Rrrratchet Rap! Ratchet Rap!

Hey y'all!  I don't know if you can imagine the dance I was doing while rapping and typing "Rrrratchet Rap! Ratchet Rap!"! LOL!  So, it just so happens that my 31st birthday is rapidly approaching!  Uh, yeah...I made a banner.  Don't get excited! It's just an awesome banner...

I also made a neat little flyer deal to tell all of my friends where I'll be on that day. But, a wise grasshopper told me to that that shit down!  You don't know WHO is going to be following us that day!  Smart grasshopper!

Effin' awesome!  I'm getting into the birthday groove.  While I love some good old Soul, R&B, Alternative, Pop, Country and Jazz music...I love rap as well.  It has to be good ratchet rap that touches my inner rat...ahem...excuse me...my inner HOOD rat.

Here are my birthday selections:

Hey! Hey!  I didn't say they would be PG-13.  I said they were ratchet!  Don't you judge me buddy!

Staying Too Long

Do you ever feel as though some parts of your life are just....well...stagnant?  Think about it.  You get up, get dressed, help your family get it together, drive in traffic/commute, work, come home, cook and clean, rest and repeat. You're moving but, you're not going any where.  Routine has dominated your life.  Not that routine is all bad of course. Routine keeps us balanced.  It can also keep us numb.  Numb to life going on outside your routine.  Numb to ambition.  Numb to alternative ways of thinking. Numb to the fact that we're standing still...stagnant.

The older I get the more I value and appreciate the spontaneous dreamer that used to exist within me as a younger woman.  So, I've decided to resurrect her.  So many parts of my life require that there is a steady constant.  So, I can't escape some of my routine.  However, I don't have to be oblivious to the rest of the beauty, intrigue, depth, and enormity of life going on all around me.

Here are some of my plans to live outside the routine:

1.  Take different routes to and from work.
2.  Listen to a different radio station.
3.  Eat something new.
4.  Kiss my husband before he says hello.
5.  Dye my hair.
6.  Go a whole week without complaining.
7.  Get naked in the mirror...in other words stop avoiding my fat.
8.  Talk less, listen more.
9.  Go on a hike.
10. Pick a flower...and smell it.

Do you ever wonder about life outside the routine?  Has routine claimed all of your drive, ambition and wonder?

What would be on your list?

Conflict Resolution

Women get a bad rep.  We're largely emotional and that drives a lot of our decisions.  It colors our interactions with each other, our spouses, our families, friends and colleagues.  In my opinion, it's very important to have the ability to handle conflict with class, and finesse.   By nature, I'm surly.  So, it's easy for me to dislike someone and use my tongue as a lethal weapon.  However, I'd like to think that I'm too polished and poised for the senseless bickering and tom foolery.

For the most part, I'm very methodical when I'm dealing with conflict.  I make measured statements and really think about the person I'm having conflict with before addressing it. This is not always my way.  I've have quite a few "snap on sight" moments.  You know - moments when you don't think...you just react.  "Snapping on Sight" is really not the best approach.  When you deal with conflict this way, you are at your most lethal.

My mantra is to use honesty as my war banner.  I'd rather tell someone the truth, listen to their rebuttal, and then give them more truth.  The often frustrating result of this method is folks not accepting your truths.  BUT...no one can doubt truth.  That's why it's best to lead with that.

When I watch certain TV shows, I shake my head at the way the cast handles conflict.  Now, of course, there would be no show without drama.  I get that.  However, I wish that folks didn't immediately jump up to get physical!  I mean, that is some primitive shit.

There are a plethora of important lesson learned during our time here on Earth.  However, one of the most important, is to learn the art of disagreeing.  Try and dissect the problem.  Think of a clear, concise and respectful way of handling it and move on.  Even if you don't get the last word or pop your foe in the mouth, you can walk away knowing that you handled your situation as a mature, classy, dignified and respectable person.

If that doesn't work.  Fuck 'em up!  Just kidding...no I'm not.

I Have Nothing to Talk About...

Hey Hannahs (that would be honey...the ratchet way)!  So, I haven't been blogging because honestly, I've been feeling like I should let Rose Redd Said go.  I don't feel like I have anything to talk about that you all would actually be interested in reading.

I mean, there a so many blogs out there.  A lot of them talk about shit that isn't very attention grabbing.  I just didn't want my blog to fall into the abyss of boring ass blogs.  I'm not hating on anyone's blog!  I'm simply stating that I don't want to put y'all to sleep with tales of belly button lint and socks.  Let me tell you...I get the most views when I'm being "Funny" as opposed to when I'm talking about my recipes or my DIY projects.  Folks don't give a damn about that.  So, that presents a conundrum for me.  Do I "shuck and jive" for y'all or share what I want to share.  I guess the answer is both.  Plus, shucking and jiving does come natural.

That's why my posts are so infrequent.  Does that draw brands to me?  No.  Does that do anything for my analytics?  That would be a hell no.  But, it's how I've dealt with this blog up until now.

My Good Judy, Neshanta (styleisshe.com) and I were having a conversation.

I said:  "Yeah, I'm done with Rose Redd Said, the blog".
She said:  "Bitch you'd better get it together...you are not getting rid of that blog"!
I said:  "Well damn, I guess I'm not".

There were more words after that but, basically, that's how it went.  So, I'm going to keep this ROSEY party going.  I'm not making any promises.

I'm just going to do me and see what happens.  All my other attempts at assimilating have failed.

A Breath of Fresh Hair...

Hello lovelies!  I'm going through a personal transformation.  Inside and out.  I decided to cut my locs into a bob.  A funky, sexy, fly bob at that!  I was carrying around a lot of hair and a lot of baggage too.  I had been toying around with cutting my hair for a while.  Let me tell you what was holding me back: 1.  I thought if I cut my hair then, folks would be able to see more of my neck and face FAT.  2.  I thought if I cut my hair then, folks would be able to see more of my neck and face FAT.  Second verse, same as the first.

Now, I don't know why I gave a furry fuck about how folks viewed me but, I got over it.  And I CUT IT!  Even though I know some terrific naturalistas/locticians/natural hair care givers I decided to keep my duckets  and cut it myself.

When I made the first few cuts, I felt liberated!  In those first few moments I let go of so much negative energy.

You can see just how much hair I had to let go of.  I know folks look at locs and see time, energy, effort and all that but, along with that comes assumption, false security and stereotypes.

One of the main reasons I loved my long hair is because it allowed me to feel safe.  It was something that I felt took attention away from my flaws.  To be flawed is to be human and no amount of hair or anything else can alter that.  I decided to let go of my veil and view life head-on...and allow folks to see me for me...not my damn hair.

So now...I'm fulfilled knowing that I took a chance.  I tried.  I did something new and unexpected.

It turns out that I am NOT my hair! Go figure!