Happy Nude Year

Just got back in from seeing Oceans 11....face it, ladies, and some of you gents out there, George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon in one single camera shot will make the Voodoo go HOOHOO. I'm in love. Ask the Fredator.

Apologies to all of you because the page has been down, and it hasn't been up and running the way it should be. I have a free host, so you know I ain't trippin. I am grateful to have this platform from which to spew my good lovin', but it's not as reliable as this girl would like it to be. Remember, beggars can't be choosers, so I gotta do what I gotta do. Keep checking the Voodoo, and it'll be aaaaaaaight.

What do to for New Years: I have some offers to go out tonight. However, staying home is a welcome option, and I'm thinking about doing just that. But the calls to party are tempting, my children. Who knows. I went to Costco earlier today, and I found myself in a mire of people. It seems as everyone is out shopping to prepare for a big party at their respective homes tonight. I walked in, and had to walk out. It was too crowded for me. And I thought these folks were going to go out and party? I guess not.

Alas, the house is empty. It's quiet, and I think that's okay...I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts. And on that note, happy new years, babies.

Be safe, be careful, and be properly lubricated.

Voodoo

posted by Voodoo Child @ 7:48:00 PM

Pagibig

Today I had lunch with Heavy Jumbo. Burritos from Pancho Villa (his a Carne Asada black bean, mine a super vegetarian). Mucho gusto... muy sabrosos! We chopped it up, went for a nice walk, and back up to the City I went. I ran some errands, and decided on the fly, to go to Tiffany's to buy something I really really wanted. A necklace. Anyway, that didn't go so well, so I decided to continue my foray into San Francisco's Union Square. But you know, Tiffany's had no time for ghetto queen Voodoo Child, so I had to bounce from there. I went to Saks Fifth Avenue as well, and that's always fun. It's even more fun when you're wearing a Vagina Monologue shirt for all to see. Yah, that says Vagina, so quit staring at my boobs.

Old Navy was packed, but not a whole lotta good stuff left...mostly the crap you'd give for xmas presents (oops). Sanrio filled with Filipino girls screaming for more. Macys had all the boyfriend seats taken by sullen men. And to top it all off, it started to rain.

The agua fresca fresa I had was starting to bump my bladder a bit, so I bounced down the street to Virgin Records where I know they have a bathroom stored high on the third floor by the books. After standing in line, suffering from the malodorous ventures of logs dumped by previous visitors, I did my thang and went about my business buyin' music. I swept up Luis Miguel's Mis Romances, Marc Anthony's Libre, and Sting's All this Time. I've been listening to Latin music for a few years...even since Menudo had some scrawny punk named Ricky Martin in it. So that is the reason behind the first two...I like Luis Miguel and Marc Anthony...great music that I highly recommend to you. The last choice, Sting, was because I simply adore him. Ever since I was 14, I've been in love with the brother, so I have to naturally pick it up...which reminds me....

The Bald Head of the Month Club

Our newest inductee to the Bald Head of the Month goes to Sting. He's not quite bald, but he's receding, and that's good enough for a vote into the Bald Head of the Month Club. I used to have large posters of this stud all over my room as a teenager, and if I didn't grow up and have friends who'd ridicule me for my obsession, I'd guarantee that they'd be up right now. At any rate, I salute you, oh Stingarama. For your bald head, and your supposed seven hour sex sessions. You go boy.

Where was I? So anyways, I meander down to the register and it's packed. I go back upstairs (by now my feet are killing me after walking so much), and find a cute little Filipino boy at the register. We exchange pleasantries, and I noticed that he has a pendant around his neck with some squiggles on it known as the Alibata.

I stare at it intently and try to figure out what it says while he's ringing me up. I said, I recognize that as Ba, but I think it's Bi the way it's written...We chat a little about it, and I find out he doesn't know what it means literally, but he knows it stands for "love" or pagibig. He was surprised that I would know what it is. He asked me how I knew what it was and I thought for a moment...How do those of us who know what it means say we learned it? We learn from each other, it's something that we pass down to each other so that we know our own history. It's a big deal that we share those things with others, and I'm very proud to have been a student of my classmates. Anyways, he takes out a bit of receipt and he writes down "pagibig" and then I explain what each symbol means. He was excited to learn what his necklace meant, and it was given to him as a gift. He said thank you, and I said, hey, now you know what love means. I winked and walked away.

There were some people waiting for us to finish chatting so they could pay for their stuff.

Oh well. Now that's love.

Voodoo

posted by Voodoo Child @ 9:21:00 PM

I Dreamt about Who?

Okay Voodoo Babies, your Queen Mother has a confession to make.

I had a sex dream.

Not just any sex dream, but a sex dream about someone that I've written about.

Holy shit, kids, I woke up and said, "Huh?" I don't know what to think about this dream land experience. It's not that I don't want to get it on. Hell, Getting it On is a most welcome experience at this point. However, I am somewhat dumbfounded over the fact that I don't know why I would have a serious rumpy pumpy dream with this person in it. Whereas most dreams are forgotten the day after they occur, this one is still readily available for download. I'm kind of embarassed about it, actually, because I'm afraid if I see this person, I might have a Sex Dream flashback and it might show. The person might look at me and say, "Um, why are you blushing?" Quickly followed by "Is that your hand on my butt?" Man, I'm torn up over this one.

Was it good, oh yah, it was interesting. Was it someone that I like? I guess you could say that. Am I going to tell you? Oh hell no, my sweet ones, I am afraid that you aren't going to be privvy to that kinda information. But yes, I had a great smile on my face this morning.

You know how you dream, wake up then you try to go back to pick up where your dream left off?

I'm off to bed ;-)

Voodoo

posted by Voodoo Child @ 11:59:00 PM

Nutcrackin' Me Up

Nothing says lovin' like a man in white tights so tight that you can get a glimpse of the ass complete with crack. The Dent that Holds the Promise of Power winked at me.

Yes, the ballet tradition started in the United States here in San Francisco - thy name is The Nutcracker. Voodoo Mama, Buff Bagwell, and Perfume Nazi went out to the big show tonight. Quite lovely, the SF Ballet production. The costumes and some of the sets are the same as last year, but I always get that sweet heart swell during the beginning music when the triangle goes ting ting ting....

Those who attend the ballet are a special sort. There are a lot of rich kids, pretentious older folks, families with wiggly kids, and newbies who aren't dressed up quite enough. There are the envious stares towards those who sit in the boxes, and soaring eyes leap to the balconies. As a novice Nutcracker kid, I sat in the balcony, and watched below as the flowers hopped, the nutcracker broke, but I got to see the orchestra's violin bows waving at me up above. But now, I sit orchestra, the expensive seats, the eye level seats where it happens just in front of me, not too far that I have to squint, not too close that I see the dust getting kicked up by the dancers. As they say, never sit too close at the ballet or else you'll break the illusion. Never.

I have to admit, the white tight thing is a bit distracting. I admire the physique of the dancers, male and female, but someone tell me what's up with the crack. Yes, the crack. The men dance in tights so tight that bam, there is the crack. I won't even get into the whole package thing. The guys have stuff down there, all good, but the crack, by far is the most disturbing. But not so much that I can't revel in it. You go, boy, nice ass. Women have been hearing it for years, now is my annual shot back to all those men who ogle women. Nice ass.

On that note, sugar plum fairies, let's go to bed. Good night all. And for heaven's sake, if you haven't seen the Nutcracker, go. If not for the see and be seen factor on the orchestra floor, go for the men in the white tights. God bless the ballet.

Voodoo

posted by Voodoo Child @ 11:38:00 PM

Happy Holiday Greets


Waddup Voodoo Babies, I wanted to say Merry Christmas to all...May you be surrounded by friends and family, the spirit of love, and tons of good food. I am grateful to have you in my life, and hope that you feel at home here at BRL. Put down the presents, and let's be with each other.

Check out the new flash intro...

As always, your Queen Mama Jamma,
Voodoo

posted by Voodoo Child @ 11:58:00 AM

The Nearness of You

Christmas looms in the distance, only two hours away...I'm in my room, hiding away from the Karaoke machine. I'm burning some japanese incense I picked up for my brother (he opened it and left it in my room, by rights, I can get some sticks, right?). My stomach is full of a great dinner we just had, and I'm waiting to get dressed for midnight mass.

Earlier I was in a foul mood, such is life when you're feeling not as Christmas-y or maybe even a little tired. I went to Beniciawith World of Curls, Mighty Mom and Brahma Bull. Got back into the City a little late, then Smooth called me up and we had some late night Vietnamese food (yes I happen to adore Vietnamese food, honey).

Buff and I shot out to get something for Voodoo Mama. Wrapped lots of gifts for the family, and here I am, writing to you.

Christmas is one of my favorite holidays. But there's one thing I don't quite understand: Why should we treat anyone better over the holiday?

Yes, I said it. Tis the Season, I've heard people say, 'to be nice to one another.'

If that ain't a crock of shit, I don't know what is. Wait, wait, before you get all anti-Voodoo on me, let me explain. Why is it that we have to treat folks a whole lot better now than at any given time in the year? I ask that only because if we treated each other like we treat each other during Christmas etc, then wouldn't the world be a better place? I would like to think so. Personally, I'm through with the be nice to people once a year crap. Valentine's Day? Show 'em you love 'em once a year? No, you show yo' love all year round baby. Thanksgiving? We give thanks all year round.

Does this smell of a conspiracy of sorts? Hallmark, please go up to the stand...

Just kidding ya'll, but you know what I'm sayin' right? We wait for this one time a year to give props to folks. We wait once a year to have "mother's day" or "father's day" or "grandparent's day" or even something insane like "boss' day"...but if we honored the people in our lives every day. If we honored the spirits every day rather than wait once a year I think we'd have a revolution on our hands. I don't think we should do the whole gift thing all year, mind you, there's a simple matter of money to worry about. I think the spirit of the season should be a spirit of the way we live our lives daily, not annually.

That's the problem with commercialization (how convenient that they fall in fiscal quarters, isn't it) and a lack of continuity in the way we do things. Things are segmented in American society, divided up, separated from each other and the spirit that truly united them is shattered. And I hate it. But I'll spend the holiday sharing it with those I love. Doing what I do all year, appreciating them, showing them I care, and giving them gifts (material and not).

Happy Holidays? Yah, sure. It is.

Voodoo


Much love and kisses to the Apostles and Voodoo Babies, Team TBA, Felonious and TWB.

posted by Voodoo Child @ 10:30:00 PM

Lord of the Rings Review

I had dinner with Buffy, Trailblazer, Raver Chick, and the Accountant tonight in Palo Alto. We met up at Gordon Biersch, then spied Buca di Beppo across the street. We naturally wound up there, and a good thing too. It's a great restaurant. I'm a Gordon Biersch girl myself, as World of Curls will attest, but hell, Italian food, anyday! I highly recommend the rigatoni positano, the chicken marsala and a nice caesar salad. Yum. It's nice to get to have dinner with family. Too bad the rest of them flaked on us, oh well, that's life, baby.

I got a phone call from Smooth and got the invite to watch Lord of the Rings. I headed up with speed and saw quite possibly the movie of the year. Good shit, man I highly recommend it to anyone who loves fantasy (not fantasies, but the genre of fiction/movies called fantasy, my Voodoo freaks). I was blown away, by the story which was clean, the sets which were AWESOME, and the cast which was outstanding. I couldn't quite buy Elijah Woods as Frodo, but hell, he's cute, I'm good to go. Smooth enjoyed it, and I suspect that he fancies himself to be an elf. So cute.

Two Voodoo Thumbs Up, my babies, go see it. But be forewarned. It was 10:30 when Smooth called me. Movie started at 11:45. Ended around 3ish. Have a strong bladder, a soft butt, and hopefully someone to canoodle with in the theater.

We witnessed yet again the Star Wars Forbidden Love trailer, but glimpsed the Blade 2 trailer (yippee, Wesley Snipes you hottie), the Spider Man trailer (wow, that looks TIGHT), and the Austin Powers trailer which had all midgets, boy I wanna scream.

Anyways, it's 4AM, time for bed. Catch you in the AM. Kisses to the Voodoo Babies.

Voodoo

posted by Voodoo Child @ 4:03:00 AM

Go Deep

Having your own web venture is a bit like flashing the general public, except you get to hear the comments that people have regarding the quality of your, um, flashability. So to be honest with you, this whole web thing is a tad bit freaky, I must admit. It also is very exciting as well, so don't forget that piece. But then again, so is, um, flashing the public.

Ownership of beatsrhymesnlife is on many different levels. Of course, I pay the bills for brl, and those aren't bad. I also manage the site, corral in the writers and some of the readers, and constantly make upgrades and changes as needed. I wouldn't be able to take complete ownership of the page if I didn't of course participate fully as a writer (VoodooChild) and a team member (The Big Aiyah!). But some folks have asked me what beatsrhymesnlife (brl) is all about, and well, let's talk...

My vision of brl is of an online community, different thoughts, perceptions and reactions. All are wonderfully independent, yet interdependent. I didn't expect to get so many hits from other sources, although the occasional search terms can be found here (most recently the search terms "naked ex-boyfriends cheese" did lead to my page, but hell, god bless the Internet). This online community, mostly twenty somethings (and an occasional 30 something, such as myself), contribute what I call brainwidth to the site, continually evolving and revolving around current topics, thoughts and concerns.

What's next for the site? Who knows, I feel like it can be anything. I'm working on developing on online art gallery for those artists in my community. Photography, design, music, you name it, I hope it will be there. I'm going to change the flash intro every now and then. Thanks for the feedback on that, I see that most men react favorably to the boob shot. But who knows, brl can be so many different things.

But one thing it will be is community oriented. A voice for some to express new ways of thinking, speaking and acting. A voice for some to just be. And a place for those voices to exist. I encourage all of you to peep the other pages (some are inactive because of winter break and injury or a combination of the two), and see what I'm talking about.

I encourage writers to go deep, and I wouldn't be fair if I didn't. There is, of course, a certain risk to doing so, and as perhaps the risk in expression is the risk that someone else might be offended or that someone might agree, but until you put it out there, we don't know. Either way, the voice, important because of personal nature and definition, has a place here. Yes, even if I don't buy it.

Thanks for visiting.
Voodoo

posted by Voodoo Child @ 6:47:00 PM

What it all boils down to

I've been dealing with some details about life lately, and it seems as if I'm in that zone quite often. Every now and then, something will come up that blows my mind, causes me to think, rethink, reexamine, and change the way I look at things. Now is one of those times. It's not Christmas, it's not New Year's. Not 9/11. Those things have been beaten into our brains enough. Let me just say this:

I can see from here
The look on your face
That says
I am not what you are
Even though we are one in the same
In physiology,
And markings,
And history.
In tongue.
As we pass each other
I can read your mind
And the thoughts
That whisper
I am not what you are
Even though we share
Meals
At the same table.
Across from each other.
And for a moment
I am glad that
We are not alike
Despite our similar births
And a shared homeland
A Motherland
We both call home.
As I close my eyes
I find myself
Hating you for not being more like me
And in there,
Somewhere
Hating myself.

Voodoo

posted by Voodoo Child @ 11:19:00 AM

Mallrats

I needed my hair chopped off, so I went to my usual hairstylists, but those bastards were closed. Now this forced my foray into the wonderful world of the Mall. My default hair salon is there, unfortunately. I happen to hate the mall at this time of the year, usually because I don't have enough money to support my shopping habit, now I have to buy crap for my family and friends? (Just kidding, family and friends, I love ya).

At any rate, going to have your hair cut at the mall is a risky proposition. Your hair is soggy wet after the shampoo, and of course they have all these windows so shoppers can gawk at your slicked back goodness. So of course, I get put at the front of the store. Fresh. Snips, cuts and a few waxed down hair particles, we're all sittin' pretty and doing well. On to buy gifts for the family. Sparkly stuff for my homegirls, vibrating things for my dad, cute warm things for my mom, and of course, nothing for me.

I walk along the mall (The Route, as Buff and myself call it), and I keep a careful watch on folks, because you never know. I dread running into folks from my past, and as life would have it, it's always the folks I fear the most. Ex boyfriends, ghetto friends who are too ghetto (is there such a thing, yes, my love there are), and other various and sundry folks from my life. It just so happened that I ran into two former students of mine, and that's never a bad thing :-)

One student is currently attending UCSF for the dental hygiene program. I worked extensively with her on the application, dealing with issues of moving on to another school (she transferred), and problems with life in general. She struggled a lot, but she always looked cute, and that's important, as you know damn well. I saw her, and we exchanged greetings. She's taking 9 classes now and is so overwhelmed, as I hear that many UCSF dental program students are, and she's finally relieved that her semester is over. Gone were her pretty clothes and shoes, make up etc, but hey, that's the life of a student, isn't it? I should know. 23 years in schools teaches you a thing or two. I walked away feeling good because I know she did well. And she worked so hard to get where she is. But 9 classes will burn even the best student.

Another student saw me, and we talked while she waited for her boyfriend to get off for a lunch break. I worried constantly about this one. She had the whole suburb chick thing goin' on, and I wasn't sure if she was going to make it. So working with her was like this: constant checking in, having impromptu counseling sessions whereever I would see her, waiting for her even after hours because she couldn't come in during business hours. She was an infrequent visitor, more likely one of those students who comes in only at the moment of desperation, long after anything that could be resolved has ceased to be so. I'm happy to hear she's still in school; when I asked her how she was doing, she laughed at me and said, "Damn, dude (I get called dude a lot, all gravy), you're still trying to make sure I keep my shit together?" We laughed some more, and we went on our ways.

Someone asked me what the reward was for working in a field that as a rule overworks its staffs, demands too much time and energy from its faculty, and doesn't pay all that great. (None of you dare tell me that private universities pay more cause that's a crock, thank you very much) My rewards are seeing students achieve the things they've always wanted, seeing students move up in the world, and seeing my efforts pay off. Even though it's a long wait (4-6 years) until students graduate, it's nice to know you were a part of that.

Off to the mall,
Voodoo Child

posted by Voodoo Child @ 9:33:00 AM

Felonious Monkey Up in Da Treezy

I would also like to welcome the Felonious Monkey to the BRL Family...He might be a little abrasive, and maybe even a little feisty, but in the end of it all, he's just a furry mutha hanging upside down from a tree flinging poo.

God bless the web.

Voodoo

posted by Voodoo Child @ 4:17:00 PM

The Tokin' White Boy


I'd like to welcome the Tokin' White Boy to my page....he's located at Counter Culture Terrorist...bringing a fresh perspective on reality to yo' booty...He's on his way to the East Coast tomorrow, so he'll be droppin' knowledge from the East side for a few weeks.

Props to the TWB...check out his page when you got a second.

And get jiggy to this.

Who loves you?
The Voodoo Child

posted by Voodoo Child @ 2:53:00 PM

4:30AM

Hungover.

Goddammit.

Going back to sleep? I've been trying. I got a fattie headache, although I did down some water this evening. This is definitely going to affect my job performance tomorrow.

Like I give a rat's ass right now.

Peas,
Voodoo Child

posted by Voodoo Child @ 4:33:00 AM

Big Ups and Big Love

Tonight was the official launching of Beatsrhymesnlife.com, the web page of the Voodoo Child. By now, if you're reading this, I hope you have found your new Voodoo home online.

I wanted to thank some people before I passed out tonight....so here goes:

To all the Voodoo Babies in the heezy:

1. DJ Gengalicious and DJ Gnome-atic: thanks for comin' through for a sista, even though they didn't hae a mixer, those bastards. You guys are so cute, it kills me. Let me know when you'd like to have dinner, k?
2. MsStraitsJackit: for her indomitable spirit and soul, thanks sista girl.
3. To World of Curls and Beer Can, thanks for coming, I wish you were there from the git-go, but I'm glad you were there til the end. You guys are the best.
4. To Mista J and Drunken Masta, thanks for rollin' through, I'm so glad you guys are in my life. I know I can count on you.
5. To Smooth: Damn boy you so smooth you don't even know you're smooth.
6. To Sugarq3: you so hard, so scary, if it wasn't for your label mismatch, you'd be the Rock.
7. To The Apostle and Yuck Mouth: thanks for coming even tho I know Apostle got a busted eye and Yuck has to babysit him (the pirate that he is).
8. To the Sistas: Wow, when you guys roll deep, you roll deep! Thanks for comin' through. I hope you make the Rohan your home away from home. And a final shout to The Rohan Lounge for keepin' it real and having us party with you that night. Much love and all that.

Well, I'm going to pass out now. God bless the Voodoo Babies that showed up. And god bless Soju.

VoodooChild

posted by Voodoo Child @ 11:52:00 PM

The 33 Questions

• Have I seen you somewhere before?
• Was it in a dream?
• Was it just down the street?
• Was it me or was it cool?
• Do you think we could spend some time?
• Just me and you?
• Chillin' inconsequentially?
• Watch a sunrise or two?
• Would it be possible to know your mind?
• See what I can find?
• Make this moment mine?
• Did I ever tell you you're cool?
• Maybe once or twice?
• Do you think it'd be nice?
• Can I ask your advice?
• This thing we got goin' on, no one knows, so if I let it slip, where does it go?
• Will it take a walk, maybe far away?
• Will it be return for another day?
• Would you mind if I say what's on my mind?
• Do you have just a little time?
• And a little space in that heart?
• For someone like me to take a part of the action?
• Would you accept more than satisfaction?
• For as long as you live?
• What in turn would you give?
• Did you hear every word I said?
• Would you let these feelings go unreciprocated?
• Can I finish this poem?
• Does it matter where we're going?
• Cause if it doesn't, then maybe we could just chill?
• Take some time out and do whatever we will?
• Is that cool?
• Is it?

Voodoo

posted by Voodoo Child @ 2:52:00 AM

The Village People Have Competition

I didn't know what to say when I saw this, I guess it was a mix of disgust and eerie curiosity. Enjoy. Wolf, where do you get such wonderful toys?

Voodoo

posted by Voodoo Child @ 11:23:00 AM

Where is the Love?

Feel the rain fallin' on my face. I'm tired. The buzz I had faded off. My left eye is pink. My room's a mess. My cell phone is dead. Not like anyone calls, but that's besides the point. My social life is stagnant, and it feels like I'm on a very long, glue-filled slide. So you know who I had to call about this (on the house phone, no less):

I dial...1-877-SUP-2-GOD.

"Hello?" I think I woke him up.

"Yo' God, what's goin on Man?"

"Catching them z's you know how it is. Why aren't you sleeping?"

"Stuff on my mind." I stared off into the rain splattering on my window.

"Wanna talk?" I could hear Him prop Himself up. "You just don't call God for nothing." He laughed.

"Yah, no kidding. There was that one time I called you to see if you ever got your DSL installed."

"No shit, so what's on your mind?" There's something funny about God cussing.

"Check it, my life is kinda strugglin' right now. I'm not feeling this whole Christmas spirit. I'm exhausted mentally and physically," I trailed off a list of gripes, ending with, "and to top it all off, I'm not happy."

"You're not happy? What do you mean? Don't you have everything?"

"I do, I think, but--"

"Dude, you're always looking for something else." He sighed. "It's not like you need anything. I know I sound like a Dickhead, but really, I hear where you're coming from, so what else do you possibly need? I'm sorry," he paused, "I'm a little tired, didn't mean to come off like that."

"'scool. I mean, I know what you're saying. We talked about this before. How the things I want end up being the things I really don't need. It's all kinda Fight Club." I felt the headache coming on.

"Homegirl, the struggles you go through are lessons for you to learn. Why dont' you feel Christmas? Is it because the presents are sparse? Is it because you don't have a tree? Is that what Christmas is all about? You're not happy? Is that because you aren't having your way? Is it because you aren't getting the things you think you deserve? Hasn't the universe provided for you what you need? Not that I don't understand what you're going through, because I do."

"Maybe that's what it is. I don't know if I can really say that I understand what's going on. I feel like I'm just making noise."

"You're not. You're just echoing what's in your soul. You're more complex than the sum of your parts, girl. You're much more than that." His voice tapered off.

"I better let you go, you sound through. You go out tonight?" I got back from a night out with Smooth. Beer, Raging Bulls, Mandarin Orange Cosmos. Mmm. I had to pass out when I got home. But I woke up with more questions the alcohol didn't take care of.

"Yah, I hung out with Beer Can and World of Curls. Them some crazy kids. Well, lemme bounce off to bed. You take care. Think about what I said, okay?"

"Sure thing. Say what's up to Jesus."

"Allah is going to roll through tomorrow, he's kinda pissed about the whole Jihad thing. Can ya blame him?" He laughed. "I'll tell J that you said hi."

"Thanks! Bye..." He hung up. Ever notice how no one on TV says goodbye?

And I'm out...

Voodoo

"

posted by Voodoo Child @ 11:35:00 PM

test?

posted by Voodoo Child @ 10:09:00 PM

Lack of the Spirit

I was walking through Home Depot (Voodoo Paradise) with Buff Bagwell and heard the obnoxious rendition of the 12 Days of Xmas. A very grumpy guy started saying, "I wish Christmas would be over (grumble grumble)" as we walked by. Buff Bagwell flipped him off when the Grumpy Old Man wasn't looking and we snickered down the isle.

The truth is, the fabled Christmas spirit just isn't hitting me as much as I'd like. I don't know. Maybe it's because I'm broke, or maybe it's a tough time of the year, with terrorism undertones. Maybe it's because I'm not in the right space (mentally, not physically). Maybe I'm just a little too tired for my own good. Maybe we should put the whole holiday off for, say, another two months. Normally I'd be relishing the exchange of Christmas cards, reveling in the paper cuts over making Christmas cards, buying gifts, wrapping them feverishly, but alas, the season goes without.

I have a roll of wrapping paper on the floor in my room. Unopened.

I've been searching for reasons why, and I honestly can't think of one. I can, however, think of many. I am out of sorts over this, because normally this is a happy time of the year, and I try to go out of my way to find gifts for people, special things to make them laugh, all that holiday crap, you know. But it's not that way. The lights would also normally be up by now. My house would be overwhelmed with the smell of a dying pine tree decorated with sparkling goodies. Normally, Buff and myself would try to put up some insane little ornament that we hope our mom won't notice. A few years ago it was a miniature keg. Another year, it was a Little Caesar's doll. Last year, Worf. Normally I'd be cracking up over seeing some trinket in the tree.

But then again, it's not a normal kind of year.

We'll see what happens next. Off to bed...

Voodoo

posted by Voodoo Child @ 11:54:00 PM

I Am a Code Irritant

Yah, yah, I keep changing shit around. I can't help it. I need to tweak this and that, and it's killing me.

Finally, I think I'm happy with the finished product. It's taken me a long time to get to the finished product, but alas, here we are. Let me introduce you to the new changes. First of all, note the fancy schmancy domain name. It's mine, yes, finally getting it up and running. I'm happy to see it! I needed to get out of my blogspot domain only because I didn't like the ads too much, and I didn't want to harass the readers, my beautiful Voodoo Babies, from having to deal with flashing signs to buy crap. I also wanted more flexibility. Those of you who are used to the old BRL site might remember how rigid and uncreative it wound up being. It was cute and all, but I didn't like it all that much, so here we are today.

The BRL site, in my vision, will hopefully be a more cohesive environment, and as you can see, it's full of blogs. My thinking was this: I am a writer, and I know that there are tons of writers out there. Most writers dont' realize how talented they are, and are left without a voice to share to others, and I wanted to encourage my friends to participate in the blog life by giving them a space to talk and think out loud. BRL will allow the writers to have a wider audience, many of whom come from all around the world (I have proof!) and around the dotcom universe. It is my honest opinion that the writers I've asked to participate in BRL are very talented, and I hope you'll think they are too.

I am going to be doing a lot of housecleaning, moving things around, or as Mista J says, fucking with the program. I hope you don't mind as things look different. I personally like this layout a whole lot more than the others I've seen.


Starting with the home page, I taught myself some real basic flash animation. It was frustrating but so exciting to see. I can watch the Whoopie Fucking Do over and over and over and over. I hope to teach myself more complicated things, but damn, Flash is one major program to learn by yourself.

The page you're reading now was designed by B8 Graphics. I tried some other designs, and they were just not Voodoolicious. This one, is primo Voodoolicious. If you like this design, check out Andrea's page, she has some nice stuff. I'll be changing it from time to time. I took out the links from the side, and you can find those on the Linkage page.

The Big Aiyah is comprised of a group of wonderful people in my life who are single. Their presence in my life has always been important, so I wanted to give them a space to vent and share their experiences with Single Life. I can't wait to see who gets booted off...but that's a good thing, because that means they wind up falling in love with someone.

The Baby Blog is by the former Man Stealer, now renamed Mighty Mom and her husband Brahma Bull. They have a beautiful son, The Voodoo Godson, and they are going to write about their experience as new parents. It's exciting watching a friend go through some of the major life changes we've all heard about, and now they'll get to share that with you.

The Weekender is by The Weekender herself, Queen of the Night. She's never online on Fridays and Saturdays cause that heffa is out and about! God love her, and she's going to be blogging about her experiences in the SF Night Scene.

Those are the new additions, and I'm hoping that you'll visit their pages as often as you visit mine. I am grateful that you're even reading this, and I know they will be grateful as well. Remember to email me if you have any questions, and hey, have fun. I love you Voodoo Babies, all of ya!


Voodoo

posted by Voodoo Child @ 11:11:00 PM

A Day With(out) Weblogs

When I was 11, I learned of GRID. The Gay Related Immune Deficiency. It was called the Gay Cancer. GRID became the joke in the hallways. Hateful words from the mouths of children teased others as to their susceptibility as gay white men dropped dead only a few miles away. Soon, as more men died, it began to cause a stir in San Francisco. GRID became HIV, the human immunodeficiency virus. HIV graduates to AIDS, or the Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome.

I have friends and family that are HIV positive and living with AIDS. I have known men and women who have passed away from AIDS. A friend from college I ran into at a club one night came up to me. He lost a huge amount of weight. He looked thin, seriously so. He came up to me and said, "I'm dying. I have AIDS." Even though we were in a club, and the music was blaring, it all seemed to fall silent. I stared at him and said, "Roger, what do you want me to say?" He said to me, "Nothing, it's okay. I'm just glad to see you again." We held hands and caught up, and sad to say, I never saw him again.

A family member has AIDS. He is ill from time to time, and we may not see him at family events. In the stretches where I don't hear from him, I pray quietly that he is okay, and that he stays with us longer than he can. We hover around him quietly when he's around to be there. I get a sense he knows what we're doing, but I know that his shoulders are strong enough to lean on. That is, for now they are.

A friend has AIDS. He too disappears from time to time, and I know that he takes great pains to make sure that we know he is okay. But I can see it in his eyes, some sense of mortality, and of living when death always seems not too far in the distance.

1. Over half of the new HIV infections are in people aged 15-24.
2. Of the infections in people under 25, the majority of them are heterosexual.
3. Since the beginning of the epidemic 21.3 million people worldwide have died of AIDS. --HIV InSite

Listen, Babies, it's not a joke anymore. Those childish teases are now the reality for many people we dont' know, and some we do know. I've been tested twice, and in the wait period between test and result, I've taken stock of my life, and taken that hard look at the decisions and choices that I've made in my life. I'm not proud of some of the things I've done, but I am smarter and better off for it. The test itself helped me to udnerstand what my status is. Now I know, and I can move on with my life.

It's hard to ask the questions that need to be asked. We all know that from things like unsureness in relationships, unclear positions in the workplace, difficulties with friends. But the questions that need to be asked are often the ones that go unspoken. This is the part where we need to educate ourselves and those in our communities so that this epidemic stops and we gain our lives back. Yes, I said, OUR because it is the responsibility of the community we live in as well as our responsibility to take action so that no other lives are lost to AIDS and HIV, both preventable illnesses.

Today I urge you to think and to do something to educate yourself. I urge you to fight AIDS with knowledge, and cease the ignorance that is causing the senseless deaths of millions around us. Until we are able to see past hate and rage and learn to accept the dignity of humanity in each person regardless of sex, gender, ethnicity, socio economic status, whatever, this disease will strike at the heart of our communities while we stand by.

Do your part today.

Love from,
Voodoo

posted by Voodoo Child @ 4:40:00 PM

Congratulations

You have now found the new home of the Voodoo Child.

What drama! What energy!

What fucking pains in the butt after all this coding.

VOodoo

posted by Voodoo Child @ 12:08:00 PM

I'm back!

Hey all, sorry for being so busy with the new page that I haven't checked in...I just wanted to update you all on the progress. So far, I have carpal tunnel syndrome, no sleep, and a page that might be worthy of your approval. Thanks for your visits, I'm glad to see that you're still around....

Life has been hectic, work has pretty much wiped me out. But I have a funny story for you.

At the company xmas party, I was in line for a beer, and I feel this tug at my shoulder. It's someone I haven't seen in years. Someone from grammar school. Someone who I tried to stay away from for years. She tugged my sleeve, and said, "Oh shit, what the fuck are you doing here!" Mind you, I work at a pretty conservative culture organization. "I heard you were here, and I said I gotta send that hoebag a card!" She called me a hoebag.

I smiled and made conversation. She proceeded to seize control of the conversation, and ran with it. She cornered me and just kept yapping her damn mouth off, and I wanted torun away so badly. My eyes were shooting all over the room to find the person who could save my ass from her, and not a one was to be found. I kept trying to find the opportune moment to bail on her, and she kept yapping about not being able to find a good man (I wonder why), and her issues about her family (who cares), and all this other crap. I finally was able to have someone come up to me and start talking, but she didn't catch the hint and left me stranded. I was so pissed, then I heard her take a breath, so I said, yo, I gotta bounce, my folks are over there.

She said, I'm going to call you! Surprisingly enough, she remembered my number at my parent's house. Great.

I scurried away to my friends and freaked out. I kept looking over my shoulder to run away from her as fast as possible. I also told my little ditty to some of the folks there, and shit, one of them said, who is this? And surprisingly enough, he knew her, and over pounds said, "That is one crazy bitch."

Anyways, Christmas parties are hitting the scene...Feel da love, baby.

Talk to you soon, and keep checking for updates to the page....

Voodoo

posted by Voodoo Child @ 10:07:00 PM

Closing the Chapter.

Today brings to a close a chapter in my life....The Voodoochild.blogspot.com chapter. Not that I'm going to close it forever, but I'm going to move it to it's new home: Beats Rhymes n Life. Check it out...just a little flick I put together for the Voodoo Babies. I hope you don't mind me going on sabbatical for a few days to work on the new site. If you have any suggestions, any at all, just let me know. I'm always down for what works best.

In a meanwhile, thanks for visiting my page...especially those who come back over and over. (that's for the reader in NY who I don't know, but sure glad you came. Email me.)

Love to the Voodoo Babies and most of all, the Apostles.

I'll be back.
Voodoo

PS: The Apostle and Pork Honey RULE!

posted by Voodoo Child @ 11:31:00 PM