239: second wind

hey y'all.

i've been waiting for my second wind all day. is it coming? shoot. i'll be ready for bed in a few.

now days the one thing about staying up all night is that i know I'll be dead tired very early, when a "decent hour" for bedtime rolls around again.

all this research has been kicking my tail this week. it's not the research itself. it's the copy-and-paste that i'm doing to compile the data.

*sniff, sniff* i need a hankie y'all.

i wanna read, i wanna get back to working on my bigger basket, and i'm starving too. but i don't feel like moving from the love seat.

so i'm watching Oprah. there are two young transgendered young people on today's show. i've been very interested in this topic for a while cuz i've been researching it for a project i've been working on. for longer than i want cuz that's what happens with a lot of my projects.

i haven't been writing at all. other than for work and here. but it's okay. for now.

238: a letter to Raven

dear Mr or Miz Raven,

who ever you are, please stop giving out my phone number. i have taken two calls for you today already and the last caller told me you gave him my number on an application. that is something i DO not appreciate at all.

it's not like i don't have enough on my plate without answering calls for a person i don't know. it's more than annoying. it's cruddy.

why would you make up a number to put on an application? why not put "N/A", "none", or the ever-popular "none uh yo bizness"?

i'd be happy to take calls for you (even messages) if you had called me first and we had a financial agreement attached to said phone calls. however, this is not the case.

rest assured that when i find out who you are, i'm gonna report you to The Authorities. i don't know which Authorities but know that there is an Authority out there that reprimands people like you.

that is all.

bliss

237: GROOOOOOOO-VEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

hey y'all.

i came across something good during my travels online today. yeah, when i was 'sposed to be working.

it's about a project called "Feeling Groovy".

there's a guy named Nigel Nix who's an English teacher in Germany. he has "...designed a program online to make people feel happy for at least one minute using video and sound."

his goal is to make 1,000,000 people happy with this project.

i haven't checked it out yet y'all but i'm gonna. here's the link so y'all can go check it out too: Feeling Groovy
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236: amen and hallelujah!

hey y'all!

God is good.

i asked and i been receivin'. :-)

angels are appearing to relieve my stress. i'm not joking.

not the imagined winged beings. i'm talkin' 'bout the people God puts on our path to help us along the way.

y'all know just the other day i was all stressed about Client A.

yesterday baby bliss and i got to the library late. every chair and all the tables were full. we circled the place for a few minutes, hoping two seats would magically appear and that's exactly what happened. on our third round, we saw a table with only one occupant and we swooped down like vultures.

we didn't know we were gonna be sitting with an angel. we asked if we could sit and he welcomed us to the table. baby bliss immediately noticed that he and i had the exact same laptop sleeve. except he didn't have a laptop and used his as a bag.

baby bliss ran off to use an internet computer and the angel spoke to me. we ended up having a deep and insightful conversation that helped lessen my anxiety in a major way.

today my angel was the employee of a company that contracts with Client A. she called just in time to save me the trouble of starting what would have surely led to a long round of e-mail and phone tag.

and i'm thankful.

amen.

235: give 1, get 1

have y'all heard about the $100 laptop project, designed to provide children in "developing" nations with laptops? if you haven't, you can read about it when you follow the link.

if you have, there's new information about the project and i'm giving it two thumbs up.

starting november 12, you can "give 1, get 1" for $399. in other words, if you buy a $200 laptop to be sent to a child in a developing nation, you can get one for your own child for an additional $200.

go here for the full details: Give1 Get 1.

234: stress!

hey y'all.

i

do

not

like

being

stressed!


i've been working on the Main Project for Client A. i've also been doing other Small Projects as they come up.

the Main Project, though detailed and Very Important, has turned out to be fun.

it's the other stuff that's stressing me. it's been a challenge to get back into the swing of being on someone else's clock. not literally because i'm not punching in. but when an e-mail or call comes in, i'm expected to be Jill on the Spot.

in my meeting with Client A, i was told that they have an extremely high level of expectation. not that i'm not capable of doing it. but i'm still getting used to this gig.

it's not like when you work face-to-face with folk you see every day. the majority of my contact with Client A is through e-mail. phone calls are rare. in-person meetings rarest of all. i'm still feeling these folks out and the learning curve is stretching out further than i'd like.

i've been dreading opening e-mail from Client A because i know there will be some Small Project that requires my immediate attention. as soon as i read it, i feel anxious.

it's always my intention to respond accurately and in a timely manner. but my panic causes me to second-guess myself which causes me to go into overdrive which results in the opposite of what i want.

instead of working efficiently and swiftly, i feel the need to check and re-check my work over and over again, resulting in delays in delivery and more heart palpitations for me as i wait to hear how the finished product has been received.

the fear of making mistakes is causing me to have heart palpitations. literally.

and i thought there was no job more stressful than being a mommy...

i believe this is God's way of sending me a message: do what you love and stick to it or else. LOL

what's ironic is that the Main Project is the kind i usually don't like to do; the Smaller Projects consist of work i've previously enjoyed and it's how i market myself. who'd have thunk it?

one of the best things about working from home/as a contractor is the flexibility to set one's own schedule. likewise the ability to create one's surroundings in any way desired. i do cherish both these components therefore my goal is to work out the kinks in this situation.

so y'all, this week i'm gonna try meditation and music therapy.

something has to assist me with changing my outlook and reactions. otherwise i'll be re-assigning my priorities 'round here.

233: the Jena 6

good morning y'all.

it is with a dichotomized heart that i sit and type this post.

i had decided i wasn't going to blog on this subject because my emotions were just too strong about it. but God whispered in my ear this morning in several ways and so, i write.

this morning i dreamed i was on my way out. where to doesn't matter and i don't know any way.

what i do know is that there was a crowd of people out by the entrance to our complex. they were orderly but loosely woven into two lines.

i wondered why in the world so many people were gathered and milling about like that, some sitting, some standing, some eating, talking, laughing...

then it dawned on me. they were all waiting for buses to take them to Jena, Louisiana. i looked at the faces, all open and hopeful. none angry or sad. at first every face i saw was brown, like mine. then i looked deeper and harder. and God showed me more.

there were other faces there. i saw caucasian and asian faces too. then i began to cry. like i'm doing now. my heart was touched and overwhelmed with the love i felt.

i knew it was God's way of telling me not to worry because it WILL be alright.

even after that dream, i forgot that today we pledged to wear black, to show our support for our sisters and brothers who are right now caught up in one of life's harshest struggles: the struggle to be recognized and treated as a human being.

and that's why i decided to write this post.

i know that despite what some believe, we are ALL human beings, created by the same God/Goddess/Creator.

my evidence and proof: no matter what color our skin, no matter what race we consider ourselves or are considered; no matter our religious beliefs or lack of; no matter who we voted for in the last election; we ALL got here the same way: from the joining of an egg and sperm that led to a live birth from a woman's body.

i'm praying for the whole town, that God will bring understanding to their hearts, that they will come to understand that this is not a "black issue", it's a human one

i'm saying a special prayer for the mothers, the mothers of the young men in jail specifically. for the other mothers in that town, the ones who may be saying and doing nothing because they think this is not their issue, my prayer is that God shows them that ALL children deserve the best we have to offer them, not just some.

and maybe they will be moved to help in some way. because one day, it could be their child sitting in a place of condemnation because their skin color, the skin that God made, made them a target of those who still need to learn better.

232: words of wisdom...

howdy y'all.

i'm over at Crazy Hip Blog Mamas cuz i haven't been in a coon's age. i'm right on time for the latest, Collaboration (#45)

they're asking what words of wisdom have been passed down to me through the years, by a family member, a teacher, or somebody similar.

the best career advice i've ever gotten was from my momma, waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back in the day. when i was in 9th grade, she said if i learned to type i would always have a job. so i took one semester of typing.

and she was right.

when i lived with my grandma while i attended high school, grandma would always admonish me about laying around in my clothes after i came in from school. she said if they weren't dirty, i could hang them up and wear them another day.

i thought she was crazy. what the heck did i know back then?

when i became my own Principle Laundry Do-er, i began to understand what grandma meant. i repeat it to baby bliss all the time. maybe she'll get it sooner than i did.

thanks g-ma and grandma for the good advice. it's served me well over the years. '-)

now hold on to your own bon conseil for a little while longer and get on over to Crazy Hip Blog Mamas to check out the good advice other folk got.

don't forget to share yours.
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231: end-of-summer blues - a note of woe

summer is gone y'all.

it's still sunny and kinda warm where we live but i can tell the sun is running outta steam. she's tired and ready for a rest. not that i blame her cuz this summer was HOT. our sol sista put in a lotta overtime this year.

but i'm already missing her and we haven't even officially gotten to fall yet. i know i'll still see her when the calendar says january, but i won't feel her like i do now. she won't rub my back or caress my cheeks like she's been doing for the past several months. she'll be taking her loving strokes to some other hemisphere.

she's getting ready now, packing her rays one by one and sending them further south each day.

i'm jealous.

why can't i go with her? why can't she stay here with us?

true, our winters are moderate and mostly sun-filled. unlike where we used to live... still. i want heat and light.

does that mean I'm selfish?

or am i just one of many sun-sistas, women who have a fierce love for the sun despite her bad reputation as the cause of skin cancer and heat-related illnesses?

i know i'm not the only woman who revels in big sista sun's warm embrace, who welcomes her despite knowing she'll have me sticking to the leather seats at Chik-fil-A, walking around with sweat stains under the arms of my favorite summer dresses, and possibly getting up from a nice sunday sit-down to discover a wet spot on the church pew courtesy of faulty air conditioning and a damp bottom.

no matter that when she's hugging us tight, our water bill climbs to the rafters cuz there are three of us in here and we need at least two showers each per day. or that our 'lectric bill goes into triple digits cuz mr. bliss can't sleep without the air running full blast.

it feels wonderful to sit by the pool and allow myself to be lulled into a solar-induced coma while baby bliss swims to her heart's content.

i love waking up and heading out to the patio for an up-close-and-personal sun salutation, then plopping down on a lawn chair with the laptop or a good book for a warm and sunny lie-in. (or should that be "lie-out"?)

what would i do if--at least twice a week--i couldn't wake up to golden rays of sunshine gently coaxing my eyelids to open?

i think i would go mad. i'm already suffering from withdrawal symptoms and september's not even over yet. i swear i can remember the exact night when it got cool. the next day we woke up and it was cool then too. yeah, it warmed up that day but our heating time was very limited.

and there's something intoxicating about being outside at night in summer...

i get a thrill out of standing on a hot sidewalk, feeling the day's heat dissipate as it sneaks up into the soles of my feet, knowing sister sun has been baking the pavement all day to give me this pleasure.

the weatherman said it was 80 degrees today and 60 degrees last evening. but it sure does feel like 60 today and last night felt like 40. :0(

don't worry y'all. i won't shrivel up into an icy ball of sunless moss and roll around all fall and winter, pining for the days (and nights) of summer. however, every day i see sista soleil without feeling her full power will be one of melancholy for me.

but i'm a strong woman; i know i can handle it.

and on the day she comes back to me, i'll be waiting with open arms.

hopefully my heart won't be covered in tiny icicles.

230: dreaming my life away

hey y'all.

i was supposed to blog about this morning's dream. i had it all written out in my head, composing as i brushed my teeth and rushed baby bliss to get dressed so we could head out to the library.

now we're here and the dream blog post has poofed its way outta my head. lemme think on it for a while...

in the meantime, i'll write about something else.

we're in the library right now. (what else is new, right?) i'm sitting in the kid's section, my favorite location for undisturbed working. i know it sounds weird but despite crying babies and shushing mommies, it's easier to work here than in the adult's section. maybe it's because i know i can make as much noise as i need to without having to worry about being too loud. (right now i'm making lots of phone calls for the project i'm working on.)

what is disturbing though is the book on tape that's been playing for the past hour or so. i'm not sure why it's even being allowed. it's clearly an adult book cuz i've heard more than a few curse words and several gruesome descriptions of people being assaulted and killed.

ahhhh. it sounds like it's over. ooh, no. the guy put on headphones. maybe he got the message when i put on mine.

he appears to be the caretaker for a young man who is here with him. the young man is laying on a half-bed/stretcher on wheels that has all kinds of wires attached to it. he can talk but has a speech impediment of some kind.

initially i thought the book was being played for him. now i know differently. so now the caretaker -- who has been trying to catch my eye for the past 30 minutes -- is entertaining himself while the young man sits/lays there talking to himself and passersby.

oh my. the caretaker has gone off and left the young man here alone. hmmm... i wonder what the sitch is with this dude... okay, lemme mind my business until i see something that really requires my attention. like dude isn't back in 10 minutes.

* * *

the dream... parts of it have come back to me.

baby bliss and i were in the apartment i grew up in.

mr. bliss was there too. but he wasn't the mr. bliss we know and (usually) love. he was an "ike turner".

a mr. no-bliss, if you will.

i remember that he was enraged. ranting and raving outside our apartment door like a mad man. baby bliss was terrified, crying and wanting to hide but afraid for me. there were two dog leashes attached to the wall by the front door. they were bright orange. in dream-inference, i understood that mr. bliss had previously used them to punish me.

baby bliss was afraid he would do it again if she ran to hide. she thought she could stop him by staying.

i guess we were communicating by telepathy cuz i don't remember hearing anything in the dream. everything seemed to be pantomime but not overly exaggerated in that way.

i told baby bliss that i would no longer submit to the leashes. then i snatched one from the wall and we ran to hide it in the hall closet. i remember feeling frantic, searching for a place where i knew he wouldn't find it, no matter how hard he looked.

then i woke up.

* * *

a long time ago, someone told me that dreaming in color means you're crazy.

i don't know if that's true but i do know that i can recall two dreams where the color was noticeable enough to be memorable. only two...

this dream was one of them. the leash was very orange. bright. like almost red.

my thoughts upon waking were chakra-based. we learned about chakras when i studied Reiki. western thought is just beginning to recognize the concept of chakras but many eastern cultures have embraced the idea for thousands of years.

"chakra" is a sanskrit word that translates as "wheel". chakras are centers of energy that line up in the body from crown (top of head) to root (between the genitals and the anus).

there are 7 chakras and each one is associated with a specific color, among other things.

when i re-played the dream in my head, the color orange stood out. i'm not saying there was no other color in the dream. just that it's the only color i remember.

so now i'm looking up the chakras and colors in another browser window while i'm writing this...

here's what i got:



Orange:

Sacrum: svādhiṣṭhāna, स्वाधिष्ठान

Creativity, sexual energy (for women), desire, pleasure, stability, self-confidence, well-being,
taste.

Water. The lower belly.

Sexual healing, try new ways of expressing yourself creatively, dance, move your hips, practice yoga.

Sweet fruits, raw honey, nuts, spices.

since the orange was so bright, almost red, i'm checking red too. here it is:




Red or coral red:

 Root: mūlādhāra, मूलाधार

Survival, grounding, sexuality (for men), stability, smell.

Earth. The base of the spine.

Spend some time each day sitting directly on the earth. Dance!

Root vegetables, protein-rich foods, spices.


do y'all see a theme here?

my official interpretation (as an amateur dream interpreter): mr. bliss and i need to go out dancing, come home and eat all the special foods, then have crazy mad sex until we pass out.

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228: posts without numbers

okay y'all.

i'm just in the mood to write right now. '-)

i should be going back to correct those darned numbers. so i can feel better about myself. ROFL

seriously.

i need to do it and i'm gonna. so i can go back to numbering my most recent posts.

ooops! now don't i sound like a sleepy head? i just remembered that i don't have to worry about that cuz most of the last 25-50 posts (i think) are numbered correctly.

duh bliss. DUH!

227:

baby bliss and i were at the library earlier today.

she was on the internet computer watching "Drake and Josh" on Nickelodean. (is that spelled right? don't feel like googling it... too tired...)

when she was done she came over and said, "mommy i was gonna blog you but i didn't know how. i couldn't get past the blogger start page."

do y'all think she's trying to tell me something?

226: grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

dang it y'all!

i was in the "edit posts" module and noticed my numbering got wack around post 113.

why? Why? WHY?????? and how? How? HOW???????????

probably blogging in my sleep again. *shaking my head*

and now, being the semi-perfectionist that i am, i must go back and make amends.

thankfully, not all the posts after # 113 are affected. just some...

waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!

225: baby bliss and the art of being beautiful

hey y'all.

a sista is tired thanks to baby bliss and the morning photo shoot.

we had a 7:30 a.m. wake up call, an 8:30 a.m. departure from bliss headquarters, and a 9 a.m. arrival at destination.

the event was previously scheduled for a more reasonable hour last week but the photog had an emergency and we were moved to today's time slot.

some of y'all might know the preparation that goes into this kinda thing. for those who don't, lemme say a few words.

first, i saw an ad online for a photo studio that wanted models. i was interested for baby bliss so i checked out the place with the BBB and googled it too, to see if there were any negatives (comments and/or reviews) floating about. i finished my research with a trip to the company's website. everything looked legit so i subbed a few photos of baby bliss.

soon after, we got an e-mail response and a phone call to set up an appointment. the follow-up e-mail is what started the tizzy. baby bliss's wardrobe was sorely lacking in most of the items requested.

baby bliss is a mish-mash of beach-y girlie-girl. she likes ultra shiny lip gloss, flip flops, spaghetti-strap tank tops with cutesy skirts/flared leg stretch pants/cut off denim shorts, and the kinds of summer sun dresses Barbie might wear. she likes jeans too but i prefer not to see her in them so she only has a few pair floating around.

we needed to go shopping because baby bliss has never owned a pair of khakis in her life, has one pair of sneakers that she's only worn once or twice, hates coats and all winter accessories, and would get her hair done once a year if i let her.

a rush trip to the thrift store ensued. we were there for two hours and left with one pair of khaki-colored capri pants, a pair of beige cords, and a pair of dressy green velvet heels to go with a black velvet playing-dress-up dress. i also zoomed into walmart for a cheap iron cuz the old cruddy one we had (thanks for the loan grandma!) got missing about a week ago.

i washed and ironed like a fiend the night before. it took us an hour to get prepped for the road the morning of the shoot, then it got postponed literally a few minutes before we were due to walk out the door.

with so much time on my hands, i decided yesterday that we didn't have enough appropriate attire for the shoot. another mad dash to one of my favorite thrift stores became necessary. this time we got some really good stuff, in bright colors, as requested.

last night i had to wash and dry the stuff. this morning i had to re-pack the accessories and re-arrange outfits to include the new stuff. shame that most of baby bliss's old stuff was either neutral colors or prints, both no-no's for photo shoots, especially for children.

by the time i was done packing, we were leaving home with: 1 pair of khakis; 1 pair of beige cords; 2 pairs of jeans; 1 pair of black velour pajama pants; 5 or 6 short-sleeved tees in various bright colors; 2 pullover sweaters; 1 red pullover with 3/4 sleeves; 1 pink long-sleeved pullover; 2 "sun" dresses; 2 velvet floor-length gowns; 2 straw hats; numerous head scarves; 1 pair of gloves and matching neck scarf; 2 sleeveless down vests; 5 pairs of shoes (plus the ones she wore); a plastic baggie of extra bras and undies (just in case...); 2 purses; lots of jewelry; a lint roller; a small tupperware container of safety pins; small props (knitting and crochet needles, brightly colored yarn, geisha-style fans, large silver/gemstone-encrusted hair accessories, etc.)

i might have forgotten an item or two but that's the gist of it, all overstuffed into a medium-sized garment bag and one mid-sized duffle bag. thank God mr. bliss helped me tote the bags to the car. i felt like there was just too much going on and it was way too early in the morning for me to be in the middle of it.

thank God too for the faster way downtown. there's a long way that's a bit easier in terms of it being a straight shot. but it's a nightmare for folk like me who hate the stress of rush hour driving.

we arrived 30 minutes early, a feat unheard of during rush hour in my hometown.  ;-)

the photog actually met us in the parking lot (got a spot right at the back door) and helped us tote the bags into the studio. very classy.

baby bliss was photographed holding my driver's license (regulations of some sort) while i filled out the necessary model's release form. then the stylist whisked her off to get ready. baby bliss's clothes were already hanging on the rack when i arrived in the designated area.

the stylist coordinated the clothes and accessories, i assisted with hair and a bit with accessories, and helped baby bliss change outfits. i also gave the stylist tips on where to find great accessories and cool clothes because she said she loved the stuff i brought in.

(and how nice to overhear someone say they wished they had baby bliss's wardrobe.)

overall the shoot was fun, fun, fun!

baby bliss posed for a bunch of educational/school-type photos, some really cool ones with props, and some i'll classify as "other". i don't want to say too much cuz while i know the shoot wasn't top secret, i'm not sure how competitive the stock photography market is and i don't want to give away any ideas.

baby bliss put in a couple of hours of hard work. it was worth it because she got paid more per hour than i've ever earned as an hourly employee.

in fact, she made more in a few hours than some people make in a few days of work. all i could say was "wow".

a really cool thing: before we left the studio, one of the staff members said they'll be doing family shoots and asked if we'd be interested. i'm 'sposed to e-mail her shots of mr. bliss (and i guess me too).

yay!

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224: write when you get work

well y'all, i've been looking for work.

every so often, i get the urge to do something more. usually cuz i need/want more $$ coming in.

last week i talked to a small business owner who wants art for her shop. i e-mailed her photos of the baskets, hoping she'd be interested in them. she liked them but wants them bigger. much bigger.

so i started a new basket this weekend. i'm gonna see how wide i can make the base before it gets weird.

i also have a meet-n-greet/interview with the CEO of a regional magazine later today. i got the hook up from a family member but my editing/writing skills got my foot in the door. i know that what is for me will be mine and i'm thanking God in advance for this wonderful opportunity.

i'll be able to work from home (with occasional forays into the corporate office) and they know i home school so baby bliss is welcome to tag along.

what more can a momma ask for?

this all means we'll have to learn to adhere to something called a schedule.

it's not like we've never had one and don't have one now. it's just that looking at our lives before and after home schooling is like comparing a Picasso painting to... one of my baskets. they're both beautiful but totally different in form and function.

but one thing i've learned over the years is that no matter how full my life seems, there has always been room for something else. as if by magic, some thing--no longer necessary to my existence --just fades away.

speaking of fading away, i've gotta get some sleep. the wake-up call shall ring in at 9 a.m.

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223: and the Rockin' Girl Blogger Awards go to...

drumrolllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

1. Susan
   
2. Amanda
   
3. Candace

now i've gotta run and tell them all what they've won. :-)

222: bliss is a Rockin' Girl Blogger

oh my Gawd y'all!

i've been given a Rockin' Girl Blogger Award by my blog-sista Aly Cat, who's a Rockin' Girl Blogger herself. thanks girl! :-)

here it is:






isn't it cute y'all?

i read that the award was invented in june 2007 by a blogger named Roberta over at Blogging Made Devilishly Simple.

wow Roberta. you came up with a winner cuz i've seen this award in a whooooole lotta places and i had no idea it was a new concept.

and now, in keeping with tradition, i've gotta tag a Rockin' Girl Blogger or two...

so lemme go check my list a few times to see who's "it".

brb...

221: church stuff

church was soooooo good yesterday y'all.

we had lots of music, lots of laughter, lots of love. i had a few good cries too.

i hope i'm not boring y'all with this church stuff cuz i'm not a church lady.

it's just that this is so new for me, being into church like this. i haven't belonged to a "religious" organization since before baby bliss was born.

my life's journey has taken me to many places and some of them have felt real home-y. that's how our church feels to me and i'll stay as long as it feels right.

it's comfortable. embracing. warm. (and not just cuz the air conditioning could be a little cooler.) enlightening. fun. uplifting.

i like to take notes in church, like i do most places in real life. in addition to being wonderful facilitators, our ministers are both very funny and entertaining. a few sundays ago, i realized them gals turn a phrase so purty that some of what they say would make interesting dialogue for my fictional characters. some would make good epigraphs for chapters too.

that's a good thing right? '-)

220: news of the "varied" sort

hey y'all!

how was your (collective) weekend?

mine was busy. baby bliss and i semi-house/dog sat for a friend. i say "semi" cuz we didn't sleep over at her place.

thank God/Goddess/Universe for friends with pets. baby bliss has been begging for a pooch for too long now but a weekend of keeping up with somebody else's lil pooper was all it took to convince her that no four-legged critters will inhabit her immediate future.

hallelujah!

the entrepreneural (is that a word?) baby bliss was paid for her services but i'm willing to bet she won't want to work like that again any time soon.

the most valuable part of the lesson: cleaning up pee pee and poo poo comes with the job.

for today's language arts assignment, baby bliss will draft then finalize a short story about her experience.

we now move on to the news.

* * *

ladies (and gents too), if you have chaps working fast food, tell them to be careful!

a 20-year old young lady was arrested for "over-salting" a burger. yes, you're reading it right. and you can read the full story here: Well That Wasn't a Donut!

why this strikes me as unjust: not only cuz it's stupid but why wasn't the manager arrested too? my interpretation was that the manager was more concerned with store profits (why not add more meat to counter the extra salt?) than the customer's taste buds/health.

i smell an overly salty lawsuit coming.

* * *

if nudity offends thee, don't move to Oakland, CA where one man has a judge's okay to work naked. check out the full story: Shouldn't You Cover Your...

* * *

the final story is of particular interests to parents. think long and hard before you let your chaps ride out with your family, friends, or neighbors. some of them might have secrets that could lead to this: If It Ain't Paid for Ya Cain't Keep It

personally, i think the guys lied when they said they searched the SUV first...

219: this just in...

from baby bliss:

"mommy why are you blogging?! we're supposed to be getting ready to go."

218: friends are people too

hey y'all.

i've been over to the Crazy Hip Mamas blog and i see that i'm not the only one outta sorts these days. mine is a fuzzy, i-can't-quite-get-it-together feeling that i get every so often. this time it's cuz i'm congested and cough-y and super overbooked all at the same time. totally yucky feeling...

but i digress y'all.

the Crazy Hip Blog Mamas are blogging about friendship in Collaboration #44. and that's what this entry is 'sposed to be about too, so here goes.

i've had lots of friends in my life. some short, some tall; some who could sing like angels, some who would scare the devil out of hell with what they call a tune. i've met people who were wonderful friends for a day and some who have been friends since 2nd3rd4th grade.

some of my friends are only e-mail buds. some are blogging buds (like some of y'all reading this). some i call once a month, some i might call once a year. i have friends i haven't seen since cooter was a pup and some i see a bit more often.

some of my husbands have been friends of mine. it's taken me many a year to realize that i am one of my own best friends and so is God.


i like knowing that my friends won't judge me too harshly, cuz they know me so well. they know my limitations and my shortcomings, how i'm still working on being who i am becoming, and they are content to allow me to do what i do best.

they know when i'm bee essing around and won't let me go for too long without calling me on it.

they know who and what i love best in this world and will find ways to make sure i have those people and things as part of my life.

they always do their best to keep me in the midst of life's goodness and help me maintain my composure when the shyt hits the fan and i want to go off on somebody.

they let me know that sure, i can have that banana split today but i'd betta be riding the stationary bike tomorrow or suffer the you-gained-a-pound consequences with no commiseration.

most importantly, i know i can count on my friends to have my back, no matter what.

and that's the way i like it.

now get on over to Crazy Hip Blog Mamas to see what other folk are saying about friends/friendship in Collaboration #44.
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217: sunday stuff

oh happy day! 

we were late for church sunday cuz we overslept by 28 minutes and we dragged our tails getting outta here. on a nicer note, i discovered a better route to church. it's not faster but i like it better cuz the first leg is highway driving. when our road winds back into the city, the scenery is fresh and new cuz it's not our usual route. that makes it a nicer drive for me. '-) 

boy howdy was church good! our friend S___ went to another of our churches so i sat near folks who i didn't know until the end, when we hugged and cried on each other. baby bliss goes to the kid's section now without my prompting. i'm happy for her cuz for awhile she was too shy. 

one time she went and came back crying 10 minutes later, saying she didn't know what they expected her to do. 

after church, we stopped briefly at the library to return a movie. our next stop was bloom to get chips and soda for the cookout at our ministers' house. we took the few hours between church and party to rest and i should have taken a nap but didn't. 

i also should have taken my contacts out and rinsed them but i didn't. :-(  (i probably should be doing it right now but i'm not.) 

the cookout was fun and yummy. our ministers, C___ and R___ provided the dogs and burgers. we all brought the rest.  :0) everyone laughed, talked, ate, and drank to almost-bursting. the chaps ran around the yards (front, back, side), played b-ball, volley ball, flew a mylar frisbee, and probably enjoyed themselves more than the adults. 

there was also a live concert with our musical director for the month. he's a very talented dude who has performed at venues around the country and with some well-known artists. he and our ministers are good friends. i missed the music cuz i stayed outside with some of the chaps (baby bliss included) and started a new basket. we got home round about 9 p.m. 

it's movie night.

216: more weekend stuff

saturday was busy too.

baby bliss left in the early a.m. to go hiking/mountain climbing with our friend S___. i was blissfully home alone for several glorious hours.

later the three of us went shopping at value village thrift. my best buy was a black dress similar to a favorite black dress i already own. i was overjoyed to find this newest dress. a plain black dress can go from the library to the white house with a few changes of accessories. the best thing was that red labels were 75% off and i got the dress for 62 cents. :0)

that tops a previous best buy of a few weeks ago from v.v.t., when i got a dress for 75 cents.

and i'm not talking about clothes with strings raveling, torn seams, or lint balled up all over 'em y'all. 99.5% of the clothes i get at the thrift are very gently worn. the only exceptions i make are for clothing baby bliss or i will use for lounging.

i like the v.v.t. better than goodwill. goodwill's discounts aren't all that good and they're sometimes few and far between. they offer 10% off to people who donate, 25% off (i think) on tuesdays for seniors, and sometimes they do holiday sales.

v.v.t. has better deals but you gotta search for them. saturday, red tags were 75% off and blue tags were 50% off. the v.v.t. i used to shop back home had four discount colors every day. i wonder if they still do that or if they're down to two colors as well.

after shopping we ran off in search of fried fish. we found some but it wasn't as good as i wanted it to be. i asked for whiting and they said that's what i got. but it didn't taste like whiting. didn't particularly look like it either. i think they think that most people don't know one fish from another once it's fried.

i do and i won't be eating there ever again.

215: weekend stuff

hey y'all!

hows your holiday weekend going? our's is busy, busy, busy.

as usual...

friday we were awakened to the cacophony of my husband getting ready to hightail it to his family reunion. he wanted to give me the bill money before he left town (good thing) but he could have been quieter about it.

some days i suspect that mr. bliss gets a perverse pleasure in scaring me awake.

never mind that baby bliss and i were supposed to get up with the roosters to return some items to the library so they would be counted with the previous day's returns. i was doggie dog tired cuz i was up writing that post in friday's wee hours.

mr. bliss got us up early but not early enough. that meant the returns would be late any way. so we decided to shower, get dressed, then head to the library for our usual hanging-out-at-the-library stuff. we got there around 10 and stayed until 4 or so.

i was totally content to stay longer but baby bliss got bored after she finished her library doings. she was rushing me to leave, as usual. which was a bit perturbing. one of the reasons i like hanging out at the library is cuz they have wi-fi. at home we've got dial-up. i don't have to explain that to anyone right?

another reason is cuz baby bliss can get online for a few hours and leave me be. sometimes i get real work done. ;0)

our friend S___ met us at home at 6 to ride with us to a church event. our church is seeking new shelter and there's a building for sale... the current occupants were gracious enough to let us have a mini concert in conjunction with our building tour. it's a nice space. could use some redecoration for sure (especially the green carpet; i hope we get a nice sturdy berber).

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oooops! looks like i've run outta time y'all. our ministers are having a cookout at their house in about an hour. they said people could arrive early for games and what not so we're headed out. baby bliss is dressed and rushing me, as usual...

ciao folks!