Inside the Mind of Suz

I love the artists that successfully mix pop, soul, blues, and funk together. I’ve been pimping Duffy for quite some time now and I’m going to spread the love to Nikka Costa now. I’m a longtime fan of Nikka’s. “Everybody Got Their Something” is still one of my favorite songs, not just by her, but by anyone! If you haven’t heard that song, click here. It’s good for you; I promise! You can also hear the track being used for “General Hospital” promos.

She recorded her new album, Pebble to a Pearl, in just 14 days on her new label Stax/Concord. I’m glad she’s signed elsewhere. Capitol Records just wasn’t getting it done. PTAP will be released on October 14, 2008, just missing the Grammy consideration deadline. Just kidding. It wouldn’t matter anyway. The Grammy Committee only likes soul singers who double as trainwrecks…

In the meantime, take a listen to her new single “Stuck to You” on the sidebar jukebox. The video has been shot and should be released soon. More info about Nikka can be found on her MySpace page.

She’ll be hitting the road soon, too! Catch those dates from MySpace as well. Seems like it’s very fashionable to believe the only real midwest market is Chicago. I’m not counting Milwaukee and Minny because they are relatively close to Chi-Town. Bottom line is if she weren’t playing Chicago, Milkwaukee and Minny wouldn’t be getting shows either. Thanks, Nikka! You and Duffy are killing me!

I was bummed about not being able to go to the Ohio State season opener this weekend. If I wanted to buy a single ticket, I’d have to pay about $100 from Stubhub and the seat wouldn’t be that great.

Then my cable provider Time Warner went and finally made a deal with the Big Ten Network. A consolation that I would at least be able to watch the game on TV.

Thennnn, OSU announced that additional tickets would go on sale today at 10 AM via Ticketmaster outlets. I knew this was my chance to get a great seat and not have to overpay.

So, I jumped on the computer at 9:55, signed into my Ticketmaster account, and got ready to refresh the page. When 10 rolled around, I ended up getting a super dope seat, right along the field! The best part of this was that it was face value instead of the jacked up $133 cost of a comparable seat found on Stubhub. My ticket was $62, AKA face value.

I’ll be sitting by myself, but I’m going to the game with my cousin and aunt so they can show me what’s up. I’m not too worried about sitting alone as I’ll be cheering the Buckeyes with 102K of my closest friends right?

I won’t be able to take Bertha or Bessie with me though. Cameras with detachable lenses are not allowed in the Horseshoe. This would have been the perfect situation for “quantity”, but he is no longer with me. Instead I’ll be toting along my latest acquisution, a Sony Cybershot W50 that I have yet to name. It doesn’t have as much of a zoom, but with as close as I will be, I don’t really need one. How cool is that?!

Next issue: What on earth do I wear?! I haven’t bought my Terrelle Pryor #2 jersey yet.

That, or I wish I could teleport my online friends here every once in a while.

Then again, that wouldn’t solve all of my problems, like cloning myself would.

There are so many activities I like and events I’d like to go to, but I don’t have that buddy with the same interests that I could bring along. That I hate going places by myself doesn’t help matters either.

Take this weekend, for instance. I want to go to the Ohio State football home opener. My brother isn’t much of a fan, so I can’t drag him there when tickets are as expensive as they are. My cousin, Charlie, is already going (with my aunt) but they have tickets and I don’t. People are selling tickets at various places online, but most are pairs. Just try and get someone to break up a pair of tickets. I dare you!

It also would have been nice to train and run that 5k with a friend. Didn’t happen.

The Colts and Browns are going to meet in Cleveland at the end of November. I’m dying to go to that! But again, who would I go with? The entire rest of my family, including cousins, are Bengals fans.

So what’s a girl to do? *sigh*

Man, I wish I could clone myself!

A few days ago, I peeped a fantastic new theme that was shared in that day’s WordPress Theme Releases for 08/22 post.

WordPress users should be familiar with these types of posts, as they are automatically shared in every WordPress Install’s Dashboard by Web Blog Tools Collection.

I’m always on the lookout for new plugins and themes, and I immediately fell in love with this team called “Notepad Chaos”. I’m so surprised that it’s free too! So, I jumped on it!

Sorry it took me so long to post, but I was recovering from the excitement/nervousness of the day’s activities!

I finished my 5k in 32:59. Not quite under 30 minutes like I had hoped, but really the goal was finishing and not walking. I ran the entire time! I was very proud of myself. There were some bigtime runners doing the race, as it was a training meet for the big fall marathons, so I felt all the more accomplished running with them.

I didn’t get any sleep last night. I forced myself to sleep at 1 (it’s the earliest I could do…HONEST!) and tossed and turned for the next 5 hours before getting up to eat some breakfast. My body was like “dude, what are you doing running at this hour?!” So given the circumstances, I’d say I did pretty well!

I was very excited to finish the race with my always supportive mom watching in the stands watching and taking pictures. She told me that there was this man in the stands behind her — that obviously didn’t know we were related — that was going on and on about how hot I was as I was running towards the finish line. After I ran straight to my mom, she said he quickly disappeared. Funny story, but always makes you feel good when you hear stuff like that! I can’t recall the last time I was called “hot”!

So for my encore, I’m thinking an October 5k and preferably a night run. I train at night (after 9PM), so I’d like to see how I do when I race at that time. My body is just not wired for the AM hours. I’m a night owl.

I’ll keep y’all posted. If you’ve made it through the Couch to 5k plan and have run (or will run) a 5k, leave me a comment to share! I definitely want to hear about some of the people I may have helped with my podcasts!

So I run my first 5k in just about 9 hours from now. So what am I doing awake still?

You can’t teach a dog new tricks! It’s before midnight for crying out loud! I don’t usually go to bed before 3. Yes, I will go before then tonight, but I just can’t right now. My body won’t let me. I’ll get up in enough time to eat some Oatmeal and wake my body up, run my race, then come home and go back to sleep! My mom will be there to cheer me on as well.

After rise from my nap, I may treat myself to a trip to the mall. Who knows! Depends how I do! I’ve read up on quite a few articles about how a first timer should prepare and run their race — emphasis on finishing, not time — so I’m not going to stress any time. Having said that, I’d still really like to be sub-30 minutes.

So wish me luck! I’ll let y’all know how it goes when I get done!

I totally forgot to post about this earlier and now the week is almost over! My bad!

Revlon’s makeup line, with the exception of limited edition products, is BOGO this week at CVS if you are an ExtraCare card member. (It’s free and I highly recommend it. It helps you save $$ every time you shop!)

A couple of weeks ago, I posted about my new love affair with Revlon’s Beyond Natural Skin Matching Makeup. So, this would be a good time to stock up! I picked up another tube of my shade plus the soothing primer.

So, if you’re a fan, be sure to hit up CVS this weekend. You’ve got today and tomorrow to take advantage of this deal!

So, I can’t seem to stay away from CVS. And really, I blame Shape and Self Magazines. They always have these ads for new health & beauty products that I ultimately get the urge to try out. That always results in a trip to CVS and/or Target.

Shape’s current issue features the “Shape of Beauty Awards”, which are their editors picks for best products in various cateogries like eye, lip, tooth, foundation etc.

It was nice to see that I already use quite a few items on their list such as Best Sun Protection (Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock SPF 85 and Secret Clinical Strength Anti-Perspirant/Deodorant), but I also was curious about a few others.

Shape’s choice for “Best Depilatory” was Nair Shower Power. I tried it earlier this week and love it. My only gripe is that it takes so much product that one tube isn’t going last but 1 or 2 applications. But for what it does, it does it well. I’ll check in again later with how long the treatment last.

In between these lists, was a new Neutrogena product: Oil-Free Acne and Body Wash in pink grapefruit. I already use the Body Scrub in this product, but having a pink grapefruit twist to it was music to my ears. The scent — or lack thereof — of the original product leaves much to be desired. So I picked up the Body Wash because I didn’t see a Body Scrub. Survey says: I LOVE IT! Wonderful lather and it smells sooooo good! I hope this isn’t a limited edition thing, because I am already in love with it!

Then I realized that I had picked up a tube of Maybelline’s Great Lash Mascara last month and hadn’t tried it. I keep reading all over the web how much women swear by it and have it as their HG mascara, so that’s why I bought it in the first place. I tried it out yesterday and like it. I had been using L’Oreal’s Voluminous, and liked it as well. Comparing the two, I might like Great Lash a little better. I like how my lashes look with it on, plus it doesn’t clump. A slight negative is that my lashes feel so much stiffer than the Voluminous.

Shape magazine recommends Cover Girl’s Lash Blast Waterproof. I’ve read relatively good things about the non-waterproof product as well. Maybe I’ll try one of them next trip. I don’t wear mascara enough to worry about a waterproof version, and if it’s raining, my ass won’t be out in it, much less worrying about my makeup!

So that’s my update on makeup. I’m sure I’ll make another trip to CVS in the near future and return with another makeup haul. I want to try the L’Oreal HiP Jelly Balms, but only after getting my hands on some MAC Pro Lip Erase. We women of color have darker and often pigmented lips, so we don’t get the true color of many products on our lips because of that.

So she does listen! Duffy has announced a US headlining tour that begins starts October 9. She will also do select dates opening for Coldplay.

I’m a little annoyed that her lone Ohio date is with Coldplay. I just want to see Duffy alone in a club show setting. Those are the best shows, IMO. The intimate show is way underrated if you ask me.

So not only will I have to shell out close to 4x times more $$ than a club show to see her (the good seats are $90!!), I’m also going to have to fight the Coldplay fans for tickets and they probably aren’t even going to show up for Duffy’s set. GRR! And seeing as how this tour stop was originally scheduled for July 6, I won’t be able to find anything good because the good ones are likely already gone.

So, my Duffy drought will continue.

I also wonder how many times she’s going to do shows in Chicago. Come on, Duffy! Spread the love! There are other cities in the midwest that would love to have you!

Duffy is currently on the cover of the SPIN Magazone (August 2008 issue). Read her cover story online.

Here’s the full list of Duffy’s dates:

10/9, San Diego, CA (Humphrey’s)
10/10, Los Angeles, CA (Orpheum)
10/16, Vancouver, B.C. (Orpheum)
10/17, Seattle, WA (Showbox SODO)
10/20, Chicago, IL (Riviera)
10/21, Cleveland, OH (Quicken Loans Arena)*
10/22, New York, NY (Webster Hall)
10/25, Mashantucket, CT (MGM Grand @ Foxwoods)
10/26, E. Rutherford, NJ (IZOD Center)*
10/27, E. Rutherford, NJ (IZOD Center)*
10/29, Boston, MA (TD Banknorth Garden)*
10/31, Washington, DC (Verizon)*
11/1, Philadelphia, PA (Wachovia Center)*

* w/ Coldplay

Also, look for a Duffy performance on the Late Show w/ David Letterman on September, followed by another TV appearance during CBS’ Fashion Rocks on September 9th.

I know I took entirely too long getting a new theme up in here, but it’s now here! Ta-da!

I thought it was pretty, so I went ahead and put it up! I vow to change the theme more often than I have been. So welcome to version 3.0 for KissMyBlackAss.org.

I’m surprised I even got this up seeing as how I am completely sucked into the Olympics. But since the swimming week is over, I’m a little less into things than I had been.

If you didn’t know, swimming at the Athens Games completely sucked me in and I’ve been active in the swim community ever since then. I’ve been trying my darndest to keep it visible in the years in between with my own website, SwimStars.org. My website gets support from a lot of the Olympic athletes, their families, agents, and the sport’s governing body as well. I’m kind of a big deal. In addition, I’ve designed official websites for a lot of the swimmers such as Dara Torres, Cullen Jones, Mark Spitz, Kate Ziegler, and more!

I urge you, if you enjoyed swimming, to continue to check in on the sport during the next 4 years. People are still doing some amazing things and it’s such a great group of athletes and fans! We’d love to have you!