Who?...Jasmine Mans?...She Said What?!

I couldn't tell you if I came across this podcast by a random search, or if I had intended to find something else and came across it by chance. In any case, I was not really familiar with the name Jasmine Mans so I certainly didn't expect to find her. Here it is just over a week after the dawn of a new year, and I find this two month old interview with a young woman who has gotten a lot of attention for her poetry. But the video that seemed to set off fireworks was of her recitation of "The Mis-Education of a Barbie Doll"; a poem directed towards Nicki Minaj.

I admit that I didn't listen to the entire interview with Jasmine on Embrace Life Radio. But I heard enough to know that I had to hear more from this you college student. So, I went to You Tube to see this video for myself. And, well, you've got to see it for yourself...



So what do you think? Was it a Nicki Minaj diss? Is Nicki being singled out for sellin' out? No, that's not how I took it. And neither did anyone else who LISTENED to what Jasmine was saying. But of course, there are those who heard this poem and instantly thought , "Here we ago again. Another Nicki Minaj Hater." But what is Jasmine really saying (not just about Nicki Minaj) but about the image, the message, and the influence hip hop has on the ears that hear & the minds that process it?

Luckily for us, even though Jasmine Mans is an artist, she did not leave her work to individual interpretation. She explains her message behind "The Mis-Education of a Barbie Doll" in an article that she posted on AllHipHop.com.

"My poem targets Nicki Minaj because I am a long time fan and follower of her work. I recognize and applaud her lyrical abilities and the affect she has on women older and younger than myself. If we, as an audience, do not hold up a mirror to our artists, then who will?

The "Miss-Education of a Barbie" questions the message that Nicki Minaj is relaying to her listeners. If Nicki Minaj seeks to simply entertain audiences with shallow concepts then my poem can be written off as irrelevant to her and her fans alike. However, if she seeks to make a difference in musical history and in the lives of her fans around the world then my piece questions her methods of doing so." (to read more click here)

For anyone who doesn't process information well by listening alone, the video is embedded in the post along with the lyrics. Unlike Jay-Z, she didn't make us wait 20 years to read in a book about her encrypted codes. Thank you, Jasmine. Much appreciated.

Now you know how it goes with You Tube. You start off watching one video, and they stack a whole line of other videos along the side of the screen. And when I saw that she had an ode to Waka Flocka Flame...you know I had to hear what she had to say about this fool.



So how many times did you listen to that one, to make sure that you didn't miss anything? Jasmine was accused in some responses to the Nicki Minaj piece of not calling out male rappers (because I dare not refer to them as artists) for their lyrical transgressions. Well, be on notice that Nicki's male counterparts do not get a free pass from Jasmine Mans to continue shuckin' and jivin'. I didn't feel the love in this piece at all. Is there a double standard at play here? Uh...yeah! You can't coddle lunacy. Foolishness just makes people mad. But to tell the truth, those words stung. And I'm far from being a Waka Flocka Fan.

But I digress.

Jasmine Mans. Is she a self-appointed hip hop celebrity accountability officer? I wouldn't say that. She's saying what so much of us are feeling about the direction the industry has taken. Now the younger kids might be saying about us and what we consider good music, the same thing that we said about our parents & grandparents and their views. But this is different. It really is. A lot of this stuff now is just plain stupid. Yeah, I said it.((**bigphatsigh**))



Check out these links for more on Jasmine Mans. There's much more to her work than calling out the craziness that has infected hip hop. Whether you agree with her words or not, she's a tremendous poet who speaks with raw emotion about whatever the subject of her poetry.

Support artists who aren't afraid to be honest about their passions and who are true to their crafts.

Websites:
Jasmine's Official Website
Jasmine's You Tube Channel
Jasmine on Twitter

Interviews:
The Spott Radio
Embrace Your Life Radio
Divah Den Spotlights-
The Mecca James Show

I'm not Google, so if you want more you know where to go.

He Knows Me! Glad Somebody Does.

Last night, I was on a conference call directed by a woman named LaTara Ham-Ying. I can't get into the subject now because I'll loose all train of thought for my blog post this morning. But she brought to my attention a passage that I've read a number of times, Psalm 139. So this morning I chose to read verses 1 - 6 and take the time to reflect on what God has been telling me, that I just haven't been getting.

Sidebar:
The most wonderful and yet frustrating thing about reading the bible is that (when done meaningfully) the mind starts to go into overdrive. Answers to questions are revealed while more insightful questions come to mind. And for the person who already has a million thoughts swirling through the mind at any given time, that can be both stimulating and exhausting. But I digress.

Now Where Was I?
Oh yes. Psalm 139: 1 - 6 helped me to come to a few realizations. But because I'm still thinking and reflecting on what I read (even as I type this), I'll just share my thoughts concerning the first verse.

Psalm 139:1 (NASB)
Oh Lord, You have searched me and known me.

God designed me and therefor he simply just knows everything about me. But he designed me to be a complex being. And it's a special thing to know that he takes the time to examine and explore every area of myself. How flattering is that! Could you imagine Bill Gates coming to your home and examining your computer to see how it functions based on his own personal design? Of course he wouldn't do that. There are millions and millions of pc's out there. All of them have there own bells and whistles, add-ons and pluggins, and Lord knows what else you can get with the software. The same goes for us. And I believe that God tells me that he examines us in such a way for my sake. So that I am assured that when no one else understands me, not even myself. He does.

Not Another Christian Devotional Blog!
No. "Lavinia's BigPhatSigh" will not be changing it's sketchy lack of format just because I had an epiphany. There will be no harps playing as soon as you log on. But if my God, my Father and Creator, occasionally wants me to share what He shares with me; why not? He's given me permission to be me. So if "me" feels like ranting, me rants. If "me" feels like being thoughtful, me thinks. And if "me" wants to acknowledge that I'm not me without Him, me just did! (*bigphatsigh*); Love me some me today!

My Housewife Confession

Don't tell my husband. But today, while he was at work, things got super hot and heavy. I tossed some towels in the washer, set it for a "super" load size, "hot" water and a "heavy" cycle. That'll teach him to leave me all alone with the laundry.

I won't say that I'm a freak, but the next time I do it I won't invite him to watch. But I will let him join in.


(*bigphatsigh*); I'm just sayin'. I'm not tryin' to keep the laundry thing to myself. I'm not stingy. There's a enough Purex to go around.

Lisa McClendon Breaks It Down

It seems like I got so much on my mind that I can't gather my own "me" thoughts to think of anything worth saying (*bigphatsigh*); if I could put the world on pause...

Luckily for me, Lisa said it all... Preach that thang, Sis!

Aromatherapy? Smells Like Another Good Idea

"I need an outlet!"  Now I've got one, and of course I haven't been using it.  Surprised?  I'm not (*bigphatsigh*); I gotta say something...Hmmm, lemme think. What's new?....

Well, earlier this week my daughter and I went into the local Natural stuff store.  I find that I struggle with keeping up my energy & momentum.  Being at home gives me no structure, and without structure I'm all over the place with my thoughts and activities.  I could think all day about what to do and never actually get a good flow going until it's nearly time for my son to come home from school.  ANYWAY,  I went there to check out their herbal teas and supplements.  I was interested in a few things that I saw, but I picked some free samples of ginger & licorice teas and a bottle of Vitamin Water.  But as we were waiting to be rung up, a book on aromatherapy caught my attention.

SCENT'SATIONAL TANGENT
As I thumbed through it, I thought about how much different smells effect me.  If I catch the lingering scent of any brand of "pine" cleaner, I'm instantly put in the mood to buy a bunch of supplies so that I can go home and clean.   Walking down the laundry aisle makes me want to wash, fold and put away clothes.  The smell of soaps and lotions inspires me to take some time to pamper myself with a foot bath or facial.  Citrus scents pick me up, and lavender calms me down.

When I smell certain perfumes, I can vividly remember sitting on my moms lap, my cheek against her chest; listening to and feeling the vibrations of her voice as she read the Princess and the Pea to me for the millionth time.  The smell of apples on a stove takes me to back to my grandparents house; in a warm kitchen on a cold November.  The smell of Jay's cologne as I walk by his dresser makes me want to snuggle up with him right then and there.  All of those scents bring me feelings of comfort.

But on the other hand, there are scents that make me nervous and uncomfortable.  For example, there's an air freshener that my mother put in the closet of the room at the nursing home during my grandmother's brief stay there.  That was a time filled with worry, anxiety and depression.  Every time I went into the room, I smelled that air freshener.  It wasn't a bad scent, but my mind associates it with negative feelings and events.  I picked it up at the store one day, but at the time I didn't know what it was.  I cracked it open and the smell of it went straight to my gut.  My skin started to tingle and I instantly felt a sense of anxiety.  Now, I guess I could reverse the effect that it has on me by using it at a time that is happy or pleasurable; changing the type of mood or experience with which I associate the scent.  But I don't have to live with it if I don't want to, so I'm not going to waste the effort.  Needless to say, that air freshener will not be freshening the air in my house any time soon.


...AND WE'RE BACK
I didn't buy the book.  But my daughter became quite attached to a bar of peppermint scented glycerin soap, and I bought a small pack of "energizing" bath salt that had a citus-y smell.  When we finally got home, I filled the kitchen sink with hot water and poured in some of the packet's contents.  I stood over the sink closed my eyes and breathed in the lemony steam.  Perhaps actually getting out of the house for a while jump-started my engine.  But after my brief engagement with the sink ministry, the kitchen was later sparkling, the living room tidy and the kids rooms looked and smelled terrific.  And so began my collection of library books about aromatherapy.  My MP3 player has since been loaded with podcasts on the subject.  There's a new "aromatherapy" folder for all my recently bookmarked web pages.  And I'm fans and followers of people and companies that I probably would never have been interested in were it not for my trip to the Natural stuff store.  Guess I can use my new "outlet" to share what I learn.


ADD THIS TO YOUR  REPERTOIRE, LAVINIA
Aromatherapy (*bigphatsigh*); yet another thing that I suddenly want to learn and learn it all today.

Big Phat Sigh Explained

I need an outlet.  I need something that says "Lavinia!" 

That's what I've been saying for months, or maybe the last couple of years.  I don't know exactly when this feeling of being suppressed started, but I have a good idea.  I am a stay-at-home mom and have been for about 3 years.  Wow, has it really been that long?  I must have idled through the place of "this is who I am for right now" and then crossed well over into the place of  "that's who you used to be" before I stopped and asked myself, "now what was I supposed to be doing?"

I seem to have misplaced my Lavinia-ness!  

Have you ever come to that conclusion?  The conclusion that you've somehow surrendered that it-thing that makes you sparkle?  Then traded all that in for a watered down wishy-washy version of yourself.  I'm bored!  I'm bored with myself!  I bore myself! 

Big Phat Sigh

I noticed that I do that a lot.  Just as I read back the last passage that I wrote, I did it.  Let out this big phat sigh.  It's my long drawn out period that I place at the end of some thought I haven't outwardly expressed.  It can be any kind of thought really.  But the last sigh was one of reflection.  "I bore myself"  period = (*big phat sigh)= now that's a crying shame, pull it together.

In another instance, I thought about the "date" my husband plans to take me on this weekend (*bigphatsigh*)  That sigh was a brief daydream.  "Jay's got something nice planned just for the two of us" (*bigphatsigh*)= it's gonna be so nice to be alone just the two of us for a couple of hours and.....

Then there is my beloved "good grief" sigh.  This one usually comes after the following thoughts

* If these kids don't stop arguing...

* I gotta do the laundry/dishes/housework period...

* I went down stairs 3 times and still forgot to get...

* Bills...

You get where I'm going with it.

My favorite sighs are the relax-relate-release sighs.  They are the ones that escape me when I watch my kids laugh (*bigphatsigh*) = I love my babies. When I get to curl up with my husband on the couch in the evening (*bigphatsigh*) = this feels so nice.  When I finally finish a project (*bigphatsigh*) = finally!  When I first step into a warm shower (*bigphatsigh*) = perfect temperature and I'm never leaving.  When I bite into my favorite shortbread cookie with the chocolate frosting on top after literally tasting it in my imagination all week (*bigphatsigh*) = if I could chew this bite forever I would.

My New Conclusion

Earlier I said that sighs are my periods at the end of a thought.  But that's not really true.  My big phat sighs continue on to say a lot. So, I guess you could say they're my semi-colons.  And I hope you're next expecting a straight-forward and accurate definition of a semicolon from me (*bigphatsigh*) ; You don't know? You better ask somebody...else.