somber yet calming.

“Sometimes being a friend means mastering the art of timing. There is a time for silence. A time to let go and allow people to hurl themselves into their own destiny. And a time to prepare to pick up the pieces when it's all over.” - Gloria Naylor

"the clearing" at Spice Monkey in oakland this friday...

Now THIS is whasup... Baron Zen, Stones Throw.



***an intimate post valentines edition of...
"the clearing" // FRIDAY, 20th FEB 09 // 9pm - 1am

this month @ spice monkey - 1628 webster street @ 17th street, oakland, ca.

hosted by: nake & realism*

with djs...

be brown : the people
brigidope : amazing zoo crew
baron zen : stones throw
presto : spikeypillows.com

$4 ALL NIGHT

dope cuts. sangria specials. prom style photo booth.

http://theclearing.aidogroup.com

early arrival is suggested, space is limited.

street parking. free lot to the right of the venue.

find out more about the venue - www.spicemonkeycafe.com

A Valentine's Day option that will cause salivation of the mouth...

For those of you who don't know I manage a restaurant in downtown Oakland... Come by this Saturday!

Join us on Feb 14th from 5pm - 10pm for an intimate Pre-Fixe dinner or come by and hang at our Singles Bar (drink specials all night). Either way, we’d love to see you!

“3 Courses of Love”

$ 55 per person (w/ bottle) // $40 per person (w/out bottle)

Soup or Salad

Adam & Eve Salad
Grilled Plum & Green Apple Salad with baked Goat Cheese

Roasted Goodness Soup
Red Roasted Bell Pepper with Sour Cream

Main Entree

Sweetness Steak
Sweet & Sour Skirt Steak with Taro Mash and Veggie Ragout

Cozy Chicken
Braised Chicken with White Wine Shallots on a Huckleberry Couscous

Lovers Moussaka
Veggie Lover Greek Moussaka

Dessert

Chocolate Red Mousse
Chocolate Love Mousse with a house made Pomegranate Whipped Cream

Pear Me Up
Sugar Glazed Bosch Pear Tart with French Vanilla Ice Cream

Beverages (optional)

Fourplay - A delightful interplay between four of Sicily's native grapes, Fourplay is the perfect way to start your evening.

Sparking CAVA Rose - Celebrate the sensuous with light, delicate blush colored bubbles from Spain.

Golden Star (Non- Alcoholic) - Organically made elegant alternative to Champagne with rounded sweetness, complex acidity and a floral nose.

Make your reservations today!

Spice Monkey Restaurant
1628 Webster St @ 17th
Oakland, CA 94612
www.spicemonkeycafe.com
510.268.0170 phone

*gift certificates now available*

Getting Picked Up By Old Men... Is Not the business.

As I approached the entrance of the Downtown Berkeley BART station (on Shattuck Ave) I was approached by a man who was probably in his 50's. I was going to get onto the escalator and he stopped me...

The convo went like this.

Old Man: "Hey, you have 30 cents so I can get on the train."
Geraldine: "Sure, actually... I don't have 30 cents, but I can give you a dollar is that coo?" (I was in a generous mood today)...
**I then proceed to take money our of my pocket.**
Old Man: **he sees a $10 bill**
"Oooh. You gon' give me that ten? You're pretty."
Geraldine: "Here's a dollar, what's your name?"
Old Man: "Steven, can i... can i... Come to the side real quick. You have a phone number that you can give to me?"
Geraldine: "I do have a phone number but I cannot give it to you."
Old Man: "Why not?"
Geraldine: **sticks out her hand to shake his**
"It was nice meeting you Steven, have a good day"
Old Man: **sticks out a finger for me to shake, since he's holding the dollar in the rest of his hand**

"Getting Picked Up By Old Men... (and at BART) Is Not the business."

Just how i remember it...

Last night a friend of mine told me about the "way back machine". The way back machine is an internet archive search engine. Meaning.. You can look up and sometimes see sites that no longer exist. Back in my day of being really conceded and vain, I had a couple sites that were pretty me-centric.

The first was "worldism.com" - everything related to me as a person and as my rap persona.

The second was "feelmygrooves.com" - my artist management company back in the late 90s, early 2000. its a shame that i do not have that domain name anymore considering its more relevant to the now vinyl record store, feel my grooves vinyl.

snapshots...

Meet Wonway...

I've known Wonway since the late 90s, back when we hung with the same circle of people and were both emcees. What's funny is I hadn't found out until within the last 5 months that he was a SUPER DOPE DJ too. We invited him to spin at "the clearing" (photo above - thanks miles)... And I caught his set at "The People". Wow. I'm proud of him and everything he's up to.

Bio...
When he's not emceeing with his group Secluded Journalists, his band The Park, or lending his acting talents to places such as Intersection for the Arts or La Peña Cultural Center, Wonway is providing the bay area and beyond with his own distinguishable sound behind the turntables. In his short time back to deejaying on a regular basis, he has already played with Afrika Bambaataa, DJ Eleven, Sake One, the Oakland Faders, & DJ Boogie Blind of the X-ecutioners to name a few. Wonway's selection goes far past the expected HipHop, and regularly dips into Funk, Soul, Salsa, Afro-beat, Jazz, Reggae & more. He holds residencies at "Makossa" with fellow Latin Soul Brother DJ Joe Quixx Tuesdays @ Easy Lounge in Oakland, and the bi-monthly parties "Musiquarium" 1st & 3rd Sundays at Oakland's Water Lounge and "Devil's Pie" 2nd & 4th Thursdays @ Namu Bar in San Francisco.

Wonway's latest mix...Download, Burn, Throw It On Your iPod... ENJOY.
http://www.divshare.com/download/6468572-3bb

Follow Wonway...
www.twitter.com/wonway
www.theparkmusic.com