Stick Fly : A Sasha P Exclusive Review

First off, this play was among one of the top Broadway shows I've ever seen- and I've seen quite a few. No, I'm not being biased because Alicia Keys had something to do with it. It was very well written and well executed. I'll get into that in a minute but let me just walk you through everything really quick. 

I got home from work, cranked up the music and started getting ready for my date. Sometimes I feel like Wendy Williams when she talks about different celebrities being her "friend in her head" because this date consisted of me, my friend Kathy, and Alicia of course. I must say that after only a little primping, I looked rather fabulous. My bus ride into the city consisted of me grilling the Dominican guy in front of me talking on the phone ridiculously loud, and staring at a cute guy that was sitting next to me. I was obviously very discrete, not letting either one catch me. Once we arrived in the city and I got a good look at the cute guy, he was cute alright, but his fingernails were dirty. Yuck. He caught a glimpse of me and stopped, I think he wanted to talk to me. Considering that I was grossed out, I kept it moving without looking back at him. 

My walk to the theater was even better than the first time I went a few days earlier. It was NYC at night, my absolute favorite time to walk around. There's something about the city air that always makes me very happy. Upon my arrival at the theater I made the necessary line, observing my surroundings. There was a lady who looked like Keyshia Cole's mother Frankie. Enough said. She acted like her too. Kathy finally joined me and we were ready to go inside. 

We made it to our seats and I was amazed when I got a look at the set. It was so beautiful. Kathy and I only had a few minutes to soak everything up before the show began. One of the topics, the crazy old usher. She was NUTS. She even asked Kathy if she was part of the cast. This was only one other testament to Kathy's star potential. The lights dimmed and the show began. I was sitting next to a young couple who was so immature I felt like I was babysitting. I tried ignoring them as best I could. This was pretty easy considering that I spent a lot of time not breathing because the girl sitting to my right had some ridiculous bad breath. I caught a whiff of it every time something funny happened in the play; that was pretty often. 


The play was genius. I laughed so much. Not to single anyone out, but Condola Rashad was brilliant. I had no doubts about it though. Her mother is Phylicia Rashad (Claire Huxtable) and her aunt is the one and only Debbie Allen. The cast dynamic was great, and the storyline kept the audience waiting to see what was going to happen next. There were moments that I could identify with, and others that made me think of people I know in those particular situations. Every time the piano played, I closed my eyes. It was as if Alicia was playing just for me. If you don't already know, I also play the piano so I have a different kind of appreciation for the music. The kind that only someone who plays an instrument can understand. 


Once the play was over, we walked outside and joined the crowd to wait for the cast to come out and sign autographs. I remembered Alicia's car and walked over to the best possible spot for her to see me when she came out. One by one they walked out, greeting their fans, signing autographs, joking around, and taking pictures. They were just as genuine as Alicia. Condola came up next to me and I got the opportunity to let her know how great I thought she was. I did the same as all of the other cast members walked past me. Mekhi Phifer came out and I almost melted. He was just as "foine" up close as I had imagined. I was able to get a picture with him. My face looks like a blimp, but it doesn't even matter. 


Alicia's bodyguard kept looking at me, the same as he was doing on Wednesday at the signing. He either thought I was pretty, or was thinking "not this girl again." HAHA!! I wanted to talk to him but he was busy and I wasn't about to get escorted off the premises. I needed to see Alicia again. I was already late for the bus, but I'd walk across the tunnel if I had to. I forgot to mention that Kathy and I were right in front of her car door, guaranteeing that she would at the very least look my way. Among the craziness, I didn't just want to blend in with the rest of the fans. She quickly mingled with everyone and was rushed towards the car by her bodyguard. I didn't think his big body would allow the sound waves of my voice to go past him. I'm not one of the loud, obnoxious fans, so I just asked "Alicia, did you read my letter?" I thought she didn't hear me, but she moved him out of the way and knew exactly where to look. She looked at me and said "Yes, I did." 


The fact that she remembered my face enough to look directly at me to answer my question, the sincerity in her voice, and how she stopped in her tracks for me -- I knew she was telling the truth. She signed Kathy's playbill, and looked to smile at me again. I thanked her. She got in the car and Kathy and I walked away. This was my opportunity to scream and let it all out. I did. Kathy ran into the middle of the street and was crying. Kathy is as big a fan of her as I am, so sharing this experience with her meant the world to me. I called my mother to tell her what had just happened. She was half asleep and do you know what her response was?! "When you get home make sure you turn the heater down." I hung up on her.


It has been one of the toughest years I have lived through. The hard times amount to nothing when taking the past few days into consideration. I think this says a lot about how I feel about Alicia. It is not just her music I love; It is the essence of her and everything she represents. My birthday isn't until next week, but at this point, we can skip it. It's already been the best birthday ever. I told you that this was just the beginning of my relationship with her, not just the one in my head.Trust me.

This is my life. Unpredictable. Crazy. Beautiful. 


... Oh yea, Kathy drove me home.



Follow me on Twitter: @TrulyMsP or e-mail me at sashap26@gmail.com if there's anything you want me to write about! Until next time! 

The Best Birthday Gift Ever!

"I MET ALICIA KEYS!!"

It's only been a day, yet I still feel as if this was a dream. Now, some of you might be thinking "what's the big deal she's just a celebrity?" The BIG deal is that she is my idol. Everyone has that one person that they admire wholeheartedly and she is that person for me. The way this all happened is kind of surreal and proves to me that it was definitely meant for me to meet her. I am a first degree stalker. Not the "sit outside your window and literally follow your every move" kind of stalker. I'm more the "I like to keep up with everything happening in her life so I have to subscribe to every possible media outlet to know what's going on" kind of stalker. If you don't already know, Alicia Keys is producing a new play on Broadway entitled "Stick Fly." My birthday is next week and I told my mom I wanted her to buy me a ticket to opening night. The reason being that this would have hopefully secured me to catch a glimpse of Alicia. I kept pressing the issue until something happened on Tuesday night. 

We were in the kitchen and I got an e-mail (of course) on my blackberry letting me know that there would be a meet and greet the following afternoon with Alicia Keys and the cast of the play. The catch; you had to purchase your ticket in person that morning. I immediately began screaming as if the e-mail said that I had won dinner with Alicia herself. I told my mom I needed money for the ticket and had to call out of work for the morning. Things needed to get done! My mom didn't have the money on her and said I'd have to wait until later that night for my dad to get home. Who has that kind of time?! I called a good friend who was generous enough to loan me the money to make this dream come true. It's funny how my mind works. I was on steroids. I was bouncing up and down and driving everyone in my house crazy, leading my mother to say "If you really do meet her I'm not coming home from work tomorrow."

I couldn't sleep. I had to charge my phone and camera. What was I gonna wear? Would I really get to speak to her? Was I gonna get all amped up to see her only to be disappointed and not get a chance to? There was no risking this even happening. I had to make sure I was the first person on line. I fell asleep only because I didn't want to meet her with bags under my eyes. Otherwise I'm sure I would've stayed up all night anticipating what was sure to be one of the greatest moments of my life. After waking up and getting myself together, I grabbed some breakfast, drove to the bus stop, and took the bus into NYC. It still hadn't hit me what was about to happen. After walking a few blocks to the theater, I was clearly the first person there. Obviously, it was only 8am!! The box office opened at 10 and the meet and greet wasn't until noon. I'm crazy, I know. I arrived and stood leaning against a garbage can. If only you could see these crazy New Yorkers hustling and bustling past me giving me awkward stares. I was just standing there smiling as they were power walking to their destinations. 

The cleaning crew was outside. I made friends with them, having casual conversation. I listened to my ipod and danced around, not realizing there was a camera facing me. I'm sure they must have thought I was nuts. I made some phone calls. Time was going pretty quickly. An old lady came and it looked like she was trying to take my place. I was ready to break out my karate moves. No one was getting in the way of me being first- I don't care how old. I bought my ticket at 10 and made the next line; the official line for the meet and greet. The security was kind enough to point out a few places to go eat and spend some time until noon. "I'm not hungry", I said. He reminded me I had about 2 hours left until this event began. I assured him I was fine more than once until he laughed and walked away. I'm sure he thought I was crazy too. 

I made sure to mingle with almost every staff member, from maintenance workers to people from the ad agency who were setting up. Hey, it's never a bad time to network right? A little after noon they let us know that Alicia was stuck in traffic. I knew that already; I had read her tweet and figured she was on her way. Photographers started piling up, taking pictures, and capturing us on video--I,of course, was the star. (Refer to the picture at the top of this page found on Stick Fly's twitter account) This was starting to seem all too real. As Alicia's car pulled up, my heart dropped. She graciously walked out, bodyguard close by. When she walked past me I almost passed out. "Relax." Alicia and the cast came back outside to take group pictures, which you will find on any media related website. I should have jumped in one of the shots! They took some more pictures as they walked inside and began to sign the posters which were to be given out to everyone who was on the line. 

The cast had to go rehearse, but Alicia stayed behind to greet her fans. She looked at me a few times as she got settled in. Again, my heart dropped to the floor. What do I do? Should I wave or is that too awkward? I just wanted to rush past the staff and run up to her. I finally got the signal to move. I walked up to her and couldn't believe that I was standing there, with Alicia Keys. Is it even crazier that I remember the WHOLE conversation I had with her? I'll spare you all of the details but it was about 2 minutes. I failed to mention earlier that I wrote her a letter. Nothing serious, but 2 minutes wouldn't be enough to cover everything I wanted to say to her. She ensured that she'd read it and signed my poster for me. The whole time she spoke to me she was smiling and paying full attention to me. We were both in the moment, no distractions. I couldn't have been happier. I was secretly afraid she would brush off her fans or be too busy to pay full attention to me, leading me to never like her again. This wasn't the case and she went above and beyond the expectations I had of her as a person. She is a genuine, real person-- and even more beautiful face to face. 

I walked out of there, poster in hand with a big smile on my face. I surprised myself with how calm I reacted, even though I knew I just wanted to scream. But then they'd call security because they'd think I was a psychopath. I got back on my bus, drove to work, and kept looking at my poster. Of course I've had to repeat the story about 30x but every time I say it makes it worth re-living the experience. I'll be at the play tomorrow night and am looking forward to hopefully seeing her again. I'm now positive that it was the first of many one on one conversations that I will be having with Alicia Keys. In a future post I'll explain why I love her so much. For now, I'll just leave it at our first encounter. 

I MET ALICIA KEYS!!!

Experience Required

I'd like to start this post with a little story of something I encountered last week...

While on a late night run to Wal-Mart with a friend of mine (we were both in sweatpants, hair tied, and chillin with no makeup on), the urge for a quick bite hit us as we were getting ready to leave. We stopped at the Subway inside of the store and the guy taking our order noticed our sweatshirts which just so happened to be from the university I graduated from. He said he graduated from there last year. As he put our sandwiches in the toaster oven, we continued to have a conversation about the school and life on campus. When my friend and I left, we knew we were thinking the same thing- "this is what a degree gets us; a graveyard shift job making sandwiches?"

Now, not for nothing but I graduated from one of the most expensive private universities in NJ. I have not only a Bachelors, but a Masters degree. Like several of my peers, it is taking me forever to find a job. If it's not that I'm "overqualified" and don't even get the chance to explain that I am willing to negotiate a salary, it's that I have no experience. What the heezy?! How am I supposed to get experience if no one wants to hire me? Let me just tell you this. Looking for a job became a full-time job. Every waking hour that I spend on the computer is dedicated to editing cover letters, sending resumes, and checking my application status to the places I've applied.

I was under the impression that having not one, but two degrees, some relevant experience, and great references was going to be my key to making millions... OK, maybe not millions right away, but definitely making good money. The way I see it now, I feel like I should've just worked a full-time job when I finished high school and looked for different internships to gain the "experience" that everyone seems to be looking for. I would've saved my money, not taken out loans, and been in a different financial situation. I could've even gone to a less expensive school and gotten a bachelor's degree if deemed necessary.

I am fortunate enough that now, after almost a year of searching, I was able to return to the public relations company where I interned last year. It's only a part-time position, but atleast it's directly related to my major and giving me more of the "experience" that I need. Very few of the people that I know who have graduated college have jobs in their field. Some work retail, babysit, work in restaurants, or are administrative assistants of some kind. Right now, we are all taking whatever we can get. Maybe we should've done our research too. How did I go to a school who's annual tuition is $42,000.. but the average starting salary for an entry-level position is less than $35,000? None of this seems to add up... at all. And don't get me started with the phone calls and letters already up my ass asking me to start paying them back.

Why did I feel the need to bring this up? Because some of you out there talk reckless and don't even know the circumstances we are facing. We are all facing tough times.

This is NOT the last time you'll hear me discussing this topic.

Where is the Love?

Chivalry and Romance. I must say that these are two of my favorite topics to discuss with both men and women. The women who have high standards and the men who give what they can and still see no appreciation. "Romance doesn't exist. Chivalry is dead." Is often what I hear from several women, while the men beg to differ. Here is what Dr. Sasha has to say about all of this... 

Stop living in a fantasy world. We live in a time where things are not like you see or read in fairy tales. YOU make your own fairy tale. If your man sends you a text to say that he misses you, don't ignore it because you prefer for him to write you a long letter expressing his feelings for you. Men do or in this case, don't do things based on the reaction they get from you. They usually start off small or very subtly because they want to see if it's really worth putting in the effort to go that extra mile for you. 

This reminds me of an episode of "My Wife & Kids" where Michael goes to buy his wife a present and calls her on the phone to ask her a question. She rushes him off the phone because she is busy at home. He buys her a pearl necklace rather than the diamond one all because of her tone of voice when he called. When he presents her with the gift she loves it, until their son tells her if her attitude at the moment Michael called her would've been better she would've gotten diamonds. 

In general we need to appreciate everything our significant other does for us without comparing our relationship to those around us, or even worse, those we see on TV and movies. Those relationships are scripted. We can not generalize a whole species. Men, you can't say ALL women don't know how to appreciate a good man. And ladies, you shouldn't say that ALL men lack romance, because this is simply not true. 


Let me just clarify, that this doesn't mean you have to settle. If you really do believe that you deserve more than you're getting, if anything, then it's up to you to make that move and kindly exit the relationship. There are no if's, and's or but's about feelings and the heart never lies. Once you find that someone to make you forget about everything you thought you knew about love, then shut up and just be happy. 


Stop looking for love in all the wrong places.. and I guarantee you'll agree with me.

P. D..UGHHH!!

Have you ever been somewhere and seen the couple who won't take their hands off each other? You know exactly what I mean. You're minding your business and from the corner of your eye you see some nonsense going on. I find this to be soooo annoying. I'm not only referring to people who need a room, but the cornballs who call their significant others those dreadful nicknames in public and insist on treating them like a baby. There are certain things that couples should keep to themselves. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a hater by any means. Quite the contrary; I'm a big romantic mush myself. I just believe there's a place and time for certain things. The whole PDA thing is just so overrated. Everyone has that friend who updates his (though it's usually a "her") status every so often letting the world know just how wonderful their "babycakes" is. UGHH!!

"I have the best boyfriend, he brought me a cup of juice!!" 

Don't laugh. You know very well you've seen these statuses and can't help but shake your freakin head. Some people might be thinking "oh, she's just like that b/c no one's ever done anything nice for her." If this is what you're thinking, you're mistaken. I've had significant others rub my back, play with my hair, and go to the store in the middle of the night to buy me ginger ale because I'd been sick to my stomach. Don't get it twisted. I'm just tired of people feeling the need to broadcast every nice gesture that comes their way. I mean, this is your boyfriend/girlfriend, or the person you're dating... aren't things like this supposed to happen? Sometimes I feel like these people post things up to reassure themselves that they're happy. 

My mom says I'm a cold person.. I'm not. I show emotion and I love hard. I appreciate the people who have gone out of their way to make me feel loved and appreciated.. and that doesn't necessarily have to be done in front of other people or through social media. Will I hold your hand and give you a kiss if we're out? Of course I will. Just because we're in the same room doesn't mean we have to be on top of each other. That's a whole different post though.. clingy partners.. ugh don't get me started. 

So with this I leave you one word of advice. Keep your pet names to each other behind closed doors, no one wants to here or read about your "cuddlebucket" all day long. 

Signed, 

The advocate of private relationships

My First Time

So... How do I start this thing? ::testing 1,2:: 


Well, my name is Sasha. I'm a recent college grad living the life. Not the life I thought I'd be living at this age, but THE life.The life of someone who thought that a Master's degree and an overall charming demeanor, was the key to rake in big bucks after college.. do you get where I'm going with this? I'm sure I'll have plenty to say about this "situation" in future posts. 


I'm the girl who everyone goes to for advice, food, and a good laugh. The things that go through my mind sometimes don't make it out of my mouth- but in this case might not have to ;) . This blog will allow you to follow my thoughts on certain things revolving around my every day life. I'm a media junkie, foodie, friend to many, adored by some, and admired (I won't say hated that's too old school for me) by plenty. 


I'll share my thoughts on college life, parenting, relationships, PMS, and anything else I think you might want to read. There's blogs for just about everyone and something tells me there's not a place for people my age to vent. Well, welcome to my world. 


Signed, 
Your ignorantly sophisticated blogger