SUNSHINE!!

Three days in a row of uninterrupted sunshine and above 70 degree temperatures... almost don't know how to handle that! And to top it all off, I had the weekend AND today off; free to do absolutely whatever I wanted. So what did I do? I went to Great Adventure and Wild Safari. See?









And here, my friends, is where I temporarily lost my mind. You know those Skycoaster things that are kinda like a cross between skydiving and bungee jumping? Well, every time I go to the amusement park, I say I'm gonna do it, and I always chicken out. But yesterday I figured that if I can jump out of a plane from 16,000 feet over the Las Vegas desert, then I can surely do this. So we jumped. JESUS. Keep me near the cross!
BEFORE

AFTER

And Her Husband

Eat, chat, drink, chat, chew, chat, yawn, chat. Well actually change every "chat" to "stare blankly" and you'll get an accurate description of my behavior at the lunch.

Maybe tonight will be better. I can't believe I just spent all afternoon making a bracelet and some earrings to match this stupid dress I'm wearing. Now I only have an hour (or less) to do something with this hair and... Ummm... Is that rain? Ummm... And why is it ten degrees colder than it was when I went into the damn bead store? Sonofa...

Fantastic. Now I have to find something else to wear. But what? It's raining and I have to catch the train in less than an hour! Fine... This suit, these shoes, this purse. **wailing** but my hairrrrr!!! Screw it. Money? Check. ID? Check. Umbrella? Check. Tickets? Check. You sure? Dammit, I said check!

Well now I'm thoroughly soaked, despite my umbrella. My escort is similiarly waterlogged. And the train is late. This has all the makings of an A+ evening. We make it to Penn Station by 7:25, catch a cab to the theatre, and make it inside as they are flickering the lights. "Hey." "Oh you guys made it!". "This is... This is..." "Nice to meet you.". "Pleasure.". Tiny theater, very intimate. Lots and lots of much older white couples. **sigh** Wish we could make it out to support something other than the latest Tyler Perry softshoe. "Wow! These seats are amazing! Are we IN the play?". (Polite laughter). The lights dim, the crowd silences, and there, a mere 10 feet away on the stage is...

Laurence Fishburne. A+.

How I Met Your Mother

Damn my arm is klling me! I guess two hours spent painstakingly flat ironing my hair will have that effect. Remind me why I said yes to this little agreement again? I didn't want to then, and I most assuredly don't want to now. But once again, my mouth (and curiosity) have written a check that my ass can't cash. **sigh** Now what to wear? Dress? No. Too pressed. Raspberry suede pumps? Looks like rain. Jeans or slacks? Short sleeves or long? Jacket, no jacket? Fuck it!! This is it. I'm out.

Yes! It's 12:26 and I found a parking space in the garage! Now I have four minutes to lay in the cut and see if I can spot her before she spots me. Whew- these shoes are 10.0 on the fabulosity meter and -13 on the "I'm walking a city block" scale. Wait... There she is! That is definitely her. I'd recognize that red hair anywhere. Casual chic. Black and white print jacet, black pencil trousers that stop at the ankle, black mules, red purse. Not too shabby. Well I guess I'll keep the pace behind her; maybe she'll see me in her periphery. Wait- she's going to the restroom... Guess I'll grab a table. I really should assess the damage that the Hudson River windstorm did to my hair. Whatever... It is what it is. Shit! She sees me! She's coming over!

**wave**

And that, boys and girls, is how I met Maureen.

WALK WALK WALK!!!!

So guys.... I figured that it was time to stop with all the frivolous posts about books and pharmacy bullshit and hit yall up with some real deep, depressing stuff.

**pregnant pause**

Kidding. I am not really in that deep, dark kind of mood. But I do want to talk about something that is serious to me. On October 4-5, my friend Kelly and I will be participating in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer here in New York City. For two days and almost 40 miles, we will be walking to honor the women in our lives who have struggled against cancer.

As team Living Legacy


we will be representing our friends and families in support of a very worthy cause. So..... of course at the end of the line (like it always is with me!), this is about money. I am asking for your contribution to help our team to not only meet the fundraising requirement, but hopefully blow it out of the water!! Check out my fundraising page here. Feel free to leave a word of encouragement, or if you think that this cause is just as worthy as we do, then PLEASE make a donation. This weekend I will go and get my fresh brand new sneakers and START TRAINING (insert groan of pain and misery here). Say a prayer...

And a very PUBLIC (as public as it can be on a blog that is only read by about a handful of regulars!) thank you to the lovely ladies of Hampton University who have already risen to the challenge. SMOOCHES to Ash, Jameil, and Stacey!!!!

More Stolen Merchandise

1. Where is your cell phone? charging

2. Boyfriend/girlfriend? yes

3. Your hair? mess

4. Your mother? miss

6. Your favorite thing? dreaming

7. Your dream last night? forgot

8. Your favorite drink? margaritas

9. Your dream car? Range

10. The room you're in? messy

11. Your ex? Iraq

12. Your fear? failure

13. Your favorite number? 13

14. Where were you last night? home

15. What you're not doing right now? sleeping

16. Muffins? blueberry

17. One of your wish list items? success

18. Grew up at? Virginia

19. The last thing you did? IM'd

20. What are you wearing? sweats

21. Your TV? DVR

22. Your pet or pets? Stone

23. Your computer/laptop? on

24. Your life? unfulfilling

25.Your mood? blah

26. Missing someone? yes

27. Neighbors? Soror

28. Your best friend? Delta

29. Your work? HATE

30. Like someone? Yes

31. Your favorite color? Yellow

32. When is the last time you laughed? 11:00

Just Bead Yourself

Hmm... does anyone in my address book have a birthday coming up?




Probably not... but I had the day off today, so I had to keep busy. I kinda like this hobby... it's pretty :) I really should be catching up on my reading because I have been SERIOUSLY slacking lately. But I neeeeeeeeed a nap. Maybe later.

BFF's

All of my looooooove... my peace and happiness....

YAY!! My very best friend in the whole wide world crossed the burning sands into Delta land over the weekend. I stayed up all night putting the finishing touches on her gift basket (I REALLY should start a side hustle making arts and crafts).



OO-OOOOOOP!!!!!!!!!!

I went to Bead Yourself and made this bracelet in honor of my own tenth anniversary in Delta. There are nine pearls and there were nine of us. There are 13 pieces of red coral to represent my number. The reason why they are arranged asymmetrically (and YES, the woman at the store did not hesitate to point out to me that the bracelet had no symmetry) is this: there are five pearls to represent Malaika, Juanita, Kasharne, Shantia, and Holly. Then there are three pieces of red coral to represent #6-8 who dropped (losers). Three more pearls for Lottie, Charteque, and Tyffani, then one more red coral for #12 (biggest loser of all), and then one pearl standing alone for.... ME!!!!!! I really can't believe that it has been ten years already. **sigh** Happy birthday to me :)

Sunday Times

"Allow me to reintroduce myself: my name is O..."
-The Joy (in reference to President Obama entering a room to Jay Z instead of "Hail to the Chief")

I heart the image of that SO much **embrace embrace**

So anyway... I finished that second book by Maria de los Santos this morning. It was gooooood (not "gooooood" in a "FANTASMIC" sort of way, but "gooooood" in a "I'm searching for another synonym" kind of way). I guess as far as fiction goes, it will do- maybe beach reading or as a travel occupier. It's a layerd story about several women and their husbands, a woman with cancer, a supersmart boy with an unknown father... Good writing, good stories, just good. For the next one, I'm headed back to my old standby Jodi Picoult with "Second Glance."

Hmmm... I was driving to work this morning and saw a van with the logo of a company on its sad. The picture was of a dog squatting in a yard, and the caption underneath sayid "We take care of your business.". The name of this company? Dog Doody. Get it? Doody, duty... I chuckled. Then further down the same street I saw these really big ass birds on the side of the road, so I was like "what the fuck are those? Wild turkeys?". No sir... As I got closer I realized that they were standing in a nearly empty deer carcass... Vultures. Now THAT did not, in fact, make me chuckle. THAT made me want to vomit. **sigh** Nature.

I so desperately would like to go home.

Helloooooo, Mr. President

OMG.... I am ridiculously enraptured with EVERYTHING that features this man., but this (by far) is my absolute favorite thing to date.

IT'S THE 'RACK!!!!!

Post Script

It is never appropriate to be behind the pharmacy counter bawling one's eyes out, yet that is what I am doing. Know how I said I was going to read "The Last Lecture" this week? Well I did... Today. Everybody should read this book; you, you, YOU... Yeah, even you. Please buy this book. You'll want to prop your eyes up with flaming sticks just so you don't have to wait until tomorrow for the end. You'll want to read it once a week for the rest of your life. You'll want to read it with your husband, your wife, your parents, your children... READ IT! The meaning of life cannot be found in these pages, so don't even bother to try looking for it. But what is between these two covers is a conversation that everyone should have with themselves. A pep talk, an ass whipping, self therapy, communion with a higher power... It's all in these few pages. Randy Pausch is teaching me how to live even as he dies. In his story, I see clearly the things that my own mother was trying to do in her final months. Live not as if you're not dying, but BECAUSE you're dying. This, by FAR, is my favorite book of the week yet.

Library Time

Slipped this week on my reading... That book about the gangbanger was some ISH. I don't know what was expecting, but all I got was murder, drugs, money, more murder, guns, and WAY too much unintelligible gang dialect. **sigh** Again, maybe I set unrealistic expectations, and just because Essence magazine said it was a "must read" didn't make it so. But honestly, is it too much to ask for an honest, straightforward account of your life and how you turned yourself around without resorting to the stereotypical "Black literature" speak? **sigh again** I feel like I shouldve just watched Boyz n the Hood again.

Next up is "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch. Since that's a short one, I'll commit to "Belong to Me" by Maria de los Santos also... I'm working all weekend!

Regret

**sigh**

Why didn't you call me? Well, maybe you didn't want to hear my voice; I kinda understand that. Okay, so why didn't you email me? I guess you just didn't want to. Or maybe it didn't even occur to you. While you were subletting your place and putting your things into storage and setting up your bills for automatic monthly payment, did you think of me? When you were running through your final checklists and triple checking your equipment, did my face pop into your mind? When you took your last backward glance at the airport terminal and tried to ignore the tears in your parents' eyes, did the ghost of me slip across your field of vision?

**sigh**

Probably not. But when I found out, I was sad; my heart cracked just a little amidst the criss-crossed scars from years ago. I'm worried about you way over there. Are you too hot? Are you eating well? Have you been able to communicate with home? Are you safe? Are you afraid? When you look into the eyes of one of your patients, do you see yourself? Will you be able to send in your absentee ballot? Will you miss your nephew's first birthday? Did you take your guitar? Do you get your morning coffee? Do you finally feel like a "real doctor" now? Are you okay?

**sigh**

I wish you'd told me. I'll pray for you every night and sometimes during the day. Be safe, okay?

Wednesday Book Update

I finished "Picture Perfect" by Jodi Picoult before I left for the trip. The verdict? Wife beaters should always be drawn and quartered, no questions asked. That is all.

No, but really... it was a good book. Starts with a woman who has amnesia, so she doesn't understand why she is walking aimlessly around Los Angeles. The book is about her discovery of her present and her identity... good read. When I finished that, I started "Plain Truth" by the same author. It's about an Amish girl who had a baby out of wedlock, and the baby was murdered. Did she kill her son? Did someone else? I guess we'll see.

Next book is "War of the Bloods in My Veins: A Street Soldier's March Toward Redemption" by Dashaun Jiwe Morris.

Fascination on the High Seas

Whew.... I am sooooooo tired. But not so tired that I couldn't pop in to see you guys before I fall into a coma for the night. I just got back from a cruise over the weekend and I wanted to put up a few picks (in lieu of a quality post!). My best friend's father was turning 60 on Saturday, so they planned a big surprise party for him with all of his friends and family from out of town on a cruise to the Bahamas.

Friday morning we got into sunny Miami (heyyyy Stace... I thought of you!) and headed to the Port of Miami to board the ship.


I was worried becase the weather report called for intermittent thunderstorms all weekend, and it was a bit overcast in the beginning, but no worries... by the time the ship sailed, the sky was beautiful, so I was able to get a bit of sun. We took this picture at dinner the first night.

I don't know why this is, but you never REALLY realize how tired, pale, and just plain worn out you look until you see yourself on film. **sigh** Damn you, Sony Cybershot!!

The next morning we went snorkeling; the water was RIDICULOUSLY choppy, so we called it quits pretty early on.

On the catamaran ride back, the guide pointed out some houses on Paradise Island that belong to Whitney Houton, Barry Bonds, Nicholas Cage, and Michael Jackson. Now THIS is how I want to live!!



We found some beach on the back side of the island and there was no one there to take our picture, so... we took it ourselves. Yeah, I know... we look crazy.

And here's one of me at the same beach.

There are some caves in Nassau (too afraid of the bats to actually go inside), but these are some shots from the safe side :)




At the end of the day, we went over to Atlantis and played a little Blackjack (boooo on losing money at the Blackjack table!)


The last day, all I wanted to do was sit by the pool with my latest book and work on my color acquisition (that's TANNING for those of you who are naturally more fortunate!). But instead of indigo skies and brilliant sunshines, all I got was this

Which brings me to this...

THE RETURN.

New Book

Well if I'm not consistent about anything else, I'm consistent with this. Finished "The Emperor of Ocean Park" this week... that was tough read. The author is VERY VERY detailed with his descriptions of Martha's Vineyard (and everything else); it really couldve cut down like 250 pages with that alone. But a good story, nevertheless. It's always good to read about Black people in plots that don't involve indiscriminant sex, drygs, and random violence. Give it a try if you don't mind a slow read.

I'm wrapping up another Jodi Picoult now, "Picture Perfect."

Keepin It Real

Okay, so I was just picking up the phone to call my grandmother to tell her the big news when I realized... there is no news.

HAPPY APRIL FOOLS DAY YALL :)

SURELY yall didn't think I would say yes on the strength of THIS ring? No ma'am (or sir)... my potential hardware is much more fabulous. But I do apologize to the well wishers- you guys are sweet!

Update

**sigh** Damn... the end of an era.

My Megalomaniac Complex

If I ruled the blog world... hmm... I would soooooo do away with this task. It's driving me insane. There's nothing worse than saying out loud (or writing down) all the things I wish would happen and realizing that they never will. It's like envisioning the perfect wedding (yeah, I do it- so what?) or the most romantic proposal (yep, do that too- say something)... it NEVER turns out the way you hope. Anyway... enough of that. If I ruled the blog world, this is how it would be.

1. People would get a life. I mean a real life, not just the ones they watch other people have on television or read about other people having in their blogroll... a real live life. The kind of life where you go out and do things and see people and experience stuff and THEN come home and write about it. Not the kind of life where you just sit at home (or work) and make up shit to write about so you can say that you've written. And then berate others for not doing the same thing. GET A LIFE, BLOGGERS!!! And then you won't give a damn that I have one and am not sharing the inane minutae of it with you!!!!

2. People would stop gettin BUCK on my comment pages and then getting mad when I return the favor. Here's a tip (that you might or might not have noticed in your skip through Moniqueland): I am not a nice person. Fundamentally, just NOT NICE. I do nice things all the time. I look really nice alot of the time. And to the people who trouble to get to know me on a deeper level, I break tradition and actually AM NICE to them. But I am not really a nice person. So don't get all indignant and shocked when I say something to you on your comment page that you didn't really want to hear. Because if you were soliciting one opinion in particular, then you should've said that and I would've stayed away. But when two people are as fundamentally different as you and I seem to be, you can'tpossibly be surprised when we don't agree. Brush it off (like I do) and keep it moving.

3. People would realize that there are sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
**got that??**

SO many other things to talk about besides celebrity gossip, yummalicious food, fantasmic outfits, and what other people are or are not wearing to school/work/church/the bar, wherever. Now I don't mind if that is the stuff that you want to talk about- I'll just adjust my expectations accordingly. I won't, then, be disappointed when day after day, that's all I get from you. But all I ask in return is that you not be mad when others begin to view you as the lastest source for all things material and shallow. Yesssss, I do understand that life isn't really all that serious all the time. Yesss, I do write about what I wore to a wedding, what I ate at a birthday party, and how much I hate the people who choose to patronize my place of business... SOMETIMES. But other times I write about (and here's a novel concept): MY FEELINGS!!! I write about love and loss and death and life and disappointment and joy and memories and friendships and... I don't know; shit that people actually want to know. I thought that blogging was supposed to be a reflection of real life; a written interpretation of what people think and how they live exposed to others. I'm not saying that you have to give a daily recap of what angle he (or she) penetrated you last night or how much you wanted to run over him (or her) with your car when he left you or how you felt like your heart had been torn in half when your mother died (damn... maybe that shit just happens to me, lol!). But please, please, PLEASE keep it real. Let us in!! So what if we make jokes? Maybe that's our way of coping. So what if we read and don't comment? Maybe we don't know exactly what to say, so we just send up a prayer instead. So what if we know that somewhere in Philadelphia/Dallas/Atlanta/New York/Los Angeles there is someone who did something incredibly stupid? THAT'S WHAT PEOPLE DO!!!! You aren't perfect, and I still hold out the tiniest bit of hope that you aren't that boring... so SHARE!!

That's what people would do if I ruled the blog world.

P.S. If you read this and feel like it applies to you, then it probably does. Don't sit around and dream up clever, yet hateful comments to post on my page. Just embrace it. Then make the requisite changes ASAP!!

I just wanted to give you guys a quick peek at the shoes that I wore yesterday to stomp out the devil, lol. These shoes are my liiiiiiiiiife!!!!