Water-n-Oxygen

I know this is a little late but hey it happens, anyways we always feel its important to share good things when we experience them. With that being said last weekend was a good look for the W-N-O team. We made our way to the Nations capital to kick back and enjoy what the city had to offer. Last Thursday evening we attended a very sexy event called "The @ttic" at Station 9.



Now don't get me wrong I love checking out different genre's of entertainment, and I've attended my share of poetry events, but this was definitely one of my more memorable experiences. As soon as we hit the door the place was packed from one wall to the other with some of the sexiest people that DC, Maryland and VA had to offer. By this time I made a full scan of the room to check out the type of clientele this event had drawn in, and I was very impressed. Fellas' I've just gotta say the ladies looked great(good ratio), and ladies of course the men stepped out looking our best to match our counterparts. The one thing I love was the diversity of the crowd and the laid back atmosphere. Its rare that you can step out and it doesn't have to be a big production about dress code, V.I.P lines, or tell such and such I'm in the line... This was a great place to come as you are right off of the street or a great place to hit while on a date(Fella's I definitely recommend)!


However as the night progressed a number of artist took to the stage. Brook Yung gave a good performance with one of his fan favorites "History", then music duo Fly Gypsy did a soft preview for their upcoming show scheduled for the following night. This led to a great set up for the show's featured performer Sunni Patterson. She kept the crowd entertained with her poetry as well as her dialog in between poems. I have to say that this is the definition of a hard working women! She delivered poem after poem with her young son draped in her arms as she performed. To sum it all up Beny-Blaq Entertainment put on a good event for the those of you who are looking for an alternative to the bar or club scene. W-N-O definitely looks forward to the next show and other BBE events.

John Forte Interview part 1 from cj jones on Vimeo.

Humans are very aesthetic creatures and rely heavily on their sense of sight to process the world around them. The first thing you visually assess about a person is gender. The second most common visual assessment is race or ethnicity. This tendency to visually assess people is so primitive and innate, it usually takes no conscious thought on our behalf; it’s just natural.

Considering that all things evolve, how has all the bling, silicone injections, hair weaves, designer labels, etc of today effected the evolution of our natural visual assessments? How often do you judge a book by its cover???

Friday night, I had the most wonderful dinner date with my fave pretty girls (HEY LADIES!!!). Just as the first rounds of Sangria & Kir Royal hit the table, I proposed a question: On a first date, how heavily does a guy’s style effect your first impressions of him??? Immediately and unapologetically, everyone agreed that a guy’s outfit or overall sense of style could be a deal breaker (I mean really, would you go out in public with a dude in a FUBU sweat suit and blue Timberlands??? I’m open minded and a bit eccentric, but damn.) And no, my friends aren’t shallow and materialistic but as one of my pretty girls so eloquently put it “a first date is when you are supposed to put your best foot forward, so if you can’t get it right then, what am I to expect?” Remember, this visual assessment is only natural and while it may be PC to say “its what’s on the inside that really matters” how often do you get to that point of knowing someone on the inside if you are not first attracted to the outside? ( get your mind out of the gutter, not that “inside” lol)

Your grandmother always told you not to judge a book by its cover, but isn’t that why books have covers? If books didn’t have covers they would all look the same. The addition of the cover not only helps the book stand out and distinguish itself from others, it gives you a brief idea of what the book may be about. All of this insight is gained in a matter of seconds, without even turning the first page.

On a first date, let your fashionable exterior be your book cover. Every fashionista and fly guy knows how much their attire is an outward extension of their inner stylishness but it is especially important to be mindful of this when making a first impression (don’t try to be a diva dressed in librarian’s clothing… girl, who you think you fooling???) After all, a first date is like a job interview. You would never meet a perspective employer in sweats and dirty sneakers and just hope that your resume and charming personality would get you the job (think about it, the current job market is a lot like the dating scene – a whole lot a people looking but only a few choosing so u better make sure your “cover” is up to par to even be considered).

The moral of the story is you can only make a first impression once. Fly recognize fly so make sure your cover looks like a best seller. - CallMeKarrie