Friday, October 31, 2014

(Music) Unlady Like by Nauti


Thursday, October 30, 2014

The Fuck A Birthday Post (Happy 28 To Me)

Now that I've gotten your attention, it's that time of year again. My Birthday!
Not My Black Art

However, it's not all birthday cakes, cupcakes, presents, and everyone spending money on me. Millions of phone calls aren't coming in with people asking what they can do to make my day feel special. I'm no celebrity and far from still being a kid who they felt obligated to treat special at least once a year. By the end of tomorrow there may only be a few phone calls wishing me a happy day, because that's how many will remember. Yeah, this is that age where very few care to remember anymore.

I can admit that outside of close relatives and best friends, I remember very few birthdays. Sometimes I feel ashamed of it while other times I'm too exhausted from work to care. The same happens when mines comes around. Some may remember because Facebook alerted them and if they say anything it won't extend past Facebook. They have their owns lives to focus on and it's totally understandable. However, a birthday is still special and still meant to be celebrated.

Today starts the year of being 28, so something special has to happen. I promise you there will be birthday food, birthday presents from myself (two of my friends also got me presents), a birthday outfit, and maybe birthday sex (I can use my imagination. A man isn't exactly needed for that).

Now before we continue you must read my annual Birthday Sex poem.
Warning: Its explicit.

IT'S MY BIRTHDAY. IT'S MY BIRTHDAY.
All I want is a big dick nigga who will still his big dick in me.
But first he'll lick my pussy, stick his tongue all the way in it
Til its good and wet
And before I realize it I'll beg for him to slide between my legs
And if he plays hard to get I'll grab his head and rub it like a genie in a bottle
While guiding it to its rightful place.
Then he'll take over
Put me in total lust
As our bodies fall in sync I'll leave scratches on his back
Make the walls echo with our pleasure
It'll be about more than regular sex
Cause it'll be my birthday sex
And it'll be the best birthday present ever.

Cause it'll be my birthday sex. 

The poem has been updated also.

28 also marks the year of higher achievements. I'm tired of this city and how it tries so hard to box me up. This is the year of achievements; harder struggles, better experiences, maybe wild sex, and more of it all for my friends too.

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Practicing Self Preservation

Be Safe. Be Careful. Stay out of trouble.

I don't understand this thing called safety anymore. Staying out of places were the crime rate is high is smart. Staying away from a place where people are sure to not like me and no one will defend me is the right thing to do. Wanting someone to come along with me wherever I go is also a good idea just in case I can't protect myself.

Protect Yourself.
I can't always count on someone to be with me. Most of the time I can't count on someone to just answer the phone. As a woman, the idea of being protected by someone has been stuffed down my throat. As a child, I was taught that my parents protect me. They couldn't protect me from everything though.

From a child on up, the idea that a man would come into my life and protect me has been stuffed down my throat. It's the Cinderella fantasy. Cinderella works her ass off for mean ass society until prince charming comes along and makes her a housewife. According to Sheryl Sandberg (currently reading Lean In), this has been the mindset for a long time. However, realistically being an independent woman might be tough, but it's necessary for survival. Plus, no guy under the age of 30 (maybe 40) wants to be the financial provider of the household. It's my generation's mindset. That's where feminism plays a high role.

Practice Self Preservation.
Feminism is not always a word that everyone can understand. The meaning is very simple if anyone looks it up. Feminism means being a woman that has to take care of herself in all circumstances. A lot of women are feminists, but for some reason men are intimidated by these words. While feminism intimidates men, they can relate to self preservation.

Self preservation for a man is chasing after money all the time. It's calling all women they don't understand, make them feel all kinds of insecure, or can't get in bed a heaux. Self preservation for a man is making others feel less than perfect because he can't comprehend his own imperfections. Men are good at thriving with his.

As a woman, self preservation is all about having thicker skin. I have to be able to stand up against the men whose favorite vocabulary words are heaux, shone, THOT, slut, Bitch, etc. Self preservation is being able to confidently say I'm better than others even if I'm really not. A couple days ago a girl in school to become a surgeon was attacked because most of her pictures have captions stating how she's better than the women who spend their nights in the club. She's just preserving her sanity the best way she knows how.

Know what works for yourself.
There is this saying that goes "The older you get the more you realize you know nothing." I do think that the older we get, the more we realize we don't know what's going on with the people around us. We learn knew things about people we've known for years and we meet lots of new people. However, while we are busy learning others, we also have to continually learn ourselves. In order to thrive in this world I have to know what works for myself. I have to know what is safe for me to do on my own, how to protect myself physically and emotionally, and what to tell myself so that I can make it another day without breaking down completely.

On the other hand, when all else fails breaking down completely works too.

Monday, October 27, 2014

His Only Woman (Short Story)

As she watched him sleep, she admired his handsomeness. He was naked, so nothing was left to her imagination. She didn't have to dig deep in her memory to picture him. All of him was there, relaxed, in her bed.

Cover had originally been on him, but as he became comfortable he removed it. His perfect six foot frame enticed her to wake him up. She had a pretty boy, but she loved it. The sight of his smooth brown skin made her remember why she loved being wrapped up in his arms. She wanted to use the moment to lay up under him, but there was more important work to do, like remind herself that he was totally hers.

He was her man. He was her man. He was her man. She repeated the thought in her head several times. There was no other woman for him. He was as faithful to their relationship as her. She was positive, but at the same time she had to make sure.

His phone sat on the nightstand near the bed charging up. She already knew that they weren't just communicating with each other on a daily basis. They talked to family members, co-workers, long-time friends. She knew all his friends. Everyone he communicated with was someone she had made sure to meet. Her presence had to be known, which also meant if he had any knew friends she had to meet them to. She grabbed his phone and started searching.

They trusted each other. While he had the password to her phone, she also had his. She typed in the password and started going through everything. There was no activity on his Facebook. He didn't have a twitter. His Instagram had no new notifications. She was about to put it back down when she decided to look through his texts. There were only a few exchanges between him and close friends about sports. Then she checked his contacts.

50 numbers in his phone. The last time she'd looked there were 49. Who was this 50th person? She stared at him. He was her man and her man only. She decided in her mind that she would call the number to make sure the other person knew that she was his woman and his only woman.

Triple 7 Challenge, Elevation of Hormones Excerpt

I was invited to do the Triple 7 Challenge by Brenda of Cake and Eggs.

This is a challenge where you take 7 lines of the 7th page of a draft you are working on and share it. I changed it a little and decided to share an excerpt from the 7th short story I ever posted on this blog. At the time I wanted to challenge my creative juices by writing a story inside of the blog draft and publishing right after I'd written the last line. The following was written in 2011.

Excerpt From Elevation of Hormones
He sits across the room with a table full of people. I sit against a wall alone sneaking peeks, admiring his beauty. Someone speaks and he laughs along with others. His smile mesmerizes me. It calls to me, tells me to pay attention. He speaks and others reply. I imagine his voice comes across strong and commands attention. Then he gets silent.

His silence is what heightens my senses most. What is he thinking?

I nominate Rae of Unititled1975 and Ariel of ArielSaysNow.

Friday, October 24, 2014

No New Friends? (Friday Confession)

No New Friends? In six days I'll be 28 and one of the hugest lessons in the past couple years has been about friends. A couple years ago I was real frustrated about how everything surrounding me was going. In an attempt to really start figuring shit out, I stopped calling people.

At least I struggled to stop communicating with anyone and everyone. I'm the one that usually keeps in contact. By me keeping in contact, I can usually sleep at night saying certain people are still my friends. It was time for a change though. I had to stop depending on the voices of others to keep me sane. I stopped communicating with that guy I had been promising sex. I stopped checking up on people that never called me. I stopped calling people that did check up on me regularly. After moving out of my parents house I went months before I saw them again just to gain that peace of mind.

Outside of logging onto social media, I had to disconnect from everyone. I was upset with my achievements during that time. How could I be that old and still not where I had planned to be? Why did it only feel like one or two people were on my side? I had to step away from everyone else and get back in touch with Lashuntrice. No New Friends.

Before moving back to Houston I used to always tell people I needed new friends. I'd let them know I had no one to hang out with most of the time and needed to meet new people. At least I thought I did. After moving back to Houston I had the same mindset. I reconnected with some old friends, but desperately felt the need to meet and gain new friends. Just because you want it, doesn't mean it's meant to be. Only A Few Friends.

I don't trust easily, but when I do start to trust someone I love them hard. I'm that friend that'll get on someone's nerves because I'm too attached. I care too much. I'm afraid of losing the people that's become valuable to me. It's a good trait and a bad trait at the same time. It's also the reason why I've grown to appreciate only having a few friends.

I have a few friends that I can trust with my secrets (like I really reveal those), shed tears with, laugh with, and lift them up as much as they lift me up. Maybe there will be a few more new friends in the future, but I don't need them.

Thursday, October 23, 2014

(Mixtape) Dej Loaf's Sell Sole

"Open up your mouth. You gotta talk to this pussy." Dej Loaf just dropped her debut mixtape, Sell Sole, and it's worth listening to. Hear all the songs below. 

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

#Blogtober14 Pet Peeves


One of my pet peeves is breaking my own rules. I'm supposed to be following this challenge throughout the whole month, but guess what? There was no Blogtober post yesterday. It was all about dream jobs and I skipped it. A post was written, but before it could get typed up exhaustion gave way. As you can see, I do need a vacation and that is coming up real soon. Next week is my week of doing nothing, but another pet peeve will show its ugly.

That's the one that involves having no money to spend during vacation days. I can't try tons of new places in Houston during my break because, no money. All the money will go towards making sure bills are paid (1st of the month is next week) and basic survival. UGH! Now that you know a few of my pet peeves, here's a couple more.

Inconsistent Men
They put my hormones on Fleek, but then act as if nothing just happened. They act as if they're not teasing me, not building up my expectations, not putting thoughts into my head. UGH! I really just wanted to use the word Fleek.

Dumb Questions
Just in case you need examples of dumb questions: Why do you like writing so much? (newspapers exist, books and bookstores exist, magazines exist, and they all get read by someone) Why do you always want to go out and do something? (why do you like sitting around the house and working yourself to death?) Why do you like watching scary movies? (why do you like watching the news?) There are so many more.

People Trying To Force Me To Do The Opposite Of Everything I Want
I don't want to buy a house any time soon, so why do I have to hear someone try to talk me into it? I want a surprise birthday party one day, but why do I have to beg people to celebrate my birthday with me? When I need help, no one seems to be around. However, everyone can tell me how they think I want to live my life. Living alone has been my proudest experience, but only my best friend supported the idea before I took the big leap. I do not want to spend the rest of my life hearing people question every decision of idea that pops into my mind.

"This is all I have left in me"- Jhene Aiko
The Daily Tay Blogtober14





Tuesday, October 21, 2014

(Music) Iz U Mad by Surreall


The Biggest Visual Sex Without Touching Lesson

I've learned a lesson. This isn't the kind of lesson that is taught in textbooks. It's also not whispered throughout the streets either. It is just something you have to learn on your own. I've learned this. You're probably curious. Its all about men and pictures.

Men love to request pictures of you. They want to see you naked is all kinds of lights and at every angle they can imagine. They beg you to send something showing a little skin or even a lot of skin. They don't stop begging. This is part of the lesson. Men never stop asking. They even tease you with their egos in an effort to get what they want. They want those nudes so badly.

It doesn't matter that nudes get leaked all the time. Just this year alone so many celebrity women woke up to find their naked bodies being passed around the web. Some woman's naked photos are getting leaked as I type this. She won't even know until some men are retweeting her photos and bragging about how good she looks. Well, they might brag or they might spread the pictures in an effort to embarrass her because of something they didn't like. It's a cruel world.

Either way, when the pictures usually hit the internet there is no turning back. There is no hiding your face, unless your face wasn't in it. There is no lying because lying would only hint that you're ashamed of your body.

Wait, you get it. Pictures get leaked. However, sometimes pictures don't get leaked. Men just want them for their own personal collection. They ask and its up to you to actually send anything. What I've learned is if you don't send a picture a man will continue to ask. If you do send a picture, a man will want more pictures from you. It's never-ending. It's a lose/lose situation. Well, it's a win if you want to keep sending more pictures.

The problem with this lesson is I don't know if its valuable. Maybe pictures is just a part of my generation. We like visuals. The part about pictures possibly getting leaked still ruins a girl's reputation if she is still at the bottom trying to climb her way to the top of the career ladder. However, the idea of ruining careers doesn't stop men from asking.

Monday, October 20, 2014

#Blogtober14 What If I Gave Up...

What if I gave up? Outside of work my life revolves around being a writer, researcher, and editor (when I'm not lazy). However, sometimes I feel like my dream career hasn't come quick enough and I just need to focus on paying bills.

What if I stopped everything to focus on only bills?
Money and debt is what makes Americans a part of America. Although Raven Symone wants to be known as an American, she doesn't realize that she's missing the debt part. Most of the people I know have crazy amounts of students loans that they might never be able to pay off. They also have credit cards because there is no way possible for them to survive on only the paychecks they receive every two weeks. I know this because I am just like them. I'm struggling, so the struggle makes it that much harder to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

What if there is no tunnel leading to my dream job?
Maybe, just maybe I'm crazy for being a dreamer. I own several motivational books by successful people. Some of these people go into detail about how they started from the bottom and now they've made it to the top. I started from the comfort of my parents house, but now it feels as if I'm at the very bottom trying to crawl my way to the top. There are so many setbacks.

Clearly I haven't given up yet. If I had, I would be sleep right now. It is approximately 3 am on a Monday. However, my biggest fear is giving up and whatever results come with giving up. I promise you sometimes I look at older people who have worked jobs just to provide for the household all their lives and wonder if they ever had goals for themselves. Maybe not, but I do have so many ideas planned out for my own life. I'm so scared of losing those ideas.

Helene in Between Blogtober

(Music Video) A Peek Into The Miami Dating Scene

Translation.
"Well how do you say I want to fuck?"
"Que?"

During a conversation with a male friend, we started talking about the dating scene in Miami. How it came up is a mystery, but he wanted me to understand one major part about dating out there. That is the beautiful women (his words) usually speak a totally different language and while the men don't understand them, it doesn't matter either.

The men think these women are beautiful, so they want sex and sexy only. The hard part is the language barriers. How can these men get sex when they can't even understand what the women are saying?

There's a song for everything, right? Well a song called Translation (by Vein featuring J. Balvin and Belinda) already has over a million views on youtube. It describes the struggle perfectly.

Sunday, October 19, 2014

So We Meet Again (A Food Story) #Blogtober14

If you're under the age of 23, haven't experienced the 40 hour work week yet, and can still spend as much time around the house as you want while enjoying it this next description is for you.

There is one huge fact no one ever tells you about the 40 (well some people work more) hour work week. Your home will become the place you utilize only to watch television and go to sleep. You'll be too tired to cook, sometimes clean, or even think in this place that is supposed to bring you comfort. In fact you'll get so wrapped up in the frustrations around the job that when you do feel the need to enjoy life, your house is not where you will want to experience that enjoyment.

I know this because it is my life. I eat, speak, and breathe the struggle of trying to find the balance between the work life and actually enjoying myself. Because of this, I've tried all the best seafood restaurants near me. Seafood, with the exception of sushi (never had it), is my favorite of all food. Even more I've become so accustomed to enjoying the luxurious food that I'm usually going solo. I've also hit up clubs, bars, malls, and many more places solo just for the experiences. It's a nice life when the money is there, which is also my latest problem.

As bills seem to increase, my money seems to be tighter. Recently I went to my favorite seafood restaurant and the cashier commented on how I don't come around as much. See, even the employees at these places are noticing. How do you solve a money problem when the hours at work stay the same and the money on the paychecks don't increase with the bills? You can only make a change in spending habits and that is what I'm now trying to do.

I started my journey to making better spending habits today by actually grocery shopping. I bought eggs, bacon, sausage, hotdogs, sandwich meat, and bread to start off. I also went grocery shopping in a cousin's freezer. Her freezer offered Tilapia, so there is now even more. This is just a start to cooking, but it is also the confession that I should have made yesterday. I only know how to cook the basics to survival.

I'm also including the Blogtober Day 19 post in this. It's all about what makes you happy. Well, freedom makes me happy. Feeling free to do whatever I want and whenever. The initial introduction of the adult life takes a lot of freedom we thought we had away, but I'm getting back to my happy place eventually. These bills won't hold me back.
Helene in Between Blogtober

Saturday, October 18, 2014

#Blogtober14 IF I TELL YOU A SECRET...

If I tell you my deepest and darkest secret, I'll have to kill you. Then there would be some tough work getting rid of your body. Then I'd have two secrets to hide. Yeah, maybe one day it won't be a secret anymore and I'll scream it to the world. Until then, it's too much work revealing secrets on blog posts.

Helene in Between Blogtober

Friday, October 17, 2014

#Blogtober14 I'm An Expert At...

Being Pretty (well beauty is in the eye of the beholder)
Being Smart (depending on your definition of smart)
Coming Up With Brilliant Ideas (if you ignore the ones my friends like to say no to)
Being Creative (but keep in mind that I'm an artist and I'm sensitive about my shit)
Being Scared (if only you knew)
Being Flirty (if you ignore my shyness and failed attempts)
Being Mean (Grrrrr....)
Being Brave (if only you knew)
Being Kind (smiles)
Being A Good Listener (Wait, what did you say again?)
Being A Daydreamer (But warning, don't interrupt me)
Being A Writer (no one ever said it always has to be good or it's always bad)
Being A Blogger (well I'm getting there)
Being Lashuntrice Chevelle Bradley (It's so hard and tiring trying to be anyone else)

What are you an expert at?

Helene in Between Blogtober



Thursday, October 16, 2014

#Blogtober14 She/Me/My Fall Fashion

 Have you ever had those moments where you desperately want to go on a shopping spree? I'm having one of those moments. I want to toss everything I have away and start all over again. However, that's not an option during this time of the year. I do have a few favorites in my closet that I love to throw on for special occasions though.

It's still 80 degrees between 12 pm and 6 pm so don't judge my clothing too much. I bought the jumpsuit from Marshalls a couple of weeks back. It's comfortable, but harder to put on than it looks. I want to wear it all the time, but have only worn it once so far. 

The shirt, skirt, and boots together are what I call my confused look. Everyone in New York has started wearing boots, so I'm starting in up for Texas. 
Navy colors look good on me. This is a recent discovery. 

#PreachersofLA The 49 Year Old Virgin Exists

These last couple of weeks I've been watching Preachers of LA in silence. I've taken in the lives of these couples who have been placed on pedestals to lead congregations, and also minister to the millions of viewers they receive every week from the show. These married folks proudly share their leadership lives, family lives, and even happily married sex lives. However, in the latest episode they shared something many of us don't think about on a regular basis; waiting until marriage to have sex.

It wasn't the regular way we all tend to wait though. This wait came in the form of a 49 year old virgin. He hadn't just avoided sex though. He also became the 2014 version of the movie Never Been Kissed. He had never in any way felt the intimate touch of a woman; not the feel of her vagina, the intimate cuddling with her, or even that very special kiss. His lips had only ever touched the lips of his mother. This man has lived twice as long as me and has not experienced sex.

This man went on to discuss his ideas of what to do with a woman. He doesn't believe in dating. To him taking a woman out is the same as going to his friend's house to watch football. He believes in courting, which as a 20-something I don't see the difference.

I'm guessing since the taping of that episode he hasn't met the woman of his dreams, married her, and finally saw the light. I'm still shocked that he's lived almost twice as long as me and hasn't had sex. I waited until I was 20. Clap for a girl with her waiting self.

Most of us didn't wait for sex. *tosses Bible behind couch*. At what age did you lose your virginity? Are you clapping for the 49 year old virgin or staring at him crazily?

(Posed To Be In Love) The Radio Just Got More Violent

"Man, I thought it was legal to beat your heaux."

Chris Brown gets banned from Hip Hop for a while for beating Rihanna. Rick Ross loses an endorsement deal for having lyrics on a mixtape song indicating possibly raping a woman after slipping Molly in her drink. Ray Rice gets banned from playing football with any team after a video of him knocking his wife unconscious in an elevator surfaces. Can you guess what happens next.

Kevin Gates now has a popular song on the radio called Posed To Be In Love. The song starts off with him saying, "Man, I thought it was legal to beat your heaux." Seriously, the whole song is about how he fell madly in love with an ex-girlfriend and they broke up. Now he's so hurt over the break up he wants to stalk her. There's even a lyric that says, "Beat a bitch like Chris Brown." I thought Big Sean's I Don't Fuck With You was scary, but Kevin Gates came in and put the icing on the cake. I'm scared every time I hear it.

I know Kevin managed to wander into our hearts after he started telling fans he eats ass and no one should take him seriously, but you can feel the passion in the song. Why and how did this manage to make it to radio anyway? Aren't we supposed to be against violence this year? Elevators are scary, people can't beat their kids, and now the rappers (or is he a singer) are heavily promoting nothing but violence. I would rather some music that just tells me to shake my ass and call it a night out.

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

#Blogtober14 Cheers To The Unsuccessful Ideas

Several successful people have talked about how you have to fail a couple of times in order for people to start respecting you, so today's post is all about giving praise to what didn't get accomplished. It's also part of the process of letting go a few more worries.

Cheers to the unsuccessful ideas. I haven't forgotten about you. You didn't leave my mind as fast as you came. You visited and I sat you on. I planned and planned and planned some more on how to make you happen.

Three years ago there was the idea of making a birthday vacation trip happen every single year from then on. A year before that there was the scheme on how I could save up enough money to finally leave Houston again for a city where my name and face would be fresh. That goal of leaving Houston was set for two years. A couple years before that there was the idea of moving to Atlanta and becoming lost in the sea of CNN workers. A few years before that I held onto the idea of a cruise with friends, even though my mom tried to desperately kill that one and it worked. A couple years before that I remember coming up with ideas of getting the attention of a boy who put so many butterflies in my stomach I was afraid to act upon any of my thoughts.

Yes, I remember those and many more ideas that never came to fruition. Cheers to them. Cheers to being able to dream even if those dreams weren't able to make it into reality. Cheers to trying, even if the efforts became foolish mistakes to everyone else.

Cheers to the ideas that didn't make it. I'll never forget you.
Helene in Between Blogtober

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

The Opposite Of A Gentleman

With the age of 28 only weeks away, I'm learning something new. The men aren't becoming quicker to buy flowers, or treat me to nice dates, or see me as the woman any of them would want to spend the rest of their lives with. Is that even how it is supposed to work when you're still single and only getting older? I'm not seeing gentleman like behavior at all.

However, they still never cease to amaze. There are the jackasses. They are so stuck on proving their bad ass-ness that you can only grab a pen, paper, and take notes. That is if a computer or phone isn't nearby. They teach you how much patience they can have with wanting sex from you, but then they make sure to also explain to you that it's only about sex. Different ones show different types of signs. They talk real crazy right from the start. There was one experience where I ended it because my feelings were hurt by his words. Oh Well! Some will sex you for months while some will finally get that opportunity and go ghost right after. Cruel, right?

Then there are the compromisers. I've found out that some men are so desperate for nudes they'll finally send a dick picture in exchange. They'll send more than that actually. That particular body part makes a man do strange things for some change a chance to see your body. Then again some men will just send a picture because they are horny. I've gotten that without ever sending a picture of myself back. Cruel, right?

There are the ones that don't see you. You're getting older, still single, things aren't as perky anymore, your body's starting to change on you, and men seem to be everywhere. However, they are good at not noticing you at all. There was a really cute guy that used to work at my job. He's gone now, but when he was there I finally got up the nerve to speak. He would speak back, but in every conversation he would make sure to bring up his girlfriend. Huh? What? She has nothing to do with me just saying hi. They also ignore you based on skin color, height, whether you are shy or talk too much, and even if they think you are a THOT.

Unfortunately there are also the ones that are waiting for you. If one more guy tells me he's waiting on me to pick a date, tell him when I'm available, be the step mother to his child etc. etc. etc. and he was the one that showed interest I'll scream. Okay, I've already screamed in frustration. There are the online men that want you to travel to them (like I'm that crazy), and the men that live 15 minute away but are waiting for you to drive to them. Then there are the men just waiting for you to start that very addicted type of sexual relationship that will go on and on just based on the fire you two make in different positions. That last example also falls under the category of the jackasses too, but you get it.
Now it's 3 am and there's no man to wake up, so you already know what's about to happen. Bed Time Soon.

#Blogtober14 When A Bird Doesn't Care

I hesitate every time I walk under a tree. There might just be a bird chilling over a branch getting ready to use the bathroom. Outside is its bathroom. I found this out during a visit to my grandma's house as a child.

Everyone was outside talking and having a good time. I was especially happy to be surrounded by family. I was small, cute, and in my own zone when something landed on the top of my head. That something was bird poop. I think I cried before getting my hair washed super good. Everyone else found it funny and maybe you will too.






Helene in Between Blogtober


Monday, October 13, 2014

#Blogtober14 Favorite Fall Recipe

SIKE! Fall doesn't exist in Houston, Texas. 

However, it is technically that time of the year, so for today's topic, Favorite Fall Recipe, I took a picture of the stove and partially the microwave. As you can see the stove is very empty. That's because my routine as a single woman living on her own usually revolves around eating take-out during the work week and eating nicely from some restaurant during days off. I hate sitting around the house for too long and cooking would force me to sit around the house a little more. 

Although I might be gaining a favorite Fall recipe soon. My bank account is screaming for me to stop spending money, so the best thing to do is to start utilizing the kitchen to its best full potential. Cooking saves money, right? 

Helene in Between Blogtober


(Music) Dej Loaf & Sonyae Elise~ Try Me

"Wondering why I'm slow to get with 'em these days. Cause niggas get missing these days."

"Niggas be horny, but can't afford me. They be on my neck. I be on my flex."

Other than the fact that Sonyae Elise is the woman I dream to be (she has blue hair), she has also teamed up with newcomer Dej Loaf for a Try Me remix. I'm all about showcasing powerful women showing their gifts to the world, so listen below.

There's also another song by Dej Loaf that I love. It's a couple years old but it embodies everything a girl is trying to tell her mom to get her attention. It's called Mommy I'm A Princess. Listen below.

Sunday, October 12, 2014

#Blogtober14 Best Advice I've Been Given

Writers need advice. Writers thrive on advice. We survive on advice. Without advice we might as well throw away all the blank paper in the house, close the laptop, and stop calling ourselves writers. Just think about it. We look to others for new topics to blog about, write articles for major publications about, write books about, and even come up with movies. Yes, the producers behind movies started off as writers. Advice is what makes us who we are.

On this beautiful rainy Sunday the topic is all about the best advice you've been given. I've been given tons of advice on just about everything. A lot of it I've had to work hard to forget, because it wasn't positive. However, there is some good advice I've held onto. I'll give you two.

1. Speak Up and Be Heard
I don't remember her exact words, but Priscilla Slade (former Texan Southern University president) was one of my mother's college professors. I was a very disciplined child and often very quit around adults. I was definitely quiet meeting her and she told me to speak up. She said I was very petite, so I needed to not be so shy or people would always try to take advantage of me.

I'm 27 now and even with speaking up I have a history of people trying to take advantage of me, act as if I don't matter, and playing victim when I stood up for myself.
2. Keep Writing
I don't know how many times I've heard this one, but it's some advice I'll always remember. Each time someone says it to me, it means that much more. My poems aren't always good, I'm the only one editing my posts, and this isn't a paid gig. Writing is a passion and the biggest thing that keeps me wanting to wake up the next day. Well, writing and keeping the hope that everything will start to get better keep me wanting to see another day.

Plus hearing someone say they like my words and to keep doing it is a whole like better than "Why do you want to do that?"

Yesterday's post was "If You Were President." I purposely skipped that one.

Helene in Between Blogtober




Friday, October 10, 2014

#Blogtober14 I Never Thought Blogging Would...

Blogging has given me the opportunity to do so much that couldn't have possibly happened if I didn't create this space during Christmas of 2008. I never thought blogging would...

Give Me A Community of Supporters
For real, at one point no one was acknowledging the skills or potential skills of the girl known as Lashuntrice Bradley. One day I plan to change my name to a symbol, so it can be "formerly known as" like Prince once did. I had to stick my writing in every face that would stop long enough to hear me. It's been a long journey. We can go into detail later. However, it went from me trying to force people to pay attention to others acknowledging me. See, I've been nominated for the Black Weblog Awards and voting started this week. The other day one of the other nominees gave me and several others a shoutout telling everyone to vote for us. I was shocked and felt appreciated at the same time. They really support me and I support them back.

Make Me A Better Writer
Yes, my writing is better than it was five years ago. It is better today than it was yesterday. This is my confidence speaking. No one else's opinion matter in that realm.

Force To Me Leave My Comfortably Boring Big City
Yes, Houston is boring if you grew up here. About leaving this big boring city... in 2011 I first heard of Blogging While Brown through another blogger. That particular blogger had been nominated for a Black Weblog award that year, so he was trying to get there to receive it. This was such a big deal, he started a money raising campaign. As I followed his efforts to get there, I knew I needed to plan to attend. In 2013 BWB was held in NYC (Harlem to be more specific) and I made it. The picture is an intersection I had to go through to get to the location of the conference. Several of us thought it would be cool to be true tourists and take a picture of our location.

Just in case you didn't know I still plan to expand my writing skills to the big fabulous Las Angeles, California. Nope, I have not forgotten or changed my mind about moving or picked a better place (what's better) to move to in the future.

Motivate Me To Continue
The motivation doesn't necessarily come from myself. It's so many wonderful writers in these internet streets and I love going to their blogs. I love the motivational posts, the messy posts, the family oriented posts, and even the sad posts that reminds me of how reality sometimes sucks.

The Daily Tay Blogtober14


(Music) Teyana Taylor~ Business

In her latest music video out and song Business, Teyana Taylor sings a love ballad to her man about whose business their relationship is. It's no one's business except theirs. This is something that I live by. I'm guessing this is supposed to be a remake of Ginuwine's None of Your Friends Business, but you can barely tell. Watch below.

Thursday, October 9, 2014

(Poem) Smoke Filled Lust


As their lips touch, she can still taste the cigarette smoke lingering on his lips. She inhales it; takes in the flavor. Can she handle it? The physical compliments, ignored phone calls, only casual sex to follow, nothing special to make her feel special? Maybe once he’s gotten what he wants, teased her, pleased her, got his, he’ll disappear. It’ll be as if it was just her imagination. She plans for the worst, but tries to give her best during that time. Sexual Princess. He wants the pussy. Nothing like the first time, it’s too late to back down. The kissing is intense, passionate, a reflection of what’s to come. Baby boy, he’s got that gift, but can he handle it? When the sex is good, it’s more, bodies getting in sync, two people learning each other intimately, two souls uniting even if only pretending to be lovers. Déjà vu. Déjà vu. It feels like this has happened before, so she waits, she waits, but for what? All she has is that experience to hold onto. 


Lashuntrice

Lashuntrice