Um, Yeah... Okay

I am just in one of those moods! Just about everyone and everything I see lately is funny to me. Especially those people who are so critical but have obviously never looked at The Man In the Mirror (sing it, Micheal!)...

I was in a store not long ago & I remember being tickled by this lady giving another lady the oh-no-you-di'nt look. I guess Lady#1 was not impressed that Lady#2 (who was a little on the big side) was wearing some vacuum-sealed, panty-short shorts. Okay, I get it: some folks shouldn't wear certain types of clothes when they are of a certain age, size or body-shape. Got it. BUT - Lady#1 had a little bit of nerve to be giving ANYbody else the side-eye over wardrobe choices. Lady#1 wasn't a big girl, but she was sporting some nasty cellulite, so I don't think HER choice of shorts was wise. To top it off, she was wearing one of those t-back tank tops WITH a regular bra & that bra was not clean. So.... *smh*

When I was younger, I was one of those super-critical, ultra-catty heffas. I mean, I'd crack on just about anybody for the way they wore their hair, clothes, makeup... You name it. I was just a rude child (at least when my mama wasn't around to put me in check), so I'm not totally innocent here. But, dang - some folks just need not to make an Olympic sport of the casual critique. I hear crazy crap all the time...

My pet peeve is when people use the word "ghetto" to describe someone with no manners. Like there aren't people who were raised or live in the inner city who don't have manners. (And we know that when people say "ghetto," they usually mean "black." No shame in speaking the truth here!) What's that about? I've noticed that there are a lot of people raised in upper-middle and wealthy homes who can slap on a "ghetto" slang and vibe like nobody's business. And I have personally heard some young non-black girls who sound "blacker" (I know, I know - like there is a "black" way to sound!) than any rapper. Now, my very favorite is to hear one person call another person "ghetto" when they don't sound (or act) much better. I always want to say: "See a little more of the world outside your own before you get uppity."


My next peeve is something that mostly WOMEN are bad about. (Okay, maybe not, but I hear this from more women than men). It's when a woman is very, very picky about what she wants in a man, but... Um, let's just say that HER qualities are not exactly up to par. Come on, now, you all know what I mean. You have some chick who needs a lot of acrylic (hair, nails, etc) to get out of coyote ugly range, but she just will not even LOOK at a guy unless he could make someone's "Most Beautiful" list.


Now, over to the GUYS: what y'all are bad about (at least that I've seen), is wanting to get some nice, respectable, gorgeous woman when YOU barely have a job (if you do), have no idea of how to treat a woman, AND is the kind of guy that no self-respecting woman would want to introduce to anyone as her man. I mean, really, guys. You want to walk around acting like an ignorant fool, but you want to be in the company of a classy woman? Uh uh. Won't happen. (Okay, maybe it will - ONCE - but only because she thinks you are someone worth building up. Fail that and - zip - you're done. Back to the bottom of the social heap.)


Another peeve? Those folks who just love to brag. "I got this" and "I got that." Or: "I only buy this kind of such-and-such," and "I'm gonna be getting this or that"... Chile, please. Just. Stop. You been so busy trying to talk a game that you must have forgot that I know where you come from. You don't own your home, you don't own your car, and if you have any credit, you're drowning in debt. Oh, yeah, and let's not forget that while you're rocking the latest fashions, your house is nasty and if they had a sale on common sense and future planning, you'd have to hock that attitude of yours to buy any.


Finally, I cannot leave the main peeve off the list: I call these folks "Mouth Christians." Yep. If you just listened to what they said in church or in their prayers, you'd think they had time-share in Heaven already. But when it comes down to actually BEING charitable or caring or forgiving.... No-ho-ho-ho!!! Not them. They just LIVE for the moment when they can "pay" back someone for something wrong. (Now, we don't have to worry about these folks. I believe they will get into Heaven if they do believe on Jesus, but I have a feeling they are really pushing their luck down here on earth. Jesus knows what we do.)


Anyway, I know that this wasn't a real decent post. I'm feeling a little out of sorts & having trouble concentrating. I'm headed back to Anchorage this weekend and I have a lot on my mind. This post was really just a way to think about something else but the road ahead for a minute or two. Y'all please be praying for me, that I have a safe flight & that God look over my silly little self.


Peace
--Free

 

I'm Not Impressed (or) What Love Is and What It Ain't

I couldn't focus on a title for this post (as you can tell).  Shoot, I was also thinking of calling it: "You're Not Cute, So Stop It!"

Look - if you are grown and you know it, you don't have to always be trying to prove it. Just be grown, damn it. I don't need you to show your behind, talking all the time about "I this and I that."

And if you are in love and you know it, clap your fucking hands and call it a day. Don't walk around trying to prove to everyone that you are in love. (And, by the way: if you really are in love and secure in it, everyone will get it. All that talking about how in love you are makes me a little bit suspicious...)

I'm sorry. I guess this is just my weekend for ranting. I've already gone off good and long on one person. Please, God, help me control myself & not let loose on anyone else.

But, damnit! Really. I'm just tired of "grown" folks having to show their behinds because they think it makes them look grown. Take a note here: IT DOESN'T. And it's not cute. Or endearing. It doesn't make anyone respect you any more. It doesn't make anyone look at you and say, "Wow, I wanna be just like you." Nope. What it does is, it tap dances on a person's last good nerve.

And about love?

Here's what "love" is and isn't:

Love IS -

• NOT based on your emotions. (Women, especially - when you are hormonal and hate the freaking idea of that man even breathing, you are not "out of love." You are just bitchy & irritable. Get some Midol or Pamprin or borrow a freaking Valium from somewhere. That mood WILL pass. And if it doesn't, then you better pray your man isn't the one trying to dump your moody ass.)
• NOT about what someone else has. I don't care if your girlfriend's man showers her with a rainbow of jewels and has her sleeping on a mattress filled with rose petals. That ain't YOUR situation. (For all you know, your girl buddy is just being grown & talking a good game & her man ain't all that anyway.) Whatever. The thing is: you need to be happy in YOUR situation. If you aren't, then you messed up from the get-go. Keeping up with the Joneses is not a good thing, especially when it comes to a relationship. YOUR situation is what it is and ain't what it ain't. Deal with it.
• NOT a fantasy or a romance novel. If you have your spouse/lover running ragged having to prove to you every minute of every damn day that he/she "loves" you, you're going to wear that situation out. Someone who loves you for real, loves you even when they are out of your sight for ten minutes. They love you even when they don't jump fast enough when you snap your selfish fingers. They love you even when they want to go hang out with someone else for a minute or two. It's called LOVE, not PRISON. You are a spouse or a partner, not a warden with keys to the cell block. Damn.
• NOT being able to boss someone around like they are three years old. (For that matter, as a woman - and maybe this is just me - I have never been turned on by or attracted to a man that will let me run him like that.) Women, I know that some men need a little direction and guidance. Men, I know that women like to know you are the man. People, just keep in mind that everything is good in moderation. It's just as bad to have a man who is "whipped" than it is to have a woman who is controlled. To me, both seem a little bit abusive. And one more thing for the women on this: Keep ripping a man's balls off & you'll end up with a puppy and not a husband. If you wanted another woman, you should have swung that way.
• NOT cutting a person down, but building them up. (I'm guilty of this one. Once - ONLY ONCE - I did a little ego-smashing. But, like I said, all things in moderation. LOL)
• NOT always "feeling" in love. There are good times and bad times. I'm pretty sure a lot of people in serious relationships have looked around and wondered: "Did I make a mistake?" Bottom line is, if you only stay in a relationship when you "feel" in love, you'd be a mess. The next time one of those wondering moments hits you, maybe ask yourself if you'd be happy NOT being with this person for the rest of your life. Ask yourself how you'd like to look up and see them with another person who does appreciate them.
• Work. Love (or at least relationships) is work, just like any other pursuit in life.Sometimes, it's easy work and sometimes it's hard work. Sometimes you will have to be the one to put more into the relationship (more patience, more sympathy, more... whatever). Sometimes you have to sacrifice and do less (like less eye-rolling, sighing and that arm-folding thing we all like to do when we are showing just how freaking patient we are! LOL) And like with any other "work," there are paydays and deductions. It's all about balancing the good, the bad and the everything in between.

So, yeah, I started this post with a little bit of an attitude, but my intentions are in the right place. All I want to get across is: either appreciate your situation or rectify it, but don't do anything just for show. It will make you miserable. And no one is impressed. No one will think you are "grown," they will just think you are silly and have some growing up to do.

Peace

--Free

P.S.: And no, I'm NOT talking to anyone in particular. I'm just looking at life and making some observations.

My She Speaks Experience

I belong to the site SheSpeaks. It's a very cool program where people can give feedback on products and services. Recently, I was invited to try out a skin-care product called Strivectin. Because I will be FORTY-NINE (yikes) at the end of June, and because I can be a little bit vain about my skin, I am just chomping at the bit to try this product.

So...

Here is the BEFORE photo that I just took today. 

Hair pulled back, no makeup, no smile... AND under the harsh glare of a bathroom light. I will post other pics as I use the product. (Now, you all know I'm too undisciplined to do the day-by-day photo thing, but I will try to do at least once a week when I begin using the product.)

Wish me luck!

Peace

--Free

P.S.: I've recommended the SheSpeaks site to all my galfriends before, but, really, I'm telling you: this site is amazing. I've gotten to try out SO much stuff before spending money on it. They even pay for the shipping. Can't beat that. Just make sure that, if you do join up, you give lots of honest feedback. That's what the whole thing is about!

Random-ness

It's another lazy post day. Just jotting down things I've been thinking...

• So many things that Mama & other elders told me when I was young have been proven true. 
• I want to win the lottery. Not so I can be rich, but so I don't have to be poor.
• I'm really liking the Mary J. Blige's "Just Fine." It fits right now. I'm waiting for it to be really true.
• Life is good. It's not very forgiving, but it is good.
• Is it bad that "Family Guy," "American Dad" and "The Cleveland Show" are my favorite shows right now?
• I'm down to a size 4 right now & why does that worry me?
• FedEx is taking forever to get that phone here. The delivery guy better not be chatting it up with a cute customer! LOL
• My cousin can crack me up just by saying: "Oh, no! No, no, no. We don't match!" (Yeah, I know. Inside joke about Walmart!)
• Rough times are bearable if you just remember that it's called "building a testimony."
• Where the hell is that FedEx guy???
• I had the world's best tostado the other day. I need to get another one. 
• I have finally had Chic-fi-a (?) and, boy, am I hooked now!
• I'm a little worried about a niece of mine because I haven't heard from her in months. Hope she is okay. If she is, I want to kick her ass.
• I want a piece of cheesecake. Right now. (And why do I have food on the brain?)
• Anyone in the world can hurt your body, but only the ones you love can hurt your heart. (Don't know where that one came from...)

 That's enough for now. I need to do something a little more productive...

Peace
--Free

Smartphone Smarts

I just mailed all my fam and friends with info about how to get in touch with me after i upgrade my cell phone (that is, getting in touch with me without running me deeper into the poorhouse). 

I researched for almost 2 weeks on upgrading my cellphone & just now realized that I've  gathered a lot of info that others might want to put to use. So here goes my post on how to save with cellphones and services. I am looking at solutions I found to my personal issues in upgrading:

Issue #1 was "Can I afford to buy the phone I want?"... You don't have to buy from your carrier. Matter of fact, I am getting away FREE by using Walmart online. Even the shipping is free. Here are some places to shop:

• Walmart - the service is by LetsTalk. Good array of at&t voice plans offered and free shipping. They require credit/debit card even on complete freebies (for i.d. purposes only) & I found that there is a tiny charge to my card for the "authorization" from the card company. Still... saved the $99 at&t was charging for the phone.
• Amazon - Check them out. Verizon's $600 Droid was running $20 at last check. You can search site by carrier or phone type.
• Best Buy - They offer free 2-day shipping in some instances
• Radio Shack - I didn't check them out too deep
• Wirefly - Like the "free" price, but they required more expensive base voice package. Violate this (even tho at&t has no problem with you changing to a cheaper package) & Wirefly can charge you full price for the phone. All in the smallest print just before "check out," of course.

 Issue #2 was "I can get the phone, but can I afford a plan that works for me?"...I needed to stay in the same monthly bill bracket. Problem is, I have unlimited data and text on my non-smartphone, but can't afford the same on the smartphone. Solution - get rid of my text package and I'm ok. Second problem - what to do about texting? Solution: Free texting! 

I've already mailed my fam and friends with the way to get in touch with me by sending texts to me via email. 

• Basically, you can email to a cell phone number instead of texting. 
• Check with your carrier to get more details, but this site gives the method for several carriers.
• Also, there are ways to text from PC to a cell phone. I have used Yahoo Messenger for this. When chatting online, just look for the little phone icon in your Yahoo mail chat or Yahoo Messenger chat. (This would probably be a good time to update your email contacts list!)
• Warning: for at&t customers, I know for a FACT that they charge IM messages same as text messages. Some people (me) believed using Yahoo IMs saved me text fees. NOT. Other people believed that it was free to RECEIVE message. NOT. AT&T charges me for sending or receiving texts. Check your carrier for the rules.

 Issue #3 was "What else can I do to maximize my phone use (for free or cheap)?...

• Texting & calling services you might not already know about include Skype and iSkoot. Not sure how these work, but check them out if you want. Keep in mind, that some of these services are not limited to mobile phones... Just saying.
• Voice over Internet Protocol (or VoIP)  is still blurry to me, but this page explains it well, with little diagrams and everything! LOL

 Bottom line is, I started out thinking that I could not afford the phone I wanted, but with a little research, I managed it. Now, can I tell you why I wanted the Motorola Backflip so badly?

First of all, it's really cute (because I am a "girl" at heart, that's important to me no matter how broke I am!)... See, look.

Second of all, it has features I need since I am living a little bit of an un-tethered and unconventional life right now. Here are some of the features:

• Connected to my PC, it will show up as a hard drive there. I will be able to drag and drop files right onto the phone. (OK, maybe some of the files will be of the music type, but...!)
• The camera is wonderful. I don't have a digital camera, so this is just a fancy plus for me even if it not a necessity.
• The web browser is great. I can customize. HTML is there. Right now, my laptop is a year old & has been through the travel ringer. It's going to be nice to have a phone that I can count on almost as deeply as I do my laptop should something go wrong.
• The GPS is supposed to be good. Not that I plan to pay for that service yet but it's there. Those who know me understand how I can get lost in Mayberry, let alone in the big Texas cities I'm hanging out in...
• Phone quality is rated as "Excellent." That's important.
• And, mostly, I really liked using the phone when I tested it at the at&t store. It was solid, easy to use & I didn't feel like it would crumble into pieces is I dropped it.

So, congratulate me on the phone I will be married to for at least the next two years. I spent more time checking out this phone than I did my husband! LOL (Kidding, Tim. You know I love ya, baby!)

I really hope some of this info was useful to you guys. And send me an email if I didn't not give you my phone number yet!

Peace

--Free

Just Thinking...

I am thinking:

• About things (or people/situations) I cannot (or don't want or have the energy to) change and/or fix. I give up on them.
• About things that popped into my head today: "Lying as fast as his lips can move." Love hurts, but it doesn't have to." "I want some Lay's potato chips. Plain. The BIG bag. And a Dr. Pepper to wash them down with." (Or should that be: "With which to wash them down" ?)
• That for the past few years, I've been a nomad. Thinking of getting a t-shirt with NOMAD on front and pic of me on back.
• That Halle Berry has worse luck with men than I do. (And she's rich & gorgeous, smart & funny. I got the smart & funny part down. I might be rich after the lottery drawing. Doing all right on the looks, but not at the "gorgeous" level. I'm probably better at cooking.) I like what I see of Halle. She doesn't seem like a "fake" person. I wish we were friends so we could sit around with some junk food and dish shit on the guys we've suffered through. We could invite Sandra Bullock. That's my other friend-in-the-head. Bet we three could all make each other laugh about our messed up situations. Damn, this is starting to sound like a great idea.
• That the Arizona situation is some kind of messed up. What next? They going to start making women stay home during their menstrual periods? You know, we do get a little moody around that time. Plus I'm sure we put a strain on the chocolate and 'tato chip supply when it happens. (And, BTW, just when the hell is my menopause gonna hit? I'm sick of the whole monthly interruption of my life!)
• That today was a beautiful day. It was a little breezy & overcast, but I really dig watching the trees sway in the wind. And I love the smell of fresh-mown grass. Smells like watermelons. Or a promise from God that things really are gonna be all right.
• That I don't know why I love my man so when he causes me nothing but stress and heartache. (Or maybe something is wrong with me and that's why I love him so.) Why didn't I fall in love with someone else?!?!?!?
• That if I die right now, I'll never have flown a kite. Or learned how to swim. Or gotten that damn Samsung Impression I want... (Come to think of it, I want a smartphone. Just to say I have one. Things you don't have always seem way cooler than the things you do have. And isn't that such a human & stupid way to think?)
• That I want to kiss Keanu Reeves just once in my life. (Dang. Thinking of Sandra Bullock, must have put that man on my brain.)
• That my niece Danielle is 13 today. I'm so happy for her. I'm going to need to tell her to enjoy being 13 because it's the very beginning of so much & yet the very end of so much more. (Don't think I will tell her any of that. It's a little depressing.)
• That if I were in Anchorage, I'd be walking around with a sweater on. Here in North Richland Hills, I'm sitting under a ceiling fan. I'm feeling a little bit Hank Hill-ish. Maybe I need to get a beer and go stand out on my Auntie's driveway. (No alley here.)
• That I need to get back to wearing high heeled shoes and earrings. And bracelets - LOTS of those pretty, thin silver ones that I always had so many of. (What the heck happened to all of them anyway? I don't even know where I've lost and scattered stuff while I've been nomad-ing it these past few years...)
• That I will be 49 in June & I'm living like I'm 25. WTH????? Am I counting it wrong, or isn't 49 just 1 take-away from 50? I'm gonna have to start lying about my age now.
• That I won't be drinking any more of that Dutch red wine with chocolate in it. That's not really wine - that's Jack Daniels wearing a disguise. I had a glass of that & watched an episode of Paranormal State & dreamed that Granny from "The Beverly Hillbillies" was haunting me.
• That I really need a new cell phone. Hmmm... 

Tired of thinking now. I'm going to go on over to  the AT&T site and see what's what. There's gotta be something FREE, cute and functional. That will let me keep my same cheap-o plan. And that will come in a not-ugly color or shape. That will-

Never mind. Y'all just keep praying for me. I'm feeling so out of sorts and lost these days.

Peace

--Free

Prayer Needed

It's one of those days.

One of those days when I need strength the most but just can't scrape it up, will it up, find it, borrow it, pull it down from Heaven...  One of those days when the Devil is trying to get into my head. He's a liar, but he's a great liar. I'm doing prayer battle with rusty weapons. Trying to recruit some Hope and Joy to help me through. 

I'm going to have to get face down in prayer - face down, heart down and hands up. I need all you other saints to do some backup praying and choreograph a covering of protection around me.

It's one of those days for giving up and giving over to God because I just can't.

Peace

--Free

American of African Ancestry

I am in discussions with some Twitter pals over the use of terms that designate cultures and races. It's as if I cannot acknowledge that I am black - only that I am American. This all started because I posted a link to a webpage on "African-American History." (By the way, I didn't NAME the page, I just linked to it.) A few points:

1. I did not divide races and cultures into "African," "Euro," "Asian," etc. I DO live in a world were those designations exist. (And that "African" label matters to me a little more than it ever will to you, @melsite1)
2. If I were @melsite1, I might feel the way he does. I'm not, so I don't. My personal history, experiences and heritage have shaped me differently.
3. I am BLACK, I am AMERICAN, I am FEMALE, and I am 49 yrs old. Would I like to live in a world where none of that mattered? Of course. Do I live in such a world? What do you think?
4. Very recently, I had a discussion with one of my brothers & I told him I've decided that I am not technically "African-American." In my opinion, a true African-American would be someone BORN African but an American citizen. And by the way, I'm pretty sure that most Africans don't like me using the term "African-American" for myself. Technically, I think I SHOULD be a BLACK American. In this world, though, my ancestral heritage is African (and probably some other things I don't know about yet).
5. I didn't choose to be African-anything, but neither did my ancestors -YET we have a HISTORY based on that heritage. This was not something in our control, but it is what it is. In discussing it with my brother, I decided that while I had no right to be "proud" of a skin color, I am very proud of the heritage. I am proud of the men in my family who survived what they endured (and they endured things because of their "African-American" designation). I am proud that they served their country. I am proud that they survived ignorance and predjudice.
6. I am also very proud of ANY women and men who understand and share their heritage to bring us all closer to understanding one another. (There are some of us - in every race and gender - who use differences to cause further division. I'm not so thrilled about those folks.)
7. When I can research my family history without having to use books and records labelled and designated as being "colored," "negro," and "slave," then I will drop the "African" from my history.
8. I think it is very easy for folks who don't have my culture and history to tell me to chill out. It's as if they want me to make life more comfortable for themselves by ignoring my roots. Sorry, it's not always very comfortable for me to use those designations either. I have to deal with it & I can't really worry about your comfort level. You CAN ignore it.
9. Asking me to ignore my racial and cultural designations as a black woman is a lot like asking me (a Christian) to ignore Christ. I hear people of other religions ask why we can't just all celebrate our "one-ness." To do that, I would have to ignore my Christ. The same goes for the whole race/culture thing.

I wish someone would ask Hilary Clinton if being a woman didn't matter in her career... 

Basically - we are different. In a better world, we wouldn't be different (or else we wouldn't care). In THIS world, I will wait for that to happen. And, no, I won't be the one to make it happen. If you think you can, go ahead. I'll be here waiting when you succeed. In the meantime, you can deal with life the way you want. If you don't agree with me, don't go to the link I posted. Maybe you can only look at words and titles that suit your own opinions. If that works for you, fine with me. If you are not interested in reading about African-American history, then don't. I will continue to read about my culture, your culture - any culture I can. It benefits me.

(BTW: The best thing about all this is, it got me back active on Twitter after a long absence)

Peace

--Free

Funny/Not Funny (undecided)

Yes, I am wrong for this, but...



 Now that you have seen it, a little background:

No, I am not a cold, heartless person. I was actually in tears while the son was pouring out his heart. Then I got mad. I thought that the dad was about to bust out laughing. How the heck was I supposed to know he was going to do that primal whatever-it-was sound...

*smh*

Enjoy, Explore, Learn

Couple of video recommendations for you. 

I'm just now discovering this man here. Better late than never. This is a trailer for the full video that I was able to watch on Hulu.comhttp://www.hulu.com...



Warning: this is just as heartbreaking at times as it is inspiring and insightful. The language can be pretty rough, so careful around the children.

***

Next, the wonderful video "Let the Church Say Amen." Described on Hulu as: World Missions for Christ Church in the Bloomingdale neighborhood of Washington, D.C. I wasn't able to find a trailer on YouTube, but I did notice  Film Movement is listed as the Network/Studio for the film & checking out their channel on YT, they seem pretty interesting.

Last, the video "Random Lunacy" surprised me. At first, I thought it was silly, but I realized that it deserved paying attention to the people and ideas presented. Very interesting. Again, the full video is over on Hulu. Here is a preview that I found on YT:




Peace
--Free

Blessed Are

Last night I had the weirdest dream. I can't remember much of it, but when I woke up this morning, it was as though I had had an epiphany about my life. (Of course, I woke up with some kind of cold/virus bug this morning. Yay. Maybe my dream was sick-induced...)

Anyway. About that dream I can't remember - or at least the epiphany:

I think that I have lived my life the wrong way. A friend of mine told me more than once recently that I am "too nice." She would hear me relate how I have ended up in the circumstances I am in and she'd shake her head and say,"Girl, you can't go through life being that nice and trusting of ANYbody..." And she'd remind me that I can look around and see that other people aren't that nice and trusting. I would tell her how I've done this or that for someone else and she'd say, "I bet they are better off than you are now." Or she would be really blunt and say, "And where are they now that you need them?"  Or she would get kind of pissed and say something about how it's a good thing I believe in Heaven because I sure messed up the whole life on Earth thing. (Yeah, she pulls no freaking punches, this lady.)

Would I like to think that my friend is wrong? Sure. But I don't think that she is.

If I could live my life over, I wouldn't be mean or nasty, but I think that I would put myself first more than I have. All my life, I had a herd mentality. You know, all for one & one for all, and together we stand... blah, blah, blah... In the end, though, when push comes to shove, people are going to look out for themselves first, then the ones they cherish next,  and if there is any left over, they will share with the rest of us. I was always one to share first & then take what was left. (As a curious side-note, it's been the ones I've done the least for who have done the most for me - including my blunt, no-nonsense friend.)

As someone I know once said, "What's being good ever done for ya?"

In my life, I have given up money, cars, time, convenience, etc. I never thought that I would come to feel bitter about it. I never thought I would ever have reason to. But life is ever surprising.

I'm afraid that my girlfriend might be right. You can be too nice and too giving. 

So. I'm not going to stop being nice, but I am going to be a lot more nice to myself first. Everyone else can get the leftovers. I don't think God ever said that looking out for yourself was a sin.

Peace

--Free

Their Eyes Were Watching God (thank you, Zora)

What an under-appreciated book.

Every single time I read this book, I get something new from it. Ms. Hurston didn't just tell a story made up of words, but she painted pictures of every mood, feeling and point. I keep asking myself why this is not required reading in schools?

Here are some of my favorites lines (& I'm doing this from memory, so don't hold that against me!):

"There are years that ask questions and years that answer"
"They'd look with envy at the things and pity the man that owned them"

I can't remember off-hand, but there was another great line about talking to the uneducated with "jaws full of books."

Wow. Amazing. Beautiful.

The story itself is empowering and wonderful, but the way Zora tells it... *smh*... Just something to experience. Truly.

You can check out a limited preview at Google books here. If the direct link doesn't work, do your own search at Google Books. (And when you do, pay attention to the very first line of the story. It will give you a big idea of how wonderfully the rest of the book reads.)

Peace
--Free

Old School Romance vs New School Bragging

Back in the day (as the saying goes), I remember being taught a couple of things by older women:

1.  Be a lady in public and not in the bedroom, and
2. Don't share your everything with everyone. Leave some things to the imagination

Well, apparently, those lessons are not being taught anymore.

The last few days I've been hearing so much about a song by a young dude named Trey Songz that I had to go and check it out. Title: Neighbors Know My Name.

Okay. I'm thinking the song is maybe about a guy and girl getting closer in their relationship & he's over at her place so much that the neighbors are starting to get to know him.

Not.

The song is all about their sex life being so hot & noisy that the neighbors can hear her calling out his name.

WTH?

What is with this whole thing of sexy and romantic love songs going from being subtle and enticing to just being all out there? Don't get me wrong - I am not saying  that I don't just love a good love song to set the mood. I came of age when Marvin Gaye was causing a baby boom with "Let's Get It On." And we all know that Barry White caused a LOT of heated bedroom action without even being present.

I guess I'm just old enough to still appreciate not being turned on by a man telling me things so much as showing me. And I don't really want everybody having a window of knowledge into what happens in my bedroom. If you're grown and fairly normal, it's an automatic assumption that you're having sex. How you're doing it and who you are doing it with is between you and that whoever. Why do you need to talk about it so much?

Here's another lesson I learned back when I was younger:

Talking ain't doing. Or  better put (and this is from my friend Keen Ya just the other day): Mouth can say anything.

And not to be snarky, but have you noticed that all these popular artists who are writhing around in their videos and talking about how they're "getting it in" (not a sexy phrase to me at all, by the way), are always fighting off rumors? Rumors ranging from how lousy they are in bed (thanks to their groupies) or that they are swinging with transvestites and same-sex partners while not owning up to it?... (And I am NOT singling out any particular artists, just saying that so many get hit by rumors.)

I'm just saying.

Yeah, so, give me a song with some music that fuels the senses and lyrics that talk about getting it on instead of getting it in. "Getting it in"... Sounds kind of surgical, or like talking about using a feminine product. Please stop.

How about this? Go back to "old school" and study some Lenny Williams, Barry and Marvin, Smokey - anybody who knew how to use real music and voice talent to enhance the romantic setting without giving people step-by-step instructions. Unless you need instructions, I guess.

Peace
--Free

I Try. Seriously.

Damn.

Thanks, Ms Macy, for putting music and words with the feeling

Rain, Writing, Sunshine, Moods

Writing is putting me in such a melancholy mood. Probably because this trilogy is really based on my relationship with Tim. Not the relationship we have, but the one I'd hoped for all my life. Sad. I'd probably do better not to listen to my thoughts while I write - if that makes any damn sense!

The practical side of me (which is dominant in most areas of my life) knows that I should be gearing up for moving on with my life, shattered as it is. Like most, I am a practical person when it comes to a lot of things. When you stand outside love, outside someone's relationship, it's easy and comfortable to be practical. If this situation I am in belonged to someone else, I would stand outside their heart and say, He's no good for you. Ain't shit and ain't never gonna be shit.

Yeah, okay. But.

Here inside my heart - even after everything we've gone through, everything he's put me through - I just love him.

I have loved this man since I was fifteen years old. I don't even think I want to love anyone else (even if I could). All I ever wanted was to spend my life with him. Me and Tim. Tim and me.


He's my family. He's my heart. He's my everything.Outside my blood family - of which I will always be a unit - he is my family-family. We did the whole standing before God thing and made it that way. Even if love is not a choice, it has consequences. For me, it would have no matter which turn in life I'd taken.

It's not a choice, really. It's not right, wrong, smart or dumb. It's just love.

I only wish he knew and understood.

So. Back to the manuscript. I can control that.

Peace
--Free

Happy Valentines Day

I really hate this holiday. And, no - not because I am (once again) single, but because it's what I call a "show" holiday. A business-sanctioned guilt trip to force people in this rough economy to express an emotion with their wallets.

*deep breath*

Now, I understand that we all like to show the people we love that we love them. I understand that it's really nice for a spouse or significant other to get that little public display every now and then. I mean, what woman doesn't love getting that flower delivery at work? What man doesn't love it when his lady dolls up or fixes a romantic dinner? I get it. I want it, too. 

The problem is (especially in this economy, but at any other time too), a lot of people try to equate the value of a gift with the value of the affection. I saw a commercial the other day that had two guys racing through stores aisles, trying to out-do each other with gifts for their mate. Crazy.

And, let's face it: we live in a society of shallow folks. People just love comparing and competing as consumers. You drive a SUV? I have a bigger and better one. You got a new house? Ours is bigger... And when it comes to relationships - from dating to marriage to parenthood - men have it tough when it comes to material things. The media does a great job of making a measuring stick out of everything from the type of car a man picks up a date in to carat size of an engagement ring. Get married and attention shifts to where the couple lives, what school their kid attend... On and on and on.

So, I'm not saying that flowers and candy and "pajama-grams" are nice. I'm just saying it shouldn't be such a contest. I wonder how many men and women would gladly give up the gifts of that one day if they could get love, respect and courtesy every other day of the year? That'll never happen. The card, candy, flower industry would never stand for it. They'd probably just go on the offense and make us all feel guilty for further damaging the economy.

Since it seems to be here to stay, I might as well go ahead and say it:

Happy Valentine's Day, y'all!

Peace

--Free

*smh* The Writing Life

I am back to working HARD on "Everything." Getting feedback from friends who have read excerpts, I feel so annoyed with myself.

As I was explaining to someone, my biggest problem with the trilogy ("Everything," "Enough," and "More") is that a lot of the story is my own. Of course, in the first draft of "Everything," the entire story was mine. Let me back up... The basis of the story was mine when I wrote the first draft. A youthful romance (partly fictional) and how it turned out (all fiction). After 3 years and a LOT of changes in my life, I've worked through at least 3 re-writes. The problem is, I let my real life color the story. I'm not sorry about that, but it just made the writing more difficult. 

Right now, I am trying to center myself back onto the story as a writer - and not as the young girl who lived parts of the story.

Looming over all the writing anxiety is the fear of rejection by agents. 

*SIGH*

Well. Time to stop whining about it and just... WRITE. That's what it's all about anyway, right? Just getting the story told. I'll worry about the agents when I have a finished manuscript for them to beat up! LOL

Peace
--Free      

P.S.: In case you are wondering, there was no point to this post. I'm just venting (and procrastinating)...

Ch-ch-changes!

I've been talking to different people lately about changes we've all been through. Something dawned on me: we are supposed to go through changes It's how we grow as individuals. Our life experiences force us to migrate from being, say, a person who has never had kids to a person who has. Or from being a person who has had a heartbreak.

Basically, we are ever go to be in a "Pre" and "Post" stage of something in life.

A few years ago, I had never been deeply in love. I'd never lived without having my mother alive. I'd never seriously questioned my faith. Now, things are different. I am now a person who has experienced, lived through, learned from and (mercifully) survived all those things.

God willing that I am still alive, in a few years, I will be past a lot of other experiences. That's just life as it is lived.

Sometimes the easiest way to see ourselves in through someone else's eyes. It's like when you see a friend's toddler child. If you don't see the child for several weeks, when you do, you can tell how much he's grown or changed. It's a little harder for the parent to see because they are looking at the changes as they happen. 

When I get back to Anchorage, I plan on seeing people I have not seen for 3, 4 or 5 years. I am sure they are going to notice changes in the way I look, act, speak, dress, etc. I don't notice the changes so much. People who have been around me don't notice the changes so much, but - just like with a toddler growing up - we all know that the changes were bound to happen.

So, I say all this like it's always made perfect sense to me, but it's something I haven't really thought about until recently. 

For a long time I questioned the changes in myself. I would read back over journal entries or even postings here on this and other blogs of mine. I'd see how I felt so very strongly in one way about something a year ago and then, reading a later entry or posting, I could see a difference. So I thought: "Wow... You're kind of all over the place, aren't ya?"  No. It's life that's all over the place. 

Anyway. That's what was on my mind today.

Peace

--Free

Shatterings

I woke up this morning & the world felt too big. It's just one of those days where I feel very, very fragile, as if I can't move too fast or think too hard lest I break & just shatter into a million little fragments of me. But I can't let that happen because then I wouldn't know how to put myself back together...

So, I am going to just take deep breaths today. Breathe in deep to inhale some hope and peace, and exhale out all the negativity. I might go outside and sit in the sun so that I can feel God's warmth on my skin, heating and healing my mind until all the sad thoughts rise away from me like steam.

Shattered, in tatters, but going to be okay.

Peace

--Free

The World We've Made

We often wonder why people are so cold, but at the same time we applaud and reward the very behavior we question.

Current television shows (which, like it or not, are a gauge of a society's "cultural" leanings) are more popular when they have the meanest, most ignorant, snarkiest people showcased. "American Idol" has Simon Cowell, right? (And I am not bashing him, but his "honest" and oftentimes hurtful critiques are a centerpiece of the show.) I was kind of stunned to see a show all about a "Bad Girls Club." I mean, really? Seriously? Yep. There are fan pages up for them all overr.

One show that I am guilty of watching on a pretty regular basis (mostly with the same horrified fascination that I watch strange things happen in grocery stores or at public events) is "The Real Housewives." All of them - New York, Atlanta and, my all-time favorite, Orange County. This is a show where members are replaced if they don't create enough crazy strife & drama. (The latest "Housewife" to exit on the O.C. version is Jeanna. She didn't want to play with the "mean girls" anymore. Hah! Good for her is what I say. But I will be watching to see if she pops up on another Bravo show - say, Jeanna of Beverly Hills...)

It's not just in the "entertainment" arena where negative behavior is rewarded. In the workplace, in order to succeed (not all the time, but mostly so), you have to be a little bit brutal to gain respect. People with any kind of sensitivity or a lack of experience in dealing with cut-throats are looked at as not having a "thick skin." And look out if you try to keep a positive attitude.  Do that and you might get confronted by a superior asking "Why are you so damn happy all the time?" (True story, by the way.) And the worst of it? If you insist on not being a jerk for the sake of appearances, a lot of people find your positive outlook suspect. *smh*

So, next time you wonder why this can be a mean, cold world, just remind yourself that we get what we ask for.

Peace
--Free