Gifts thinking

Christmas is here, which basically means people spend an enormous amount of time trying to figure out what to get the people that they don't really care about but who they have to buy something for regardless. I am not one of those people. Thank God. Apart from the sisters, my man and my kids all three of them I have my hands for. That is 7 gifts, normally the sisters always get the same thing or variations of the same thing and I always have it figured out by Thanksgiving, come to think of it I always give them their presents when I see them for Thanksgiving. This year, the kids are all getting Veggietales we have fallen behind so I figured I could get them a DVD or Veggie memoriabilia and all will be well.


Now this is the first year that i have had a boyfriend and i'm not sure what to get him, a Swiss Army knife is a bit to manly and not mushy enough and a harddrive is too practical.

So yeah, I'm taking suggestions.

Chinese dolls

I was watching the democratic debate in Las Vegas yesterday and I realized a number of things. Besides the fact that John Edwards is a lil' boy who pees in his diaper each time the phrase NEO-CON is uttered and Kucinich being a lil' guy who can give as much as he gets. I noticed this.

We are tooo driven by moving. We all know about the levels of lead being found in toys made in China. It is crazy to think that we are still doing business with them but for some odd reason we keep on going back for more. I am not trying to be an alarmist but today it could be lead in Barbie tomorrow it could be arsenic in our tuperware.

Think about it.

Hmmmmm

Bank of America baby!!!!!

I am now in love with Bank of America.
Why?
Here is the story, I have had a checking account with Fifth Third for the last 5 years but it did not change my life in any shape or form. It actually made it a bit harder when it came to paying bills, I also had to go to the bank to use an ATM and then I had to constantly pay to get checks. When it comes to the whole online banking they are still living in the dark ages.

After moving or should I say temporarily relocating to SoCal three months ago, I decided to get a Bank of America savings and checking account and every since then my financial world has a been a bit less stressful. Checking accounts in this day and age should first of all be free and in fact not give you unnecssary grief and shouldn't make you feel dumb. So if you currently have an account that isn't free and giving you grief.

Dump them

Have a blessed weekend

Workout routine

For the longest time I considered myself a jogging person. Treadmills had a way of making me fall in love with them over and over again. That was until I met the elliptical machine, my betrayal was swift and I sometimes walk past Tready in shame, pain etched in his visage remind me of my debauchery. Anyways mii and Ellipty hit it off well but watching the rear end of the bike made mii wonder until one day I had to take a step closer and touch his well rounded butt. Hmmmm Hmm Hmmm and the rest is history.

In lay man terms, I am now an avid indoor cyclist and can't wait until the day that I can actually participate on a regular basis.

Working

Work is love made visible. And if you cannot work with love but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple and take alms of those who work with joy. ~Kahlil Gibran

Oh ye faithful few...

Wow, I can't believe that you guys still check in. Thanks! I'm doing much better...believe it or not, I got out of the hospital on Friday, had the weekend to convalesce and then had to hit the floor running back to work by Monday. Because I'm 'new', HR pretty much told me that I would lose all my benefits if I don't return to work in 30 days. So back to work I go.

It was rough...I was super tired, but I'm happy to report that I survived, and the attack of nerves I had on the way to work faded away as soon as I got there. It's a good thing I love my job, if not, I would have really had it worse than it was.

Anyway, on to real life.

House shmouse

I have the mind to curse out someone and so i have decided to pick the realtor who sold my until the house that he bought. I am sooo mad. This wonderful five bedroom house is located in the dry mountainous area of Colton in SoCal and it sucks. Because of the mountains there is no cell phone reception and I have to spend more on gas cuz I have to climb up the hills constantly all the time. AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH. And being that this is a new house the phone isn't hooked up and the internet doesn't work. So today the AT&T guy came and I almost kissed him, an hour later he tells me that he is done and that the phone is ready to use until we try it and find out the wiring is messed up because the contractor who built the freaking house was smoking pot.

LET MII STOP here

I hated shopping until

I was in Wal-mart today looking for some hair stuff and I ended up in the baby section. Baby clothes are sooo cute so here I am spending quality time just going thru' the clothes on the rack and then I realized that in order to buy all the ones i thought were super cute I would have to align myself with pregnant women. So yes, if you are pregnant please contact me so that I can help you shop for your kids clothes. I will not help you change diapers or clean up spittle but shopping for baby clothes I can do.

Friends

My sister got married abour 2 months ago and on the day of the traditional wedding in Nigeria they was a problem with the wedding bands, so Nick who is my sister's ex-boss got on a motorcycle and went into the village to get them expanded.
Why am I bringing this all up?
Because sometimes we don't know when we are going to need people. We don't know if the people we are going to run across are eventually going to become our friends. So we should I guess treat everyone like a potential Bill Gates financier.
Nick met my sister in 1999 and 8 years later he travelled to Nigeria and got an a rickety bike in a country were white men are routinely being kidnapped.
So yeah
I was just thinking out loud.

Moving

New houses are shams
Seriously there is sooo much work that you have to put into it after you buy the house that it makes the whole process annoying and frustrating.
I will spare you the whining for someone who has spent the last 3 weeks moving.
New brand new homes suck.

I was talking to a friend a couple of days ago trying to figure yout what state to settle in and it seems like it is going to be Arizona. So even tho' i am not close to moving yet I'm looking at Scottsdale real estate and considering my options.
Why Arizona because they don't have hurricanes, tornados, volcanoes, floods, earthquakes, snow blizzards or any other catastrophic phenomenon.

Still sick

Vixen is still sick
She had to go back to the hospital and has been there since Tuesday

So yeah
Pray

Kafo

Home but...

Many people who did not die right away came down with nausea, headache, diarrhea, malaise, and fever, which lasted several days. ~ John Hersey

Oh my gosh, I've been so sick. I knew it was about that time, but frankly I really detest getting sick. I'm not going to espouse about it more, just know that I'm home but frankly not that much better, I'm weak, delirious, in pain and nauseous. And NO, I'm not pregnant.

I want my mommy!

Vixen MIA

Hey people
This is Kafo
Vixen is out of circulation, she kinda sorta is in the hospital,
so yeah keep her in your prayers.

Out

In heaven

It all started when I was thirteen, we were getting on a bus to go to Youth Camp and I had this tummy ache that caused ..
No it all started when my father's sperm carried the Y chromosome to the beautiful egg that was chilling in my mom's uterus, and then eight months, twenty seven days and two hours...
No
sorry I have to go way back it all all started when Eve decided to eat the FREAKING FRUIT that isn't an apple.
I really do need to believe that before the fall of man Eve did not have to go thru that whole monthly cyle garbage. I really do need to believe that becuase there really needs to be PMS relief in Heaven. Seriously.

So yeah, i know we normally don't talk about this outside of lil female gatherings but i have to ask. Do you think women have menstrual cycles in heaven?

For dummies

I learnt something, or is it
I learned something???

I learnt/learned something last week, I know that you are thinking, so, who cares, this is life we are all constantly things every day.
Yes I know that we are, but last week I'm going thru' this Algebra 2 for Dummies book and most of the stuff was just review. I could almost remember going thru the material ten years ago but all of a sudden I turn the page and seem something that didn't ring any bells or conjure any memories.
Ellipticals, this whole topic of finding and graphing the equation for an ellipse, and hyperbolic function was new to me.
So yes, I am happy,

I have learned/learnt something.

Anticipation

My uncle just bought this new house and for the last couple of days I've been whining about how I dread the whole packing season that is about to start. it seems like everywhere I go people are constantly moving and I find myself someone obligated to the whole process. It is not like I am going to someone reap the fruits and enjoy this new life that they have indebted themselves to for the next 30 years.
Anywayz i go out yesterday to check the house and it is beautiful.I'm not big on houses to begin with EXCEPT MY DREAM HOME. So to feel a sense of anticipation about helping them move into their's is weird. I think it might have something to do with the in-built 5.1 surround speaker system. It is already there IN THE CEILING. Now all my uncle needs to do is purchase some home theater furniture so i can come to enjoy the Lord of the Rings Trilogy EXTENDED version.

Ha I can hardly wait.

Californians

Okay i think that Californians are a bit loco. Okay I guess that is a bit of a generalization but the whole idea of paying 300 bucks for a pair of sunglasses just because it has the word Guess on the handle doesn't make any sense. Or blasting 200 bucks on a pair of shoes just because they are Jimmy Choos or the one that still astonishes mii is the Louis Vuitton craze that seems to be sweeping across the nation and permeating every household. A 500 dollar D&G watch, 2000 dollar purse, 60 dollars for underwear, seriously, I miss the Midwest.

Ticket pictures

I kind of, sort of got a ticket. Now before you go on you must repeat this

Kafo is a good driver,
Kafo is a good driver,
Kafo is a good driver,

I am a good driver, seriously, but ever since coming to SoCal I have started to doubt my ability as a driver. Yesterday I had to pump gas at one of htose machines and couldn't figure out how to use it and then I realized that I was running late and that I was thirty minutes behind schedule so when I got to the next red light I didn't really stop before making the turn and then i saw the flash. In Indiana we don't have the flash, we don't have computers that take pictures and then tell you to pay money, we don't have the best radar detector so when you are speeding and going 25 over the speed limit nothing can really get in your way.

But in Cali
They do
So, I'm expecting a ticket soon
In the mail
sniffle sniffle

Lion King Nostalgia

I am a huge fan of Veggietales and before that I was a Disney enthusiasts. It did not use to matter back then what Disney movie it was I would have half the words memorized and then all of a sudden Disney started to slack out and produce this stuff that makes no sense and I am at a loss of words. I remember the days of the Lion King were we not only memorized the dialogue and lyrics to ALL the songs including Be Prepared by Scar we also have animal masks to make us look like the characters. A part of me misses being that kid who obtained so much pleasure from watching and memorizing those shows. Basically I miss being a kid.

Stripper WHAT

Okay so I'm talking to my boy J who is about 2 seconds away from getting married and for once in the last 5 years of our friendship I begin to question his sanity. Seriously. Men are dicks. Of course, not all of them are, espcially the ones we are currently dating or married to but honestly whatever happened to their brains. Long and short of it is that J thinks that his wife should understand he need to want to go to a strip club. It is not that he doesn't love his wife it is just that he also is curious about what other women have. I can't understand why he can't spend be one of the guyz that spends his free time watching the Colts have a perfect season on flat panel televisions.

Victoria Secret and Fruits

My friend needed to buy a gift for her boyfriend's mother and after a lot of brainstorming we realized that shopping for your potential mother-in-law is hard. DUH! I mean there are so many pitfalls and potential faux pas that an unsuspecting girlfriend can fall into. For instance, buying her perfume seems like a safe way to go but the you go to Victoria Secret and every product has salicious names like Pure Seduction and Passionate Kisses and Bath and Body looks like a grocery store list. Peach this and Orange that. Did I mention that the mother is African. So yeah, perfumes and body sprays won't work so after about 20 minutes we settled on a wristwatch. Of course we couldn't afford Audemars Piguet or Rolex but she found something that agrees with the African Spirit of matching from head to toe.

Dream Home: Part #?

I entered the room and immediately inhaled
the scent that has haunted me so long.
Everywhere I looked I was
confronted with his
essence.

My hands long to trace
each curve, each dip
and fall. I am lost
and don't even
realize it.

Libraries are the devil. Have you ever walked into a library and felt love wash over you like oceanspray on a hot summer night. One ladder rack standing idly by begs you to climb and you try and resist the urge but the next level is even more breathtaking than the first. First editions of Dickens, Poes, Plath, Tolstoy line the wall and all you want to do is become one with the room and yet remain yourself because a part of you wants to feel this way over and over again.

So yeah
I have a dream library in my dream home

Guilty Pleasures

I have decided that my sister's joblessness is crazy. So I am trying to think of a way to convince her to write software. I mean the kid is smart and did take some programming classes in college. Add that to the fact that she is a whiz when it comes to balancing the books and making black what you to be red and budjeting and bugging me about budjeting. So yeah I think a financial consolidation software that will be wildly used and accepted is a smart way to earn your first million. Of course it has already been done before by others but what will make her software unique is that it will present your debt in terms of what your guilty pleasures. For instance, the screen might display something like "You have lost the ability to buy 3 new pairs of Guess shoes because you paid your cell phone bill late. I suggest you pay more attention in the future."


What do you think?

Past cannot become Present

So it seems like we have another sport that have fallen prey to scandal. Who doesn't watch the Olympics? Esp. the track part of it. I remember watching the 2000 Summer Games and rooting for Marion Jones to win all the five gold medals and now today we find out that she was actually pumped up on steriods and has to return the medals. Hmmmm, it is sad but now I am wondering who get the medals? Do they find the person that go the Silver and give them the gold and upgrade the Bronze winner and the 4th place runner? I mean in a sport live cross country bike riding (I know that isn't the name of what Armstrong does), the Tour de France, if Armstrong admits in 2010 that he was using muscle enhancement stuff in 2005, who cares, or if it happens to Tiger Woods and his Ping Golf clubs who cares, that many years after the fact?

I understand the whole "It is the Principle" argument but it is not like the Eagles can take all the fun away from the Patriots 2006 SuperBowl party. It's already happen, the books may change and the medals may change hands but the fun, excitement and pleasure can neve be recaptured.

Sue or not to sue

I am a very good driver that has had the misfortune of being in two accidents over the course of the last year.
I repeat.
I AM A VERY GOOD DRIVER!!!.
Both of the times it was the fault of the other person, the first time it was actually a cop that hit my car and the second time I was rear ended so hard that the windows shattered but as I stated previously I am a very good driver. I should have thought about hiring one of those cutthroats Raleigh accident lawyers to help me sure the other guy for mad money and then I wouldn't have to spend my time on the computer trying to make an honest living.
Hmmmmm, the things we could do but don't and now regret

L'Amour

Love is being stupid together. ~Paul Valery

It's better to be stupid together than to be stupid by yourself. At least that way you have someone that you can laugh about the silliness together. I'm trying not to be one of those blogs that all I do is talk about Norio...but honest to goodness, sometimes I can't help it.

Kafo (my sister) called me and left a message today. Something along the lines of, "Now that Norio is back home you don't want to talk to anyone else." Sorry sis. He's been away for almost a week, and I almost expired from the sheer mundanity that became my existence. It was just work, home, gym, sleep, wake, work, gym, sleep and do the same thing all over again. I did pack in hella overtime while he was gone, but I think it was just an effort to keep myself busy so that I wouldn't miss him that much.

It didn't work, needless to say. Anyway, he's back now, so if you don't hear from me for a while, you'll know why.

24

I do not quite understand why the people who think they are people when in actuality they are just empty headed potatoes get to go to drug treatment centers while the rest of us spend time in jail. The latest airhead to enjoy this benefit is Jack Bauer from the cast of 24. Of course his real name is not Jack Bauer but Kiefer Sutherland. I am not sure what the logic is but will the end as we know it really end if he spends the night in the slammer? Or will the president really be clueless about what to do if Kiefer does not act that part? Maybe, it is the whole entertainment value, maybe they think that we as Americans can not survive without entertainment so if the show 24 were not to air we would go berserk.

Hmmmm
Maybe that is it.

Insoluble

Did you know that over half of the nutritional supplements out there are bogus. I am sorry to have to break it to you but that 10 bucks you just spent on a bottle of stuff supposed to boost your immune system by giving you the much needed Vitamin C and Vitamin E doesn't really do the job. Here's the story for the non medical buffs. One word. Insoluble. Most of the time people don't drink enough water to dissolve the pill so it just passes through your system and comes out in your poo instead of being assimilated into your blood stream. There is a list somewhere about how much water to drink to make it worth your will but I'll leave you to find that by yourself.

Ciao.

Good luck

Money, Medicine and Mii

I am trying to decide which one is worse. Realizing that you are in debt or having some punk tell you that you are in debt after the fact. It seems like some people namely Hospitals love to send their friends to remind you ever so gently that you owe them money. Normally I wouldn't bite the hand that feeds me but after having a chat from a friendly commercial collection agency I think I am rethinking the whole medical CEO position that recently opened up in La La Land.

Oceans 14

So a lot of thefts have been occuring in Hollywood lately. The elderly are not even seperated from this group, I mean Francis Ford Coppola must be about 79 years old and people are raiding his place and now Steven Speilberg has joined the group of ROBBED DIRECTORS. I mean gone are the days when actors and actresses are hounding by the paparazzi now it is Directors. Hmmmm, I not entirely sure how this development affects the realease of their respective films and frankly I don't care. I mean does the world really need another Indiana Jones? I am tired of sequels unless has the name Pitt, Damon, Clooney, Roberts, Jones and Jennifer Garner attached to it. Seriously, I think Oceans 14 should have a Jennifer and Matt love theme. I'm thinking of New York instead of Vegas. Jennifer could be a gold expert and Matt could comaderie the time to break into Fort Knox or something like that. Yes or maybe there could be a golden nugget Las Vegas theme. I think an appearance by Will Smith might also be fun. Noooo that is too much star power. Okay, here it is we should replace Garner with Kerry Washingston because honestly I think we already have two tall women in the movie. Catherine and Julie should both be pregnant and Kerry Washington yes she could be into Damon. Yeah, I don't know.

I'll get back to y'all after I finish the screenplay.

Ciao.

Dress to Impress

Mia Hamm she was an athlete but that was ages ago. You no doubt might remember the whole shirt ripping shot of her after the USA team won the Women's World Cup. The professional athlete world is constantly evolving. People are always breaking records and reaching new heights. Tiger Woods in the early days was a novelty now it seems like he is everywhere and when he wins it barely suprises anyone. We have female racecar drivers winning awards and even girls setting records for female golf. You don't care about and neither do so, let me cut to the chase.

It doesn't matter.

It doesn't matter how many records are broken or barriers are demolished women will still be women and looking cute even tho' you are trying to win the game of the century is still a requirment to nab a Nike deal. Every woman falls prey from WNBA players, to the William sisters, to golf apparel ladies, to Danika whatever her name is. So enough with the bullshit about being an athlete and wanting to be recognized for your skill and not the shape of your booty.

Happy Birthday to me!!!

WOOHOO!!!

27!

Coup

How do you plan a succesful coup d' etat? Let us say that you have been a part of the present administration and it isn't living up to expectations. How does a person go about starting a bloodless revolution? Is succession planning worth your time given the fact that only 1 out of every 1oooooooooooooo coup is peaceful? I really don't know why this whole topic is floating in my head. Hmmmmmmmmm maybe it has something to do with the whole Burma turned Myanmar crisis.

I am not entirely sure but if you have any answers please let me know.

Planning

I don't have a plan, I just want to do the next good thing for me. ~ Steve Zahn
We can't plan life. All we can do is be available for it. ~ Lauryn Hill

I'm by nature such a huge planner. I plan my days, my weeks and my years. I have to know where I'm going so I can mentally map out how I'm going to drive. There is very little about me that unplanned. However, everything that I've planned in the last 3 years has turned out to be something totally different from my expectations.

I didn't even know I had such a wildly adventurous side until I moved to California to become me. That was unplanned, and meeting Norio was definitely random, however two years later I have this whole different life. It's been a whirlwind of changes and exhilarating yet challenging periods and yet through it all, I'm still here. I'm still standing. I'm still strong.

So, the next chapter of my life is not something that I can map out like when I did my five year plan or 10 year plan. All I know is that no matter what, everything is going to be alright and I'm going to end up right where I'm supposed to be.

Happy.

Full Moons

The moon is at her full, and riding high, Floods the calm fields with light. The airs that hover in the summer sky Are all asleep to-night. ~William C. Bryant

For the last couple of days I have been tracking the moon. First it was only a quarter then it went up to half and BOOM tonight we have a full moon and my mind is taking back to the numerous stories my grandma used to tell us outside under the full moon. Back then, life was simple, when it rained we danced outside, when there was a full moon we got story night, when the sun set we went home. No need for umbrellas, flashlights or lanterns. I don't mean to sound anti-technology but it seems that the more inventions just take away from the beauty. I'm trying to envision my home in Oregon with grass and flowers and then I remember that I will not really get the chance to enjoy it because I will be at work and so I will need to purchase landscape lighting in order to fully savor the sight and then I will have to work overtime to pay for the electric bill.

And the story continues.
We work to pay for what we never enjoy because we are working.

Inside and Out

It is hard to eat right. It is hard to drink only good stuff. It is hard to exercise everyday. It is hard to do the whole healthy clean living thing. But I have a new point of view that just might scare you straight. It is not 100 percent full proof but it has helped me on numerous occasions (esp. when the couch is screaming my name and the gym is but a whisper). I have this grand-aunt of sorts that most people would consider eccentric but she really is a wonderful and caring person once you get to meet her. Yes, she believes that her way is the best and only way to go but she enforces it not because she wants to be right but because she believes that it will make your life easier. I don't know if that makes any sense at all. So here is the story, one day she walks into our house and tells my mom that she needs a colon cleanse. She sites numerous "doctors" and I can't remember if my mom got it or not the point is that the whole process might be painful but it does in fact clean you inside and out. I want to avoid this and so the image of the whole process has left an imprint on my subconcious that I carry a JUG of water with me everywhere I go.

House

Okay this might be the one time that I use the word house and I am not describing or fantasizing about my dream home. Today is the day that it returns, today is the day that I have to deal with his rude comments. Today is the day that I will have to watch him speak to others in such a dehumanizing way and do nothing. Today is the day that words like pulse oximeter, lidocane, charge to 30, multiple sclerosis turns me on. Today is the day that the sight of his cane makes me laugh. Today is the day that HOUSE returns to TV.

I only have to wait a couple of more hours.
I don't know if I can make it.

My dream home oooooo

Okay so here I am again in major dream mood thinking about my house that I haven’t bought yet and the kitchen that I haven’t seen yet in a state I haven’t been to yet. Okay so here’s the story I on one of those online dream shopping sprees in which your credit cards are safely hidden in another country and I start to get hungry so it isn’t a surprise when I find myself envisioning and accessorizing my kitchen. Growing up with pots and pans bought from Family Dollar has severely diminished my expectation but Macy and Sears and Berndes cookware has put my dreaming in overdrive.

Boyz thinking they are men.

I am officially pissed. I mean in this day and age when people are praying for cures from cancer. When kids are going to bed hungry and others are praying for rain so that they can quench their thirst, it pissing me off to have to be in the presence of boyz who think that God should reward their pathetic efforts and give them more toys. Boys and toyz, I think I should get my sister to write some poetry to lambaste their idiotic endeavors. She just wrote something that encapsulates the whole boyish mentality in general but i think she needs to get a lil' bit more specific. Some guy who is suppose to be a pastor took time during a prayer meeting to ask God for a 2008 Mercedes S class, keep in mind that this guy does not have a study job and hasn’t had one in the last 10 years. I mean when people that call themselves pastors start asking for cars they can’t afford doesn’t this encourage all those college kids to start pursing dreams about 2010 BMW and others start fasting for some Chrysler 300 accessory. Please nonsense, but yeah I guess boyz will always be boyz regardless of their vocation or age.

Sextuplets

I’m wondering what would happen if I ended up with sextuplets or even just quadruplets. After all the media hype and the special on Lifetime, what comes next? I am very sure that the diapers donated will run out sometime before the kids turn two. So what do I do next. I don’t consider myself a big shopper, I like to think that I shop as necessary and that I am not a shopaholic who lives for malls and new shoes and outfits. I remember when we were kids my mom always used to dress me and my younger sisters alike. So maybe that is what I need to do, some quality wholesale clothing at discount prices every 6 months. Of course this will be mad expensive but then again why am I stressing, there are a couple of mountains that need to be scaled in order for this to happen and I am no where near putting on my Nikes talk less going outside and finding a mountain.

what

There are infinitively many powers of 2 (pigeons), and only 2001 remainders when these numbers are divided by 2001 (pigeon holes). That’s why there are two powers of 2 that give the same remainder when divided by 2001. The difference of these powers is a multiple of 2001.
We are looking for 3k which ends with 001. This is the same as 3k - 1 being a multiple of 1000. Similarly to problem 1 we can prove that there are two powers of 3 that differ by a multiple of 1000. Let’s call these powers 3n and 3m. Factor their difference into diet pill
3m is relatively prime with 1000 (it is neither a multiple of 2 nor a multiple of 5), so 3n-m - 1 must be a multiple of 1000.
This problem is simular

what

There are infinitively many powers of 2 (pigeons), and only 2001 remainders when these numbers are divided by 2001 (pigeon holes). That’s why there are two powers of 2 that give the same remainder when divided by 2001. The difference of these powers is a multiple of 2001.
We are looking for 3k which ends with 001. This is the same as 3k - 1 being a multiple of 1000. Similarly to problem 1 we can prove that there are two powers of 3 that differ by a multiple of 1000. Let’s call these powers 3n and 3m. Factor their difference into
3m is relatively prime with 1000 (it is neither a multiple of 2 nor a multiple of 5), so 3n-m - 1 must be a multiple of 1000.
This problem is simular


vessel sinks

Changes

If we don't change, we don't grow. If we don't grow, we aren't really living. ~Gail Sheehy

I'm in a constant wave of change. Just when I start getting comfortable in this lifestyle things happen to create change. In the past I used to have great angst when changes happen, however now for some reason I'm looking forward with great expectations.

1. Norion & I are going to buy a house.
2. In Oregon
3. Which means I'm switching jobs but not careers

Cali has been great, it will always be the state of great adventure and possibilities for me, but now I'm ready to move on to the next chapter of my life. I'm so excited.

Netflix baby

Netflix vs. Blockbuster
So who has won out in your home, Netflix or Blockbuster? I have a brief stint with both, yes Netflix did introduce us to the whole movies in your mailboxes but Blockbuster has the whole go to the local shop and get another one that day. So just out of curiousity which one do you use and why. My kid sister is a Netflixer mainly because she doesn’t have a blockbuster in her town and my other sister uses both and cancels them and then renews them all over again and my third sister I don’t think she uses either one of them.

I’m a Netflixer.

Dream homes don't exist

I thought that IKEA was the place to go. Being that I am on this whole future home decoration window shopping spree I figured I should start at the place that is receiving rave reviews from my sister and all the other educated twentysomethings. WASTE OF MY FREAKING TIME. There are these blinds that I thought would go well with my whole living room theme and after spending a whole day at IKEA and browsing ETHAN ALLEN I came to the conclusion that if I wanted them I would have to create them myself.

Addictions are the DEVIL

Addictions are the devil, I would like to think that I am a super human and do not feel the pull to become addicted but that is a lie. We all have these huge habits that started out as tiny bubbles that has taken over my life. I have a friend whose brother got locked up because of drugs and being that he is black and not white he didn’t get the whole drug rehabilitation thing. No, he got locked up and now is spending a huge chunk of his youth behind bars. So yeah, addictions suck and they are the devil.

I want light

This is another episode of my dream home window shopping spree. Like every other female on the planet I have a thing for lights. Some people need both lights and mirrors but I’m more of a light person there has to be sufficient light in my home, I don’t care about the electrical bill or any of that other conversation junk when I want to read I want to see when I take a walk outside I don’t want to have to stub my toe on a pebble. SO Today I find myself checking out kichler lighting fixtures. It seems like the whole conservation movement is gaining momentum because on every website that I check out every single one was talking about voltage and conservation and all I want is a pretty light thingy on my front porch.

Bye Bye Hugh

I used to have this crush on Hugh Jackman. Yes, it started with X-Men, something about the whole rugged and tortured soul reached out and grabbed my heart. So in an effort to exorcise myself of the Hughiness I decided to have a Hugh Jackman maranthan.

EEEER. Wrong move. His earlier stuff was charming but the more recent films are acting a bit disturbing. Have you had the time to watch THE PRESTIGE or THE FOUNTAIN. I sat down and tried to figure out the movie and the more I tried the more confused I got. The FOUNTAIN is a classic case of genius gone crazy. Hugh loves his wife and so he embarks on this quest to find a fountain of youth which of course is hidden in a garden of life somewhere in South America. Let mii stopnoovie and then maybe you will be able to come back and vent about how ridiculous it was.

Ciao

Football WHAT

My sister has recently developed a fascination for football. I actually think it has become an obsession. Here’s the story I call her about a week ago, I think it was last Thursday to ask about her purse that was supposedly missing and all she can say is that “We’re winning” at this point I’m confused because I thought she was talking about my family and then she said Indianapolis is winning, the colts are winning.

WHAT! We are Nigerians, we DO NOT watch American football. The only football we watch has been demoted to the ranks of soccer so I was puzzled by the intensity in her voice and then she proceeds to lecture me about the league and the New England Patriots and how the Indianapolis Colts are related to the New York Giants because of the quarterbacks and how she doesn’t like Tennessee football and by this time I have tuned her out. So yeah to all of those converted football freaks stay away from my house.

I'm Back

Wow! I'm finally back from my trip to NYC and let me tell you, it's a whole new world out there. It was crazy and hectic and even though I'm glad to be back, and miss New York. I even went all sentimental and got one of those I Love NY t-shirts that they were selling all over the place. Big ups to my friend Naomi Campbell who came through even though she was atrociously lost on the train/subway system. Homegirl almost found herself in a Pigeon Forge cabin rental before she realized that she was going the wrong way.

My sister's wedding reception was off the chain, I saw people that I haven't seen in years...and I mean, literally years! It was like a huge reunion festival all up in the hizzy. And I must say, my darling kid sisters were looking hella cute, I can't believe they are all grown up.

Anyway, I have lots of cleaning, unpacking and laundry to do. Hope your Labor Day weekend was the shiznit.

I'm baaaack! Now I have to unpack, do laundry and come back to blog:)

Carpenters

Oh my goodness, I think I'm in love. I just found the most exquisite bedroom set from Century furniture that is everything my regal self desires. I know it's going to be hella expensive to ship and probably to own, so I'm not even considering it. But wouldn't it be great if I could just pull a picture and have my carpenter make a replica? Whatever happened to carpenters man??? In Nigeria, my mom had all our furniture custom built by the carpenter guy and it was pricey but not as expensive as buying the pieces from the showroom. What do carpenters in the US even do? Pretty much just build houses right? Furniture is now industrialized, just like everything else out here. As you can pretty much tell, I'm hella homesick!

Presents

Every gift from a friend is a wish of your happiness. ~ Richard Bach

I know it's way too early to start thinking of Christmas gift ideas but I love to pick up presents all through the year. I'm not really a planner, I'm too spontaneous for that, but there is something about going somewhere and finding the perfect present for a friend of loved one that just screams, Pick Me, Pick Me! Of course I don't find such often but when I do if I don't have the money I come back for it later. It's so late, I'm rambling I know...perhaps I should just go to bed.

Furniture

I'm on a strict budget...but even then I can't wait until I save up some so I can splurge on beautiful, brand new home furniture. I haven't had brand spanking new furniture ever, usually it's a collection of second hand stuff from friends, family and Craigslist. Hopefully financially in a few more months we'll be in a place that I can buy brand new matching furniture all through my brand new house. Such dreams.

Computers

Yesterday I was doodling online and I realized that I needed to update the Dell Memory for my computer. I've been using the same ancient computer that I've had since I started working as a nurse in 2001, and although The Goddess was up to date then, she is practically a dinosaur now. My computer was even more expensive back then than what they have on their website now---and she has way less stuff. Over the years I've upgraded my memory card but honey, I desperately want a new computer. Maybe Norio will get me one for my birthday...

Country

I was watching a Wedding Story on TLC recently and noticed that even in such an idyllic setting as Barcelona, Spain, there were still steel buildings all over the place. I really think that industrialization has taken over our world and our generation, and it's so upsetting to see bastions of the ancient world side by side with an ostentatious business complex/tower. I think this is one of the reasons why I'm such a country girl at heart...in the country, there are wide open spaces and your scenic view stays the same for years. At least, maybe if you're in the country of another country....definitely not the US!

Burn Notice

I think the last few days I've been watching way too much TV. My new fav show is Burn Notice on USA. I usually don't like shows based in Miami because I feel it's too sensationalized (CSI: Miami), but this is one of the shows that fits the city perfectly. The storyline against the backdrop of Miami real estate just makes it a must see in my book. It reminds me of a good mix of Alias, 24, MacGyver with some comedy thrown in.

Passion

Subdue your passion or it will subdue you. ~Horace

Mercy! That's what my sister Kafo says at the weirdest moments. Whenever she says that it reminds me of my grandma. My family is full of peccadilloes and such, I know most families are but mine takes the cake. My baby sis can talk you to your next life, and knows the deep ish on everyone both here, abroad and celebs. She makes paparazzi stalkers look like preschoolers, lol. My uncle has this thing for RC helicopters. It's his hobby and he collects them to the next level. I tried to vibe on that with understanding finding your passion...I guess mine would be books. I'm rambling. I should go to bed. Cheers!

Hola!

Okay to my faithful 14 readers, I must apologize for the slow posting as of late. It wasn't until my friend Joyci mentioned it that I actually noticed it. I could make a bunch of excuses up and down the yazoo but the truth of the matter is----work is kicking my butt up the hill and down again. It's so bad, not even snapping on tranquility diapers can fix. The Fiance just got back from his trip back East and the only day I had off was when I rushed around doing errands. I honestly do hate this 8 hour/4 days a week thing. But I'm not complaining. At least I don't have to wake up in the early mornings anymore. I love evening shift!

Anniversary

We've got this gift of love, but love is like a precious plant. You can't just accept it and leave it in the cupboard or just think it's going to get on by itself. You've got to keep watering it. You've got to really look after it and nurture it. ~John Lennon

I got Norio the most perfect anniversary gift. It's a picture of the 2 of us that we took sometime last year against the backdrop of the hills & sky. The most dazzling thing in the picture is of course my smile...lol! Anyway, I found this website that makes real canvas art master pieces from your uploaded or mailed photo. It got blown up and developed into this gorgeous canvas piece from Canvas on Demand. It looks like a bonafide art piece that should be hanging in the Louvre in Paris...hahaha! Anyway, it's relatively easy to set up...costs anywhere from $40 and upwards depending on what you get. In addition they have actual frames in case you want to frame it. Now I'm thinking perhaps I should have done that. Here's a snapshot of the canvas, it's the ish! If you are looking for a nice, memorable gift, then this is something creative and inexpensive that makes a wonderful present that will last for years and years.

Technology

What is it with all you geeks and flash drives? For some reason, everyone has a flash drive these days, it's like the new magic card of our generation. Every single electronic device that comes out can use a flash drive from a computer to camera to piano etc. Do you guys remember like 10 years ago when we didn't even have superfast computers? Now it's like we can't live without DSL. This is truly the age of technological advancement. I shudder to think that I'll look back one day and be like, "2007 was so lame, we didn't even have this and that."

Comforter

Discount furniture stores are the shiznit! Last week, I found towards the back of Annie's Store the most gorgeous jacquard comforter set that I've ever laid eyes on. It's so exquisitely soft, multi layered and dimensional and satiates both my regal side as well as my wild side. It's for the mature, adult me. I'm done with the girly pinks...and let me tell you, Norio is glad about that.

He just got back today, still jetlagged but he's looking utterly scrumptious. It's so lovely having him home again, in the flesh, living, talking and just being able to touch him. Sigh.

Pet Peeves

I don't have pet peeves, I have whole kennels of irritation. ~Whoopi Goldberg

One of my pet peeves has to do with kitchen sinks. I know, it's totally bizarre but I detest to have the sink dirty. I don't mind dirty dishes in the sink, but the sink itself has to be washed and pristine. Even if the dishes are clean and the sink is dirty, I still feel like the whole kitchen is dirty. Like I said, bizarre.

Papers

My old boss called me on Friday practically begging me to come back for a day just to organize and straighten her out. Seems the lady she hired since I left is of course not as fabulous as me---so she's all discombobulated. One of the drawbacks of working for a realtor is that there is so much paperwork that goes through that if you don't stay on top of it you die in the flood of papers. It took me a while to realize that.

Luggage

Two years ago, in a leap of faith, I purchased a luggage set from Ebay. It was 400 denier cloth, the sturdiest kind, made to last from Lloyd's of London. I've taken so many trips with it, most of them in the United States however hopefully in the near future, I'll be using those suitcases internationally. Hopefully.

Houses

Our houses are such unwieldy property that we are often imprisoned rather than housed by them. ~Henry David Thoreau

If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them. ~Henry David Thoreau

I was looking at Beaufort NC real estate and these quotes by Thoreau sprang to mind for some reason. I think I'm just delirious.

Daydreaming

Houses are one of my passions. I probably should have been an interior decorator. ~Gene Tierney

Norio and I were goofing around online last night looking at prospective houses that we might buy once we get fiscally together. It's so strange how we both hated the same ones and loved the same ones. We looked at like 35 houses, but only 2 made the cut and made us both sigh. I'm not going to post the link here, but I really hope that a similar house is on the market when we are ready to buy. It had the perfect kitchen, with gleaming new Kenmore appliances in black, a stove on an island with range hoods and all. I saw it and I just melted...it's like my dream house!

It's a shame we can't make a bid for it now...I would so get that!

Torn

I've been contemplating this for days and I'm really torn. I don't know if I should head to Nigeria right now for my sister's wedding. She's having a huge reception in the US that she would prefer me to come to, but I still want to go to Nigeria. It's calling to me like a sirens to sailors, like pens to executive desks. I'm so torn. I really wish I had saved up more money, because that is the main mitigating factor. If I had a couple of grand stacked, then it would be no problem to buy a ticket last minute and fly home for the wedding.

Grrrrr.

Reasons

Yesterday I was walking my patient around the hospital ward with his portable oxygen concentrator and between breaths and steps he said that I was the "best nurse he'd ever experienced". That really did make me beam and get warm on the inside. Here's reason #43454 why I love my job.

Memories

Man, I wanna go home for my sister's wedding soooo bad! I'm not sure if I'll be able to, with starting a new job and all, but I can almost taste the food on my tongue. My best memories of Nigeria was filching food from my grandma's outdoor kitchen straight from the hot stove. Warm, soft sweet bread, moin-moin, fried fish and other sundry delights. Man...I miss home.

Joie de Vivre

True happiness is... to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future. ~Lucius Annaeus Seneca

I was on the phone with all my sisters today and the younger ones both stated that I sounded so happy. It wasn't just because I was having a good day, (actually, I had just gotten back from work and it was an insanely chaotic day and I was tired as all get out). However I think it does have to do with work in a way.

Nursing satisfies me in ways that nothing else can fill. There is something immensely gratifying to go to work and know on the spot that you are helping people. Today I had 2 patients and neither of them spoke any English. The hospital I was at didn't have translators on the weekend so they spent half the morning on opposite sides of the hallway, unable to communicate to anyone at all. My solution was to introduce Mr. Espanol to Mrs. Latina....I actually walked him down the hall and into her room. The rewarding excitement and joy that they radiated in those 15 minutes was probably what gave me the joy and drive to live through the remaining crazy hours at work.

So yes, I've found my calling. I'm fortunate to have found it early and to know that every day I step out of my house, I am doing my small part to save the world, one hurting soul at a time.

Friends

Without friends no one would choose to live, though he had all other goods. ~Aristotle

My friends from college, aka the Fab Four are tentatively planning a vacation for sometime next year. We all haven't seen each other all together since graduation, and provided that Joycii & N get along, we might have to thrown down for an Orlando vacation rental or something. I think it would be fun, we can play spades all night, play on the beach all day and take lots and lots of pictures.

Junk

We were driving on the highway today and there were some truck accessories right in the middle of the highway. I'm sick and tired of people dropping their shizz all over the road. For instance, yesterday it was a pair of jeans---how do you drop a pair of jeans? Do you just start driving, whip them off to moon someone the then toss 'em out the window?

Californians litter like no joke.

Hey!

Man...I haven't updated here in a while. If you have a moment and you're missing me...check out my brand new project, Sickle Cell Can Kiss My Ass.

Hope you're doing well.

Cheers!

Elderly

Old age, believe me, is a good and pleasant thing. It is true you are gently shouldered off the stage, but then you are given such a comfortable front stall as spectator. ~Confucius

My elderly patients are soooo cute! For some reason, they have such a unique perspective on life. It's like they have nothing to lose anymore and they are just happy and content for each special day. They recognize their mortality and yet remain so peaceful. They say whatever is on their minds, don't even worry about being PC and strictly epitomize the 'live for the moment' ideology that so many youth profess but in essence lack. Besides the fact that your body starts crapping out on you, your kids quibble over your money, you're in and out of hospitals often and incontinence products become your new best friend, being elderly is really posh.

Especially when you have a nurse like me.

Paternity

Paternity is a legal fiction. ~ James Joyce

I was watching this case on Judge Judy last night in which a deadbeat dad refused to provide for his child for 5 years claiming that he needed a paternity test before he would give any money whatsoever to his ex wife. I've seen cases like this before but this one was more weird because he moved to another state, got married and is taking care of his new wife's 3 children...leaving his own blood child with no extra support.

The only reason I'm thinking about this is cos one of my patients last night showed me pictures of his 2 kids and I told him, "wow, they are so your kids, they look just like you." Later he told me that they weren't his biologically but his children of the heart. Wow.

Purpose

Happiness, contentment, the health and growth of the soul, depend, as men have proved over and over again, upon some simple issue, some single turning of the soul. ~George A. Smith

I'm tired, exhausted as all get out---but I'm happy. It's had to explain how such a deep level of happiness can surpass the shadows circling life's existence, but there you have it, Vixen is totally happy. It's not just the jobs that are making me ecstatic, it's the fact that somehow I've been feeling like no matter what happens in this life of the next, I'm going to be okay. We're going to be okay.

My sister was feeling pretty low today, lower than dead sea salt but I had to remind her how far she's come and how much she's accomplished. We are all put on this earth for a purpose. We just have to figure out what that purpose is, live it and fulfill it. In the finding of your purpose you find contentment & happiness as well as self actualization.

Items

Okay, I know the last post I was talking about what to get the Boyfriend for his birthday. To the anonymous male user that suggested a crotchless panty, Ummm, no! I already have a plethora of those;) in collection and in use (yes, TMI, I know!). But thanks for the shoutout, lol! I think it's a weird gift to get your partner lingerie that you are wearing. It's just another way for companies to reap money off everything. Even off the fact that you too are doing the damn thing.

Randomness

Wassup peoples?

Why does it seem like when I'm busy and don't check blogs is when everyone blogs like crazy? All through the weekend, things were quiet in the blogosphere and now people are posting almost 2 times daily. Yeesh!

One of the drawbacks with my new gig is that I have to constantly wash my hands. I've got to find some good antibacterial skin care products that I can use both in my laundry, in the shower and in my pocket that has moisturizer properties. This is a totally random thought, yes, I know.

I've been losing on my REM sleep so my brain isn't functioning in its totality today. I apologise.

Photos

I have only 3 weeks to come up with a great birthday present for the Boyfriend. This time last year, I'd already been working on my super secret project...a memory scrapbook chronicling our first year. However, now I'm faced with the ridiculous quest of topping that. How do you top that? I was thinking of perhaps sending a snapshot in for photo enlargement, either one of us as a couple or one with the kid thrown in...like a black and white retro grouping or snapshot to hang in the living room. But is that really a birthday present or a present present?

Okay, I do have some other ideas (but due to the fact that he might stumble upon this post I won't list them here...hahaha!), but time is running out quickly. July 19 will be here before I know it.

What's Up?

For those of you wondering where I've been the last few days...I'VE BEEN WORKING! I signed up with 2 per diem agencies for the time being to make rent and I've worked 2 night shifts and I'm still groggy. Plus, I'm signed on for Sat/Sun nights as well, have a training at my new Job on Monday and will be out of commission online for the next few days. Try not to miss me too much.

It's been crazy busy and I'm loving it. I'm definitely tired...but I'm loving it.

As my third pen died on me at work last night, I realized that now that I'm back to working and charting and using pens everyday, I might as well go order a bunch of discount pens. I'm very particular about my pens, and can't use just any regular ol' Bic. So ordering ones myself will do nicely.

Sticky Fingers

The five separate fingers are five independent units. Close them and the fist multiplies strength. This is organization. ~James Cash Penney

Today my sister Kafo sent me a brilliant financial plan that I must say is so friggin' brilliant that I'm going to hire her as my personal financial advisor. I figure with all the money I'm going to save off interest charges and paying credit card companies I can throw a few hundred bucks her way. I love you little sister!!!

I'm so glad my parents had you and that you didn't die when you got cut at 5. It's a good thing that we live in a country that offers really good child insurance and you have all your fingers in their entirety.

Hehehe...I couldn't resist. I love you!

Home Is...Not

Where we love is home - home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts. ~Oliver Wendell Holmes

My home is my castle. My home is my paradise. My home is my solace, the one place in the world that I'm supposed to feel safe, connected and at peace. However yesterday it was not the case. I felt as if I was cast adrift on tumultuous, choppy waters and forced to swim to land. I felt as if I literally and emotionally could kill someone.

I can't really go into it, but I really feel like I invited much more than a desperate family when I said, "Come live with us." I feel like I invited a maelstrom of intrigue, drama, and dealing with petty issues that in the grander scheme of life don't even matter. It was so crazy and overly emotionally charged that I'm surprised the whole place didn't incinerate with all the wild emotions flying around. No matter how kind and nice I've been to you, it turns out that you just don't appreciate it and turn around stabbing me in the back and front. Well...I'm done...totally done.

I only have 22 more years on this earth. I don't need to waste it dealing with your bullshit. Get your life together, grow the fuck up and stop sponging off the generosity and sympathies of kind people, the government and your uterus. Get a job and move on. Your time here is up.

Dinner

I have an enormous fondness for delicious food. It's very comforting. ~Teri Garr

Today, after an extremely fun-filled day spent with the Boyfriend and the Kid, I came home and threw down in the kitchen. Like I kicked ass in my kitchen. I threw together a meal so perfectly delicious in less than 45 minutes that would give Wolfgang Puck a run for his friggin' title. I don't know whether it was the fact that my spirit was finally aligned with my life or that the ingredients were all just there, but whatever it was, something utterly miraculous happened in my kitchen tonight.

It all started with a pot of rice. I decided to make Jollof Rice, which is like Jambalaya rice but definitely more savory and spicy. It's one of my favorite dishes to cook, but it's so easy to screw up because of the fine balance between all the spices used, the heat of the stove, and the probability of burning the bottom before the rice is completely cooked. Somehow though, all these foibles were avoided and it came together in a stunning delicious shock of flavor!

Moving right along was the tofu. For those of you that know tofu, you know that ish is kinda dicey to cook with, because it's such an amorphous substance. I wanted to do suya tofu (what? vegetarians need suya too!!)---uhuh, and thought that I would first fry the tofu on the stove top. That wasn't working because it kept soaking up the oil instead of frying out crispy, so I threw it into the oven, set it to broil and melted some jalepeno pepper jack cheese on top.

The final dish was an eggplant sautéed with different veggies that ended up turning into a stir fry with a distinct yet spicy peanut butter sauce. They all came together quite well and with a dollop of sour cream on top of the eggplant it was a magnificent culinary delight that really did titillate and tantalize not only our taste buds but also our bellies. I'm so glad there are leftovers!

The Boyfriend said that if he didn't already love me to pieces he would be head over heels in love with me after that meal....*sigh*! Mommy always did say a way to a man's heart was through his stomach---she wasn't playing when she threw us in the kitchen at 11 years old.

So I guess this is a shout out to my mom's....good lookin' out Mommy dearest!

Letting Go

Inner peace can be reached only when we practice forgiveness. Forgiveness is letting go of the past, and is therefore the means for correcting our mis-perceptions. ~Gerald Jampolsky

We all make mistakes, mistakes and choices that affect more than what we even realize in that moment of decision. We say things that should never be said, think things that should never be thought, do things that should never be done. And the end of the day, we end up hurting each other, sometimes thoughtlessly, sometimes foolishly, sometimes arrogantly.

I can't pick at the wounds anymore. I can't live in the past. I can't. I'm letting it all go, the pain, the hurt the anguish, the anger, the guilt and the stress. The person I am now is not the same person I was a year ago. Not even the same person I was a minute ago. Every moment is to be savored and treasured. Life is too short to lament the wrongs of the past. I'm letting it go.

I don't want to look back on my 26th year and hate it as much as I hated my 21st. I don't want to live in a ball of regret and shame. I'm letting go.

Let.Go.Too.

Hot!!

The glaciers started moving for the first time in thousands of years. Greenland is going so fast it's almost funny. About 800 miles from the North Pole, it's melting. ~James Lovelock

It's so hot today! Almost as hot as it is in Nigeria. Almost---but not quite. I don't know why it is on a hot day like today that the Boyfriend and I have to spend it trudging up and down the stairs with various accouterments and kids bedding, helping my room mate move back in. Thank goodness for ice! Ice is a wonderful creation.

Happy Children

Allow children to be happy in their own way, for what better way will they find? ~Samuel Johnson

I went to a graduation party today with the Boyfriend and we both cut such a cute picture. (Can I actually say that without sounding vain?) Yes...the Boyfriend and I are so hot together! We are hotter than Brangelina! Oh yeah---betcha didn't know that!

The mother of a student that he tutors invited us and the Kid to come out to celebrate her son's graduation. It was sooo fun! At first I thought I would be out of my depth, going to a party that I didn't know anyone but the Boyfriend, but moment's after I got there I was at ease, playing spades with a group of ladies like I was back in college...(best times RS!), I did win by the way...even ran a Boston towards the end.

Back to the story. It was the most fun party I'd been all year, even though there were a bunch of little kids running around screaming. They had a large, inflatable tent-jumpey thing and the kids were having a field day with that. The food was great and everyone was so friendly. Towards the end of the party, I needed a moment to myself and found a corner by some silk trees to watch the scene without actually being a part of it.

Children are truly the most fun beings to watch...they have such a joy about them, with no stress, worries or burdens. All they want to do is play. And drink soda. LOL! Anyway it was such a fun party and I"m glad that I went out there.

Fireplaces

Once upon a time there was a piece of wood. It was not an expensive piece of wood. Far from it. Just a common block of firewood, one of those thick, solid logs that are put on the fire in winter to make cold rooms cozy and warm. ~Carlo Collodi

I was watching an old episode of the Bachelor last week and I saw an outdoor fireplace. I've never thought of a house with a outdoor fireplace...how cozy is that freezing your ass off outside just to watch the flames? I'm more of a realist---especially since I get cold so easily. If you are going to gimme a fireplace, it better be one that's inside, where it's nice and warm, away from the elements and the cold!

Euphoria

The moment of euphoria is when you have the breakthrough and you say it, and then begin to shape and deal with what I've created. ~Paul Simon

I got some really, Really, REALLY good news today that put me in an euphoric state as high as the chandeliers. You know when you get awesome news and the first person you want to share it with is your ultimate confidante? Well, at least now I know who that is. You guessed it---the Boyfriend.

And yes Kafo, before you ask, you were next in line. I know you must be wondering how in the universe you got booted from first to second but at least you weren't the last, y'know? Now doesn't that put things in perspective.

Grown

To me, being grown-up meant smoking cigarettes, drinking cocktails, and dressing up in high heels and glamorous outfits. ~Lorna Luft

My friend just closed escrow on this beautiful investment property in Nevada. I find it so weird that a few years ago we were both just little girls with big dreams and now one by one each dream is turning us with each passing day into grown ass women. I don't wanna be grown! I want to stay in that idyllic college phase where you have your independence from home but not that many responsibilities yet. That was the life!

Changes

Yesterday it became official. I'm out of the real estate industry and heading closer and closer towards nursing. My cool old boss and the Boyfriend are both really into it...kind of like the way me and my nursing friends are about the other side of the coin. I read somewhere that you have to find a job you love and that makes going to work fun. Hopefully my new unit will be like my old unit---lots and lots of fun!

Good Deed

To be doing good deeds is a man's most glorious task. ~ Sophocles

Today I got a very pleasant surprise in the mail. I had helped a group of ladies out with a competition that they were having on their site. My contribution was to write a group of short stories for them. It didn't take that much time on my part, and you all know that writing is something I enjoy to do.

Imagine my surprise when today via the good ol' USPS I got a lovely thank you card signed by all of them with a Barnes & Noble gift certificate for $25.00---woohoo! The level of excitement I have right now, you would think that they mailed me a deed to a luxury home or something. It was so thoughtful and for my book loving self the perfect gift. It really did make my day, my head is swimming with all the possibilities that I can get to read.

Thank you darlings!

Story

I read a story today about a guy that got his hand totally demolished on a plasma cutting machine. You would think that something like that would not only physically, but mentally debilitate him but he went on into therapy and reconstructive surgery...and went on from there to become a surgeon!

The Stranger Things...

The Overwhelmed Naija Babe tagged me to share some things that most people don't know about me. I'd like to consider myself an open book so believe it or not, I actually had to think for a while on this one.

1. I detest cleaning the toilet. I can do every other chore in the house with ease but something about cleaning the gadarobe rubs me the wrong way. Even with wearing gloves and a pint of 409, I still can't stand doing the toilet. It's weird that I would start with this but it's on my mind.
   
2. I used to eat sand when I was a child. Like alot---so much that I think I must have a stone in my intestines or something. In nursing school, I found out that pica, the craving to eat non-food substances like sand, is actually associated with children that have anemia. Apparently the low iron levels are substituted in certain things like chalk and sand. So, I can blame my sand eating days on the sickle cell.
   
3. I don't take offense very easily but if you do slip up and say something to me that is way over the line, yes, I do bear a grudge. Not as much as my sister but still enough to have you wondering if I can ever forgive. Very few people have ever crossed that line---like I said for the most part I'm easygoing. But those that have crossed it have never been able to fall back into my good graces. So don't piss me off!

Okay that's all I can think about for right now. Holla at me when you have your list done. You are all tagged!

Flighty

Imagine driving down the highway, jamming to your radio, your window is down and wind is whipping through your hair. The sun is out---at last and there is no traffic, just you in your favorite car, having a lovely summer day. All of the sudden the truck in front of you swerved to avoid missing something and the truck toolbox lurched off his truck right in your path. You only have a split second to decide what to do---do you go right or left?

Okay, nothing that dramatic has happened to me lately on the highway, although a fridge did fall out right in front of me. Luckily the car I was driving had excellent brakes and I was able to come to a screeching halt and the guy behind me didn't hit me either!

I don't know why I'm even posting this. I"m just delirious tonight I think.