Eccentric Water Bearer

Ages and Ages

2010-09-07T22:20:00.003-04:00

wow i can't believe how time has flown..i haven't posted in over a year..how about that..I blame it on Facebook..it's crazy how a social network can take you away from the things you once did so often..well i'll make a conscious effort to try and update this here blog of mine often..A lot has occured in the last year but no sense in speaking about it..I'll just move forward and post about current news..

until next time....

late

2009-06-07T00:39:00.003-04:00

It's two months later and what have I accomplished? Not what I set out to do. I said I would document pictures of my makeup looks and I have not done it. It's not that I haven't worn any makeup, it's just that most of my applications are done in the evening. You get the best photos in daylight. So I have to figure out a great setting so I will be able to post them here.

I haven't been doing anything really new. Just partying a bit more. Enjoy the city life. I promise to add a recent pic. Probably next week.

To be continued....

Update

2009-04-19T21:49:00.001-04:00

The name of the resturaunt is Momoyama's Japenese Resturaunt. Thank you Russ

just a post

2009-04-17T23:58:00.002-04:00

This post is meant to serve as a date update. I have gotten so tired of looking at February as the last entry date. I have done quite a bit since then, just have documented it. It turns out I'm not that good at this blogging anything any longer. However, that will not stop me from creating posts.

My recent ventures outside of clubbing, is to take a shot at being an amateur food critic. I went to a Sushi spot on 2nd street northwest. I can't remember the name and my dog ate the menu. I guess I'm not starting out as a good critic. At least I could remember the name right? I will tell you this, it's the best sushi I have had out of the lat 2 years of eating it. I have to say that is was my 3rd sushi restaurant. Out of the 3, it holds the gold medal. With Cafe Asia falling in second and Sticky Rice in last. I will update with the name as soon as I get it.

In the makeup world. I have just subscribed to some fashion mags. I also signed up to Style.com. It's a great place to anything fashion and beauty. I have saved quite a bit of looks that I want to recreate. I am still in the process of collecting my items. Who would have thought you really need so much for makeup. I haven't even touched the magnitude in which I need to be. A little at a time. I have discovered I like bold, wild looks. I believe anyone can do a simple everyday look. I want to go much further and tap into my creative portion of my brain. It should be very easy once I finish obtaining some much needed items. I also want to expand my practicing past just my one friend who let me do her makeup for partying purposes. I really have to organize this "makeup party" soon. With me the host and the artist. Giving them looks and teaching them anything they feel they would like to learn.

I want to make this my passion. Not for profit, just for fun.

Until next time lovelies.........

Be all that and more!

gold and green

2009-02-18T21:06:00.005-05:00

I was bored. Actually I wanted to try my new piggy I got the other day from the HK haul and tried a bunch of ways. Only to discover that it's not going to give me a super dark look. So I tried something else. I am somewhat satisfied with the look. I will tweek it a bit this weekend if I wear it out. Just reverse the colors. So here is what I came up with. Also, I used the Glitterpuss liquid liner over the gold. I think it took away from the beautiful amber lights e/s so I'll leave it out of the look.

So here it is.

Products used: All Mac unless stated

Laura Gellar primer

Amber Lights e/s inner corner

Deep Blue Green pigment outter corner

Humid e/s crease and blended up

Glitterpuss glitter liner over top AL e/s

Loreal liquid liner felt pen (this is a new must have)

Loreal mascara

Engraved Kohl liner

The HK Event

2009-02-17T19:20:00.008-05:00

The big event I was waiting for. Turns out to be not a big production. Well not at the time I attended. If I chose to come later in the day I would have seen Daniel (HK boyfriend) but I wanted to go early and not be in a big crowd. I knew I was going to buy more items and figured it would be light early in the day. Lauren works at that location and she did eyes and lips on me. I opted to try the Lucky Tom palette to see what the colors would look like on since they didn't appear to be very bold and pigmented. I was right, they weren't bold. I'm the Wild Kitty and so Lucky Tom didn't do anything for me.

The lips however, were on point. I had been going back and forth on the idea of Fashion Mews which is a lavender. I am not remotely comfortable wearing a lavender but we worked it out and I was in love. I am one of those lipstick and lipgloss wearers. I can't wear lipstick alone. It has to be topped with a lipgloss. So we did two different looks of lips. Calm and bold. I loved the bold of course.

Jenelle was nice enough to attend it with me. Her makeup was done by Nikki who is a freelancer. She was super nice and fun and I enjoyed watching her make up Jenelle. Sadly, they didn't have any cookies or drinks like some of the other locations I have heard had it. It's ok though.

So here are a few pics of Jenelle and I with my laveder lips, LOL

Hello Kitty Too Dolly Palette

2009-02-12T19:39:00.007-05:00

She likes Candy lipglass, Deep Blue Green pigment, Big Bow lipstick and Too Dolly e/s palette

The Hello Kitty collection launched earlier than expected. It was available on the 10th instead of the 12th. I made my walk up there for lunch yesterday to see the items. They were nice. Nice colors. I liked that they had a sublte eyeshadow palette and a bright colored one. They are called Lucky Tom and Too Dolly. They have a video called Hello Kitty meets MAC. So cute. When I got home yesterday and checked the mail I noticed a bright pink envelope and got so excited when it said MAC. Inside was a cute little cardboard kitty face.

Here is the video for Hello Kitty meets Mac.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SInPXQCBQ7s

I picked up one of the eyeshadow palettes, lipstick, lipglass and a pigment. Here is a look I did using all the colors of the palette. The colors were bolder in real life. Still learning how to take makeup photos.

I will do another post after I attend the unveiling of the Hello Kitty at my MAC on Valentines Day. I can't wait. Stay tuned....

Hello Kitty Collection by MAC

2009-01-29T23:31:00.004-05:00

Ok so some of you may know and some may not but MAC release collections that are limited editions. They sometimes use people for themes. I have only just gotten into the brand and makeup period so I haven't had the luxury of buying from past collections. They have had everyone from Barbie to Diana Ross, Dame Edna, and the new one Hello Kitty. I am not and never have been into HK so that is NOT why I will be purchasing from the collection. This is strictly for the products.

So with BIG icons MAC hosts events. I will be attending the one in Georgetown (my fav store) on February 14th for HK. It will be loads of fun I was told. There will be a DJ, models, freelancers, food, drinks and makeovers. Only focusing on eyes and lips however. That's fine with me because that's all I focus on anyway. So I opted to be there at 11 because I wanted to get there before the crowd.

Because this is an event, I plan to go dressed as if it was a party I was attending. I think I may wear black since it's MAC's signature color and also because it's the primary color in the HK collection. With it, I wanted to do a semi bold look on my eyes. Here is the result below. This is actually wearable anytime. At least for me. I just don't know if I wanna come made up just for them to remove all my makeup off. I dunno. They have a collection coming out on the 5th called CreamTeam so when I go in for that collection, I will ask my artists what they suggest on that.

So here is the look. Ok so I wanted to do that triangle look to my lips but I don't have any light colored lip liners so I didn't pull that look off but I will work on it. I wanted a slight cat eye effect since it's kitty inspired.

Items used:

Electra e/s

Frost pigment

Post Haste e/s

Shocking e/s

Engraved Powerpoint eyeliner

Cheap liquid liner

Cheap individual lashes

Rimmel mascara

B-Babe l/s and Live and Dye l/g

A green look I did

2009-01-28T00:59:00.005-05:00

Here is a look that I did that I am happy with.

Products used: All Mac unless stated

Gesso e/s inner corner

Steamy e/s middle of lid and lower lash line

Deep Truth e/s outer V and crease

Shocking e/s outer V and outer lower lashline

Nylon e/s for brow highlight

cheap black liquid liner for upper and outer lower lash line

NYX white eyeliner on water line

Smoking e/s for brows

MAC #7 lashes

Rimmel mascara

New direction

2009-01-25T23:36:00.002-05:00

It's been a while and I think I am going to go in a different direction for this blog. No one really looks at it so I can use this as a place to put up my new endeavors that I am trying. Everything from hair (inspired by Angela) to makeup to weight loss, to my new upcoming tattoos. You name it. It will be for semi private things. Things that I don't care to post on my Facebook or Fotki album. So the first thing will be a video of my makeup collection (growing).

So until next time......

Diane is her name

2008-11-05T21:05:00.003-05:00

Here is a picture of the woman who brought me into this world. My mother. What can I say about her? Many things. She is the reason I am who I am today. I know it's cliche but to me she undoubtedly is the best mother in the world. I have so many wonderful memories of my childhood. She is the epitome of strength and courage. She has taught me a lot in many ways. Some she has no idea of. I remember for the longest time when I was growing up I would say I looked just like my father. She would say, "no you don't, you look like me". I mean you couldn't tell me otherwise. When I reached my 20's then I started to really believe her. I would look at pictures I had taken while out at concerts and what not and get this instant flash of her. Except it was me. Since then, I agree with her, and the many other's who tried to tell me while growing up.

This lady is a mother of 3. Me being the middle and only girl. We are closer than I would have ever imagined us to be. Our birthdays are 3 days apart and I think we are a lot alike. I noticed little things that I have picked up from her. She is so kind and so giving and nurturing and understanding. She does not pass judgement and accepts people for who they are. She supported me in so many things when I was younger. She didn't say no you can't do that. She asked me what I needed for that particular endeavor in my life and she did what she could to get it for me. I had a wonderful childhood. No silver spoon or anything remotely close. We lived in an apartment all our lives growing up. We went to public schools. She didn't have a ton of money and yet, we still didn't want for a thing. She was very active in our lives. If she couldn't take us anywhere, we did family things in the house. We learned how to be a family. My mother has pictures from the time she was carrying us in her belly up until now as grown ups. Books and books. We will always have something to look back on.

I love her with all my heart and soul and being. I can't imagine life without her and I don't want to. She is my all and my everything. I end this by saying I want to be just like her when I grow up. Just like her. Wouldn't change a thing about her. Wouldn't trade her for anyone or anything else in the world and I am very proud to be her daughter. I only wish I can come close to doing for her what she done for me.

What makes a friend a friend?

2008-09-06T12:19:00.002-04:00

I got to thinking. As I get older and things change and people change, I stopped and thought about my friends. What's in a friend? Someone you have know for a gazillion years? A person you tell everything to? You hang out together all the time? No fights or arguments? I for one am the type that can get along with everyone. I am warm and inviting also. At the same time, I can spot bullshit instantly and I am a good judge of character at first converstation usually. It's funny because I remember when I was a little girl probably in 6th grade my mother told me I would never have any friends because of my attitude. I didn't believe her and I can say I have proven her wrong. I have my fair share of friends. The ones I talk to almost daily, the ones I see periodically, the ones I party with and the ones I have had a fallen out with once or twice in the past. Some of these friends fall in more than one of these categories.

The ones I talk to daily. Not many of these right here. I only say that because over the years the numbers have decreased. I look back on when I was ten years younger and remember how I had so many of these daily talker friends. As our lives evolved and each of us started doing different things, we called less. So I have a good 2-3 that I talk to daily or every other day.

The ones I see periodically. These friends I see when we find time in our busy schedules to meet up. Some of these also are almost daily talkers as well. These are the ones I go see at their home or they come and see me. We may decide to get something to drink on and get to talking and what not.

My party folks. My party folks are the ones I have a lot of fun with. The great thing about my party friends is they know how to do it reasonably. We have lives that consist of jobs, and some has children. Can't just be partying all week. Who still does that? I think because it's not very often when we go we have fun. Now don't get me wrong. I would party more if I could. Just because it's nice to be out and listen to music and enjoy yourself. There just isn't enough nice places in my age group, without the knuckle heads and chicken heads, that I would like to go to. So my selection is limited.

My fallen outs. These are the craziest of them all. I don't know what it is. What I do know is that I will not do it more than twice. To me it's too much of a headache and not worth it. A lot goes into the consideration of rekindling. It depends on the circumstances as to why the fallen out happened anyway. I don't hold grudges. Never have. That's not my style. One I had a fallen out with I ca;me to the realization that she is as bullheaded as I am and we just need breaks every now and then. So I just said to her, "I guess we need breaks sometimes" and she agreed.

So for me many reasons go into why you are a friend of mine and I have to say that I am blessed to have such a array of different types. Some I've known from junior high, the others from high and the others from work with a couple of them not falling in any of the above. I don't have sisters so I think of my friends and family. We have our moments. Who doesn't. At the tender young age of 31 I have learned a lot of things as I have gotten older. Friends are important, they will come and go. They will piss you off royally. But those true "friends" are here to stay. No matter what and I think I have found my group of them.

What I want to do next

2008-08-10T19:55:00.002-04:00

I have been saying this since last year. I really want to play tennis. Not because of the Williams sisters but because I think it would be fun and most of all, it would be a great way to lose weight and get fit. I have heard from several people that it's really harder than it looks. I want to find something I like to do and stick to it. I think back to when I was a little girl. I was very imaginative and creative, thus, wanting to try out everything. I was blessed to have a mother who was very supportive in all my endeavors. However short lived they were. I was a cheerleader in elementary school, then got passed that. Next in junior high I was a majorette. That lasted shorter than the cheer leading thing. And the thing is, I actually believe that I would do these activities and be the best at it and make it a long term thing. Nothing seems to be long termed with me. Do I have some form of an attention disorder? Nah! Ok then there was nails. I learned how to do the acrylic tips and all the designs and what not. After that, I wanted to curl hair. Oh let me add that all of these adventures were self taught. No schooling or nothing. So curling hair. I go to my mother and say I needed to buy curlers of various sizes to be able to do hair. That lasted for a bit. I did my own hair and my friends. Then there was crocheting. I had my mother buy all the hooks and I was really into for a while. I made afghans for my dog and I just didn't want to do anymore. Oh I remember I wanted to be a model when I was like 12 but the young gal was too chubby, LOL. Both my mother and father was supportive with that. I honestly should just make a list of things I want to do recreational and just do them knowing that it will not be a permanent thing.

The next hair chapter was braiding hair. This was it. This lasted years. From age 12 well into high school and a year after graduating. I know why I stuck with this. It was the money. Nothing else but the money. At my age that was very good money coming in. The sore wrists started occurring and I became so booked I didn't have time to really go out and spend the money. So that was my one commitment.

I have tried gyms, belly dancing, strip aerobics, water aerobics, Billy Blanks, you name it and I have tried it. Walking. It was ok for the first few times but quickly became bored with it. So I am back to tennis. Hoping this is one thing I can stick with. My dear hubby says that I aspire to do these things and when I do it and accomplish it, I want to move on to other things. This may have some truth to it looking back at my life. It has applied with almost everything in my life. Except my job and again, that is because of money again. Money is the motivating factor I see. Education and work I'm serious with. I stick with it and enjoy it while I'm doing it. All other things like hobbies, are expendable at any moment. I want to be different towards my hobbies.

So I will go out and get an expensive racket and find a tennis court and someone who is willing to play with me and go for it. To be continued......

DC Carnival

2008-06-30T00:13:00.006-04:00

Me in mud

June 28th was the Caribbean Carnival in DC on Georgia Avenue. This was my second real year in attendance. I went many years ago but after all the festivities were over. I actually remembered to bring my camera this year. It was hard getting decent pictures of the parade as my friends and I stood on the sidewalk. So most of the pictures you see spectators walking along with the trucks. It was decent weather. At first. They have been calling for rain. Now if you have been there before, you know parking is a nightmare. After maneuvering through many alleys and blocked off streets, we managed to get a good parking spot. Patience is a virtue indeed. I would have given up long ago and parked somewhere far away but my friend T was an optimist. We made good timing also. We didn't miss much at all, if any. Then the rain came. It was cool on your body until the giant sized drops came down making everyone run for cover. Thank goodness D had umbrellas in her truck. Not that it did much when at one point the three of us tried to huddle under an individual sized umbrella. Minutes later, the sun came out and we were ready to resume the show.

After the last truck we walked down to the end of the Avenue to the high school where they have the vendors set up. Oh I forgot to say that once the sun came out, it literally felt like a sauna. It was so freaking hot you just couldn't do a thing about it. I don't care what you wore, it was hot and sweaty. At least for me. I get hot very quick and usually don't do outside activities until the sun goes down. So we walked and got to the field. Knowing we had to pay admission for entrance into the field, it was an unexpected $10. Now that may not sound like a lot but with the recession and gas prices, I could do a lot with it. LOL. We got in and walked around. The lines were so long for the food stands. After a pretty long wait, we reached the beginning of the line to be informed that they only had curry goat and chicken ready. Not that we would have purchased jerk due to the heat, but they didn't have fish either! Which is what I wanted. So I opted for the curry chicken. After being there for hours, we got our food and walked many a blocks back to the truck. It was so many people out there. Finally we get to the truck and I punished my food. That heat drained every ounce of energy and electrolyte from me and when I was done, I felt as though I hadn't eaten a thing.

During the walk down I decided to participate in the mud. I had already had a spot of mud on my white dress from a passerby so that gave me an excuse to go all the way. Well part way. I had on new tennis shoes that I adore and wasn't really trying to get all muddied up. Besides, I didn't want to get in D's car like that. It dried way before we got back but it was still the thought. As I approached the moving truck one of the gentlemen motioned for me to enter the back of the truck where there were just loads of mud. Uh. No thanks. He said to me that I looked like I was precious so he wanted to be gentle with me. Which was nice, LOL. So he used his muddy towel and just wiped it on my face, shoulders, and neck. Cool experience to say that I did it. I was disappointed that we didn't get there early enough to catch the beads they through out to the crowd but there is always next year.

I had a nice time and when I got home I was swamped. Completely and utterly exhausted. If it wasn't for the mud, I would have jumped right into bed but I had to wash it off. So until next year, here are a few pictures of the carnival.

Catching up

2008-06-24T13:06:00.002-04:00

Well I haven't had much to blog about worth blogging about so that's why it's been a while. I have to blog about the Sex and the City movie. It was everything I wanted it to be, LOL. I felt as though when the season ended, it left me with a feel that it's not over. Not knowing it would soon become a movie. I admit I was devastated with that news. So it was very important to go out and get the series on DVD. So even before they announced the nearing of a extraordinary era, a guy I was seeing at the time was kind enough to buy me seasons 1-5. Season 6 wasn't out at the time. Then my hubby completed the collection and bought the final season. For me season one isn't one of my favorites but I will of course take it because that's when you get to know the characters. I think season 3, second disc is where it starts to get really juicy. Now the movie, I will not be a spoiler for those of you that haven't seen it yet. There will be funny moments, angry moments, happy moments, shocking moments and very sad and emotional moments in the movie. I have to say I am happy the way they did the movie and of course, it is an absolute must that I get a couple of copies on DVD when it comes out :-)

Seeing Bruce Bruce the comedian at Constitution hall on 6/21 was a treat. It was a treat because he has lost 140 lbs. To me, he doesn't really look the same. It's something to get used to seeing but I hope he continues to lose and become healthy. Michael Blackson, the African comedian, came on first. He is funny and had the crowd going. The next was Guy Torrey who wasn't originally scheduled to be there but John Witherspoon couldn't be there for whatever reason and we got Guy. I am not a fan of Guy. He isn't all that funny to me and I could have definitely done without him. Talent, the comedian, was our host and I would have loved to see him as one of the acts and maybe let Guy be the host. He was just hilarious. Loved him. I wasn't familiar with him prior to the show but now that I know his name, I will be on the look out for him in the future. Then Bruce Bruce came on and lit that stage. Now, I wasn't in tears like I was with Katt Williams but I did have a few stomach aches from his jokes. I didn't time his appearance on stage but it didn't seem to be very long. The show as 8-11 pm. I had good seats and a nice time. That's the great thing about summer. The concerts.

My movies. The Happening. Interesting movie. If I were to tell you the basis of the movie you would think it was absolutely crazy and wouldn't dare go and see it. However, as crazy as it sounds it was a very nice movie and I really enjoyed it. It's one for the collection and would recommend it to folks. The Hulk I also saw this weekend. I didn't see the first one so I have nothing to compare it with but I enjoyed it. The movie was an hour and forty five minutes long so I'm not sure if children of young ages would be content to sit there for that length of time but it was entertaining. There was a point or two where it got slow but it captured my attention. I have a speculation at the end of the movie that there will be a team up of two characters but I could be wrong. Go and see it.

So folks that's it for now. Nothing much else going on. My hair is growing and I'm loving it. I have a week off work with pay which was incredibly nice of my boss to do. So I'm just chillin out. My new thing is trying to save money. Never was good at it and now I am on a mission to be a saver. Wish me luck on that one.

Erykah Badu Show

2008-05-17T09:13:00.002-04:00

Awwww what a delight to see. Erykah came to perform at the DAR and it was such a treat to finally get to see her. She was there with The Roots. I don't own any cd's of this group and I only know one song of theirs. I was sitting there thinking they had a very similar sound to Go-Go. So I could listen and groove to them while they were on stage. They had this one guy on stage who had a mic also. His job was to come in here and there with a "uh" and "yeah". You know what I am talking about. I think the show would have been better without him. He wasn't needed in my opinion. They had a guitarist who put a pretty good portion of the show too. He was so tiny and petite. He was all over that stage when it was his turn to shine. So all in all, I was entertained a bit. They kept my attention for the time they needed to. Will I go out and get their cd, not likely but they were ok to listen to.

Now the main event star came out with her little outfit on. It was like a strapless, layered, balloon dress in black with black tights and black high heeled ankle boots. She wore a head piece in black. Just those little hats our grandparents wore that were small and fit just on the crown of your head. She comes out sashaying about the stage. She sang most of her new songs off the current cd. I for one love the new cd. You have to get past the superfuturistic sounds and skits that come on before each track. It's about the words. You have to listen to what she is saying. The beats that go along with the tracks are on point too. It definitely is a new Erykah, a different Erykah, but still Erykah, LOL. She hit a few old songs but I noticed she went more along the slow, chill route. She didn't hit but maybe two of her fast fast paced songs. She is a great performer and I will go see her again with no hesitation. She rocked the joint. Then she thanked DC and left the stage. I figured she would come back on but left anyway. There was a chick next to me with so much freakin' perfume on that my sinus were on fire. So I don't think I could have stayed even if I wanted to. I got word from friend that Erykah came back on and did another three songs. Well, I'll know next time.

Katt Williams

2008-05-10T20:12:00.002-04:00

I had the opportunity to see Katt Williams on stage at the Constitution Hall on May 8th. I have never laughed so much in one hour in my life. He is just down right hilarious and if you ever get a chance to see him, do so if you are into comedy like that. I had tears in my eyes the entire time. He had two female comedians come out prior to him who were funny also. But the tears didn't come until this crazy man got on the stage. I would definitely see him again if he comes back to DC. He talked about everything from the running candidates for presidency, riding motorcycles, Flava Flav, smoking weed and of course, the white folks. There was a show added immediately after. I wonder if he had time to get his permed hair done over again because his do' was all sweated out when he was done. His facial expressions along with the jokes make the show priceless. Go see him

The Movies

2008-04-28T21:51:00.002-04:00

Ok one other thing. I am a movie nut. I have recently been hitting them up every chance I get. I used to go to the movies often years ago and have gotten back into them. I view the movies during matinee hours. That way, I don't feel too bad if the movie sucked and the theaters are pretty much empty. Ok. Let me see. These are the ones that I have seen in the past 6 months in no special order and my ratings for them all.

Alvin and the Chipmunks -rating... cute!
Cloverfield -rating....busy!
27 Dresses- rating.... fun!
Meet the Browns- rating.....predictable!
Forbidden Kingdome- rating......tiring!
Prom Night- rating......low budget!
Streetkings- rating.....copy cat!
Harold and Kumar/Guantanamo Bay......HILARIOUS!
Welcome home Roscoe Jenkins- rating.......FUNNY!
The Bucket List- rating........tearjerker :(
College Road Trip- rating.....awful!
Jumper- rating....awesome!
Fool's Gold- rating......sucked big time!

I still would like to see 21; Forgetting Sarah Marshall before they leave the theaters. I heard on the radio they have some big box office smashes on their way out for the summer. Can't wait.

Mac Makeup

2008-04-28T21:32:00.003-04:00

How did I ever get sucked into the frenzy of MAC? Well I know how. I am not an everyday or every week makeup wearer. I only wear it when I go out or bored at work. I just got tired of spending my money on eyeshadow that seemed to wear away mid day. That was like a big waste of money for me. I only wear eyeshadow and lipgloss. But the vibrant colors MAC have and the limited editions they come out with just was calling my name. One thing led to another and next thing you know, I was buying the small pro palette to start my eyeshadow collection. I feel the pain in my pockets when I leave out the store. So that's my new obsession. I seem to go through them. If I blogged about all my trials I would have a much busier blog. Stay tuned for pictures of my work. Oh and let me add that I am sooo new to this. I don't think I'm that great at it but like anything else I put my mind to, I intend to get near perfect at it.

This is the summer of dresses. I am very girly. I like high heels and flowy dresses and purses and accessories. So I have went on a dress rampage and got a bunch of really really nice dresses. The nice thing about them is there isn't too much fuss with your outfit. That IS your outfit. No trying to hook up the cute shirt with the pefect bottoms. Simple, Chic and Fabulous! I am happy I am ahead of schedule. The summer isn't here yet and it's not terribly hot so I am still on the hunt for more dresses. I know I can't wear my pretty dresses to all occasions but definitely most of them.

Yay for dresses.....and purses and shoes :-)

The internet

2008-04-03T13:49:00.003-04:00

I never blog at work. Not because I'm busy at work, but because I'm usually surfing the web. I find that I can always find something to look at online whether I am at work or at home. How many other people are like that out there? You know, don't really have a thing to surf but just start thinking of stuff and typing it into the search engine. My top searches daily are Nappturality.com and my hair Fotki. Then from there it's all up in the air. I never thought I would get as sick to my stomach without my internet access like I would my cell phone. Gotta love modern technology. It seems to make life a tad bit easier. No more looking for pay phones and making sure you had change. Everytime someone paged you and you weren't in a house, you had to pull over to call them back or worse, walk to the nearest pay phone. Now you all know I have the cool Garmin that I just love to death. What did we do before Mapquest? I remember catching the bus but I'm thinking about all the places I go to now that I don't know how to get to, and said, "what did we do before gps?" Now yeah I know I was in the car riding with someone but still, how did we get directions? I guess the good ol' trusty map. I can't read maps to save my life. But my hubby gave me a simple clue that I should be embarrassed to mention but what the hell. He said to turn the map! Oooohhhhh yeah that may help instead of me trying to turn my head or trying to invision the street turned around. I have no sense of direction. My other senses work besides my eyesight but if you wanted to make me disappear, take me someone and drop me off. I won't find my way home. I would just cry and scream and give up.

So now you know my secret about my lack of sense of direction.

What happened?

2008-03-20T18:52:00.003-04:00

Yes, what happened? Did I run out things to talk about? I don't think so. I just think they weren't important enough to blob about. There still isn't nothing much new going on. It's the first day of spring and yet it still feels like winter. As usual around these parts anyway. Let's see. The latest thing would be that I am selling the motorcycle. Yep, selling it and hoping to get a good penny from it since it's practically brand new. I have come to the realization that it's not the time in my life for it. For me, I have to be in the mood and I just ain't. I have moved on to other things. Work is good. No complaints there. My hair is coming along great. Just growing and growing. So ok bye for now. LOL. See, I lost my mojo. I shall return with some entertaining news soon.

Spring is coming

2008-02-18T22:49:00.002-05:00

It was a glorious day today of 72 degrees today. I got that fever today. Truly a splendid day for just getting out and enjoying it. Even if it was just to sit out on the porch or take a stroll down the road. After the last couple of days we had of cold weather, it was a pleasant surprise. The hubby and I decided to grab a bite at Panera and utilize their outside tables. The wind was blowing, the sun out and the temperature was heavenly. Didn't last too long however, because the temperature dropped fast. Back down to the 40's by 5 pm. Hubby and I headed out again for our trip to the gym. I have to say, it really is a boost to have a workout partner. I am so very proud of him. He has lost a significant amount of weight and size since he's started the gym. Almost puts me to shame, LOL. It's so much easier for men. I had to sit it out for the week of the surgery. Not to take anything away from him because he really works hard at accomplishing his goal and it's a huge encouragement for me. I can report that my clothes are fitting a little better. I figure by spring I should be very close to where I want to be. I have gotten used to eating small portions and now it's to the point where I actually get full faster and off smaller amounts. It's a lifestyle. Not a diet. This has to continue with me for the rest of my life if I want to maintain. I have some ways to go but I know I am on the right track and I have my partner to push me along the way.

My birthday gift

2008-02-03T23:09:00.000-05:00

January 31st was the day I turned a year older. So I waited "patiently" for my gift from my husband. I knew we were going on a road trip but wasn't quite sure where to. I asked questions and the only thing I got out of him until our destination was that it was to New York. Still I had no clue. Four and a half hours later we arrived to a location that I could only describe as a parking lot. I wasn't paying too much attention to my surroundings as he handed me a card. I smiled and opened it. It was awfully thick when I felt it only to reveal a wad of cash waiting for me to spend it at Woodbury Commons Outlets. I was speechless and smiling ear to ear. My husband is the kind of person who listens and takes notes. He has heard me mention on a few occasions me wanting to go on a shopping spree. Shoes, clothes, you name it. Just shop. So he granted my wish and I was extremely surprised and happy. After showing me what I will be spending my next few days doing, we headed back to the hotel to chill out and prepare for the next day's excursion. Friday I wake up all excited to go spend and discover that it is hailing outside. You should have saw the look on my face. I was disappointed but my hubby told me that it wasn't going to stop us from going and that's what we did. We went, hail and all, and I shopped. Until our feet got wet and cold. We had no umbrella and we were getting soaked towards the later hours. I managed to spend all but $300. That concluded the adventure for Friday and we resumed on Saturday.

Saturday was a better day weather wise because it was dry but now it was cold and windy. I would take that any day over the previous one. Knocked the rest of the money out in less than 2 hours and headed back to do inventory check on all my possessions. It was a girls' dream. That is, those that are into fashion and great buys. For example, I got a pair of $319 True Religion jeans for $89. Talk about a steal. I got a couple of them just because. Also, the hubby picked a great time to take me because a lot of stores were having sales. To name a few stores that I ventured to, French Connection, Michael Kors, UGG, Calvin Klein, Diesel, Juicy Couture, A/X, Nike, Kenneth Cole and a few others. I scored in all the stores I went to and I am anxiously looking forward to taking a trip there in the summer. This was by far an exceptional gift from my hubby, as they all are, that I will always remember.

Naked Love

2008-01-29T23:13:00.001-05:00

Naked Love by Darnella Ford. This was an outstanding book. Hands down. It was a page turner. I can't get over how intriguing it was. From the first chapter, well the 28th Chapter as the chapters decreases as you read further, I knew this would be one interesting book. I dare not give away the story line but it about love, loss, and betrayal. I think this would be a great selection for a book club because there is just so much you can discuss from any given chapter. It even has guideline questions in the rear of the book just for that reason. Indeed a good read.

My birthday is in 2 days on the 31st. I can't believe the month is over and I'm turning a year older. I can just remember when I was 11 years old running around at my dad's house playing. I remember graduating from junior high, then high school, then dental school. Seems like just yesterday I was turning 21 and now I'm turning 31. Time surely does fly and I don't want to miss anything. I went to see the Bucket List a few weeks ago and it really got me to thinking about life. There was a part where Morgan Freeman mentioned how fast 46 years flew by to him. How he wasn't able to do anything but work and provide for his family. A marvelous movie that I highly recommend you see. My dearest hubby is taking me out of town for a surprise. Part of me is really frustrated because I don't have a clue nor will he give me one that I can go on. I am not as excited about the trip but as the days come in closer, the level of excitement tends to increase. I like control and order. LOL. If I don't know where I'm going, I can't be in control and that makes me very uneasy. Yeah I know, sad. My mother's birthday was yesterday and we went to dinner and had a nice time the family and I. So here's to my birthday! Cheers...

See ya when I return on Sunday. SUPERBOWL. Woohoo!!!!

The Auto Show

2008-01-26T23:34:00.000-05:00

Today we decided to attend the Auto Show. The last time I had been to it I was a little girl and was accompanied by my dad. I remember it so well because they had Kit, the Knight Rider car there. Now as an adult I can go a appreciate the time spent there. We arrived around 2 pm and we left at 4:30 pm. Oh it was like a kid in a candy store. I can't count how many times I said the words "oohh". I got a chance to sit in the cars that I know I will never be able to afford to purchase. My personal favorite was the H2. That was a pretty big and spacious truck. I also liked the Lexus cars and trucks. I wasn't really surprised by how comfortable they felt but they truly were comfy. More on the realistic approach, I narrowed my choices down to the Acura RDX and the Land Rover L2. The Range Rover was very nice. Even the Sport Version of it. The Sport wasn't terribly expensive but the more affordable would be the L2. You won't feel like you are being shorted with this purchase as it pretty much has the same features but only smaller. Perfect size for someone like me with no children and usually roll solo or with the hubby. Reasonably priced and luxurious. So out of the two, the L2 would be my first pick. The first car that I got in was the Mitsubishi Eclipse. Convertible. HOT!!!!! I just kept saying how it was sooo me and I got my confirmation by a friendly stranger telling me I should buy it because I looked so good in it. I thanked him agreed. If only I didn't already have a coupe. I'm in the market for a CUV not a roadster. I sat in the Pontiac Solstice as I have been eyeing those in the past. Nice but I don't like the 90 degree angle you sit at. I need to be able to recline a bit and that isn't the car for it. Highlight of the evening was the Aero by Saab. It's a concept car and I am so mad I left my camera. That car left me speechless. I will be on the look out for it in the near future. I left happy with tired feet and a new car scent to take home as a prize. LOL. I can't wait until next year.

Will it work?

2008-01-21T20:55:00.001-05:00

I am one week into my post surgery. It was performed one week ago today and I must say I am feeling well. Due to my misunderstanding, it's called Arthroscopy and not Orthoscopy, LOL. Duh! Well that's what it sounded like to me. Anyway. I arrived at the hospital at 1 pm and registered and got settled. The doctor's coworkers (not sure what they are called) came in and spoke to me. The hated IV. I have had the luxury of experiencing this once before and it's not fun or comfortable. Especially when the anesthesiologist can't quite hit the vein. OUCH!!! Painful. After about 7 pokes, he managed to hit the spot. He informed me I had "curly" veins. I wanted to laugh as all I could think about was my hair. You know. Coily. Next was a sonogram of my neck. In the case that I would end up in severe pain afterwards, they could give me an injection in my neck to control the pain. They called it a Block. I know what that means in dental terms so I gathered it was the same concept and it was. Thankfully, I didn't need it. Dr. Lopez told me that there was a possibility that he would have to make an open cut. If he needed to then fine but I don't have scars on my body and wouldn't welcome one of the size he predicted. Turns out, the shoulder only required three samll slits about a 1/2 inch in length. I believe they will leave a mark but what can you do?

I was told it was time and they rolled me away on the bed. "We are going to give you something to make you sleepy now", was the last words I heard. I was happy my husband was there with me. He gave me a kiss before they carted me away and that was all I remembered until it was time to wake up. Again, pain. So much pain that I was on the bed in tears. I was freezing cold and crying. The nurse told me to take some deep breaths because she couldn't give me anything until I started breathing. They had the oxygen going and there were people talking all around me. Not a pleasant waking experience. Finally, I did what she said and got some pain medicine. In walks the hubby but they didn't let him stay long. The worse part is having to use the bathroom coming out of the sleep. You really think you have to go but you don't. She gives me a bed pan. Yes, sexy. To no avail. I told her I can't go. Then suddenly I could. They walked me to the bathroom and made sure I was safe. It felt odd with a stranger in there while you take a leak but I was still incoherent so I didn't mind so much. Aaahhh! Relief and now I can go home. I get back, she asks if I feel like I can get dressed. I said, "Yes" then got dressed. Oh and they warn you of the nausea. That was just awful. The entire ride home I was nauseous and I didn't think I would make it. Hubby stopped to fill my prescription for Percocet and home we went.

Let me just say that I have no idea how one becomes addicted to that drug. Why in the world would anyone want to feel like that. You are literally high. You nod off to sleep at any given moment just to wake up speaking nonsense. No one can make out what you are talking about. Then you nod off again. I felt like a true drug addict under the influence. I could not be held liable for anything I said the two days I was on the pain killer. I was so relieved I didn't need it the rest of the recouperation period. Each day is better and better. I'm out of the sling. I can move it normally again. Almost. There are certain positions that send a jolt of pain through the shoulder but overall I'm great and I hope this turns out to be a successful procedure. Only time will tell now.

Motorcycle Show

2008-01-13T22:06:00.000-05:00

I had a really nice weekend. It seems so short due to my daily activities. Friday hubby and I went to Adams Morgan to hear some jazz. It was a nice little quaint spot and the music was very nice. Saturday I went out to the Crossroads Nightclub. It's a spot I frequent for reggae and dancehall. Sunday was the 27th International Motorcycle Show at the Convention Center in DC. It was almost like a kid in a candy store. All types of bikes. Even some that looked sort of futuristic. They displayed a trike and a bike that had two small wheels in the front closely centered in place of one big tire. I sat on some, took some pictures and enjoyed the experience. It was my first time attending and although I felt as if it wasn't a lot to display, it satisfied my hunger. I have been eyeballing a pair of girly riding boots by Icon. I was able to see them in person. Cute but just didn't look that functional. I understand they want to make clothing and accessories for us females and they achieved it but I just think it should be a few more prototypes to come before settling on just one. They had all sorts of vendors there from helmets to jackets to GPS systems. I purchased a fog free spray set. That's one of the downsides of riding with a full face helmet. You tend to fog the shield. They demonstrated how it works on my very own eyeglasses and we were sold. Both the hubby and I can use it and a little goes a long way. After sitting and looking I am all pumped up for the upcoming riding season. Here are a few pictures we took while there.

My run in with the cops

2008-01-06T15:08:00.000-05:00

Well another cop. Not my hubby. Ok so I had a spa service appointment early this morning at the Red Door. I chose to go to the location that is far as hell from me. Minimum an hour depending on your speed. I had an appointment at 10 am and I figured I could just leave out at 8:45 am and have a few minutes to spare or to allow for mishaps. Thank goodness I did leave when I did. Minding my business driving along on the beltway. I was doing every bit of 95 mph and just decided to let up a bit. Everything was good. I was on the phone with my girlfriend and bam, I saw the truck posted up on the side of the road perpendicular to the direction I was going. Basically, he was in the cut. By the time I reached him we made eye contact. I knew I was guilty. So I told my girlfriend he was pulling me over and she said, "no maybe he just want to make sure I slowed down". Nah! He pulled onto the road and got in my lane behind me and close to my bumper. Then the lights went off. I got off the phone and pulled over. I was caught. What can I say, I was wrong. I was speeding and I knew I was. We all tend to do it but I was the lucky girl today. He identified himself as Maryland State Trooper. License and registration he asked for. Told me I was going 83 in a 55 mph zone. Ok. So my dear police officer hubby of mine gave me a folder for my wedding gift. It's a black leather folder (what we would call wallet) with a tiny version of his police badge. Same numbers and all. On the other side, you put your i.d. or what have you. I retrieved it from my purse and opened it up in a way that he could see the badge but not blatantly displaying it. I also have yearly FOP stickers on my back windshield as another form of identification. He asked if I was an officer and I replied, "no my husband". He asked for where and I told him. He told me to sit tight he will be right back. He returns with not a smile on his face. The officer informs me that he is letting me off on a warning. Also that it would have been $160 ticket and 2 points off my license. "You are free to go", is what he said next. I thanked him and pulled off.

Ordinarily I would be all pissed at the cop even though it was my own wrong doing but I have grown up a bit. I also know how hard it is day in and day out for some cops. The good ones that is. So I am more understanding towards them now that I am married to one. I wasn't fan of cops back in the day but I have matured. They also give out this pamphlet where it tells you about fairness and equality. It gives you the option of complaints or commendations. I have decided, with the advise of my husband, to write something complimentary and send it in. Now I have a pretty good idea that the mini badge just might be the real reason I got out of that ticket and points. Oddly enough, my last recent run in's with them have been warnings. I am grateful for this but don't want to make it a habit. I have a problem with speed. I should go out and buy a car that only goes to 85 miles per hour, LOL.

So let this be a lesson you guys. No speeding. Obey the laws. Yes, I'm talking to myself also.

Oh and I did make it to my 10 am appointment right at 10 am and upon my departure, I kept a steady speed of 70 mph.

A new day

2008-01-05T11:59:00.000-05:00

I'm feeling better, it's a new day and I am looking forward to the rest of the year. My sweet darling husband surprised me with an early birthday present. A year's membership at Gold's Gym. How excited do you think I was? Very excited. I don't think it's a normal reaction to a gym membership but you all know how I have been battling this unwelcomed weight so it was the best gift ever. To make it better for me, he got one for himself so we can work out together. What a thoughtful person. I think he has just gotten tired of me complaining about it for all this time. LOL. Poor thang. Starting Monday, I will be on a new path to my weight loss. I can't wait.

So my team made it into the playoffs. Go Skins! I have faith that they will make it further through. I'm not going to get all crazy and say they will make it to the Super Bowl but I'm just proud they made it thus far. We play today at 4:15 the Seahawks. I'm going to run out and buy me some Yuengling lager since this is the last 2 days before my workout I will consume beer for the game. Put on my faded Redskins tshirt and park myself in front of the Plasma. Oh how I love or HD wall mounted Plasma. It's perfect for the games and movies. This was a good buy for us.

Not sure if some of you new but my girlfriend created a book club. We had a meet today but due to certain circumstances, it has been postponed. I, however, finished the book and I have to say that as long of a novel it was, I found it to be informative, outstanding and a good choice of a read regardless of the length. In short, it's about a black man who grew up living as a white man. His daughter found out after his death and it led her unto a strong desire and determination to find out about her black roots that her father has stripped away from her. I give it an A for detail and content. I give it an B for attentiveness. At some points I felt she was rambling on with stories that I felt had no bearing really on what the book really was about but thankfully, it didn't occur often. My next read is Other People's Skin. Not a selection by the members but I figured I will get it done before they pick a new book. This book is about the self-hatred caused by intra-racial prejudice and the ongoing obsession with skin tone and hair texture among black women. I have a coupon for 30% off a book at Borders so I am going to head out and get this book I want to add to my collection.

Have a wonderful weekend friends.

Fear of the unknown

2008-01-03T22:36:00.000-05:00

Let me start off by saying I had a truly wonderful holiday. Sunday before New Year's I got together with some friends to pre-celebrate the upcoming holiday. I enjoy very much spending time with my friends and this was another year well spent celebrating.

My title is just that. Fear of the unknown. I often wonder about the many fears of a person. Some fear heights, snakes, spiders, etc. I on the other hand fear death. I have come to notice that as I get older, I am concerning myself with it more often. I wonder if it is because I enjoy my life to the fullest that I am afraid of it ending abruptly? Or is it because I'm getting older and know that my days are numbered? Thinking back to when I was younger I don't have any recollection of even pondering over the subject. I mean I had the occasional deaths of the neighborhood boys but it never triggered a response in me. As far as my family, I only had the death of my cousin and more recently, my stepfather. I have had some distant deaths of two cousins recently but no one that was extremely close to me other than my stepfather. I try to grasp some sort of comforting notion that will satisfy my need for a cure to my fear. My husband believes that I need to have my faith restored in an attempt to help me get pass the fear. Will that really help? Would seeing some sort of counselor really help? It's written in stone in my brain that fears cannot be conquered. I know this to be untrue as I once was terribly afraid of airplanes but no longer. So if I can win that battle then shouldn't it be as equally easy to get over my fear of dying?

I don't go to funerals. I am not one to care what another thinks but for some strange reason I am embarrassed by this confession. Not so much because I think someone would laugh or think it's ridiculous but mainly because it's identified with "paying your respect" for the departed. I was present at my stepfather's funeral and I can't begin to put down in this blog the unimaginable pain I suffered that day. It's a two part fear I have with death. Mines and my loved ones. The unknown reflects my own death. You hear stories about after life and judgement day to try to prepare one for what's to come. Are we really prepared? It's the unknown. We don't know what's one the other side. We don't know what it is like to take that last breath of air into our lungs before leaving this earth. That there is what I fear most. I have heard the term many times about fearing the unknown. To me, that applies to everything else except dying. I haven't visited my stepfather's grave since the day they lowered him into the ground. I so badly want to go but just can't bring myself to do it. Which leads me to the next statement. Will I have the same reaction towards my mother or father's death? Is that selfish of me to not confront it head on so that I can be strong enough to visit the grave's?

I am blessed that my parents are healthy. I'm blessed to have my health and my family has theirs too. My mind wanders and it debates the pros and cons to which would be easier to handle. Sudden death or a long slow death of a loved one. On one hand you have time to prepare mentally, I guess, and get to spend all the time you have left with that person. On the other hand, you hold on to a false hope that they may one day get better. Sigh......

I wish I had answers to the questions in my head. It's is rare that I have to reach out to another person for advice or consolation but as the days go by, I struggle more and more to develop some sort of connection with someone who can help me with my fears and concerns.

Thanks for listening. I get like this every now and then and just need an ear. Goodnight.

Big girl's in the house

2007-12-29T21:08:00.001-05:00

That is how I'm feeling right now. For more than a while actually. Am I supposed to give in to the notion that when you get older you get fatter? Am I supposed to lose the battle and just give in and buy bigger clothes? Do I say forget it and just say, "well I just have to accept it and deal with it". I think not. I am not the one for "settling". I am not. I wonder how many overweight, obese humans got that way. I assume the obvious which in my mind would be overeating. How do you just say ok I will just buy a bigger size and then bigger and bigger? I can't fathom the thought of folks truly being happy obese. It is hard for me to look in the mirror and think to myself that I am at a weight where I am happy. For the most part growing up I was fairly thin. Not skinny but sorta slim. High school hit and I thinned out some more along with my height. I am fortunate to be the height I am so help balance out the weight. I refuse to accept this current weight. I am at my heaviest and I will not allow myself to get bigger. I was doing good with the strip aerobics until I realized that the chick was money hungry. That is another story in it's own. So I am not working out. Partly because I lost the motivation and my husband telling me I am not fat. I appreciate his comments but it means nothing if I am pleased with my own looks.

Thing is, I can do it. I've done it before. It's just a matter of motivation. Looking great on the beach is motivation. Being able to go into the store and find the cutest little number in your size is motivation. Living an overall healthy life is motivation. I always thought those New Year's resolutions of weight loss to be a waste because not many folks actually stick with it. However, I am determined to get this weight off of me. My goal is a minimum of 30 pounds. I will continue to buy shoes and other accessories but will not spend a lot of money on clothes. Not until I am at my desired weight. Not being to find clothes to put on to go out is a big motivation.

Wish me luck. I will start this endeavor January 1st. My birthday is the 31st so I would really love to make some progress by then. The Weight Watchers Point system seem to do justice the last time a attempted to lose weight so I think I will do a modified version of it along with diligent work out routines. I will keep you all updated on my progress and pictures.

It's Christmas time

2007-12-26T18:42:00.000-05:00

I can't ask for a better time of the year. Family and friends are very high on my list so Christmas is extra special. My sister-in-law cooked for Thanksgiving so we agreed that I would cook for Christmas. December 26th started out with me waking up with the intention to cook breakfast but when you have a pretty hefty dinner to cook, somehow breakfast isn't looking all that appetizing right now. So instead, we opened each other's gifts. I was a good girl this year. I got some really nice things. My two favorite gifts were my Garmin GPS and my Sony Cyber-Shot 7.2 megapixel camera. I thought only men yearned for electronics. Not only will the Garmin get me to my destination, it has Bluetooth capability. It's perfect! The camera was an unexpected gift. I thought the 3.2 megapixel camera I had was good. That was until I saw the distinct difference between the two pictures. It was time to make dinner now. The menu consisted of: lamb, venison, chicken roaster, ham, greens, cabbage, rice, macaroni and cheese, candied yams, and potatoes. We made just enough food. I guess they enjoyed the food because there really wasn't much left. Played some Tunk and played Christmas carols and enjoyed my family. The guests left about 10 pm and I called it a night. We had a splendid time and I loved watching my nephews open their gifts. I would like to donate to a charity next year in place of buying loads of gifts like I did this year. We will see how that goes. It would be nice to do both but I have been feeling like doing more contributions next go around. So here's to a Merry Christmas to all.

The shopping excursion

2007-12-22T14:54:00.000-05:00

I just love Christmas but I am not a fan of the shopping. Maybe that has something to do with me waiting until the last minute. I am getting better by the year but I am far from perfect. I started the week before this year. There are at least 2 items left I need to get but I dread going out there again. We are having dinner here on Christmas and I need to hit up the grocery store on Sunday. I think the stores will be just as packed as the malls are. My plan was to get up super early yesterday and go to the mall but my laziness got the best of me. It wasn't until 2 pm that I got of the house. My hubby has gotten me into the AMC channel. I watched "Cool Hand Luke" with none other than the sexy Paul Newman. I was glued to the tube and couldn't move until I found out how it ended. Not a nice ended but none the less a great one. I am a go getter. I know what I want when I go to the malls. The mission is easily accomplished when you know exactly what you are shopping for. I went alone and walked at my fast paced speed to maneuver through the crowds. My poor Visa check card has been through quite a bit in the last three days. I'm surprised the stripe isn't worn off. Oh and I had a dilemma with Circuit City. You've seen the commercial. Buy online and pick up at the store and guaranteed your item is there in 24 minutes or you get $24. That wasn't the case with me and I was a unhappy customer. That was the entire purpose of me buying it online. 1) I'm guaranteed I have it and 2) I just walk in grab it and walk out. The cashier wasn't all that apologetic. I maybe got an "I'm sorry" but I need a bit more than that for this time of year. It's like everyone was buying digital cameras this year and the more affordable ones were all sold out. I asked homegirl how do we fix this and she informed me that she can credit my card back. That's what she did. So I had to buy the camera from Sears for my mom. I hope she actually uses it this time instead of having me take over it.

Now the wrapping. Last night I put on some carols and pour me a glass of red. Sat my butt on the floor and let the fun begin. I did all I could before my back started giving out on me. I wasn't sitting in the best position. I have several more to go today. I feel like I'm ahead of the game. Monday I will drop off those gifts to those that I have to and run home to prepare for the big day. I can't wait. This is my all time favorite holiday of the year. It really is about spending time with those you love and it's just an added bonus to receive gifts. I love giving regardless of the occasion but this is extra special for me.

Meet Lady Icis

2007-12-20T19:16:00.000-05:00

I am usually a very organized person. I received a registration renewal for my Lady Icis a couple of months ago. I put the form on top of the pile with my other bills. Well I can't find it. I am not going to blame anyone (hubby) but I know I had it sitting with them. I only remembered to renew it because my insurance cards came in with the new dates and it jogged my memory. So it's done and it's another 2 years before the next one. I'm sure by now you have seen the picture and realized I am speaking of my motorcycle. It's a 2005 Honda F4i 600 cc, silver in color. Let me tell you the history.

As long as I can remember, I have had this insane fascination with motorcycles. Sport bikes more so. I can appreciate a good cruiser but that's only a new appreciation. I would see the fellas ride their bikes with all their gear and coordinating helmets. Not to mention the speed. I am not a speed demon but I enjoy a little speed. I dated a few guys in the past that had bikes but the relationships weren't of that magnitude where I would have them teach me. Many years later I became involved with my now hubby. A year into the relationship he bought a used Sport Cruiser from a fellow officer. I was so excited for him. You would have thought it was mine. It's a Honda ST1100 black. It's big. If you look closely you can see it behind mine. It's heavy and intimidating if you are a novice rider. Off we go to buy gear. Jackets, helmet, gloves and communicating devices so that we can talk to each other on rides. Our first long ride was to a friend's house. I trusted him. I didn't have a second thought to it which is very reassuring. No worries and wasn't afraid of the speed. That was the ride that convinced me that I should have my own to ride. No more admiring other riders.

I didn't purchase the bike based on any information other than the size and the make. I knew I wanted Honda so we could have his and hers. I knew I wanted silver because that was the color of my helmet. Finally, I knew I wanted a 600 because that's the safest bike I could get for my money. That's it! No comparisons, no pricing, no testimonials from others. I went online, looked, found and bought. It was purchased in December of 05' so I was offered a discount. Bikes don't sell that fast in the cold so they make offers. My honey went and picked up the bike. He rode it home while I followed. It was a cold day but we didn't have to go far. That next week the husband took me out to learn. Gotta love a man who can teach you to ride. After I learned the basics, practiced and dropped it a few times, I went and took the exam for the learner's permit. It was time to register for Motorcycle Safety classes. Paid the fee, took the class 4 months later, passed the course and rushed to the MVA to get my "M" added to my license. I am now ready to practice in the warm weather.

I did good and enjoyed the exhilarating moments I had on Icis. It's 2007 now and I had been planning our wedding. I managed to get on Icis a few times and put a bit more miles on it but nothing substantial. I have an embarrassing 490 miles on my 2 year old bike. I should be well into the thousands but I am not. I haven't even had my first maintenance. Pitiful. These facts led me to decide to sell her. I just figured I would never have the time. Then the registration came in and I snapped out of it. I am going to get on her 2008 riding season and put some miles on her. I think I would have regretted selling her because then I would miraculously have the desire and time to ride. Then I won't have one. I WILL NOT SELL ICIS. And that's that!

If you haven't been on one, there's nothing like it. When I first get on it my adrenaline is pumping and I'm anxious and nervous at the same time. My biggest worry is a vehicle striking me. Not me taking a spill on my own. You get all geared up with your protection and your ready to go. I get on it and battle with becoming proficient in getting out of 1st gear. Remember I only 490 miles of practice. You reach a straight away and get that baby into 4th gear and just sit back and enjoy. It's my quiet time. I clear my head. I take in the scenery and release all that adrenaline and anxiety. I miss it and I am looking forward to the upcoming season. I don't have to wait for classes or plan a wedding so there isn't any excuse to put some miles on Lady Icis. I'm not set on putting miles on it only but the more miles, the more experience and that's what is important. I get to ride with my hubby and no longer drool over the biker boys motorcycles. Huh. A sista rides her own ride now.

The Good and the Bad- No Ugly

2007-12-14T00:03:00.000-05:00

There are some people in the world that don't know or care to know about their zodiac sign. It could be for religious reasons or just a lack of interest. I can't remember how I got reeled into it initially, but I enjoy reading about my sign. I am not as involved in it as some. I remember a patient we had who scheduled her day around the astrology. I found it to be very interesting as to how the outcome of it was but when she came in years later, she still followed it so I guess it's working for her. Whenever I would get serious with a guy I would read up on their sign first. Now I knew my compatible signs (libra, gemini, sagitarius, aries) but I would still read up to see if there is any hope in our compatibleness. The hubby is not one of my "listed" compatible signs but I think we make up for that. LOL. I am going to copy and paste one of several profiles on my sign. I chose the one that I felt listed everything the most accurately. Now I have to admit that I am still astonished at the mere thought that these descriptions are exact. I wonder are others profiles just as on point as mine. If there is an objection, I will note it next to the statement. For those that know me, here is confirmation of what you may have suspected and for those that don't know me, here I am in a nutshell. However, a nutshell is a bit small for this job. Enjoy getting to know me.

JAN 20 to FEB 18

Symbolized by the water bearer, people born on days between January 20 to February 18 are categorized as Aquarius. They are frank, practical, idealistic and spiritual. They are born rebels and following the norm is not their cup of tea. They have unusual, new and daring ideas and go to any degree to pursue them. Their outlook is positive and they have strong convictions and seek truth above all things.

Not always intelligent and logical, they are devoted to work that inspires them to the extent of injuring health. (hmm I would say ALWAYS dammit)

Argument is something they get involved into just for the sake of fun. Aquarians favor working in-group projects, if they are given the recognition of the leader. They have a feeling of unity with nature and a desire for knowledge and truth that makes them admirable.

They are witty and open to many ideas but sometimes they become mentally fixed and very stubborn. They are talkative and social but it may be hard for them to find common ground in any social circle. They enjoy expressing their views and are very articulate.

The negative aspect of this zodiac sign is rudeness, resentment, and the silence that may burst out suddenly in extreme temper. They have no respect for tradition and little concern for the lessons of the past. They are purely progressive. They love to rebel against the system in supporting causes and ideas that are controversial and revolutionary.

STRENGTHS
Intellectual, friendly, glamorous, good communication skills and ability to understand abstract concepts.

WEAKNESSES
Fixed ideas, rebelliousness, coldness

COMPATIBLE SIGN
Gemini and Libra

INCOMPATIBLE SIGNS
Taurus and Scorpio (Lee I hope you see this)

SUITABLE LIFE PARTNER
Capricorn and Leo

PERSONALITY

Eccentric and original, Aquarius is a sign of people who follow their passion and desires to the hilt. They have very advanced ideas and can excel in any profession. They are a good team player but also are headstrong and inflexible in some ways.

Their approaches to problem solving are many times termed as too radical, unworkable, advanced and ahead of the times. Being frank, they can hurt some people if they are too honest about their views. Nevertheless, their outspokenness has its advantages as it grantees them a good social life. They reject old traditions,(that would explain my wedding) venture into unknown paths, and lead a life of the rebel. They thrive on change. They get bored of usual things very quickly and always want to see new people around them. However, they are somewhat impersonal most of the time.

Equality, freedom and fairness are important issues for them. In this regard, they are likely to be classified as a progressive and often associated with humanitarian issues and causes. They are very intuitive and able judge of character and this is where being fair-minded helps them.

Though they are very involved with such matters, their approach is always somewhat in the abstract and impersonal. Their approach is often very impersonal and detached. They resist anything or anyone threatening their independence.

LOVE AND ROMANCE
These people are friendly and social with a wide circle of acquaintances. They like to have friends who share common interests and are intellectually oriented. However, when it comes to romance, they find it difficult to be happy. They do not often display emotions and they prefer to keep their feelings to themselves. Even if their friends may be romantically inclined to them, they may never realize it, as they are too aloof. (depending on the person, I do share my feelings)

Romantic attractions that do occur are often sudden, and in some way unusual; they may end just as suddenly as they began. (LOL ain't this the truth) A permanent partner will have to be a friend first and a lover second. (and that is why my hubby is the one for me)

Freedom is another thing that they dearly love and possessiveness scares them badly. They want to be free and give entire freedom to their partners too. They value their individuality very much and this makes it difficult for them to submit to their partner's choices. With an understanding partner, the relationship may last very long and may be very successful. In the matters related to sex also, they are different and rebellious. They seek variety in their sex life but after they find their ideal mate, they are very loyal and dependable.

HOBBIES
Their hobbies can range from cycling in the countryside to photography, reading comics, collecting kitsch objects, collecting stones of unusual shapes and sizes, collecting gadgets, collecting spices and off beat recipes, collecting perfumes, holidaying in the mountains, participating in car rallies. Their desire to be free is what drives them to travel. (The things I agree with are travel, mountains, and collecting perfumes)

CAREER
Aquarians can turn their hands very successfully to most things, since they are very determined individuals. (this is why I am great at braiding hair and dental assisting) Many choose rather unusual careers like Astrology. They see life as a series of excellent opportunities to make the world a happier place, and if money comes their way, so much the better.

They might excel in technical fields and those linked with electrical and radio industries. Aquarians work best in-group projects, but must be recognized as having a leading role. They make excellent researchers and admirable scientists, especially astronomers and natural historians. They may lead the field in photography, computer technology, Radiography or electronics. Aviation is also a natural vocation for Aquarians. (now I know what my next career is, LOL)

They also possess talents in writing, particularly poetry, and in broadcasting. In theater, they make good character actors, and are natural mimics. Possessing an affinity for rhythm and timing, many Aquarians make fine and progressive musicians. In the service fields, they can be effective welfare workers or educators. (all of this is intriguing)

DOMESTIC ENVIRONMENT
They are home loving and their home must have good cooking and good food as a fundamental ingredient. At times, they like to settle in places far from their place of birth. (hence why I am in the country now?) Wherever they are, they like to surround themselves with unusual, distinctive objects.

Close relationships inevitably stir up complex and convoluted emotions that Aquarians often find troublesome. Generally not materialistic, their most treasured belongings are their freedom and independence. Whilst most ultimately do form stable partnerships, it will always be important for both partners to maintain their own interests and concerns.

HEALTH
The sign of Aquarius rules the lower limbs and ankles. The diseases with which the Aquarian may be afflicted are swelling of the legs, and nervous diseases of various kinds.

STRENGHTS
Aquarians are usually intelligent, cool, clear, logical people. They have good imaginations and are quite intuitive. Aquarius is drawn to and inspired by great causes. They do not deter from their goals and pursue them until the very end. Often termed as head of their times (my mother is an Aquarius also and she tells me we are ahead of our times) ,their ideas are progressive. They are a good friend, responsible, impartial and always loyal. Cool and collected, they are levelheaded and stable. They enjoy their own company and are recharged by this quiet time. Rarely content being followers, they are more often society's trendsetters. Most Aquarians appreciate beauty and balance, possessing an excellent sense of aesthetics. This is often expressed by interests that can span drama, music, art, and science.

WEAKNESSES
They sometimes seem eccentric and unconventional in their responses to everyday problems. They are also likely to be somewhat impractical and perhaps lacking in common sense. (I beg your pardon) They consider all that they do as being on a utilitarian level, even if many of their ideas are a bit idealistic and outside the mainstream.

They are quite aloof people, who do not actively seek out relationships, and resent any infringement on their time or resources. They are engaging, yet unreachable. They can be fascinating and dynamic, while lacking any real warmth or endearing qualities.

Among the faults, which are typically Aquarian, are extreme eccentricity, and an unwillingness to participate in any standard of protocol. When angered, they become seriously rude, alternating between deafening silence and sudden outbursts of temper. Even during the best of times, they may demand the freedom to come and go as they please. Possessiveness makes they feel trapped. Casual companions and relationships are much more comfortable for them because they do not impose so many demands.

I hope everyone can use this as a guideline to dealing with someone of my caliber. I applaud my friends for being my friends. I remember my mother telling me when I was in elementary school that if I kept my attitude, I wouldn't have any friends. I guess she was wrong. Ha! I am delighted to have shared my world with you. There was some good mentioned in there so I am a happy camper. Until next time......

Shoulder gone wrong

2007-12-12T08:15:00.000-05:00

A couple of updates before I get into the new post. We are not getting the dog. She was a beautiful shepherd I have to say. Her name is Jenna and she is approaching 4 years old. Not a pup obviously. She was very attached to her owner(s). They said she was growling at their son and that she has been aggressive since the day she got pregnant. We think they stopped paying attention to her when the baby was born. She would need a lot of work. A lot of obedience training and I don't think this is a good time do try to take on such a task because it's getting really cold.

The tree has been trimmed. Woohoo!!

Ok back to the subject of the post. I would guesstimate my shoulder pain started back in 2001 late to early 2002. I can't tell you what happened. What I can tell you is that I have been in this dental assisting field for almost 11 years now. I would say that years of leaning on my left side with all my weight would pose a problem eventually. I don't know. I'm no doctor but it seems logical considering I haven't had any falls or accidents. Suddenly I just started developing this excruciating pain in my left shoulder. Went to my then doctor who referred me to a physical therapist. So I did physical therapy for a few months. All was well for hhmmm say about a year or a little over. Then the pain occurred again and this time I just ignored it or started taking Advil. Boom. Problem went away for a bit and came back charging more than the previous occasions. This time I found a orthopedic doctor in my plan and scheduled me an appointment. I can't say that I was satisfied with his standard of care. He examined me, as much as can be examined, and asked me if I wanted a Cortisone shot. Hmmmm, "I don't know". I asked the typical will it hurt question. I factored in my pain threshold and figured it was in my best interest to accept the offer. It wasn't painful at all but it does stiffen your shoulder up a bit. The injection lasted for quite some time and then the problem reared it's ugly head again. In between that time, I had radiographs done on my shoulder. He never once told me what the findings were from the films. Go back months later and he gives me another injection and orders a MRI on my shoulder. I had that done. Might I add, it's really not all that bad having an MRI. I found the loud clanking sounds to be rather soothing if I may say so. That last injection lasted about two months before I headed back. This time, no injection. He ordered an MRI on my neck to make sure there is no underlying cause. Now why in the hell didn't he order it with the shoulder? I was pissed because here I am in pain and he wants me to wait even longer to see him again without another injection. What does a girl do in the meantime? Take Advil I gather. I get the films and scheduled an appointment as soon as possible. This poor excuse of a doctor cancelled my appointment not once but three times. That was the last time I had any dealings with that office.

Now I'm on the hunt for a new doctor. One that went to a school I can recognize, unlike the previously mentioned doctor. Someone who works in DC so it's easily accessible on my days at work. Someone who wouldn't BS me around. I was given a name by my PCP office. He assured me that I would like him. He was right. I liked him. I didn't like that it took him 45 minutes to come into my room but I liked his demeanor and I got a good feel of him. I ran down the history of the bad shoulder and he got a few more radiographs. He did a strength test also. My left side is lacking in strength. I'm not sure what the outcome of the test was on that but I don't need a gadget to tell me that. He wanted to get an explanation for my tingling fingers. He told me I had suffered enough. Surgery was the next option. Orthoscopic surgery. He couldn't guarantee that I will pain free but he projected a 90% chance I would. There is that 10% though. He read me the findings of the report from the MRI and in lam ens terms, I got out of it a tear in the tissue surrounding the disc. I requested a copy for my own personal records. He told me that he won't know how bad it is until he gets in there but there could be a minor procedure or a more involved one. He asked if I had short term disability insurance. NO I have long term. He informed me that my recuperation period can be as little as a few days up to 6 weeks depending on what lies ahead, along with physical therapy. There is a slight chance that he can perform the work and the pain will remain and my shoulder can develop a condition where the shoulder would stiffen up. I don't' know the medical term but he did inform me of this possibility. I told him that I have been living off of 800 mg of Advil and looked at me and with concern told me that I am killing my liver. He wanted me off it and suggested another type of medication. I declined the prescription.

His next question to me was if I wanted to do it before or after the holidays. I asked him what is his advice and he said it's up to me because I'm the one in pain. He can do it Monday he said. Wow!

I call this morning to set it up. I absolutely cannot live with this pain any longer and the sooner this situation can be taken care of, the better.

I was having a really bad day yesterday. I think it's the PMS kicking in again but I took it out on my dear hubby and he didn't deserve to have me kirk out on him like I did. When I got home, to my surprise, there was a big beautiful bouquet of flowers sitting right on the top landing for me to take notice to when I opened the door. They were accompanied by the most heartfelt card and upon reading it, a single tear rolled down my face. Just a single one. I have never had that happen. So it instantly made me feel better. It's good to know I have him to be there for me when I'm just down and out and not feeling very happy. The card spoke about "tomorrows" and tomorrow indeed is a new day.

My father and a dog

2007-12-08T21:52:00.000-05:00

I went to see my dad yesterday. He had surgery on his neck to have his thyroid glands removed on Tuesday. Let me touch a bit on HMO's. I have one and most government workers I know have them. Yes, we should be very grateful for having any type of insurance but it goes back to that old saying of, "you get what you pay for". We all know having a PPO is more costly but you tend to not have any real issues with the physicians. My dad is pretty healthy. He tall and slender, always active. He is an avid bowler. I mean this man has been bowling since before I was born. I'm 30 so we are talking a long time. This issue of his first became apparent a year ago he tells me. Now, as in the post below, I am not a hypochondriac but at the site of something foreign on my body, I will head to the doctors. A year ago he noticed a bulge in his neck. Only to wait to have it checked out one year later. I didn't notice it, however, my hubby did and I mentioned it to my dad. That's when he told me it's been there that long. Finally he gets an appointment to find out it's his thyroid glands. He was in surgery for 4 hours. 10 times the size of the normal thyroid was his. Ya think? A year's worth of growth. I later find out that they didn't have room to put him in after the surgery. They had none. Absurd to me but if this was a PPO insurance plan, I know this would not be the case at hand.

Now he's not getting off that easy either. He is my father who I love with all of my heart. I just wished he took better care of himself in that, he would get physicals, dental visits or anything that can possibly prolong his health. The keyword is preventive. It will "prevent" you from needing major procedures done. I'm not a health nut but I do try to take care of the one and only body the good Lord has given me. I tell those that have money taken out of their paychecks for health care to use it. That's why you pay for it right? Otherwise, why bother. Save your money. I feel like my hands are tied, I'm talking to a brick wall and he's an old dog. I have to accept the fact that he feels that these things aren't important to him. I'm glad he's doing ok. This is his second major operation he has needed in his life and hopefully he won't need anymore anytime soon. I love ya daddy!

We have a family of 4 furbabies. Sebastian, Toby, Dexter and Morgan. 2 Huskies, 1 shepherd and a Chow Chow mix. The hubby asked me if I was busy tomorrow. I said let me check my calendar. LOL I am not that important but I do have a social life. Anyway, to my surprise, I was free. Toby was adopted by us when he was 2 years old. He's now going on 4 years old. I asked the hubby what did he have in mind and he tells me a family has a 3 year old shepherd female with papers. We have more than enough yard for a herd of dogs but not the best idea for the house. These are his words to me when I say, "honey let's add to the family". I would love another dog but I don't think I am up for adopting another one. I know she needs a home but it took a while for Toby to warm up to us. He's my baby now but it was a time to get through. I much rather get a puppy. He likes shepherds A LOT. Maybe because he's a cop. I dunno. I just know this is when compromise comes in. Now granted she would come to us at no cost but the trade off is her getting accustomed to her knew life. Maybe if she was a year younger I'd might be inclined to say absolutely. I have to go with my guts on this one. So we are taking the huskies tomorrow to meet them. At least that was the last conversation. We are trying to eliminate the 3 kennels we have downstairs now. Not add one. We'll see.....

WE HAVE TO TRIM OUR TREE.

Little things

2007-12-07T22:18:00.001-05:00

It's amazing how some folks get all excited about the little things. This may not be much of anything to another person but I gasped when I saw these. I have had my share of salt and pepper mills but nothing of this magnitude. The set we have now just doesn't do it for me. These are like towers. I was not out looking for these. In fact, I didn't even go in the aisle that would house something of this sort. They were up front to the side at the cashier. Someone must have changed their mind. Their lost is my gain. It's complete with sea salt in one and a peppercorn medley in the other. This is over a foot tall. I'm thinking that with this amount I will be old and gray when it's time to refill it. I am going to have to buy a couple of bottles of the medley just to refill it. We aren't routine salt users. I may use it when making eggs but that pretty much is it.

From the time I got my first apartment, I have become a home shopper. You know, it went from me going out to buy clothes, shoes to now buying pieces for my home. It's the smallest thing that comforts me. Anything that is related to the kitchen or cooking or entertaining I enjoy buying. Other little things that make me happy is when you go to Popeye's and order a 5 piece chicken strip and they give you 6 or even 7 pieces. Or when you go to Coldstone Creamery and order a Like It and they give you a Love It just because the girl scooped up too much ice cream. How about when you hubby comes home with gourmet jelly beans because he know it's your favorite. Your coworker brings in extra Jamaican food because you kill to have it. Wow I just realized that all those little things were edible items. Hmmm that makes me sound greedy. LOL. Oh well. I am a simple girl who don't need much from another person. The next encounter you have with the little things, just smile and remember how happy it made you.

I'm out

Diagnosis

2007-12-06T18:37:00.000-05:00

Let me start by saying I am not a hypochondriac. You see the eye for yourself. But when I woke up this morning the eye had noticeably gotten smaller. Still puffy but not quite as in the picture. I conveniently set it up so that all of my doctors are in the same building I work in. Not because I am a hypochondriac but because I like convenience. With that said, my primary care physician is across the hall from my place of work. I ran over there as soon as they opened and asked if I could be squeezed in as an emergency. They are always so helpful and I got me an appointment at 1 pm. Like any other doctors appointment, the issue at hand seems to diminish. I showed up all ready to run down the chain of events that occurred up until the swelling. I told the good doctor what happened and he said, "well it could be anything but I think it's blufferitis". Now of course this isn't the correct spelling but this is what my ears heard. LOL. He goes further to say, "I wouldn't do anything with it. At most, just some warm compresses". I said, "OK" and left thanking him. Why was I thanking him, uuumm dunno. I always feel as if he makes up diagnosis for my symptoms but this was one time he got it right. I know, he's the doctor and he knows his stuff but I have to venture out into that world of mine and assume the worse. I paid my copay and headed back to the office to go to my favorite tool on the world wide web called Google. I typed in "bufferitis" and "blepharitis" showed up asking me if that was what I meant. I guess. LOL. I initially saw the words causes, symptoms, and treatment. I clicked on the link and there before my eyes lie a new ailment of mine. In short, it's a chronic inflammation of the eyelids. It goes on to say it is the most common disorder of the eye. Ok so now I'm supposed to feel better because it's common? I think not. There are 3 forms of it. I narrowed my type down to the Meibomian gland dysfunction (MBG). What I also found interesting is that those that have the MBG also have seborrheic dermatitis. I say this because for the longest time I had issues with my scalp and what I called dandruff. I can't say I have it so much more now that I am chemical free and wash my hair everyday to every other day. It's has subsided dramatically but I wonder if it's worth getting checked out. For more info on my disease click on this link http://ww.agingeye.net/otheragingeye/blepharitis.php

I have previous issues with my eyes such as floaters and partial retina tears so I called my optometrist up to get some suggestions. They told me what the website told me to do which is to use warm compresses and clean my eyelids with baby shampoo on a cotton swab. It was funny because the beginning of the week I kept complaining that my eyes were burning. I equated it with me being tired but now looking forward, it was a symptom. One that is listed on the site.

I'm getting older. So on that note, I am off to clean my eyelids.

Mysterious Eye

2007-12-05T19:18:00.000-05:00

It started out like a normal day. I got up exhausted this morning from working out and drinking two glasses of wine yesterday evening. Went to work. Did pretty much nothing. I did say it was a normal day right? LOL. Didn't bring lunch so the hubby came by and got S and I some chinese. I had shrimp and broccoli with white rice. We were done for the day so I headed on home. Walked to my bus stop to catch the commuter bus. I had a minute to spare before the bus came to my pickup so I felt good. Usually I'm running for dear life to catch the thing. I get on and take my regular seat on the bus. Slap on my iPod and shut my eyes for my evening nap. It's about an hour and 45 minute total ride home. That's including the 15 minutes it takes me to get to my home from where my vehicle is parked. You can see I can get some pretty good sleep in. I dozed off at I think around the 5 stop. That's faster than normal. I usually don't fall asleep until we hit the Maryland line. Anywho. I'm chillin, listen to my music and all of a sudden I am awakened to an unbearable itch to the eyes. Itchy throat, nose and ears also. I rub them and blink them really really hard so I wouldn't rub anymore. We were almost to the drop off so I shut my eyes until I got there. I noticed the vision was obstructed just a tad in the left eye. Still not thinking much of it. Chucked it up to the windows being fogged. I walk to my car and pull down the drivers mirror. I turned on my poor excuse for an overhead light and instantly developed the chill bumps. Ewwww. My eye was swollen beyond belief. (I'm getting the chills just reliving it in my head) I made it home without incidence and took a benadryl just in case it was a reaction to the shrimp I had earlier. Hopped in the shower and washed my soon to be dreads. Yeah baby. They are workin' it. Ok. I got off track for a bit. I took a picture before and after the shower. It looks different to me. Looks as if the swelling has traveled down towards my cheek. I have never been to the hospital and I'm thinking I won't start tonight. It's hurting a bit now probably from the swelling. My friend keeps emailing me to tell me to go to the hospital. Now, my guess is it's something on that commuter bus. I ask myself. How often do they clean it? I'm not going to push it and say a thorough cleaning but enough so that a person won't wake up with a crater on her eye. I went to WedMd to see if I could get an idea but the list of symptoms brought up too many similar diagnoses to narrow it down to what it could possibly be. So I will have to wait until tomorrow to find out. I think it's trying to decrease in size but I will update.

It's snowing and I don't like snow so I won't be posting too much on that subject.

Dinner and a tree

2007-12-03T21:14:00.000-05:00

I'm back. Yesterday the hubby came home and brought along a spectacular tree along with the deer. I mean it's tall. About 7 feet tall, long fur tree. The sad thing is I came in the house walked up the stairs and went to the dining room to open the unwanted monthly bills. LOL. Any other person would have noticed it. I usually am a very alert individual so I was a bit unnerved to find that I overlooked this big ol' tree. When I finally took notice to it, I jumped for joy. "oooohhhhh the tree" I said. Fast forward to today. I told the hubby to get the last years ornaments and decorations out from downstairs. I had it all planned. Bake some cookies, put on xmas music, trim the tree and drink cocoa. (I am not a fan of eggnog) We had a date set but one tiny thing prohibited this date from happening. No cookies. I forgot to buy them at the grocery store. So our date has been rescheduled until tomorrow. I like things simple. So the tree will consist of lights, ball ornaments in red and silver and a topper. Oh and candy canes. No garland, no icicles, or any other additional item. It looks good to me like this and it's less stuff to try to pack away. I just love the site of the lights all lit up and alternating colors. I love this time of the year.

I love to cook. I don't do it as often as I would like because of my work hours/commute but when I do cook I enjoy it. Ideally I would like to cook a good home cooked meal every day except Saturday but that's not always the case. I have to say I get bored with eating the same foods all the time. Yes, chicken can be cooked numerous ways but it's still chicken. You have your beef and pork but again, it's still the same. So at one point I started perusing the Food Network for recipes. I like my good ol' soul food but I wanted to try something new. I have a few that I tried and liked and have added to my collection of recipes. Making recipes require prep time. I'm not in the mood nor do I have the time for this type of thing often. So today I kept it simple. Cornished hens stuffed with portabello mushrooms, green peppers, garlic and onions. Along with dill weed red potatoes and broccoli. After it was done the hubby jokingly suggested I take a pic and put it on my blog. Ha! He told that to the wrong person. I ran and got my camera and snapped a few pics. That is what it looked like in the picture above. Now I'm new to this blog thing and can't for the life of me figure out how to get the picture where I want it positioned. Folks this food was delicious. I have to toot my own horn but it's nothing new. I am a great cook. I hope to someday have that dream kitchen that makes you want to cook all day everyday. I wish you all could taste it but you can't. Sorry :-) Tomorrow is strip aerobics so I won't be cooking because it will be very late when I return home.

I am going to finish my glass of wine and call it a night everyone. Until next time.......

Aerobics, Kids & Common

2007-12-01T18:45:00.000-05:00

Since this blogging thing turned out to be so fulfilling, I have decided to keep going with it.

Strip Aerobics is my new way of trying to shed some unwanted pounds. There are 4 different workouts to choose from. You have your choice of Strip Aerobics, Chairwork, Floorwork and Pole Fit. You can also buy or rent the "stripper" shoes consisting of 6" heels in your pick of the available colors. I workout in my tennis shoes. Enough said. So far, I have only tackled all classes but the latter. I just can't see me lifting my weight up on that devil of a pole. I'm calling it that because it is tempting me but I know I should stay away for now. The instructor is Michaela and she owns The P Spot in NW DC. http://www.thepspot.net/ Her body is the definition of motivation. Killer body. We are different body frames and height but I know I can achieve similar results if I just keep with it. For the first time in my recent attempts at losing weight I honestly can say I like this working out thing more. Why because you are obtaining the sexy moves while working all those muscles you never have before. It is an intense 45 minute workout but when you are done, you know you are one step closer to your goal. Today's class was Chairwork. This class has some serious sexy moves. The reality is that I am usually in much pain that I can't even replicate the moves when I get home. I mean, I remember some but not the majority. There is a lot of sexy leg up in the air moves, a lot of hip action with rocking side to side and circular motions. There is some bending over and touching the floor while coming back up in a slow controlled seductive fashion. I like it and anyone who has aken the classes would probably say the same. My first day at this was Nov 17Th. That means today was my 2ND week there. My thoughts are to at least do 3 classes a week and in between hit the elliptical I have downstairs that is sitting there unused. After a sista has lost some noticeable weight or have gotten to my pre 2005 weight, then I will post before and after pics. Maybe

My dear brother's one year anniversary is today. Congrats D&N. I got a call from dear bro this evening asking if I could watch his 3 sons. Ages 8, 7 and 5. The last time I saw my nephews was Thanksgiving. And that was just it. I saw them. My oldest brother brought his 2 of his 3 kids over that day so they were having themselves a blast playing with each other. It's been along time since they have spent the night over at auntie's house so this is actually good timing. The hubby is away and I would have just sat in here and drank a glass or two of wine and chilled out. Shhhh! I may still have a glass after they are off to bed. But anyway. These boys are truly special to me. All of my 6 nephews are. It would have been nice to get them earlier to have more play time. It's dark now and they can't play out in the back yard. The great thing about children is that they are great laborers. LOL As you already know, we are in the country with nothing but trees around. Trees and Autumn equals tons of leaves. This is where they come into use. It would go something like this......"Hey boys! Want to play a game? (cuz you know they are at that age of easy manipulation) It's called The Fastest Leaf." Then I would go on and make some outlandish game up and then they would happily oblige and next thing I know, I will have big piles of leaves. If you are a close friend you know that I don't have any children nor do I want any. This is the closest I will get and guess what, it's like heaven to me. It's like being a part time or on-call parent. Get them when you want. Take them out for sweets. Let them run around like maniacs. Let them stay up late. All the things that make them love their auntie. That way when I'm old and frail, I will have these loving boys to look after me. At least I hope so. I have to mentally prepare myself for their arrival. Woosah.....

I got the new Common CD. It's sitting here in front of my on my desk unwrapped from that torturous, non tear, plastic force field. Why do they have to make it so difficult? I mean seriously. It has 12 tracks on it and the cover is sorta futuristic and slight unusual. My first reaction would be that it looks as if the person who designed it wasn't really experienced in the art of graphic design. LOL. Sorry it just looks weird but a perfect fit for him. I am anxious to hear it and maybe I will just save it for the car ride tomorrow. Why is it that the positive artists go unnoticed? Why aren't they given the credit they deserve? Common is not only a lyrical genius but a fine, fine, sexy man in my book. Other uncredited artists are India.Arie, Bilal, Kindred and Lyfe Jennings and even Jill Scott. I say Lyfe because that song SEX sent a message that I only wish can be heard all over the world. Just put a giant sized megaphone over the planet for all the young girls to hear it. How many other R&B singers out here compose songs telling young girls to wait to have sex? It just blew me away when I heard that song. "Once it's gone, you'll never get it back". Powerful!

Breaking news----The hubby has a deer. That's the good news. The bad news. Someone gave it to him. He didn't sound too bummed but I think he was. Their little policy they have going up there is if a hunter has more than one and at the last day if no one does, then they give one up. I don't care how he obtained it, I'm just glad we have some to serve on Christmas Day.

Well I think I hear them driving up the driveway so I will end this blog thing now and maybe I will post an entry tomorrow.

Peace

Attempt #1 at blogging

2007-11-30T21:30:00.000-05:00

Let's see. How do I start this thing that seems to be popular nowadays called blogging? I never thought the day would come that I decide to create a journal. It's a journal to me only not written down in a leather bound book with lines. This is modern day journal compositions. According to my zodiac profile, I am an eccentric person and I have to regretfully agree. I am. Along with some other adjectives that are under the "weakness" section of my profile that I will later copy and paste here. So that is the name of this here blog of mine. Eccentric Water Bearer. The water bearer part of the title is my zodiac sign. Aquarius. Another not so nice description of me according to the profile is "scattered". It isn't the most pleasant word to describe one, however, it's accurate. Therefore, this is mainly what reading my blog will be like. Scattered. Random thoughts. I have a lot to say on any given day whether it's talking to my girlfriends, mother, siblings, husband, you name it. I just like to run off at the mouth about things that pop up in my head. So I guess the person who created blogging too had a scattered brain and needed something to house it's never ending thoughts. ::holding up a glass of red:: Here's to Blogging! ::cling::

Dear hubby is away in Pennsylvania hunting doe and buck for us to have for Christmas day and the rest of the season. It usually lasts us a good 3 months depending on how often we eat it. Long before I met the hubby I wouldn't dare consider tasting, let alone, loving venison. No way, no how. Then something happened and from that day on, I looked forward to hunting season. What happened was that I gave in to temptation. I don't know why. That whole, "don't knock it before you try it" notion kicked in my brain and next thing I know, I was having a second piece. Now I really feel bad for all the Bambi's out there just trying to live and raise their lil' fawns. However, I feel far worse when I'm driving along and every other street out here in my neck of the woods are Bambi's on the side of the road. It just breaks my heart. I don't know which is worse really. Either way their lives are being taken but I guess because when hubby gets home from his long weekend in the woods, Bambi is cut up and packaged by the butcher. The picture in my head is different when seeing them on the side of the road with their bellies open and buzzards picking at them. It's like something freakin' straight off the Discovery Channel. When the hubby goes hunting it kinda reminds me of the olden days when the man would go out and hunt for food and bring it home to the family. LOL. That's what I feel like when the hubby comes home. I get all excited each day he calls me. "honey did you get one?" "no", he says. There is only one day left before he comes home and I'm hoping he gets a big one. I mean like a 10 point. The likelihood of him getting a 10 point probably is slim but any buck will do just fine. We aren't one of those hunting fanatics that stuff the animal's head and display it on our walls like trophies. Hubby likes it for the sport and I like it for my belly. So wish him some good luck for me.

Now I'm a bonafide city girl. Born and raised in the Nation's Capital. Chocolate City, DC. I have lived my share of places outside of the city when I became an adult but close enough so I can access it within 15 minutes. That's not the case any longer. I am newly married as of August of this year and now the proud resident of the country. And I mean country. Neighbors wave as you drive by, residents still burn their trash, we run on well water, the Armish can be seen riding in their buggy and the best of all, the stars. You don't see stars like this in the city. Our well water. We happily don't have a water bill but I tell you I was a bit concerned when we faced a bit of a drought. Then it suddenly rained 4 days straight. My worries diminished. This country life has it's ups and downs just like city life has also. I can't get used to the wildlife out here. Creatures such as skunk are abundant in my world. I think back to the Warner Bros cartoons and the episodes with Pepe Le Pew (sp?) You all know who I am talking about. I remember him trying to mack but then the smell would start emanating from his bottom. Now, from watching the reactions from the other animated characters, you would think it's the worse smell ever. Well, IT IS. Words can't begin to touch on how atrocious of a stench it is. Pungent in an understatement. Rolling your windows up or down as you drive by has no effect on it. It won't air it out and it won't stop it from entering through your vents. What I seem to have mastered is, remember where it is located and the next time you drive by, get a head start on holding your breath and drive really fast. ::laughing my ass off:: Seriously. That's my only escape from the smell. So let's see. We have the skunks, buzzards, bats, deer, possums, raccoon, lizards, snakes, ticks, daddy long legs, moths by the numbers, spiders of all kinds, dogs, cats, roosters, and I'm sure there are some I thankfully haven't run into. Now you tell me. How can a city girl for life, live with the above mentioned? How can she? I'll tell you. Love. Love makes you do things you wouldn't normally do and living out here in wild kingdom would be one of those things.

Well, I think I have said all I want to say in my first ever post in my blog. Tomorrow is approaching fast and I have my strip aerobics class to attend in the early morning. I will touch on that next time. Night ladies and gents.