I had an idea to photography Olivia today. It wasn’t a well thought out idea but I kinda knew what I wanted.

When we arrived to the location for the photos, things just didn’t go in any direction that wanted.

The one goal was to use my Alien Bee beauty dish. I used it & the photos looked good but like I wanted in my mind. So then I decided to go with available light. Well, those photos didn’t come out as I had hoped.

I didn’t think the photos were a loss but I just wasn’t felling it 100% but I’m happy that Olivia was a willing model!

The above is a available light shot. To see a portrait lit using the beauty dish, click here.

I used to love walking to my job at KFC (Highland Park, MI: Davison & Woodward) listening to my Crystal Waters “Making Happy” maxi single cassette back in the spring/summer of 1991. “Surprise” was & still is my jam.

I had so many maxi cassettes & cassette singles back then. Kinda funny thinking about how I used to walk around with a small bag of tapes.

1991 was a rough year for my family after a bout with homelessness but my Sony Walkman & house music certainly provided an escape & made me happy.

After leaving my damaged Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 lens in the capable hands of Midwest Camera Repair for a little TLC, I ran across a Krispy Kreme & hit the breaks. And yes I damaged the hell out of my lens.

Every time I see a Krispy Kreme I get excited like a little kid, or just like I used to do when I was a kid.

Once I made it into the shop & saw the fresh glazed, my tip got moist & I almost lost control. I really got excited when the clerk handed me a donut that just melted as it hit my mouth. Being excited about fresh warm donuts is why I’m fat.

Damn it was good!

So I placed an order & as I waited, the aroma reminded me of when my momma worked at Krispy Kreme during the mid 70s in Birmingham, Alabama.  If you’re reading this & from Birmingham, she worked at Krispy Kreme on the Bessemer Superhighway.

Way back then, my momma would take me to work with her & stuff me with donuts & I loved it.

While driving off & enjoying the smell of my donuts, I forgot all about leaving my beloved lens for repairs.

Now that the euphoria of fresh donuts is wearing off, I want my damn lens back! I’m so hating the fact that I will have to rent a replacement to get through my next few assignments.

Oh well. I have donuts. I guess.

The last couple of weeks have been really crazy for me with the school semester coming to a fast end.

I’ve been bombarded with class projects, presentations, and studying for finals.  It’s all been a bit much when you factor in the rest of my constantly moving life; family, plantation job & my side gig.

Luckily, next Wednesday is the last day of classes & the following day I will be on vacation in DC where I will decompress & chill with friends.

Helping me get through this last stressful week is my supportive wife, my crazy kids & my Chaka Khan playlist!

I’ve been listening to non-stop Chaka & it has been totally helping focus. I had no idea that she had the effect on me until last Sunday.

“I Know You, I Live You” is giving me new life! In fact, it will be my theme song for my mini vacation next week. Every vacation needs a good theme song!

Usually, I am able to execute most of the photography concepts that I scheme up. If I’m not able to get what I want exactly, I close enough to be happy with the end results.

My idea with this image turned out the exact opposite of what I wanted & I’m so/so OK with it.

My original idea was to have a hand holding the compact fluorescent bulb with the bulb not over exposed & while using strobe lighting. Kinda like those clever ads for CF bulbs or environmental stock type photos.

I knew that I would have to pull off the concept with two exposures but it just didn’t happen.

I think I will try again & figure out how I can make my concept a reality or get daring & try the tip that was featured on the Strobist website a few years ago.

So much for my bright idea!

Thanks to my friends & proud new parents Brandon & Kathleen, precious little baby boy Kellen Fischer is the 1st newborn that I got to photograph.

When I arrived to the shoot, I had all kind of ideas in my head for great shots, but Kellen had his own agenda & therefore dictated the shoot. To our surprise, he stayed awake the entire time I was there. It was not until I left that he fell asleep. Go figure!

I had fun photographing Kellen despite his antics & being annoyed with me being in his face with a huge apparatus. I now know when it comes to photographing newborns, I’m not in charge.

And I’m not sure if I will be the next Anne Geddes or not but I certainly want to try out a few more babies. Practice makes perfect!

The evening, for me at least started off very rocky to the point that I was ready to go home & this was even before I hooked up with Cousin Dee.

See, I planned to go to the Centaur for drinks alone to get my head right before the gathering. So when I got to the Centaur, I saw that it was packed with baseball fans from the Detroit Tiger’s opening day game.

I mean it was so packed that I could not get in the door. And even if I could get through the door, I was just not mentally capable to handle being surrounded by that many drunk sports fans. Anything could have jumped off, especially being one of few Negroes in the spot.

So I left, met up with a friend & went to a spot far removed from downtown Detroit. Just to illustrate the madness that I encountered, here are a few of my Tweets:

“Drunk baseball fans have taken over down town Detroit. This is not cool!!!
5:51 PM Apr 10th

I’ve seem 3 white woman passed out so far on the streets as I hunt for parking. Do U need to drink that much at a baseball game to have fun?
5:57 PM Apr 10th

Downtown is looking like a mistake right now.
5:58 PM Apr 10th

Leaving downtown, drunk fans are making this a dangerous situation. #goddmuthafuckingdanm!!!
6:11 PM Apr 10th

Right now downtown Detroit smells like stale beer, Dinty Moore beef stew, with a light hint of vomit & piss.
6:13 PM Apr 10th”

Fast forward a few hours, I made my way out of Detroit to attend Alphonso Cox’s art show in Royal Oak (his work is very hot!) & back to downtown Detroit for Cousin Dee’s birthday jump off.

So its now 9pm & Cousin Dee calls me to tell me that the plans & venue changed because of a mix up with reservations. She decided to move the party to Eclipz Lounge in the Greek Town casino. At this point, I was hungry & when I got to the lounge, I called Cousin Dee to find out where she was. She was like we are eating. Eating at the restaurant that we were all supposed to meet at but she canceled.!.!. I was like WTF!!! WTMF!!!

Then she was like we are almost done & we’ll be at the lounge in 20 minutes.

So I was pissed, hungry & sitting in a very smoky lounge with bad music & service. It was a hot mutha fucking mess! And to make matters worse, that 20 minutes turned into almost an hour & some change. Here are a few Tweets that show how pissed off I was.

“Night is turning out to be a hot mess. At the Geeek Town Casino surrounded by smokers, drunks & slot machine losers. Should have went home!
9:29 PM Apr 10th

This lounge sucks, it’s not sexy & the DJ is a bitch. Gonna kick my cousins ass for having me up in this. Bygbaby is pissed the fuck off!
9:31 PM Apr 10th

I’ve been here for 10 minutes and have not been approached yet for a drink. Bad service! I’m not interested anyway. Just saying.
9:36 PM Apr 10th

I’m about to pull a hoe move & go home. I’ll have to celebrate my cousin’s b-day at another point with lunch. I wore my pink socks for nothing!
9:45 PM Apr 10th

I’m great at bitching and complaining. Especially when I wear my favorite pink socks for nothing!!!
9:48 PM Apr 10th”

So about the time that I did my last Tweet, I was getting ready to leave & that is when I ran into Cousin Em who was like why the fuck are you looking so sour. After I told her & her boo, she was like yeah, I hear you. As it turns out Cousin Dee gave her bad info too in terms of the plans also.

At this point, the baseball fans were all up in the lounge, drunk as ever, loud, dancing etc. It was just not sexy.

After I got my mind right Cousin Dee finally saunters in with her pimp switch, looking fucking great with her new bobbed sew in, tight red dress & black stilettos. I was like look at my cousin. I mean that mutha fucka was sharb (yes sharb with a long a) but I was still mad.

My attitude was bad & showing to the point that she cussed me out & told me that I was not going to fuck her b-day up, and was like get it together or leave. To all of this I said fuck you, buy me a drink bitch.

So again, after I got my mind right, I started to have a good time, no great time but this was all after I posted this to Twitter:

“Note to self: Tafari, you are too old & sophisticated for the club atmosphere. This situation is so passé.
10:53 PM Apr 10th”

Once I started to enjoy myself, the whole tone of the party changed big time. The change jumped off because Kid Rock walked up in the lounge.

I mean, people were all over his ass like white on rice. It was all very interesting to watch.

So next thing you know Kid Rock was chilling near our table while many of the other guest, including me started to take pictures with him. The Twitter piece:

“Kid Rock just walked in. Everyone is excited. Why????

11:42 PM Apr 10th

Just took picture with Kid Rock. He was on the musty side. But still nice. My man groupie moment is over.

11:52 PM Apr 10th”

Once all of the picture taking & groupie love was over, Kid Rock then asked if he could sit with us & we were like sure. As he sat with it talking shit, doing shots etc, you could see the obvious jealousy & disgust on the faces many of the lounge goers (mostly white). We all noticed that shit & we joked that they were mad because KR likes to hang with Negroes more. He chilled with us for a good hour.

It was almost surreal as the champagne & tequila flowed. The dancing, singing & back riding we did was just so crazy.

Truly it was awesome for Cousin Dee how the night was turning out. We really partied like rock stars with one. How crazy is that shit?

Fast Forwarding a bit; I danced my ass off, talked all kind of shit & thought to myself, can this night get any better or more interesting. Once I asked this question, that is when shit flipped & my buzz was over. This was the point that I noticed that my silver bracelet was missing. The same bracelet that I was afraid to tell Suite Suzy how much it costed.

When I saw that it was missing, I started to sound the alarm! I demanded that my friends help me find it. Shit I was crawling on the floor, digging between cushions & all kinda shit. Well all of my efforts were futile & the bracelet could not be found. At this point, I Tweeted:

“Just fell victim to the recession & thievery. My Sterling silver bracelet is missing. I can literally cry now. This night is not worth it!
about 23 hours ago

It’s interesting watching the party go on around me as I’m wondering who has my fucking bracelet. #stayathomenexttimebitch
about 23 hours ago

Yeah I know the party is jumping & my socks are pink but I want my damn bracelet back!!!! #ilovepinksocks
about 23 hours ago from

So fucking hurt now. I may cry all the way home!
about 23 hours ago

I somehow feel like I’ve been exploited. Don’t ask me to explain why. I could not even break it down. At least my drinks were free tonight.
about 23 hours ago”

My night ended on such a down note! Before I left the casino, I did file a report incase someone was actually honest enough to turn my beloved bracelet in.

After I filed the report I bounced & headed home. I called my boo to tell her what jumped off & she comforted me during my drive & by the time I got home, she had made me a little something to eat seeing that I was still really hungry.

As I was eating, I thought to myself about how spoiled I really am. I bitch a lot, always want my way & stop at nothing until I win. Truly a big baby. The I refected on the fact that I really am lucky to have all that I have & the bracelet was small potatoes. My family is healthy, we have a home, we have an income etc.

With that said, I crawled into bed & my boo held me until I fell asleep.

Fast forward one more gin’. Its now 10am Saturday & I get a call from the Greek Town. It was Agelita calling to tell me that my bracelet was turned in & that I can pick it up any time. I screamed thank you in her ear & told her that I loved her. After I got off the phone, I called Cousin Dee to share the news & she of course was happy & offered to pick it up for me.

I was so fucking happy! This put the cherry back on top of my Friday night. I later went to pick it up from her & we sat around laughing about everything that went wrong with the night & the many unexpected surprises that occurred.

A-fucking-mazing!

Just think about it. Black folks are always broke & we know how to function through tough times because times are always tough for us.

Of course, I’m not speaking for everyone with this blanket statement but lets look at the financial picture of the average Negro in America. Ok, we is broke!

Anyway, with Easter coming up in a few weekends I have been thinking about Negro spending.

So lets keep it real, people are now starting to get their lay-a-ways out, buy shoes & pick up their 10 & 20 lbs worth of chitlins from the grocery store.

Oh & lets not forget about how the barber & beauty shops will be jumping off with people getting their Easter look right with fresh fades, perms, braids & locs.

From my non-educated economic estimate, the average Negro Easter shopper/church go-er is going to spend something like $378 this next week to have a popping Easter.

On a personal note, I plan on getting an Easter outfit Saturday so that I am sharp at Sunday brunch (no matter who bad Cousin Dee dogged me out for even thinking about getting one). The other night, Cousin Dee told me that I was too fucking old & big for an Easter outfit. Then she was like you don’t even believe in God, why you gotta look hot on resurrection day.

Isn’t it great how your friends are not afraid to hurt your feelings & crush your dreams.

What about you, will you be stimulating the economy with Easter fits, candy etc?
———————————————————–
I was scrolling throw some of my old blog posts amusing myself the other day & stumbled across this.

Bygbaby Factoid:
(WARNING: This may offend you but that’s OK)
One thing I hate I mean don’t like about spring is Easter, Oh how I dread the thought of spending money on Easter dresses for the girls, Easter basket grass all over the fucking floor for months (you can never get rid of it all). I also dread the faux fashion, childrens play & the long drawn out sermon @ church.

Two years later & this shit still cracks me up!

Today I felt the need to bitch slap 6 people throughout the day. If Shit jumps off tomorrow, I may have to pull a Dave Chappelle move on a mutha!

One thing that Suite Suzy & I find our selves saying recently to Olivia is stop fighting your sister.  This is a statement that is made no less than 10 times a week.  I mean they fight like cats & dogs & it is amazing that Amelia holds her own at 3 against a 9 year old.

Really the fights are laughable but still annoying & I have been asking Olivia to be an example instead of an adversary.

Me asking Olivia to stop fighting with her sister is like the pot calling the kettle black because my sister “Baby” & I are always going head up & we have the same age gap as my kids.

Baby & I have not always fought because when we were kids, I would just beat her & my little brother up to get my way.  I guess when I was a late teen & even when I left my mom’s nest, they both figured that they could get with me & beat my ass if needed.

My brother & I hardly argue, probably because he can’t hold a conversation topic for no longer than 3 minutes, however when I piss him off, I really piss him off!

Now Baby & I at times fight like cats & dogs, usually because I start in by telling her what she “needs to do”.  The arguments get ugly but after a few days of back & forth we calm it down to regroup.

More recently, she tells me that she knows where I am coming from, but her life is her life & she is doing the best that she can.

Sometimes I just get upset because I see so much more potential wasting away with some of the things that I perceive that she is doing/not doing.

Today I caught myself starting an argument with her about what she needs to do in terms of providing a stable environment for my nephews.   Before I could get going, she cut me off & said that she was not in the mood to be preached at by the “perfect one”.

After we got off the phone, I actually felt bad about my approach.  I kind of felt helpless as I watch my sister live life of the fringes of ghetto society.

I guess I really need to chill & not stress her out because she is 6 months pregnant & I do not want to cause any additional headache for her.

When it all boils down to it, Baby gets on my damn nerves like no other but I love her so & only want the best for her & her piccaninnies

Flashing forward & backward at the same time, last Friday Baby & I spent the day together, which is rare.  2 weeks ago, she asked me to go to her next prenatal appointment so that I could hear the baby’s heart beat. For some reason, I felt honored that she asked.

So we went to the appointment & it was pretty status quo.  After the appointment, we headed downtown Detroit for a delicious lunch at Eph McNally’s (and of course, I had to pay!!!).

After a lunch, we spent the remainder of our time together walking around browsing at the African World Festival, which was nice.  Our time together was quality & it felt like we were really having a special brother/sister bond thing going on.

Switching subjects but yet staying on the same topic, I found out today that my momma & aunt “Juicy P” got into a major argument yesterday as they drove to see my uncle.  There was no blood shed but from what I heard, if one of them had a blade, it would have been on.  By the way, the fight had nothing to do with Juicy P calling me an “Ugly Jesus”.

Damn, just what is it about baby sisters that drive older sibling nuts?

BTW, if you read mylast “A Few Questions” post, you will see that my sister decided to get a cornrow mowhawk. I thought it was sharp!

I have a lot of ideas in my head that I need to write out but I seem to have writitus now & I found questions easier to spill out.  Indulge me if you will… 

• Why come “Lucy Pearl” broke up? I loved them so & need another release.
• What come Congress is apologizing for slavery & Jim Crow now & what does it really mean for those of us who are “Black in America”? And does the timing have anything to do with Barack Obama? And what about my damn reparation bitch?
• Why come my 30” High Definition Mac monitor is off the mutha fucking hook?
• Why come one in every two Negroes choose to have unsafe sex, which led to them getting HIV/AIDS? And can we make them get a tattoo on there forehead that says “you don’t want none of this” since they seem to not tell anyone? And finally why is this such big news now? And finally one mo gin’, why can’t people just masturbate instead of spreading the hot mess to others?
• Why did I get all sad when I learned that Estelle Getty died last week?
• Why come guys in the DC area wearing pixie pants aka bitch jeans aka skinny jeans?
• Why come I’m so fucking excited to be going to Toronto for a long lovers getaway this weekend?
• Why come John McCain is blaming high gas prices on Barack Obama?
• Why come Congresstrick Congresswoman Carolyn Cheeks-Kilpatrick give up her braids for those hideous wigs? IS it becuase she is trying to soften her image inthe midst of her stupid assed son’s various Detroit scandals?
• Why come no one called me this morning and offered me the photographic opportunity of a lifetime.
• Why come the stall at work out of tissue yesterday & I did not realize until I was finished taking a major dump after some Taco Bell?
• Why come XM Radio took my station XM80 “the Move” off the air?  I’m pissed!!!
• Why come I get chills when I listen to Nina Simone’s “I Love You Porgy”?  
• Why come my kids insist that the know what ghetto means?

So on my last post, I mentioned that Suite Suzy & I discussed what is meant by the term “Black Experience”.

Basically, my position was I do not know what it means & no sure if I grew up in the “Black Experience”. Suite Suzy who essentially grew up in a white household thinks the “Black Experience” can be broken down into different socioeconomic classes of Black folk & that the term can apply across the board. Suite Suzy also says that there really is no “Black Experience” & thinks the construct is stupid.

For the hell of it, I asked if we are living the Black Experience now & she says no. What makes us different than the Australians next door other than skin complexion & sex appeal? I tend to agree with my boo (rare) on this one, but want to hear from you out there.

My experience:
I grew up in a household 1 of 3 children (different dads), single mother (most times), on welfare until I was around 10, in a relatively poor neighborhood(s) in Birmingham & Detroit. So my question is, did I live the “Black Experience” & is my experience so different than other races or others within my race.

Now, I live in middle class environment, have a stable family & job, love fried perch sandwiches with hot sauce, shop at Whole Foods & on the winning side of the digital divide. Does this mean that my kids are missing the Black Experience???

• Is there such a thing as a “Black Experience”?
• Is this a self-imposed or white term (like African American (you already know how I feel about that))?
• Have you or have you live[d] the “Black Experience”?
• Does the common thread of racial identity make us one?
• Is there a socioeconomic division that separates some Blacks from the rest?
• Did Obama not really live the “Black Experience”??? (bonus questions…)

Since it is Black History month, I expect some damn answers from yo’ ass, so talk to me!

And since we are on the subject, but not really, here is a shot of me living the “Black Experience” with my iPhone & Mudcloth printed scarf by Aziz.