Friends, Romans, countrymen, bloggers lend me your eyes.....................

It's a done deal. I'm getting another car.

Let the official car search phuckery begin.

In the spirit of this journey I'm on let's make this fun. I want any and all car suggestions from you BUT there are a few stipulations.

• Four door vehicles only
• No drop tops
• Price....hmmmmmmmm do I want to limit the price. Yeah I do. Nothing over $20K.
• No humongous SUV's. Tires on those sap suckas are expensive!
  

Those are the basics. Once everything is said and done regarding the claim, we are going to try and make this process as quick and painless as possible. I'm ready to get back to my type of normal life.

Oh and if anyone mentions a pre-owned Pinto like Mistah did............................



And now for a musical selection

Bloody Mary's

I’m supposed to be working on a report (and have been since last Wednesday). I can’t seem to get my writing juices flowing this morning so I decided to do a post instead. Honestly, I haven’t been doing so good in the productivity department since my boss took off for vacay. *sigh* I’m going to do better…..when she gets back. *shudders*

Today’s post is brought to you today by the letters N-A-S & T-Y. That’s the word I used to describe whichever hoe, b*tch, scallywag, diseased rhinoceros pheasant trollop decided to leave traces of their menstrual cycle all over one of the commode seats in the ladies room. And I'm not just talking a single drop....that ish was splattered.....on both sides.....like some damn abstract art!!! Say it with me folks….EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!

I was beyond grossed out and extremely pissed that the offender (1) didn’t even have the common courtesy to wipe that sh*t off so it wouldn’t be visible and/or (2) have enough common sense to look at the seat before they left the stall. I only wish that I could have seen who it was so I could have added their name to the sign I made and taped on the wall in the stall.

I just went to look for the picture of the sign in my phone and realized I forgot to take one.

(insert Niecy Nash Clean House grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr sound effect here)

No worries, I made another for effect.

I was telling Z about it and he just shook his head and gave the usual ‘Makes you wonder what they are like at home’ response. You know what? I don’t really care. Do what you want in your own home but at least TRY and have some type of damn decorum/manners/home training (well I guess that wouldn’t apply if one is that nasty at the house) about yourself in public…..GOOD GRIEF! I refuse to even go in that stall anymore. As a matter of fact, I do believe I shall start going upstairs to handle my beeswax. Yeah, yeah I know nasty is everywhere but there are way less people on that floor and I’d rather take my chances squatting elsewhere.

Pookie and 'Nem..............................

Imagine my surprise when I was hipped to this toy on the SEARS website.

This, my friends, is a Gangsta Baby Pookie Doll.

Yeah let that sink in for a minute. Oh and he's not alone! Pookie's got some boys to keep him company.

Gangsta Baby Benjino (who I affectionately refer to as Gangsta Chucky)

&

Gangsta Baby Rey Rey

Is this not some of this most atrocious mess???!!! When the hell did babies become gangstas? Whose kid do you know would want a doll like this? I'm sorry but I can't think of any. And don't you just LOVE how they threw the white doll in there? Yeah I've seen that Jedi mind trick before. It's that same 'I'm not a racist because I have black friends' mentality so we're going to throw the white doll in there so no one can pull the race card on us. I'm SO outdone by this coonery!

Lil' Wayne, I blame you for this.

Ummmm, excuse you!

This year Halloween fell on a weekend and I was cooped up in the house pretty much all day with the exception of taking the pooches walking early in the morning. Around 5 o'clock that evening, I got antsy and had the urge to jump ship. I slapped on a pair of jeans, a white tee, a jacket and my sneaks and I was out tha do' yo! After reading a few blogs about knitting, I was inspired and decided my destination was Hobby Lobby. My mission, if I chose to accept it.....learn how to knit.

As I arrived in the store, I browsed other sections until I made my way over to where the knitting stuff was. I was sooooo ready and excited as I looked at all the pretty types, colors, and textures of yarn. And all the pretty types, colors, sizes of needles. And all the different types of 'how to' books. Then I got bored. *sigh* Reality sunk in and I realized this wasn't for me for right now. I still want to do it BUT I know me. I need to take a class. I need hands on help because me trying to interpret what was in those books and stay motivated on my own=KNITTING FAIL. Womp womp. So that was that and I headed off to a store where I knew I could make a positive impact on the economic crisis....TAR.GET BEESHES!! I'm happy to report I only walked out with an exercise DVD of The Firm. Have ya'll tried it? They thighs have never been so tight. Well yes they have but....never mind.

Anyway, so I'm headed home right? Right. As I turn down my street, I notice there are still quite a few people out getting free candy trick or treating some of who happen to be right in front of our driveway. Before I come to a halt, I hit the garage opener to give the folks a heads up that I'm trying to get in the driveway. You would think the combination of that, me sitting in the car in the street not moving, and the garage door going up would trigger something in their heads to move but nerp. There they stood and there I sat trying to be patient and understanding. I inch up a bit and do you know those country bumpkins still don't budge. Bump this!!

Me: *rolling down my window and screaming with extreme at-ti-tude* Ummmmmm, excuse me can you all MOVE! I'm trying to get in my driveway.

So they move, I pull in and then this happens.

Some random chick with kids: Ummmmmmm, excuse you!

Me: *thinking I know this bitch did NOT just try and get jiggy with me* Come again?

SRC: I said excuse you.

Me: Bitch I don't know who the hell you think you talking to but it would behoove you to shut the fuck up.

SRC: Well you didn't have to be so rude when asking us to move.

Me: You didn't have to take all day moving your ass. You saw me waiting in my car, you saw the garage door open. Did you think I was doing it for my health? What else did you want? An invitation??? Step the hell off.

And she did but damn. If she and her folks would have just moved in the first place all of that could have been avoided. Did I really have to cuss her out? Probably not but I did and I would do it all over again in a NY minute. After all that mess, I probably needed to knit...hell.

I'm over it now but a hoe had ya girl heated!!!! Anyway, since she decided to bring the hood out me, I will leave you all with a bit of musical accompaniment from the Ghetto Boys.

Here's the thing...............

.................I've got lupus.

The facts:

• was just diagnosed two weeks ago
• it's incurable and genetic. My big sis reminded me that my paternal grandmother had it. I was only 11 when she passed away so I really don't remember much.
  
• my beautician found a spot on my scalp a few months back
• I tried OTC (over the counter) stuff but it didn't work
• Went to see a dermatologist
  
• He performed a biopsy. Translation, he cut the 'spot' out of my scalp so that it could be tested leaving me with a mini-crater in mah head!!
  
• It didn't really hurt but I felt him cutting. It's healing nicely. :)
• He thought it might be discoid lupus but based on the results of the biopsy and blood work it turned out to be systemic which is the really sucky kind.
• Here's a good explanation of all the types if you're interested.
  
• Went to see a rhuematologist (sp?)
  
• He did more blood work and had me do some weird 'exercises'.
• I have no symptoms other than this thing in mah head. Back up....I do have another alopecia type spot in my scalp but you can't see it.
• After visiting the Rhue and my PCP, it has been determined that (1) I am doing extremely well ...............so far and (2) it is not uncommon for one to have lupus and not have many of the common symptoms associated with it.
  
• No meds for me right now...only an emergency prescription for steroids should I experience a flare up.
• I challenged that method to both doc's but apparently the drugs most folks take while their lupus is active is not something you want to take while it's inactive (which mine is). According to them, the side effects could do more damage especially if nothing is happening...confusing right. Yeah for me too.
  
• Anyhow, my state could very well change at any minute.....here's hoping it stays this way
• Z has been AMAZING...I couldn't ask for a better support system during this time
• I still haven't told my mom. I was going to while she was here with the kids but I thought better of it. She was beat and I figured it would be better to wait when I go up to Memphis for the reunion so we can have some QUIET one on one time (hopefully).
• I haven't told my other sister either. I was thinking I could also just sit them all down together to have a big pow wow. As you can see I have not thought through the details all that well. :)
  

So that's the quick and clean version of my life for the past few months. I'm sure you all have noticed that I really don't get too deep and bogged down with 'heavy' (and personal) stuff on here. Posting this was actually a big step for me. I like to keep it light and upbeat and it will stay that way just maybe with an added update or two here and there about my status.

In better news, I bought these today from Target. They have them in black in the store and teal and gray online if you're interested.

Either your in or your out...............................

This week has been a rough one work wise. Layoffs started this past Monday. We've known about them since around ohhhhhhhhhhhh March sometime. I know classy huh? We just didn't know who would be affected. Now that it's all coming out in the wash, it ain't purty. Having to wait has kinda been like a slow work death of sorts. Even though we really weren't supposed to find out that early (gotta love people who leave classified information lying around on printers, lol), the wait has been both a good and bad thing. Good because it at least gave people time to start the job search; bad because is morale has been low.

This week I've seen crying people, pissed people, depressed lookin people, trying to keep an upbeat attitude people, still trying to work through the storm people, I don't give a phuck people, it is what it is people....you get the drift. I fall in the last description. As far as me....so far so good. There's still tomorrow and Friday though so who knows. Our Admin. Asst. came to me a few weeks ago and told me (even though she wasn't supposed to) that her position had been eliminated but that she was offered another position in the company. A lady that works a couple of desks back from me eluded to the same thing today and started to cry. I consoled her but told her to dry her eyes because at the end of the day YOU still have a check coming in and for that you should be happy. You don't have to worry about what the future holds for you, the rest of us can't say the same right now.

My boss has been one of those still trying to work through the storm people. She's a special (ed) chick to put it mildly. As much as she irks my last nerve somedays, I think working with her in this position has (potentially) saved me from the cut.....this time. My spidey senses tell me this is not the last of this though.............

How do I put this nicely?

My boss....*DEEP HEAVY ASS SIGH*

She’s one of those extremely touch feely people. I DETEST touchy feely people (unless your name is Z and you’re about to put it on me). She’s the type that likes touching your arm, rubbing your shoulder, or patting your thigh when speaking during conversation. Hey! That kinda sounds like grounds for sexual harassment…who’s with me?? Okay…I’m obviously reaching but still the crap irks me to no end. My normal reaction is to move my body away from her touch. I’ll jerk a hand away, move a leg, take a huge step back. etc, etc., etc. I really thought I was doing a good job at making it obvious so that she would catch on. Many months later she has not and now the time has come for me to issue the give me fifty feet verbal warning.

So come on, hit me with your best shot in the comments and tell me the perfect thing to say. If you don’t, I will be forced to go with bitch get off me! You wouldn’t want that now would you?

I'm following suit.......

......and doing a brain dump post. Why? Well shit because I can!

I'm currently watching E.R. but I'm not really watching it like I was last week.

I like the character Neela. I've always thought the lady that plays her is so pretty.

I watched Grey's Anatomy this evening. It was pretty decent and way better than some previous episodes. I think Denny ghoolish ass is finally gone. I sure hope so because that storyline with he and Izzy is WHACKADOCIOUS!!!

Izzy is sick....thank goodness! I hope her character dies and shrivels up into a pile of pixie dust.

I watched Ugly Betty before that. It was pretty good too. If Betty stopped being "ugly" and had a swan moment, would the show still be called Ugly Betty? That question kept running through my head for whatever reason.

I walked and did 45 minutes of Tae-Bo today. Go me!

My neighbor, Mrs. B., fell and broke her hip Tuesday night.

I was relieved it happened after the President and First Lady's first dance.

Judge me if you want to, I'm just being honest.

Her sister-in-law, who lives with them, came over to get Z so he could help get her out of the garage where she fell. Some other dude that's a friend of theirs was there as well.

Z said he didn't want to move her and wanted to wait for the ambulance but dumb bumblefuck (their friend) had already lifted her off of the ground so he (Z) just proceeded to help her to the couch.

Her hip was probably already broken but still. *sigh* The road to recovery will be long and hard for her...especially since she's like 70 something.

I felt bad for Mr. B. This is not the first time this has happened. Mrs. B is always going to the hospital for something or another.

I can't stand people that try and throw you under the bus at work.

I really can't stand people that try and throw you under the bus at work that don't have their facts straight.

I may not like working but I know my job and all that it entails.

If you want to play games, I'd prefer if you save that for family night at your house but since you won't.....come harder next time bitch.

My Memphis folks are back at home from DC.

My STL fam will be leaving tomorrow.

Everyone sounds tired as hell. I'm sure it was memorable but honestly I'm glad I stayed at home.

I wish it was Friday night instead of Thursday night.

My boss won't be a work tomorrow. Hip Hip Hooray!!!!

One of my team mates is getting the can due to a re-org. Too bad because she's the one I liked the best. :(

Our Admin. Asst. still gets on my nerves. She's sweet but DAMN she's annoying!

I got my hair done yesterday. I had her whack the back and trim the sides. The cut I got last year was starting to grow out and looked crazy as hell.

I need to go spend some QT time with my man.

I'll holla!

I ain't no hollaback girl.........

.....so I'll just say I will see ya later. I'm off to see my BFF in Nashville.



And oh yeah, I got another Obama sign. It is now displayed in the window of our house. lol

Homie Don't Play Dat!

Today I had to take my eldest furry child to the vet's office to have a teeth extraction and cleaning done. In an effort to spoil him rotten, AR Gal would frequently buy him those big hearty bones to chew on because he loved them so. In doing so, this has caused him to have a fractured tooth. Now granted noone really knows how it happened but that's my diagnoses and I'm stickin to it. Mkay? Thanks. Unfortunately for my boy, that means no more of those tasty treats but lucky for him I still want to spoil him and his little sister (aka his sidepiece...more on that later) so they will be just fine with other alternatives I've found for them.

So I take him to the vet, talk with the vet asst. for a spell about the procedure that was to be done (a TOOTH extraction and cleaning) say my goodbyes and jet back home. About 3 hours or so after they were complete, I get a call from the office telling me that everything is done and that Cochise is fine but that the procedure was a bit more complex than they first thought. This girl proceeds to tell me that they have irrigated his ears and did some special shit to his nails.

Me: Ummmm, why?

Girl: Well, Dr. B noticed that he had some build-up in his ears and felt that since he was already under that it would just be a good idea. And his nails were really long. So with the extra work done your bill is now $357.

Me: Mmmmm, I doubt that. Why did noone call any of the THREE phone numbers I have listed to ask me or Z for authorization?

Girl: Yes Ms. AR Gal, we are really sorry about that, I don't have an explanation.

Me: Mmmmmmm. ok so when will he be ready to pick up?

Girl: Around two o'clock.

Me: Ok, I'll see you then.

Now I know you're thinking why isn't this girl going off by now right? If not, humor me and play along. I knew they were in some kind of violation but I had to call the state board to make sure. Why? 'Cause I like to have all my cards in play when I'm dealin in bullshit.

I call and state my case to the lady and without missing a beat she tells me they cannot do that. I asked her what needs to happen next and she said try talking to the vet (which I was already going to do) and if then he still didn't want to remove the charges to file a complaint. She then asks who my vet is and I tell her. Her response: "Ohhhhhhhhhhh noooooooooooo!! I really hate that but the laws the law." You would have that I said Jesus or something how she responded. See my vet is one of the best in Central AR and is known for his work but I didn't give a damn today.

With that assurance under my belt, I make my way to the office, enter and speak politely. As I step up to the desk , the girl wants to go ahead and have me pay. Ehhhhhhhhhhh, no. I tell her I would like to speak with the doctor first. She seems a little surprised but walks me back to a room. As he enters, we are cordial but he knows I am upset by the look on my face and tell him so. He tells me that he thought I knew about the ear issues and that I wanted that done. Ummmmm, COME AGAIN? I know every spring he goes through this infection thing and we have to get medicine for it but noone said anything about his ears when they were examined just here LAST WEEK for his check-up. He then says yeah but it's harder to actually gauge the extent and since he was already laying there we were better able to see. I told him that I got that and I'm not saying that it was not needed but noone.called.to.ask.me.if.it.was.okay. That is my issue with this, a decision was made w/out my consent. He wasn't gonna die if someone took 5 minutes to pick up the damn phone to call....shit. That's just like you taking your car to the repair shop and them doing work on your car w/out calling to tell you and expecting you to pay. Bump that! I told him that he may not have known but that vet. asst. did and this was unacceptable. We continued to talk and just as I was about to trump him with the state board violation, he goes to get the bill so we can review and proceeds to mark off everything I didn't want to pay for.....which was everything except for the dental extraction and cleaning thank you very much.

Now see, wasn't that easy? *rollin my eyes*

Thanks For Nothing!

Hello, this is Ticketmaster Customer Service with an important alert for your upcoming event. Eddie Griffin, scheduled at Robinson Music Hall on Saturday, August 30, 2008, at 8:00PM, has been cancelled. Your credit card will automatically be credited the ticket price and convenience charges, and should post to your account within 7 to 10 business days. Please note, the $3.40 per order processing fee and any ticketFast or UPS delivery charges are non-refundable. >>>>This is reason why I always have them mail my stuff by USPS. I still want the $3.40 back though.

*off to what else I Saturday night*

What do you want now????

I don't blog about the j-o-b too much on here because most jobs are pretty much the same story with the same characters just with different faces and diff't challenges (read bullshit). My current gig is pretty sweet for the most part. The work is relatively easy (it just involves a lot of reading and writing), everyone is pretty cool, and the dress code is extremely lax. You can wear pretty much anything you want on any given day...jeans, shorts (no coochie cutters of course), flip flops, I've even seen some folks with spaghetti strap attire. Now that's a bit much IMO regardless of what they say you can wear but I digress. I guess I just haven't loosened up enough from a strict corporate dress code to get with that program (and probably never will).

The environment is pretty laid back and everyone seems to get along for the most part although I have been able to detect some of the "cliques" and strong dislikes some people have for others. Speakin of which, I've been invited to join the "cool kids" lunch club. In an effort to combat high gas prices and average pay a group of folks decided to form a lunch club that meets a few times a week. They decide on a theme (mexican, italian, etc) and each person brings something to contribute. I was first asked verbally and then sent an email invite. I guess this means I'm "in" now. lol I normally bring my lunch everyday but I may go against my anti-social grain and stop by a few times here and there before the year is up. lol

Anyway, I'm gettin off track because that's not even what my post is about. lol Soooo, within the fancy building you can find almost any nationality of people. It's truly like the UN. Our admin happens to be from the motherland. She's sweet as pie and I really do like her but can I just put something out into the universe real fast?? She.gets.on.my.damn.nerves.sometimes!!!! I know you're like AR Gal, what doesn't??!!

Lemme explain. My employer emphasizes that face-to-face interaction is the preferred form of communication. Me, I'd prefer to just receive an email or talk on the phone and be done with it (please see anti-social reference above). The AA....not so much. She truly takes the ish literally and I suppose I shouldn't knock her for that but still....................*sigh* Anyway, today she came down to my desk no fewer than 10 times (seriously I'm not exaggerating). About the 4th time, I had this look on my face that screamed WHAT DO YOU WANT NOW?? UGH!!! I'm not the one to tell people how to do their job but ya'll just don't know how bad I wanted to tell her "really, it's okay if you just pick up the phone and call". lol Honestly, I think the reason why she does it is because english is not her 1st language so her accent is really thick and she may think it's easier to understand her in person -vs- on the phone. To me she sounds the same either way. *shrugs shoulders* I think the annoyance was the fact that the things she wanted were simple things liikkkke I need the key # to your lock on your desk for such and such, do you still have that file on your desk (if she had called she would have found out I didn't and could have saved herself an unecessary trip to my desk), do you have any agenda items for our meeting next week.......the list goes on.

Oh well, there's not much I can do to change it now. I just needed to vent I suppose. I'm going to go to work tomorrow with a better attitude and try to keep it that way.....unless she comes down to my desk again. lol

UPDATE: It is not even 9 am and she has been down to my desk twice already.......

Just what the doctor ordered……….

Sorry for the delay. This was to be posted Monday but I was enjoying the weekend WAY too much to worry about actually blogging. Lol Now reading blogs….that’s a different story. :-D

This past weekend turned out to be relaxing (for the most part). After a presentation Friday morning at work and little else to do Friday afternoon (and more importantly after my boss left), I bounced and my weekend finally began. That evening we did little much other than enjoy the fact of knowing that we had 3 more days of doing nothing that we didn’t want to do.

We eventually made it out of the house on Saturday at around 12:30-ish to go climb Pinnacle Mountain. We were supposed to leave earlier that morning but you know by us being black folk and all, CP time reigned supreme. Anywho, we loaded up the pups, got on the road, and about half-way there it starts drizzling. Seriously?! UGH! I look at Z, he looks at me and we both decide to keep on and just play it by sight. I was going to wash my hair that day anyway so It really didn't matter. By the time we arrived, the rain had stopped as we guessed it would.

Any of you that live in AR that have ever climbed Pinnacle know that sucka is a beast and a half. Unless you are a freak of nature, you seriously will be breathing like a gorilla by the time you reach the half-way point or before. Lol Little did I know this was going to be THE most trying climb I had ever experienced. Problem #1, my mind tricked me into thinking that just because I can do a Tae-Bo dvd straight through that I would be fine. Problem #2, I decided to wear my N,i.k.e tennis shoes that matched the workout capris I had on. Why not be cute and sweaty at the same time….right? Wrong!!! Cute will kill you and it almost did me in! Now I knew that these shoes were not comfortable in any shape, form, or fashion to workout in. Even walking the dogs in them makes my arch hurt but oh noooooooooo, I just had to match. *sigh* So we are going up, my breathing is becoming more labored and then I feel it. Damn. I tried to push through the pain but those shoes were testing me. I tell Z to hold up for a second (or 180) so I could rest. He asks if I’m okay, I say no but told him we could keep going. As we continue up, we hear thunder and see lightning so we are hurrying (read I am trying not to keel over) to try and make it to the top. By this time my feet are killing me and I, for the first time ever climbing this thing, throw in the towel. I tell Z to go on ahead and I’ll wait until he gets back down. He has that are you serious look on his face to which I answered, yes I’m serious. Lol I couldn’t take it anymore. He told me we could just start going back down but I told him to go ahead and that I’d be fine. Hell I was high enough to get the same benefit as being at the top. Lol He just laughed and said okay and that he wouldn’t be long. After I caught my breathe a bit, I take Emma, who wasn’t the least bit tired might I add, over closer to the edge of the cliff so I could at least take some pics. (I’ll have to post those later. I forgot my camera today). While we are waiting on Z and Cochise to come back down, I am looking at the scenery and also watching people as they come up and down. There was one family that had kids from about the 7-12 year age range. One of the little girls was bawlin as she made her way up. Her face was red and all she kept saying was “it hurts, it hurts” and her mom said “it’s supposed to hurt”. The child was a bit on the chubby side so that I am pretty sure that was the most exercise she had ever had in her life so far. I felt bad for her though, cause I truly felt her pain. Lol I hope she made it up okay.

Z finally makes it down and tells me that I wasn’t that far from the top. I look at him and look up at the steep incline of boulders and rolled my eyes. I take a few pics of him and the down below shot but refuse to let him take any of me. I told him next time we come, which will be sometime again this summer, he can take as many as he likes because I will make it to the top in my raggedy tennis shoes this time thank you very much. Lol As we are going back down, Z asks me if I see that snake. I ask where and he points it out. After making sure it wasn’t hanging over my head or right in front of me, I took off like I was in the Olympics. But what about your feet you say? Shooooooooooot, I wasn’t stuttin nothing but the end of that trail by then (which we were fairly close to at that point). I didn’t get too far running because it started raining and I didn’t want to slip and fall. (FYI....I'm rather clumsy and walk into walls regularly) I figured I had gotten far enough away from the snake so I slowed down until I made it to the end. By the time Z caught up with me, he was still laughing his @ss off at me running away from the snake. I told him to KMA, because what I saw was thick, long, black, and in no way resembled anything I wanted near or around me. Well, unless it…………nevermind.

So that was our walk. The rest of the weekend was just really laid back with a trip to the movies to see “IronMan” (it was a’ight) and a little BBQ on Monday. It was just what the doctor ordered.

Update: Pics from close to the top Pinnacle