Geek Chic Decor | Marvel Comics Retro Love Comic Murals

I haven’t drawn anything in quite some time so last night I figured it would be nice to draw superheroes & comic related art. If I had to choose between drawing superheroes or beautiful fashion related sketches (which I love drawing,) hands down I’d chose powers over fabrics any day.

So after gathering all my materials (pencils, eraser, and sketch book) I began perusing the Web in search of some inspiration. I found some awesome things, but in the midst of my search I ran across the most amazing thing I have ever seen; series of large murals featuring retro Marvel comics.

Some of the artwork actually comes in a few sizes, but a majority of the artwork come in a large mural format. I know it’s geeky to want to have Marvel comic themed artwork in your living room, but I’ve got to admit the Marvel Comics Retro Love Comic Murals are far from geeky. It’s this innovative pop art expression, and I’m a big fan of pop art & retro loved themed comic panels, so I’m totally going to buy one or two murals.

The murals range from $124 to $279 (the one to the right cost that much because it’s 96″ x 96″).  Even if you’re not a fan of the loved themed ones, then you can also check out some of the awesome Marvel Comic murals that featuring some amazing superheroes. There are so many different options to choose from, so the best thing to do is visit the website & began bookmarking the ones you want to buy.

Art.com & AllPosters.com both sale these murals, so click the links below to browse the selection. It’s so geeky yet very chic! It’s the perfect wall art solution for a geek-chic female who wants to take her modern apartment & add a retro vibe. It’s also great for guys that love their bachelor pads and want to show off a passion for Marvel without going over board like Steve Carrell’s room in the 40-year-old Virgin. It’s a nice balance of geek decor infused with modern edge that make its super cool.

So to all my fellow geeks & nerds out there, if you want to show off your style without going overboard, then I suggest you check out these murals and find one or two that suit your taste. What’s the point in having geek tendencies if you don’t get to show them off in your living space? I love comic book artwork, so you know I have to show it off my living space. If I’ve learned anything from my years of watching HGTV, I’ve learned it’s important to show off your personality. Now that’s the beauty of decorating. Bits & pieces of you should be incorporated in your design. So if you’re geeky, then show it off!

Click the following link for Marvel Comics Retro Love Comic Murals:
http://www.allposters.com/gallery.asp?startat=/getthumb.asp&txtSearch=love%20comic%20panel&CID=

Click the following for all Marvel murals:
http://www.art.com/gallery/id–b151973-d207244/marvel-wall-murals.htm

Below are an assortment of Love Comic Murals & Retro Comic Murals from Marvel.

©Jasmine McGee.ThinkSoul25. http://thinksoul25.com

Throwback Jams | Friday R&B Session

Lately I’ve found myself listening to a lot of 90s R&B. For quite some time I was on this hiatus with R&B and love songs, but I can’t just stop listening to good music (especially if it’s from the 90s.) The 90s had some of the best R&B songs and on Friday’s I like to just listening to nothing else but 90s music. Well, I still listen to house but I mainly have nostalgic Fridays.

The sounds of the 80s and 90s propel forward throughout my day, and today I’m enjoying a nice selection of R&B songs from the early 90s. So here are a few of the songs I’ve been listening to today.

I used to sing the lyrics to this song when I was about 9 years old, and my mom would always tell me to stop singing it because it was a song for “adults.” Haha, well now I’m an adult and hell yeah I’m gonna recite the lyrics!

Next – “Too Close”

R. Kelly – “She’s Got That Vibe”

I love this song! I’m a huge fan of Jagged Edge, but “Gotta Be”  was always a song I really was feeling. I’ve got a lot of good memories rushing to my head when I think about this song. I been in love once, and I would listen to this song all the time. Of course we weren’t going to get married or anything, but I felt so madly in love.

Blackstreet – “Before I Let You Go”

Aw man! This used to be the joint! So many great passionate goodbye kisses on this song….

People always talk about “Poison” but Bell Biv Devoe had some other great songs too, even though Poison is my favorite.

Will Smith ft. DJ Jazzy Jeff – “I’m Looking For the One”

Tony Toni Tone – “Lets Get Down”

Guy – “Wanna Get With You”

Aaron Hall – “Don’t Be Afraid”

Janet – “Together Again”

Omg, my friends and I used to do all the dance steps to this video! We’d have slumber parties and would perform a choreographed dance to this song just for fun. Ah, those were the days.

Man, you’ve got to admit thought that Aaliyah was one of the best singers during the 90s and early 2000. I used to think that she was the most beautiful woman in the world. She was everything I wanted to be. As a little girl (age 12) my friends and I used to always gossip about how much we loved her and when we were 21 we wanted to look like Aaliyah. It’s so tragic that she died at such a young age. Even though she is no longer here, she will always be the most beautiful woman and talented singer in my opinion.

One In a Million

Are You That Somebody

©Jasmine McGee.ThinkSoul25. http://thinksoul25.com

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• Throwback: “This Is How We Do It” (thinksoul25.com)

Throwback: “This Is How We Do It”

Yes, Friday is finally here! I’ve been waiting all week for this day to finally arrive, and now it’s officially here. It’s not like I had a hot date or anything planned (usually I do, but eh not this week,) so I’m just going to chill out this weekend and hopefully maybe go to Deep Sugar tomorrow. It’s been so long since I’ve gone to Deep Sugar @Paradox in Baltimore. My mind, body, and soul have been aching for some good old fashioned house dancing until the break of dawn. But most likely I will end up not going, but who knows, my brother might decide to actually go and I’ll tag along.

There nothing like the sound of house music pulsating in your ears, and propelling you to get lost in a euphoric state. But there is one thing that is parallel to house music in terms of getting lost in a zone, 90s hip-hop & r&b. Don’t even get me started on New Jack Swing! My mom and me end up dancing around the house for hours a few times throughout the week, and all you can hear is the loud speakers blasting 90s anthems (oh, 80s funk too!) There are a lot of good songs from the 90s that I still listen to, but on a daily basis I’m constantly hearing Montell Jordan’s classic song “This Is How We Do It.”

I don’t purposely go to YouTube and listen to it everyday…well, there is no need for that. Every time my mom’s phone rings or I call her, I’m immediately greeted by the hook from Montell Jordan’s “This Is How We Do It.” I’ll be in the same room as here, but just for fun I will call her and jam out to her callertune, which is the same as her ringtone. It’s totally one of those moments where all you can say that the 90s called and they want their music back. But no, I don’t want to give it back. The 90s must never die! Nope, I can’t allow a social assassin to come in and kill the party mood with some crappy new commercial hip-hop. Nope, can’t allow it!

“This Is How We Do It” will always be a great 90s anthem, and of course the Friday “Pay Day” song. It’s awesome for a day like this when you get paid, you’ve got the weekend ahead of you, and you can co do whatever you want. Ah, so refreshing. I’m not sure what I’m going to do this weekend, but even if I don’t get to go to Deep Sugar, I’m still going to dance around the house singing “This Is How We Do It.” Sounds like a good plan, right?

Just cause…here is a remix of the original song with my favorite dance move shufflin. It’s a mash up of Montell Jordan’s “This is How We Do it” with LMFAO’s “Party Rock Anthem.” It’s pretty awesome!

©Jasmine McGee.ThinkSoul25. http://thinksoul25.com

Shakin’ My Head

The more I interact with other individuals in my generation, the more I realize how ignorant so many people my age are to such classic history, music, and iconic figures. A lot of the people I randomly come into contact with tend to be very close minded and just brainwashed by popular music and trends. I’m not saying that all the music and culture out today is terrible, but there is so much stuff throughout history that deserves some solid appreciation. I can’t really blame a lot of other people in my age group( I’m 20) but I think it’s also part of the major ignorance can be attributed to the lack of parents actually teaching their children more than just basic essentials of life.

I’m really fortunate to have grown up in a household with a mother that immersed me in all things culture from the 20s,30s,40s,50s,60s,70s, and 80s. By the time I grew up in the early 90s and the early 2000s, I was already being described as an “old soul” amongst my peers. Many of my teachers would always talk to me during lunch or after school and I would be amazed at how much culture I knew. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for staying current, but I love being nostalgic. Sometimes I often find myself wishing I could go back into the future and actually see Count Basie perform, jump and jive with Cab Calloway, dance with the Nicholas Brothers, and be on set while Jerry Lewis did his usual antics.

Not to go on a rant, but seriously, who doesn’t know who Jerry Lewis is? Idk maybe I’m just super nostalgic, but I actually have met so many people who don’t know about Jerry Lewis. They don’t even know about Cab Calloway! Then they have the nerve to call me old and make fun of me. Seriously, I can’t even begin to tell you how many ignorant men this week have just pissed me off. First one guy says my callertune “Tom’s Diner” isn’t a good song, then another guy had the nerve to say that all those old movies on Turner Classic movies suck and why do I bother watching them? If that wasn’t enough, he even said I was an “old lady” because I like classic films. Wow, so rude! I don’t even see why I bother giving ignorant guys my age a chance. I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m a nostalgic old soul and I need a man that is an old soul (still age appropriate of course, oldest I’ve ever talked to was a guy 28) or at least not ignorant and open to appreciating more than just Drake, Rick Ross, and other uber mainstream artists.

It’s such a shame how ignorant people can be, and then they treat you as if you’re some type of freak because you actually care about more than 2011 culture. I know complaining about it isn’t going to solve the problem, and it sure isn’t going to stop ignorant men from just being assholes to me and making fun of my interests. But hey, I’m not going to stop being myself, and I damn sure am not going to hide who I am or my interests. Not point in living life like some forsaken apology. Just because people chose to be ignorant to classic culture doesn’t mean I have to all of a sudden conform and like what everyone else likes. I’m such a diverse person. I can’t just like one thing or become confined to one mindset; that just isn’t the way my mom and dad raised me.

Being close minded is so not cool, and lacking some nostalgia isn’t impressive either. I can’t change the way people are, but it doesn’t mean I have to let people talk shitty to me and make fun of my interests. At the end of the day, the only person that matter is myself and my interests. So all I’m going to do is shake my head, walk away from the annoying ignorant individuals, and keep falling in love with my appreciation for the following: 90s music, 80s funk, 40s/50s movies & music, vintage fashions, world music, sushi, international cuisines, and so many other things that I find fascinating. I’m just being Jazz, so you truly either get me or you don’t. But at the end of the day, don’t try to tear me down and mock my interests. SMH…that’s not legit.

Below are some of the things I’m into, and I plan on posting more regularly.

One of my favorite scenes from Cinderfella.

Man, I so want to take up swing lessons! My mom first showed me the clip from Hellzapoppin’ when I was like 12 years old. I still love the scene below, so timeless!

It’s Howlin’ Wolf, need I even say more?

Nicholas Brothers+ Cab Calloway= Classic Dance & Music. I love the Nicholas Brothers, as well as Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

I have so much more stuff to post, so I’m just going to devote some posts to some videos I find interesting. Stay tuned for more!

©Jasmine McGee.ThinkSoul25. http://thinksoul25.com

Reviving the Delorean

For those days in life that are so dull, sometimes I wish I could find Doc Brown and have him install a Flux Capacitor in my car (well, if I had a car.) If I still had my 88′ Toyota Camry (it was older than me, sad right?) I’d have Doc Brown from Back to the Future hook up my ride. It would be an interesting attempt to turn a Camry into a time machine, but I think Doc Brown could handle it. Or he’d just get upset, and just say “Let’s go buy a Delorean.”

You can’t have a time machine without having a Delorean; it would be impossible to install a proper functioning Flux Capacitor into a car that wasn’t made with such a durable steel. Any geek knows that the only car worthy of being a time machine is the Delorean DMC-12. It really became an iconic car during the 80s thanks to Back to the Future, and it’s presence in automotive history is noteworthy.

The Delorean DMC-12 is perhaps one of the coolest and innovative cars made. While most fancy sports cars have scissor doors (aka the suicide doors on a Lamborghini,) the Delorean DMC-12 made a statement with it’s gull-wing doors. The door design, along with the futuristic metal appearance, are what make this car so cool in my opinion. I’d so love to pull up to a night club in a Delorean DMC-12 and look like the ultimate badass geek. But of course where on earth would I even find a Delorean DMC-12? Yes, you can still buy them from various dealers and restore them, but it’s not like Delorean’s are in the mass market; not until 2013.

That’s right, the Delorean will be returning to the consumer in 2013. Guess we are moving towards the future. Well I shouldn’t really say the “consumer,” because the car is going to start out at 90k ranging up to 100k and it’s being reserved by interested buyers. I of course can’t afford to dish out cash like that on a Delorean DMC-12, but it is very cool that the company is bring the car back with one major change; the car will be electric based. In order to stay cutting edge, green, and somewhat futuristic, Delorean Motors Inc decided to release a new model called the Delorean EV. It still parallels the same concept of the 1980s Delorean DMC-12, but it runs on a 720lb battery pack engineered by Flux Power (a company that creates batteries and power for electric cars.)

The battery pack of the car looks pretty futuristic thanks to the super cool lighting! It wasn’t an easy task converting a gas powered Delorean DMC-12 into an electric running mean machine, but the company has been working on it for the past four years. While we’ve all been enjoying Back to the Future showings on television, somewhere out there in the world engineers, scientists, technicians, and car enthusiasts have been meticulous trying to revive the Delorean and keep it’s iconic look alive. I’m sure there are automotive experts out there who have refurbished the original Delorean DMC-12, but I don’t think anyone except for Delorean Moters Inc. thought about making the car electric; it’s a pretty cool upgrade for this classic car, so we will have to wait for the reviews to continue rolling in as the launch date gets closer in the next year.

©Jasmine McGee.ThinkSoul25. http://thinksoul25.com

A Life Lesson From Steve Jobs: Connect the Dots

I’ve never been big on memorizing quotes and devoting myself to any daily mantras, but there are some memorable quotes by Steve Jobs that are worth having as daily mantras. His above speech is one of his most iconic speeches ever given, and I’m sure the 2005 class of Stanford University would agree. Steve Jobs was truly a revolutionary figure in the history of technological innovation, and he did all that without even having a college degree. Even though I’m graduating in less than a year, his speech reminded me that college isn’t everything. For those of us who are in college, it shouldn’t be the only thing that we strive to excel in.

One thing I’ve done so far in my life, is to strive for my dreams and unleash my creative passion. I never take no for an answer, which is why I’ve accomplished a great deal of tasks in my writing career thus far. I’ve never been one to tread lightly on this journey of life. Each day I wake up with a desire to fulfill a creative task, and hopefully become closer to making my dream come true. But I do find myself sometimes worried/concerned about what the future holds and where I will end up once I graduate.

But after watching Steve Jobs’ commencement speech, I’m filled with an intoxicating sense of peace. He said a lot of beautiful sentences that spoke to everyone on a different level, but the quote that stood out to me the most was his theory on connecting the dots. Around 4:50 in the video, Steve discusses how dropping out of college, taking a calligraphy class, and finding what he truly loved would have never happened if he would have connected the dots looking forward. In his speech he said, “You can only connect the dots in your life by looking back—not forward…Connect the dots and find what you love.”

That is one of the best quotes I’ve ever heard in my life. It truly speaks to the essence of every moment of discovery we embark on as human beings; each day we are learning something new about ourselves and getting closer to finding a purpose. We may not know how everything is going to come together in the end, but you can at least keep doing what you love. When you’re lost and not sure which path to head down, then you can look back and connect the dots. I may not know where I’m going to end up once I graduate, but I know that I’ll keep writing and shooting for my dreams. As long as I keep pushing forward and doing what I love, one day I’ll look back and be able to connect all the dots. As long as I keep believing in my dreams, never stop moving, and doing anything I put my mind to, then I can look back and not have any regrets in my life.

If we can learn anything from Steve Jobs and his iconic journey as CEO of Apple, we can learn that you can truly do anything you put your mind to. No matter your level of education, background, or circumstance in life; you can be anybody you want to be. All you have to do is write the book, write the script, and make it a reality. So in the words of Steve Jobs, “Stay hungry. Stay foolish.”

RIP Steve Jobs…..

Livin Joy – Don`t Stop Movin

Since it’s Friday and the weekend is about to begin, here is some classic 90s dance inspiration. Don’t stop movin and live your dreams!

©Jasmine McGee.ThinkSoul25. http://thinksoul25.com

Monopoly, the Game of Life Lessons

I’ve been slaving away at homework all day and anxiously awaiting for my advisor to email me back. The homework is tedious as usual, but the good news is I officially graduate in Summer 2012. Even though I need 120 credits to graduate and will have them at the end of May, I will still need 2 upper division courses. It doesn’t matter what the two courses are, as long it’s upper division; so graduating next summer should be a breeze!

As I get closer to finishing undergraduate, a part of me looks back on my childhood and says “wow.” I can’t believe I’m almost done with college. It feels like it was only yesterday that I was having sleepovers and playing board games. I’ve always been a huge video game junkie, but I had a special spot in my heart for classic board games. Sometimes it was nice to put the controller down, invite some buddies over, and play boardgames.

I will admit, I haven’t played a board game in a long time. We live in such a digital society and the concept of sitting down to play a board game gets lost in the mix of high-tech gadgets, amazing videogames, and arcade games. But it’s not like the board game market has gone out of a business; they still make board games. Trust me, there is still a team of people out there at Hasbro and other big name companies that are constantly contemplating ways to attract more people to play board games.

I grew up playing the classic board games such as Monopoly, Life, Sorry, and Scrabble. I used to have so much fun as a kid using my brain to make decisions. Board games aren’t the hardest thing in the world to play, but they do require strategy. Life and Monopoly are probably the only two games I played that actually prepared me for life. What better way to prepare children for a future than creating games that explore the oh so exciting world of finance, career decisions, owning property, and having a family.

Back in the day it seemed like Monopoly was just a fun, sometimes tedious game that I played with my friends, but in actuality I learned a lot from it. I learned that owning property is actually a great way to achieve wealth in our society. I even learned that it takes a simple get out of jail card to avoid sentencing in life….NOT! Lol. Not everything in the game has a life applicable lesson, but the guys at Hasbro are trying to make the game more realistic. Hasbro recently released a new version of the game called Monopoly:Electronic Banking. The new version of the game is attempting to stay current with the technological innovations in our society and it uses a credit card based banking system.

The new game actually looks pretty interesting and it is a great way to teach kids about a credit based system. But I think they should incorporate some credit score aspects. For instance, instead of being able to buy a property you should have to pass the credit score test. LOL! That would be crazy, but its so true. That would probably be a lot for little kids to handle, but it would be a serious learning experience.

But I digress, Monopoly is supposed to be fun and contain a few applicable life lessons. But the new electronic banking edition might just be the digital makeover that sets a trend in the board game community. Maybe more games will start to take an electronic approach. Life has already added a credit card based system, so it will only be a matter of time before more children are learning those valuable life lessons from board games.

©Jasmine McGee.ThinkSoul25. http://thinksoul25.com