Assessment

Folks, I am SO busy right now that I hope to eventually catch up with Project 365. I have been taking a lot photos; it's just a matter of having a moment to BREATHE in order to post them.

I realized that I needed some time to ASSESS the thangs going on in my life. This has been on my mind all week, but I've been too swamped to truly sit down and compose this. I wanted to write it this morning, but it's been Grand Central Station here today:

* I am so tired of allowing folks who are crazy as all HELL to gravitate towards me as if I am a "velcro strap" and they are "lint." Case in point - I had someone drop some materials off to my residence this AM. I was talking about how diverse today's students are - race; ethnicity; education; religion; sexuality. This FOOL said, "Blacks and Hispanics can be gay? REALLY???
WTF? WTF? WTF? WTF? WTF? WTF? I couldn't wait until I got in the house so that I could scrub my hands (since I shook his). This is up there with a bus driver last week nearly passing out in shock when he realized that I was black. I was sitting behind him talking about the quality of education in the state of AZ; he was impressed that I had a doctorate, etc. . . When he got up to help a wheelchair-bound patron board the bus, he said, "WOW, I thought that I was having a conversation with a white woman this entire time." Lordy, I am just so articulate.

Deliver me.

* Strange-ass women and menfolk. I know my fair share of them. A dear friend and I were discussing this recently. Indeed, we are some peculiar creatures, and for some odd reason, these damn folks manage to find me. I have befriended the wealthy, the poor, the weak, the "I grew up battered, but made it, but want to batter myself more so that I can continue to wallow in pity either because I enjoy how pity feels from others, or I am too messed up in the head to try and climb out of hell (you ain't a Lifetime Movie Network star; save that for Melissa Gilbert. Therefore, WAKE UP!!!)," the educated, the uneducated, the PARANOID, the "I am married and allegedly have my shit together/I am single, but I am confident in myself." To make a long story short, in this mix, I have met some outstanding women and menfolk, but I have also met some that make me want to scream, "What damn planet are you from?"

I don't have a lot of friends; the ones that I have are messed up, but you know what? They are real, and I fully embrace that. They don't play any Mickey-Mouse ass games, and they aren't fairweather. I thought about that this week. They are the ones that consistently and genuinely contact me when I've gone "ghost," am sick, or just have this "vibe" that I need to talk.

God has been talking to me about this for the past 1.5 months. It's been really heavy on my heart for the past two weeks. God, I am taking heed of your whispers; they are not being ignored. Close necessary doors; put up road block signs, and guide me along new paths.

We as women and men hate. We need to cut that mess OUT. I've been feeling this way for quite some time with the people that I interact with on a week-to-week basis. Envy is a monster. My motto is, "Let my confidence allow you to work on some things that may irk you about yourself. If you have to use me as motivation, do so. Don't hate. Life is just too short."


* Rush Limbaugh needs to SET HIS ASS DOWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ditto for those who have nothing else to criticize Obama on, except for him "exposing" his shirtsleeves. Can't a man let his pits BREATHE?!?! Y'all know that his deodorant is probably working OT.

* Folks who don't mean you a dang bit of good. I have been projecting a vibe of, "If you don't mean me a bit of good, and you have to "force" yourself to speak to me, keep on stepping."

* Give and God will bless you. I was so proud of my true commitment to tithing in '08. I hope to give 20% more this upcoming year.

Peace

SUNDAY SINGIN' SENSATION: Christopher "Biggie Smalls" Wallace

Greetings!

I hope that y'all enjoyed your weekend, and most importantly, gave God some Glory! Glory!

Weekend recap:

* Took State Teaching board examination.
* Ate @ The Olive G. and slurped DOWN my Italian Margarita
* Hung out at Best Buy and Marie Callendar's with Mr. A.
* Came home and PASSED OUT
* Saw "NOTORIOUS" - this leads me to this week's SS - - - Biggie Smalls. The movie is WONDERFUL! I was really amazed at the quality of it. Sean Combs did a nice job producing it. Now, I wouldn' t have selected Derek Luke to portray Diddy, but HEY, who am I?!

RIP Biggie:


RE: last week's photos, Miz Christina, here's the rundown:

*Obama photos
* Pics of cabin and trees from Prescott retreat
* Mexican (actually visiting us from MX) kids visiting our school and performing

NITE!

BUSY BEE!!!

I'm busy. Kill me for being behind with the photos, okay? As Vanessa Williams once said, "I've got WORK to DO!"

Here are some pics:

I'll be "back in the saddle" (RE: the photo thang) on Sunday.

PEACE

OH HAPPY DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Indeed, there is NOTHING that God CANNOT do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Amen.

UPDATE/NEW TEMPLATE

Howdy Good PEEPS!!!

I have been EXTREMELY busy with work and other thangs. I will share photos on Monday; I am going out of town this weekend (Prescott).

Sit back, visit my page to enjoy the "Juke Joint" and be ret for MONDAY.

How y'all like my new template? ;)

Enjoy your weekend!!!

:Hugs:

PS: Pray that I continue to walk with grace as I deal with simple-ass FOLK.

PHOTOS NINE AND TEN: 355 more to go. . . .

Good morning GOOD PEOPLE!!!!

Give God some Glory! Glory! this AM. If for nothing else, you are alive.

We are going to leave the leaf alone this year. . .

How's your weekend coming along?

Here are Photos Nine and Ten:

Photo Nine - - - there is nothing like Winter in Phoenix. While most of you have your flowers covered in snow, ours are a bloomin' away. . .


Photo Ten - - - a cute door hanging that I purchased from JoAnn's ETC. . .:

I want to ensure that I get my $$$'s worth out of it. Therefore, this Valentine's door hanger is already up.

This week's SSS is none other than Ashford and Simpson. I had to dig DEEP to come up with a good one today. This one just hit me 3 minutes ago. Valerie and Nicholas, oh, how thankful we are to you.

Go back down memory lane and watch this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzBfJOUEG1U

Indeed, videos have come a LOOOOOOOOOOONG way, baby!!!

What is it with people and my hair? Once again, on the BUS, a bruh asks me, "What do you put in your hair to get it like that?" Do I say miscegenation 100 plus years ago that managed to filter its way down to my folks, or do I say my hair? Hmm, which do you think won out? WELL, I said that it was my hair, and I mentioned the products that I used. The Ethiopians' in AZ have gorgeous hair, and I am sure that they catch it worse than me.

I got some scrapbooking done. I went to the Lickety Slip class in which we created 4x6 cards by using black and white paper; Bazzill cardstock (Whirlpool, Grey, Raven, and Raven). GORGEOUS. I am working on 2 albums in this color, and those card are going to come in handy. I came home and created about 4 layouts - beautiful color scheme!

Happy Sunday!

Photo EIGHT - 357 more to go. . .

Here's yesterday's photo:

My sweet nectar.


MAN, Miss Anne and Sarah, you had me ROLLIN' with your comments. HELL, these people are going to tell me next to learn sign language because someone could read our lips. I want to scream, "Do you work for the freakin' CIA?!?!?!" They give Hoover (FBI) a run for their money.

HEY, what nicknames have you had over the years for your co-workers? These are the names that I have heard:

Shrek and Donkey
ET and the boy riding the bike
Fester
Lurch

QUIT LAUGHING!!!

More tonight. . .

Happy weekend!

Photo SEVEN - 358 to go . . /CRAZY FOLKS!

Yesterday, T. wanted to be my Day Seven photo. This boy is a MESS. I didn't have time to edit this photo in Photoshop. I call him Mary Tyler Moore with all of those damn scarves that he wears.

This year's resolution as well - - - to be delivered from crazy-ass, paranoid folks. Problem - how about if you work with them and they corner you? What do you do then?! Does anyone have any advice?

I told someone that if they find me acting in that way, call my MOM ASAP. There's no sense in that. If you are that afraid that someone is going to say something, KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHET!!!

Word.

Photo SIX - 359 more to go . . . ./DISAPPOINMENT

I'm late; kill me. ;) My complex's Internet service was down last night. Therefore, I went to bed.

I opted to take a picture of a globe. Question - where is your destination (physically and mentally)? That's today's question (like the man on "Sesame Street" used to have the day's # = back in the DAY; I can hear that song playin' in my head).

DISAPPOINTMENT:

* a dear acquaintance's brother has been arrested for rape murder. Age: 16 How did their father find out about the murder - while watching tv at PRISON. Pray for this family
* a former student comes to be belly pokin' out with her baby's ultrasound pics. I didn't even know that she was pregnant. In the 2 weeks that we were off, she started showing. I just grabbed her. WHEN will this cycle end?!

Please visit: www.intbride.blogspot.com This sweet woman is trying to create a list of all of us who are doing PROJECT 365.

:Peace:

Photo FIVE - 360 more to go. . . .

Did you think that I forgot? ;)





I took a nap and just woke up. Kill me. ;)


These are the main textbooks that I use to teach the "children of the future."

Nite!

Photo FOUR - 361 more to go . . .

This is my church. What a perfect picture for Photo FOUR. How would you describe your life? What is your lifequest?

Sunday Singin' Sensation/.Photo FOUR - 361 more to go. . .

Good morning!

Did y'all give God some glory, glory today? I hope that you have given up the LEAF for this year. Enuf is ENUF!!!!

Today's Sunday Singin' Sensation is none other is JODY WATLEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I KNOW y'all remember her singin' with Shalimar, and later busting out with "New Love." "I'm lookin' for a new love, baby. A new love. . . . Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!"



I hope that I took y'all BACK with Ms Watley. She looks FABULOUS! If you would like to read the latest about Jody, check this out:

http://www.essence.com/news_entertainment/entertainment/articles/jodywatleyflashbackfridays/

I'll have to include Photo #4 in another post. I am sick of this trick-butt (it is Sunday) blogger.

Photo THREE - 362 more to go. . . .

Greetings!

I hope that you are enjoying your weekend. I wanted to share Photo #3 with you:


This symbolizes the near end of my WONDERFUL Christmas vacation. :) This bag will be going to the cleaners tomorrow morning (Yes, Delia's is open on Sundays). Gotta love the 1 cent coupon!!! Trust me, they are nothing like the $1.99 cleaners. My clothes come back clean and impeccably pressed. I gave myself a financial break from the cleaners (over the past two weeks). Now, my biweekly bill returns. . . . I freaking hate dry cleaning. It's a must, but I am like my mother, I *hate* going.

For those of you would would like more information on Project 365, visit: www.creakingkeepsakes.com, or better yet, purchase the January issue of Creaking Keepsakes. Becky Higgins provides readers with 365 ideas for taking photos. This one, I came up with on my own (the dry cleaners bag).

If you haven't seen "Seven Pounds," do so, or purchase it on bootleg. It is Will Smith at his best. When he shaves for his date with Emily (Rosario Dawson's character), he looked splendid. If my man was that fine, and I found him in that exact pose in the AM, needless to say, we wouldn't make it to work that day.

As Mr. A. would say, "Oh, Good GAWD!" For Jada, God is indeed an AWESOME God.

Let me stop.

Enjoy your evening. Get out and shoot some pics!

Photo TWO - 363 more to go

Howdy, and HAPPY WEEKEND!!!!!!!!!!

How was your day? Once again, I went looking for a home. These damn homes appear to be *nice* until you have an inspector come in. GOOD LAWD, it is amazing at how dilapidated these residences are.

Today, the home that I saw was GORGEOUS, except that the master bathroom needed a minimum of $5K worth of work done to the floor/shower. They had a major flooding and never truly fixed it - which leads to mold; warped expensive tile, etc. . . The bedroom had a SITTING ROOM that overlooked the living room. It was a mini-balcony.

LAWD. I couldn't help but chuckle when I saw lemon and orange trees in the backyard. Folks, when you get lemons, make lemonade. Here's today's photo:

I just love the colors found in this photo. What do you think?

Then, Mr. A. and I drove around trying to find me a house. We didn't luck on anything in my price range. Who ARE these people who can afford $270K on these homes?!?!?!? People are being forced to walk away from their homes. We stopped a woman and inquired about the price of her home. She quoted us $255K. The owner stated, "We love our home, and if we could stay here, we would."

Sad.

We then went to Mr. A's friend's home. GOOD GAWD, this woman has a PHENOMENAL home. The decor is to DIE for. Her bedroom - amazing; kitchen - divine; dining room; straight out of a magazine. I got a pic of them:


Speaking of beautiful homes, I was off to Mr. A's crib so that he could fire up the grill for me. Here is the "Chef" preparing his sauce:


As usual, we had a BLAST. The meal was great. My peach cobbler turned out nice.

Tonight, I leave you with the following photo:

I look forward to seeing your SECOND photo of the New Year!!!

Photo ONE - 364 more to go . . .

Hey, Hey, Hey!

How was your first day of '09? ;) I had a BLAST at the 12 hour cropping session. I will share those photos tomorrow. I wanted to leave you with Photo ONE. It was a tie. Therefore, it's Photo 1 a and 1 b:

Photo 1a: End of Christmas. I have started taking down my Christmas ornaments. OH, how I love this Christmas Caroler. I purchased her two years ago, and if I could keep her up all year long, I surely would. She so reminds me of myself when my hair was long. I see her as the little girl that I will have.

Photo 1b:
The owner of a LSS (Local Scrapbooking Store). I see her as a beautiful Latina who has made it - she is confident and is running a successful store in this horrific economy. She symbolizes strength and determination.

Adrienne and Miss Anne: I look forward to see your Day One photos. Miss R., go ahead and take those photos. I would be more than happy to send you some scrapbooking sketches/a couple of layouts to get you started. They do not have to be perfect; they simply have to reflect you and your rich life. ;) Mine ain't perfect.

Nite, nite!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

Good morning!!!!!!!!!!! HAPPY NEW YEAR! I look forward to reading about your NYE festivities (that is *if* you can recall them). I had a blast. Here's a photo from last night at the Wild Horse Pass Resort:

Similar to the other 50 trillion people in the world, I have some GOALS for 2009. They are:

* To take 365 photos this year. That's right, a photo a day. I am creating a scrapbook album called: 365 Days, 365 Photos, 365 Moments. My mantra is one of Gordon Park's famous quotations: "The important people are those that [s]he photographs."
* To share these pics with you on a DAILY basis. That's right - my GOAL is to blog 365 days this year - even if it's just a PHOTO.
* Embrace SERENITY

There are others, but for the moment, I will keep them to myself.

On to last night:

* The food was EXCELLENT at Ko'Sin. There were things that I didn't like - buttermilk cornmeal crusted fried oyster on a lollipop stick; the venison "gift" from the chef that I graciously declined. Overall, the food was awesome - fennel and garlic crusted pork tenderloin with walnut risotto and broccoli; opera torte (chocolate, cream, and cake layered) with a blueberry compote; champagne and a cosmopolitan
*I survived my SHOES. The female staff wanted the shoes and dress. Have you ever received an item of clothing from your mom that you didn't initially like, but once you accessorized it, you loved it? I hate my skinny arms. Mom knows this, but she continues to buy me sleeveless items.
* I took a cab to Wild Horse Pass. Crazy-ass story: The driver thought that I was going to the CASINO and pulled up there. I said, "No, the hotel." He said, "I was wondering why you were so dressed up to gamble at that damn casino." LOL.
* I wanted to check into the hotel
* I saw the University of Minnesota's football team arrive - police motorcade and 3 coach buses. Good GOD, the hotel's lobby became a sea of red and gold.

Today:

*Attending a 12 hour cropping session @ Paper Vineyards. My girl, Rhonda, and I have been doing this for about 3 years. It's our New Year's ritual.
* Taking Photo #1 and posting it tonight.
* NOT eating any black-eyed peas or collard greens (I hate both, but I eat turnip and mustard greens)
* Wishing you a FABU 2009!!!!!