Jitlada ⏤ Vol 29
Jitlada ⏤ Vol 29
Food across Cali, security at Target, Sarah Jessica Parker, and walking away.
Happy Monday friend. Welcome to month 10 of 2021, and we are officially in the 4th quarter of the year.
Today’s lunch recommendation is a little bit different. Instead of selecting something I’ve recently eaten, I highlighted a restaurant we dined at during our 10-day coastal road trip in California.
This restaurant located in Thai town in Los Angeles was perfect and one of the 19 restaurants we visited while on vacay. Because we are such foodies, I had to create a separate food post dedicated to all the delicious California eats.
Whether you live in California, are visiting California, or want to hear great food storytelling, check out my Cali Eats post, and share it with your favorite foodie friend. I recommend restaurants in San Diego, Laguna Beach, Los Angeles, Calabasas, Santa Barbara, and San Jose. A little something for everyone.
Ok let’s get into today’s topics:
It’s Britney Bitch
Halloween
The Decision
2021 Goals Update
It’s Britney Bitch
Britney graced the airwaves in a major way in the last year of the 90s. When …Baby One More Time came on the radio for the first time, I was already singing the hook before the song ended. And this very single saved me from getting “arrested” for shoplifting from Target. Let me tell the story.
It was the last semester of my 8th-grade year when I first heard her song, and I finally landed my first Black girlfriend, that reminded me of my homegirls back in Baltimore. Let’s call her Tisha. I had been in Arizona for almost 3 years and had yet to find a Black friend that reminded me of home. I had friends who looked like me, but it wasn’t the same.
Anywhoo…Tisha was probably a good and bad influence on me. One day after school, we walked to Target to browse around and listen to music. This was back when Walmart and Target had listening stations set up in their CD department.
Before we got to the CD section, Tisha’s sticky fingers were in full action. Trying on clothes in the dressing room, to only return with one less item on the hanger, sliding lipsticks into her pocket, and a few pair of thongs under her bucket hat.
This was one of the first few times we hung out together. She was new at school, already popular, and all the boys seemed to like her. So I was not going to be her new lame bestie and not take something of my own. I slide a few lip glosses into my pocket because, hey, that seemed easiest and harmless.
We spent a lot of time browsing and listening to the latest releases in the CD section when I saw Britney Spears …Baby One More Time CD Single on sale. I had to buy it. Tisha took it from my hands, probably to examine it to see if she could boost it, handed it back to me, said something like, “this is a good song,” and we were on our way to the cashier.
While I got in line to pay for the CD, Tisha said she would meet me by the front door. I have no idea where she went or what she did. The next thing I knew, we were attempting to walk out the door together when Target security stopped both of us and asked to see receipts for our purchases. I showed him my receipt for the CD, the security guard OK’ed it, and then turned to my friend. She responded with I didn’t buy anything, and he said, “but you have merchandise on you.”
Within seconds she was being escorted back into the store. They said I could go with her, but it would result in my parents being called if I did. I was not about to have Target’s security call my mama while at work. That would have been my entire ass. So I left her, and walked the 2-miles back to my house, alone.
When I got home, I immediately popped in the CD single and started dancing around my room. I wasn’t dancing to the beat. I was jumping around in relief that I decided to actually buy something, which took me off the hot seat. I still had those two boosted lip glosses in my pocket.
To be 13…
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Britney was the IT girl the moment she hit the scene in ‘99. You can’t recall the early 00’s without her. Everyone loved Britney. Here are some of the most memorable and some of my fav Britney moments.
Who didn’t like the schoolgirl outfits from the …Baby One More Time video? I tried to dress up like that for Halloween that year, and my mother said absolutely not when she saw my version of that outfit, ha!
Slave 4 U was and is still my favorite Britney song and video. Granted, I dunno, how I feel about the title now, but I still will sing every word.
Who can forget the icon couple of the early 00’s decked head to toe in denim. Did you attempt to recreate this outfit?
What about the 2003 VMA performance she did with Madonna & Christina Aguilera? Who’s idea was it for Madonna to tongue kiss both of them? I mean, this was a little weird and gross if you asked me. It reminds me of the time she tried to kiss Drake, and he was grossed out at Coachella in 2015. And Madonna looked a mess at the 2021 VMAs. There is a thing called holding on to something you shouldn’t Madonna.
In 2007 our girl went off into the deep end and shaved her head. We all thought this was it for her. Soon after she was caught attacking a paparazzi’s car with a green umbrella.
I could keep going cause this girl has had some moments, OK. It’s no wonder folks were extremely worried about her towards the end of the 2000s, but I still don’t think she deserved that horrific conservatorship she was in. But they say now, after 13, it’s ended, and she can finally get back to owning her life.
All my Britney fans, check out the Netflix documentary in Jems💎 to learn about how horrific she really did have it. I didn’t know half of the details shared.
Halloween
Halloween as an adult has its perks, but Halloween as a pre-teen was unmatched. Especially in the 90s.
In 1996, everyone, I mean EVERYONE, chose the scream mask for their costume. This probably lasted for the next 5 years because the movie was so popular. I feeling of being scared sucks but is also exhilarating. This mask got me every time.
What about McDonald’s Happy Meal Halloween buckets?? I used to make my dad drive all around Baltimore to try and find one of these for me. Almost like that McDonald’s beanie baby crazy, remember that one?!
And my utmost favorite Halloween activity then, and still now, is watching Hocus Pocus. You know my ass didn’t even know Sarah Jessica Parker was the blonde ditzy witch, Sarah, for the longest. I probably didn’t realize this until my second re-watch of Sex in the City.
I’ve even visited the Hocus Pocus house in Salem, Mass because I am that type of fan.
I’m sure you remember that first Halloween as a kid or a teen, that you were able to go trick or treating without your parents or an adult. It felt like your first taste of freedom, right? When you could roam the neighborhood with friends and not have to pretend that the adult watching your every move is your mom or dad.
And we all knew that one house that gave out full-size candy bars, and the one who wanted to give out healthy snacks *eye roll*. The house that was fully decked out by the first weekend in October and the house that doubled as the neighborhood haunted house.
Then Halloween gets weird between the ages of 14-17. It’s like you are too old to go trick or treating and too young for Halloween parties without begging and pleading with the parentals.
I’m looking forward to dressing up our little one next year for the holiday. I am such a thriller and horror movie fanatic, Halloween is one of my favorite holidays.
We are still trying to narrow down outfit ideas for this year. Any ideas for a pregnant lady? Reply or leave a comment. Help a sista out.
Are you participating this year? What’s your costume going to be?
The Decision
In Vol 24, I first mentioned how I wasn’t showing up on BWL as much. Vol 25 I announced stepping away until October. And in Vol 27, I boasted about enjoying all my extra time.
I wrestled with the idea of returning to being connected 247 again. I imagined what my 10-day vacation would have looked like if I was still attached at the hip to BWL, and I got rather sad.
While my "influencing” path is still very different from others, it still was extremely demanding. Let alone the time and energy I spent on the collective blog.
Editing up to 10 articles per month, finding the appropriate header images, or creating them from scratch. Designing graphics to promote on IG. Finding amazing Black business owners or couples to interview and tell their story. And this doesn’t include my writing, which I rarely had time to do. While I was excellent at what I did, I started to huff and puff about it.
So yesterday, I sent my amazing writing team my final decision; I’m not returning for the foreseeable future. While I am considering picking back up curating the BWL IG, that won’t happen for a while.
It’s been amazing not to look at my phone for hours at a time, and on the weekends, I rarely pick up my phone. I keep it out of arms reach and maybe a few times a day pick it up to see if something requires a response.
Nothing against Instagram, but chillleee they are doing A LOT lately. Did y’all see Instagram announce an Instagram Kids platform for kids under 13? This is team too much.
Social media, probably IG more than anything, has been detrimental to adults' mental health, let alone teenagers and kids. Why introduce a platform that encourages young people to be connected? Because it’s made just for kids? How is it going to stop folks pretending they are 12 to befriend children? Access and exposure are already way too much, and now you want to introduce another platform for parents to monitor or possibly look away because it’s made for kids? Nope. Throw this idea away.
I miss the days where social media either was non-existent or required a computer to use. But I am still a stan for Twitter and will always be.
2021 Goals
I haven’t shared a 2021 goal update since Vol 19. A lot has evolved since May. Check me out now.
Travel — I’ve completed all my travel goals for the year. Take a beautiful vacation, sail on the water, have coffee in different cities, take a coastal road trip.
Self — I’ve been paying attention to ME more than ever this year. Declining opportunities that are not for me. Saying NO more, relaxing, unplugging, and staying diligent with therapy.
Marriage — More twinning moments, and most exciting of all, getting pregnant, which really made us lean into our faith this year.
Career — This category probably changed more than the rest. I’ve switched the images and focuses every time I share an update. While I sometimes feel all over the place, I’m cool with it.
I removed Monday Lunch from this section at first, but now it’s back. Not to focus on it as a subscriber goal, but to continue to make this MY unique corner of the internet. Stepping away from other social projects allowed me to pour into the volumes, which I must say have been pretty damn good.
For the second image, I chose a picture of me writing. Because that is what I want to continue to focus on. Writing more for my blog, ML, journaling, and finally starting my book I mentioned in Vol 9.
Nothing much has changed in the wellness or lifestyle category. I did get a 5th plant for my office tho. And my behind needs to start working out more than once a week. Maybe this week I’ll shoot for 2x.
If your yearly goals have switched, changed, or still haven’t been accomplished, that is OK. Just give yourself some time to evaluate what is getting in the way or hindering its success. Space and grace always do the trick.
Jems💎
#watch — Britney vs. Spears (Netflix)
#eat — One of these Cali Cuisines
*exhales* Well, that was a lot. I’m rather full today. We had four very filling courses (topics) today. Make sure you make some room because Vol 30 is going to be another juicy gossip album. If you liked Vol 20, you definitely want to be present for this one.
Good Day, xo.