Farsighted Fly Girl

Being fly translates into any language. It doesn't matter if you rock an edgy salwar kameez  in Mumbai or a hot samba skirt in Sao Paulo, fly is fly.  And right now I'm fly in Korean because my current fave t-shirt showcases a cool chick with a Korean phrase, above. Besides the vivid cornflower blue hue and the beautifully hand drawn illustration, what really sold me on this tee was the meaning of that phrase. It says, "everyone's entitled to my opinion"! I had to have it.  But Chicago designer Anna Hovet  creates a tempting slew of culturally clever, signature tees that had me dizzy with the possibilities. I  seriously considered snatching up all of these $30 t-shirts. This innocent-looking tee above, says "looking for trouble" in Haitian Kreyol.  I contemplated this one but since I really don't like attracting trouble, I decided against it. This one called out to me first. The attitude and the fact that it's in Italian was enough  for me...

It's that time again. No matter that the sun is still shining in Chicago and the temps haven't dipped to their customarily frigid levels, it's the season to travel to one of my favorite islands. There are very few places that can match Jamaica's stunning beauty but what I love most of all is the island's unparalleled culture. Music and food are the hallmark's of genuine Jamaica culture and I like to envelop myself in both at Chicago's Ja Grill. No, there's no palm trees and there's no lyrical patois floating everywhere but there is ackee and saltfish.  The national dish of Jamaica is a savory blend of salted cod and mild ackee fruit, traditionally served for breakfast. The ackee is a  delicate, pale yellow,West African fruit that is poisonous until it's fully ripe, which is why I leave it to the experts to cook up one of my favorite dishes in the world. So I grabbed my friends and flew over to Jamaica via JA Grill and spent three hours at their ...

Last week, the world lost a wonderfully illuminating spirit and the last living link to the Delta blues. David "Honeyboy" Edwards was a legendary musician and beloved Chicago blues icon. There was such wisdom and skill that flowed through his sharply dressed, 96-year-old frame that I felt like he was divinely guided. He is mourned as the last Delta bluesman and the last connection to Robert Johnson, Honeyboy witnessed the "King of the Delta Blues" sip his last drop of poisoned whiskey but he represents so much more than that. I'm still struggling to articulate this devastating loss and what it means to blues in particular and American music in general. As the blues community battles for our heritage and birthright, I believe that Honeyboy will be assisting us.  Here is my favorite Honeyboy quote: " Blues ain’t never going anywhere. It can get slow, but it ain’t going nowhere. You play a low-down dirty shame slow and lonesome, my mama dead, my papa across...