain).

I hadn't heard about a protest, but surely there was one. I checked my goto planner, Twitter. Using the keywords"DC" and "protest," I found an image that MoveOn had posted just a couple of hours before, and their Facebook page listed meeting time and location.  

This is what democracy looks like!

I arrived about 7:45, and there were maybe 15 people. That gave me second thoughts, but, hey, technically, meet up time was 8. I stuck it out, grabbed a sign and lined up behind the large banner. I had no idea what was about to transpire.

This night, I heard from Congresswoman Pelosi, Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood and additional members of Congress. I also saw and heard stories from people who are affected by these policies. This includes the Little Lobbyists, ADAPT, and The Arc. Their stories and activism were incredibly moving. It felt good to be there, chant and be a witness to this historical moment. 

Still, I was nervous. I didn't stay up to see how the vote turned out. I was exhausted physically and mentally. I woke about 4 a.m. and heard the measure had failed. I felt elation, a kind of elation that's been missing since last November. While I'm not sure that this will hold, I am grateful for this victory for the people. Thank you Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski (and, you, too Senator McCain). 

Let's Be Honest: Trip Planning Is a Pain, But Here Are a Few Tips

I'm going to Spain...I think. Let's just say my travel mates and I have agreed to location, but over the last couple of months, concrete travel plans have failed to launch. Now that the trip is just a couple of months out, it's time to stop playing around and start getting real.

Here are a few tips we'll use. Ok, "we" might be strong here. I'll propose these (and some will be shut down). 

1. Explore the off season. Indeed. I frolicked in Puerto Rico in September back in the days when my budget was really limited, but guess what? It's warm in the Caribbean year round, so go when most folks aren't there. Even if you can't change the season, be willing to fly or depart a day or two earlier.
2. Travel with people who have similar dispositions or encourage you to try something new. Trips in which you try to avoid other people tend to be costlier. This isn't a suggestion that you travel with your twin, but find someone who will push you to really enjoy the surroundings. My sister did this in Cancun last year. I never would've gone horseback riding or driven an ATV through muddy paths.
3. Ask locals what there is to do and try free activities such as walking tours. This is a new one for me. I first heard the advice at the BlogHer17 Travel Hack panel. These travel pros suggested visiting a local library or visitor's center to learn about specials and save money.
4. Use cost saving services (eg. Groupon) for local adventures. It worked for Tiffany Haddish and Will and Jada. Watch the video.
5. Book the first two hotel nights and your last night. Find adventure in between. This is another new one for me. I traveled to London by myself and wish I'd done this. While I had a nice hotel right at Leceister Square, it would've been lovely to explore other areas. 

Say Their Names: Nina, Aunt Sarah, Safronia, Sweet Thing and PEACHES!

I started listening to Nina Simone in my 20s as I grew and survived some of my tough, lonely times. I suppose it was the time of my quarter life crisis when friendships were changing, I started a "career," and no longer had the social and familial safety nets that existed through college and grad school.

"Four Women" always stood out due to the power of Nina's voice, and the experiences of black womanhood that she gives voice to.

Always known to highlight four stereotypes of black women, I like to imagine these women as four generations. Aunt Sarah, whose skin is black and has taken the pain again and again, is the head of this matriarchal line. Part of the pain she references is rape, and from that rape, Safronia is born. Safronia's skin is yellow, and she tells of how her father is a rich white man who forced her mother late one night. Safronia's skin and hair make her stand out from both the black and white communities. While some of these physical attributes are prized, she is clearly alienated.

The next generation is the tan-skinned Sweet Thing, who belongs to "anyone who has money to buy." Sweet Thing asserts her physical attributes from which she makes a living. In fact, it seems that she can seduce anyone. Peaches, the daughter of Sweet Thing, emphasizes her brown skin, tough manner and bitterness, which stems directly from her (fore)parents being slaves. While most of the verses here are smoothly sung, Peaches doesn't just tell her story, she emphatically wills herself into existence and the popular landscape. The "Four Women" story crescendoes with the announcement of her name.

Last week, when I first heard Jay-Z's "The Story of O.J.," I was struck immediately. I appreciated the tale of how no matter what levels you rise to or your stated difference in this American space, you are still judged by your common denominator, which as Jay-Z says here is "still nigga." I also thought the minstrel-themed animation that accompanies the song was clever.

So, yes, all in all, I rock with the song, but I lament that black women serve as the background to a general tale of light, dark, faux, real, rich, poor, house and field blacks folks. In imagery and animation, the focus of this tune has shifted to black men. And stories of race all too often default to black men. 

Nina appears in this video animated in a style that is distinctly her, but if you don't know her or her style, you won't recognize the piano player as distinctly important and the author of the original tune. She and these other vibrant women, like most of the black women organizers in the Civil Rights Movement, have become background characters. And that, unfortunately, is the exact opposite of what was intended with this original song.