You know I recently got something that I had been saying to myself ever so often that I needed.  It was like a lone shoe left on the closet floor that was preventing the door from closing.  Well now that I have it, it didn’t feel like I thought it would and it wasn’t blocking anything that is going on in my life.  Interesting how that works.

Ya’ll know me, my relationship with God is strong, the concept of organized Religion doesn’t really do it for me.  However, one of the reasons I hold on is because out of everything I’ve heard and seen this one thing right here “The White Man is the Devil”  rings truer than ever and always proves itself to be true. 

Speaking of, how could Whitney Houston’s “Joy to the world” Not be included in giving praise to God.  Good grief! 

All the swirl of emotions as the teenager gets her first acceptance letter to college.  I keep trying to first of all beat down the lingering feelings of how my own experience went – it’s over and I’ve most certainly corrected that, but it still lingers – so I go extra to make sure she’s secure in the knowledge that I am a proponent of College, I am working to make sure she goes and that it is an exciting process.  Yet I keep seeing myself driving away as she steps out here in the world and I just wanna pick up that chubby black eyed baby and hold her close…except she keeps sliding out my arms cause she’s 5’2…..

That moment when you act like you didn’t diss someone and think folks don’t remember.

Sometimes the gap is to large to bridge.  Just keep on keeping on – what fell through fell through for a reason.

I feel like I’m ending 2011 with one great colon cleansing!!  Stuff is just falling out the ass of life and leaving it all fresh and clean!

I’ve come to understand that the marital bed is almost like a confessional booth at a nudist camp.  You can be as open and loose as you want.  RG and I have started really spending quality time there.

My lottery fantasies are the best ever and a great stress reliever .

Ever know that you need to leave someone alone, but you are drawn to the fascination of it all?

I’ve worn my hair straight for about two weeks. The weather made some decisions for me and thus I’ll be going back curly.  I want a protective style but I’m not sure what – there are so many choices.  I keep feeling like I want braids. I haven’t had them in soooo long and with my hair not being that long – I think I won’t freak out when it’s time to take them out.

Straightened, my hair does not look like it’s grown at all, my natural pattern looks way bigger.  I’m concerned about that.

I want to start thinking about where we will be traveling next year.

Can I buy one thing for the teenager to take to college?  I’m excited!

I see a difficult conversation looming and I might want to get it out of the way in 2011 so whatever will be will be in 2012

It’s been over a decade and I’m excited to do it.  At first I was gonna be an abridged version of myself, but then I was like huh what no way.

This family bout to get checked out from the rooter to the tooter, we falling apart.

Bitch ass….just because.

I’m excited about 2012 but I’m very proud of 2011, very. 

There are some folks I need to hear their voices before the year ends – I need to make that happen.

I am real happy that I have seen way more ‘work it out’s” on Facebook this year than break ups. I have quite a positive timeline in my world and that is quite special. 

I had to give my face a breather – so I cut out foundation for a minute. For some reason I was breaking out.   I’m going to clean my brushes and start the new year off with a new eye color or two.

The MWC needs to start off big in 2012!!!  I sure hope we travel.

Wow 5 years coming up.  I feel like we’ve been together since High School, lol lol

I’m not making any resolutions, I wanna live in the moment by the seat of my pants.

I was just telling RG that I talk a lot about alcohol, but in reality I hardly drink, lol I’ve had liquor in here for years. I will drink while I’m out but even then I don’t go overboard. 

I can make a whole heap of stuff sound way more exciting than it is.  Please believe that I am not that crunk, I know how to put the plan in motion and I know how to ask if I can’t figure it out.

I am determined to get my creativity back up to par.  It has left the building and I have all these ideas.

I am going to explore video more this year as well.  Do some quarterly pod casts or something.  The first one – I show with RG and I on our anniversary.

I will hit the lottery and then it will get REAL INTERESTING!

I am going to cook more outside the box – The Food Network has me inspired.

Have I just been making resolutions?!

To be stuck in “Old Black TV Comedy” Hell is just that Hell. However, the modern stuff just does not do it for me. Um ok, what new stuff, lol lol The Game better come back strong.

I feel the divide between folks and their moral foundations are getting wider and wider – there is a great chasm in the middle now – I wonder at what point will that chasm catch on fire? I wonder who is going to fall into that Chasm…. of….. fire?

I was going to write a whole blog about this, but it really doesn’t need it. The hardest part of living life is the non-acknowledgement of other people’s assumptions about said living of life. I am a person who has a whole heap of assumption geared towards me. Some of it, I have certainly assisted in, but a whole lot of it is the personal mathematical assumption that because of 1, I must be B. Because I chose to spend my money this way – I must be that way. Because I don’t really feel it like you do – then I must be this way. I think what I pull away from it, is how I have practiced and still practice it in some form or fashion myself. I read..a lot, so I don’t necessarily believe in reading a book by it’s cover – I like to dig in and see what’s really going on. I will and am working diligently on not assuming things about people. I will give you a full chance to distance yourself from my assumption – I will. I am really trying to see what’s in your pages, because I want that for me.

I am lining up all kinds of things to accomplish in December – I need to get energized.

I am giving the teenager a bit of the side eye and have had to check that mouth a few times. SIGH Why would you get 18 and start flexing..about being 18 and how the world is not recognizing that. Gurl go play the lottery, vote and sit down somewhere. That’s about what you get at 18.

I am feeling wayy some kinda way about not seeing my best friend in awhile. I need a moment of “you and me will never part” like yesterday!

I haven’t had a moment of being worn out sexually in a while – I need to fix that.

I need a job at the airlines so I can fly – bet I get one and they cancel that perk, lol lol

Everything I do now, I rush forward in my mind a year – as a moment when the teenager may or may not be here.

So for what 30 plus years if not even more – there has been no relationship, other than a few gifts, and no encouragement to have a relationship because they were not lined up in the ‘light’ and now because they have lined up in the ‘light’ to the satisfaction of the keeper of the light – there is this push to establish these close ties with a swoosh of self absolving and attitude to make it all look glittery. Um it doesn’t work that way. I’m not feeling it, when I look at my dance card – it’s full of folks crumping to the left and the right that I need to go dance with – It’s all cool, I know who they are, I’m glad that we know who they are and where they are and what not – but I’m just not motivated to sit in that doll house at this moment. If I were going to sit anywhere – it would be in the house of my Father and try to figure out what mantle my picture goes on.

Sometimes you have to just turn and walk away.

You know how people have their own unique smells and people of different cultures have them as well (stop acting like you don’t notice it) I wonder how we, African Americans, smell to other cultures? A lot of times folks smell like their foods, their habits etc. so do we smell like chicken, relaxer and New Ports? We can’t smell it because we carry it – but I’d be interested to know.

This might not sound right, but people watching in the park really made me take notice that we as a people when we are among other people, sometimes look, quite frankly, crazy. The way we dress, the way we are doing our hair, I don’t know – I feel like we look to some foreigners the way we look at them and say like for instance, they don’t go for matching sometimes – they go for top and bottom. that look we give them – is the look they giving us.

Family ties and Familial Ties are two separate things. You can have the familial ties without the feeling of family.

There used to be this function on Facebook where you could reply to statuses anonomously – GLAD THAT GOT CANCELLED!! yet I wish it were still around.

I’d like to empty my whole place and just start over – 2012 I think I’m going to start getting my place together – new curtains anyone?

I just had a very big cerebral moment at lunch today to my boss about my desire to become solid and cordial with my blood brother and sister. I need to figure out how to blog that.

Um, I am going to stop the ticker at $35.00 and use the GARMIN in the Cab! – It’s 5:30 in the morning lady – I CAN’T!!!

You know I wish I could tell you about the MEGABUS, but considering I was only on one for 2 hours, I really can’t say one way or the other.  Going to Orlando, the bus broke at the stop and we took a regular charter bus down – so no outlets and no wi-fi.  We actually got on the bus going home but it broke down in Jacksonville and after an hour and a half wait, we came on home on a chartered bus.  Now while we were on the Megabus, the wi-fi  didn’t work and the driver was a bit corny.

The ride was uneventful, I hated all that sleeping I was doing, but I guess I needed it.  All the great stops on the way home and the break stop is at this rinky Love Truck stop with a Hardy’s.  Not good for breakfast, but the Angus burger I have to admit was good.

Overall, the bus ride as a means to get to Florida, I give it a C.  RG gives it a D and The Teenager who rode down and back with no seat mate gives it a B, lol  RG could not get over not being in control, the seats were a bit tight and he was just mad we never got to really ride a megabus.  We both agreed that we missed the intimacy of riding in our own car, having our own conversation and in charge of our surroundings.

The group coming back with us GOT ON MY DAMN NERVES!!!!  This broad was so intense. If I heard her say one more time, she had diabetes and had to have sugar (huh) only to get off the bus and immediately start smoking a cigarette. OKAY!!!  Then she spent the last two hours of the trip talking to some negro named Darryl about herself and her life.  She zapped every bit of strength from me.  EVERY BIT OF IT!!!!  I had identified her as the one who was going to get on my nerves from the jump and I was correct.  Not to mention she kept trying to give RG the googly eyes.

Budget wise –  I came in about $65 over, but I totally was about to lose it when I couldn’t find the FIVE DAY IN THE GARAGE parking ticket.  Luckily, I found it in my suitcase cause I was about to freak out.  We dove off that bus, and headed to get the birds and walk in our own home!!!!

Lodging wise – I intend to write a Trip Advisor on the hotel.  I read all these reviews and come away saying if you want it like that pack our house up, put it on top of the car, plane, train, bus and sit it down at your destination – it’s a hotel. Yea some are bad – but I guess my standard for bad is a lot lower I suppose, especially in towns like this. I never did understand the resorts, because I’d have to stay like an additional week to enjoy those as well.  I give the Days Inn Convention Center a B.  Outside of the one day they didn’t clean our room, it was cool – working fridge and microwave, extra small bathroom, really comfortable pillows, really and they left us alone. No resorts fees and no holds on your credit card.  Works for me.

Before I go, can we talk about food – I have eaten good!  I don’t like going on vacation and eating crappy, that’s part of the vacay.  I’ve enjoyed Sizzler (Lord how I miss them here in ATL) I’ve eaten Red Lobster and burned the entire top of my damn mouth with a mushroom, Experienced Hardy’s and had to retract my statement about McDonald’s on Thanksgiving, cause they have given me joy being right across the street from the hotel.  I also had some GOOD Sangria from Don Pablo’s.  I also have found it here on Cobb Parkway.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter  is the T-R-U-T-H!!!  That entire area was off tha chain!  Ok, let’s start at the beginning.  First, let me give a shout out to Apple – the Universal Free Apps, gave us much love.  The Teenager was a great navigator as well.  We hit the ground running, based on the fact that EVERYONE told us that we needed to be there as the gates opened to have any opportunity of riding any of the Harry Potter rides.

We got there 30 minutes BEFORE the gates officially opened and were able to amble on in with the Resort folks.  The folks who stay at one of their resorts (this holds for Disney as well) get to get in about an hour early.  When I tell you everyone was at a brisk walk to slow trot to all out race to get all the way across the freaking park, I do not lie.

As you cross the bridge – it’s like entering another world and you stop in your tracks to take it all in.  It’s a book come to life. Now most of the parks are books, movies etc. come to life, but this seems different in some kinda way, maybe because you actually saw this come to be.  During our lifetime this entire fantasy came to be (along with Twilight).  Now the other interesting thing is that, we aren’t really into Harry Potter so it was awesome but we weren’t emotionally tied to it, well honey let me tell you; there were some folks who fell to their knees, you hear me. It was cool watching the cloaks and wands (at $30 a pop) all over the place.  This thing called Butter Beer had a line at every ‘pub’.  Someone please tell me what that is.

Anyhoo, the line was already 15 minutes long for the first ride called “Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey”   What a mystical walk to the actual ride.  I started to notice signs talking about the ride does this and that and then I read “if you wear artificial limbs, please remove them before ride”  (paraphrasing)  WTF?! I started to wonder what I was about to get myself into.  Finally we came upon the ride and walked along the belt to get into this contraption.  We were strapped in within an inch of our lives and took off.  OK I won’t tell you about the ride because it would really spoil it, but um yea you might wanna take yah leg off, lol lol  That’s all I’mma say.  That ride would have been worth the 4pm waiting time of over 120 minutes.  Next up was a kiddie roller coaster that RG got stuck in and had to sit in a seat by himself called “Flight of the Hippogriff”.

The last ride was the Dueling Dragons and as I’ve stated before, I embrace my bitchassness about Roller Coasters – they have set sail from my life.  RG, however, decided to hop on.  Now let me say we were running on empty stomachs because there could be no breakfast to get to the park early.  So while they went and rode the biggest roller coaster at the park, I munched on grapes from a street vendor and watched the crowd.

“Mister Reggie is throwing up!”, my phone lit up and I grabbed all our stuff and went to find them.  RG came off looking as green as I’ve ever seen him. Riding all that stuff back to back had given him an awful case of motion sickness.  The vacation stopped to take care of Big Poppa.

The teenager went off to ride the rest of the guy wrenching rides, while I sat with RG as he tried to get his equilibrium back. Seeing as the parks are a GREAT place to people watch (more on that later in another blog) time went by fast.  RG was back on his feet in a couple of hours and the day continued.

Universal has different worlds:  Marvel Super Hero Island, Toon Lagoon, Jurassic park, The Lost Continent, Seuss Landing and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.   We spent wayyy more time in Dr. Suess Landing.  It is the most colorful, loud whimsical place ever!!!  It was already decorated for Christmas and playing at top volume bad bad Christmas renditions.  If it had snow, I would have freaked out with happiness, lol  that place just turns me on. It’s ripe for candy, icecream, hugging and loving and that’s just what we did. We must have walked through there half a dozen times,  lol  Lunch in Jurrassic park and enough laughs to last a life time at Marvel Super Hero Island.  Man that island.

I don’t know where they get these ‘performers’ from but you are talking about the most pitiful bunch of Super Hero’s ever.  Now let’s first say that this is the land of Xmen, Captain America, and Spider Man.  We talking BIG LEAGUES and they almost come comical with this whole thing.  Wolverine was MY HEIGHT!!  Halle Berry should come and slap the hell out of STORM, who looked like a washed up Stripper. They kill me all the time.

I will say Universal is not as intense as Disney and quite frankly, it needs an overhaul in several areas.  Therefore, we were done and I mean we explored every nook and cranny of that park, by like 6:30pm.  We took the buses home like the previous day and chilled out a bit before we hopped on the I-Trolley and landed at Don Pablo’s for some Mexican and a whole buncha Sangria for $3.99.

As we lay down for the evening with a 4:15 am wake up call, the teenager reached out and held my hand – it was a good trip.

It WAS a good idea to catch a $17 cab to Universal Studios because by 10:30am we had ridden The Mummy twice, The Simpsons and Men In black, the most popular rides at Universal.  The free shuttle didn’t even get to the hotel until 10:30 and then it took almost an hour to reach the park!  Good move RG and Teenager.

We had not been to Universal since 1999. It seemed new, surprisingly a lot of it was new.  The weather was perfect!  The atmosphere was perfect.  Universal is organized by movie capitals of the United States.  There’s Hollywood, New York, San Francisco, World Expo and Production Central.  I could spend all day on the wonderful classic streets of New York from years gone by.  The sights, smells etc.  Nathan carts with giant hotdogs, the steps of the downtown Library, subway entrances, just fabulous.  We went there so I could just walk around several times.

The park was not crowded at all and the longest we had to wait on a ride even at peak time was 30 minutes which didn’t feel like a long time.  Most rides you were on in 10-15 minutes.  However, please note this is NOT Islands of Adventures a whole different kinda park that draws bigger crowds.

I made a note to myself as I walked past a giant mirror that this was the thinnest I had ever come to Orlando looking.  Yea baby!  I also made note and mentioned to RG that this was part of my ‘notes for the man for me”  I wanted to take vacations; family, couple, friend – I wanted to have that life and I am so happy and blessed to say that in the six years we have been together, we’ve done all three – every year in some form or fashion.  Are we going to Europe?  NO are we even going more than a nice car ride away, not yet but we travel.  My wish was fulfilled.

We took our time too.  Usually I am a pure vacation nazi as I mentioned.  This time, I wanted to work on that and relax.  That was accomplished today.  We strolled everywhere, we sat and people watched, we had a sit down lunch.  Now that didn’t stop me from freaking out.  I get sooo excited coming to the parks. I am really a kid.  I have been extra excited this trip, probably because I am a lot freer than I’ve ever been and able to express myself with no repercussions…….. from myself.

We stayed for about 10 hours and then proceeded back to the strip to find dinner.  We had decided on Indian food but ended up at Chili’s, why?  because Indian food was outrageously expensive on the strip.  Like $18-$25 a plate expensive.  That was not in the budget and there is a budget, a pretty tight one.

The day has ended and I’m sitting here at 11:31 watching Criminal Minded.  RG and The Teenager are fast asleep. Tomorrow is our last day here and we intend to make the best of it.

Imagine my surprise when I opened the hotel room door and it was exactly as I left it – UM HOUSEKEEPING!!  Well let me back up.  The bed was just my type complete with the best pillows, so I fell into a very nice deep sleep.  However, because I went to sleep on ‘work time’ my ‘work clock’ woke me up.  The pillows were so lush though, I was able to get maybe an additional 30 minutes SIGH.

Part of my goal during this vacation was to not be the vacation nazi.  I am not one in a negative way, but moreso in making sure we are on schedule and take full advantage of EVERYTHING.   This time around, I am trying to be chill.

Previously on Facebook, I mentioned that I felt some kinda way with fast food being open on Thanksgiving only to find myself twice today at said establishment, lol lol  First we went for breakfast and then for drinks.  I guess it works down here. What I found was not really working i(at least in the commercial side of town) was Thanksgiving itself.  You come down here to vacation and to get away from your norm.  Thanksgiving must be a big common.  I tried saying Happy Thanksgiving  several times only to be met with either blank stares or such an afterthought on the return, I gave up.

So first up was to cash in a groupon at this go-kart facility.  Before that we needed to figure out how to get there on the bus.  Actually, the bus system down here is not bad at all.  Lynx is what they call it. I liked it, because we stopped inside Disney and rode through all parks on our journey.

Two buses later we ended up at the go kart tracks and were the first ones there!  We had 30 laps (10 a piece), 80 game room tokens and 4 pieces of Alligator chum (food).  What a good time!!  We totally had our way on the track, with the teenager getting in some good ‘fake driving’ time.  Lord if she ain’t Miss Daisy I tell yah!  She was just a strolling around the track, lol RG and I were acting a plum fool racing each other.  As I raced around the track, I felt this level of peace and freedom – I was where I wanted to be and had no regrets about our decision to ditch “tradition” and just take off together.

Yesterday, we heard that right across the street from our hotel was an International car show, so after spending about 45 minutes getting back to our original location, we took a hike to the car show.  Now please note that I have been a walking, jogging, trotting, running beast since I stepped off the mega bus.  I have amazed myself and my family has passed out several times in mockery of me becoming..dare I say it, ‘active’  LOL   We finally got the car show to discover there weren’t any damn foreign cards!! This was a regular car show, but that was cool, we missed the one at the Georgia World Congress Center.

Hunger overtook us and we got out of the convention center quicker than we went in. We ended up at the Sizzler and IT WAS SO FREAKING GOOD!!!!  I didn’t miss turkey one bit.  I bout passed out, I was sooo off any kinda way of eating right. My only saving grace was I had water, lol oh and I put in some miles.

Several times I tried to think about all the reverence that I was supposed to be doing, but I just kept being in the moment.  I didn’t feel it was time to review as a whole my thankfulness, I just am in the midst of it – I am most certainly in the midst of it.

So I was riding in the car with RG and we were discussing Thanksgiving Plans.  Neither one of us were really feeling any kinda way about the day one way or the other.  We had already bowed out of any big celebrations outside of Atlanta and I was just antsy to do something ‘different’.   He mentioned this bus service that was starting up in Atlanta.  He told me as I got out the car that morning to “check it out” they said they were going to Orlando.

Fast forward to the dark blue Honda racing down the highway because I had to go back in the house and throw up due to excitement and the teenager had left her Rapid Rail Pass.  The bus was leaving at 7 and it was um 6:20AM!!!!!  Welcome to the world of the Magnegroes trying to go on vacation!!  If we missed this bus our 4 days of Orlantic Bliss were going to be RUINED!!  RG had us do a slow roll out the car while he went to park.

I had about three levels of excitement ok stress surrounding this trip. I found out first thing that we had been paid today so strike that off, we actually made it to the pickup spot scratch that and now I was anxiously waiting for RG to get on the bus.  OK!! Everything is going well.  Then we find out that the actual “Megabus” had broken (insert laugh here) and so we were on a regular chartered bus.  The downside to this is that the perks of the Megabus  (wi-fi, plugs, desk trays) were missing.  Yet the bus was cozy.

About an hour in, I start to hear a familiar tune off in the distance “Well we moving on up, moving on up to the East Side”  Before I could really place it – the main characters “Weezy and George Jefferson” roared out the back and began a series of the most annoying things to do in close proximity to others ever!!  Good Lawd!  First the phone ring tone on volume 1000, followed by all kinds of hidden ghetto phone conversation.  You know the kind, talking loud as hell but then dipping to inaudible to say words like Nigga, shit, etc. etc.  Then they decided to apparently show a slide show by going over EVERY DAMN PICTURE IN THEIR RESPECTIVE PHONES!!   By the time we got to the first stop – it was 10am and I was pouring my party flask of Ciroc in my MWC Thermos to drink um STRAIGHT!!

The fun of traveling is doing things that you ONLY do when you are taking a car somewhere longer than 3 hours – like eat at Hardy’s.  I swear I’ve taken some valuable time I could one day spend with my Grandchildren messing around with an egg biscuit from them the size of a whopper, lol lol lol

Well that sure knocked the Jeffersons out to the point they were doing a full Thanksgiving Church Service Choir worth of snoring.  Now when RG fell asleep, I felt and feel it’s my duty as a wife to monitor such things that would ultimately embarrass him.  You know make sure there’s no mucus, no white crappy lips and eye and to nudge him when he began to snore.  Well this broad was OFF HER POST!!  There were babies, toddlers and 5 year olds on the bus and you didn’t hear a peep, but these negroes…..grrrrrrrrr.

All in all – we got here within 5 minutes of what the web site said, it was a smooth ride and the weather was very agreeable.

After a freaking $35 cab ride to the hotel from the bus drop off site, we checked in seamlessly, freshened up and hit the Red Lobster.  I fully intend to eat freely – hell it is Thanksgiving right?  It was all walked away as we hiked it to the bus stop to catch the trolley to “Ripley’s Believe It Or Not”  That was interesting.  I particularly found it intriguing that the majority of the museum was about the uniqueness that are people of color.  The craziest part – this hall way where you felt like the building was turning upside down.  Club music was blasting and I really needed my flask in there – that could have been real interesting, lol lol

We also hit this 3 story go cart ride that the teenager and RG rode.  I just laughed as the teenager better kown as “Driving Miss Daisy” crawled along the track and RG daring someone to bump her, lol lol lol  My baby just is not getting the whole driving thing. I have no issues seeing as I was 27 when I learned how to drive.

We did A LOT of walking in the night air and it felt really good.  RG said the bus was cool, but he felt totally out of control, missed our ‘family convo’ and it was killing him he wasn’t driving.  I too missed the family convo it makes the trip go faster, but I found nothing wrong with the bus.

OH can I just say that Apple is the name of some of the best electronics in the game but all of them collectively “FIVE MINUTE BROTHERS!!”  Good Grief, my phone lasted from 6 am to 3pm. Really Apple Really!!  Even the teenagers Ipod went out mid trip.  I hate it!!

So now I am sitting in the double Days Inn Bed, being smothered by RG as the teenager plays me songs from her ipod and a TV with three channels gives me comfort.  At least I discovered “Big Bang Theory”.  Hilarious show – Hilarious.

Well my legs are telling me to go to hell – so let me stretch out to get ready for Day 2.

I stared at the little box as I was asked to attend a private dinner party and reading for an Author and Internet Friend, when they came to Atlanta. First, I was excited because it’s been awhile since I’ve met someone in person that I’ve had a relationship on line with and Second, I was looking forward to moving in a circle that was not my own. I know several groups of folks who have circles that I’ve dipped and dabbed in. I wrote a post about my social shyness and self imposed peer pressure that I experience.

So I look up and it’s time. It’s being held at a swanky Peachtree Hotel/Residence. I started planning my outfit like a week before, because I already knew the audience might be giving me ATL casual chic I chose to appear as a butterfly (yes there are themes, lol) and so I chose my good black skinny pants (yes I still separate clothes into play clothes and school clothes, lol) a cute shirt and my coach boots. All of a sudden, I wanted some hair. No, there wasn’t anything wrong with the hair on my head – I just felt like I needed to feel something bouncing on my neck, lol So I went and got me a perfect fall and I was set.

There is something about proving that you can get ready for something in less than 30 minutes, at least with me. Knowing damn well, my makeup will take that long if I’m going for a beat look. I really had no clue to who was coming to this event and what the dress code was and how I was suppose to be presenting myself in respect to the Author’s sphere – so I went with what I know best – Just being me, lol lol I sat and beat the hell out of my face, plopped my fall on and grabbed my wrap and headed out – - It was actually kinda warm and I was rushing so a soft sheen had broken out in the parts where you traditionally use non-sweat products. I sat in the car and lifted the mirror down to get my face from shining and looked in HORROR as I saw my hair yell “WHO GON CHECK ME BOO!!” and retreat somewhere between kinky and nappy. It was NOT playing well against the perfectly coiffed Yaki I was sporting from the ears back. Honey it looked like an upside down waterfall – the foam was at the top, lol lol lol lol I turned around and went back home and grabbed a scarf, creating a 1973 look and kept it stepping.

Riding up the key operated elevator, I wasn’t feeling any kinda way. As I got off the elevator, I strolled up to the door and knocked….showtime. He opened the door and said my name and whatever I was feeling disappeared. We hugged and I came into quite the cute spot. A quick survey of the room, let me know that I was the only Female and…….Heterosexual in the room.

Fast forward 15 or so minutes and I got one sentence for you….Wine, Fried Chicken, Bravo and a spectacular host and guest……FANTASTIC!!

I was really enjoying being in a situation I hadn’t been in since my visit to Chicago to visit my Bestie. As we all know, a whole heap of Black Women are self professed “Hags” in the Gay community. We feature them in our lives as these like kind spirits. However, if we are truthful, the way we do can sometimes be stereotypical and the feature a bit Karaoke like. As if they aren’t people but characters. The “Gay Girlfriend” the “Gay Husband” how about I have a friend, who happens to be gay. I find it interesting as well, how as a straight person you want to let it be known that you are ‘down’ so bad, like when Toubob gets around us and decides to start giving dap and acting a fool to prove they with it, lol lol lol I felt the need to twirl and just drop down to the floor – but I held off, lol lol

Trent Jackson is an accomplished and published author about to release his third book “Pop Life” As many know, I dabble in reading Homecentric novels and erotica. I have a small collection and I enjoy it. Amazon is good for finding little ditties that might not have made mainstream but are self published and contain some really good stories. I had not had an opportunity to actually read one of his books, but I was well aware of his work. Our connection, in my mind has always been his blogs. His late night purges have helped me think about and address a whole heap of issues or just confirm I’m not crazy – I am forever grateful to him for just coming to us naked at all times. He’s allowed a whole heap of us to get dressed

Anyhoo – he read several chapters snippets of his books to us and the conversation that followed was some of the best I’ve had in awhile. Apparently, I had been starving for some of this type of conversation because I was open. I might have spoken to much – but I really wanted to be a part of the conversation. I hope I didn’t come across as the very person I was trying not to be.

I just want to say thank you for allowing me to be a part of your circle, for the great food and drink and for introducing me to others who are doing big things in the A-T-L. I’ve become Facebook and Twitter co-horts with several of them and have added at least 3 new blogs to my google reader. If I was not the only female invited to this event and you didn’t make it, you  missed a great time!

I look forward to Pop Life’s release and I encourage others to pick it up as well. Oh and please know that I have pulled out my manuscript and I be damn if by January 2012 I will have quite a bit of it edited and making some sense!! 

I came to a realization the other day that my husband is the only man I’ve ever been naked in front of.

I had a dream about Mobetta the other night as well. The interesting thing – I couldn’t for the life of me remember what he looked like, lol the whole dream was about him trying to get me to see him.

I am now just amused that you always seem shocked when you find out I am a real person. I’m not sure who I am in your mind and a great relief has been the process of not caring, but I gave side eye this weekend at the whole thing. Your amazement and shifting to the side of this face says it all.

Family Facebook interaction is an interesting thing. I see (mine included) folks who are related tip toeing around each other as if Facebook holds the portal of family dysfunction, lol lol lol It can seem quite stiff etc. when they speak to each other and let it be something to the left – honeyyyy. I’ve started responding and commenting on family pages. It’s the perfect vehicle to peek from the weeds so as to not be seen yet peel back layers to expose the relationship or lack thereof.

Vista Print makes me think I’m being creative, I thank them for that.

I guess we all used each other up and sometimes that’s what the relationship is about. Accept it, stop fretting about un-returned text and keep it moving.

My couch has been empty lately. For the first week it felt good, now it feels kinda funny. Looking around to engage a new ‘couch potato’

I find it real funny that folks still look down their noses at certain things. Especially in Atlanta. Lotta nerve.

T.I. and his rap stay strong in or out of jail. I’m loving his stuff that I’ve heard. I just want someone to tackle him with a Razor for that wayward body hair.

The preview for season 4 of RuPaul’s Drag Race has given me so much life! It is what Tyra Banks THINKS she doing with her intros.

If I run across a broad on the street with no pants on – she getting straight punted. WTF?!

Funny how I’ve worked out a whole heap of stuff concerning the 19148 but now the 45217 is giving me grief. I don’t know when I’ll want to step into that spot again.

I need a job at the airport so I can fly away when I want to.

I sometimes think about taking the SAT to see how much secondary book learning I’ve retained. Considering I took 5 years of spanish and can only give you un poco – it would be a miserable exercise in mental blocks, lol

I giggled when my one of my hair mentors thought I had a piece on.

Since I have no ass – I’ve taken to calling that whole area my “:FLANKS” It works. I can say “Don’t be squeezing my flanks” and it sounds real….meaty.

I currently have 6 pairs of pants and 4 of them are to big. If someone lifted my shirt the maze of pens, belts and psychics would make them laugh.

I think I’m going to have to x-nay two folks for just being…negative. The sun has got to shine over your head every once in awhile..damn.

Walking Dead is just so damn good!! I spend half the time placing myself in the situation and knowing my episode would only be like 10 minutes long. I’m out the game like right off the bat. I’d like to think though that I would be a warrior and one of those women who just lay it down to live. I like to think?

Muslims in America would have been a GREAT instead of GOOD Reality series if it took place in the rest of America. The Utopia that the participants of the special live in make this almost unnecessary because they are going through things that everyone else goes through, in my opinion. Anyone who believes a Religion where there is an absence of the person/people/diety who Originally set the theology up, thus leaving it up to interpretation, always has the spectrum of Conservative to the facade of outwardly belief. I know folks in my family who have a hotline to God and then there’s someone like me – who insists on incorporating many roads to reach God. If they would have moved outside of Deerborn and say show cased a family in New York, and incorporated some other muslim nationalities – this would have been an excellent view into the life of an American Muslim.

Beyonce’s Love On Top makes me want to make a music video and swing my hair while singing to RG.

RG is a GIFT FROM GOD, but he’s NOT my Saviour!! The concept that he made me the person I am today is poppy cock!! I have worked damn hard to resolve, repair, remind and remove in my life and it’s mostly chronicled in my blogging, but in various other communication modes as well. Its’ always funny and real telling that for the most part, this ‘view of the evil Pam’ comes from one source – makes me say that maybe it’s not ME but YOU. Please go sit down with that. I have known folks for over 30 years who have never not experience a smile, a laugh and good vibes and peacefulness from me. I am more centered and safe because of him – but if I were incapable of keeping him through who I am as a person – then he wouldn’t be here.

As different dates and events come and go – my mind is wandering more and more to my child and the next phase of her life. Thanksgiving 2012 will be her first one home from college!!! Good Lord!

I need some food stamps.

I’ve avoided a VERY difficult and crazy conversation, but I’m not sure how much longer it will be before I have to say “she just doesn’t want come visit”. SIGH.

MARTA vs DRIVING – and still I ponder.

I wonder if we could incorporate a freaky moment on this bus? Hmmmmmm

Well good morning! I thought, as I look at my ashy elbows, that this is a good time to check in on the Fashion Fair better known as me and my journey to looking good, lol lol as the weather is changing – I have been VERY slow to adapt. I am currently wearing clothes off the floor of my closet which is a dungeon of summer/fall/winter mishaps. I just have not been in the mood to organize all that stuff and not sure I’ll be in the mood anytime soon. I think the scary part is that I don’t have as many outfits for the winter and I’m not really feeling going shopping right now for clothes. I disposed of quite a bit of stuff that was too big and now even more is too big. All my winter pants are -but I can let that fly as soon as it really becomes tight time. I do intend to get rid of some things from the summer. I have to say the Teenager is really good at this and has already done all of her stuff.

My hair? Well glad you asked. Here it is in all of it’s blown out glory!!

Since we last talked about hair, for the most part I’ve had it put up. I wore this fabulousness for almost a month now.

 This is one of the three wigs that I made and all of a sudden it just started working for me. Sometimes that happens. I kept my own hair in corn rows and moisturized and just let it relax. Then I started to miss feeling the wind in my scalp (lol) so I took it off over the weekend washed my hair good using Jane Carter Shampoo followed by Cream of Nature Argan Oil Conditioner and actual Argan Oil (from a sample I got from the hair show). I wrapped with plastic wrap, but a hankerchief over it and a silk bonnet and slept in the concoction. The next day I rinsed it out and let my hair semi air dry before putting some Jane Carter leave in conditioner followed by a dollop of Nourish and Shine followed by Jane Carter Curl Definer as I did medium sized braids all over my head to finish drying. After reading that please guess what happen. I put TO MUCH PRODUCT(S) on my head and so though the curl was and is still very much defined – it feels a bit sticky. I intend to rinse it this weekend and just go with 1 conditioner and something to set the style, lol lol

As I approach my first full year being Natural, I have learned something. My hair is a lions mane and it grows as such. the stay in twists etc. like this – don’t really work for me, in my opinion. (or maybe I don’t like the way they look. I feel like my hair is so ‘light and fluffy’ that it doesn’t have the weight needed to carry those styles. Therefore, yesterday morning – I did a small ‘cut’ to make my hair more agreeable to said style. I cut that ratchet ‘shag’ off in the back and I trimmed the front up a bit to take some of the weight off so that it will stand up tall and proud. I like it this way. I can do really cute puff’s now and I always want to maintain enough hair to weave, attach some hair etc. so I’m cool with my hair right now. I like it – I haven’t looked in the mirror in so long and began to panic about my hair. My edges are giving me life and I’m just not worried about it like that. I am kinda wanting some color and I might just put it in myself.

Ahh something dear to my heart – make up. With the weather changing, and my summer tan subsiding, I am beginning to wear my winter foundation palette. I have been choosing sleep over get dressed time, so my routines have been pretty simple. I actually haven’t purchased anything from the current eye shadow combos etc., but the holidays are coming up and I’m sure to see something that will give me life. ELF has their first set of holiday kits out and the neutrals are a cheaper but strong version of the Urban Decay Palette. I got one for the teenager and I need to try it because I’m not sure,with my skin tone this will be a great match. I am sad to say that I have pretty much every combination of color known to man and technically don’t need not one more drop of makeup GASP!! If anything, I ‘might’ need to upgrade a few things in quality. Now will that stop me – um no, but it bears saying, lol lol

Finally, I am excited to report that the Teenager has begun experimenting with make up. She is a graduate of Barbizon and actually was quite good at make up application but wasn’t interested in it. Well for the past several months, she’s been doing a full face lite. She feels it’s giving her skin depth and making her eyes stand out. She’s doing a good job and we have yet another subject to talk about and another couple of aisles to browse when we go shopping.

So as of today, it’s all good in the beauty hood, lol lol