Technical Difficulties

Hi all!

I know I haven't written in a while. So sorry. Last semester of law school and all. If I had known how much I would have to catch up on after going abroad, I may never have gone! Hahaha, okay, not really, but from now until I pass (or fail) the bar this summer, BAPworld and I may be going through separation anxiety. I'll try to post interesting travel items when I can, but since I'm not really reading anything on the internet except research and TelevisionWithoutPity updates (I haven't even watched the finale of Dollhouse yet!), don't count on anything soon.

Thanks for your patience, wish me luck!
k

Nepotism is Good

I'm down with the French in many ways. I think they've pretty much got wine, cheese, fashion, and arrogance down to an art. I think their art and architecture is hard to compete with. I don't think I'm rocking the boat with these observations. However, there is one other thing that I think the French have down pat. Nepotism. The French think it's honourable, and just good business, to pass a business from father to son (or daughter), to raise children to take over the family corporation, to seat your children on the board of say, LVMH. I have to agree with this mafia mentality. What's family for if not to rely on, to help out, to hire? I am all about promoting mi familia ] . And using them when I need stuff for free. I recognize, of course, that saying this opens me up to future family pandering, but that's what I'm here for. I have certainly mastered the art myself.

I really only said all of that as an excuse for promoting my brother yet again. He actually did start that blog (yaay!) and it's already up to a cool start. If anything, visit and download his free music. Also, check out some of the pictures taken by Bella's mommy. She's a great photographer and a graphic designer in case you need any work done :-P.

9thdimensionmusic.blogspot.com

Have a great first week of January!
kat

When I Grow Up

When I grow up, everything I own will be bespoke. Bespoke shoes, bespoke clothes, bespoke luggage, bespoke dogs. Everything will be custom made to my exact likes and specifications. Rien de naff pour moi! Along with my fabulous bespoke couches and curtains and linens and chairs I will also have bespoke life experiences of the travel variety. And when I do, I will, in turn, hire Truffle Pig and Black Tomato (that's to-mah-to, dahling) to design them.

Truffle and Tomato are both quite fabulous travel designers. They take your every whim, interest, and desire and mix it with their unequalled travel and luxury experts to create the holiday of your very expensive dreams. After backpacking on a budget for the last six and a half months, I have to tell you, this sounds like the way travel should be done.

One day I am going to get to Antartica (hopefully before it melts), and when I do, I'm going on Black Tomato's Into the Abyss journey. This particular journey to the bottom of the Earth will have to wait until I have an extra $60,000, but I think it will be worth every penny.

Probably before having tea with the penguins, I am going to hire Truffle Pig to go absolutely anywhere. The guys (and possibly girls) at Truffle are smart, witty, experienced, and know how to plan a fantabulous journey. Even their website is quirky, creative, and fun. I imagine their trips to be even more so.

Yes, when I grow up, I'll breed bespoke horses, drive bespoke automobiles, and clone bespoke men to style my bespoke hair. But first, I'm going on a couple of truly luxurious and individualized journeys, just to know how it feels to travel without a backpack.

kat

OC Notes for Christmas

Hello all!

I hope you had a great Chrismukkah! I had a great Christmas and over the holiday I discovered that my brother who I only see once every few years has turned into quite the busy musician. He's been making all kinds of albums and stuff, which is only different from the past fifteen years or so because people are actually starting to pay attention. To that end, he's got crazy folks making videos to his music on the YouTube (this is one of his own and definitely the best):


Here is his YouTube page so you can see the other stuff he has on there. I just went on there and he clearly rarely updates it: Youtube.com/ocnotes

He even has an album on iTunes!

Lots of his stuff is free though, and it's all available on THEESatisfaction's website. You should all go to iTunes and buy his album and support my niece!! Then go to theesatisfaction.blogspot.com and download his free stuff as it comes along. I'm trying to convince him to start his own blog so it's easier for folks to keep up so if and when he does I'll add links to it here. Yaay for my brother! Buy his album!

Happy holidays!
kat

Pictures, Yaay!

Finally! Now that I am in the land of the internets, I was finally able to upload a slide show. I briefly considered uploading every single one of the hundreds of photos taking up precious gigabytes on my hard drive, but I finally settled on a "best of" of sorts, a few of my favourite pics from Cambodia and Africa. Enjoy!

k

A Good Year for Black Women

I just saw The Princess and the Frog!!! I am so excited, I have been waiting for this movie since I was 5 and it was everything that I have always wanted it to be. I loooove that it was set in NOLA (and it looked and sounded just like the Louisiana I used to live in, right down to the occasional Voodoo influences), love that she was absolutely beautiful and played by the inestimable Anika Noni Rose, who did a phenomenal job, love that they finally went back to gorgeous hand drawn animation, and love love love the Randy Newman jazz-Zydeco-Disney interpretations!!

I loved every minute of the film, but what I loved most of all was that in this long, long awaited film, Disney finally dispensed of some of the ridiculous pre-feminist fairy tale dogma that has gotten little girls in trouble since the Grimm Brothers first imagined Cinderella. And I think it's more than a little ironic that it took a Black princess to do it. In this film Disney finally tossed out the "When you wish upon a star" bullshit. Excuse my language. Yes, Tiana (I still like Maddy better) looked to a star for

hope and inspiration, but she counted on her own hard work and ingenuity to finally achieve her dreams. And yes, the frogs went to the Voodoo Queen for magic help, but it was up to them to find the answers. And then, just when it looks like the pretty white princess is going to save the day, Disney pulls the magic carpet out from under your feet and says, "Naw chere, you're going to have to do this one on your own. Those stereotypes are not valid any more" and Tiana and the super cute Prince Naveen have to find their own way. I love Tiana. She has big dreams and knows how to get what she wants. She works hard, she saves money (what an excellent example for little girls!), she's true to her friends and loyal to her own intuition, and in the end she is rewarded with everything she wants, and, more importantly, everything she needs. Disney finally told little girls what they need to hear: Work hard, dream hard, and don't count on anyone to hand you the answers.

2009 has been a remarkable year for all of us, but especially for Black women. We got a Black President, a Black First Lady, and a Black Princess, all at once.

Parole

I'm un-privating my blog. For several reasons really, mostly because it was becoming a pain in the arse. Also because I'm now back in the USofA so the security breach is no longer an issue. But don't worry, the list is saved so if I have to switch back you won't have to sign in and out again!

Ciaosers,
kat

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