Thursday, January 31, 2008

Shopping Therapy

Yesterday I went to the King of Prussia Mall, one of the largest malls in the USA. Ooh, I tell you there's nothing like the rush I get from shopping.

I love window shopping and actually buying things equally. This mall has just about every upscale department store you can think of from, Bloomingdales, Nordstroms and Lord & Taylor, to the grande diva of department stores; Neiman Marcus.

In addition, they have all the specialty stores like Louis Vuitton, Cartier, Brooks Brothers, Hermes, Burberry, Kenneth Cole, Armani Exchange, BCBG/Max Azria, Hugo Boss, David Yurman, Diesel, Movado, Salvatore Ferragamo, Tiffany and Tourneau to name a few.

I went for only the second time in 9 years and knew exactly where I wanted to go; Norsdtroms and Bloomingdales. You see in late January, most department stores are clearing out there winter and some of their resort collections at 50-70% off. With patience, you can score a few new pieces to update your wardrobe for next winter and you can wear the resort clothing in the upcoming spring and summer season.

I walked away with two incredible deals and so can you. Good Luck!

Sunday, January 27, 2008

The Menace called Outlet Malls

I should first state that I consider myself a pretty good shopper. I've always thought of it as one of the rights and privileges of being a gay guy. (Of course, nowadays, with the whole 'DL' thing, there are some tacky gay guys....ewww).

However, I'm here to tell you that when it comes to bargain shopping, not all outlet malls are created equal. Yesterday I went to the Jersey Gardens Outlet Mall which bills itself as the largest outlet mall in Jersey. The place was huge, but there was hardly a bargain to be found. A lot of the stores seemed to have really high prices and others matched the prices found on the sale racks in their retail stores.

In the end, there are only two outlet malls that I found good deals at and really enjoyed. (Unfortunately, they are both outdoor malls which means shopping there in the winter sucks bug time). Woodbury Commons in upstate New York has all the top designers. You will have to do some searching, but there is always a bargain to be found. I still can't believe the Versace shoes I got for $5o bucks that were marked $375 retail! My second favorite outlet in the great northeast is out in Reading, PA.

Some of the folks I went with did find really good deals for kids at the Jersey Gardens Mall, so I guess all was not lost.

I have a busy day today,church , then a gospel concert tonight, so I'll hit you guysup later on.

peace always,

strong

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Come on Jay!

Damn! You probably won't believe this but I've been watching that darn 'Make Me A Supermodel' on the Bravo cable network. Oddly enough, I really like the show. I mean what's not to like, they've got hot guys and girls doing all kinds of raunchy semi-nude semi-erotic poses on national tv! I love it!!!

I've been rooting for my boys Ben & Jay. Ben is a hot redneck prison guard with a southern accent and a wife and kid back home. Jay is a southern hunk of chocolate from the ATL who is always shouting out his (fictional) girlfriend 'Fatima'. I love Jay, but personally I think his mate is more likely named 'Hakim'. I mean I'm just sayin'. Anyway Jay is up for the elimination vote so I voted for him 10 times and asked him to check out old copies of GQ mag for poses. I also suggested he think of his 'girl' back home when he needs inspiration for the inevitable erotic photo shoot. Also, we need for Jay to stop acting so hard. I know he's a mechanic from the ATL with a 'girl' named Fatima, but come on man, we're in it to win it. Now let's do the damn thang!!!

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Should I, or, Shouldn't I?

In October 07' the office I worked at was significantly downsized from 200 employees to about 25. I was one of the 175 that was displaced at that time. We were given a generous severance package and 6 months of unployment compensation. Thus, I haven't worked in about 4 months. However, after taking no less that 3 week-long trips and paying off numerous bills, I'm getting bored and the money is running out. I guess I'll have to go back to work in the next couple of months. Damn!

It's all good though because I really needed this time to regroup after both my job and relationship ended in the same month. Now, I think I'm ready to go out and tackle the world again.

There's only one thing. I've been invited to Thailand by an old acquaintance. He has been going there for a few years now and has a boyfriend there. This trip he's planning on staying for 3 months. I'm considering visiting for about two weeks, since he is offering me free accomodations, (he'll have a penthouse suite while there). Essentially, I'll only have to pay for my transportation and my food while there. I'm thinking it's a once-in-a-lifetime offer so I may take him up on it. What do you guys think? Keep in mind that my bills will be paid through May o8' and I've never been overseas, unless you count the Carribean...lol.

Monday, January 21, 2008

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. National Holiday

Today is the national holiday honoring the late great Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. King was and still is a national hero. However, many of you don't know about Bayard Rustin, who was one of Dr. Kings' chief advisers, and who is considered by many to be the 'brains' behind some of Dr. King's most notable moves, including the historic 'March on Washington'.

Bayard Rustin was an openly gay black man who came from a Quaker religious background. This influenced his ethos for non-violence and justice for all. To learn more about this great behind-the-scenes hero of the Civil Rights Movement click here.... http://www.quakerinfo.com/quak_br.shtml .

There's also a great documentary on the Logo network, check your local cable listings for more on this.

peace always,

strong

Friday, January 18, 2008

Body Challenges

I'm one of those people who was always bone-thin and could eat anything he wanted and hardly gain any weight. I was so thin that I wasn't too upset when (in my 20's) I went from a 27" waist to a 28, 29 and even 30. By age 30, I was wearing a waist size 30 and thought that was ok because my body was starting to look like a man and no longer a boy. I also remember the day I went to the store and had to buy a 32" pair of jeans. I was still ok with that, because I knew that at 6'2" that was the perfect waist size. Of course over time I hit 34" and currently I wear a 36" waist. This kills me because I vowed never to go over a 32" waist. Ironically, women, especially black women think I look pretty good and discourage me from losing any weight (I'm 210 lbs now). Unfortunately, I'm a black gay man and at 38 years young, the pressure is on for me to get my weight down and keep it down. I like to wear high-fashion clothing and many top designers don't even go above a 36 waist. This means I can still wear some nice clothing but if I gain 10 pounds my options will be severely limited. Add to that the current high-fashion trend of making clothes with very narrow cuts (no thanks to Hedi Slimane of Dior Homme among others!) and you have a man feeling very challenged.

I've just started back excercising after a 3-month hiatus over the holiday season. I'm doing a one-hour walk outside everyday (weather permitting). I'm also doing yogilates which is a combination of yoga and pilates, as well as good old-fashioned push-ups, and ab work. (Look for Louise Solomon's Yoga & Pilates from Alliance Atlantis circa 2002).

There are also the health concerns involved. As African-Americans we tend to have a distorted view of healthy weights. Even though many people think I look pretty good, the reality is that according to the BMI (Body Mass Index) chart I'm overweight. I also bet that many of you would be shocked to find that even though you like the way your body looks you're considered overweight as well. Check out this site for more details... http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/bmi/ According to this government site, I need to lose at least 20lbs to be in a healthy weight zone, and for every 10 lbs we're overweight, we're literally taking days off our lives.

In closing, I'll say, stop drinking soda and juices and you can easily drop 10-20 pounds (that's what I'm doing). Also, turn the tv off and take your family, kids included for a walk, even if it is to the mall.

p.s. don't waste your money on Kevin Trudeau's book "The Weight Loss Cure They Don't Want ou To Know About"...while there is lots of good information in the book, the premise for the plan is a medical treatment that is controversial and probably difficult to get in the states. The highlights I took away are as follows :

1) Drink more water at room temperature
2) Walk at least an hour a day
3) Stop drinking sodas and juices (except fresh-squeezed juice with no sugar or additives)
4)Drink lots of green tea (Wu-long which you can get in your local Chinatown) with no sugar or honey added) I just bought an organic green tea at my local grocer
5) Stay away from 'diet' foods and artificial sweeteners like Splenda and Nutrasweet
6) Stop using your microwave
7) Drink only spring water, don't use tap water even to cook with
8) Buy a filter for your showerhead to remove metals and lead from your bath water
9) Stay away from fast-food restaurants
10) Try colon-cleansing (colonnics) at a certified colon cleansing spa

There, I just saved you from buying the book which retails for $29.95. I figure if I implement 8 out of 10 of the above steps, I'll improve my health and lose weight simultaneously. (I should disclose that there are over 60 steps in the book, I simply listed the ones I thought were the easiest to implement and cost the least to use).


peace always,

strong

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

(Un)Reasonable Demands

Sometimes I think that people expect me to be perfect. It's as if I'm not allowed to make any mistakes. I enjoy life and I am active in my community and church. Today, someone called me to ask why I hadn't done something as if I'm the only person that could do what needed to be done. There were at least three others who were aware of the issue and they had equal access and ability to resolve the issue. But I'm the one who got the call to be reprimanded. I told the person in so many (polite) words that I am doing the very best I can with limited energy and resources and that I am only one person. The caller tried to agitate me, I remained silent and they said goodbye.

At least I'm proud that I didn't allow someone to aggravate me and make me stoop the level of arguing with them.

peace always,

strong

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Tuesday Delight

Hey Folks,

I said that I was going to post more often, so here I am. Sorry about the tirade a couple of days ago, however, I just needed to get some things off my chest. Feeling a lot better today. I'm hoping to start college full-time in the fall, but I have to bring some delinquent student loans current before I can get any new financial aid. (That sucks huh!)

Oh well, in other news, I went downtown today and shopped a bit. Ordered a book for a non-credit course I'm taking and saw lots of hot guys while I was out. I think it's hilarious that my town was voted one of the ugliest in the country with all the beautiful people that live here.

Anyways, until next time. If anyone has legitimate info on how I can improve my credit rating please hit me up. Alos, I'm trying to lose 20 lbs to go from 210 to about 190. I'm 6'2", so I think a toned 190 would look good on me.

peace always,

strong

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Gettin' your Swirl on

Ooh, I almost forgot one thing...I attended a dance recital event this evening which was also a tribute to the lost generation of creative black lgbt folk who died in the first wave of deaths from the AIDS epidemic in the 80's & 90's.

It was a beautiful event and I had the opportunity to see my favorite green-eyed redbone dancer for the second time in two days.

But that's not why I'm here tonight. I'm writing at 11:31pm because I'm a little bitter....yeah I said it...bitter. I'm bitter because it seems that many of the black gay men that I find interesting are only interested in dating corny white guys. I'm conflicted about this because I know some great people of all ethnicities. However, it never seems to fail that even in our leadership in the black lgbt community, the leaders are all dating white men. Am I the only one that seems to think there is a problem here? In addition, I think some of these people are only active in the black lgbt community to assuage their guilty consciences. At any rate, I feel much better now that I've gotten that bitterness off my chest. Peace and blessings yall.

Labels:

Culture,Critics & Me

Well, it's 2008 people and I promise to start blogging at least 3 times a week. I definitely have time on my hands now since I'm single again.

This weekend has been interesting. I attended a tribute to a black gay activist who I happen to be acquainted with and I found the event to be very interesting. It's amazing to me how even in our 30's and beyond, black gay men still tend to cordon themselves off into neat little groups.

I understand that people have their own needs, but I'm generally thinking of the community as a whole and frankly don't understand all the division and derisiveness, but hey, what the hell do I know. Anyways, until next time, peace always strong.

p.s. leave your questions and comments...I'm pretty thick-skinned so nothing much bothers me.

http://strong11foru.blogspot.com/