Happy Third Anniversary!

I’m celebrating yet another year of my blog, The Blazing Chronicles.  So much has happened in the last year in terms of my writing and meeting my personal writing goals.  I want to thank all of my friends (real life friends and i-friends) and family who read my blog as well as all of the followers of my blog.  Thank you again for showing love.

In the year of 2012, I plan to post more frequently and also to include more blogs that are a bit more personal.  Often, I write about the books I’m reading, the music I am listening to or love or places and events that I’ve gone to.  I’ve been reading blogs lately that have a lot more personal essays and I find them to be intriguing and inspiring as a writer.  Most often, the writings that I love the most are those that are just raw with emotion.  The type of writing where everything that person is feeling or thinking is left on the page.  As a writer, I can tell you that writing with raw emotion is difficult.  Not the writing itself, but the battle against censoring those thoughts and feelings and questioning whether you should share them with the world. Who really wants to put their “crazy” on blast?

Most times, I tend to write my most raw feelings and emotions in my poetry.  Whenever I was going through something, I find it easier to write a poem than to write in my journal.  Over the last few years, I’ve improved greatly with this.  But writing my personal thoughts and feelings more would be the next level.  And so, I will challenge myself to write with more raw emotion in 2012.  And not just in my blog, but also in all other areas of my writing.

I was watching a clip of the singer Vesta Williams talking about her stage performances in her episode of the documentary of Unsung.  (Great, great series that everyone should watch!)  She said that when she performed she left everything she had on the stage.  All her passion, her feelings, her energy, every drop of what she had on that stage.  (RIP Vesta!)

And I thought to myself, shouldn’t we all do that with whatever our passion is?  For me, my passion is writing and so I am challenging myself to leave it all on the page this year.  And for every year after that.

Here’s to more writing in 2012!

Naj

Christmas Tree

The holiday season is my favorite time of year.  I love the weather, the festivities, the evergreen trees, the decorations, the beautiful storefront windows, candy canes, the lights that seem to cover almost everything, all of the presents (big and small), and the Christmas spirit that seems to be contagious.

There is nothing better than decorating your home with as much or as little decorations as you want, spending the holidays with the family or just kicking back with a mug of hot chocolate and your favorite Christmas songs playing on the iPod.  Even better are the holiday parties (with people you actually like or care about) or watching a Christmas play—think the Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall or the Nutcracker or any other holiday play you can get tickets to.

Some of my favorite holiday memories are the simple things.  Decorating my house for the holidays and being with family on Christmas and watching back-to-back basketball games, a spread of the best soul food in the kitchen, and a little dancing to good music.  I especially love the Christmas gospel concerts at my church.  He is the reason for the season and I especially feel this whenever I am in church.

I have learned to love this season for what it is and to appreciate the little things.  I don’t look for the perfect holiday, the perfect gifts or decorations or even the perfect holiday parties.  Sadly, I can remember a time when I didn’t.  And this was because I wanted the perfect Christmas holiday.  You know the one that you see on television on your favorite show or on the most popular commercials for the season…The photo spreads in magazines of staged holiday parties where all the men dressed in suits with bow ties and women dressed in velvet…The gargantuan evergreen tree perfectly decorated just a few feet away from the custom-made stockings on the mantle of the enormous stone fireplace…The luxury car parked in the driveway with the red bow on top and the pile of presents under the Christmas tree that cover the range of our wants and desires.

And yes, there is a place for all of this.  We all want the perfect Christmas holiday—and it’s amazing if you get it—but it isn’t necessary to be in the holiday spirit.  Once I learned that, I grew to love the holiday season the way I used to as a kid.  It’s now my favorite time of year and I won’t let anything take the Christmas spirit from me again.  I hope you enjoy this season and make it something special to you and those you love.

Happy Holidays!

Naj

Back in February, I discussed at length the advent of the digital age and its effects on bookworms like myself with my post Digital Bookworm.  Since then, there have been several new arrivals of tablets on the electronic market.   Now, bookworms can read books in color, browse the Internet, send email, download applications etc. all on one device.  Does this mean that I no longer have to carry two and three books at a time when I’m riding the subway?  Perhaps not anymore.

Kindle Fire

The Kindle Fire was released in early November and advertised as a more affordable rival to the illustrious iPad 2.  At only $199, the Kindle Fire brings the tablet to a new audience and also incorporates all that bookworms love about the Kindle. Critics love the Kindle Fire as much as fans do.  Since its release, the Kindle Fire has been flying off the shelves and its most recent sales are now rivaling the iPad 2.  (Something to think about.)

Nook Tablet

The Nook Tablet was also released in November.  Like the Kindle Fire, it marries the Nook with the technology of the tablet.  The Nook Tablet has also taken it one step further by adding a soft cushion to the back of the tablet without sacrificing weight or size and critics have remarked that it is easier to use, has better battery life and a coveted SD card slot—missing in most tablets.  All of this ensures that the Nook Tablet will be able to compete with the Kindle Fire and the iPad 2.

Toshiba Thrive

Not to miss out on the tablet race, Toshiba released the Toshiba Thrive back in July.  An Android-based tablet, the Toshiba Thrive is a slightly bigger in size and weight which gives it a sturdiness not found in other tablets.  The Toshiba Thrive focused on connectivity and convenience with this tablet offering full sized USB, HDMI and SD ports.  The battery can easily be removed and can be replaced with another with ease.  For its Internet connection, it uses Wi-Fi but not 3G and has a relatively good camera.  Price-wise, the Toshiba Thrive is priced about the same as the iPad 2.  It’s a good option for those who love Android based electronics.

Sony S Tablet

September saw the release of the Sony S Tablet, another Android 3.0 based tablet with two versions, Tablet S and Tablet P.  The Sony Tablet S follows the standard tablet shape and features but has a funky asymmetric design and wrap effect that gives it an “off-centered gravity feel” that Sony wanted users to have.  This design also features a swooping plastic attachment at the back of the tablet which will allow users to prop up the device with ease.  Mobile access is both Wi-Fi and 3G and users have the bonus of USB ports, front and rear cameras among other features.

The Sony Tablet P is a clam-shell shaped tablet that flips to a close like a handheld gaming device.  (Think Sony PSP.)  Dual touch screens with full screen capability (although there are seams across the middle of this tablet) make it fun to use and its fold-able design makes it even easier to carry.  The release date for the Tablet P is still pending but this is one to look out for.

Blackberry Playbook

The Blackberry Playbook, released in April, brings the Blackberry OS system to the tablet market.  For fans of the Blackberry,myself included, the Playbook has the potential to be a strong contender when issues such as the native e-mail, BBM application and updated operating system are addressed.  The Blackberry Playbook 2, slated for February 2012 release, will have said changes and should see substantial sales as a result.  Recently, discounted Blackberry Playbooks have disappeared off the shelves which suggests that Playbook has a promising future if developed right.  We shall see.

The days of the written page may look bleak for the dawn of a new era has already arrived.  Yesterday it was the e-book reader, today it is the tablet, who knows what the future will hold.  Bookworms, like myself, are moving from the printed page to the latest electronic reader and we have more options to choose from than ever before.  And of course, it’s always good for a bookworm to have options. Now that the holidays are here, the timing could not be more perfect.

Which tablet or e-book reader are you going to buy?  For myself, I am still surveying the tablet market.  I have not yet made a decision on which one to buy.  Part of me wants one solely for my books (I’m thinking a Nook Tablet or Kindle Fire would serve this purpose) and then to have another for mobility purposes (iPad 2 is a front runner).  But perhaps that is unnecessary or being greedy?  Techies, what do you think?

Keep reading,

Naj

The Bearden Project is a collection of works by contemporary artists who were all influenced by master artist, the late Romare Bearden.  Romare Bearden was an African-American artist and writer whose art consisted of various media including collage, oils and cartoons and whose writing includes songs that are now considered jazz classics.  Bearden was born in Charlotte and raised in Harlem with stints in Pittsburgh and Charlotte.  His family was a prominent educated middle class family that moved to Harlem in the early 1910s and took part in the Harlem Renaissance.  Bearden completed high school in Pittsburgh, received his degree from NYU and also studied at the Sorbonne.  He spent most of his life in New York City, but also had a second home in St. Maarten with his wife, Nanette.  More can be learned about Romare Bearden, here.

On September 2, 2011, marked the centennial of Romare Bearden’s birth, and is being celebrated in many places around the world.  In Charlotte, North Carolina, Romare’s hometown, they have broke ground on what will be the Romare Bearden Park, and in New York City, the Metropolitan Museum is having a retrospective of his work, in addition to several other city museums which have his art work in their collection.

The Bearden Project is an eclectic mixture of pieces by Romare Bearden himself and artists who were influenced by him.  According to the Studio Museum of Harlem website, some of the artists featured had seen him at art lectures or art talks or encountered his work at local museums while in art school.  Each week the collection will expand as it focuses on ten different artists and the collection is expected to stay at the Studio Museum of Harlem until September 2012.  This collection was developed and organized by Lauren Haynes, an Assistant Curator at the museum.

As I walked around the exhibition, I saw that the artists had so many different ways of drawing on Romare Bearden’s works for inspiration as the artist himself.  Some artists created works whose line of inspiration could easily be traced back to a work of Bearden’s, while others took fragments of his works to create entirely new works, or created tributes to the artist.  For example, several artists reinterpreted Bearden’s The Block series, some  using collage, 3-D diagrams and life-size murals for their interpretation.  Alison Saar’s Bain Froid, a beautiful piece that incorporates paint and collage was inspired by Bearden’s catalogue, The Prevalence of Ritual.

Faith Ringgold’s, Bearden We Love You, is a sweet and whimsical piece that uses an image of Bearden and a mixed media pattern of print and word.  Pieces by artists such as Shinique Smith, John Outterbridge, Leonardo Drew, Kori Newkirk, Kehinde Wiley and Julie Mehretu exhibited those inflections of inspiration from Bearden, but were all clearly their own.  It was an interesting mix of works to see and I found myself in love with several pieces.

I encourage all art lovers or fans of Romare Bearden to visit the Studio Museum of Harlem and explore the Bearden Project for themselves.  I am sure that I will revisit this exhibit soon.

Take care,

Naj

The congas and percussion beat

I can see you dancing

In Puerto Rico’s tropical heat

I can see you on the Loisiada

Where you salsa’d in the streets

I can see you up in Spanish Harlem

Where you and Rita would meet

The big Latin bands would play

And you two could dance the night away

It must have been sweet

I wish I could explain

How a love so young and fleeting

Could leave scars so deep

We never had a connection

The truth was like a thief

Fragments of you

Slipped through

But of the details

Rita did not speak

And so I see you in rhythms

I feel you in song

I see you in every step and spin

At every dance hall

All night long

And when I need to find you

I just tap into that place

Where just a little bit of you

Resides in that special place.

Naj

11 November 2011

Pebbles-Mercedes Boy

Pebbles-Girlfriend

Vesta-Sweet Sweet Love

Vesta-Congratulations

Vanessa Williams-Work To Do

Vanessa Williams-Save The Best For Last

Karyn White-The Way You Love Me

Karyn White-Superwoman

Mary J. Blige-Real Love

Mary J. Blige Feat. Lil Kim-I Can Love You

EnVogue-Giving Him Something He Can Feel

EnVogue-My Lovin’ (You’re Never Gonna Get It)

SWV-So Into You

Jade-Don’t Walk Away

Zhane-Sending My Love

TLC-Creep

TLC-Diggin’ On You

TLC-Red Light Special

Please Note: I did not include any of the artists that were about the same age as I was during that time.  So, Aaliyah, Monica, Brandy and Destiny’s Child are all missing from this playlist.  Maybe  next time…

Signing off,

Naj

Single Ladies

This summer VH1 premiered a new television series, Single Ladies.  Created by Queen Latifah and Stacy A. Littlejohn, the series is set in Atlanta and follows three best friends, Valerie Stokes or “Val” (Stacey Dash), Keisha Greene (LisaRaye McCoy) and April Goldberg-Jenkins (Charity Shea) as they pursue their dreams and seek love in the big city.

The series opens with Val ending her engagement to NBA player, Quinn Davis (Timon Kyle) and opening up a fashion boutique, Keisha embarking on a new career as a real estate agent and April juggling a marriage to her husband Darryl (Anthony Montgomery) and pursuing her dream to be an A&R executive at a music label.

Later on, viewers are introduced to Omar (Travis Winfrey), April’s right hand man at the boutique and Christina Carter (Kassandra Clementi), a wild child fashion intern; both of whom bring their love of fashion, snarky wit and drama to the boutique and Val’s life.

We learn quickly that all of the girls have baggage and a story to tell.  Keisha was a music video girl with a closet full of secrets and a professional poker player.  When she becomes interested in Malcolm Franks (D.B. Woodside), a millionaire jewelry designer, she is challenged to confront the truth about her past and the lack of love in her life.  We also learn that April is having an affair with the mayor of Atlanta played by Common, and is overwhelmed by her marriage and the lack of advancement she has made at the record company she works for.  Val tries to find Mr. Right and has almost found him when she meets Jerry Waters (Colin Salmon), a multi-millionaire and divorced Southern gentleman.  Drama ensues as the ladies try to juggle their love lives and professional goals, all while maintaining their friendship.

Although the critics have bashed this show, I am a fan.  (And the ratings suggest that I’m not the only fan of the show.)  What I enjoy about his comedy-drama-romance series is that it tackles real-life issues with a heavy sense of humor and a strong dose of drama.  I especially like that the series shows women in unusual romantic relationships and the issues that surround these types of relationships.  But what I love best is the friendship shown between the three women and how supportive they are of each other’s dreams.  Unlike other shows, Single Ladies, isn’t afraid to show how friendships are tested.  For example, we learn that Val was Darryl’s friend first and being friends of the couple while being aware of April’s infidelity later causes issues between the three.

I’ve learned recently that the show was picked up for another season and I’m pleased to hear that.  I’ve been watching the show faithfully with my mother and it’s a show we can both watch and relate to.  It’s also not too sexy, if you know what I mean.  I’m not a prude but I don’t want to watch a show that’s overly sexy with my Mama.  For example, I loved Sex and the City, and my mother did too, but we could never watch that show together.  There are just some things that I don’t want my Mama to know about it, even if she does already know about it.  You dig?

The only cloud in this parade is that Stacey Dash may not return for season two of Single Ladies.  The blogs have been raving about “drama” on the set, and I don’t always believe everything I read, but I had hopes that it was all for publicity and that Stacey Dash would stay.  But now, I wonder what will happen with this series and if she is replaced what kind of effect—if any—it will have on the next season.  We’ll just have to wait and see.

Naj

Update: Stacey Dash was replaced by Denise Vasi, formerly of All My Children.  No word on if she will play “Val” or another character.

My cat Cally keeps me company when I'm writing.

On June 19, 2011, at about 6:15 in the morning I completed the first draft of my novel.  I was sitting right here at my desk and listening to the Music Choice channel on cable television when the song Billie Jean by Michael Jackson came on.  I had been writing all night, the final chapters so clearly ingrained in my mind and in need of finishing that I literally could not stop writing.  No matter what comes of my writing career or my book, I doubt that I will ever forget that moment.

This novel, which I began dreaming up and writing in 2000, has been with me so long it has often felt like a never-ending pregnancy.  Even in the days, weeks and months where I could not bring myself to actually write anything, this novel has always been with me.  Simmering and stirring in the back of my head at every turn.  A pulsating voice from within telling me to “just write the book already,” or was that the voice of my mother.  Or maybe both?  Either way it’s been over ten years of blood, sweat, tears, procrastination, doubts, triumphs and persistence.

I can’t say much about the novel just yet, but I can tell you that it will be the first book in a four book series.  And because I have been working on this book so long, it is more like a 1.5 draft of the novel than an actual first draft.  And of course, being a draft I’m not delusional enough to think that the novel is perfect as it is.  I still have a long way to go.  But in writing this entry, I am in my own way pronouncing my entry into the publishing industry in the near future and also putting pressure on myself to edit and rewrite the novel in a timely fashion.  And frankly, after all of these years, shouldn’t have I the right to celebrate something?  LOL.

Although I’ve been writing since I was about five or six years old, and have written everything from plays, poems, songs, essays, short stories and novellas, writing a novel has always been a lifelong goal.  More importantly, I’ve wanted to be a full-time writer since the time I read an interview with Jackie Collins and realized that her ‘job’ was writing novels on her laptop by her swimming pool at her mansion in California.  I was twelve years old and thought that was the most fantastic job ever.  LOL.  I remember telling my mother this and she thought it was great but that I should always pursue something more realistic to “fall back on.”   Thus, the reason I have a bachelor’s degree in Economics.

Fantasies aside, I have learned so much about myself and about my writing process.  During the entire writing process, I kept a novel for my notebook and I also kept a journal where I wrote about my feelings after each writing session.  Reading back earlier entries help me to see where I’ve grown and become more confident in myself as a writer and in my “voice”—-the belief that I have something to say and that I have the right to say it.

After a really tough year, I am just so excited that I’m finally making headway in something that I love to do.  No matter what is going on in my corner of the world, when I’m writing I am the happiest.  I’m usually very cautious about sharing my dreams and goals with anyone, let alone the world, but this is just something that I feel the need to share.  And of course, I am prayerful and grateful to God every step of the way.

Glory!

Naj

Hector Lavoe

On June 29, 1993, we lost Salsa great, Hector Lavoe.  I remember the day he died, his fans were distraught but also celebrated his life by playing his music and dancing in the streets.  The news showed these “informal parades” on the streets of Spanish Harlem and the Lower East Side on the day of his funeral.  I was not yet a fan, but our neighbor Sonia was.  She was Puerto Rican and a close friend of the family.  I remember her crying about Hector as she stood in front of the building.  A car floated by blaring one of his songs and it only made her cry more.  It was not until years later that I truly understood her grief and adoration.

Hector Lavoe was a popular Salsa singer who rose to fame in the 1970s alongside his musical partner and close friend, Willie Colon.  Lavoe was born Hector Juan Perez Martinez on September 30, 1949 and raised in the Machuelito section of Ponce, Puerto Rico and came to New York City in the 1960s at the age of 17 to pursue his musical career.  He immediately began working with local bands eventually joining Willie Colon’s band.  With Willie Colon, Lavoe achieved fame and success with songs like Che Che Cole and  Aguanile.  Lavoe eventually separated from Willie Colon’s band in the early 1970s due to issues with tardiness and a developing addiction to drugs.

Still, he continued to work with Willie Colon and became successful as a solo artist with classic hits, El Periodico de Ayer and El Cantante among others.  Through it all, Lavoe struggled with depression and an addiction to drugs.  He suffered many losses and tragedies, including deaths of close family members, and used these events to inspire much of his music.  Unfortunately, he contracted HIV in the 1980s due to intravenous drug use and succumbed to complications of AIDS in 1993.

Hector Lavoe remains a legend and his music is still played in the barrios, in films and talked about by modern Latino singers such as Marc Anthony and many others.  In the early 2000s, a biopic El Cantante, was released with Marc Anthony playing Hector Lavoe and Jennifer Lopez as Hector’s wife, Nilda aka Puchi.  It a cult classic film and one of my favorite movies.  Anyone who is interested in knowing Hector’s story should watch this film.  I simply cannot recommend it enough.

Because Hector Lavoe is my favorite salsa singer and in memory of his death, I am devoting this Musical Playlist entirely to him.  He had such a beautiful voice, sang amazing songs and was an outstanding performer.  (Unfortunately, I never saw him perform live, but have seen performance clips online and in films.)

Because Lavoe was such a fantastic singer and performer, I am only including links to clips of his performances to some of my favorite songs by him.  I hope that you will enjoy them and discover/celebrate his talent.

Periodico de Ayer

Todo Poderoso

El Cantante

Triste y Vacia

Juana Pena

Mi Gente

Aguanile

Che Che Cole & Barrunto 

Te Conozco/Bacalao

La Murga

RIP Hector Lavoe. You are truly missed.

Naj

Salsa Dance

I think I want to be a Salsera.  I don’t speak much Spanish, but I find myself very attracted to Latin music and especially Salsa.

I don’t know if it’s because I’m part Latina (my grandfather was Puerto Rican) or because growing up I heard salsa, merengue and Latin Jazz as much as I heard soul, R&B, and hip hop music.  Either way, I’ve always been mesmerized by the musical instruments and rhythms found in Latin music.

I can recall watching a Latin jazz band play on the Jazzmobile at the street fair in Hell’s Kitchen, the neighborhood my father lived in when I was growing up.  Sometimes he’d even take me to salsa concerts in the park around the city.  He loves music and if the concert is free, more than likely he’ll go anywhere to see live entertainment.  In Harlem, salsa and merengue blared from radios and speakers in front of stores on Broadway, inside of the bodegas on every corner and from my neighbor’s window whenever they were having a weekend party.

Part of the reason why I wanted to learn Spanish so badly was because I wanted to know what the artists were singing about in their songs!  (Being fluent in Spanish was only secondary to this.  And of course, this was before Google would translate lyrics for you.)

In the last year or so, I began to purchase salsa music on my own to add to my ever-growing music collection.  I began with my favorite el cantante, Hector Lavoe.  I also began attending salsa dance parties at Windows Over Harlem, now Melba’s 125, on Friday nights at the State Building on 125th Street with my good friend, Millie.

Whenever I go, I am in awe of the great dancers that seem to converge in this space.  The crowd is interracial and cuts across most age groups, but man can they move!!  Sometimes I feel that the long time Salseros put us young people to shame.  They are expert Salsa dancers and will even slip into other Latin dance moves like the hustle, cha-cha-cha, mambo, rumba, merengue and bachata.

They are so good that watching them makes me more self-conscious of my beginner dance moves.  Sometimes I lose focus as I watch them, fascinated by the intricate movements, twists and turns and the complicated patterns they create.  It only makes me want to move like that too.

The only way to get better is to learn and practice.  I’ve decided that the only way to do this is to take dance lessons.  I haven’t taken a dance class since I was in high school and I’m a little nervous about it, but it’s the only I can become a true Salsera.

For more history on Salsa, see this blog.

Until next time,

Naj