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Thursday, April 09, 2009

The Last Seven Words

I grew up in the Church of God In Christ (COGIC), but I grew away from regular attendance and following. My husband (who is living in Texas right now and who attends church regularly) was telling me the other day about the special series of sermons his brother (a minister) has been giving. It's called the Last Seven Words, but it's really about the last seven sentences spoken by Christ. I'm surprised that I had never heard of the sermon.

As a Christian, Easter is a time for meditating on Salvation and what it means. First, you have to think about what Christ endured before he even spoke the words - the suffering and humiliation. Then, looking at how we live our own lives, think about what Christ said:
  1. Father, forgive them, for the know not what they do. Sometimes, because my feelings are so easily hurt, I have a tough time forgiving. The whole thing with my brother cut me deep to my heart and I'm still working on forgiving him. Matter of fact, it's a daily struggle for me. I know people who can be mad about something for a quick minute, then they shrug it off and move on. Not me. I spend days crying over things and going over and over everything about a misunderstand. So, I am going to pray that God help me to be more forgiving.
  2. Today you will be with me in paradise. This one is like a personal promise to me and all Christians, but it's also something that skeptics would just jump right on. I'm sure they'd point out that Jesus wasn't talking to us personally, and they'd harp on the word "today." But a big part of my faith is that I understand this as a promise of paradise when I die. Jesus was talking to the thief on the cross next to him. If that thief that had just known the Lord for a short time could recieve the promise, then I can. I only have to ask and accept the way he did. The skeptics will have to find their own comfort when their death comes. You can't make anyone be faithful; it's something they have to get from their own hearts.
  3. Woman, behold your son. Son, behold your mother. I see this as the Lord telling us to look after each other, to comfort each other. I always think about another verse in the Bible where we are told we won't be left "comfortless." In that case, we are promised that the Holy Spirit will be with us. In this case, we are being told to be there for each other, too.
  4. My God, My God, why have you forsaken me? I know that there are ministers and Bible scholars who could explain this better, but this one is so personal for me. This makes me know that the Lord understands how I feel when I am at my lowest. He knows that I and all His children feel this way: abandoned and scared and tired. He knows that there are times when we feel like dying instead of dealing with one more moment of pain. He knows. That's the only way I can explain what these words mean to me: He knows. He's been there. And when Christ was feeling that way, God still loved him. When I am feeling that way, God still loves me.
  5. I thirst. Wow. The Lord - my Savior - has felt physical thirst and hunger and pain. This is another reminder to me that Jesus understands not only my soul, but my physical body. He understands my headaches, my sister's pain of losing her legs, somebody's fatigue or whatever physical ailments we deal with.
  6. It is finished. I remember when my mother was dying and we were all watching her sleep and just waiting for her to let go. My sister told her that we would all be all right and that she didn't have to worry about leaving us. I think that's what my mother was waiting on because it wasn't until then that she did just let go. She died forgiven and I'm forgiven. I have to admit, I think of this as being something I will be glad to say when I am dying. I'll be done and ready to go on and be with the Lord in Heaven. I won't have to deal with any of this world anymore. I guess I should say that I hope to be glad to say those words - you know, that I haven't left any "I love you's" unsaid, or that I have really tried my best to live as God wants me to. Either way, I am already forgiven.
  7. Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. Jesus was going home. We'll all be going Home. We finished here, but we are going on to begin with our Father. I can't really express what this means to me, but I know that it makes me feel stronger. No matter what happens to me here, I have a safe place to rest in when it's over.
So that's what I'm thinking about right now. Salvation and hope and surviving the things we all have to go through every day. And, for some reason, when I was writing this and thinking about my mother, I thought of one of her favorite songs by Mahalia Jackson - "In The Upper Room."



In the upper room with Jesus
Singing in tears blessed fears
Daily there my sins confessing
Beggin for his mercy sweet
Trusting in his blessed powers
Seeking help in loving prayers
Oh in there I feel real
As I see with him the day
In the upper room with Jesus
Well I'm in the upper room
With my Lord
Oh with my Lord
Well I'm in the upper room
Oh I'm in the upper room

Peace
--Free

Wednesday, April 08, 2009

My Social-Me Crusade

I'm on a mission. If it kills me, I am going to beef up my knowledge of Twitter. And maybe that damn Facebook. I don't know yet about the Facebook thing. Still mad about it (and I mean mad-angry, not mad-hip or whatever, um ...ya know). The reason why? I am thrilled with Twitter for all that it is teaching me.

Today I did learn a lot from my Twitter folk. I found some music, news and sites I would've missed out on. I also learned that there are either a lot more nicer people on this planet than I've ever realized, or else, the bad folk just lay real low. I learned that there are "Haves" in this world who truly do care about the "Have Nots" and the "Have Not Got It Yets." I learned that there are a lot of smart, funny, kind, witty, lame (but in a good way), sweet, caring, sharing and BRILLIANT folks in this world. (Well, I knew that before, but with Twitter, I get more exposure.)

I am still getting the hang of re-tweeting people, and I only JUST today realized that I could "favorite" tweets that I want to get back to later... Yeah, I'm pretty slow as I get the hang of Twitter, but I am dedicated! Just like with love and relationships of any kind, I guess.

Anyway, the only downside to being on Twitter is that I have to get more organized. I've amassed a ton of links and information that I want to share on Trudy's Tracks, but so far, I don't have the time I need. I mean, I can give up eating, seeing my fam and friends, and just plain go into some kind of hibernation period, but... I don't want to turn into that person. No worries, though, I will get my act together and make this work.

Meantime, if you are on Twitter (and slow as I am), you might want to Google for some folks to follow. I did a search today and found a buncha publishers, writers, agents and all kinds of other folk interested in the same things as me. I even found a couple of lists of people to do with Alaska. Yeah, for real :-)

I'll be too busy working on links for Tracks to post anymore tonight, but just go on and enjoy my playlist up there in the meantime. You might notice I added some tracks. Prince is up there, singing "Adore." Go on and say hi to my lil' man...

Peace
--Free

Tuesday, April 07, 2009

No WAY!!!

I found a cool page via a Twitter buddy & I was happy for the first couple glances over the site. I love reminiscing, but I have poor recall when it comes to details of my younger days. I know people who remember the names of the cereals they ate, the brands of clothes they wore, and what time certain TV shows came on. Not me. I remember things like the time I got my a** "switched." And I do mean that I got my behind whipped with a switch that Mama pulled from behind our house. (If you don't know what getting whipped with a switch is, save me your outrage about child abuse. It wasn't like that & I have NEVER been to jail or on drugs.)

ANYway... I was telling you about this site called Wanna Feel Old? Maybe it's just me and my feeble mind, but I swear I did NOT realize how much time has gone by since, say, Ghostbusters came out, or Quantum Leap was on TV. I mean, talk about dropping my jaw! I was almost absolutely certain that it was only about 5 years ago that I was turning off the radio every time that damn "Macarena" song came on. That was FOURTEEN years ago???? For real.

And it's been TEN years already that Keanu was killing me softly in that long black coat in The Matrix? There's no way. Not ten years...

I'm going to stop before we even talk about how long it's been since the Sugar Hill Gang broke out with "Rapper's Delight." I'm just gonna stop before I depress us all (or at least those of us over, *ahem* forty-mumble-mumble.

Seriously, though. I guess there is one thing I can be happy about: I look NOwhere near old as some of those folks around my age range. I mean, what the heck does living in Hollywood DO to folk? It must be a hard, hard life somehow...

Peace
--Free

Monday, April 06, 2009

Ooooh Chile...

See that Playlist thingie up there? The one I tacked onto ALL my blogs a few days ago?

Well, I LOVE that thing. Just love it. But I learned something tricky about picking songs to put on the list. Here's the deal, you might do a search for "Ooh Child" by Lenny Williams, but there's no telling WHO will be singing the song that pops on on the results.

I didn't notice this at first because I had the list on Shuffle & it took a while before "Ooh Child" came up. When I heard the first bars of music, I knew something was off, but it wasn't til I heard the lead vocalist's voice that I was sure. Trust me, when you hear HER, you know it ain't Lenny singing. LOL.

"Ooh Child" has got to be one of my all-time favorite songs. Ever. Before 1991 (when "Boyz N the Hood" came out), whenever I heard the song, I thought of afro-ed Panthers and other young folks feeling despair and disgust over the way society was going. After the movie came out, I either cried thinking of poor dead Ricky, or else I fantasized about me and Laurence Fishburne as community activists/angry lovers. (Don't try to get in my head, it'll mess you UP!) Still, I will always love "Ooh Child."

Here's the thing, though: give this chick on my playlist a listen. She sounds great. Her voice and style hits the song whole different way. I want to say that she sounds like Mariah Carey - you know, when she's hitting those high Minnie Ripperton notes... But I'm not sure.

And you know me. Every time I listen to this version of the song, I'm doing a concert in my mind, but not even in my HEAD can I touch those notes... LOL Crazy. I can probably hit the same notes as, say, Kathleen Turner! I'm so jealous of whoever this chick is that sings this song.

Anyway. Just one of my random rants. You know me and music. Ooh, chile!

Peace
--Free

Being Cute Will Get You Hurt

I'm only going to tell you this because I'm trying to learn to laugh at myself as much as I laugh at other people. (My suga-niece, Cherie will understand this because I tease her ALL THE TIME.)

First, let me explain that it's a really nice day out (nice for Anchorage in early April). The sun is just BLASTING rays, the streets are not too horrible, and you can get away wearing just a light coat, no ugly boots, hats, gloves... Nice. We can almost feel summer headed our way (well, I say "summer," but I'm talking about those three or four good weeks of above 50-degree days that we Alaskans like to brag about).

So, it's nice out. I have to run a couple of errands, but that's okay on a day like this. I feel good, really good (sunshine does that to me). I feel so good, I've got some music going and I'm cha-cha-ing around the bathroom while I do my hair and such. I'm in such a good mood, I decide to add a little extra to my grooming routine. I decide to wear some mascara.

Wait, wait - I know you're thinking that wearing mascara is not anything "extra," not a big deal. Maybe not for most folks, but it is for me. I hardly ever wear makeup. Okay, I did go through a stage in my 20's when I did the whole Fashion Fair, Avon and drug-store counter thing - buying foundations and lipsticks and eyeliners and mascara. Eyeliner was my favorite, even tho I could never apply it quite right... Anyway, I never really needed makeup. I never had teenager acne or any of the usual problems young women have with their skin. I'm dark and lovely, thank you. I only have makeup because I buy it every time we do photos at birthday parties or something. Like I said, I have a dark complexion and without inside lighting set up by a professional, I usually photograph badly and that's if I can be seen in the damn picture at all.

SO... back to me and this mascara. I have a tube of something dark brown by, I don't know - Covergirl or Max Factor or somebody. And I'm bopping around to Levert's "Cassonova," feeling all summer-happy and putting on this cheap ass mascara. Well, I guess I bopped off beat or something cause I damn near put out my right eye.

Do you know that mascara burns when it gets on your eyeball? And it leaves little floaty flecks on your eyeball? Even with tears streaming (that's from the burning), those flecks take forever to wash out.

I'm like, dang.... Let me leave this mascara wearing to the pros. The next time I want "lush" lashes, I'm going to use some falsies.

That was Cute Mishap #1.

Mishap #2 came while I was driving down the street.

Bopping once again - because there's nothing like sunshine and good music to make you want to bop your head (well, there nothing like liquor, a cute outfit and a club atmosphere, but I'm talking about broad daylight and in a car)...

I'm listening to something by somebody who's probably 30 years younger than me, but it's okay because it's got a beat going. I'm pooching up my lips and rocking my head (you ladies know how we do when we're being all cute) and smiling back at the drivers who are smiling at me. I'm bopping away and damn near slammed into a police car.

Now, I have NO idea why Mr. Policeman has come to a stop in the middle of MOVING traffic when there is NO red-light, accident or other roadway obstruction. No idea at all. All I know is that I'm driving and grooving and I turn my head for one-millionth off a second to check my side mirror and when I turn back around... Boom. There's a big old APD car sitting still.

I hit brakes so hard I think I pulled a groin muscle.

The good news is, Mr. Policeman didn't a) seem to notice that I'd almost bought a city cop car, and b) nobody was looking right at me when I went from mid-bop to approaching heart attack.

Tell you what: that stopped my little groove right there. The cop (I still don't know what the hell he was doing) drove off out of my way and I went into full driving-as-a-responsible-adult mode. I did the rest of my errands driving like I was giving a course in how to look old and respectable. There was NO more dancing, bopping or grooving left in me. I didn't even want to listen to music anymore. I put on the radio and listened to some guy who sounds like he's Rush Limbaugh's crankier, older and meaner brother.

So, yeah, I'm going to save being cute for later (like when I have my own makeup artist) and never in the car unless somebody else is driving.
Being cute will kill you - or at least put out an eye or get you a ticket and raised insurance rates.

Peace
--Free

Saturday, April 04, 2009

Untitled Poetry


losing
not just kisses
or promises
but losing
dreams of
hopes for
walks in twilight
or sunshine
and time spent sitting
dreaming together
over coffee you made for him
losing
a familiar voice
saying your name
in a way like no one else ever will
and breath you have tasted
in special secret
losing
togetherness
and knowing that
you don't wake alone
losing
until you just exist
afraid to move or cry
because you might
shatter into pieces
of grief
losing
and not having
anymore plans to live your life
with that one
losing
everything
that meant anything
until nothing
will mean something
again
(by TMC aka Free 2009)

Phyllis Would Understand

How I miss Ms Phyllis Hyman. Like me, she was born under the sign of Cancer. I hope she is still singing somewhere with the angels.







Thursday, April 02, 2009

If...?

A long time ago - back when I could spend money on random & interesting things - I picked up a book at Borders. It was one of those little hardback books that get displayed near the cash registers. The title is what really caught my eye: "...If."

"If" is a book of questions on life and love and sex and morality. It asks the reader things like, "If you could change only one thing about your life, what would that be?" Nice conversation starter, huh? (Even for those in-your-own-head conversations.)

Anyway, I was telling a friend about this book the other day and she sprung a question on me: "If you had only 24 hours left to live, how would you use the time?"

Now, I have no idea what happened with that book of mine during all my moves so I can't remember if that's one of the questions, but it probably is. It certainly gets your mind going, that question. Because I am such a mental mess, I had to ask a million other questions before I could even think about answering my friend: "Is money a limit?" "When does the 24 hours start - now or when I choose?"... Told you, I'm a mess.

Assuming no limitations, I came up with more & less than I thought I would. In no particular order, here's what I would do:

  • Make sure to say "I love you" in person to certain people.
  • Ask forgiveness from some people (& let others know I forgive them).
  • Write letters to leave behind for certain people in my life.
  • Have a talk (prayer) with God, asking for His forgiveness. (Um, that should probably have been #1...)
  • Eat a great meal (something involving seafood, the world's best salad and a dessert with chocolate and champagne).
  • Listen to a CD of my favorite songs (& make sure to dance to some of them).
  • Sit in the sunshine under a blue sky and listen to children laugh & play.
  • Go to a playground to swing, slide and ride the merry-go-round one last time.
  • Cut my hair in some outrageous and daring style.
  • Hold an infant and watch their smiles and movements.
  • Ride in a car with the top down.
  • Walk on a beach holding hands with someone I love.
After I thought about all of this, I asked myself why it took thinking of death to make me want to live so much. I wonder what other people's lists would look like. I wonder if there is anyone who could truly say that they've done everything they ever wanted to do?

Peace
--Free

Wednesday, April 01, 2009

Those Housewives

I'm a little depressed today. Too many problems, not enough energy to find solutions, life wearing me down, feeling overwhelmed. Yeah, all that.

Anyway, after I finished cleaning and getting something out to do for dinner tonight, I didn't even have energy to cry. Instead, I chose watching Real Housewives of New York City. I've said it before, but I will go ahead and say it again: what's 'real' about these people? It's not like the represent a great majority of housewives
OR people. What the people on the show need are some real problems. They get upset about things that just make no sense at all. Of course, they all had something to feel self-righteous and upset about...

**Bethany - who I am starting to like - has problems with Kelly.
I have problems with Kelly. (Read her bio on the Bravo site: she has some ridiculous-sounding books out, but she does donate part of the proceeds to New York's starving children - KIDDING! The donations go to Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Because, well, they need it more.) Kelly seems like an idiot with a Madonna complex. Or, at least that's what Bethany thought. LOL.

Anyway, Bethany has problems with the way Kelly sits so high on her horse while pretending to be so giving and helpful to others. Bethany, being Bethany, does not grin in someone's face while stabbing them in the back; if she so much as pokes at someone, she does it while looking them
right in the eye. (See why I like her so much?) Kelly, apparently, would rather be lied to if that's the only way she's going to hear what a wonderful and celebrity-like personality she is. She takes herself way too seriously and decides to confront Bethany by asking to meet with her. Showing up late to the meeting she arranged, she then gets all diva-ish and Dr. Phil-ish with Bethany. Bad idea. Instead of being intimidated, Bethany very calmly got Miss Thang told and told good. Game over. Bethany wins. (I know Bethany won that one because Kelly is the one who stank of flop sweat the rest of the show whenever she talked about how the "confrontation" went.)

**Meanwhile, Jill was upset with Ramona's husband. Something to do with a tennis match being planned & she didn't like the way his emails to her sounded. I guess he was trying to include her without letting her take over and run things. Doesn't matter to her that he is a former tennis pro and the one organizing the match. When they confront each other at a party, he gets on her about wanting to take her toys and go home when things don't go her way. He said that her 15 minutes of fame (through the show, I guess?) has gone to her head. He also accused her of not having a 'real' job, saying that she spends her time dining, shopping and vacationing. What I thought was hilarious (and kind of sad) was that her husband stood by without coming to her defense at all. Matter of fact, after the little tiff was all over and Ramona's husband had gone on to other parts of the party, Jill's husband needed her to reassure him that he wasn't a wimp for not defending her. He said some b.s. about how he's never interfered before... (I guess Jill gets into lots of angry confrontations with people and has shown she can hold her own.) She'll be all right, though; she's got her condo renovations to make her feel useful and busy.

**Alex and her man are just
weird. There's no other way I know of to describe those two. She's strange in a former-cult-member-seeking-a-new-home sort of way and he's stranger than that. Worse about him than being strange is that he is always so intense. Scary.

**The "Countess" is just... well, I think she's just so damn happy to have a title. She loves explaining her title and the do's and don't's of having one. Brother! Just everyone please kiss her ring or her ass and then maybe she'll sit down and shut up.

So, yeah. This was my self-inflicted punishment this morning. I watched these crazy bitches and then felt somewhat better about my own messed up life. I mean, damn, I have problems, but they are
real problems. I have the kind of problems more people can relate to: bills, depression, health... I just don't think there are thousands of people being kept awake at night thinking about someone calling them "Duchess" instead of "Countess." Or who the hell do you who's going to be upset because they get to shop and vacation way more than they have to work a job? I think Melinda Gates works harder than Jill does.

Real housewives my ass. If those people were any kind of "real," they'd have at least some humility. That is their flaw, I think: no humility, no honest compassion for others. It's like they are totally hard and cold and calculating. Everything must be about them. Any good thing they do is done for a selfish reason. Any friend they make is made for self-gain or glory. And when they are being hard and cold, well, that's what survivors do, right?

Enough. I'm being bad now. I'm trying to make myself feel better by beating up on those people. Not that they care, because they are still going to collect a check.


Peace
--Free

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Somebody's Pain

No post, really. Just wanted to ask that if you read this over at Supa Sister, you pass it along. Twitter it, Digg it, email it, print, paste and post it up at church, the youth center, wherever - just get it out there. We cannot keep on hurting each other this way.

Peace
--Free

WalMart Broke My Heart Today...


First off, let me say that I'm not ashamed to admit that I am a WalMart junkie. Well, "junkie" may be the wrong word. I'm not one of those people who shops WalMart just to spend money like I have nothing else to do. I shop there because it's pretty much all I can afford these days. Trying to be frugal during these hard times!



Some of you understand what I'm talking about: Need toothpaste? Wally's. Need writing paper? Wally's. See, I'm not one of those people you see just cruising the aisles and dumping in all the cool, As Seen On TV stuff. No, no, no. I'M the chick comparing the difference in price between Aveeno brand lotion and Equate brand lotion. (Let me quit playing and admit that Equate is my brand now. If they had lingerie, I'd be their spokeswoman.)

So, anyway, my sis & I went in this morning to do the usual shopping for neccessities. I got all my budgeted-for items and then I just happened to notice a really cute red computer case. I've been needing a computer case ever since I got my laptop for Christmas. I've been resisting getting a case because A) They usually cost too much, and B) They usually cost too much.

This particular bag I saw today caught me eye because of the cherry-red color, the style and roominess of the bag, AND the price marked so clearly right underneath: $17.95... I think I actually heard an angelic chorus when I saw that price. (I figured the price was cheap because the bag, while cute, is only vinyl. Soft vinyl, cute red vinyl, but just vinyl.) Of course, I was still having to think of what absolute neccessities I'd have to skimp on for a couple of weeks if I spent $18 on a bag for my laptop. (I was thinking I could really go a little light on the shampoo & conditioner and, maybe, you know, do without touching up my roots for a few weeks...)

My sister saw the bag and she agreed with me that it was too cute and too affordable to pass up. She even offered to cover the cost of my hair dye if my roots just got completely out of control before I was back on budget.

So, I'm finishing the rest of my shopping feeling all happy. Every now and then, I'd push my cart to the side of an aisle and just look at the computer bag. I hoisted it up on my shoulder a couple of times, checking the feel and all that. I already had plans for how I'd use all the little compartments: adapter,
here... my writer's notebook, here, in this handy side-pocket...

By the time I got to the checkout counter, my sister was teasing that she'd hadn't seen me so happy since I was about 9 and got my little suitcase record player. I just kept grinning, thinking that maybe I hadn't been so happy in that long. (And how sad is that?)

The clerk rang up the bag first, of course. 



$44.98

Huh?

I stopped her before she rang up anything else. I explained that the bag was supposed to be $17.95. She explained that I'd probably looked at the wrong price sticker on the shelf. I explained that I saw a $17.95 price sticker
right under a row of these same bags. She explained that somebody probably moved the bags to the wrong position. I told her to keep the damn bag. She kept the damn bag.

Yeah, so my heart is broken. I mean, if I hadn't gotten so
attached to the red bag. If I hadn't already named the red bag (yes, I named it, but I'm unable to speak that name just now; I need more healing time), if I hadn't made such big plans for me and the red bag. I mean, I had started thinking of which of my clothes would go best with that bag.

**sigh**

I think it's gonna be a while before I can visit that particular aisle in WalMart. I'm thinking that, for now, I just need to recover from my letdown. Send some strength and solace my way, won't you?

Peace
--Free

Monday, March 30, 2009

When I Rose This Morning!

Don't know why, but I just feel like praising God this morning & this is the song that I listened to after I got up. I've been going through some things, but I hear these words and truly do feel like shouting.







When I rose this morning, I didn't have no doubt
I know the Lord will take care of me
I know the Lord will provide for me
He will lead and guide me all the way.

Felt like walking
Felt like talking
Felt like praying
Felt like singing
Felt like running
Felt like shouting

Oh, hallelujah!

(This brings back some memories. Sunday morning & my mother fixing breakfast before church... She'd be singing something like this to herself.) Get on up wherever you are and give the Lord some praise.


Peace
--Free

Damnit Facebook!


Don't talk to me right now about Facebook. I'm serious.

For months, I heard about Facebook. "You should get a Facebook account." "Facebook will make it easy to keep in touch with family and friends." Facebook this, Facebook that...

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

So. I got a Facebook account. Set up the profile. Put up pictures of the fam. Fiddled with the searching for friends. Sent out some invites... Thought all was well. I even convinced one friend to join right away. I now had 1 friend. Another person hit me on Twitter and became my 2nd friend. (I don't know if he really wanted to or if he just felt sorry for my pitiful, one-friend-having ass!)

Skip forward a week or so and...

Tonight, my baby brother called me. We got to chatting & I told him all about how he should be on Facebook. I'm thinking this would be a good way for him to network since he's trying to get some voice-over work. And, as usual, I talk like I know more than I actually do. (It's genetic.)

"I bet it'll be better than MySpace," I told him. "Facebook seems more 'serious,' and, plus, then we can keep in touch better."

After we talked, I decided to shoot him an email with all my other web presences listed - you know, the blogs, Twitter and... Facebook.

Um hum.

I had a little trouble trying to include a link in the mail cause I had no freaking idea what my Facebook url is. Still don't know.

Hmmm...

I googled for some help:
"What is my Facebook url?" (God please bless Google.)

Well. It seems that a LOT of people ask that very same question. Seems that I'm not just an idiot.

One suggested solution to the issue: set up a Fan Page on Facebook. That way, you get to name the page & grab a url.

All-righty then.

I went back to Facebook and, after much fumbling/stumbling around, did a "search" and found where to set up a fan page. I'd even thought of a cute name for my page: "Nickname Penny." Okay. Good, good.

Except... When I start selecting radio buttons for
type of page and all that, I see that I should either be a business, a brand or a public figure. I didn't see anything for "personal," "individual," or just "goofball wanting a page to get a url."

Wha-tha???

I think I finally just chose brand. What the hell, right? So guess what? I now have 2 things to be irritated with:

1 - a Facebook profile (with no url I can decipher), and
2 - a Facebook fan page (with a url that includes "search help" in it)

I ended up just pasting something into the email to baby bro. Maybe he can figure that shit out. Now I know why all the people I invited to join Facebook haven't done so. (They probably already know what a pain in the ass it is.)

I give up for the night. I'm going to take a breather and put this mess aside until tomorrow. If I'm still hating Facebook come morning, I'm deleting that sucker.
Damnit, Facebook!

Peace (for somebody, anyway)
--Free

Sunday, March 29, 2009

The Wisdom of Children


I got this in an email & it gave me goosebumps. Maybe because I have been struggling lately over what love really is and what loving someone really means. I have been looking in the Bible for insight on the love between spouses and keep landing on 1 Corinthians 13:4 - Love is always patient; love is always kind; love is never envious or arrogant with pride. Nor is she conceited.

When I saw the answers these children gave, I realized they understand love a lot better than I do. The question "What is love?" was posed to children aged 4 to 8 by a group of professionals (according the the email) and these are the answers given:

  • 'When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love.' Rebecca- age 8
  • 'When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.'Billy - age 4 ('Safe in their mouth.' What a beautiful thought!)
  • 'Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.' Karl - age 5
  • 'Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.'Chrissie - age 6
  • 'Love is what makes you smile when you're tired.' Terri - age 4
  • 'Love is when my mummy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.' Danny - age 7
  • 'Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more... My Mummy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss' Emily - age 8
  • 'Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.' Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)
  • 'If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate,' Nikka - age 6
  • 'Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday.' Noelle - age 7
  • 'Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.'Tommy - age 6
  • 'During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore.' Cindy - age 8
  • 'My mummy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.' Clare - age 6 (ROFL!!!)
  • 'Love is when Mummy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.' Elaine-age 5
  • 'Love is when Mummy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford.' Chris - age 7
  • 'Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day' Mary Ann - age 4
  • 'I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.' Lauren - age 4
  • 'When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.' (what an image) Karen - age 7
  • 'Love is when Mummy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross.' Mark - age 6
  • 'You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget..'Jessica - age 8
And the final one --

Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child. The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbour, the little boy said, 'Nothing, I just helped him cry'

(I felt like crying myself when I read that last one. I once heard a minister preach about being a friend by sitting with someone during their suffering and grief. He illustrated his point with Job 2:13 Then they sat down on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights with no one speaking a word to him, for they saw that his pain was very great. The minister said that sometimes when people go through suffering, the best thing to do is to say nothing but to "sit where they sit," in other words, to sit with them in their grief. That little kid could teach everybody something.)
Peace
--Free

Friday, March 27, 2009

Twittering


I kept hearing about it. I kept seeing little mentions on different sites. People had "Twitter Me" buttons on their blog.

Twitter. Twittering. Tweets. Tweeple.

Hmmm...

So I went over and took a look. And, of course, joined.

I wonder if this makes me a Twit?

Twittering. Sounds a little naughty, doesn't it? Anyway, I am now a Twitterer. I'm not very good at it. It took me several days before I realized how to reply directly to people or respond to their tweets. Just last night I learned of something called "Following Fridays." Still not clear on what that means, but I did get a little surge in people "following" me.

Here's the thing about people. We all love to be "in," don't we? I can't tell you how excited I get when someone new decides to follow me. And once I learned how to search others to follow, I couldn't wait to follow folks like Anderson Cooper and Bill Gates. My biggest thrill so far? I opted to follow Barack Obama and - be still my heart! - Barack Obama is no following me! Yes! I know, it's great, huh? I mean, I'm pretty sure O Man isn't personally aware of ME, but, still... I have saved the notifying email in a special folder. I even copied and pasted the email into a Word file. I'm thinking of adding pics to the email and making it into my Desktop background...

**sigh**

I even convinced my niece and a friend to sign up for Twitter. Of course, I couldn't tell them much about how to use it, but, who cares? I now have two more "followers."

What I want to know from you guys is, exactly how do you use Twitter? Do you use it for networking or just making new friends and keeping up with them? What kind of stuff do you twitter about? And - most important - will you follow me?

**lol**

Peace
--Free

Thursday, March 26, 2009

What Is WRONG With Folks???


I thought that the story involving sex and a power tool was going to be the one to go down as Most Bizarre. I was wrong. I often am.

THIS attention-seeking genius right here is going to serve 90 days in jail for
**wait, wait - I just need to crack my neck**

...For performing a sex act with a car wash vacuum.

Yeah, you read that right. I did not say that he was having sex with another
person or that he was vacuuming out his car, but - performing a sex act. With a car wash vacuum.

Now. I know that some people might get a little lonely or frustrated or - I don't know, strung out on those sexy late-night commercials. But how lonely do you have to be to turn to a vacuum? What, you can't find something to get relief in the privacy of your own home? You don't have your own, um... appliances? What? I just don't get this. I mean, I don't like having sex with my husband in hotels where the walls might be a little thin. I sure as HELL ain't going out to the local Wash 'n Scrub to get it on with a vacuum. And even if - let's just say I am that kind of person and DID want to spice things up with the possibility of getting caught - even then, I don't think I'd want to use a vacuum hose that has been who-knows-where sucking up who-knows-what out of other people's nasty cars... (Or - here's a thought - maybe those other people have been doing the nasty with that same hose...)

I mean, damn. I don't really like to use those vacuums to VACUUM. I'm the one who always wraps a paper towel around the hose while I try to suck up gravel and grime from the floor mats. (Lemme quit lying: this is Alaska - my car only gets washed about twice a year anyway. The rest of the time, I just leave it to the other cars splashing me in traffic, run the wipers and call it a day.)

Maybe I have missed something about sex. Maybe I haven't lived enough or paid enough attention to what's going on with other adults. If so, someone please explain to me whether or not a guy having vacuum sex AT THE CAR WASH (
with a car wash vacuum) is strange or not.

I hope while this dude's in jail they don't give him mopping duties. He might try doing something weird with that little squeegee thing on the bucket. Then, when he obliterates his hanging happies, he can sue the city. Then he can buy all the women - or vacuums - he wants to help with... Oh, wait. I don't guess he'd be all into sex after that.
**smdh**

Peace
--Free

Whatever Happened To...?

We have a little malady here in Alaska that we call "Cabin Fever." It's something that strikes at different times depending on the individual, but for me, it usually creeps in after around the third or fourth snowfall of winter. It's when I've lost that "Oooh, look at the pretty snow" glow & edge toward the personality of Jack Nicholson in The Shining. Some people eat and gain what they stupidly call their "winter fat" (as if fat understands seasons), other people sleep in a lot - and that's why there's usually a boom in baby bumps come spring time. Me - I get manic-depressive and have fits of insomnia. The upside to this is that PMS no longer matters. My bitchy alter-ego moments are not limited to "pre-" anything; it's all one long cycle of crazy.

Anyway, I have a loving and understanding circle of family and friends. We can spot the winter blahs in each other and manage to head off the worst of them with some our own remedies. Cooking is great (which explains that winter fat b.s.), drinking... Yeah - a lot of drinking gets done in the winter. Talking is the best though. It's low-cal and non-alcoholic. Which is a good thing because, not surprisingly, along with pregnancies, the rates for suicides and alcohol related crimes in Alaska shoot right up in the winter months. How sad is that?
(This is why I'm not a big drinker. A couple glasses of wine & I'm adorable and a little less inhibited. More than that and, well - I think you have seen my posts on my famous drunk moments...)

So, practicing our brand of talk therapy, my sister and I were chatting today about how Cedric the Entertainer is coming here to Anchorage & somehow the name Sinbad came up. Remember him? The comedian who had a television show and then did a few movies? Big, tall, red-haired dude? Well, what the heck ever happened to him? **shrug**

Once we started talking about Sinbad, we moved on to other folks we haven't heard much about in a while. Like Kid 'n Play. The rapping duo of the House Party movies. Remember? And Florence, the maid from The Jeffersons?

See what I mean? It's like these people just dropped out of existence. Or maybe it's just that me and sis are getting old! Most of the people we were reminicsing about were in the spotlight back before televisions had remotes. My sister does not like computers & feels her life is complete enough without them, but she wants me to start doing searches to find out where these folks have gone off to. (I guess her life IS complete without a computer as long as I'm around!)

Anyway, we started ticking off on our fingers who we were wondering about. There's the guy from Fresh Prince - Carlton - and the oldest sister from The Cosby Show... All I could remember about her was that she had a French last name. And getting back to the Fresh Prince, what the heck happened to the parents? All three of them? Because remember there were two actresses who played the mom.

Surprisingly enough, I know that Sherman Helmsley (who played George Jefferson) is still around. I saw him on some gossip site a while back. He might not be working all that hard anymore, but he's doing something since he was on somebody's gossip list.

And of course, that damn J.J. from Good Times is still around. Still acting the dusty-assed fool, but still around. (That man just made me embarrassed for all black people.)

Now, who I'm really curious about is the little kid from the Jerry McGuire movie. The one with the spiky hair. I'm pretty sure I've seen him in something since then, but I can't recall what exactly. Hmmm.

See, now this is what happens on an almost-end-of-winter day in Alaska. Not a dang thing much to do, so you sit around having mindless conversations to get your mind off seven months of winter. The only other thing to make you survive living through a winter in Anchorage is to give thanks that you don't live in Fairbanks... Fairbanks with the temps down somewhere the same as dry ice. Fairbanks where a good sight-seeing tour takes about 32 seconds. (This is why even after being here some almost 40 years, the closest I've been to Fairbanks is passing the turn-off to it on my way back via the AlCan Highway.)

Yeah. So. I figure we've got another few weeks of this nasty, hateful winter crap. That should give me and sis time to have some more of our Whatever Happened To talks. See how exciting my life is right now? Damn.

Peace
--Free


(By the way, if you really are curious, here is a site called... Whatever Happened To...?)

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Tragic & Sad

I saw this article about Nicholas Hughes, the son of poet Sylvia Plath, committing suicide. What a tragic and sad ending to a life that seems to have been plagued by family history.

Interestingly enough, Hughes lived here in Alaska, in Fairbanks. When I read that, I immediately thought that this was a man who wanted to be away from things while living his life.

Here's part of the news as it runs:

When Nicholas Hughes was in his early 20s, his father, poet Ted Hughes, advised him on the importance of living bravely.

"The only calibration that counts is how much heart people invest, how much they ignore their fears of being hurt or caught out or humiliated," Hughes wrote to his son, who committed suicide at 47 last week at his home in Fairbanks, Alaska, 46 years after Nicholas' mother, poet Sylvia Plath, killed herself.

I imagine that, since he survived and fought under his burdens until he was 47, Mr. Hughes lived as bravely as he could. After all, he was practically born into tragedy...

Hughes was only 9 months old when his parents separated and was still an infant when his mother died in February 1963, gassing herself in a London flat as her children slept. A few months earlier, she had written of Nicholas: "You are the one/Solid the spaces lean on, envious/You are the baby in the barn."

...and it seemed to follow him and his father -

Ted Hughes relived the tragedy not only through the constant reminders of Plath, but also through the suicide of Wevill, his second wife, who in March 1969 killed herself and their 4-year-old daughter.

He didn't even lose his father gently; Ted Hughes died in 1998 of cancer. I love that the father did try to reassure the son about life:

"The only calibration that counts is how much heart people invest, how much they ignore their fears of being hurt or caught out or humiliated," Hughes wrote to his son, who committed suicide at 47 last week at his home in Fairbanks, Alaska, 46 years after Nicholas' mother, poet Sylvia Plath, killed herself.

"And the only thing people regret is that they didn't live boldly enough, that they didn't invest enough heart, didn't love enough. Nothing else really counts at all."

I just have to think to myself that maybe Nicholas Hughes lived as boldly as he could, invested enough heart, and loved as much as he knew how and it still wasn't enough to sustain him.

My heart mourns for this man and for the people who loved him. I hope that there is a place of peace for people who suffer as he did.

Peace

--Free

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

She Blew It (Redoubt, that is)

Well, hell. Just when I might have to travel, that dang Mt. Redoubt decided to blow her top. We've been waiting for weeks now & until last night, all we got was burps and hiccups. Until, like I said, last night (or night before last...)

Here's the thing: last time this volcano acted a fool, we were covered in ash forEVER. I remember planes being grounded. I remember people wearing masks. I remember blowing dust out of our cars forEVER.

**sigh** Anyway, some folks managed to get it on video...






And traveling... Well. Certain airlines have already cancelled some flights while others are trying re-route theirs. Such a mess. It's not like we have but three ways out of the state: via that damn Alcan, by boat or by plane. I've already told y'all about that scenic drive from hell that the Alcan is & you know I don't swim (so I don't do boats).

Things don't look good.

Here's info from the Volcano Observatory:


Beginning last night (Sunday March 22, 2009) at approximately 22:38 AKDT, Redoubt Volcano produced a series of five explosive eruptions that each lasted from four to thirty minutes. The last one ended at 5:00 AM AKDT this morning (March 23). National Weather Service radar, pilot reports, and AVO analysis of satellite imagery suggest that these events produced ash clouds that reached 60,000 ft above sea level (asl), with the bulk of the ash volume between 25 - 30,000 ft asl. Traces of ash fall have been reported in Skwentna, Talkeetna, Wasilla, and Trapper Creek.

You can see pics submitted by readers over at the Anchorage Daily News. I don't know WHY you'd want to see them, but... I'm just depressed now, so bye.

Peace
--Free

Sunday, March 22, 2009

The Truth About Paradise

I got a message from someone organizing a reunion for the high school I graduated from THIRTY years ago. Wow.

Depressing fact #1 - I was a G.I. brat back in those days, so I spent all of 20 minutes at the school I graduated from.

Depressing fact # 2 - It's been 30 years...

Man. Let me tell you - I just didn't realize how long it's been. I mean, I look in the mirror & it's as if I'm looking at the same face from all those years ago. I don't feel like it's been 30 years. And yet... I do. I don't really feel older, but I do feel wiser. I've had so much happen in the past 30 years that I am a little overwhelmed to think about it all.

I've always connected to my own feelings best through music and words, so when I thought about the reunion, this is a song that came into my head:

Hey lady, you lady, cursing at your life
You're a discontented mother and a regimented wife
I've no doubt you dream about the things you'll never do
But, I wish someone had talked to me

Like I wanna talk to you.....

Oh, I've been to Georgia and California and anywhere I could run

I took the hand of a preacher man and we made love in the sun
But I ran out of places and friendly faces because I had to be free

I've been to paradise but I've never been to me

Please lady, please lady, don't just walk away

'Cause I have this need to tell you why I'm all alone today
I can see so much of me still living in your eyes
Won't you share a part of a weary heart that has lived million lies....
Oh, I've been to Niece and the Isle of Greece while I've sipped champagne on a yacht

I've moved like Harlow in Monte Carlo and showed 'em what I've got
I've been undressed by kings and I've seen some things that a woman ain't supposed to see
I've been to paradise, but I've never been to me
Hey, you know what paradise is?
It's a lie, a fantasy we create about people and places as we'd like them to be
But you know what truth is?
It's that little baby you're holding, it's that man you fought with this morning
The same one you're going to make love with tonight

That's truth, that's love......

Sometimes I've been to crying for unborn children that might have made me complete
But I took the sweet life, I never knew I'd be bitter from the sweet

I've spent my life exploring the subtle whoring that costs too much to be free


I guess some people would think of that as a sad song, but I really feel okay about it. None of us can go back and change one thing about our lives. I mean, there are things I wish I had done differently in my life, but I don't really regret what I've had. Of course, my feelings change from day to day (that's the Cancer in my sun sign), but mostly I'm feeling like I've had an all right life - good and bad - and I've got more memories to make.

I'll eventually get to me.

Peace
--Free

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Prayer. Fasting.

I have so much to be thankful for. (I know I say this a lot, but it is so true.) I have some problems in my life right now, but one of the things I am thankful for is that I have a God, a Father, I can turn to.

The big thing with me lately has been my inability to stay focused in prayer. So I am going to be starting a fast this coming week. I don't know yet what I will be giving up during the fast, but I am going over the possibilities. Food? Reading? Television?...

Anyway, while I think on it, I am asking that all of you include me in your daily prayers.

I will be asking that God touch on my marriage and peace of mind. I am also going to be asking that He help me learn to be more forgiving of past hurts and slights. I know that forgiveness of others is what leads to me being forgiven by the Lord. (I haven't been doing too well in that whole forgiveness areas lately!)

Mark 11:24-25 (NIV) "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you will receive it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins."

Peace
--Free

Love Hurts. Really, Really HURTS.

Now this right here is just strange. How do you start out having an intimate encounter and have your story end up in the paper with this kind of mention: ...injured in an incident involving a sex toy attached to a saber saw blade...?

I mean, what the hell were these people thinking? I can understand trying to keep the fire in a relationship. You know, trying something a little different every now and then, but - damn! I don't want to even THINK about putting the words "sex" and "saw blade" together.
Saw? Blade? Now, oil, feathers, chocolate - okay. And we've all probably seen the commercial for the battery operated toy that even some little old lady was happy about. But something that (quoting the news): cut through the plastic toy and wounded the woman... CUT THROUGH???

No. Notta chance. Never in my wildest moments. Not even with Keanu Reeves begging me with tears in his eyes.  
(We all know there's not much I would deny THAT man or Denzel Washington.) 


Hell. No. That's not having sex. That's an audition for a horror movie.

Even if you get over the idea that you are possibly flirting with endangerment to some very important parts of your anatomy, what would make you think that this could feel good? How hard is it for you to get aroused that you need a freaking
POWER tool??? I don't know about you, but I can put on some Barry White and lay close enough to a speaker to get kinda "happy." Or drive across speed bumps going just fast enough... Or - okay, lemme just quit.

And the article reports that
The injuries were severe enough for medivac, but the woman was released from the hospital Monday... Released to where? A mental hospital?

I will tell you something very private about myself right now: the only sex-related injuries I
ever want to deal with are ones I can solve with a hot bath, a couple of aspirin and some rest. Just like any good workout, but having sex and being medivacced should have not a damn thing to do with each other.

Now, I was torn between wanting to feel sorry for this woman and wanting to laugh my behind off. I mean, dang, going to the doctor for a pap smear is embarrassing enough. I can tell you now that I would have literally DIED of this embarrassing situation because there is no way I'd've gone to the hospital for this. No way at all.

You have to wonder what this couple talked about when they got home. And will they ever have sex with each other again? Is she even CAPABLE of having sex with anyone again? Damn. Will they ever listen to the song "Love Hurts" again?

**smh**

Lord, Jesus, set my people free...

Peace
--Free

Friday, March 20, 2009

My Auntie Liz

I know that everyone has their favorite relatives. One of mine is my Auntie Liz. The thing is, she's not really my aunt, but you know how we black folk are! She is my Aunt's daughter (my mother's niece & my cousin), but she's older, wiser & to be respected, so I call her "Auntie."

My Auntie is one the coolest people ever. I don't mean cool as in she knows all the latest and trendiest. I mean, she's real. Very, very real. If she has something on her mind, she will say it. She doesn't mince words, my Auntie Liz. This is not to say that she is rude, because she isn't. She is nice if you are nice. You piss her off & you may never piss again.

Here's the thing I love most about my Auntie Liz: you don't have to worry that she is smiling in your face and stabbing you in the back. If you ask her advice or opinion, you don't have to wonder if she is telling you the truth or just saying what she thinks you want to hear. Know why? Because she will always tell you exactly what she means.

The other thing I love about this woman: she will never beat you down when you are down. She might tell you what a dumbass you are, but only when she knows you can handle it! lol

Anyway, a while back, after I had made many, many bad judgement calls & gotten my life into such a mess, I had to sing the chorus of "Take me home, home to my fam-ily...." I called my Auntie, told her I was coming & I showed up at the bus station with my raggedy self at some crazy hour of the morning. I was not only raggedy in body, but my mind and soul were a wreck. My Auntie made sure someone was there at the station to get my sorry behind. When I got to the house, she made sure I was fed, cleaned up and bedded down. And then she just let me rest. No questions or discussions about the bad decisions I'd made for having left then gone back to a man who didn't treat me right. No head-shaking or finger-wagging. Nothing except open arms for a hug before telling me to lay my "little narrow behind" down and rest.

I was able to just stop and breathe for a while. Just think and cry, cry, cry and try to collect up the battered & scattered pieces of my heart. I weighed 107 pounds and had had the will to breathe deeply knocked out of my soul.

After I spent about a week just sleeping (seriously sleeping, only waking to sip broth and go the the bathroom for showers), I was able to stand up on my own without my legs shaking. I think I was really sick from having lost around 30 pounds in a short period of time and not having slept well  for over a month because of fear that "he" would go into a drunken rage...

When I did finally get out of bed and start moving around during the daylight hours, my Auntie Liz would sit with me while we drank coffee and talked about everything except my mess of a mess. Somehow she even managed to make me laugh. And I never felt like she was ignoring my heartache and despair. She was just giving me what I needed (when I didn't even know what that was).

So, yeah, my Auntie is one of my favorite people in the whole world. I never tell her that with words, but I do hope that I've shown her. God knows, she has shown her love for me.

I love you, Auntie Liz.

Peace
--Free

(I am reading this over again in 2011. I have been diagnosed with some strange illness. I have to wonder if I wasn't having symptoms back when all this happened. I've been told by a good friend now - who saw me around the time I was with my auntie - that I didn't seem to be myself at that time. This friend says that because I didn't seem to be able to think and express myself clearly, she thought I'd had a nervous breakdown. Now I have to just wonder: was it a breakdown or this certain illness I have?) December 2011, Anchorage.

Albino Moose

I got these in an email from my niece. Beautiful & interesting pics of some albino moose. As long as I have lived in Alaska, having moose come all up in your yard & on the porch and such, I have never seen this. Come to find out, these pics were taken in Michigan. According to the email (I sure don't know), it's rare enough to see ONE of these moose, let alone two of them. Nice though.










Thursday, March 19, 2009

Totally Random Riff

  • Every now & then, I like to put brown sugar in my coffee. I like the different kind of sweetness that I get with it.
  • No matter how broke I get, I always keep Ambi & Oil of Olay Rengenerist on hand. I mix them and use every morning and night.
  • I hate my hair right now. Too dry. Too unpredictable.
  • I belong to too many sites online. Can barely keep up.
  • I think people with dimples are cute.
  • I have no idea who "Nas" is, but I like reading about him & his wife on the gossip sites.
  • I think Anderson Cooper is hot. I read somewhere that he is gay. I hope not (and how selfish is that? Like I'll ever meet him anyway.)
  • I love sardines.
  • I hate anchovies.
  • I get daily Bible verses by email & sometimes I delete them without reading them.
  • I'm really jealous of Beyonce (but, well, who the hell isn't?)
  • I think that Steve Harvey is hot. He has dimples, damnit.
  • I had a secret crush on a minister once. A married minister. (Not so secret since my husband knew. He told the minister I had a crush on him.)
  • I'm always ordering things out of ignorance in restaurants. Once I ordered Crudités because the name sounded cool. I didn't know they were raw veggies. (I also had to look up the word because I'd forgotten how to spell Crudités.) My mother was with me & she laughed through the whole lunch.
  • I have a weakness for pickled beets. And also garlic stuffed olives. I'm a garlic-aholic. I can't wait to try garlic ice cream.
  • I often boldly criticisze things that I later end up liking. Example One: The Show "American Gothic." Example Two: The Harry Potter books. Example Three: liver and onions.
  • I don't like pictures/paintings of people in the bedroom walls. I feel like the eyes are following me.
  • If I am really tired, I will sleep "ready roll." My husband hates this.
  • I have insomnia.
  • I am slightly manic-depressive.
  • I don't like to walk on dirt, mud or grass. Even with shoes on.
  • I have never smoked pot, but I got a really deep contact high when I was young. Scared the crap outta me.
  • I'm very picky about my alcohol. I only like very sweet wines, Corona beer, but I can't drink any whiskey straight. And I love cognac.
  • I'm addicted to sunflower seeds. Salted and in the shell.
  • I've never lived alone for any long period & I have a fear of it. Can't sleep, hear noises. Will usually stay awake all night & day sleep.
  • I'm extremely generous when I have anything to give, but I can be selfish with my time.
  • I'm a loner.
  • I'm no rocket scientist, but I find smart men very sexy.
  • I got so drunk one time that I thought I was going to die. Well, not really, but I kinda hoped I would die.
  • I have a big family & I love it. I don't like everyone in my family, but I love everyone in my family...
  • I love to cook. Sometimes I can really mess up a recipe.
  • I love cheesecake, hot biscuits with butter and apricot-pineapple preserves.
  • I don't know why I shared all this, but I feel better.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Motivating Women

So... I tagged Soulfull & the sister came back strong with her post on the "5 and 5" list I tagged her with. Let me tell you something: this chick has her stuff so together that she sent out motivating vibes to me.  Any woman, any mother, any daughter - y'all should go check her post. (We are both on Twitter, so I'm gonna get to thank her today! Does anybody else reading this Twitter???)
 
Everyone has a vibe. You can be around some people & start to feel dragged down. You can be around other people who make you feel pumped up and energetic. Some vibes are weak & some are strong. I have the feeling that Soulfull is one of those people who gives off a power vibe. You know, she can make other people want to feel ready to get things done.

A long time ago, when I had first started working in the customs brokerage industry, I had a female boss named "J." At first, I really looked up to this woman. She was smart and efficient and I wanted to be just like her. For the first 6 months or so - while I was learning the basic ropes of the various duties - "J" was really cool. She acted as a sort of mentor to me. I caught on to the job quickly (probably because I enjoyed it so much) and was promoted from clerk to department supervisor. This brought me to the attention of J's boss. He seemed to be pleased with the job I was doing in one department and within another six months or so, he promoted me to head a larger department. Of course, I was thrilled. Like I always had before, I would turn to J for advise about different situations I had to handle. Funny thing: the better I became at my job, the less pleased J seemed to be. Instead of offering advise and constructive criticism, she began to act peevish about anything I did. She stopped dropping by during the day to chat and she no longer emailed me to point out helpful articles and information.

J eventually relocated out of state to another division. I stayed with the company for over 15 years. I worked under a lot of different bosses - male and female. Some of them had mentoring personalities and some didn't. A lot of them made it clear that they were just passing through to the next rung on the ladder.

The thing is, J had started out being such a motivating and energizing presence in my professional life. The way she dimmed her enthusiasm really affected the way I related to co-workers (above and below me). For one thing, I learned how to mentor and be consistent in my approach. But I also learned how much we can affect the people we come into contact with. We can be motivating, apathetic or damaging.

Ever since those first days in that job, I always watch for the kind of energy people give off. I don't mind working with people I might not personally like, but it's a real effort to deal with people who are a drag on energy. It's not productive and it can spread through a workplace like a virus.

Hopefully, in my life, I will meet more people like Soulfull. Because of my old boss, I can deal with people like J, but I prefer positive energy.

Go check out Soulfull's blog & try to soak up some of that motivation (then go out and spread some around).

Peace
--Free

Monday, March 16, 2009

Playing Tag

Two things led me to do this post:

1. I read about Altovise Davis (Sammy Jr's widow) passing away. She was 65. 
2. I got to wondering what "middle-age" is. Found out it is defined as being aged between 40 and 60 years. (So...I've been middle-aged for SEVEN damn years & didn't realize this???)

That all kind of depressed me until I realized (modestly, of course) that no one who meets me believes I am over 35. That helps a little on most days. But, damn - I'm considered middle-aged! And not just middle-aged, but almost 10 years in... Wowwwww.

So. The post is going to be about 5 things I absolutely want to acheive before I die and 5 things I'm happy I have already done. Then I'm going to tag a couple of folks that I haven't messed with in a looooooong time. (Just because the idea of playing tag - even online - sounds young and fun!) Here we go:

5 Things I Wanna Do Before Dying
(sounds like a Tupac song, huh?)
  1. Lounge on a boat in the middle of a beautiful lake on a beautiful day. (Doesn't have to be a big boat - shoot, it can be a raft!)
  2. Take a cruise. (I don't know why exactly. I've never learned to swim because I'm afraid of deep water. And of drowning.)
  3. Walk on a beach at sunset. (A real beach - not the sandy, litter-filled trench that is called Goose Lake here in Anchorage...)
  4. Spend a night on a screened-in porch, talking and listening to night sounds, drinking something warm and comforting.)
  5. Walk around Paris or Rome just people-watching.
5 Things I'm Glad I've Already Done
  1. Held a newborn baby, smelling their skin and watching those little movements they make.
  2. Spent long evenings with my mother, laughing and talking about her childhood.
  3. Made up with my father & had wonderful times with him before he passed away.
  4. Gotten dirty and dusty and played for hours with my cousins on both sides of the family.
  5. Had a grown-up slumber party with a bunch of girlfriends.
I'm going to tag Supa and Soulfull and Mz Newy... Hope they catch it; I been out of touch for a long while! Go get it, sistas"

Peace
--Free

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Real Battles

I have a very, very close girlfriend who is going through some major relationship drama. I mean her drama makes my situation seem like a two-bit stumbling block. So right now she is very down - feeling like her world is coming apart (anybody been there before?) and we were talking about ways to use your faith to get through.

Anyway, we got on the subject of the fear and anxiety and depression she is dealing with (yeah, when I say she is going through some stuff, I do mean through some s t u f f!) and using our faith to combat all that. I remembered some books I had read that dramatize how demons prey on us. There was a series written called "Chronicles of the Host" that tells the story from the war in Heaven to the Crucifixion and Resurrection - but all through the eyes of angels. The other books were Frank E. Peretti's. He told stories of people (and ideas) under attack from demonic forces and he showed the battle between angels and demons.

The point I wanted to encourage my friend with is this: we are not just random things here on earth. We are created beings and there really is a war going on over our souls. We just have to remember that we have a choice in getting and hanging on to our faith that there is a God in Heaven Who does love us. The demons aren't little pointy-tailed imps with pitchforks. The demons are Despair, Pain, Misery, Fear... You know - all the things that keep us focused on darkness. But God is there always. Sometimes, we get so surrounded by our problems that the darkness shrouds us, but even so, there is always that light of our faith out there. The light might at times be just a pinprick of light, so dim or seeming so far away that we feel like we aren't ever going to be close to and warmed by it again - but it is there.

Anyway I was trying to encourage my friend to just try to stay focused on that light. I (yeah, me, with my sad, depressed behind!) wanted her to keep in mind that in life or in death, that darkness can only overtake us if we give up on the light.

I guess I needed to say all that to her to hear it for myself. As I was talking to her, I was thinking how low I have let my faith get.

So, everyone out there, pray for my friend (and for me). Pray for all the women and men who are in those relationships that are dangerous, unhealthy, unloving - whatever. Don't criticize, but just try to offer up some love and comfort.

And those books I told you about? Please do take a look. Those authors were writing under a blessing.

The Chronicles of the Host
that's the author's site
Here is where you can peek at Book 2 of 4
Here is where you can peek at Book 3 of 4
(by D. Brian Shafer)
***
This Present Darkness
The author's site
sneek peak here, or here
Piercing the Darkness
sneek peak here
(by Frank E. Peretti)

**If for some reason the links don't work for you, just Google Booksearch for them**

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Words Just Fail Me

I wandered over to Hot Ghetto Mess to see what it was all about (because I'm always hearing about it), and one of the first pics I saw was this one:


I just.... Oh, my, my, my. I have no idea what to say. These people here - they must be just so... confused? Drugged? In a cult????

Think about it: they actually got up and got dressed and got themselves down to a studio to have this picture taken. On purpose. By a person who could see them. By someone probably trying their damnedest not to fall over laughing.

Is this photo now being displayed somewhere in someone's home? Where anyone can come in and see it??? (I bet you money that I don't even have right now that the studio uses this picture in some way - either as an example of how NOT to pose or just as a good laugh-inducer.)

Foolishness. Just plain foolishness. And don't blame this on the "ghetto." This is just pure mess. Ghetto has nothing to do with this kind of shameful ignorance.

Oh, Lord, someday we all will be free - just not today.

**smh** sigh.....

Peace
--Free

Friday, March 13, 2009

Rest in Peace, Dr. Shannon

I wanted to express condolences to the family of this wonderful doctor.

Too often, we don't hear about people who do worthy things with their lives and careers. This man did so much. And I love the fact that he had a passion separate from his work. I'm glad that he spent his last days enjoying himself dancing and spending time with his wife.

The man was only 55 years old, and I can't help but think "Why?" Why someone like that, with so much to give and live for? Things like this make me question how God deals with us. Not to be fatalistic, but I did immediately think: "Lord, I'm not curing people. I'm not even handling my own life in the best way. So why take this man. Why take someone with his drive and ambition and abilities to do so much good?"

Well, I just wanted to note his passing. Make people aware that there are so many amazing people out there, doing good and living life the way it's meant (I guess) to be lived. I didn't want to NOT note the death of someone like this. (And, of course, the writer in me wonders what on earth caused his death. I mean, is this going to turn out to be something strange and mysterious?)

Anyway, rest in peace, Dr. Shannon. I wish comfort and strength to your family and friends.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Pet Peeves & Mood Swings

I have a bunch of pet peeves, but I have learned that there are bigger things in life to concern myself with than the petty stuff - so I usually ignore my pet peeves and just thank God for my blessings.

But.

I have two pet peeves that just hang with me -

Number One: people who ask you something just so they can argue their own point. You know what I mean - the person who asks something like, I don't know, how you like A-line dresses. Then when you say that you like them fine, they look all right - or whatever you have to say about A-line dresses - the person who asked your opinion proceeds to tell you all that is wrong with A-line dresses and why THEY prefer wrap style dresses with less of a flounce...

What the hell??? You didn't start this conversation with them. And you don't really care which style dress they like. But. THEY asked YOU YOUR opinion. So why then are they going to get into a pissing match with you about it?

So that's my biggest pet peeve of all because before you know it, the person has got this self-satisfied SMUG look on their face while they shrug you off and turn to the clerk and ask to be shown all the A-line dresses in stock. And, of course, it looks as though YOU were challenging their opinion...

Why do people play these games? Boredom. Unhappiness. Spite. Passive-aggressive issues to do with their feeling of importance? Bad day at the office? What? What they hell causes such mean-spirited bullshit?

**shrug**

My peeve was more personal to me, but the next one is maybe more irritating because it can happen anywhere to anyone.

Number Two (and this is one that a blog buddy & I have emailed back and forth about since she had some issues in her life): People who don't know the meaning of "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone" (or however the actual saying goes).

Blog Buddy (BB) and I had a good laugh over a co-worker of hers who just LOVES to point out the faults of other people - when she has some of the exact same faults. For instance - and this is the one that had BB really heated up - the time when Ms. Critic had the nerve to say that another co-worker was ..... wait for it, wait for it.... "too critical." Yeah. And this is after she had sent another co-worker to the bathroom in tears after ranting about how poorly she had done a particular duty. (BB says that the tearful co-worker is one of the sweetest folks you'd want to work with.) Of course, BB is no timid Milly. She had to go off (just a little) and point out to Ms. Critic how insensitive she was. BB reminded this chick that she tended to be a little bit nit-picky herself. Of course, Ms. Critic couldn't see this at all. BB says the woman looked absolutely stunned to think that anyone saw her as being "critical."

Amazing. Throwing stones, caught HOLDING the damn rock with shattered glass all around your feet, and still being surprised when someone calls you on it. "Who? Me? Why, nooo, I was just cleaning up these stones and all that pesky glass...."

BB is now on a mission. She says that she talked Ms. Critic into thinking that it will be for her own good if someone is kind enough to point out to her when she is being a little critical. And BB has appointed herself as the lucky "someone." Kind of has Ms. Critic backed into a corner, huh? The whole time BB is smiling at her, Critic just knows she's waiting to pounce whenever she makes a nasty move. Brilliant.

Like I said though, people just amaze me. I guess they don't ever remember every good Mama's rule of thumb about treating people the way you want to be treated. Nasty is as nasty does, and all that. I mean, do people think they're always going to be the one with the upper hand? Don't they ever stop and think that the power, money, position - or whatever it is they have is not just a blessing but also a test? I mean, if you can't be a decent person when things are going well for you, what the hell kind of person are you going to be if things get tough for you?

I just don't understand people. Oh well, that's why I have my blog. I can get all this kind of stuff off my chest and I don't go nuts. I pack all this away in my little notebook on the study of Why People Do The Things They Do and call it another lesson in the course on humility that God is putting me through - hahaha...

So, Blog Buddy, maybe we should do a post together one day on all the rest of our pet peeves?

Peace
--Free

Tent Cities, Rolex Watches, Apathy... Ignorance?

I have not been watching much of the news lately and it wasn't until last night that I became aware of the tent cities in California.

Tent cities are springing up in California as thousands of people hit hard by foreclosures and big job losses say they have nowhere else to go.
A friend called me and we were talking about our own tough times. I was crying to her about this and that when she reminded me that there are people so much worse off than I. Then she told me about the tent cities. My heart just broke.


Where will all this end? So many people losing everything. So many people just trying to find a way to hang on. And then I see stuff like this item about Miss Lohan (doesn't she live in California), on a shopping spree. She can spend $50k on watches? Her money, but has SHE heard about the tent cities? How much food or water or toiletries would $50k buy for the people living in the tent cities?

But I can't just point at the celebrities. There are businesspeople, other artists, etc, who have vast amounts of money - and who live right there in California. Don't they see the problems? And, yes, I know it's not just California - the financial pain is being felt everywhere - but the state that is such a symbol of fame and wealth... That's just sad.

Here's the thing. The friend who was telling me about the tent city in the first place is just an ordinary woman. She is single and doing okay financially. She was thinking of taking a vacation to California in a couple of months. When she realized what was going on with the tent cities, she came up with the idea of spending her vacation handing out food and water and (she's an animal lover) pet food. She thinks that maybe she can buy some diapers and toiletries, some second hand cookware and give it to these people. She thinks that she would not enjoy a regular vacation when she could be doing something to help those hurting people.

Okay, so if SHE can think about how to help - she, who is not anywhere near wealthy by any means - why can't some of those people who get to live in such luxury?

Maybe I'm missing something. Maybe there are wealthy people trying to help. Maybe. I don't know. Haven't heard about that, but I will try to find some examples.

Remember Mr. Diddy - from my post yesterday? Well, when he was on Ellen's show, he talked about how he likes to Twitter out "positive messages" of encouragement to his followers. Okay. He says he has over 100,000 followers on Twitter. Maybe he could send out a message about taking some positive action and helping those less fortunate. Just think, if Mr. Diddy asked each of his followers to donate at least one dollar to help the poor, that would be some serious help for those in the tent cities. Look where they could help.

I don't know. It all depresses me. It depresses me that I missed the story. It depresses me that people who didn't miss the story aren't speaking up more. It depresses me that there has to be a story. The California mess is just one of many that I am sure is happening all across the country.

Anyway, I am going to be thankful for my own blessings. I'm down about as far as I ever thought I would get, but I'm not living in a tent city. Yet.

I don't have money to give, but I can and will try to remember those people in my prayers. I will pray as much for their minds as for their bodies because I know that one of the "side effects" of a financial crisis is depression. When you get depressed, you lose a lot of the energy it takes to pull yourself back up & believe that you can help yourself.

Peace
--Free