Bell Biv Devoe: Poison

ALBUM OF THE DAY:Bell Biv Devoe's "Poison"

Released during the second semester of my junior year of high school, this album nestles my Nostalgia Button like a full-fledged cartoon Mammy to her breast. Yeah. It's like that. I teeny-bopped with New Edition, properly selecting one boy band member to gush over (Ronnie, duh),  and they will go down in my generation's history as iconic and formative to the best boombox bootleg mixes.

In fact, BBD was the first concert I was ever allowed to attend without my siblings! (There are two older and one younger.) Deep into my dance years myself, I was absolutely enraptured by the guys' dynamic choreography and rapid staging. My dance team never got to do their songs for any of our stuff, but our dynamic, over-the-top pep rallies certainly included choreography from boy "dance teams" who were allowed to get away with such scandalous lyrics to roars of approval from all four corners of the gymnasium. The newly rhythmic, pounding bass was utterly magnetic... even to the NKOTB fans. (They were fooling no one!)

Flash forward %# years, and I am disenchanted. These. Lyrics. Are. Horrible.

Now, as not to dismantle my beloved memories, I decided to merely chalk their chalky wordsmithery (I made that up) to the reality that their education was stinted. Their book learning as well as worldliness was cut short as a result of their young fame. Similarly, the 'game' that their lyrics purport attract actual women fell incredibly short on this 44-year-old.

As I sulked through my three miles, really trying to give my guys the benefit of the doubt, I was caressed by the amazing breezes that walking along A1A/Ocean Avenue offers us here in Florida. We had a jealousy-inducing 71 degrees at 11am. And, bonus, there were plenty of visitors(!) to our area. We Floridians CRINGE at the crappy driving of our northern and Canadian neighbors. But when it comes to being able to take a simple walk in a predominantly White neighborhood, it's a nice change to have a pleasant greeting offered first rather than wincing out a reluctant, eye-contact-averting one in return.

Total walk ended up going 4.48 miles in an hour and 40 minutes. Not straight, though. I stopped a few times to get some wide-arm push-ups in on the memorial benches that line the path. That and the Intracoastal Bridge opened twice. So I reverted to that Hamilton Mixtape I just discovered during Walk Day 1. There are still some amazing songs I can't get out of my mind!

As this is my final entry of the year, literally, I can't help but to reflect why I finally upped and got this walking thing going. It's truly been about a twelve year mental journey to work through:

•  how I gained the weight 
• why I kept it on #metoo
• the benefit of keeping it on
• relearning eating habits
• teaching myself to cook finally
• the importance of daily fitness
• allowing my mental state to know I was responsible for maintaining my body's health
• finding the mental capacity to believe I was allowed to honor my body
• the reality of being so bored when working out like magazines said to do and stopping before my body actually needed to
• wanting to get back into dancing but my now arthritic ankle wouldn't allow me to 
• wanting to do more group sport and fitness activities but my teacher-salary kept getting in the way of affording the variety my mind craved
• and, truly, the discipline it took to get myself motivated based on "supposed to" alone!

And so, here I am. I have discovered A Purpose. And it's totally self-serving. That's something to get used to in and of itself! I mean, WHO is going to benefit from me discovering hip hop music properly?

Meanwhile, I do enjoy running around with my nephews more than just watching them play. The youngest ones are 5, 11, and 13. This definitely makes Frisbee Football more fun!

DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince: Greatest Hits

ALBUM OF THE DAY: DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince: Greatest Hits

SOMEHOW, I became someone who woke up looking forward to my workout today! What the...
who DOES that?!?!? Okay, so here's where Miss Nostalgia enters and I realize there was a time
in my life when I would absolutely wake up with the anticipation of what rehearsal that day would
entail. Yep, I'm one of those weirdos who actually preferred rehearsals to the performance.

To help make this concept make sense to ‘civilians’, I have to offer a new word I recently learned
from some dude's profile in OK Cupid... don't judge me

Merriam-Webster drops this definition of EPISTEMOPHILIA on their website.

"love of knowledge; specifically: excessive striving for or preoccupation with knowledge'

Indeed, the option to gather together with my cast or team in some musty rehearsal hall or gym to
know we had a collective goal to learn choreography or blocking or a new flag exchange that-may-
cause-bloodshed was exciting! (I choose to use this example so I can conceal my nerdiness for a
few more entries, at least.)   Anyway, I found this anticipation energising. And it was even more
amazing to feel that sense again today. Too often during the school year, I find myself waking with
the first thought being, "How long til I can return to, dear friend?" That friend being my lovely, overly
decadent bed. Not a healthy mental start to the day!

Alright, so thank you YouTubeRed for access to temporarily download this album. The benefit being
able to save my phone battery.  The most recent iOS software upgrade is one of those that drains
your battery super, cruelly fast. This being a Saturday, I was taking a new route and that Map My
Walk app is a total battery-suck.

Oh, 4.06 miles today.

So, album reflection -

Alright, so on today's docket was an album I'm actually familiar with. I consider this forgivable
as it's still 2017. Also, the need for me to have Gateway Rap into all that cursing is  still relevant.
Thank goodness for Will not wanting to displease his grandmother. In fact, I think tomorrow's
album will have to be Quad City DJ's as I can't remotely recall and other rappers who don't curse.

Will Smith is a storyteller. Not in one of those super, griot types where history or knowledge is
dropped. But you know *that dude* in every playground or lockerroom who can make a memory
about watching paint drying sound like a roller derby commentary? That’s Will Smith for me. My
sister has this gift as well. It is to her that I would make certain to tell my most insane travel tales
or student absurdity. Think about it… how likely is it that that story of him stealing his parents’ car
and picking up a 12-year-old reeeealllllly went down that way??? (Parents Just Don’t Understand)

Honestly, though, I feel like it’s more prudent to focus on Jeff’s contribution to this album as Will went
on to make enough other albums to have a Greatest Hits album of his own. And here is where I
have to admit that I like the music sampling. I recall there was a huge ‘thing’ with it years ago at the
inception of crossover hip hop. Meanwhile, the counter-argument that sampling brought retired
musicians and songs back to the conversation was valid.

Hamilton: The Mixtape

The Hamilton Mixtape

This is the album that finally gave me the courage to start this blog ....and make it public. The thing is, I've been a teacher for over a decade. With most of those being in America and her silly connotations about a teacher's personal life, I've not found my blog voice on a subject that won't cause any controversy should a litigious parent want to find some random, unassociated-with-their-child problem. (Not kidding... this happens)

So, taking a hint from the Twitter accounts I loahte most but notice they have the largest follower number, I am just going to talk about myself and things I'm not good at... yet. Helloooo car crash gawkers!

Anywho, I've been teaching Theatre in Secondary schools since 2003. Hamilton seemed a rather logical gateway drug into this venture, right?

But that MIXTAPE remix though... Why did  I not know about this??? I'd heard "Immigrant" drop, of course. As such, given how much I enjoyed it and forwarded it to everyone during this hellaciously unkind 2017, I'm completely uncertain why I didn't ... wait, I do know. The Hamilton Phenomenon annoys me. Don't get it twisted - I LOVE that Lin Manuel created his masterpiece and he and the multi-ethnic cast and crew are getting PAID. I'm annoyed that White America, like the Eminem thing, seemed to get to decide when hip hop was "good" or "acceptable." That's really moreso my beef with it's popularity. And truly likely what kept the Mixtape from my ears.

It's all good in da hood now, though! Luckily I had such a full day that I didn't get to my walk until 8pm-ish. So, on my 3 mile neighborhood loop, it was perfect that now one could see when I burst out some choreography! 5--6--7--8-- mayn!

Oh, the sucky part. At 206 pounds (down 11 at this date, though and DURING holiday season!), it took my all 80 minutes to get through these three miles. I've got my quick stride back, thanks to a new chiropractor and wellness trainer. Right now this quick stride only sustains for 1.25 miles before I need a break.

Okay, I have to figure out how to assess which songs affected me most as I can't really take notes! Hmmmm Got any ideas?

Alrighty then, I DO know that while my body was incapable of just power-striding straight down the sidewalk, the lyrics told such an incredible story. Given their incredible significance in this political climate, I was riveted. I was also motivated to shout a few "yaaasssss-es" and "fo' reals".

• Who Tells Your Story (feat. Common & Ingrid Michaelson)
• It's Quiet Uptown (Kelly Clarkson)
• And I just love all the possibilities of
  Wrote My Way Out (Nas, Dave East, Lin-Manuel Miranda & Aloe Blacc - Topic) Really, what teacher of underprivileged teenagers wouldn't?

My students won't be able to listen to this version of Hamilton in my classroom given the cursing. It's infrequent, sure, but it's enough to not make the cut. This is definitely something I'm going to have to truly get used to hearing given this journey. Hearing cursing truly makes me uncomfortable. #firstworldproblems, right?

What album should I listen to next???