I thought this was the coolest story. With Mother's Day around the corner and with this being "Tell Me Something Good" Thursday, this was the perfect article.
To sum it up for you, an orangutan saves her baby by using a rope that humans threw to her and swimming across a flooded river. There is nothing like a mother's love!!!!
Read the full article here, tinyurl.com/c7jcnh.
I wanted to share a new partnership that I've signed onto. A fellow blogger "LLnL" invited me to guest post on her blog. After talking in more detail, we came up with idea of the "Trainer's Corner" on Wellness Wednesdays.
Since my collegiate background is in nutrition and I've had over 8 years experience in the health/fitness field as a personal fitness trainer, this was a great opportunity for me to share my knowledge with you. In turn, I will be guest blogging every other Wednesday, giving you a dosage of WELLNESS. After getting your weekly Wednesday Stimulation here at Homebody Blogger, I encourage you to stop by the "Trainer's Corner." Feel free to leave your fitness/wellness questions in the comment area, along with any topics that you'd like me to cover.
Check out today's "Trainer's Corner" post, Why Isn't My Weight Loss Routine Working?? Remember, every other Wednesday there will be a new post, help us spread the word. Thanks!
Hello all, happy Wednesday to you!! Wake your mind up on this hump day.
Today's W.O.D. is FLIBBERTIGIBBET
Parts of Speech:
noun
Definition:
1. a silly flighty person
Example:
Although the yoga instructor was a flibbertigibbet, he knew his stuff and gave us a great workout.
Feel free to use this word in a sentence in the comment area or offer your own W.O.D. to be featured next Wednesday.
Hello everyone. During my usual net-browsing, a few HDR images caught my attention. A few weeks back, I did an interview with HDR photographer, Trey Ratcliff, after that I became really interested in the whole high dynamic range photography.
photo courtesy of sistafactory.com
It’s Old School Saturday once again, welcome! If you’re in or near my area (DC metro area), I hope you find some time to enjoy this great weather, as we have had such drabby, rainy weather lately.
This week, singer Jean Taylor was the focus of Musical Mondays. She is one half of the 90s group Zhané; the other half goes by the name Renee Neufville (keyboardist/vocalist). Since the singers parted ways, Renee has been touring with the Roy Hargrove, the Grammy award-winning jazz legend and his funky ensemble, RH Factor; they’ve traveled all over the world. She has partnered with the ensemble, blessing three critically acclaimed albums with her soulfully timeless voice. Check out a couple of videos of Renee performing with Roy Hargrove and RH Factor and her Myspace page.
Renee Neufville Myspace Page
Video #1-Crazy Race
Video #2-How I Know
Video #3-Forget Regret
Now, a little more about Zhané.
The duo Jean Baylor and Renee Neufville met while studying music at “Philly’s” Temple University. Neufville is originally from Jamaica and Baylor, from Rhode Island. In 1994, after wooing Kay Gee, the producer and member of the rap group Naughty by Nature, Renee and Jean landed a contract with Motown. All of you who are familiar with this 90s R&B/hip-hop soul group, you know that they had one of the hottest party anthems of all time, “Hey Mr. DJ.” This song, which landed the #6 slot on the pop charts, was released as a separate single, which led to 
the Motown contract. Pronounced Jah-Nay, their debut album, went Gold, producing two Top 40 hits, “Groove Thang” and “Sending My Love;” 2 years later, the album hit Platinum status. Throughout the late 90s, Zhané recorded songs for soundtracks, collaborated with other artists, and released a sophomore album, Saturday Night.
Hello all. It's been a real hectic week and I'm not feeling too well, so there will be no film review today. Stay tuned for the next Film Review Fridays. Also, check back tomorrow for Old School Saturdays. If you tuned in earlier this week and read the post about singer Jean Baylor, you will remember I mentioned the 90s group Zhané and Renee Neufville, who is the other half of the group; this will be the focus for Saturday. Thanks for stopping by.
Read more...
photo courtesy of scyza
It's Thursday!! Just one more day until the weekend. Today on "Tell Me Something Good Thursdays," the focus is a broken heart. A 27 year old woman, Salina Gonzales was suffering from a broken heart, literally. Surprisingly, she is one of the very few survivors of this illness; miraculously her heart was repaired.
Read more about Salina's ordeal by clicking here.
Hello all. A couple of weeks ago, an anonymous commenter suggested an interesting word, Portmanteau. I thought I would investigate; here's to you anonymous person:-)
Today's W.O.D. is PORTMANTEAU
Parts of Speech:
noun
adjective
Definition:
1. a large suitcase
2. a word or morpheme whose form and meaning are derived from a blending of two or more distinct forms
This is a pretty unusual word, "Anonymous Person". Below are a few examples.
Example:
Smoke and Fog = Smog
Wiki and Encyclopedia = Wikipedia
Tanganyika (an East African territory) and Zanibar (a part of the East African Republic of Tanzania) joined in 1964 to form "Tanzania"
What do you think? For more information about Portmanteau, click here.
Feel free to use this word in a sentence in the comment box or offer your own W.O.D. to be featured next Wednesday.
Hello all. Since it's "Take A Look Tuesday," which focuses on art, I thought I would share a few of my personal images with you. Hope your enjoy them. Let me know your thoughts.
"What you looking at Willis?" (Greenbelt Lake)
My close encounter (Florida Everglades)
Smile (My Yard)
Ahhhhhh! (Antigua)
I Wonder (Aruba)
"Leave me alone, I'm trying to eat. Dammit!" (Great Falls, Virginia)
photo courtesy of schememag.com
Over the weekend, I was browsing the “net” and I ended up reading an article about the singer, Jean Baylor. If that name does not ring a bell to some of you, she’s half of the 90’s R&B duo, Zhané (I still love this group!!). I found out that she released her debut album entitled, Testimony: My Life Story (2007). Being the music lover that I am, how did I not know that? I quickly found her site and pulled up imeem.com to listen to her tracks; I had an immediate urge to hear sing. All I remember is Jean singing with her stage partner, Renee Neufville. I rarely hear any Zhané songs, unless I happen to listen to their , so to hear her sing alone was a treat. She has such a silky, sophisticated voice, angelic-like, just like I remembered it.
Check out a few of her songs.
Resources:
Jean Baylor's Site
Jean Baylor Myspace Page
Video #1
Video #2
photo courtesy of teamsugar.com
photo courtesy of cinemasource.com
The most recent independent film I watched was the run of the mill, suburbanites with issues; Imaginary Heroes. It’s a film reminiscent of American Beauty and Ordinary People. No offense toward the writer/director Dan Harris, who is known for his part in writing the comic book adaptations, X-Men 2 and Superman Returns.
Imaginary Heroes, staring Sigourney Weaver (Sandy), Jeff Daniels (Ben), Kip Pardue (Matt), Michelle Williams (Penny) and Emile Hirsch (Tim), tells the story of the dysfunctional Travis family. Tim is our navigator throughout the film; he lets us know early on that his brother Matt is the “best” at everything, especially swimming. He holds every record and he is headed to the Olympics. Little do we know, after learning what a great athlete Matt is, he commits suicide; he shoots himself in the head. Why did he do it you may ask? Tim knows.
This sets off the chain of events that emotionally and physically destroys the Travis family, leaving them to deal.
There are many revelations throughout the movie; Matt’s death brings about other issues that have been buried and hopefully forgotten. Tim, he is a typical teenager who is trying to find and understand himself. He walks around in a fuzzy daze due to his frequent use of alcohol and drugs. In his opinion, he doesn’t fit in to the Travis family. He was always an outcast; he did not have the greatest relationship with his father, he was smaller than the family-famed Matt, and he was not athletic at all. Early on, we learn that Sandy has a deep, obsessive grudge against their neighbor Marge (Deirdre O’Connell). You will learn why later in the movie. In addition to her grudge, Sandy tries reliving her younger years; she starts plundering Tim’s marijuana stash. This is not to say that she is a bad mother. She becomes closer to Tim, as we watch them have intimate conversations about each other’s thoughts, feelings, and why Matt may have killed himself. Ben, the obsessive, perfectionist father, becomes totally disengaged, unable to communicate with any member of his family. He ends up taking a leave of absence from work, only to soak in his sorrows on a park bench. He is powerless in trying to let go of his son’s memory, forcing Sandy to cook extra food and serve a plate for Matt’s seat, as if he will return and join them for dinner. Penny, the college-aged daughter, who left the flock as soon as time permitted, only visits on holidays. All of these elements have the makings for dysfunction.
What I can say is that the acting was excellent and in my opinion, the script was well written. The actors took their roles and ran with them. Sandy and Tim were my favorite characters, without them there would be no film. Also, this is one of the better performances that I’ve seen by Jeff Daniels. If you have some time to kill or if you are a fan of one of the actors, then it’s a decent film to see, otherwise, I wouldn’t rush out to Blockbuster.
GRADE: C
Check out the trailer below (IE users click here)
photo courtesy of julosstockHello all, happy Wednesday to you!! Wake your mind up on this hump day.
Today's W.O.D. is SLAKE
Parts of Speech:
verb
Definition:
1. satisfy, quench
2. to cause (as lime) to heat and crumble by treatment with water : hydrate
Example:
After a whole week of plyometric workouts, all I could think about was how the hot stone massage was going to slake my weary body.
Feel free to use this word in a sentence in the comment area or offer your own W.O.D. to be featured next Wednesday.
all photos courtesy of rikcat.com
Hello all. I came across some neat art and wanted to share my findings with you. The artist’s name is RIKCAT. He is a self-proclaimed “urban pop” artist. RIKCAT uses various mediums and materials; paint, paper, wood, smashed cans,… Mentioned in his biography, he draws inspiration from his years of working in New York City and the “typographic chaos that the city bombards its inhabitants with.”
I think his work is colorful, playful, and cartoon-like; it made me think of Garbage Pail Kids. It reminds me of the comedic propagandist art that I see around DC, slapped on the sides of mailboxes and the brick walls of the alleyways. Some of the subjects looked warped and tormented, but at the same time some have smiles on their faces.
To view RIKCAT’s work and to read a little more about him, please visit, www.rikcat.com
photo courtesy of KimberlyNichole Myspace
If you are not familiar with singer-songwriter, KimberlyNichole, you soon will be. You all know me by now, at least a little bit; I came across her music while surfing through Myspace pages. I was blown away by her rendition of Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy.” Her stage presence and performance was ridiculous (which is a good thing)!! I also listened to various other songs by Kimberly; her energy and passion flow through every note she sings. She is a TRUE talent taking the underground music scene by storm!! I had the pleasure of interviewing this rising-star. Check it out.
1. Hello Kimberly, thanks for agreeing to the interview. How are you?
I'm doing well. Thanks for extending me the invitation.
2. It seemed you developed an interest in music at a very young age. If you can remember back that far, what was it that influenced you during that time? Can you remember the first song you wrote?
The music my mother and father played was very influential; gospel and soul, but of course the music that was dominant in my hometown (Seattle,WA) was grunge/rock. That was also very influential.
If I can recall correctly I wrote my first song around 5 years old.
3. Kimberly, I came across your music on Myspace, via Brandon A. Thomas’ page. I was totally taken aback by your voice. How did you get your start? At what point did you know you wanted to pursue music?
I grew up singing in Seattle, in the church. My mother was a piano player at our church and was very influential in my development as an artist. I knew I wanted to do music probably when I was in elementary school, but at that time I wanted to do everything. I wanted to teach, act, be a dentist… You name it. I've always had a love for music and a desire to be an artist but it wasn't until 06 that I got serious about it and started truly pursuing a career in music.
"Music to me represents freedom. Music is moving, life changing, inspiring, uplifting…, it's an important element to life."4. If any, what role did Atlanta play in forming the artist you are today? Did it affect your sound? How about New York?
"I try to not force the lyrics or melody; I go off of the feeling I get from music, the natural feeling."
photo courtesy of thatblackgirlsite.com
photo courtesy of aliyasking.files.wordpress.com
I must start off by saying, Love Jones is one of the best movies I’ve ever seen, and one of my favorites. I absolutely loved the cast members and the unconventional, non-mainstream plot.
Love Jones, written and directed by Theodore Witcher, tells the story of “boy meets girl,” romance, courtship, and friendship, along with all of the “in between.” Set in Chicago, the opening scene entices us with an assortment of black and white photos taken around the city. Later we are shifted to a night out on the town with Nina, a professional photographer (Nia Long) and her friend Josie (Lisa Nicole Carson), who are going to the local “open mic” night at The Sanctuary, an intimate, bluesy nightclub with an eclectic crowd. There we meet the rest of the crew, including the other main character, Darius (Larenz Tate), a soulful poet and an aspiring novelist; the rest of the cast includes Savon (Isaiah Washington), Hollywood (Bill Bellamy), Bernadette Clark (Shelia), and Leonard Roberts (Eddie).
Accidentally meeting at the bar, it is obvious that Darius has “a jones” for Nina, so much that he re-titled his poem and called it “A Blues for Nina.” As he read the poem to the smoke-filled room, “Say baby, can I be your slave? I gotta admit girl, you’re the shit girl and I’m digging you like a grave,” Nina tried but couldn’t hold back her smile, she was charmed to say the least. Catching up with her at the end of the show, Darius and Nina engage in a little light flirting. In the midst of the flirting, she mentions that “there are other things besides sex,” of course he asks what. She takes a pen out, grabs his wrist and writes “love” on his hand. Needless to say, there was an evitable chance for combustion, as the chemistry between the two sizzled.
As the movie progresses, Darius and Nina continue dating and become closer. They eventually make love, which evokes many emotions; she wakes up to the smell of cheese omelets that Darius is preparing. There are two scenes where they share the “morning after” with their closest friends; Nina tells Josie, “girl, he was downstairs fixing breakfast,” while Darius is explaining to Savon, “man she put the “bahdooom” on me, I was cooking, cheese omelets.” Unfortunately, this situation frightens the both of them. Nina is done with love, as she is on the rebound from a long-term relationship and Darius hasn’t been with a woman longer than 6 months. Will this relationship work? Should they even call it a relationship? What will be their fate? Is love strong enough to bond them or keep them apart?
Writer-director Theodore Witcher, in my opinion, created an elegantly crafted film depicting African Americans in a way that the big screen, big time filmmakers are allergic to. In this movie, there was no violence whatsoever, no poverty stricken scenes or the flaunting of bling filled jewels and cars. Instead, the movie encompasses the love of art, history, poetry, jazz music, and photography. The characters are black middle-class 30-somethings who are intelligent college grads pursing relationships and careers, which is far from the majority of all movies with black cast members. Witcher brought a refreshing view of Black America to the big screen, and it was greatly appreciated! In addition, the cast was wonderful. If you didn’t know it was a movie, you would have thought they were real-life friends and that Nina and Darius were deeply in love; their energy was felt throughout the movie theater. Love Jones is a must see and a must “have in your collection” film. We need more Theodore Witcher’s in the film industry to share the side of Black America that people fail to ignore, especially the media.
I recently came across a great story. It was about a man and a woman who were once married, raised a family together, but ran into a little trouble with their finances; of course, this led to divorce.
After being apart for 17 years, love never left their hearts. They reunited under special circumstances. To find out what those circumstances were, click here. Let me know your thoughts afterwards.
Here's your dosage of mental stimulation.
Riddle #1
Submitted by: grilledcheese
Three brothers share a family sport:
A non-stop marathon
The oldest one is fat and short
And trudges slowly on
The middle brother's tall and slim
And keeps a steady pace
The youngest runs just like the wind,
Speeding through the race
"He's young in years, we let him run,"
The other brothers say
"'Cause though he's surely number one,
He's second, in a way."
Click here for answer
Let me know how you do. If you'd like to submit a riddle, let me know.
all photos courtesy of Trey Ratcliff
Once again, traveling the virtual highways of the World Wide Web, I found an awesome photographer, Trey Ratcliff. Actually, I found him while checking my watchlist and browsing the behance.net community. His work is astonishing; I viewed his image compilation entitled, Digital Divination. Truly amazing; I had to see more, so I followed the link to his website. Need I say, unbelievable! You all know I had to contact him for an interview, and once you see his work, you’ll understand why. Take a few moments to become familiar with Trey and his work.
1. Thanks, Trey for the interview, I really appreciate it. So, how are things going? I’m sure you’re busy.
Things are great. I'm extremely busy with work and personal life. I'm over stimulated in every realm, but this is a good and necessary thing for someone like me.
2. Tell me, who is Trey Ratcliff? Where did you grow up?
Haha well... that's a tough one - the first part. The second part is easy... I grew up in Texas. Maybe that has something to do with me being a rugged individualist.
3. Was art always apart of your life? At what point did you decide you wanted to be an artist?
I think art is part of everyone's life. Even if you don't create it, you can still appreciate it. Sometimes people, later in life, figure out a good medium for them to finally create their own. That's what happened to me only three years ago when I got my first SLR camera.
4. What’s your favorite part of being an artist? Do you have any other interests besides art?
Personally, I like the immediate and extended feedback I receive from people that enjoy the art. It's very interesting to see what people like and don't like right after I complete a work and then share it with the world.
Beyond art, I have a wide array of interests. I have an intense interest in a variety of subjects and a reading list -- you can peer into this here:www.stuckincustoms.com/treys-book-list/
5. Has your work been hindered or helped in any way, in your opinion, due to being blind in one eye?
I think it has helped tremendously. Essentially, I've spent my entire life seeing things in 2D, just like a camera would. I can't see 3D like other people do (with parallax), but it did rewire my brain to process images and remember them in a novel way. I don't think the way I see the world is better or worse -- it's just different.
6. When I first saw your work, Digital Divinations, I was totally sucked in. What’s the story behind the compilation?
I pulled together a visually striking compilation of some of the strongest images for the Behance crowd. The artists there are really amazing, so I wanted to ensure that something remarkable could hit their eyes in a hurry.
7. Do you have any favorites from that compilation?
There are no stand-out favorites. I like them all! Also, it's tough for me to be objective...
8. Judging from your website, stuckincustoms.com, it seems you have an interest in traveling as well as photography, a kind of photojournalism. Could you elaborate on some of trips? Which have been your favorite(s)?
I do love to travel and explore new areas. I think my favorite trips have been to Iceland and India. They are both different in their own ways and both completely foreign to me. India is great because of the people. It reminds me how, in a land of one billion people, that each one is totally unique. Iceland is great because their geology is so far afield from the normal rules of how the Earth should behave. If I could only choose one to stay in for the rest of my life, it would probably be Iceland.
9. Your images are so crisp, rich in color and balance, intoxicating to say the least. What photo editing software do you use? Do you use any other mediums?
I have a full explanation of my process on HDR photography at www.stuckincustoms.com/hdr-tutorial/ - I use a variety of software packages to accomplish the look. Primarily, I use Photomatix and Photoshop.
10. In your opinion, how would you describe your work?
This is a tough question. Putting words around art fails at some point. It's like describing a smell or a taste. I can put vainglorious words around a description, but it fails at some point. If I had to describe it at all, it makes a lot of sense to compare it to playing with light the way the Impressionists did. Light levels and contrasts change and adjust in close proximity, and the eye does a pretty good job of making this work out and make sense. The camera, by default, does not do that. My technique helps approximate the manner in which the eye and the mind work together.
11. Have you made good on your promise of one image per day, thus far?
Hehe- not so much. I usually miss 5-10 days per year. But I have been mistake free for about 6 months, so we will see if we can keep it up!
12. You mentioned the project Webwars on your blog. Are there any other projects in the works for 2009?
I have a few personal art projects I am working on, and I will share those as they are completed on the blog!
13. For up and coming artists, what advice would you offer them?
My best advice is to make a lot of mistakes and learn from them. Get feedback from someone that doesn't love you. And last, don't have any fear... that tends to steer people away from art.
I thought this was a perfect quote !
photo courtesy of rollingstone.com
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