“I like to put Vaseline on my hands and stick them in those Borghese conditioning gloves while watching infomercials.”

Since I have been on this whole self-reflecting/soul-searching mode lately, I thought about some of my habits that would fall under this category.  And boy, I do have quite a few that definitely is “Secret Single Behavior”.  Since I can go on and on about my SSB tendencies, I think I just share one every Sunday…

SSB #1: I like to re-organize my closet, and while in the process I would try on random outfits and pose in front of my closet mirror.

Yeah I know that does not sound that bizarre but I have a pretty bad habit of doing that, hence why it takes me forever to put away clothes.  I just feel like here in Seattle, there are not many occasions to dress up for.  It’s such a shame since I own a lot of cute cocktail dresses that have been only one once or twice.  My goal this summer is to sport all twenty dresses at least once.  This is definitely one of the things I’ll give up out of embarrassment if I do find a bf /or move in with a guy.

What sort of SSB do you possess?

I turned 25 on November 24th and it felt so weird to hear people say “Happy quarter of a century birthday to you!” Normally I love celebrating my birthday but not this time.  I couldn’t help but reflect on what my expectations were of me being 25 over 5 years ago and I am nowhere near what I imagined.  When I was 18, I thought that by the age of 25 I would have just brought my own house, traveled to Europe, and be debt free.  That is so not the case…instead, I am still renting a duplex, carless, haven’t been to Europe (yet, but I’ve been to Hawaii, California and Vegas numerous times, Boston, NYC and Colorado), and still in a lot of debt thanks to my college education.  Then again I try not to feel too discouraged because the fall of our economy did have a huge impact on where myself and my fellow collegues are in terms of financial stability.  Sure there’s reports that its getting better but I don’t see how its getting any better if there are still people struggle to save money when they’re trying to pay off their student loans.

Another thing that depressed me after my 25th birthday was how my body has been failing me. I went snowboarding on Black Friday and at the end of the day, I pulled a muscle on my left leg that made it difficult to bear weight on it.  So I had to be sled down the slopes (which wasn’t the most pleasant experience) and pretty much slept for a few days.  I can walk but my hip has been buggin me so much.  I’m not sure what exactly is wrong with it but I’m getting it checked this Friday.  Also, I have been extremely forgetful with small things such as misplacing my keys or my bus pass. Gah…

Anyways, that is what I have been up to for the past month and some odd weeks.  I’ll try to not to slack on this again.

“How so?” I retorted.
“Well you should never take any chances…”

And that right there is what irritates me about people who question me on my decision on not taking the H1N1 vaccine.  You (H1N1 vaccine takers) too are also taking a chance on a new vaccine that has no long term studies.  Have you considered to think about the fact that this vaccine was developed so quickly? Or that there perhaps will be possible side effects other than a sore arm?  Granted, we all have benefited from various vaccines such as the MMR and Hepatitis B vaccines but have you ever stopped and thought out why you need to take a recently developed vaccine?  For example, are you aware that Guillian Barre Syndrome is a possible side effect of the regular flu vaccine?  That personally scares me because that is something I hope I NEVER will have to experience.  Furthermore, I have receieved the flu vaccine for the past three years due to my work setting and everytime I got the shot, I always got sick afterwards.  And I am the type of person who is in good health and rarely gets sick.

I am not advocating people to refuse vaccines. I personally would ask everyone to do your homework before you allow a nurse to prick you in the arm with a substance you do not fully understand.  And I do not fully understand this new vaccine or feel the need to have it.  I feel like this is just a way for the heathcare industry to make a few more bucks.  You may not agree with my mentality but I’d rather respect someone’s decision on getting the vaccination after doing their own research than someone getting the vaccine just because its “the thing to do”.  You know your own body so you be the judge of yourself.

I will be one of those people, tying jingle bells to my shoelaces to participate in the Jingle Bell Run & Walk for Arthritis, a 5K fun run & walk to benefit the Arthritis Foundation. And YOU can help, too!

‘Tis the season for giving! Won’t you sponsor me in my effort to raise funds to fight arthritis? Arthritis affects more than 46 million Americans, including 300,000 children, costing the U.S economy over $128 billion annually. The Arthritis Foundation needs our help.

Please visit my Web page to join my team or make a secure, online contribution to help me reach my fundraising goal. The donations I raise will help fund the Arthritis Foundation’s mission to prevent, control and cure arthritis. Thank you for your support!

http://seattlejinglebellrun.kintera.org/samdg

~Sammie.

I’m also trying to volunteer more in hopes of making some new friends around here.   If you all haven’t heard, Seattle is known for its “social freeze” and I’m hoping to prove that wrong.  Lets see how this all goes.  Hopefully I’ll be able to expand my social circle.

I thought that was a silly observation.  That evening changed my mind.  We were roaming around Hollywood Blvd when a guy we passed by was sprinting after us yelling “Hey lady! You forgot something.” I turned around and ask what did I forget and he responds “You forgot to drop yo number!” I couldn’t help but crack up and walk away.  And it didn’t end there. He followed me for a few blocks telling me how “Foine” and “hott” I was and wanted me to come over to his place later that night. HELL NO.

When we got back to our hotel, I couldn’t help but compare those two incidents.  Reminiscing back to my high school days, I don’t ever recall having any of my male counterparts dropping corny pick up lines or straight up telling me they want to have sex with me.  Instead, they would take the time to find a slick way to get a girl to go on a date with them.  For example, when it was Homecoming/Prom season, high school boys would take the time (and sometimes money) on devise a plan on how to not only ask the girl to the dance but to make her feel special.  I remember when my good friend asked me out to prom, he left me a bouquet of yellow tulips and drew a mexican guy donned in a sombrero on one knee with the caption “Will you go to prom with me?” It was pretty funny, yet cute.  I also still remember the endless attempts of my ex asking me out on a date.  He never used cheesy lines or tried to act like he was the shit but instead just straight up told me why he wanted to take me out: because he enjoyed talking to me, thought I was beautiful, etc.  I am not going to lie but it took him three years before I finally agreed to go on a date with him. And that’s another story. lol

Now entering my twenties, I have rarely witness that kind of sincerity.  Instead of hearing someone saying they think I’m pretty or they like me for who I am, it is replaced with “damn you’re so sexy” or “why is a fine lady like you single?”  Sure, its flattering to be called sexy but if a guy is trying to get a date with me, then it makes me question his motives. Does he sincerely want to get to know me or does he plan to have my feet up in the air by the end of the date?

Seriously though, when do boys/men lose that desire to spit game and exhange it for acting sleezy or tacky?  Perhaps I’m somewhat old fashioned for thinking like this?  Or maybe they’re just acting honest.  Whatever it is, if you’re guilty of doing this and reading my post: it ain’t working!!!

Edit: Thought I should post this up…its somewhat related and I think it can pretty much be applied to non-black guys as well. And for the record I am not saying ALL guys are guilty of doing this but there are a fair amount of them out there.

http://www.racialicious.com/2009/09/23/oh-you-cant-speak-to-a-brotha/

http://www.last.fm/listen/globaltags/new%20jack%20swing#pane=webRadioPlayer&station=%252Flisten%252Fglobaltags%252Fnew%2520jack%2520swing

UPDATE (9/19/09)

Haven’t heard back from him. Hopefully his ego isn’t bruised.

* Cab drivers don’t know their way around the city. Even with a GPS.
* Looks do matter if you go to a live taping (Refer to my ABDC live taping post…which will be up soon)
* Guys have no shame if they’re feelin you. (Its pretty refreshing but can be gross…ex: some dude yelled at us “WASSSUP HOODRAT!” hahaha)
* LA’s public transportation SUCKS. I will never complain about Seattle’s EVER AGAIN. Mark my words.
* Speaking of public tranportation, they do not have transfer passes. Meaning, you have to pay everytime you ride a bus.

More to come…

Note: I refuse to compare these groups to past ABDC crews.  I feel that its an unfair way to critique this seasons groups.  And I think people need to get over the whole “b-boys suck” or VE hating too.  Just appreciate what they can offer. sheesh.

Afroborike
First glance, I thought they were going to be the first group off the show.  Their audition and episode 1′s routines were somewhat sloppy and did not impress me.  Although I am not an expert on salsa/latin dancing, I have definitely seen better acts via youtube and from my cousin’s dance group performances years ago.  The second episode did make me eat my words…their routine was one of the best from the Beyonce’ challenge especially when Veronica (I think that’s her name) held her leg up and was flipped by her partner.  Honestly I think this group gets too lucky with their challenges such as how they ended up with Beautiful Liar for the Beyonce’ challenge or doing capoeira.  After episode 2, nothing really impressed me from the group.  Episode 5 changed that for me.  I personally hated that performance.  All I can say is this:

As most of us (who watch ABDC religiously), Afroborike is dubbed as the sexy crew but  they really went out of line with that move.  It sooooo was not sexy at all…if anything I was pretty grossed out.  Their use of the trampoline wasn’t innovative either.  Then again, you can’t really do much with dancing and a trampoline so I won’t hold that against them too much.  After this performance, I really don’t think they have anything else up their sleave and the whole “sexy” thing has already been fading for them.  The trampoline challenge definitely pointed that out to me. 

Massive Monkees
Of course I’m gonna LOVE Massive Monkees.  Anyone in Seattle has at least heard of them since they are known for giving back to the community and perform for various events such as Pista sa Nayon, half time for the Seattle Super Sonics (RIP) and even just messin around at the War Room.  I enjoyed their auditioned video and loved how they encorporated “Smells Like Teen Spirit” to represent the city. 

I will admit, I did feel like they held back…A LOT.  I’m not saying they sucked but their performances felt safe (which is probably one of the reasons why they have yet been in the bottom two).  For the Beyonce’ challenge I felt that they (and Artistry in Motion) got screwed with their prop.  I mean a hula hoop is pretty limiting in terms of movement but their use of it was pretty creative especially when they were threading.  Also their song choice sucked since it was somewhat slow and not energetic. I think they started catching my attention even more during the Bollywood challenge.  Personally that was my favorite episode but Massive Monkees was super energetic and I enjoyed their choreography.  They had a HUGE advantage last night with the trampolines and with that performance, I think they’ll at least be in the top three.  Massive Monkees, I hope you’ll show everyone what you guys are really made up next week!

Rhythm City

This crew was also another favorite of mine when I was watching the audition tapes.  When the season started that slowly changed.  I know I am gonna get a lot of hate for saying this but…I find them boring.  Don’t get me wrong, they’re a great dance crew.  HOWEVER, they have yet tried to wow me.  I don’t know if they’re also holding back like Massive Monkees but they need to step it up times ten next week if they wanna stay in the show!  The one thing I love about this crew is that their routines are ALWAYS clean.  I have a feeling that they may end up in the bottom two in the next episode cuz they did the worst routine for the dance craze challenge.  Sure they had a fun storyline but there was nothing that stood out in that routine.  I don’t know if its just me, but I just realized that nobody in RC stood out to me in a personal level.  Usually I feel like I get to know the crew members but I don’t get that feeling with RC.

We Are Heroes
Another one of my favorites at the beginning of the season.  I wasn’t sure what I thought about them when I viewed their audition video but I loved them during their first performance on the show.  These girls seriously know how to pop and lock!  But it seems like that’s all they do.  I haven’t seen much variety from the group overall but their peformances are enjoyable for the most part.  When I was reviewing all their routines on ABDC last night, I’m starting to wonder if the lack of chemistry in their group is a factor in their routines.  I’ve noticed during crew interviews, some of the crew members seem embarrased when the Japanese girls (especialy Hiro) answer questions. I personally think its cute though…then again, they are a fairly new group too.  I just hope that for the next challenge, they’ll pick up their energy and come up with something crazy!

Vogue Evolution
I was a bit skeptical when I first heard of them but they won my heart during the first episode.  This group is the most energetic AND memoriable out of all the crews.  Their only weakness was that they can get sloppy in their routines.  I think the only performance I wasn’t too fond of was the martial arts challenge but their energy did make up for a crappy routine.  Also, I think they’re the only other crew other than Massive Monkees that really encorporated the challenge in their routine for the dance craze challenge.  Hahaha they even make me wanna do the Halle Berry the next time I go and hit up the clubs.  I’m extremely disappointed that they were eliminate because I really thought they would be in the top four.  VE will definitely be missed!

I’ll be headed to LA this Thursday to catch the taping of ABDC’s VMA dedication challenge.  I’m super excited!!! Based on yesterday’s challenge, I have a feeling RC and AB will be in the bottom two.  I hope either MM or WAH will be in the top two.  If VE didn’t get eliminated, I think it would have been a more intense show.