It's like Will & Grace

Hi Ladies,

Well, this holiday was great. I went to Colonial Williamsburg and hung out with my family. Shopped, ate, drank, and was merry. I also kicked butt in our annual family Scrabble tournament! I hope you all enjoyed the lazy days as I did.

Now listen to this (you’re actually reading, but anyway), my girlfriend/boyfriend RJ asked me if he could crash at my place for the weekend since I was away. No problem. He comes up here on the weekends to get away and to visit his boy toys….

Let me give you a little history on my lil friend RJ. He and I dated in grad-school. He is an athletic, 6’3, 220lbs, football playing, All-American jock. While dating, he told me he was interested in guys, but had never acted on this impulse. Once we broke up (no it wasn’t immediate), sky was the limit; he went buck wild with the girls and the boys. Hoe City. Through it all, we remained close friends (he says I'm his Grace). Recently, he has become a bit more comfortable ‘playing with the other team’ and has even ‘come-out’ to his boys (to my surprise, they didn’t care.) He hasn’t ‘come-out’ to his family and vows to never do so. He doesn’t tell the women he dates, either. This goes against my down-low beliefs and is a huge NO-NO in my book. I tell him all the time.

Back to the present, RJ wants my Bo and I to go on a double date with him. He wants me to meet one of his crushes. It seems a bit strange. I have no problem with gays, lesbians, transgender or whatever you are, just as long and you don’t act stank towards me. However, this is a different situation. I mean… RJ and I used to date. Yes, it was eons ago, but still. Will I feel the same way one does when they see their ex with another woman? Am I going to look at him in a different light? Is he going to be ‘less of a man’ in my eyes? Who knows? Whatever the end result, we’re going to dinner and I will support him. I’ll give the new guy the same scrutiny I would the new chick. Crazy, isn’t it?

What do you think? If you have experienced something like this, what did you do? If not, what would you do?

Until next time...
~Be Seen at the Top!

Weekend Quest

This weekend I was on the quest for a great handbag. I’ve had my eye on a medium sized green studded hobo bag by Kenneth Cole. It was on sale so I knew that someone would scoop it up soon if I didn’t pounce.

The journey began on Saturday at the ϋber sexy N boutique on 116th Street in Harlem, co-owned by Girlfriend Nikoa Evans. They are having a 30% off sale on Juicy Couture, and let me tell you, their stuff is HOT! It was freezing in there because they keep the door open so customers will know that they are open. However, you can’t miss the store since there is a large sign out front listing the names of their designer goods. When you first walk in, you are greeted by a small section of home goods (placemats, knick-knacks and lovely fragrances). Turn left and a cute little sales associate greets you. She was styling a close-cropped Caesar and the baddest black stiletto slouch boots. In front of her was a collection of gold and silver jewelry from various artists. While beautiful, I was more interested in the clothes (I’m also on a quest for the perfect jean for a tall girl with booty, but you know that will take a bit longer.) You walk past the colorful Iman cosmetics counter and voíla: deep v-neck beaded shirts, sleek jeans, leather and sherpa boots, cashmere, fur hoodies, silk skirts… and handbags! I also saw sexy little dresses by Tracey Reese and Nicole Miller.

Exposed brick, dark smooth concrete flooring, and elephant ear palms accentuated the downstairs Men’s section; sweet pots of diffused scents were discretely placed throughout. Nice. Their collection included G-Star, Hugo Boss, and random local designers who proved to be worthy. My boy Tabari found a smart Asian inspired tie and handkerchief set. Each piece was handmade so he ordered the $275 tie.

Next we traveled downtown to NYC’s Flatiron neighborhood. We went into Zara (one of his favorite stores). After receiving virtually no help from useless sales associates, we found a great fitting army green button-down for him in the Men’s section. We went back upstairs, only to wait in a ridiculously long line. A woman, two people in front of us, complained that every time she visited the lines are long and that they need to invest in a third cash register. Halfway listening, the manager looked up from her scheduling sheet and said that the register was open downstairs in the Men’s section. I informed her that no one was downstairs; I mean, I had just come up the stairs. The three people behind me co-signed my statement. Rather than checking on her associate or using her walkie to make sure there was someone down there, she cut us off by saying ‘No. There is someone down there. She has been waiting for an hour.’ Absurd.

With a few stops in between, my quest continued on to the final destination, Kenneth Cole. And, YES, they still had the bag. To my delight, the girl helping me found a fresh bag still wrapped in plastic with all the stuffing. I snniiffed, and smelled the sweet leather. I’ve been looking other places, but I knew this was the one I wanted. My favorite mass-retailer, Club Monaco, has an awesome large satchel that has a leather handle, leather bottom, but a grey knit body. It is BAD, but not for everyday use. I wanted something for everyday. My hand is itching though, so I know I’m going to have to stalk that bag a bit to see if it goes on sale.

Please respond to me through the blog and not via email. That way we all can share. Thanks!

Until next time…
~Be Seen at the Top!

Hello World!

Welcome one and all to the world of GGT! This is geared towards Ladies. Please feel free to share, discuss, network, and most of all have fun.

Let me start of by telling you of my adventure with my homegirl (in my mind) Kelis. I went to her concert the other night at New York's Sounds Of Brazil (SOB's) and boy-oh-boy, I didn't know what to expect. I mean, what kind of crowd does she pull? Punkers? Hoodrats? The Eclectic folks? I've never been to one of her concerts before so I was excited. Plus, my friend says that Bossy is my theme song.

First off, the DJ arrive the same time I did (which was 8ish) and no one was there to warm up the crowd. My only entertainment was the group of gay guys in front of us telling this story and that... "Girl don't you know... Umm, hmm well I heard... What? Shut up!" I just knew my boy Tabari was going to get 'accidentally' felt up by the end of the night. You know how guys just happen to brush up against you and pretend as if neither of you felt anything.

After standing on the concrete floor in a jam packed space for almost two hours; my feet were hurting. Unfortunately, I had to be cute and wear my 4-inch pirate inspired Steve Madden Cognac colored knee-high boots. The DJ got on stage and tried to 'warm up' the crowd, but after hours of waiting, we were like 'Negro Plueaze.' While talented, he just couldn't get me going. That was until I heard, "I wanna rock right now. I'm Rob Base and I came to get down..." You know the rest. I had to take it back and do the wop in the 1x1 square foot space that was allotted me.

When the band finally got on stage, they came complete with their Hennessy bottle, snifter glasses, and a swagger. I shouldn't have been surprised, BUT I WAS. Scheduled for 9pm, Mrs. Jones didn't step on the stage until 9:55pm. My crew and I were 'ret-to-go.' However, once she began her set, we couldn't Keep It Down because she had us feeling like Millionaires. I was hoping she would do Millionaire because it's one of my favorites from her last album. She opened the night with it so I was pleased. Kelis entertained us with her gyrating hip thrusts, spastic robotic pauses to the beat and flailing arms. She was a sweaty wild woman. During my theme song, I felt inspired to do her 'broken chicken' dance. Don't worry, I didn't. Blindfold Me was the highlight of the evening. When Nas came on stage, the crowd got hype and the girls started squealing like pigs. Some of the guys were too. Even I had to pull out my camera. He was cute in his little NY Yankees baseball cap, white button down, jeans and blazer. Traditional 'dress-up gear' for rappers of his age. I couldn't quite see his shoes though. I didn't realize Kelis was that much taller than he. Well, only an inch or two, but she could have been wearing heels.

All in all, she did a good job. I haven't bought her new album Kelis was Here, but now, I think I might have to pick it up. The show could have been a bit longer AND she could have arrived on time, but she looked great. We've all seen her new haircut, but she has now shaved the right side of her head and swooped the rest to the left. Think of a mohawk with only one side being shaved. Donning a black bolero jacket, black sequined mini-dress with silver piping around the neck, silver leggings, she rocked the house. Again, from my vantage point, I couldn't get a full understanding of the shoes, but I saw black boots with some sort of furry top. I love shoes, so those were the first things I was trying to check out.

Until next time...

~Be Seen at the Top!