by Lexine

Rest In Power, Tina

One of my favorite portraits of the Queen of Rock & Roll (with all due respect to Janis Joplin and Aretha Franklin) Tina Turner, captured by the late, legendary photographer Herb Ritts. The life she had led. Rest in eternal peace and power to a legend, survivor, inspiration, and icon in the truest sense.

“If you are unhappy with anything…whatever is bringing you down, get rid of it. Because you’ll find that when you’re free, your true creativity, your true self, comes out.” –Turner to Ebony magazine, November 1986

by Lexine

Cover Reveal!

Playgirl eBook cover

Whaddya think? Credit to Vsulov at Dreamstime.com for the capture and allowing it to be royalty-free. I did the font work, though. 😄

Ah, my first-ever eBook. I feel like a mama expecting her first baby; given the length of its editing/re-writing process, the pregnancy was years long, haha. Expect this baby in June! Till then, I’ll have inspo posts and a snippet of my story here and on my social media. (I also posted a teaser a while back if you want to get an idea of who the Playgirl is.) Stay tuned! 

by Lexine

A Poetic Anniversary

As mentioned in a previous entry, I had a little surprise that ties in with National Poetry Month this month. (And only until now do I finally have time to post about it.)

Twenty-five years ago, I was in the 8th grade, about to graduate Junior High, and just remembering this really makes me feel old. Anyway, I remember writing a poem for classwork in my English class. Little did I know that when I gave my work to my teacher, it would also be considered for publication in a poetry book by the youths of the time. I don’t remember if it was mentioned that the poems us students wrote in class would be published somewhere. But it happened, and I ended up being one of the two students from my entire K-8 school that got their work published in that book you see above. I still have my copy, by the way!

Obviously, I won’t say which one is my poem as it’s under my real name. I’ll also say that this was not the first time my work has been published. The very first time happened in my local newspaper back in the spring of 1996; it was a prose piece I wrote in 6th grade. (Hot damn, now I really feel old.) Sadly, I don’t have a copy of that newspaper, but maybe it’s been digitally preserved by the newspaper. Since the release of this anthology, my work’s been published a few more times, the most recent being in an anthology of short stories written by women. I’d tell you more on that another day. One thing I’ll say right now is that I always get a little joy when my work gets published. (And speaking of, a project I’ve been working on for years is about to see the light of day soon. Stay tuned!)

Pic courtesy of an eBay listing; yes, you can also buy my work!

by Lexine

Happy Birthday, Maya

happy bday maya (2)

Posthumous birthday wishes today to one of my idols, Maya Angelou! Don’t be surprised that I own a Maya shirt and those books (all thrift store finds, natch).

I can post one of her many great poems or quotes here, but I know I’ll be doing a lot of that here over time, let’s be real. Instead, here’s a clip on her meeting 2Pac for the first time (from her American Masters episode). This interview still tickles me. Six-pack lolol

by Lexine

These Cool Poems (4.1.23)

The month of April honors two of my favorite things: jazz and poetry! In a way, they go together, so here are a couple of poems that combine my two faves.

The Weary Blues

Langston Hughes – 1901-1967

Droning a drowsy syncopated tune,
Rocking back and forth to a mellow croon,
     I heard a Negro play.
Down on Lenox Avenue the other night
By the pale dull pallor of an old gas light
     He did a lazy sway . . .
     He did a lazy sway . . .
To the tune o’ those Weary Blues.
With his ebony hands on each ivory key
He made that poor piano moan with melody.
     O Blues!
Swaying to and fro on his rickety stool
He played that sad raggy tune like a musical fool.
     Sweet Blues!
Coming from a black man’s soul.
     O Blues!
In a deep song voice with a melancholy tone
I heard that Negro sing, that old piano moan—
     “Ain’t got nobody in all this world,
       Ain’t got nobody but ma self.
       I’s gwine to quit ma frownin’
       And put ma troubles on the shelf.”

Thump, thump, thump, went his foot on the floor.
He played a few chords then he sang some more—
     “I got the Weary Blues
       And I can’t be satisfied.
       Got the Weary Blues
       And can’t be satisfied—
       I ain’t happy no mo’
       And I wish that I had died.”
And far into the night he crooned that tune.
The stars went out and so did the moon.
The singer stopped playing and went to bed
While the Weary Blues echoed through his head.
He slept like a rock or a man that’s dead.

(OK, that poem is more about the blues, but jazz and blues are similar, and Langston was a total jazz head.)

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Also, not jazz related, but, in honor of National Poetry Month, I got a little surprise that I’ll soon reveal here (and on my social media channels). Stay tuned!

by Lexine

Quotes Of The Moment (3.31)

Happy Transgender Day Of Visibility! 🏳️‍⚧️ ❤️Proud to be an ally.

From heinous anti-Trans laws going through legislation in this so-called “Land of the Free” to transphobia still shamefully on the rise, now more than ever (sorry for the cliche) the Trans community needs our support and appreciation!

For more on TDoV, GLAAD’s got you covered: https://www.glaad.org/tdov

And…

It may be the end of Women’s History Month, but no matter what the month or day, always remember the message on Xtina’s shirt. (Twenty years after seeing that in an old issue of US Weekly and I still want her shirt!)

by Lexine

I Adore: These Scents!

In honor of National Fragrance Day today, here’s a list of my all-time favorite scents!

Chanel – Coco Mademoiselle

This along with my last mention on the list is vying for my Best Ever Fragrance title. It lasts the whole day on me and then some. A few sprays on my clothes and I’ll still smell it the day after without any refresher. I can’t get enough of its bold floral notes that gives me vibes of the woman who has it all (money, looks, lifestyle, etc.), but somehow I resist in spraying it on every single day. (Although some of that is necessary as my day job recommends us to not wear heavy perfume.)

Chloe (Original)

I feel like Chloe is Mademoiselle’s younger, lighter floral sister that caters to those who want to channel their inner Cher Horowitz. I turn to this more during the warmer months, and it will be a total experience if I’m wearing it and some creep tries to flirt with me, then I shove him the fuck out and I go “as if!”

Tom Ford – Black Orchid

MY scent for when Autumn has arrived (officially or unofficially) or when I feel like being a vamp or rebel girl. Also goes great when I wear my faux leather jackets.

Estee Lauder – Pleasures

Along with Elizabeth Arden’s Sunflowers and Calvin Klein’s CK-One, Pleasures transports me back to a more almost-carefree time that was the mid 90s. (I say “almost-carefree” because I was on the verge of teenhood then, and my pre-teens years were no blissful walk in a sunny park either.) The gorgeous Liz Hurley (then the face of Estee Lauder, above) in the ads, peak Simpsons on the tube, and there was no such thing as cell phone addiction. *sighs* (Surely not with the bricks that were mobile phones then!)

Gucci – Envy Me

If there’s a perfume that captures the mid to late 2000s for me, it’s Envy Me. I still have the bottle from when it was last sold eons ago, and I still got some left, but that remaining half-ounce is precious commodity. Even a whiff of it takes me back to some fun club-hopping nights, living it up like I was a 2000s-era wild-child starlet a la Lindsay and Britney. Shame that it got discontinued, and while some suggested that Versace’s Bright Crystal is its modern replacement, the vibes (and scent) just aren’t the same.

Dior – J’Adore (vintage editions)

The current version of J’Adore was my jam until I bought an old bottle of it from Mercari on a whim last year. The perfume was from 2003 IIRC, and its smell is far different than its current version. Its floral notes are sweeter, less alcohol-y, and, yes, longer-lasting. Impressive considering that it’s been bottled for now 20 years and it still hits pleasantly. Comparing the old and new versions was where I learned first-hand about perfume reformulation. Why Dior had to change J’Adore’s formula over the years is a head-scratcher to say the least. (That’s not the only dubious move Dior has made, as evident by their, ahem, current face of Sauvage, but that’s another story.) I’ve since bought two more vintage bottles of J’Adore (thanks to the eBay for selling them–albeit in used but very good condition–at very reasonable prices), one of which supposedly came from its debut year in 1999. The smell defines wow. Like with my music, movies, and fashion, in J’Adore’s case, old school is far better than the new school.