Detroit: The city that I love to hate but ultimately love.

Opening Day for the Detroit Tigers is certainly a grand Detroit holiday! Tailgaters everywhere! Debauchery everywhere! Chaos everywhere! People doing way too much everywhere! I had a great time celebrating the opening of the season with my boo, my friends, and a whole host of randoms in my orange fashion sweater that they all love to hate. For some reason, I felt like I was Ferris Bueller, minus the car situation & the sister with the scorching case of herpes. It was all good! Pictured above is Detroit Tiger, Austin Jackson. A great player and a great person all the way around! Here's to a great season!

Every thing about this photo here screams 1980s Jet magazine Newport ad. I love it & I'm so not into cigarettes!

It’s a total bummer that the Detroit Tigers didn’t make it to the World Series this year after being shut down by the Boston Red Sox during the American League Championship Series. Although the loss was a let down, the season was great and I had some great experiences this summer. From hanging downtown on opening day with my boo.

To working with and kicking it with Austin Jackson. An awesome experience. To hanging with my homeboys on my birthday at one of the last games of the season that helped land the Tigers in the ALCS. It was all good.

Already looking forward to next year and more good baseball!

I’ve been to Chicago four times over the last several years and I typically did not enjoy myself. Maybe it was what I was doing or maybe it was the company I was with or both…. But the trip I took 2 years ago with my homie, Otis started to turn my feelings around on going to Chicago for quick get-a-ways. The awesome Osunlade & Tortured Soul party performance that I danced at all night had a lot to do with this. Then last week, I was fortunate enough to attend the SHRM Annual Conference in Chicago.  It was 4 great days of learning and HR inspiration. Of the 3 SHRM conferences that I've attended, I feel that I learned more in Chicago for some reason. Outside of the conference, I truly enjoyed Chicago like a crazed tourist. I did a networking cruise on Lake Michigan, partied with Jazzy Jeff at the House of Blues, ate like a KING, and spent quality time with my boo.

I discovered quite a few things as I made my way around the city & by far, finding Sable Kitchen & Bar was a definite highlight! Why? They have excellent craft cocktails AND…. they have Green Chartreuse on tap! I mean, where they do that at? And I think I had one of the best brunches ever at Zed 451... I'm still tripping off of the chicken & waffles. Totally tasted like it should be a sin. The kind you want to keep committing over & over again. The buffet totally made my Father's Day excellent. Although I did quite a bit during the trip, I returned home and was totally relaxed. Typically when I come back from a trip, I need a day or so to recover but that wasn't the case this time! Looking forward to the next visit already.

Photos Courtesy of my iPhone.... I'm so lazy but it does a GREAT job!

"Martin had a dream! Martin had a dream! Kendrick have a dream!"

I’m back after a wonderful whirlwind visit to Washington D.C. I copped tickets to the inauguration but guess what... I didn’t make it. We decided to stay in & stay warm after flashbacks of the frigid temps from 4 years ago. We were able to catch the Inaugural parade however and that was fun! Otherwise, the trip was relaxing & I enjoyed the time with my friends. After several games of dominoes, exotic libations, a boxed wine scandal, & partaking in a large fruit basket, it feels great being back home! Here are a few snapshots from my lovers stroll around the capital. Basic but sexy of course! You know how I do.

I'm neither for or against guns. I am, however, for responsible ownership... If that means anything. Last week, I was in a situation where I was surrounded by tons of guns. It kinda felt dirty but cool at the same time. I wouldn't own a gun at all but I'm kinda hype about going to a gun range and shooting off a few rounds. Seems a little more exciting now that I've actually had a hands on experience. And this is a backstory to another story that I'll be discussing next month.

I was walking downtown on Woodward when I spotted him in his Easter suit moving with a pimp switch!  But it wasn’t Easter! Or spring time… I shouted to him, "you killing it in that pimp suit!" He shouted back, I'm not a pimp! I'm a hero player! Only in Detroit!

Detroit is the city that I love to hate. It no longer has the beauty that I knew as a kid. I just see hopelessness & despair with the occasional bright spot here and there. Last Wednesday night, I found one the occasional bright spots high atop the city. I looked in wonderment at the transitioning lights, life & energy.

This is one reason why I love NYC... I mean, where else in the world can you assemble a mass amount of people for the purpose of song, dance & soul??? And to be fair, Everbody knows..... that I came up with the idea for a Flash Mob last Wednesday:

"I'm calling for all of my fellow Americans to join in a flash mob Soul Train Line to celebrate Black History Month & the life of Don Cornelius... Meet me on MLK Blvd." ~ Tafari Stevenson-Howard

Detroit: Join me Saturday at the Majestic for the Holiday Baar Bazaar. I'll have deep discounts on Quench Essentials products (my other hustle)! www.quenchessentials.net And...... There will be great music and other artsy hustlers peddling their wares for the masses!

Last night was the art show & reception that I have only been talking about for the last several weeks. In a nutshell, everything was perfect! Many of my friends came out to show love & support, I met some great new people & I was able to talk about my art and share my passion through the theme of Black Women and Food. When Olivia & I finished hanging the work last Thursday, I took a step back and felt very proud of the presentation. Prints on metallic paper, great custom framing and vivid color really gave me what I wanted. The event lasted for about three hours but it felt like only 15 minutes. I was in a time vacuum with my new church shoes on… I could easily say that the highlight of the night was selling 5 pieces of art off of the walls but it was not the highlight. The highlight for me was having my people there to support me, the art and the community of Detroit area photographers. Now of course, I am looking at my sales receipts and smiling like a mofo! I'm just saying. Another fine highlight from last night other than me looking like a million dollars in my Versace was that someone purchased one of my BEST photos ever, “The Giver” (pictured above). I’m looking forward to installing it next Saturday……. This photo has been looking for the right home for a while now. So happy that the right person decided to make that move. As soon as I have photos from the event courtesy of my official unofficial photographer, L O T I, I will post them…. Thanks for hanging in there with me my friends!!! Tafari

Been running around all evening getting some last minute framing done. Got off work later than I wanted to, had to deal with rush hour and make it to two frame shops before 7pm. I was able to make it all happen but I was wiped out of energy big time. Since I've been home, I realized two mistakes with my framing that I made, which have to corrected by tomorrow evening when I go to Detroit to hang the art. I really wish, I could just have someone do this stuff for me. Being an artist, semi-perfectionist & having little time to fit everything in is way too much right here, right now. And you know how sensitive about my shit I am... Hoping that all of the pieces are back in place tomorrow. I really am… Getting ready for a show, in my experience is never fun. So much to do, so little time…. And of course, I do EVERYTHING at the last minute. A good friend asked me if I was ready for the show. I told him no, not hardly but I know what I’m wearing…. Gonna pull out some Versace, just to be fancy. You know how I do… BTW, my show theme is Black Women & Food.... 2 of my favorite things. On some unrelated notes: - Yesterday, the new hygienist at my dentist office told me that she liked my Jamaican accent. Then she told me that my hair was interesting. I'm from B'ham, AL & grew up in Detroit. I don't have an accent until I go back home to AL... They all think I sound fancy & proper. - An older woman told me that I reminded her of Stevie Wonder. Not sure if it’s the hair or if she things that I make random body movements like Stevie. I'm just lost on the comparison. - I registered for my LAST CLASS at Eastern Michigan University. Graduation is just a few short months away!!! - My kids put up a Christmas tree and it is short of looking like Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree. Since I stopped celebrating Christmas, the tree has been looking like a mess but it makes them happy & that’s the important piece. BTW: Bet there, bitches! Date: 12.10.11 Time: 7pm Location: Woodbridge Pub | 5169 Trumbull, Detroit, MI