*I want you all to imagine that in the sharp tones of authoress Ms Maya Wilkes (played by actress Golden Brooks in much-missed sitcom Girlfriends) Tuesday afternoon’s rain brought with it a thick fug of wild rumours of the demise of the relationship between Will Smith and Jada Pinkett. (And of course, the firm assurances [...]
Category Archives: Love
Oh, hell no!*
Also posted in America, Humour, Movies, Society Tagged Break Ups, Men and Women, Relationships, WTF 3 Comments
Why I Love… Libraries
It really is this simple: I cannot imagine my life as it is today without libraries. I joined my first library at the age of 4 – when we were doing a massive clearout some time in 2001, we discovered an unreturned library book (sorry!) from 1987. Civic irresponsibility aside, it was one of my [...]
Also posted in Books, Career, Education, Identity, Literature, London, Why I Love... Tagged Friends, Joy, Library, London 2 Comments
Why I Love… Candles
Among the many shimmering stars – yoghurt, crispbreads/rice cakes, Special K – of the GirlPlanet™ firmament, candles are right up there as a cultural signifier of girlieness. No, don’t deny it. I have done the (completely unscientific) research: all my girl friends have candles. All of them. Some are used as fancy air fresheners in [...]
Also posted in Home, Why I Love... Tagged Candles, Stereotypes, Things That Make You Go Mmm 2 Comments
More Wishing, More Hoping
Given the pleasing success of the first gift wishlist I posted last week, and the fact that we’re now less than 3 weeks from Christmas Day, I thought I’d post some more options for you all. This one’s more of a mixed bag, but they’re all things I’ve seen, liked and coveted for myself. Chances [...]
Also posted in Beauty, Shopping, Style Tagged Beautiful Things, Christmas, Gifts, Things That Make You Go Mmm 1 Comment
Badass Women: Claudette Colvin & Rosa Parks
Today, 55 years ago, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. It was an incident that would spark one of the biggest and most well-known chapters in the Civil Rghts Movement. The resulting bus boycott gave us several of the iconic images of the CRM and Rosa Parks [...]
Also posted in America, Politics, Society Tagged Black Girls Rock, Black People, Civil Rights Movement, Claudette Colvin, Feminism, Joy, Race, Rosa Parks, Women Leave a comment
Wishing And Hoping
Do you remember that episode of Sex and the City when Carrie sets up a register for her wedding to herself? The motives for this gesture are too long to get into here, but even with the justification, it was a particularly narcissistic thing to do, even by the character’s standards. Still, how great would [...]
Also posted in Books, Shopping, Style Tagged Beautiful Things, Christmas, Gifts, Things That Make You Go Mmm 4 Comments
Black Girls Rock!
On Saturday night(!), I watched Black Girls Rock. I have my issues with BET – this network consistently commissions/buys/broadcasts ig’nant ish, and for that alone, I cannot fully get behind them. But with this, BET did good. Black Girls Rock is a non-profit organisation set up by former model and celebrity DJ Beverly Bond, to [...]
Also posted in America, Identity, Review, Society, Television Tagged Black Girls Rock, Black People, Feminism, Race, Telly, Women 4 Comments
Talk About Targeted Reading…
Last weekend, I went walking through my neighbourhood. En route to the library, I walked past the man who sells secondhand books outside the Hackney Empire. I gave him and his wares a vague friendly smile and carried on walking, until my eyes alighted on one book in particular. Behold: It was £1. Clearly, I [...]
Also posted in Books, Literature, London, Shopping Tagged Feminism, Joy, Literature, London 8 Comments
Dressing Up
Who doesn’t love a fancy dress party? Well, um, me. I wouldn’t say I loathe them, but I really, really don’t like them. All my life I’ve been to precisely two such events – they were both university summer balls, where I was in the company of dear friends and we were all dressed the [...]
Also posted in Identity, Society, Style Tagged Fancy Dress, Feminism, Halloween, Rosie The Riveter 4 Comments
Autumn
I am currently sitting at my desk in my cosy flat, feet encased in woollen socks and fluffy slippers, a tatty purple shawl/poncho about my shoulders, and a hot water bottle in my lap. My thighs feel like they’re on fire – it is a highly pleasurable sensation. A toffee apple candle my sister bought [...]
Also posted in London Tagged Best Of British, Joy, London, Seasons, Things That Make You Go Mmm 5 Comments
Ageing and Death: Decline Is Inevitable
Last weekend, I went to Bournemouth for the birthday of one of my best friends in the world. In a couple of years, I’ll have known her for ten years, which is when we first went to university together. It also means that we’re both fast approaching thirty. Egads.
An Open Letter To Black Magazines That Keep Folding In the UK
Dear Black Magazine That Keeps Folding In the UK, I see you, usually through a shop window. More often than not, you’re in WH Smith. I blink. I’ve seen you before; perhaps the last time there was a different woman on you, or maybe you wore a different outfit. Whatever it is, I know it’s [...]
Also posted in Magazines, Society Tagged Black People, Open Letter, The Opposite of Joy, Writing 8 Comments
Why I Love… Ice Cream
I’ve mentioned previously that I’m not a classic sweet-tooth. I enjoy the presence of sugars – natural and not-so-natural – in certain foods. A little sugar in a tomato sauce, for example, or maybe in some Nigerian black beans. But I am not an ardent chocolate biscuit fan. I take my tea with no more [...]
Also posted in Food, Why I Love... Tagged Childhood, Ice Cream, Joy, Things That Make You Go Mmm 5 Comments
Settling In
Apologies for the recent silence. As I explained last Friday, I moved house on Saturday. The following day I collapsed, exhausted, in between bouts of frantic floor scrubbing, intensive clothes folding and manic hoovering. On Sunday evening, delirious with tiredness, I had myself a little self-pitying cry. I ache from the tips of my hair to [...]
Also posted in Home, London Tagged Getting started, I Want To Go Home, Joy, London, Things That Make You Go Mmm 1 Comment
Alone vs. Lonely
Next week, I shall be moving into my new flat. At the moment, I am caught up in the minutiae – packing everything six levels deep, with the top and most accessible layer made up of the things I’ll need immediately – socks, tea, clean pants, deodorant and my radio. But I know that when I move [...]
Also posted in Home, Identity, London, Video Tagged Gaah!, How To Be Alone, I Want To Go Home, Joy, London, Singledom 7 Comments
