Music Monday: The Love Jones Edition. PLUS: pull up-progress!

Posted on by Cathy Vandewater

So occasionally, I’ll see something that costs more money than I actually have and go YASS LIFE IS SHORT and buy it.

I almost never regret these decisions, because I make them so seldomly, and because they add spice and flavor to my life that careful thought and reason would excise.

This happened with pole. I saw a Groupon and was like FUCK IT I’M IN, and my life has never been the same.

And then there are other times where I don’t do my research and just buy something and drag someone else and it’s not what I thought it was at all. But that’s also okay because ***mEmOrIeS***

The latter was the case with Love Jones: The Musical.

If y’all know me… you know I have a minor Musiq Soulchild obsession.

Which is a tough obsession to have because like… he’s not drake. There are not concerts popping near me yearly, you know?

So I saw this dude was in something near me in a week and I was like “Take all my money, I don’t even have questions.”

These was especially because Raheem Devaughn was in it too.

And Dave Hollister. (This song has been intermittently stuck my head from the first time I heard it, so roughly 4 years).

Chrisette Michele was also there, and ended up shocking me with her talent live. (Actually, a note on this: everybody’s talent live was pretty damn shocking).

So, onto the surprises: there was airport style security. I have never encountered this at a “musical” before. But I guess I should have expected it on Flatbush Ave in Brooklyn? Is that normal? I don’t know. But it was  pretty obnoxious to walk through a metal detector and have to throw my UNOPENED bottle of seltzer out. More disturbing was that the mostly black audience didn’t seem surprised or even to particularly mind being barked at by security guards on their way into an 80-dollar-a-ticket event. This gave me a lot of pause, but that’s probably a conversation for a different blog post.

But back to the show: this was a “jukebox” musical, not like… a normal musical. The music was definitely barbecue R&B jams from the early 90s, and I was into that. “Strokin'” made an acapella appearance, which was… a little shocking, honestly. But enjoyable?

Because of this, music was concert style, which meant I had tissue stuffed in my ears for 80% of it. Loud noises y’all. Bae’s ears were also in pain, which was confusing because nobody else at the venue seemed to mind. This leads me to believe that everybody else abuses their ear buds and is functionally deaf. Does anybody else ever have this problem??? #old

This was a fun show, and totally not what I expected, but as bae said on the way home, “this was not something I would have ever experienced in my life otherwise,” and I agree.

Musiq was everything I hoped he would be, the show was fun and totally different than what I’m used to, and it was nice being in a crowd NOT mainly comprised of  white people. Like wow, people were so chill, kind, and friendly to each other, and nobody was blathering on about their startup. I need more of this energy in my life.

Musiq:

Have you ever randomly gone to an event without knowing anything about it? How did it go?

I feel like I should be more careful lest I end up at something super weird or even religious… but so far being spontaneous has worked out for me.

OH and check out my dead hang pull-up progress!!!! I’m closing in on my end of year goal of 5 I think… whoop whoop

pull-ups

Re: Megan Murphy

Posted on by Cathy Vandewater

I’m just so… over it. I’m tired of explaining pole to people. I’m tired of justifying something I think is so intrinsically awesome and rewarding. I’m done defending sexy or not sexy. Guys, do what you want. The haters will hate, let’s all just expect that and leave ’em in the dust where they belong. BYE.

Oh, and here’s ya Music Monday!

Music Monday: Britney Spears Blackout jams are what your gym playlist needs YESTERDAY.

Posted on by Cathy Vandewater

This is random, but I’ve been reading some interesting Britney Spears stuff lately… mainly a Buzzfeed piece on her lost album and this super sad but wonderfully pro-Britney/pro-empathy in general piece on her on Noisey. You guys, I feel really horrible for what we did to Britney, because I remember how funny and charming and polite and poised she was in early interviews, and, compared to the dead shark eyes thing she had going on from 2008-2013 or so… wow, we definitely fucked her up. Like, savagely so.

So NATURALLY during all this useless research I started listening to some of the tracks I was bumping on my iPod mini circa 2008 and oh my god… this music though. Blackout is definitely my favorite Britney moment, and she hasn’t done anything that sounded like it before or since, that heartless bitch. I’m not in love with the electronic direction she’s been in lately, but damn, 2006/2007 Britney can GET IT. This music was fierce and fearless AF and I am 100% still here for it.

Only a couple of these songs would really work on the pole, but, do you even care? This is Boss Bitch Minspo (musical inspo) and awesome gym playlist fodder.

Here are some of my favorite Blackout tracks, as well as a couple other songs that I feel have not received enough love. Like, can we all stop Baby One More Timing and give Chaotic its due??? I’m bored.

1. Get Back

2. Chaotic

3. Perfect Lover

4. Trouble

 

5. Freak Show

6. Intimidated

7. Hot as Ice

8. Lace and Leather

9. Get Naked

 

I’m an Aunt SQUARED

Posted on by Cathy Vandewater

Current phone background: (sorry if the battery percentage stresses you out!!)

IMG_0086

Current mood:

IMG_0043

Like, can you stand it???

This is Madeline Elizabeth, my new niece <3<3<3

Aside from literally facetiming myself into her crib in Boston as much as possible, I’ve been doing lots of stuff that has prevented me from poling/blogging about pole very much.

  1. School. Ugh. Don’t get me started. The countdown to graduation in December begins…
  2. BAE. Just had a one year anniversary, which is astonishing to my Forever Alone usual self. To celebrate, we went to see Ballet X (because he knows I’m obsessed with ballet) and YOU GUYS, THEY DANCED TO AMY WINEHOUSE… specifically to my favorite version of my favorite song. I’m now SO inspired to dance to this for my first competition/performance which is my new life goal after school.

Here’s the song, for reference, and yes it IS on my pole playlist already, thanks for noticing!!

Here’s the original version, which is also extremely danceable:

We also went to a 90s party where they played a song that there’s only one way to dance to…

Unrelated: I was traveling for work this past week and he told me he was going to show me something sexy on Skype, but I had to close my eyes first.

butt 1
A butt?
butt 2
Not a butt.

#KEEPER.

3. Freelancing. I’m SO honored to be writing for the Gothamist, but damn, I take this shit seriously and that means a lot of work. Every time I get an assignment I completely get cold sweats (New York culture is not something you want to get wrong), so please don’t tell me if the comments are mean because I haven’t looked and I have no intentions of doing so. But yeah, these things have required a ton of research and fact-checking so they’re kinda eating up a lot of my free time. I’ve made peace with a very work-hard/play-hard summer.

How’s y’alls summers going so far? Taking a hiatus from pole to do activities requiring sunscreen or staying strong?

I haven’t really done much in class that I’m excited about showcasing, but hey, sideclimbin’!

Honestly it’s been so hot in NYC that staying indoors in an AC’d studio isn’t a bad idea!

XO