This is How We Roll(ed)

Remember when cars were more than cars back in the day? They were status symbols. Even more than they are now. Sure, we get all of the Attention Deficit Disorder inspired children who look at cars that the current top 40 Hip Hop Artist has in their 'Cribs' inspired garages, but most of that is in excess, and even in the most Generation Y hype, they even know that.

But ah, back in the day, the place where we partaked in indulgence to the nth degree, complete with turkish necklaces, burgundy and blue black cellophanes, daytons and inky rims, feathered hair, jheri, california, and s-curl inspired looks, when we looked out in the world through our 'EK' and Laura "Ba-Gotti" sunglasses, we were often escorted (via friend, lover, or somebody's else's ride), we was rolling in somebody's borrowed, owned, or soon to be reposessed vehicle. Here are some of the more memorable cars from back in the day.


Chevy Beretta HAHA! What y'all know bout this bitch, yo. Man, my friend's boyfriend had a white one with Daytons on it. We were equally star struck as well as terrified to ride in it, considering that people were getting killed over those rims back in the day. But he would pick her up in front of the school, IN FRONT of everybody, and boyyyee!! The looks she would get. AND he had a pullout!


IROC - Z: Sheeot! That was IT, and that was ALL! I was a senior in high school and this guy that used to dig me, his name was Darnell (how played out is THAT name), offered to take me to and from work for a minute. He had THIS car with T-TOPS. When he took me to work, playing Keith Sweat in the car, you couldn't tell me a mutha fucken thang. I had a blue black cellophane, Magenta Mist lipstick from Fashion Fair, and Curved nails, with charms on them to boot, accentuated with Garnet Red nail polish. AND HE had a California Curl. I was his freak that he could show off. I think he was slanging. See below for the other car he had.



The Mini Blazer - That was the other car he had. This fool was rolling. It was blue with all kinds of what is now know as Pimp My Ride graphics on it. It was lowered with rims on that as well. He lived in Compton in cuz territory , so it was blue. I often wondered how he was able to take the IROC out for a spin and not worry about being harassed by the crips, (y'all this was some SERIOUS business back in the day), but he seemed to have no problems. Anyway, this truck was the bomb. See, you had to get the MINI blazer. The big blazer was oh, so not cool.


Mustang 5.0 - Ooh, Wee! See, now, you just couldn't have ANY mustang, yo. We wanted to know if you had a Five-Point-O mustang! And if you lied, see we could check, because if it did-ent say so on the car, then you just had some regular sheeot going on. Don't have NO european plates on them man, you were set! You were cool if you had the hard top, but if you had the CONVERTIBLE 5.0, then you were doing big thangs, big thangs, probably most of which were illegal.


Suzuki Samurai: Um, prolly in my top five list of the most dangerous vehicles ever made. Designed to kill, I say (Ford Pinto tops the list, and bringing up the rear in a CLOSE second is the aptly titled Pontiac Fiero). These cars were cool and fun, and were this close to tipping over faster than a one hundred pound man with a bottle of Mad Dog 20 20 in his back pocket. But it was cool if somebody had one.


300 ZX - Who would have thought that we would drool over the sequel to the much beloved classic 280 ZX ?? (which by the way, I would STILL roll in that bitch). This car was it, and usually was accompanied by T-Tops and some serious Pioneer - laced sounds. Rolling in this (and I did date a guy that had this car, you couldn't tell me nothing), was the epitome of being grown. PS: I dont know why I thought I was so cute in his car that sheeot wasn't mine I was rolling a nine year old Toyota Cressida with the automatic seatbelts that potentially could render you unconscious if you weren't paying attention.


The Legend: Yes, that one. The Acura Legend. I personally have a conspiracy theory regarding this car. I believe that they knew that I would just be too sexy for my shirt, to drive this car, and before I could get out of college, they discontinued it. I also believe that the executive or upper management personnel that were responsible for making this decision were eventually managed out of the business, because this is, in my personal opinion, far and beyond, the very best car they have EVER made.

What were YOUR cars back in the day? Did you have one? Or only DREAM of having them?

Fabulous Flashback!

The Five Heartbeats

The movie, the Three Faces of Eve, talked about the different personalities that people display. This movie, in particular, talked about it in the manner of personality disorders. But y'all know I ain't crazy. (Well, at least the VOICES tell me that I am not crazy). HEHE.

With that said, I think all of us have different 'sides', if I may to our personality. That's the beauty of being human. We can become chameleons without being fake. And there, is, often a need to have different sides of a personality to react accordingly to your conditions, circumstances, and personal and professional relationships. As you should. There is a time to be agressive, a time to be submissive, or kitten like, or even a visionary. And according to Michael Gerber, we have the ability to have many professional personalities, at least within us, we just have to learn to balance them out. So, here are my Five. . .

Tricia: She is the playful one. She is the one that is humorous, studious, mildly timid (in a careful way), and is open to trusting everyone. This is the one that doesn't take things too seriously, and always makes sure her i's are dotted, and her t's are crossed. Tricia is in everybody's business! Tricia's preferred profession would be an attorney.

Patricia: This is the romantic. The visionary. The one that can get caught up in the clouds. Patricia is the one that hears "Come Away With Me" and could totally get caught up into the song. Patricia is the one that loves chick flicks, believes in love at first sight, and is extremely vulnerable and emotional. (If y'all tell anyone this Imma raise hell). Patricia loves and loves hard. She could live on a boat with the one she loves shelling shellfish for the rest of her life. This is the girl that could sing "Midnight Train to Georgia" and mean every word of it. Patricia is a bleeding heart compassionate. Patricia loves to write. Patricia's preferred profession would be so over working. She would be a grifter.

Trische: (Prounounced Trish): Trish is the sexpot. The tri-sexual "I'll try anything once" kind of chick. The one that is bout it bout it, and pulls out all the bells and whistles when necessary. The one that likes it, likes it good. The sex kitten that comes out the box at the drop of a dime, and puts on a show and knows that "Tonight What Heights We'll Hit. . .On with the Show this is It" type of day. She's the sexpot that can take them or leave them, and leave them wanting for more. Trische's preferred profession would be to marry well and look cute all day.

Pat: Pat is a hot mess. But not in a good way. Pat's bark is actually worse than her bite. Pat's pokerface is on 24/7 and she is usually the one that comes out if things are not going right for Trische, Tricia, or Patricia. It's a barrier, giving the pretense that everything is okay. Pat is dependable and take charge. Don't play with her, but dependable. She gives it to you straight with no chaser. She is NOT warm fuzzy, but she's deliver the goods. Maybe not packaged the way you need them, but packaged nonetheless. Nobody knows Pat's business. Pat's profession would be anyplace where she can delegate. Not in a tyrannical way, but some where high profile where she would end up winning an Essence award or something.

P: P is new. P is a pop culture, history, political, spiritual enthusiast, who is laced with double entendre's, tongue in cheek comments, and hidden meanings in everything. P gives her two cents which turn into 25 cents. P is an entrepreneur that doesn't take anything too seriously (Just like Tricia). P is counted on to give good, objective advice, and opinions. P doesn't like her current job and is actively seeking another one. P would like to write or own a bookstore or be a historian on PBS. Looking like a teacher/whore with glasses on.

Have you seen any of these in me?

What are your Heartbeats and many faces?

News Stories From The Archives of K-PAT FM

I love news stories and the facts regarding history and the events leading up to what made something, in fact 'History' - Traumatic or Otherwise. . .

But there are particular stories (besides the obvious - 09/11, etc) that I remember. The unfolding and the events after it. Some of which become embedded in our hearts and minds that last forever. It could be a personal story, or a national story, ripped from the headlines, or just some basic drama, which I personally LOVE.

Just so you know: Most of these stories (sans two) are pre-internet/email/cell phone boom. So they were particularly riveting because you had to wait on information, and when you did get it, it was heavy in weight because there was so much to say. So, without further adieu, there are a few in particular that stick out in my mind. Shout out to That Girl for telling me about Photobucket)


Atlanta Child Murders - Man, oh, man, oh man. Atlanta, Lynwood, no difference to me. I stayed in the house for most of that summer (living IN CALIFORNICATION) over that sheeat. I was scared-ded, TRUSS! All I knew was that somebody was killing little black children and that was enough for me to play with my easy-bake oven, colorforms, etc right on the inside of my house. And the porch was a STRETCH. And when they found that (insert little girl voice) "bad, bad man" was put in jail. (Needless to say, we know the REAL Deal regarding Wayne Williams and how janky that investigation went).

1989 San Francisco Earthquake. I remember I was on my way to Junior College then, getting ready for school. And they showed the picture of a freeway. Initially, when looking at the freeway, I wondered what the big deal was, it looked only as if the freeway collapsed. Upon further inspection, I found that yes, the freeway, did INDEED collapse, but that it was a double decker freeway, and one had fallen on top of the other, killing everyone under there in a vehicle. Even now, looking at the freeway, because it was smashed so closely together, it's a painful site to look at. I remember all day I couldn't get my mind off of it, because I couldn't believe something so devastating had happened so close to my home. For those of you who have never seen this, look closely. What looks like one freeway is really one smashed on top of the other. I remember the only fortunate (for lack of a better word) thing that occured regarding this was that it was a Monday, some holiday, I forgot which one, and the freeways were less crowded than they normally would have been.


McMartin Abuse Scandal. I wasn't but about ten years old when off of this started going down. Everyone was terrified. All kinds of ritualistic allegations were brought to the attention of the courts. It ripped apart a nation, tore down innumerable pre-schools, and took a a family (McMartin), down a long and shadowy road. It was one of the first modern day examples of what Mass Hysteria can do, even in the interest of protecting beloved children. There was an HBO special not too long ago that chronicled this story. The case went on for YEARS, no one was ever convicted, and all charges were dropped in 1990.


Whitney and Crack. Crack and Whitney. From the illustrious singing career on the path to legendary status, to being reduced to "Hell to the Naw" on Bravo's Being Bobby Brown, the decline of Whitney Houston before our very eyes is equally painful and amusing (in a sick kind of way) to watch. We went from believing that she was MAYBE smoking some sticky-icky, to us thinking "Is this girl really smoking?", to "Crack is Whack", to "What the Eff?" Ah, the perils of Whitney Houston.


Loving and Losing Aaliyah. I don't believe I realized how very much an Aaliyah fan was until she passed. Thinking about it now brings tears to my eyes. The video, Rock the Boat is especially haunting for the obvious reasons. Somehow looking at the video, it's beautifully haunting, particularly at the end. I'm not trying to glamourize her death; but I can't help but look at that video and think of so many things while watching it. I couldn't watch it the whole way through for over a year and even now I don't particularly like watching it. I can imagine how her family must feel. She wasn't a songwriter, but she had a particularly pure voice that I loved, and love to this day.


April 29th Brought Power to the People - And You Might See A Sequel. Don't know about you, but everyone OUT here remembers where they were when the verdict was read, and the Los Angeles Rebellion began. I personally was at home that day, didn't have to go to work, or to school. My mother was at the funeral of one of her best friends. And to hear that verdict - It was surreal, it was painful, and prolly my first full twang of recognizing that my life had no value with the LAPD, particularly to the residents of Simi Valley. Then, the news came on. Even though I did not physically live in LA, I was once a resident of Los Angeles, and My college was right in the heart of Los Angeles, and they shut down for the remainder of the week. It was mass hysteria out here. And the newscasters didn't understand that it wasn't a riot. Yes, there was foolishness, and there was terror, but there was pain. Probably not manifested and carried out properly, but I understood. I understood that they put the national guards in areas that they didn't want touched, like Brentwood and Beverly Hills, but what we did, well, that was a different story.


Space Shuttle Challenger Explosion

I was in the tenth grade, and my Algebra I teacher brought the TV in so all of us could see the launch and liftoff. We all knew that a teacher, Christa McAuliffe, was going to be on flight. He was especially excited about that. So we watched, and we saw the liftoff. And we just watched.

And then it happened.

But it was like 'it' didn't happen. Anyone who has seen images of this remembers how we felt. This, too, was surreal, and as a 15 year old child, in a class with other students waiting for the other shoe to drop, the other punchline, waiting for the teacher to tell us that everything was okay, that something had just happened, but it will be okay, was an experience that remains embedded in my mind forever. It was tragic all the way around. The world was riveted.

Are any of these near and dear to you? What news-making stories Do YOU remember the most?

100 Thangs About P

Since I have had to stand up to claims that I am a (ahem) private person, I decided to do this post. I was not tagged for this so I won't return the favor. Actually, I didn't think that I would be able to fulfill this task because I did-ent think that I would come across a hundred things without repeating how fine and sexy I am. So, without further adieu, here are 100 thangs about P.

I am the youngest of five children
I am allergic to raw tomatoes
I would like to be a philanthropist, and give most of my wealth away to good causes.
I am the victim of a crime
I love the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf
I love Crime Shows, Books, and Crime Audio CD's. My Favorite: "The Patient", by Michael Palmer.
I can recite Friday, Beverly Hills Cop, Boyz in the Hood, Kill Bill Vol 2, and Five Heartbeats almost verbatim
I do not have a very close relationship with my family. (Trust me, those that say that it’s usually THEM, but my family is crazy, you already know of one).
I am happily heterosexual
But I do occassionally have girl crushes
I have lots of skeletons in my closet
I am NOT bi-curious or bi-sexual. Look up girl crushes you effen freaks.
I have irrational phobias
I never sit with my back to the door of ANYTHING.
I don’t really eat pork, the other white meat
Not into new age stuff
I budget my money VERY well
I get nervous around people who do NOT budget their money well (I feel like they are spending my money)
I have dated a few NFL players - but the black pilot was the most impressive.
I am a good cook
I am aware that I need to adjust three major things in my life which will remain nameless
I don’t eat TUNA of any kind, under any circumstances.
I want to run the Long Beach or Los Angeles marathon in the next two years
I love the obituaries
OJ and Rodney King cases turned me off from wanting to become an attorney.
But OJ and Rodney King cases defined my writing and journalistic skills
I have had several letters to the editor published in Ebony Mag, LA Times, and the Local Long Beach Newspaper
I would rather be a US Marshall with a Battering Ram busting into a door.
I would also rather be taking survelliance pictures, a la “Cheaters”
I just now feel grown up, in my dirty thirties.
I am in two magazine apparel books modeling and one hair book that will never see the light of day because I think I look ridiculous in them.
I was Little Miss Sugar and Spice 1976 (Little Miss Lynwood), and a runner up in the Little Miss California Pageant
An agent wanted me to do commercials but my mother intervened saying she didn’t want a drug addicted child star, or something like that. Geez.
I swallow gum (Yes, I’ve heard all the stories – I’ve been doing it since I was five).
Have been told that I am an excellent public speaker; and can speak impromptu or planned
I am terrible in math
My major was criminal justice
But I don’t think that’s what I’m going to get my grad degree in. I keep starting and stopping (Organizational Development, MBA, HR, Criminal Justice) – I really don’t know.
I photograph very, very, bad and have to pose myself and take a picture several times for it to come out right
I am an extremely private person (NOT secretive, PRIVATE).
I am planning on learning Italian
I played the flute for seven years
I have missed church service six times in as many years.
Not a fan of Beyonce, Halle Berry, Kanye, and bringing up the rear, Jamie Foxx, for no other reason I don't really like the whole overexposure thing.
I want a wedding but am not sure if I want to be married.
I have a dry sense of humor that some get and others don’t.
I work in a drama-filled environment that is never short of BS.
This is the longest job I have ever held.
P loves the dark meat
I am a direct descendant from the line of Alexander Palmer Haley, and Nannie Helen Burroughs
I have a big mouth but a soft voice
I am a closet bleeding heart
But I’m not anybody’s sucka
I LOVE CHILDREN
I am huge on personal responsibility and get weirded out with people who point fingers at other folks
I have never gotten high
I do not smoke cigarettes, either
I don’t drink, but have been influence by peer pressure lately
I am obsessed with visiting the Cayman Islands
I have never been on a cruise, but will be going in about a year.
I did not learn how to swim until I was sixteen
I’ve done “it” in the parking lot of my job several times.
I used to be a collegiate cheerleader (if you tell ANYONE I will kill you)
I went to Barbizon Modeling School in my teens. It was an interesting expensive experience
I wear heels all the time
I am very observant – usually NOTHING gets by me.
I have only had two REAL boyfriends. (But a lot of fun times in between!)
I care about black folks (everybody, really, but this is previous-post based)
My job really gets on my nerves
I want to own a bookstore.
My mother has an invention that can make her (and me, as her ahem, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER) at the VERY least extremely well off and at the best the potential to make her a multimillionaire. Currently working on getting patented, etc.
I was a DJ in a former life, didn’t pay enough chedda
I would have liked to be a medical examiner (coroner)
I am a devout, backslidden (yes, I know that’s an oxymoron) Christian trying to find her way home.
A lot of people call me for advice, but I try to stray from that, because I have a tendency to get wrapped up in a Captain Save a Ho Mentality
I am unsure of what I want to be when I grow up.
I have been told I look like three celebrities, none of which I look like. Plus, I couldn’t take the credit these women are way too good looking
I can fight VERY WELL
I know how to horseback ride. I’m not on my way to the Olympics in the Equestrian events or anything, but I do okay
I love the Opera
I like Classical Music, but do not buy it
I buy all of my CD’s from Half.com
I was introduced to blogging by That Girl
I think My Space Sucks. It’s NOT a place for friends.
95 percent of my friends/associates are: Police officers, Attorneys, and Probation Officers.
I’ve considered a run for political office, but would prolly end up with a case for participating in too many fisticuffs
Latino men love me. Not sure why
I have a gag reflex that prevents me from putting foreign things in my mouth (Shut the “F” up, Tam), and I usually have a very difficult time choosing toothpaste, mouthwash, and such. The dentist hates to see me coming, because they can’t X-Ray me like other folks.
I like all kinds of movie genres and activities.
I am a chameleon and can adapt to any set of circumstances
I had NO HR experience when I got this job
I am still trying to figure out how I got here.
Most people are intimidated of me (not in a “I am woman hear me roar, just like they thing I’m the boogie woman or something). Not sure why
I had sex with my friend’s husband on accident. (Aw, stop laughing and/or get that look off your face. Long Story, but it really was on accident)
I am writing a book (now whether or not I finish it is another story)
I was tossed (well ran out before the police came) out of a Burger King in Long Beach ten years ago. (Another long story but it wasn't my fault)
I didn’t get rid of my pager until 2002, when I was sure that cell phones were here to stay.
I will not be telling you anything else. Ever.

So, what are some THANGS that you want to share about us? OR, any comments on the above in question?