Denise & DPL

My best friend came to pick Morgan and I up. Denise and I have been friends for 7 years now. I've never had a friend for so long. Sure, we've had our issues but this girl has stuck by me through a whole bunch of madness. I've been so lucky. Back out in good ol' Lynwood was weird. When Denise's friend from CSULA Araceli showed up we headed out to Artesia to get Denise's eyebrows threaded. That was intense to watch. They just pull you in a chair and start literally thread to brow. And apparently Artesia is home to "Little India". I miss India. That was one amazing country to be in. I need to go back. We went in all these little shops and suddenly I was taken back to last summer and walking the pavement and dirt roads and bartering with vendors. What an incredible time. The first store we went to I bought an awesome pair of earring and in another store I got this really cute top that I would get really dirty looks for if I wore it in India. That afternoon we had some Indian food. It was pretty good but the Vegetable pakora was over cooked (oh well). It was good to see Denise but I was over our visiting after awhile. I think because I'm much more used to just being with Denise and no one else. So I had my aunt come pick Morgan and I up after she got out of school. Besides we had already made plans for that night to hit Da Poetry Lounge @ Fairfax High. I had called Howard earlier to see if he wanted to go and all arrangements had been made. And since Denise wasn't down to go I was pretty whatever about the situation. So we step out to DPL. I had told Morgan all about it because Shihan from Def Poetry Jam was going to be there. YES! He is so beautiful. I first saw him on my 1st or 2nd visit to DPL and he did this poem called Love Like that was sooooooo good. When I got back up to the bay this winter Morgan asked me to come watch the first season of Def Poetry Jam that she had recently gotten on DVD. Surprise, Surprise! There's Shihan and Morgan freaking out when I tell her I've seen him live. I think that is where our idea for her coming out for Spring Break came from. She was not disappointed. Sad though, Shihan doesn't perform anymore. He just hosts.

A day at the beach

It was pretty nice out for a bit so Morgan and I head to the beach for a little relaxation. The ocean sounded nice and we just set up shop and read mags until it got too breezy. Then we walked to downtown Manhattan Beach to find Jamba Juice. YUM! It was cold but it was good mmm-hmmm. We walked in a couple shops and hung out down there until my mom came and got us from Peet's Coffee. It was so cute because these three old ladies were sitting together on a weekday solving a crossword puzzle. It was the cutest thing. I should write a story about it. We made a stop at Blockbuster picked up a few DVDs and watched Ray at home. That was a great movie. Jamie Foxx totally deserved the Oscar even though I didn't see any of the other movies and I am slightly biased ... he totally deserved all his honors. I had no clue Ray Charles was such a womanizer. That was real serious. But I loved his story of trial and tribulation. That was a directing task if I ever saw one.

Sunday Sunday Sunday

We took off for 3rd Street Promenade for some shopping. Of course the first store we see requires spending. I bought this really cute blue shrug that I'm sort of in love with. It's not really a shrug. It's more of a short sleeve cardigan (the one in my picture) but the point is it's hot and I love it. WE FOUND ZARA! This really great store that Morgan and I discovered on our seperate abroad experiences. Awww I miss London whenever I'm reminded of it. It was so great to be in another country for an extended period of time. It was really an amazing time. I hope I can go back one day soon because I missed a lot of the city while I was doing the program. The shit was rigorous. I got my grades back. I did pretty well -- B+ Average -- and they did these evaluations for each class I had ... same complaints ... stand up straight, have confidence. I thought I had squashed the confidence issue but I guess not. I was sure I had people fooled. Maybe I do in other situations. When I'm on stage I feel naked I guess and vulnerable. That comes through in my body language I suppose. Most of what they said I knew already. But my director for Singer definitely said some surprising things about how my good days were great but my bad days were noticeable. The thing is he never addressed it with me. Is that too much to expect -- that if you have a problem with me you'll let me know or express concern in some kind of way? I guess so but whatever. What's done is done and I don't regret it at all. I learned tons. Classes was my favorite part. My professors were amazing and I had a very supportive group of people to work with...for the most part anyway