From the category archives:

Travel

How to Protect Your Brand

THANK YOU to everyone who supported my SXSW panel — from the early days of panel picker voting to attending the event to rating it on SXSW’s system. I’ll post a list of intellectual property educational resources (e.g. Copyright 2.0, EFF, Creative Commons, etc.) in the days or weeks ahead. In the meantime, here are links to each of the panlelists: Oren Bitan, Danny O’Brien, Elena Paul and Eric Steuer. If you weren’t able to attend the panel, a podcast (and, maybe, video?) will be made available as soon as I get my hands on copies. Also, to the folks not in Austin, I SWEAR this isn’t turning into a SXSW-only site. I leave Texas tomorrow morning. I’ll be back to my NYC life — and writing about sex, dating, relationships and other stuff — very very soon.

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UPDATE: Shout out / thank you to Adrants and Austin American-Statesman for writing about the panel.

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{ 13 folks got down with the Funky Brown }

You Know You’re in Texas When …

Welcome to Austin, TX :)

Ah, Texas is so special. I’m at SXSW. I’ll try to update this site while I’m down here, but you can also get down with the funky brown by following me on Twitter for play-by-play action.

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{ 8 folks got down with the Funky Brown }

Sex in America, SXSW and BlogHer Seasonal Affective Disorder

House is a mess. I haven’t visited the gym (or gone for a hard run) in almost a month. I’m not getting enough sleep. My mailbox is probably stuffed and overflowing with white envelopes, flyers, magazine subscriptions and books from publishers because I haven’t emptied my PO Box in three weeks. Yada yada yada … It’s been a long week, and I’m soooo fucking glad it’s Friday. I need a break. :(

My social life is manic. Either I’m sitting at home, wrapped in a blanket, curled up on my couch complaining that I don’t want to go outside because it’s cold / snowing / raining / I’m on my period / whatever OR there’s a million things going on at the same time. This week, I went out a bunch more than usual; so, I need a low key weekend. You know, a little R&R. Speaking of which … It’s almost 2am on Friday morning, and I’m finally getting to bed. But, before I sign off, a couple quick announcements:

BlogHer
I just got the word it’s okay to blab the news: I’m speaking at the 5th Annual BlogHer Conference in Chicago this summer. Sooooo happy about this for two reasons: (1) I’ll see my friends and family back home and (2) I’m excited to finally get more actively involved with BlogHer because I’ve been  silently plugged in for a couple years.

SXSW
Tiffany B. Brown called it “Tech Freaknik” (a phrase originated by misterjt), and Larry Smith once said it’s the “Burning Man of Tech Conferences.” Whatever you’d like to call SXSW, if you’re going to be in Austin, I’d really like it if you’d come to my panel.

Sex in America
Friday night, I’m going to “Sex in America: Can the Conversation Change?” — an event co-sponsored by Open Center and Huffington Post. (This is the FINAL “planned” activity for my week. After this: relaxation.) Anyway. Panelists — Cory Silverberg, Amy Sohn, Leonore Tiefer, Ian Kerner and Esther Parel — are going to discuss: “How do the politics of sex enter the American bedroom?” If you live in New York, come to the event. Details are online. A bunch of you told me you liked the Man Pageant liveblog, so I might do the same for tonight’s shindig in case non NYC-dwelling Funky Brown Chick readers want to hear what the panel says about sex + politics.

Okay. C’est tout. Good night.

Must. Sleep.

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PS: I retitled this post from “Sex in America, SXSW and BlogHer” to “Seasonal Affective Disorder” after a reader told me I sounded depressed. Fret not little ones; I just need a little sun. Anyone who knows we well knows that winter and I are arch enemies.

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{ 10 folks got down with the Funky Brown }

Obama + Cupcakes

I’m still in our nation’s capital for the ‘naug. So far it’s been great catching up with friends in the city and hanging out downtown. The picture below is a sticker I picked up at Georgetown Cupcake. (Love that place; their valrhona choc cupcake w/ mocha frosting topped with a choc-covered espresso bean is amazing.) Speaking of pics, I’ll post snapshots on my Obama Fever Flickr throughout this trip and, of course, I’m on Twitter the whole time I’m here too.

Georgetown Cupcake Obama Sticker

Last but not least … Thanks to an AWESOME friend of a friend, I actually scored tickets to Tuesday’s swearing in ceremony. So, it’s like 10:45pm as I type this. I’m heading to bed soon because I’ve gotta be downtown at the crack of dawn. Still can’t believe I’m actually here & I’m going. Best. Birthday. Ever.

More soon.

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{ 5 folks got down with the Funky Brown }

Escape from New York

Unless someone discovers how to route DSL lines through rabbits’ asses or wifi via deer antlers in the next 20 mins, I’m thumbing this post out on my Blackberry. Still back home with the family, chipmunks, snow, ice and coyotes. Gaaah! I’m choking on internet withdrawal. I miss being online. Haven’t checked blogs, eyeballed BBC or online editions of international newspapers, answered emails from friends, logged into Facebook, slapped pics up on Flickr or submitted article pitches in days. But I HAVE spent a lot of time with my family. That’s been really great. I fly back to NYC tomorrow and I’ll be back online then. In the meantime, you can get micro “What is Twanna doing right now?” updates by following me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/funkybrownchick. Interesting developments / plans for 2009. Some are private but I’ll share others with you the next time I update the blog. More soon. :)

{ 10 folks got down with the Funky Brown }

Why Are You Still Single?

In high school, I subscribed to House Beautiful via American Family Publishers because I hoped Ed McMahon would arrive at my front door with a life sized $1,000,000,000 check written out to Twanna A. Hines. It never happened BUT … I have proof people actually do win contests. I won a three-night and four-day complimentary all-inclusive spa vacation package to Red Mountain Spa from SingleEdition.com. It includes a 50-minute Swedish Massage, deluxe accommodation, roundtrip shuttle service from Las Vegas, three daily gourmet meals / healthy living classes and daily guided hiking. I’m gonna see Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon. That’s at least 20 different shades of awesome! See, folks? It pays to be single. ;)

Warm Stone Massage

I sooo can’t wait to schedule and take this trip sometime next year; I need it. Needless to say, I’ll take you along by posting real-time videos, blog posts and snapshots. I’m thinking of turning it into a writing retreat: just me & my laptop, cranking out pages of the book. And, of course, HUGE hat tip to the folks at Red Mountain Spa and SingleEdition.com. Check out both of those sites. You never know … YOU might win something, too! Speaking of single stuff, I notice Single Edition just posted the Top 15 Comebacks to “Why are you still single”? on Facebook. Here’s the list:

1. What? And spoil my great sex life?
2. Why aren’t you dating/divorced yet?
3. It gives my mother/father something to live for.
4. I already have enough laundry to do, thank you.
5. Is this a proposal?
6. Because I think it would take all the spontaneity out of dating.
7. I’m waiting for you to get divorced so I can marry your wife/husband.
8. It didn’t seem worth a blood test.
9. The mail order bride/groom hasn’t arrived from Russia yet.
10. “I’m not done boozing and whoring”
11. Because having both a husband and a child would be redundant.
12. I’d have to forfeit my billion dollar trust fund.
13. I’m waiting for your son/daughter to turn 18.
14. Why settle for just one.
15. So I don’t have to cheat on my left hand.

Single people, if you often get asked “Why are you still single?” go to Facebook & and add a comeback to the list.

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{ 22 folks got down with the Funky Brown }

What’s the Greatest City on Earth?

Mark Frauenfelder over at Boing Boing is confused. “I wanted to live in the greatest city on Earth,” he says, “so I moved to Los Angeles.” Whatever. If he *REALLY* wanted to live in “the greatest city on Earth” he would’ve moved to New York. Or, maybe, Amsterdam (pictured).

Delusions aside, I’ve gotta say I love Mark’s recent list of interesting books. Damon Brown’s Porn & Pong: How Grand Theft Auto, Tomb Raider and other Sexy Games Changed Our Culture made the cut and sounds particularly interesting. (Any gamers out there???) By the way, hat tip to Mikey P. for bringing Mark’s list to my attention. Mike shot me an email noting these books “might appeal to your readers.” See that? Not only do *I* look out for and love my readers, my friends do as well! Some of them even mention some of you by name. Seriously. The other day, Bro asked, “Where’s Mama Christy? She hasn’t commented in a while.” And, Mags said, “Is it just me? I never ‘get’ lamesabassman’s comments.”

See, that’s love.

Anywoo, my stat counter tells me I’ve got quite a few “new” readers. I’m always curious to know who’s out there and where you’re visiting from. No need to give specific details. (i.e. “Hi, My name is Bob Sanders from Crawville, North Carolina. I’m 28 years old, married with 2 toddlers and my wife doesn’t know I read your blog.”) A simple “Hi from Westminster, Colorado!” will do. Come on. Make the funky brown chick happy on this cloudy Tuesday afternoon!! Lurkers, regulars, first time visitors, friends and foes, please use the comment section to tell me where you are and/or which city YOU think is the best city on earth. Was Mark right? Is Los Angeles the place to be? Dunno. When one of my single NY-dwelling girlfriends asked an LA-dwelling friend if she should move out west to plop herself in the middle of all those scantily clad single men (surfers, yum), the LA woman told the New Yorker: “No no no.  No.  LA is no great mecca for meeting guys. [...] I think there are more single guys out here because none of these hollywood motherfuckers would be caught dead in relationships.” :) Funny. Maybe the key to finding the greatest city is finding the one that “fits” you best. For me, for right now, that’s New York City baby! (Though, I often miss Amsterdam.) How about you? What’s your favorite city?

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{ 41 folks got down with the Funky Brown }

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