After a few months of being unemployed, I recently landed a new job as the Junior Editor at Newsone.com which is a site dedicated to African American news. The site is under the umbrella of Interactive One which is the largest African-American digital platform in the world.
My job duties consist of aggregating articles, editing original pieces and producing them as well. I’m also considering starting a Latino News and Politics blogger position with LatinTrends.com.
I started this position about two weeks ago and really like it so far. The staff is cool and there’s a lot of potential for growth on a personal brand level.
Special shout out to Ced for helping me land this position and for everyone that provided me with support during my unemployed period.
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Week 2 of the funny, sad, and ignorant s**t I hear in Dyckman weekly.
#1 Who? Two white women.
Where? On the train sitting next to me while we’re headed uptown.
Now this wouldn’t normally apply as I didn’t hear it “in Dyckman,” but I had to post this.
Two ladies: *tap me* Excuse me, but we are going to United Palace and wanted to know which is the safer stop to get off at 168th or 181st.
Me: *strange face* Either stop is fine to me. The closer stop would be 181st.
Two ladies: Isn’t the hospital on 168th street?
Me: Yes it is.
Two ladies: Well go with that stop just in case something happens to us. You know…more people around.
Analysis: No need to analyze. I wonder how people are going to come up here for the Tony’s next year. Helicopters, Armored trucks? Sheesh.
#2 Who? Dyckman poker players at our spot
Where? Undisclosed location
Player: You around here doing stuff right?
Me: Si senor…
Player: How you tell me that a few people living in my building don’t know where Audubon is? Some woman actually told me Amsterdam is only in Harlem and tried to argue with me.
Me: *laugh* That doesn’t surprise me.
Player: Why move up here if you don’t care to see what the “whole hood” is about?
Me: ’cause when you come from downtown Manhattan, 9x out of 10, you don’t want to know what the “hood is about.”
Player: Obviously not.
Analysis: SMH at people not knowing where these blocks are after living here for years.
#3 Who? Young kid on the phone.
Where? Wimpy’s on 207 and Nagle.
Kid: I sell drugs ’cause I have to. It’s the fastest way to get money out here. I tried to get a job but no one is hiring. My parents lost their jobs. I don’t go to school anymore because of that. I had nothing else I could do. I didn’t want to steal or rob. That’s not me. I’m not selling coke. I’m selling weed. I’m not hurting anyone so leave me alone…
Analysis: It’s rough out in these streets.
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When I frequent the bars and lounges in our neighborhood, I always tend to find groups of women together. Sometimes it’s a small group (3 or 4) and at times you’ll find six or eight of them sipping Cosmos and Mojitos.
It’s always either an after-work cool down or the nights first stop on there way to the club.
When I’ve sat down and had casual conversations with these younger and somewhat older Latina women (21-35), I always tend to find that there’s always one person out of the group that’s taken and the rest are single. Let me add ‘happily single.’
Well, at least that’s what they say, but the words that proceed that don’t necessarily reflect that. The same complaints many Black women have about finding men, for the most part, Latinas have.
Whenever I speak to these women at local establishments, here’s what they usually say:
#1 I can’t find one that’s educated.
#2 I can’t find one without his own share of problems whether it’s unemployment or already having kids.
#3 I can’t find one that’s ready to commit.
While I’ll admit, there’s a lack of minority men out there for educated Black/Latina women, in our neighbohoods (Heights/Inwood) it’s about two key factors: meeting and communication.
When I go to Harlem and the Fort Greene section of Brooklyn, where a good portion of the people are young professionals and African-American, you will find a variety of shindigs where people can meet. Anything from house parties, networking events at local establishments, and date nights where singles in the neighborhood come together to meet a potential mate.
When does that ever happen here?
The issue in our part of town is that we tend to meet women in loud places – clubs and bars. There is no chance of having an actual conversation where you’re able to sit down and hear the person you’re talking to without repeating ‘What?’ All people really do out here is make eye contact and take it from there.
But according to many of the women I speak with, when they go for their version of a Dominican Christiano Ronaldo or Denzel Washington, most times the arm candy is great, but who they are on the inside isn’t.
Now that doesn’t go for all men whether attractive or unattractive to a woman. The issue is sometimes before giving out that number, you have to at least have an idea of who you’re giving it out too. I’ve heard the same from men in this neighborhood.
‘Man most of these girls are beautiful, but I’m scared they’ll ruin my life.’
But when I sit down and think about it, there are more educated Latino men out here than you think. I know a bunch of people in my inner circle that fit the bill. But it’s also about being open to conversation.
Many men I know talk about how some Latinas in our neighborhood seem so unapproachable. Maybe it’s their own fear of going up to a woman or the ladies really seem that way. We’ll never really know.
But what I know is important is building a network of friends. As a guy, having a decent amount of friends who are females; the same goes for women.
I think in the pursuit of a mate we sometimes turn down the notion of having a person as a friend. Most relationships arise from the friend stage. If one doesn’t, at least you’ll have someone who is a friend, can be there for you and you can recommend to one of your girlfriends if you see compatibility.
Trust, I’m not here posing as the Dominican Chuck Woolery. I won’t open a neighborhood dating service or become Hitch. But I think these steps can help increase the rapport amongst men and women in our neighborhoods.
Aside from that, in these hard economic times, events where you can meet people are important. As many people as there are laid off, there are people who are working. You never know what opportunity you can find in one single meeting.
In final, we at the Uptown Collective know there’s a growing need to not only foster friendships in the neighborhood, but create love and that’s exactly what you can expect from us this summer.
The Justin Timberlake ‘Summer Love’ is fine, but how about making it last longer than that?
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Anyone who knows me knows I’m a salsa aficionado. My love for salsa doesn’t necessarily match my salsa dancing skills (a strong 8), but they are closely coming together.
This is one of my favorite groups El Grupo Niche. They are from Bogota, Colombia and salsa legends. This is one of my favorite ritmos “Lo Bonito Y Lo Feo.”
I heard this all the time while I was growing up being blasted by my dad. I used to drown it out with Redman’s “Muddy Waters,” but I came to appreciate it as I grew older…
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A few weeks ago, I decided I wanted to dedicate a series to my friends who are doing cool stuff. The first one I decided to feature is my buddy Jenny.
I’ve known Jenny for about six years now and she’s a fabulous person. A smart, educated, ambitious young lady. She graduated from Baruch College and has plans to attend NYU’s Stern School of Business for her Masters in the future.
But, in the meantime, Jennykinns as I like to call her, is the soon to be Cupcake/Cakes Queen of not only NYC, but the world.
Check out this interview I did with her:
Name: Jennifer Gorotiza
Age: 24
Graduated from: Baruch
Degree in: Marketing & Communications
When did you begin making cupcakes?
I’ve been making cupcakes for friends for years. I’ve always enjoyed baking but I started taking it all more seriously after taking classes at Michael’s for cake decorating last year. I went to the store to look for some scrapbooking material. While I was in there, I caught a glimpse of a classroom where an instructor was showing people how to make elaborate buttercream flowers. It looked like something I could handle so I signed up for the next open class.
Two months later, with a “Certificate of Completion” for Courses 1 and 2 under my belt, I attempted to move forward with the following courses but my learning was derailed. There weren’t enough people signed up for Course 3 and since I had already grown attached to the idea of one day making a fondant-covered cake, I refused to give up so easily on this “hobby” (that and I had already spent way too much money on decorating supplies, haha). After calling several Michael’s stores and not finding ANY available classes, I finally found the mother of all instructors, YouTube. A year and a half later and I’m still loyal to YouTube.
At first, were you charging people or giving them away for free to get your name out there?
Well none of this was really planned. After taking the classes, I volunteered to bring cupcakes to any and every event just to practice what I had learned and improve my techniques.
My first paid job was in May 2009 – I was asked to make soccer-themed cupcakes for a birthday. I was mostly shocked that someone actually wanted to pay me to make something that I did for fun. I hadn’t thought about charging, but once more and more people started inquiring on prices, I thought “Hmm, I may have something going here!”
Is it a goal of yours to make this an official business?
It is now!
I really enjoy what I’m doing and I smile at the thought of what this could turn into. If this were to continue to grow, my first order of business would be to find a location because I wouldn’t be able to continue working from home. There’s a lot of research I still have to do, but I ‘d like to have a business plan written up before end of year.
Is it a goal of yours to make this your only source of income in the near future?
Maybe not in the near future but eventually, yes, that would be great. I turned out to be more skilled than expected with this hobby and I want to do all I can to turn this into a profitable business. If by some miracle I was allotted enough start-up capital, then it would definitely be in the near future! For now though, this will be my part-time gig.
How many clients do you have to date?
Roughly 40; most are friends but I have recently been receiving orders from people who attended parties where my cupcakes/cakes were served.
Is a lot of your business through referral or do you do your own promotions/marketing?
I would say 80% of my business is through “word of mouth”. I think I cried the first time a customer who wasn’t a friend or acquaintance hit me up for an order! I’m lucky, a lot of my friends push my business more than I do, they’re my cupcake team, haha.
I’m now taking a more active approach though. I recently created a separate email address for orders and printed out business cards. I’ve also created a Facebook fan page and use my personal Twitter account. These were created to put up pictures of the work I’ve done and keep friends in the loop on what I’m working on.
What’s the cost for a dozen of your cupcakes with your design? Or better yet, what are your price ranges?
Cupcakes start at $20/dozen for more simple designs; if fondant creations are involved, they start at $25/dozen. I’ve never charged more than $30 though, and that order involved super intricate designs (sneakers).
Do you do this all by yourself?
For the most part, yes I work by myself. My sisters help me out of the kindness of their heart when they see I’m really overwhelmed; they’re wonderful. But paid help, no – one day, hopefully!
What’s been the longest that you’ve worked on a single order?
This would most likely be my first wedding cake order I took on last month. I worked for a few hours each night for a full week. It was my first time creating flowers out of gumpaste. I had to make them two weeks ahead of time because they take a long time to dry.
Once the flowers had hardened, I used luster dust and chalk scrapings to give the flowers more dimension and make them look realistic. This then required another day of drying time and we haven’t even started baking the actual cake yet!
Total labor time on this almost tripled the average time it takes me to work on an order. Pandora kept me awake those few nights (sleepless nights, might I add) but it was totally worth it!
Tell me about one of your cake designs?
My first cake order was a Yo Gabba Gabba cake for a friend. As I was making it, I swore it would be the one & only time I’d make a cake; the whole process was exhausting!
Cupcakes are definitely more my comfort zone, but as it turns out, people have embraced my cakes so I’m trying to learn more on constructing cakes.
Thanks to YouTube and the helpful message boards/blogs I’ve found online, I’ve been able to gradually improve my cake designs.
What has been your most challenging cupcake to date?
The biggest challenge, which I really set up for myself, has been my sneaker cupcakes that I made last year. My sister asked me to make a Jordan cake for her boyfriend. The idea seemed impossible so I told her I’d prefer to make mini-sneaker cutouts. Why I thought this would be easier is beyond me now that I think about it, but I did it!
I’m friends with some hardcore sneakerheads so I knew if I posted pictures of these cupcakes, my cutouts would HAVE to be as accurate as possible. When the compliments started coming in, I was beyond elated. It was the first time I finally felt I had a grasp on not only the taste of the cupcake, but also the aesthetic component to decorating a cupcake.
Can you take me through the cupcake process as I’m a guy who knows nothing about this stuff?
Well I’m all about a matching theme!
When I’m asked to make cupcakes, I try to get as much information as possible from the client. What’s the theme of the party? What colors are you using for decorations? Is this a birthday order? What his/her favorite color, cartoon, #, etc.? I usually try to match the cupcake liners with the theme as well. I’ll also inquire on favorite cake flavor and frosting.
I make the fondant cutouts ahead of time because they usually require drying/hardening time; all of my cutouts are done with cutters/stencils, an XACTO knife, and a copious amount of patience. Then the baking can begin!
Most orders are for 1-2 dozen cupcakes so baking & cooling time can fall anywhere between 30-45 minutes depending on batter and quantity. In that waiting time, I make the buttercream frosting from scratch and sometimes I’ll color the frosting as well. But most times I prefer to keep it white if the fondant cutouts are already colorful enough. Then I put it all together and voila, your very own custom cupcake order!
Is there one cupcake design you are yearning to make in the future?
I’d like to make cupcakes with a damask print on them. For that, I’d have to learn how to work more with royal icing. There’s a technique called piping that requires a steady hand and a lot of patience; piping gives you the ability to create intricate designs, think calligraphy but on cakes (or cupcakes!). I haven’t really messed around with that too much, but I would definitely like to give it a try.
What’s been your biggest order whether it be a cupcake or cake to date?
Recent wedding cupcake/cake combination order.
I made 9 dozen cupcakes and a matching mini cake. My kitchen was a bakery that weekend. The house smelled delicious! It took a while because the order included 5 different cake flavors – oreo, chocolate chip cookie dough, vanilla, chocolate, and lemon coconut. Half of the cupcakes required a buttercream rose as a topper and these can’t be done ahead of time because buttercream doesn’t preserve well. It was a learning experience for sure; there are some things I would do differently next time in terms of baking. I sometimes forget I don’t work at an actual bakery and my oven is not built to commercial standards, but all in all, the order went well and that’s all that mattered!
How can people contact you if they’re interested in buying some of your cupcakes?
You can find me on Facebook. My fan page is “CupCakes by JennyKinns” or shoot me an email: cupcakesbyjennykinns@gmail.com. I usually answer emails within 48 hours and ask for at least two week’s notice but if I can, I do make exceptions!
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This will be a series that includes the ignorant, fun, and sad quotes I directly run into during my week in my home, sweet, home…
#1 Who? My friend Tom Cruz’s barber on Nagle.
Tom: Why you so late man?
Barber: Cono loco estaba rapando (I was having sex)
Analysis: The barber shop opens at 9AM and you arrive at 12 because you’re having sex? No wonder your clients always leave you for the other barbers.
#2 At a local hole in the wall. It was me and the owner and I had a bottle of wine.
Owner: Your name?
Me: Claudio
Owner: Are you Dominican?
Me: Yes
Owner: I knew you couldn’t be just Black drinking wine. You had to be something.
Analysis: He was a nice guy up until that comment. I don’t know if I can bring myself to support him, though I think he was a nice guy aside from that comment which happened to come when I was leaving.
#3 Random old fellow at Jimbo’s between Post and Nagle on Dyckman:
“Cono pero (damn but) I wish I could become Mayor of Dyckman if there was such a thing. There’d be no age limits on who I can rapa (sleep) with. I like them young and in High School.’
Analysis: Sick, but forgive me for laughing when I heard this at Jimbo’s. Well, everyone found it funny.
So in this edition, you had a barber who keeps his clients waiting because he’s having sex, a owner of a store who knows no better that he said something ignorant, and an old, filthy Dominican man (plenty out here) who wishes he can sleep with any girl/woman “any age.”
Until next time…
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I spent locked inside my apartment. I didn’t really feel like doing anything. I don’t know if I was depressed or something, but all weekend long, I didn’t see anything wrong with it.
I received texts and emails to go to house parties in Brooklyn, barbecues in Harlem, and wine tastings in my hood, but those came from the usual suspects. As much as I love that cast, sometimes you need to diversify your friend portfolio. You need to add some new friends and experience fresh things.
When I woke up Monday morning one day away from starting my new job (Junior Editor at NewsOne.Com), I lamented that I let the weekend pass me by. I regretted watching Weeds, researching tickets, and playing Fifa for the last 40 of 72 hours (of course, that extra 32 includes tons of sleep as I wanted to do absolutely nothing).
Aside from going out Saturday evening and having fun, my whole 4 day weekend felt like a waste until I realized something Monday morning. I’ve been unemployed for 4 months and haven’t met many new people. Sure, I’ve met new women. But they don’t want to be your friends. Once they see that you’re a “candidate,” (educated, respectable, etc) friend goes out the window. I’m not ready to deal with the responsibility of a girlfriend. Not now. Not anytime soon.
I then sat down and thought for a bit and realized that for all the people I know, I haven’t really hung out with them or engaged them. I also realized I wanted to get out there more and meet new people not only in my neck of the woods, but outside of it as well.
So, with that being said, I decided on a plan that I will incorporate NOW because my boy Bryan said it best: ‘Dont let the summer pass you by boy. It’s hot out there.’
#1 I joined Harlem Bikram Yoga through Groupon. Make all the macho jokes you want, but I feel this was a great move. I enjoyed free yoga when I used to work at yoonew straight out of college, but never really followed up on it after that job was lost.
I feel it’s a great opportunity to meet new people and also keep myself in tip-top physical condition. If being in a room for 90 minutes at 100 degree plus temperatures doesn’t help me out, while I’m surrounded by buttocks of all shapes and sizes to keep me going, I don’t know what will.
#2 Restart the local gym and go a few days a week with my boy Joel. I’ve known Joel since I was in elementary school – and while we lived a block away from each other our whole lives – we never really hung out. He was one of the individuals I knew went to the gym consistently so I targeted him.
I went with him yesterday and we spotted each other, jogged, etc. It’s much easier to go to the gym when you have someone pushing you and vice versa. This was a good decision.
#3 I have a bunch of friends on Twitter and Facebook who I respect and think are talented, but it’s usually just restricted to that. I am going to start reaching out and catching a quick bite with these folks even if it’s for 15 minutes.
In this day and age, I feel for relationships to succeed, they just cant occur online. There has to be some sort of physical interaction.
#4 Be a bit more outgoing. Anyone that knows me knows I’m a clown and can be a bit of an attention whore at times. Shit, sometimes I say a lot of stuff that I shouldn’t say and my closest male/female friends will attest to that.
But, there are also times where I creep into a shell. Times when I’m around new people where I can either be outgoing or completely shy. The latter cant occur anymore. I’m 26 years old for God sakes. Who knows how being shy in the past has possibly cost me all types of opportunities.
#5 Give some of them a chance. I’m not trying to sound like a player, because I’m not. I’m no Bill Bellamy. But there’s a few girls who interest me that I have pushed away for no reason. I’m going to unlock the locks and see what they have to offer behind those doors; all while being honest about my stance on “no relationships.”
#6 Create and collaborate on some local events. Well, that’s actually in the works already. I already have my Brunch & Supper Club, but I wanted to do more. So, I ran into another group of guys and girls doing their thing up here and we’ve all become friends.
I’m glad to be a part of the Uptown Collective and though I may not be one of the daily operation guys, I’m sure I’ll start getting my feet wet when it comes to creating events, etc in the neighborhood (we’re having a brunch and supper club/Uptown Collective meetup later this month fyi).
#7 Last, but not least, just smile. I just want to smile (even if I don’t have the best dental records) a lot more. You wouldn’t believe how far smiling can take you…
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Just a few days ago they celebrated 32 years of marriage *round of applause*
These two grew up at a different time. The people of today can’t even last a quarter of that time because they want to give up on marriages right away. Lucky for me, through all the issues I’m sure these two have had, love has conquered all.
I cant stress enough how important it was for me and my sister to grow up in a two parent household. I really don’t know how we would have turned out if one of them had to raise the both of us. Luckily, that never happened.
These two produced a beautiful daughter and a so-so son (I’m fine as wine, I’m just being modest). I wonder if I can ever find a woman to help me top this picture. Probably not. Mommy will always be more beautiful than her.
Awwwwwww…
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to Jessica over at the beautifully written and popular blog site, Black Love Speak, for re-posting my Dominican Chronicles content (ones that focus on race) on her site. I appreciate you reading and posting my content on your site so it can reach a larger audience and hopefully alert people to some of the racism that occurs in other cultures.
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