getting out and taking a chance...

last night, the air was thick and heavy with possibilities. it felt like anything could happen and i wanted to be off my block when it did. it started with a trip to barnes & nobles and then a stroll across atlantic ave. on court street. i had never been on court st. on that side of the avenue, over there by trader joe's. before that trader joe's opened, it always seemed like there was an invisible wall or some kind of spell that made you not even interested enough to look down that way. i don't know what made us look over there last night but we did. maybe it was how the lights were twinkling. i do recall how movie set clean the block looked. anyway, it took forever to cross atlantic but when we did, it was if the veil had been lifted. there was a steady flow of traffic in and out of trader joe's but it thinned out as we went down the block. after wading through all of the hemp totebags and scooters, we encountered the standard fare - trendy boutiques and restaurants, world of bennetton crews, baby strollers and hyperactive mini dogs. ahh, park slope. nothing new but it was a welcomed break from our block. weeksville, that historical slice of brooklyn on the border of bed-stuy and crown heights that no-one seems to know or remember anymore, is rough. in fact, we walked by 2 curb barbecues, the beginnings of a drunken serenade, and two soused old men scheming on how they were gonna get their next king cobra (that's malt liquor, y'all) on our way to the train station. anyway, we just missed a wine tasting at the brooklyn wine exchange but we picked up a garnacha bielsa (red for him) and a quattro mani toh-kai (white for me). how bourgie of us, lol.

court street was nice but we turned down bergen to get to smith street. after walking down several blocks and checking out several menus, we decided on this cute asian restaurant on the corner with outdoor seating. chance asian bistro on smith and butler is now officially my new favorite restaurant. my boyfriend buddha had a prix fixe dinner with wasabi lobster tempura as an appetizer, filet mignon for the entree and coconut mille crepes for dessert with a sangria. i also had a prix fixe dinner but i had the jalapeno calamari, crispy tropical chicken in a warm pickled ginger sauce and the yamamomo (japanese plum) creme brulee with a nigori sake berry martini. we also each had an extra appetizer. i had the spicy thai mussels and he had the steamed chicken shu mai dim sum and the deep-fried shrimp wontons. sounds like a lot of food, right? it wasn't. the portions were just right. the food was well-seasoned. the flavors were distinct and not muddled. i could identify the ginger, scallions, coconut milk and the red curry paste in the broth for my mussels. that broth was so good that we both spooned some over our jasmine rice. everything was delicious. everything! i had no complaints. at. all. the food was orgasmic and the restaurant itself was modern and sexy. we had already started planning our next visit before we had even finished our appetizers. sigh.

the night continued with us watching our DVRd sunday line-up. FOX aired one of the most uncomfortable hour long family guy specials ever. i still love them but last night's episode was just crazily inappropriate. talk about pregnant pauses and awkward laughs. i guess it prepared us for the season premiere of the boondocks. that shit right there...man, listen. i'll have to dedicate a separate post for that later. i'm still processing everything i saw and heard. i will say, like i said on twitter (follow me @ashaknows), that someone needs to write their thesis on uncle ruckus in "post-racial" america and entitle it "a splish-splash of irish". ha! anyway, the night ended with a lightening show and a relatively quick steady rain. i thought the rain would break the humidity but the air was just as charged when i woke up this morning. hmmm, i wonder what else this week will bring. i don't know but i'm willing to take a chance and find out.

moving weight to pushing paper...

ok fam, "stringer bell" has a legitimate 9 to 5 now. my favorite brit, idris elba, has now joined the cast of the office. if you're not already watching this show, add it to your dvr list. it's so f'in funny without any of that corny-ass laugh track. check it out if for no other reason than to see idris clean shaven in a suit...and off the block.

thanks: nbc, wireimage

to all my ladies...

early to rise, early to bed.
in and between i cooked and cleaned and went out of my head.
going through life with blinders on, it's tough to see.
i had to get up, get out from under and look for me.

i used to be sad, i used to be shy
funniest thing, the saddest part is I never knew why...
kickin' myself for nothin' was my favorite sport
i had to take off, start enjoyin' 'cause life's too short

there's a new girl in town, 'cause I'm feelin good.
get a smile, get a song, for the neighborhood
things are great when you stand on your own two feet
and this girl's here to say
with some luck and love life's gonna be
so sweeeeeeeeeet!
"there's a new girl in town" (alice theme song - season 1 - 9)


i know all us ladies have felt like alice before. this is for us.

ode to obama...

i love this!



"hosanna, obama, proud father, dark angel, black knight..."

i heart...

the daily show and the colbert report. i truly appreciate their sarcasm and wit, not to mention their intelligence. here's one of my favorite correspondents on the daily show, larry wilmore. since you're reading this, i can assume that i don't need to give disclaimers....do i?







but wait, it gets better. comedy central is getting blacker again (we still miss you, chappelle!).



chocolate news starring david alan grier premieres wednesday, october 15 at 10:30pm. you remember him from in living color (men on film, ceephus from ceephus & reecy) and boomerang? i tried to find a clip of him as maya angelou advertising froot loops, "those frooty loops of fruit", and butterfinger but all i could find was this guy in his head wrap (yes, it is a towel, lol).

final thought...i know we all know that this was satire but i hope some people don't actually believe this. obama for president!