Blabbering

Gossip needn't be false to be evil - there's a lot of truth that shouldn't be passed around. ~ Frank A. Clark

I got this from my sister's blog, 10 Things I wish I could say but can't. Each one is to a different person.

1. You don't have problems. Quit whining and fix your life. It could be alot worse. ALOT worse.
   
2. Either do it or don't. Stop taking all of us through your suicidal drama.
3. I don't need you anymore.
4. What you are looking for is right in front of your face. Open your eyes dammit!
5. Sometimes you can be such an asshole.
6. Stop being a friggin pushover dammit!
7. No...I don't care. Seriously, I really don't care.
   
8. There's a time limit on visits. Go home. Go home. Go home. Thank you.
9. I wish you could see him as I do.
10. Why can't you just be happy? You have everything you want, just be happy!!

Ok, enough emo stuff for today.

Have a great week everyone!

Impressions of False Impressions

False Impression

by Jeffrey Archer

I was really looking forward to reading this book as soon as I heard of it. The story intrigued me, it mixed elements from the art world, 9/11 and an adventurous plot with even a little romance thrown in.

It started off relatively slow, but quickly progressed to a page turner. There are alot of sub-plots and additional characters that make this race around the world really interesting and you get a fine grasp of the depth and personalities of each of the characters.

Anna is a highly intelligent heroine and even though you knew her motivation and knew her plan, you still were left guessing till all was revealed. I wouldn’t say this was my favorite Archer book, but he’s back and with this bestseller he’s proven that he’s here to stay.

See more about False Impression

Solitude Redux

I love to be alone. I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude. ~ Henry David Thoreau.

They invented hugs to let people know you love them without saying anything. ~ Bil Keane

My aunt and uncle are out of town for the next few weeks on a cruise somewhere in the Panama. Guess who's house-sitting? Yep, yours truly. I thought I would miss them horribly, but after the first couple of days I realise that I'm totally loving it. I don't get to be alone often but when I do I seriously love it. There is no companion for me better than me. Mainly because I cannot piss Me off, say something annoying to Me or do something that I don't want to do. I have the luxury of taking showers with my computer speakers blasting and the door open, of cooking exactly what I want to eat or nothing at all. I can prance around the house in my boudoir knickers or as naked as a jailbird if that is my desire. It's absolutely divine.

Sure, I do miss having people to talk to on the regular but my cell phone is needing to be recharged on the regular now, because all my friends/family are trying to keep me not lonely. Ummmm, people, it's ok---I'm not lonely! I'm sure that I can manage to amuse myself for 2 more weeks without falling apart. There's books, movies, TV, the spa, pets and all kinds of stuff to keep me sane. And let's not forget....the internet! As long as I have the 'net, I'm cool.

There is one thing though that I utterly miss. And this is the part that sucks to being alone. I miss the hugs. The all encompassing, enfolding bear hugs that send those warm fuzzies down to the tip of your toes. I really, really miss the hugs.

Ooooo, Classy & Sophisticated

I'm a Porsche 911!

You have a classic style, but you're up-to-date with the latest technology. You're ambitious, competitive, and you love to win. Performance, precision, and prestige - you're one of the elite,and you know it.

Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.

Grrrrreat!

Driving is a spectacular form of amnesia. Everything is to be discovered, everything to be obliterated. ~ Jean Baudrillard

Yesterday was one of those days that were just so chaotically busy and filled that even I can't complain about being bored. It wasn't a bunch of things in particular, it was just one thing that totally filled my day and utterly exhausted me. It was the Doctor's Appointment from Hell!

For starters, I got a late start for the appointment (having to wait for the locksmith to unlock a door--he took forever but finally got it done.) I would have made it on time if not for the fact that everything does look different when you are actually behind the wheel of a car. I totally missed my exit to the hospital and couldn't turn round for 10 miles. Then I was ridiculously lost and ended up backtracking home to start the trip all over again. It's a good thing that I actually enjoy driving and found such peace and tranquility behind the wheel. (Believe it or not)

At the parking garage, the lady was giving me grief because she didn't have change for the 20 I gave her...honey that's not my problem, I'm late, for a very important date! So I went all Alice in Wonderland on her and told her I would get the change later. I zipped into my doctors office only 30 minutes late which isn't bad considering.

One of the other patients waiting was this guy in a wheelchair who looked to be about 20 years old. He was praising the 'chocolate color' of my skin and other sundry phrases that made me actually look up from the form I was filling. Then he tried to sell me Morphine pills. Grrreat!

The appointment was a breeze except I kept haggling with my doctor over my prescriptions. She said that I had refills left in the pharmacy and I told her that I didn't. She called the pharmacy and told me to head down there.

Except by now all the clinics are emptying out and I'm in a line that has about 20 people in front of me. When I finally get to the head of the line--I'm informed that, yeah, I have no refills. Grrreat! Luckily for me the Doc hadn't left yet and she was very apologetic about the screwup. Damn skippy! Going upstairs to get the script just kicked me out the line, and believe it or not, it's actually longer now.

The roiling mass of unwashed sweaty bodies, and entities that are all up in your 2 feet of personal space was enough to make me want to check out of there, but I knew that I absolutely couldn't go through this another day. So I turned in my slip, took my number and waited. Luckily for me I had my Ipod, a granola bar, some chocolate and my Jeffrey Archer book to keep me company.

The pharmacy closes at 7pm. I got my stuff at 710--and it wasn't even right. So I waited another 10 minutes for them to find the rest of my prescriptions. By the time I got out of there, I was so ornery, irritable and tired that I was liable to bust a cap on the next person who looked at me funny.

Luckily I didn't need to. I actually broke down and got some Quizno's for dinner, totally eschewing my delightfully planned dinner menu for a quick sandwich and making it back home to watch Prison Break.

It's been a loooooong ass day. I'm off to bed!

Monday Quizzes

You Have a Choleric Temperament

You are a person of great enthusiasm - easily excited by many things. Unsatisfied by the ordinary, you are reaching for an epic, extraordinary life. You want the best. The best life. The best love. The best reputation. You posses a sharp and keen intellect. Your mind is your primary weapon. Strong willed, nothing can keep you down. Your energy can break down any wall. You're an instantly passionate person - and this passion gives you an intoxicating power over others. At your worst, you are a narcissist. Full of yourself and even proud of your faults. Stubborn and opinionated, you know what you think is right. End of discussion. A bit of a misanthrope, you often see others as weak, ignorant, and inferior.

What Temperment Are You?

Not only am I a total Narcisstic Misanthrope...I also create my own world and can pretty much seduce anybody. How cool is that?

Your Seduction Style: Au Natural

You rank up there with your seduction skills, though you might not know it. That's because you're a natural at seduction. You don't realize your power! The root of your natural seduction power: your innocence and optimism. You're the type of person who happily plays around and creates a unique little world. Little do you know that your personal paradise is so appealing that it sucks people in. You find joy in everything - so is it any surprise that people find joy in you? You bring back the inner child in everyone you meet with your sincere and spontaneous ways. Your childlike (but not childish) behavior also inspires others to care for you. As a result, those who you befriend and date tend to be incredibly loyal to you.

Phone Calls

I just get too many phone calls during the day. If I'm in the middle of a scene and the phone rings, it really disrupts my concentration. ~ Kevin J. Anderson

Most of the time, I manage to flit through my life in a bubble of spontaneity however at other times, my creature of habit tendencies raises its head. I have the same routine when I wake up in the morning, the stuff I do, what I have for breakfast, the order of my morning rarely varies unless I have an appointment that I'm rushing for.

Having moved to the West coast from the east didn't help things that much in the area of communication and I have a few friends that I haven't spoken to at all since I moved out here (they get updates on my life via the blogs/my sisters/emails) or just assume that no news is good news. And yet, I know that when I do pick up the phone to call them, everything just resumes the status quo, we call, we gist and we catch up once in a blue moon and pick up where we left off. That's the beauty of friendship.

It's not that I hate being on the phone--it's just that I can't be on the phone and do everything else that I need to do during the day. Yes, I do have a spiffy Bluetooth earpiece but most of my tasks need my concentration or undivided attention. Plus, if I'm with friends, I consider it utterly rude to talk to others in their presence. I'm also a highly sensitive person and the emotions or mood of the person I talk to can affect my mood, either I react negatively to their situation or their emotion or I don't say anything and store the emotion in my cauldron until I can deal with it. I wouldn't want to place my last emotions on the next person I talk to, so I have to calm myself down and relax before I can even be normal or ready to talk to anyone else.

With keeping in touch on a consistent basis, I actually have to plan it. The friends/family I do talk to are on a schedule spread out over the week in varied increments and have the exception for calling me during an emergency. Most friends/sisters get a 'how you doing just calling to say hi' call once a week or one of those 10 minute, what's up let's catch up phone calls.

I'm one of those people that really enjoy my alone time and end up getting lost/engrossed in whatever I'm doing at the moment. Sometimes, the ringing phone actually jangles my nerves and I ignore it just to stay in the zone of the moment. Leave a message, I will call you back when I get around to it. It might be a few hours, a day, a week, I'm not pressed about it. The people I talk to know that I will eventually get back to them, and most of my girls do the same to me, no biggie. If it's a die-hard emergency, your message will let me know this and I'll call you back.

Why am I telling you all this? Well apparently yesterday I royally pissed off one of my friends because I didn't return her call fast enough. She called me at noon, I Immed her online around 4. It wasn't an emergency, nothing dire and I was hardpressed to understand why she was so irritated. Apparently she feels that I don't make her a priority in my life (by not calling you back fast enough? Jeez! Didn't know I was on the timer here.). Hmmm okay, whatever sweets. I'm not fazed, I know she'll get over it eventually---it's not personal, it's just a Vixen habit that comes with the package.

I call you when I want to talk to you--if I don't want to talk, I probably won't call. Do you really want me to call you when I can't/don't want to talk to you? Trust me, it will be stilted conversation that would drive you nuts.

Now that I've gotten that off my chest...I have some Sunday afternoon scheduled calls to make.

Friday Potpurri

The last couple of days have been very, very busy at my place. My aunt and uncle are heading off for a 3 week cruise touring Panama, Costa Rica and a coterie of other places. So it's been a whirlwind of activity, errands, shopping, packing etc. My uncle took me through the Emergency Preparedness tour last night, in case you know, something catastrophic should happen, like an earthquake/flood/hurricane/tornado etc. He's a planner and even I have to agree that it's a good idea to know where to shut off the main gas line in case of a rupture. Riiiiight.

Good news---my dingy gym jacket was returned and even wierder...everything was still inside, the card, the keys, the 5 bucks, everything! I'm keeping the new locks on the door anyway, just in case it's a setup and they've copied the keys or something like that.

ALIAS is back, and I'm super exhilirated. Even though it's only 5 more episodes until the grand finale, all my favorite characters...including darling Michael Vartan (pictured above) are coming back in action. Isn't he utterly delish? My sister sent me a link to Telivision without Pity and the Alias recaps are friggin' hilarious. If you missed any epis last season and are needing to catch up to speed, check it out HERE. Erin totally rocks and her stunning and witty commentary will keep you more interested in the show than the Real writers of the show (who still need to go watch S1-3 because they totally suck) by the way.

Moving right along I'm heading to Napa Valley this weekend for a proper road trip. Sure it's only like 3 hours away but...hey, it counts! Try not to miss me too much and I'll try not to get too tipsy drunk.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Cops and Robbers

Why would anyone steal a shopping cart? It's like stealing a two-year-old. ~ Erma Bombeck

Today I was at the gym with my friend Claire and we did our usual routines, first cardio then a total muscle workout. It generally takes an hour to do everything and it was a really good workout (I upped my weights today).

We went back to the locker room to get my old, dingy jacket that I always bring to the gym and alas, it wasn't there. Not only that, my house keys, gym ID/address, Claire's car keys were gone as well. Before you start asking, yea we forgot to lock it....but seriously, it's just a dingy jacket!

The people at the desk are friggin' morons and of course have no clue...plus there is a liability notice everywhere. So pretty much we are screwed. Claire's first thought is to rush to check her car and thankfully it was still there.

It was a sunny but breezy day and I figured if we hightailed it we could make it to Claire's house and back in about 90 minutes. I was ready to take the walk to get her spare car keys and even started walking through the parking lot. "I just don't want to leave my car,"she said. She has one of those alarm thingies on her car and all the robber would have to do is walk through the parking lot and keep beeping the button until it alarmed and then he could drive away with her car.

Then I noticed a cop driving through the lot and flagged him down. We explained the situation to him and royally played the damsel in distress card. He couldn't watch the car for us, but suggested driving Claire home and back to get her keys while I waited with the car. (This was what I was gunning for anyway but was pleased that he suggested it.)

She got to ride passenger side with chatty police officer #195 who was really friendly and helpful. He waited for her to go to her leasing office, get her spare house key, go to her apartment, find her spare car key and then brought her back to me. The whole thing took about 20 minutes. He took the whole Protect and Serve thing to a whole new level. And we are both utterly grateful for that (as well as our feet!)

Meanwhile on my end, when Claire dropped me off home, I stopped at the neighbour's, got spare keys and then had to get my uncle to change the locks when he got home. So no would be robbers are getting into our house tonight, it's sealed up tight like a fortress.

Tomorrow we are going to get her alarm re-coded before we even head to the gym, then change our gym access cards as well. I'm still stunned that someone would walk away with a dirty gym jacket but I guess they were shooting for something more. Hopefully we have foiled their nefarious plans!

Yes people, I do learn from my mistakes, I will be leaving my next dingy gym jacket in the car along with all my other stuff. But I like to think that the whole situation was handled with remarkable ease, good luck and clear-headedness.

Thanks to Officer #195....thank you soooo much! (I knew cops were great for something besides writing tickets;)

Monday Meme

I have nothing really to talk about....due to the weather the photo shoot didn't go as planned...Boo! It's rescheduled for this weekend so we'll see what happens. I got this Meme from Andrea's blog, feel free to do it on your own, in comments or pass it on.

The Rules:
1. You can only say YES or NO!
2. You are NOT ALLOWED to explain ANYTHING unless someone messages you and asks!

Taken a picture naked?: Yes
Made out with a member of the same sex?: No
Danced in front of your mirror?: Yes
Told a lie?: Yes
Gotten in a car with people you just met?: Yes
Been in a fist fight?: No
Had feelings for someone who didn't have them back?: Yes
Been arrested?: No
Slept in a bed with a member of the same sex?: Yes
Seen someone die?: Yes
Kissed a picture?: Yes
Slept in until 3?: Yes
Laid on your back and watched cloud shapes go by?: Yes
Played dress up?: Yes
Fallen asleep at work?: Yes
Had sex at work?: No
Felt an earthquake?: Yes
Touched a snake?: Yes
Ran a red light?: Yes
Been in a car accident?: No
Pole danced: Yes
Been lost?: Yes
Sang karaoke?: No
Done something you told yourself you wouldn't?: Yes
Laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose?: Yes
Caught a snowflake on your tongue?: Yes
Kissed in the rain?: No
Sang in the shower?: Yes
Got your tongue stuck to a pole?: No
Sat on a roof top?: Yes
Played chicken?: No
Raised chickens?: Yes
Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes on?: No
Been told you're hot by a complete stranger?: YES!
Broken a bone?: No
Mooned/flashed someone?: No
Forgotten someone's name?: Yes
Slept naked?: Yes
Blacked out from drinking?: No
Played a prank on someone?: Yes
Felt like killing someone?: Yes
Made a parent swear?: No
Cried over someone?: Yes
Had sex more than 5 times in one day?: YES!!!
Had/Have a dog?: Yes
Been in a band?: Yes
Drank 25 sodas in a day?: No
Shot a gun?: Yes

Pretty tame I think:) If you want some illumination, you only have to ask. Happy Monday everyone!

Parents

We never know the love of a parent till we become parents ourselves. ~ Henry Ward Beecher

My dad is in the country for some meetings. He landed on Monday, had meetings all day yesterday and today and now he's flying back tomorrow. How utterly atrocious is that? You fly 15 hours roundtrip for a meeting that is only for 2 days? Haven't these guys ever heard of video conferencing?

Oh well.

It's good to have him only a phone call away even though I don't get to see him until August. For some reason, I'm faced by the mortality of my parents. My dad is 60 and my mom's pushing 55 now and yet in my mind's eye I still feel like they are going to live forever. Or at least until I'm a great old lady as well! Being that they are both vegetarians with healthy lifestyles, I know that they still have a few decades left in them.

I'm going to savor my few decades.

Monday Madness

It's all about people. It's about networking and being nice to people and not burning any bridges. ~ Mike Davidson

I have to catch up on my writing for Baggage Reclaim and the Bad Girls Guide, but somehow, I've been wasting time all day and somehow managed to get sucked into the craziness of computer networking called Myspace. I had a profile on there for a while, but never really did much to it or with it, it's kinda like my hi5 profile and lies dormant.

However recently I've been putting stuff on this blog to the Myspace blog and then somehow I got swept in everything. I learned HTML, got all kinds of codes, added music and even some nice pix on there. Unfortunately I can't share the link with all you beautiful people at this time because I'm trying to keep my lives separate, however if that changes, you'll be the first to know.

While I was walking to the gym today, I got distracted by the police directing cars to take a side road instead of the main road. Thinking nothing of it, I did the same, and ended up coming back a couple of hours later using the normal route that I take. Needless to say, there was construction on the main road, and that's why the cops were diverting. I pressed on, thinking that surely there would be a way that my two feet would be able to pass (didn't feel like backtracking 1.8 miles!)

Anyway, about 200 feet from the cops was where the construction was taking place. I don't know exactly what they were doing, but for some reason the pedestrian pathway was immersed in 3 feet of muddy water. Great! (and I was wearing my cute pink Kangaroos and didn't want to get them messed up.) I tried the muddy trail, but had to turn back and ended up scaling the wall holding on to a guardrail just so I wouldn't get all wet and muddy. I'm sure the guys/drivers watching me thought I was super loco, but hey, there was no way I was turning round.

Needless to say, I made it back in one piece, and my shoes only slightly muddied.

Movie Time!

I like to go to the movies or read. ~ Adriana Lima

I like to do both. Last weekend was my reading buffet...this weekend, it's the movies. I started it off with a bang, seeing both Take the Lead and Ice Age 2, movies that all of my friends were too 'cool' to see with me. I'm not one of those people that is shy about going to the movies by myself, I have no problem doing so. Both were actually quite entertaining!

Tonight, I'm going with a bunch of friends to catch Lucky Number Slevin, the one with Josh Hartnett (in a towel!), Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman and Lucy Liu. It looks like a suspense, thrill ride, something right down my alley.

I had my first potato salad debut today. Those who know me well totally understand why this is a big thing. See, even though I'm in the US, I will still cook Nigerian food over American food any day of the week and twice on Sundays. And when I do cook something American, I tend to Naija-rize it with spices and seasonings that leave the eater wondering what this delicious concoction really is. However, today I decided to actually stick to the recipe and not jazz it up in any extra way. It came out pretty well, Kafo, I think my potato salad rocks even yours!

Hope you all have a nice weekend!

The Sun Comes Out

Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather. ~ John Ruskin

Today was such a beautiful day. After weeks of nothing but somber clouds and rainy skies, Mother Nature smiled upon the East Bay at last and showered us with warming rays of sunlight. It was warm and sunny all day long...tres magnifique!

I actually spent most of the morning and a bit of the afternoon outside. I decided to run my errands on foot today just to fully enjoy the sun's rays. Turns out there were alot of similarly minded people out there and we all just kept smiling at each other as we passed. I couldn't help but look at the rows of people mired in horrendous traffic on such a lovely day and smile to myself. We were having more fun outside than they were!

There is nothing that improves my mood, energy and emotions better than a beautiful day of sunshine.

How is it in your neck of the woods?

Muscle Mania

...Well gee, you have 640 muscles in your body. There may be a few exercises you can't do, but there are hundreds you can do! ~ Jack LaLanne

I have 640 muscles in my body. And today I feel every single damn one. Except for the ones in my face, that was actually the only muscle group I didn't use in my activities yesterday.

See it all started when I read a synopsis of that book, French Women Don't Get Fat by Marielle Guiliano. The author enumerated possible reasons why the average Frenchie remains fit compared to the average American. "French women walk everywhere. We walk to the store, to the restaurant, to visit our friends. We don't rely on automobiles except for long distances."

Sure....I can do this--the gym is about 3 miles from my house. With my iPod blaring, my hands tucked in my down coat (it was raining) and my backpack on, I walked up several hills to the gym. It was actually a nice workout. Then, because I have all these crazy endorphins that make me giddily happy going through my system, I upgraded from the Elliptical to the Cross trainer and while making googoo eyes at this gym trainer and managed to stay on there for 20 minutes without being fazed.

Later on, I used most of the machines in the gym, toning my arms, back, calf muscles, thighs, abs...everything! I must have spent close to 2 hours, but I had such a great sense of accomplishment. After working out, I decided to go to the library to get some books and totally vegetate for a while. My plan was flawed when the bus I was waiting for turned out to be headed in the wrong direction. So I decided to walk the 3 miles uphill, French woman style.

And that's why I feel about 585 of my muscles today. If I live, I'll be sure never to do it again!

Escaping for the Weekend

My books are like water; those of the great geniuses are wine. (Fortunately) everybody drinks water. ~ Mark Twain

If you call my cell and get my voicemail and I don't call you back, or if you happen to be looking for me, and can't find me this is a quick heads-up--I'm lost somewhere in my books.

On Friday I swung by B&N to get 2 new paperbacks by my favorite authors that just came out. While I was there, I saw that Jeffrey Archer had written a great new book, and I purchased it sight unseen. Kafo/Poetic Justice, I'm readin' the Archer book waaaay before you two, hahahaha!

Anyway, if I'm missing for the next 2 days I'm probably reading. Either lost in the worlds of the Carpathian Mountains, escaping to the wilds of the Arthurian days or seeking the clues to some grandiose murder. Don't send out a search party yet.

Enjoy your weekend everyone!