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

Ain't No Way in Hell!!!

Take a look at this vid and please tell me how/why this kid is still breathing? I laugh at a lot of stuff I see kids do (and thank the lord they ain't mine) but this right here had my blood pressure shootin up through the roof! (Please note the 1:59 minute mark) I had to stop the video for a minute to catch myself. I was about to damage the laptop screen to reach through to slap both of these Dr. Phil watchin dummies. lol

What would you all have done? All I know is Z summed it up for me by saying if we had kids that did that, we wouldn't have none no mo'! lol lol lol lol lol



And for the record, I highly doubt if that was the first time the kid did that. Surprised my ass.....


I'll post about the climb tomorrow. We are headed off to the movies.

Climb every mountain..................

Today is the day folks. Z, the pups, and I are going to climb Pinnacle mountain.









I haven't seen this place in a good year since we last came out to climb. I figure if we do it today, I will still have 2 days to recover physically (just in case) before it's time to go back to work. I've been doing Tae-Bo for a good month and a half now so I am going to put Billy's dvd to the test to see if it was worth the 9.99 I paid for it @ Wally World. lol I think I'll be fine though. I can make it through the work-out without stopping or having to drink any water....that's a good sign right?

Wish me luck. Have a fun and safe holiday weekend!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOW!

This is SO not shocking but still it amazes me to see the ignorance and blatant racism live and in living color that still exists in this country. These people did everything short of just coming right out and (calling Barack a n****) saying they would not vote for Barack because he is black. What is really evident to me is that the people featured in this clip are truly just a product of a racist mentality (and possibly inbreeding) that has been passed down from generation to generation. Not ONE, and mean NOT ONE of them could give a decent reason why he should not be president.

Just listen…..you’ll see what I mean. Please be sure to listen up to what the women at the 3:07 minute mark says. All I could do was laugh……for real.

Hot Ta Death!!

Doin Da Butt

Press Play for some funny stuff (thanks to her brother). Lucky for her she didn't turn up on a milk carton and returned home safely. It's amazing how kids think they are fully grown once they turn 18. I remember being the same way. Most folks that read this blog are truly adults in every aspect of the word and know that being grown and mature @ 18 is the farthest thing from the truth. I hope her brother stays true to his word and keeps this video so that when she gets a little older she can see how young and dumb she truly was at eiiiiiigggghhhttteeeeeeeeeen-ah! (You'll get this after you see the vid). lol

Nothing in particular................

............to blog about so I will post about random observations and occurrences that have taken place over the past week or so.

Apparently I have a rather graceful lady-like walk when I walk in high heels. A few people at the new j-o-b have made mention of how I look like a glide when I walk past them. One lady even asked me to teach her how to walk "like that". I inquired what "like that" was and she preceded to mimick my walk while shaking her hips. lol She said that I and I quote "you really don’t shake them that hard but you just have a natural sway to your hips that would make a man come runnin". I got tickled, said thanks, got my water, and went on about my business.

Ladies, when you buy shoes from T.J. M.a.x.x please remember to remove the lovely price sticker from the bottom. I've seen more than a few offenders in the past 30 days that I felt I had to make mention.

The mime guy was not downtown last Friday due to the storms that we had in the area I'm sure but I did catch a glimpse of him in motion the other day. As usual I was in the car in passing but I turned down the radio to listen to what he was playing ("Poppin My Colla') and he was gettin it. Now exactly what he was gettin is a different story as I have no clue what type of dancing he was doing. I was expecting something similar to the robot but it didn’t quite come out like that. lol

I went to listen Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai (http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2004/) last Thursday at the Clinton Library. Google her. This is one smart and accomplished lady who is doing great things to better to the environment. Check out what she's doing with "The Green Belt Movement" (http://www.wangarimaathai.com/) .

There is a stackable cart in the ladies room at the new gig full of make-up bags. When I first saw it, I thought it was odd but figured it had to contain more than make-up since most women I know carry that with them. I finally discovered that the bags contained toothbrushes/toothpaste when I came in and saw someone brushing their teeth one day. There are A LOT of folks (well women anyway) that brush their teeth mid-day up here.

I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before but my new boss is quite perky and upbeat. This has been somewhat of an adjustment for me as I’m quite the opposite. No, I’m not depressing but I’m just more subdued and laid back. Something that I’ve noticed about her is when she feels a bit full of herself she sticks her chest out kinda like a bald eagle or something. It caught me off guard the first time but now I just look and giggle on the inside.

If you slow down during your commute into work (ie going 60-65 instead of driving like a bat out of hell), it really will help to save on the amount of gas you use. Trust me I know! I am a reformed bat out of hell driver. Lol

Z is in the process of getting our supplies in order should natural disaster strike in our area. I’m talking backpacks to have our supplies in, a tent, water (and not just bottled water but some kind in pouches *shrugs shoulders*) and a whole lotta other stuff. With all the storms that have been passing over us lately how could we not but sometimes I wonder is he doing too much. lol One thing I am sure of is that it pays to have a former Marine in the house with you. Now all I need to do is take pic’s of our property and make sure our necessary paperwork is in order for us to take with us should we need to. *knocks on wood*

Mother’s Day is this weekend and I’m debating on whether or not I want to make a drive to Memphis. I know, I know it’s my mom but gas is high and I don’t ever feel like I have a real weekend when I’m on the road part of the time like that. *sigh* I know, I know, stop being selfish and go see my mama. J

I sent off all my Mother’s Day cards earlier this week but completely forgot my sister’s birthday is tomorrow. If….okay when, I go to Memphis tomorrow, I can give it to her then. Lol

Speaking of my sister, she finally broke down and got my niece (she’s 14) a cell phone. To say I was shocked is an understatement because she swore up and down that she would not get her one until she got ready to go to college. Lol lol lol Times are different though so I suppose it’s somewhat of a necessity than a luxury for kids to have that now. Anyway, it’s some sort of special service/account that A.T.&.T offers for parents with kids that allows them to control what #’s she can send/receive calls to/from. I called her # back after she left me a message and got truly tickled listening to her voicemail message. I think they are in Chicago now for some band trip. I should call to see how it’s going.

Why is the Steve Havey morning show broadcasting from a W.a.l-.Ma.r.t Super.Cen.ter in GA today? lol I like listening to him in the morning on my way into work but once I get to work I usually tune into my fav, WDIA in Memphis (http://www.am1070wdia.com/), online. The Bobby O'Jay show airs from 6-10 a.m. I believe. It's mainly talk radio but he plays music in between here and there. Sometimes O'Jay's views are rather distorted, IMO but I really love listening to the callers because they crack me up. It's usually a lot of older people that call in. Listen to it sometime they will have you rollin.

My friend is going through it trying to get her first born son potty trained. He’s two and is as she states stubborn as hell. Other people that I know (or blogs that I’ve read that have small kids) have also said that it’s hard getting these kids potty trained nowadays. While on the phone with her yesterday, I started to wonder how was it that our parents were able to get our generation potty trained so quickly. My mom swears up and down she had us goin on the pot before we were two. What was it?? How did they do that?? Have our parents been lying to us all this time?? Who knows.

Oh well, that’s it. My mind is now blank. Have a good weekend.

FIGHT, FIGHT!!!!

Ladynay says she's a six days late on posting this month's blog theme. I've got her beat as I'm a month and six days late on posting anything theme related. I don't remember exactly what last month's theme was other than it was related to love....like ummmm first loves, first kiss, or something like that. Don't hate me ya'll! lol This month's theme is physical fights and boy do I have a doozy. Like to hear it, hear it go......

Picture it, small town AR, 1996. My friends and I had come home from college for our month off during the holidays at the end of the year. Being in small town AR left a lot to be desired in the way of nightlife, so we all decide to venture out to the main juke joint in town, the Ebony social club aka the Ebony. *pours out a lil liquor for the now defunct (ie burnt to a crisp) club* Now during this time, AR Gal was single, always ready to mingle, and had her eye on two young gentlemen.

Now one guy who I'll call ummmmmmmm Juicy Fruit (blame his lips please) had a lot of drama associated with him (ie a crazy ass baby mama). During the summer just prior to the winter break, we hung out a lot with one another. Come to think of it, our interaction only came when I was at home on break or visiting. I don't even recall talking to him on the phone while I was away at school.

The other guy who I'll call Juicy Booty (he had a big butt for a guy, lol) was someone I knew of in high school (he was a few years ahead of me) but we really didn't meet one another until graduation day.....well night (that's another story for another day). I talked to him here and there while I was away at school and he would come up to visit on occasion during the weekend. He was just down the road @ UAPB so it wasn't really a big deal for him to come up.

While making the circle with my girls around the club to find our spot, I noticed Juicy Booty was there and we were in each other's face from that point on dancing and talking. I eventually noticed that Juice Fruit was also there and waved when I saw him. It's getting late and the club starts clearing out so we all make our way outside. I say my goodbyes to Juicy Booty and head over to my friends car where my girls are waiting. Juicy Booty yells something out to me so I turn around to yell something back. As I turn back around Juicy Fruit's crazy ass baby mama is in front of me and knocks me smooth in my face. WTF???!!! I reach for my face (yeah I'm vain like that) and the chick swings at me again but I duck out of the way and swing at her face. Now I don't know if she fell because I hit her or she lost her balance but what I do know is that hoe came tumblin down. My friends say I clocked her but let's face it, we were all a bit inebriated so whose to say what really happened at that particular moment. All I know is she was on the ground and something in my head just clicked. lol I proceeded to kick her in her guts with my four inch boots until my friends made me stop. By then Juicy Booty has made his way over, pulls me over to his truck, and tells my friends to meet us at Dodger Dog (it's a gas station folks). While in the truck, Juicy Booty is trying to calm me down as I'm cussin all kinds of sailor ways and here comes this crazy chick again bangin on his truck window. This not only pisses me off but JB as well. I reach over across him to roll the window down (stupid I know but I was in the moment of it all, lol). She reaches in to get me but I grab her hair and proceeded to bang her head against the truck door. He pushes me back across the seat, rolls the window up (not before getting her told), and rides out. We arrived at the gas station to wait on my friends and ole girl eventually makes her way up there. The gas station was nine times out of ten the spot to go after the club so this was really no big surprise. I see her, she sees me. She's still talkin trash and her friends tell her to and I quote "shut her drunk ass up". I was just ready to get to the house at this point (especially since I couldn't really see my face in the vanity mirror in JB's truck). My friends pull up and I sit in the truck talkin with JB a little bit longer and we roll out.

*Updated*I'm adding this late as Kat asked some good questions that made me realize I had left out some important stuff regarding the crazy baby mama

I never had contact with the girl prior to that night at the club. We went to high school together (she is a year younger than me) but we ran in two different circles. I had heard that JF's baby mama was the jealous type but they were not together at the time (at least that’s how it was told to me, lol) although I'm willing to bet he gave her reason to believe that they still were (especially since they ended up having another kid together). *rolls eyes and sighs* He talked to other girls and without fail, I would always hear about her fighting someone over him. So in essence she was young and dumb as was he. That's basically all this messed boiled down to. All I did that night at the club was wave @ JF but I suppose that was enough to light a fire under her @ss to make her want to take action and fight for what was hers. lol Please believe that she had him after that 'cause AR Gal ain't want no mo' parts of that mess.

So that's that. As long as I live, I will never forget that night. As harsh as it sounded, it has provided my friends and I with laughs to last a lifetime (I actually lol quite a bit putting this event into words just now). As far and JF and I, ummm yeah let's just say that communication with him ceased soon after this event and truly affected how I viewed dating guys with children going forward. JB and I stayed in contact quite a bit after that as he and I were together for the next 5 years. Perhaps I'll share should there be a relationship theme in the future. :-)

Sooooooooooo......

..........I'd been workng on a new post for the past hour and still haven't quite gotten all my thoughts out. I suppose I'll post it later (or perhaps never). *sigh*

In the meantime, I'll leave you with this. Everytime I hear this song on the D.oc.ker.s commercial it puts me in a good mood. I have no idea what people golfing in khaki's have to do with California Soul but the music is addictive. It's by Marlena Shaw, who I had never heard of until I went to look it up, and has such a good sound to it. I know I can't be the only one who likes it so enjoy.

My Bad.....

I did a plus one post after 100 and chunked the deuces. lol Thanks for all the congrats on making that number.


Let's see......what's been going on since I last touched down. The new gig is going as well as expected so far even though the morning started out a bit akward. This lady that sits, well sat, on the same row as me got escorted out of the building. I saw her, as I did every morning, when she came in and the next thing I knew I saw her being escorted down the aisle by HR saying "Bye ya'll". Now at first thought, I didn't think much about the HR lady being with her as I just thought she was leaving for the day. Plus a lot of people in different groups are pretty tight as well. Then I saw the HR lady helping her clean out her desk and let's just say I caught on real quick. So I'm looking at another chicka on the row with me and she's looking at me just as clueless. I just turned the hell around and kept on "working". Call me cruel but I mean really whaddaya say??!! So the HR lady has another chick come up to help carry the ladies stuff down to her car. We eventually catch a minute with the now ex co-worker. Neither of us pried, cause honestly it wasn't our business, but we just wished her well. She says that she knew this was coming and it's the best she's felt all week. Well hell, if she likes it, I love it. lol


Now my guess is that it had something to do with medical leave, or using extra days she didn't have, or something of that nature. From what I'd been told when I first arrived, she had taken a lot of time off from work due to problems she has been having with her back and had just returned shortly before I started working there. Every morning her husband would bring her to work, and wheel her upstairs. Now she wasn't paralyzed, even though I thought she was when I first met her.


Sidebar: My first day while in orientation, I saw ex co-worker wheeling past the room we were in just a smiling and waving. I figured then that she was someone I would be working with and came down to be nosy. lol Well imagine my shock later that day to see her standing straight up. I was like, damn she healed up quick. lol lol lol She saw the look of surprise on my face, laughed, and told me that the wheelchair was just temporary but she could walk with the help of her crutches. I'm SO glad she cleared that up 'cause I was beyond confused. :-)


I could tell that she was putting on a semi-brave front as she left, especially since she kept talking saying random shit (read akward as hell) as she hobbled her way towards the elevators. As relieved as she may be, her feelings seemed to have been hurt behind whatever went down. Anyway, like I said I wish her well.


In other news, no real work to do as of yet just a lot of reading and a few training meetings on db's and other applications that I'll be working with. I was supposed to have another training this afternoon but the guy rescheduled (for the 2nd time) again today. No sweat off my back as it made for a relaxing Friday afternoon at work. My boss left out this morning to go to Nairobi for the next week or so. Don't worry, I won't be a bad girl (well too bad) while she's out as I know there will be eyes watching me in her absence.


Anyway, enough about work. While coming back from lunch today, I saw the most random thing. Remember the episode on "Girlfriends" when Lynn was working as a mime in the park trying to make some money? You know when she spray painted herself all silver and had the little tin cup in her hand to put the money in to get her to perform. Tell me why I saw someone doing that downtown today. lol lol lol At first I thought he was a mannequin until I saw his money pail (along with his boom box from 1987 blasting Michael Jackson) down beside him on the sidewalk. I can't even lie......I cracked the fuck up laughing. I've heard that this is something of a normal occurance in other cities but I had never seen this in person. I am going to try to make it back down there next week sometime, with some coin change...okay maybe a dollar bill HA, to have him shake his shimmy for me. Lucky for you guys I just happened to have the digi cam with me as I've been making more of an effort to keep it on hand for occassions just like this. Now the pic is not the clearest as I was in my car but you get the picture (no pun intended).

Enjoy and have a good weekend!!

SHREK!!!!

Any potential productivity my current employer expected from me today has been completely diminished after watching this! ROLFLMBAO!!

Detroit city council members get into shouting match
http://video.woodtv.com/player.php?video_id=11445

Here's the version without the reporting
http://info.detnews.com/video/index.cfm?id=2142

100th post!

I didn't realize I was this close to crossing the three digit threshold until I did the previous post. There's no time like the present, so why not go ahead and knock it out I said. lol As with many of my posts, this one will have no rhyme or reason to it. May as well stay with the trend right?

Z and I went to check out "The Ruins" (imdb.com/title/tt0963794/) this past weekend. If you've never heard of this flick before, it's about a group of friends that have traveled to Mexico. During one of their last days there, they decide to go on a dig to an archaeological site in the jungle and encounter some crazy stuff. I won't give away any of the plot but it's a cross between a horror/thriller film. It's not really bad but it's not really good either. Let's put it this way, it wouldn't be a horribly bad thing if you decided to hit up your local bootleg man to check it out. Got it? Good. The one thing that I did find of interest during the movie is that the girl that plays the main female character is the same little girl that played the bratty little kid in "Stepmom" with Julia Roberts. I had no idea that chickadee was so old. Well she is not really old, just older.....oh phluck it! Ya'll know what I am trying to say.

Other than that, life is just the same ole', same ole' humdrum. I'm just trying to relax until I start the new gig next week. *thinks to self if I blogged about it* Something tells me I didn't and I'm too lazy to go back and read to see if I did so just in case.....I got a new job. Yippee! *throws confetti in the air*

Party over.

So yeah, I start next Thursday which is the MOST random day ever but it's so that I will be on their pay schedule and will have no interference with my $$$. Anyway, it's a good company from what I've read and heard from others. The position is great, the benefits are AWESOME, and it offers a great opportunity to lead on to bigger and better things......if I don't block my blessings. :-) I'm definitely ready to move on from where I'm at and the main reason why is the funniest ever.

I.miss.having.vacation.days! lol

Working as a contractor for short term assignments, I haven't been afforded that luxury for the past couple of years so being able to take off work without missing pay is something I will quickly go back to enjoying. Annnnnnnnnd, it will be nice to have something that is more stable. Did I mention that the benefits are GRRRRRRRREAAAAT (and most are paid for by the employer) ??!! :-)

Anywho, I'm sure there's more to blog about but that's all I've got for now.

Yeah, they lost...so what?

I would say that I haven't blogged since my last post because I'm heartbroken that the NCAA Men's finals didn't turn out quite the way I thought it would, but it's not. As usual, I just didn't feel like it so there! lol

I won't get all mushy with the "hope of Memphis" talk that has been going around in the media. Don't get me wrong, the comradery (sp?) that it brought to the city was great I'm sure but at the end of the day...Memphis (the city not the team) still sucks. They've got a sucky mayor, a sucky NBA team, a sucky airport, sucky race relations, with major sucky crime.

Speaking of sucky...WTH is up with American Airlines??!! Boooooooooooooooo!!!

The loss was heartbreaking, to say the least. I've stated before that I'm not much of a sports fanatic but I made a point to keep tabs on the Tigers this season. I think I probably woke the dead Monday night when Kansas made that last shot to go into OT. I knew then that it was over for the U of M. *sigh*Almost doesn't count but I don't care. This team kicked ass, played their hearts out, and I'm still a supporter.

GO TIGERS!!!

On their way........

.....to becoming the 2008 NCAA Men's Basketball Champs. GO TIGERS!!!!!!!

Everytime I Need a Good Laugh......

...... I go read this post.

http://justanotherdayindc.blogspot.com/2007/04/saw-by-any-other-name.html

I still laugh just as hard as the first time I read it.

You Can’t Make This Shit Up!

In my rush to get packed and ready for the trip to Memphis, I forgot to blog about lunch with my co-workers. The folks within my group did a good-bye lunch for one of the guys whose last day was Friday. We all were making small talk and eating when the topic of religion came up. Don’t ask how all I know is it wasn’t me because I wouldn’t touch that subject with co-workers with a 50 ft. pole. One of my colleagues mentioned that when his wife lived in Memphis she was a member of the church that Al Green pastored (which is funny enough in itself to me). My boss then asked, "Who is Al Green?" I choked on my water while trying to stifle a giggle. Yeah yeah, I know, that’s what I get but whatever. It was funny. After I compose myself, I asked him "You really don’t know who he is? He’s mainly known for his music with songs like….Love and Happiness, Let’s Stay Together". He tells me that he has NEVER heard of him until that day.

Now color me crazy but aren’t there certain musical acts that everyone is familiar with…….. Michael Jackson, Hall&Oates, Prince, Madonna, Rick James. Artists like this reach across the masses and folks just know who they are and have at least heard one of their songs. I thought Al Green fit into that category but apparently I’m wrong. I know it’s not anything serious to not know who he is but dare I say that it is a bit odd. I never thought I would actually have interaction with someone who has been "living under a rock" but low and behold he’s been right next to me the whole time. Lol

Newer post below....

Be Kind, Please Rewind……..

That’s how I feel about this weekend. It went by so fast, as they all do, but this one was more special because I finally got to see the fabulous Ms. Jill Scott and Raheem Devaughn live in concert. I’ve been waiting 3 months since I got the tickets waaaaaaaaaaay back in December and the wait was just about to kill me! lol I just want to go back and experience it all over again as those two put on quite a show. I can see it all re-playing through my head as I type these words. Strange I know but whatever.

Raheem opened and did his thing, interacted with the crowd and what not. There were two things that had me laughing during his performance, (1) his security guards trying to keep up with him as he maneuvered through the audience (especially this one guy that had the Mr. T mohawk cut) and (2) his use of flashcards with certain keywords on them. I got SO tickled at that, but then again it doesn’t take too much to make me laugh. He also humped the stage singing "You"….*sigh* Why man why?! Lol He didn’t perform too long. Maybe about hmmmmmmm 30 or 40 minutes but it was enough to get the crowd going.

During the intermission when the crew was changing out the sets, they bring out these rugs for Jill and the backup singers to stand on during the performance. So you see one mic at the front of the stage for Jill and three mics and chairs back to the left of her for the backup singers.

Z asks, "Is that it?"
Me: "What do you mean?"
Z: "I mean are those all the people that are gonna be up there? Are they singing acapella?"
Me: " I highly doubt it."
Z: "So where is the band gonna be over in the right corner?"
Me: * giving him the side-eye * "Dude!! You know they are behind the curtain!" lol lol lol
Z: "Yeah, I know. It’s so hot in here it’s got me delirious!"

It was burning up in that place. I didn’t even realize it until people left out during the intermission of just how warm it was. Anyway, Jill comes out and everyone goes wild, present company included. For the next two hours and twenty minutes, I was privileged to hear this woman. Her voice so powerful, beautiful, and strong and her stage presence….wow!

OMG! Pump the brakes! I almost forgot………I MET RAHEEM!!!!

During the Jill performance, I had to go to the ladies room. As I’m making my way back to my seat, I see this guy. I think to myself that he looks really familiar. Me being me, I check out his shoes and think those look familiar too. As my eyes made their way up his body checking out his outfit up to his face it finally clicks. Hot Damn, that’s RD! So I go up, introduce myself and tell him how I really enjoy his music and what a great show he put on. I start to ask him for an autograph and picture but I then I remember that I left my purse with Z. Mother f*(&(^*%$!!!!!!! I get so mad at myself and just tell him that it was really nice to meet him and go sit down. UGH!!!!!! I’m still pissed at myself. Oh well……

Anyway, back to Jill. There were these two ladies in maybe their late 50’s seated in front of us. Every time Jill said or did something fun (read risqué) through body language they gave each other this look that was hilarious! I don’t think they knew that she was going to be so open about things of a sexual nature. Lol There was also a guy that made his way up to the front of the stage and acted a damn fool. I can’t even remember what in the devil she was singing because I was too busy laughing at him. I swear he looked like he was praise dancing to her song. Hotmess is all I can say. Lol All laughs aside, one thing I really, really liked is that Jill talked to the audience which she is not outside the norm. The things she shared helped the audience understand what she was going through when she wrote the lyrics. It gave a different perspective of how I understood certain songs to be and just made me appreciate her music even more. I could go on and on AND on about this chick but I won’t. Just know for me Jill is music and I’ll always be a fan.

Blah Blah Blah

My Easter weekend was spent on the road for the most part. I had not planned to go anywhere further than the couch or the bed seeing as we are going to Memphis for the JS concert (FINALLY!!) this weekend but I got a call from my BFF that she was coming in from Nashville to our hometown with her baby so "Auntie" ARGal agreed to drive up and see the little tyke. It was my first time seeing him (other than pics) as both of our schedules have been so hectic. Well, okay I admit I could have gone around the holidays but hell I just didn't feel like it....sue me. Anyway, I'm there visiting and even stopped by the house I grew up in...UGH. Nevermind, that's a different story for a totally different day. *sigh* Anyway, so where was I? Oh yeah, so after playing with the baby and visiting with folks here and there, the BFF and I realize that we are starvin like Marvin and call in an order to the ONLY obvious place....Ed's Country Catfish! lol Laugh at the name all you want but honeeeeeeeeeeeey that catfish (especially the filets) are so good! BFF tells me that she also wants a Nehi Peach pop. I ctfu because I haven't had one in years. Then I think and it actually didn't sound half bad soooo why not?! lol I figured I may as well have one last hoorah seeing as I was going to start bringing Billy Blanks and his sweat induced antics back into my life at the beginning of the week.

Sidenote: **I'm happy to report that I went a full 30 minutes with Tae-Bo yesterday before I quit that b*tch. I'll try it again today. It’s been a long time since Billy and I got hot and heavy together so cut me some slack. I walked the dogs too! That counts for something right? lol**

Before I picked up the order, I stopped by one of the local gas stations to pick up the sodas. As I’m walking towards the entrance, this kid runs past me and opens the door. Walking in behind him, I notice that he has a design cut in the back of his head. The closer I look, I realize its words and then figure it must be his name. Someone had cut La'Quin-something or another in the back of this kids head. Jeezus take the clippers STAT! I just shook my head and laughed. If it weren't for the fact that he had no hair on his face, I'm pretty sure the design could have gone around the circumference of his head. His name was that long. I’m amazed at how they were able to squeeze it in. Seeing that pretty much confirmed that I am very happy I don’t live there anymore. I mean don’t get me wrong, I’ll always have loyalty to the place. I grew up there but you couldn’t pay me to live there right now….even if I got a “good” job @ the steel mill. Lol

After hanging out for most of the day, I went ahead and booked it to M-town to see mama. She had told me previously that mass started @ 7:30 that night so if I wanted to tag along I needed to be there and ready to go by 7:00. Well, AR Gal isn’t one that lives on a strict time table so I opted out. Once I arrived at around 9 or so, she still hadn’t made it in yet. The priest is a little long winded (but he is great to listen to) and mass there tends to go longer than the norm. The average time for most masses is about an hour and your done. Lol So 10:00 rolls around and I’m in WTF mode…10:30, still no mama. I give her a call on her cell, no answer. Hmmm. I put my street clothes back on, grab my purse, and hop in the car to go look for her. I ride by the church first and do you know that those folks were still up there??!! Mama finally rolled in a little after 11:00. She told me that it took so long because it was a special service (an Easter Vigil) that included people converting to Catholic faith. I don’t remember this as a kid as we never went. We always went Easter Sunday and they just introduced the new folks. Lol I passed out not much longer after she got home. We did brunch the next day and then I rolled out. I had a good time though. It all went by so fast it kinda doesn’t seem like it happened at all. I have a feeling that this weekend will go the same way.

One reason why I love Barack so Much.....

......is his wife. Check out this vid of her speaking on Mr. Obama. This lady just oozes class.

*Note to Tocarra: Please take notes**

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid353515028/bctid490400930

Have You Ever Seen Such a Thing??!!

Look at my baby! Look closer....a little bit closer (@ her ass!) lol

**Please note: EmmaBuns (one of her many nicknames) was half asleep when I took this, lol**

She's wearing a diaper! I kid you not. My Emma has gone into heat and in the process her own personal Aunt Flow has paid her a visit. *sigh* I thought I had at least another month before this happened. Oh well.

I first noticed this Friday but goodness only knows how long she has actually been in this stage. I don't think it was more than a couple of days before that but just not knowing has freaked me out. After tiring of getting her in and out of (and washing and re-washing) her rigged up rag draws I made, Z suggested that we get some diapers from Pet.Smart. WHAT??!! lol lol lol I had no idea that these even existed but they do!! So for $12, we now have peace of mind in knowing that she is not makin it rain all over the house.

In the meantime, I just need to call the vet to make an appointment to get her fixed (which I keep forgetting to do). I guess now would be a good time huh? :-)