Do You Remember The Times: Photos From The Past

I wake up today to a comment from one of my friends regarding another friend's picture from 2007.  It really had me thinking, "Wow time has gone by so fast."  Laughing at his pictures with oversized basketball jerseys and fedoras also made me realize that we all went through such awkward phases in our teenage years.  So I decided to look at some old ones of mine.

This is the Summer of 2007 after a trip to Washington D.C. and New York.  It was all the Summer of big sunglasses and I wanted some so bad!  I remember finding these in a store in Manhattan and I figured if it were from New York it had to be stylish.  I wore those things once or twice...never again.  My braids are fresh though!

This picture is from 2007...obviously.  I was in the 12th grade and this is at a classmate's bonfire birthday party.  At this time I wore nothing but Aeropostle polos (Not sure if this was an Aeropostle one) and I ALWAYS had my jacket on.  Why?  I was very insecure about my body at the time.  I felt if I didn't have one on everybody would be just looking at my boobs which are pretty big for my frame.  Although even with the jacket on you can still see they are there.  I also always wore my hair in ponytail because I could not do my hair.

This is the Summer of 2009 after my first year of college.  By then I had learned how to straighten my hair to make it look nice and it had started growing back after a sew-in took almost all of the back out the year before.  As we can see I have a dress on because I began to come to grips with my body in college.  The boobs weren't going anywhere, but then I realized I lacked a donk.  If it ain't one thing it's another.

This is Feb. 2011 I believe.  I had started wearing my hair in natural styles the semester before.   I also found myself to be in love with this shirt.  I have so many photos in it.  I also started wearing earring a bit more in 2010-2011.

Spring Break 2012 at home...lol.  Twist outs have become a "signature" hairstyle for me.  That shirt is still around though.  Now i wear it when there is nothing else, but my boobs are busting out of it always.  I'll look down and a button has come undone.

I guess this is the most recent.  May 2012 at my school's Spring Commencement.  I have started  leaving my hair twisted up, but deal with the issue of looking "manly" when I wear hats for work.  Now that I'm back home everyone asks me if I want to dread my hair up.  Ummm no!

So these are my blast from the past.  How about ya'll?  I know you all cringe a little bit at your past photos sometimes too.

Friday Ramblings

It's the end of the week so you know the deal...

• I found someone to do some twists for me which I'm excited about.  The only issue is they cost $150.  LAWD!!!!
• I watched the movie Drive featuring Ryan Gosling.  It was an amazing movie ya'll!  So many twist and turns I was just at a lost for words.
• I had a strawberry limeade from Sonics on Tuesday.  I had no clue they put those old nasty looking strawberries in it until one came up my straw.  I started to freak out, but finished the drink.  Am I the only person who hates those things?
• My boyfriend and I went to this Hibachi type place on Monday and had some of those most delicious sushi.  It was called a Dynamite Roll.  Pretty much it was a California roll with cook spicy tuna on top of it.  I was in LOVE.
• S/O to my manager for giving me this 9:30PM-1AM shift.  After 6pm I no longer have any desire to work, but I'm gonna suck it up because I need this mon-ay.  They went and cancelled on me ya'll.  I had just finished tucking my shirt in and got a call at 9 saying stay home.  
• Thanks to Tumblr I came across a picture of some nipple rings.  The slight desire and rebellion to get them emerged, but then I remembered I don't like getting piercings.  I'll continue to be content with my earlobes being pierced.
• It's payday ya'll! *twerks around room*  I didn't get paid much, but I appreciate the check regardless as it adds zeros to my account. *Makes it rain all across my blog*
• Speaking of "making it rain," the Travis Porter song came on in my car and my inner ratchetness began to emerge.  I wonder if when I'm 40 the same feeling will come across me as my kids ride in the back seat.
• Did ya'll read about Megan Good saying the first time she and her fiance have sex will be the day they get married?  Kudos to her.  I think that's a wonderful thing and even if you've been having sex before you get engaged I think it's a wonderful idea to go celibate as a couple until you get married.
• I watched the Destiny's Child "Cater 2 U" performance from the BET Awards that took places eons ago.  I still laugh at Michelle's lap dance skills.  Also why did she have to get Magic Johnson's big old behind?  Nobody else in the audience wanted a little Michelle twerk session?
• Is it just me or do Kim Kardashian and Kanye West just seem a little off as a couple?  I can't wait to see how long this will last.  I give them one baby.

Got a bada$$ b*tch just bouncin' on my d---

Beauty's Only Skin Deep: The Interesting Beauty

Have you ever looked at yourself and questioned your beauty?  That has been a constant thing for me since I was about 11.  You see, I am one of those people who suffer from a little thing called self-esteem issues. *gasp*  "What?  You have self-esteem issues?!"  Um yes, but everyone has that issue one way or the other.  Ever since I was like 9 or 10 I can remember one of my Dad's old coworkers seeing me saying, "Is this your son?"  From that point on I have always felt I was boy-ish looking.  Because of that I've always second guessed my looks.   I'm not one of those people who looks at themselves and thinks, "Damn I'm ugly."  I did feel that way from about 7th grade until the second half of 11th grade, but those were the years when acne was a b*tch and I got huge boobs (for a small frame) out of nowhere.  No, I look at myself and think "You're an interesting type of beauty."  There are some people that we look at first glance and the general consensus is, "OMG she's so pretty!"  Some celebrities that go in this category include Beyonce, Chanel Iman, and  Rihanna.  Awkward pretty on the other hand are those that have certain characteristics that help enhance their look.  No, I'm not sitting here saying I look like a beast but I know that Ford Modeling Agency isn't about to call me up after seeing my Facebook pictures and want to sign me for a contract neither is Victoria's Secret.

 Interesting beauties to me are Grace Jones (she looks man-ish to me) and Michelle Obama (while she gorgeous to me most think that she's all right at the best).  You see, when it comes to these two women there are certain aspects of them that make people want to double take and reconsider speaking to them.  Grace Jones from what I have seen and heard about her doing her reign as a super model was her androgynous look that included her hair cut and her dominating looks helped also.  Michelle Obama, whose only flaw to me is her slightly buck teeth, was called a "not so great beauty" by former supermodel Iman who also said she would get better with age...like a wine.  The reason why so many people admire Michelle Obama is because of her grace and intelligence.  I mean she's a Black girl from the South side of Chicago who went to Princeton and Harvard Law.  How can one NOT find her interesting even a little bit?  Myself?  I've always thought my "feisty" attitude has added something to me that many find intriguing and some strongly dislike, but what can I say?  Anyone that I have ever dated has always found that to be a fascinating thing about me.  I have been told that I am a "mystery" because despite my Say-Anything-I-Want-attitude  Am I calling myself ugly?  No.  I think everyone knows at least one "interesting beauty" in their life even if its themselves.

Friday Ramblings

It's the end of the week again and here I am with my ramblings.  Enjoy!

• I start working at the movies again today.  I wanted a different job this summer, but yeah never got around to looking for it.  It seems people thought I got fired (I'm a pretty good employee so this is odd) or quit (In a perfect world with a ballin' sugah daddy that had one foot in the grave).
• Also in regards to work shout out to all the annoying customers I'll have this summer.  Jesus be a fence and a reminder of my need for this $7.45/hour job that allows me to pay for gas, clothes, food, and expensive books in school.
• Jesus also be the same fence when it comes to some people that I don't care for.
• If you live in Augusta, Aiken, or North Augusta go try Groucho's Deli.  I swear I had a food-gasm over the Apollo Dipper I had with the Formula 45 sauce.
• Shout out to the hood girls in the Applebees on Peach Orchard Road.  They were twerking in the parking lot and it all started with the infamous stripper walk.  As soon as the girl started waving her hand I knew it was over.
• Oh, those same girls...Lord please tell me why you let certain people have children.  This girl was playing with this baby's hand saying, "Hey b*tch" over and over again at her.  I was so pissed.
• Speaking of Applebees, if you go this summer please try the frozen lemonade with the alcohol mixed in.  It was delicious.
• I decided to go thrifting today and came across this cool clutch purse that looks just like a folded up magazine.  I'm debating on selling it on eBay or Amazon. 
• If the Georgia IRS is reading this ya'll haven't sent me my tax rebate check yet.  I'd really appreciate it just so you know.
• Got all my grades on Monday.  Lowest grade was a B-.  Better than a D or an F. *twerks around room*
• Anybody want to provide me some money so I can get some long Poetic Justice braids?  
• Finally, am I the only one who thinks naming an ice "Magnum" is a bad idea?  I can't tell my Dad to bring me a Magnum back home even if I say its ice cream.

My Attempt: Cheesecake Filled Strawberries

I made these during my Spring Break and they were great!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb large strawberries
• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened (can use 1/3 less fat)
• 3-4 tbsp powdered sugar (4 tbsp for a sweeter filling)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• graham cracker crumbs

Directions:

1.  Rinse strawberries and cut around the top of the strawberry. Remove the top and clean out with a knife, if needed.  Depending on the strawberry it might be hollow enough.
2. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla until creamy. Add cream cheese mix to a piping bag or ziploc with the corner snipped off. Fill strawberries with cheesecake mixture.
3.  Make sure you put them in the fridge if you're not about to eat them!

Optional

• If you want to add graham crackers to give it that real cheesecake feeling while eating them get HALF or ONE graham cracker.  Put it in a sandwich bag and start crushing it until the pieces are nice and small.  Put the graham crackers onto a saucer and just dip the top of the strawberries into it.  You shouldn't have to worry about the filling falling out so don't be afraid.

Hoes Gone Be Hoes So I Couldn't Blame Tami

Like many people I saw the madness that was Basketball Wives a.k.a. Mean Girls:  Over 30 Years Old Edition.  I'm guessing that the episode from last week that I missed touched on what happened between Tami and Kesha because all I know is the episode opened up with Tami "going awf" in her usual overage hood rat manner.  I will admit that I was a huge fan of Tami's struggle and realness when she first joined the cast of Basketball Wives, but after this season I have lost all respect for her.  She reminds me every bit of this girl who use to pick on me in middle school and I don't like it.  Therefore I unfollowed her on Twitter last night because I can't support any 40+ year old with two children that continues to act like a high school bully.

It seems all of this started because of Suzie and her constant diarrhea of the mouth as she ran back to tell Tami what Keisha said.  I don't know when these new girls will learn, but Suzie is the wrong person to tell anything to and she should feel ashamed of herself.  Tami felt that Kesha OWED her an apology for whatever she said and decided that she would not give Kesha HER bag that contains all of HER BELONGINGS.  Kesha decided to report her bag stolen.  I believe anybody would do this seeing how it is THEIR property and they should not have to be begging for it.  Naturally Suzie's ass goes and tells Tami what is going down and Tami finds it humorous because she feels just needs to apologize.  Throughout the whole ordeal all of these grown b*tches just keeping saying how scared Kesha is of Tami.  1.)  Grown women should not be feeding into this bullsh*t that Tami tries to start.  2.)  The whole reason Shaunie's ass isn't afraid of Tami is because she knows that she has control over who remains on the show so NOBODY that needs a check is going to step to her ass.  Seeing how none of these hoes have a baller any more that's not happening.

The Glamourous: Burt's Bees Honey Lip Balm

Price:  $2.99 (excluding tax)

Place to Purchase:  Walmart, Target, Burt's Bees Official Website

I fell in love with Burt's Bees lip balms (chapstick) two summers ago when my boyfriend pulled some out on one of our dates.  I had been using regular ol' Chapstick Moisturizer lip balm before to keep my lips from being dry and cracked, plus it was reasonably priced.  It did a wonderful job, but I just had to try the Rolls Royce of lip balms to see.  So one day while in Target I decided to splurge on the original tube of lip balm they were selling at the time and I haven't looked back since.  I believe it was Burt's Bees Beeswax or whatever they had before they came out with the mango, pomegranate, acai berry, and such.  My lips felt wonderful.  Since then I've tried the pomegranate (GREAT...just leaves a red stain on things like a lipstick does.) and the acai berry (BY FAR MY FAVORITE!!!  My lips always feel wonderful and everyone always talks about how great it smells whenever I open the tube.)  I think I've tried the mango also, but can't fully recall.

My Attempt: Whipped Shea Butter

So if I haven't mentioned it on here I have ridiculously dry hair.  People always talk about how shea butter is a great sealant and putting it on the ends of their hair to keep things nice and sealed in...I guess.  So until I start work (If I still have a summer job) I decided to try a little Do It Yourself (DIY) type thing and Googled "whipped shea butter."  Why?  Well shea butter in its raw state is just hard to get out and I wanted something easier.  So after looking at videos I got up this morning and headed to the hair store.  I bought a 16oz container of unrefined African Shea Butter for $7.99.

I started off by boiling a small pot of water to melt the shea butter.

This is the amount of shea butter I used.  I only used a small amount because I didn't want this to be a disaster and I end up wasting a ton of good product.

Friday Ramblings

• Shout out to EVERYBODY graduating from UGA today.  Class of 2012 stand up!
• Dear Lord please let me make it through this summer peacefully.  My Mom already started with me and I wasn't even home for 24 hours.
• Pray that I still have a job at home or else I will be lounging around this house poor.
• My boyfriend low key stood me up last night.  We were suppose to watch Brown Sugar around 8pm.  8pm rolled around and he said he'd be a little late.  9:30-ish I tell him not to even worry about it.  Pity me ya'll.  Pity.  Me.
• Shout to my American Cities professor.  All four of my other teachers have posted my grades except her.  I hope you are reading this Dr. Reason.
• Oh yeah, shout out to me for making an A, A-, B+, and B thus far.  Technically I'm on the Dean's List until that last grade comes in so I'm about to live this sh*t up.
• Oh am I the only person that was IN LOVE with Solange and Beyonce at the Met Gala?  I know I wasn't, but I just have to ask.
• Chris Brown and Rihanna, please grow the hell up.  One minute ya'll are subtweeting each other and making bada$$ remixes.  The text day you're subtweeting each other and unfollowing one another.  Grow the hell up because I'm getting tired of this whole "Whoa is me" act ya'll have had going on for four years.

I Am Not My Hair...The Biggest Bullsh*t I Have Heard

Six years ago India.Arie released a song that took over the mindsets of so many women even to this day.  That song was "I Am Not My Hair."  I will admit that when that song came out I was one of the main people running around singing it with my chemically damaged hair, but when I look back on it that song is the biggest bullsh*t I have ever heard.  What Black woman can honestly say they are not "their hair?"  No, not Black woman but woman in general?  I'm pretty sure there is some girl out there saying, "I got natural hair so I know that I am not my hair!"  Please stop honey.  As I sit here scratching my scalp that needs to be badly moisturized and retwisted I know that this is all a lie.

From the time we are young girls hair is a HUGE deal to young girls in the Black community.  You either have "good hair" or if you don't you spend your whole life trying to achieve some form of it.  This can include getting relaxers, texturizers, sew-ins, etc.  When it comes to hair we will spend every waking moment trying to make it the best it can be.  When Chris Rock's "Good Hair" came out and revealed all the horrible things that come along with the creamy crack a group of Black women vowed never to deal with the long hours of sitting in the beauty shop only to suffer chemical burns so their new growth would go unnoticed.  When some of these women realized the difficulty that came along with the two textures a group of them said, "Let's cut this sh*t awf!"  The rest is history.

Free T-Shirt!

If you're a supporter of gay marriage here's the chance for some free clothing.  American Apparel is offering free t-shirts that read "Legalize Gay" for a limited time I'm pretty sure.  All you have to do is go to their website and in the search bar type "Legalize Gay."  Select your shirt and color then when you get to the Billing section use the promo code "OBAMARULES" and your shirt is FREE.  All you have to do is pay $6.54 for shipping.

Summer, Summer, Summer Time

Well I am officially done with my second to last semester at Georgia's flagship school and couldn't be more excited!  In one more semester (fingers crossed) I hope to be graduating and on my way to bigger things in life.   Many of my friends and old high school classmates are graduating which is bittersweet because I want to take place in the happiness, but what matters is that I get my degree. I've decided that this summer I'm going to sit my behind down and figure out what I want to do with my life.  I'm so use to working that if I graduate in December with no job I'll probably go into the insane asylum due to boredom!  I think I'm going to sign up to take the GACE in maybe August so I can get certified to teach or take the GRE so I can go to grad school at home (tryna save money up).  All I know is that I need to make an extensive list of potential things to do with my life.

Enough of this serious stuff though.  IT'S SUMMER TIME!!!!!  I'm so excited to wear as little clothing as possible for the next few months.  Shorts, short dresses, tank tops, etc.  I actually bought my first maxi dress Monday at Forever 21 and I must say it is KAY-UTE!  I always said I'd never be caught in one of those things, but after trying two of them on (and my boyfriend saying his parents find my dress short) I decided to give them a try.  I have seriously been missing out these past 3-4 years ya'll.  I'll probably go buy another one when I get paid.

As my Mom and I sat watching Modern Family tonight I got a strong desire to go to an amusement park because it has been such a long time since I last went to one.  When I was growing up I swear all we did was go to Disney in Orlando, Six Flags for Spring Break/Summer, and the beach.  That was when I was before I hit puberty fun and willing to run around in the sun with my parents for long hours.  As I got  older all I wanted to do was go to the local shopping area to avoid toasting in the sun.  I'd also like to go to a few baseball games for the Atlanta Braves or Augusta Greenjackets.  I pretty much want to relive a ton of childhood memories that I took for granted as I got older.

Hair is going to be a big thing for me this summer I hope also.  I seriously need to learn how to take better care of this stuff before I end up walking around able to curl my hair with rice.  I'm seriously disappointed in the length of hair I have after being natural for 2.5 years.  People who chop their off have probably had better length retention than I have.  In addition to hair I just need to take my whole body into consideration and whip my butt into serious shape.  That means exercise and better diet because I'm trying to look like Hey Fran Hey before I graduate.

Maybe I should make a summer bucket list and post them up on here.    

We're All Self-Conscious I'm Just The First To Admit It

My dear friend Sir Vantes made a blog today about how he's been seeing a ton of the people that he follows on Tumblr talking about how they don't like certain things about themselves, and as I read it truly SPOKE to me ya'll.  For a minute I thought, "Damn is this blog about me?"  Then I came back to reality.  We all have our little insecurities and I decided to write a little bit about mine.
Hair
Since I was a child I have had the biggest issue with this crazy mane of mine!  When I was younger with a head full of nappy hair (as my mother called it) I wanted to have long blonde hair that I could swing around like all the girls who went to private school with me.  I'd pray every night to wake up with that hair, but when my Mom woke me up it was right back to me flinching as she put my hair into my classic pigtails that I wore until 7th grade!  Between that time I did get relaxers and go natural multiple times.  When I got into high school I had to do my own hair and I always wore ponytails with my damaged hair relaxed hair.  I wanted that ish to swing and hang like all friends after they got a wrap...never happened until 12th grade when I went to a different beautician after my hair broke off from my Cotillion weave.  Now I'm back on the natural tip and wondering why this ish won't grow for me!  Some people LOVE my hair when I'm rocking a twist out, but they don't know the ish I have to go through for it.  Every other week I'm ready to chop it off and I chicken out.  My hair grows, but due to having dry hair and not properly moisturizing it I always have to get it cut.  Plus I hate when I'm separating it and I can literally just pull at my ends and hair just comes out.  

Skin
Here's something that I haven't always had issues with, but it has always caused some issue with me.  I had a horrible case of chicken pox back when I was a yungin'.  I think I got them when I was two or three.  Well according to my family I had them all over my body with blisters on the bottom of my feet.  When my Grandpa was alive he would tell me about my Mom laying in bed with me just spreading something on my body as I lay helpless.  I do have memories of her putting tons of cocoa butter on me every morning and night for the scars I had left over.  Like seriously my legs were covered in dark brown marks.  I do have a few scars left over from them like one on my leg and some little marks on my stomach and hand.  I later on had hives, but it wasn't as tragic as my chicken pox story.  Now I'm still dealing with acne which is ridiculous because I'm 22.  I feel like this is such a teenager problem and I've had it since the 7th grade!  I didn't wear tank tops from 7th-11th grade because I didn't want anybody to see my arms and back.  I kind of grew to accept it which is when it calmed down, but I always feel jealous when I see people with skin that looks like they're a Nivea skin care model.

Torso
Ya'll I need to get in the gym and do some crunches like a mo'fo.  I have a horrible diet and don't exercise.  Everyone thinks I'm Skinny Minnie when they look at me, but I can grab a big handful of belly fat.  Every year I tell myself I'm going to do something, but nothing changes.  I want to wear cut off shirts so bad and I could if I just didn't care, but due to my ability to know what looks  a hot mess I stop myself from buying those shirts.  I just wish other girls thought like me.

Butt
Plain and simple, I want a booty like Nicki.  I don't if it's real or fake.  I just want it!  My Mom's family all has these Serena William booties that you can put a whole meal on almost and my Dad's family has pancake booties.  I got a combo of the two.  It's wide but it just doesn't want to pop out.  One day though!

Allow Me To (Re)introduce Myself...

I never thought I'd be making another one of these, but the itch has been killing me and with my life falling apart (I'm being overly dramatic...its Finals Week) I figured I needed a blog that was not my Tumblr.  Soooooo where to start?  Well my name is B. Jones and I'm a 22 year old college student at Georgia's Flagship Institution.  I'm in a major that requires me to do a ton of writing about the past of others  so I'm sure people think this should an easy thing for me, but it ain't.  I recently had a teacher write that my paper was GREAT but MESSY which should explain why my blog descriptions includes the word "ramblings."  I'm the Queen of Procrastination...once again doesn't mean anything.  I'm a NATURAL GIRL, but don't expect me to have blogs showing how to get your hair from your scalp all the way down to your butt because I'm trying to figure out the secret too.  I'm a semi-sucker for love and I would love to have a blog about relationships, but I'm only on my second one so what would I know right?  I have a very smart mouth and it has aggravated by parents since I was able to talk.  I'm also very anti-social and quiet to an extent, but it has never stopped me from voicing my opinion.  With that being said  here we go!  My blog!