Usually a Leader, but Today, a Lazy Follower....

1. EVER BEEN GIVEN A RING? 
Twice - Darren* & Tony.....*yawn*
 
2. LONGEST RELATIONSHIP? 
Does fooling around with my high school sweetheart* for 15+ years count?
 
3. LAST GIFT YOU RECEIVED?
Birthday dranking $$ from Deedles.

4. HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU DROPPED YOUR CELL?
Too many to count which is why I have a protective cover.

5. THE LAST TIME YOU WORKED OUT? 
Water aerobics ended last week.  PS Does sexing 5-7 times a week count?

6. THING(S) YOU SPEND A LOT OF MONEY ON?
Clothes, shoes, petro & home improvement stuff as of late.

7. LAST FOOD YOU ATE?
Jimmy Dean sausage biscuits

8. FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT THE OPPOSITE SEX?
Height

9. A FAVORITE SONG:
Actually I have 3: Loving You by Minnie Riperton; Always & Forever by Heatwave & Got to Give it Up by Marvin Gaye

10. WHERE DO YOU LIVE?
St. Louis City aka Midtown aka The Grove

11. DID YOU LIKE HIGH SCHOOL?
I loved it despite getting knocked up too soon.

12. A FAVORITE FOOD.
Panko breaded fried shrimp

13. BIGGEST LIE YOU HAVE EVER HEARD.
I love you.  (Ninja please!)

14. WORST JOB YOU EVER HELD: 
None. 

15. DO YOU OWN A PAIR OF DICE?
Yep, as part of a few board games.

16. FAVORITE PRANK CALL?
Woooo.....Back in the day before caller ID, I had my cousin call my BFF and pretend like she was a counselor from the Health Dept looking for my BFFs boyfriend regarding his STD test.  That shit was hilarious!!!  She was ready to whoop my ass! *LOL*

17. LAST WEDDING ATTENDED?
The "White Folks" wedding back in April.

18. FIRST FRIEND YOU'D CALL IF YOU WON THE LOTTERY?
Friends?  Ha!  I ain't calling nobody but the airlines to book my one-way ticket outta here.

19. THE LAST TIME YOU ATTENDED CHURCH.
Hell if I know.

20. FAVORITE FAST FOOD RESTAURANT?
Landry's Seafood

I Luv Halloween!

Yep!  I'm 30+ years young & I Luv Halloween! 

In my book, Halloween is not a celebration of something wicked, but a time for kids to be kids & have a lil fun.....even if the fun includes swords, bedsheets & fangs.

As a child, my mother & grandparents made a huge ordeal out of every holiday, including Halloween.  I really do miss those times, but will always cherish the memories.

On Halloween, we always went trick or treating or to a party.   My mother couldn't bake worth a damn, but Muda could!   We always made all kinds of cakes, cookies & candies, while Muda supervised.  Papa always requested to taste test our creations & we passed every time.  Now that I think of it, some of that stuff was crap, but he never let on that it didn't please his palate.

I can remember being dressed as  Cinderella, Minnie Mouse, a cheerleader, and my all time fav, Witchy B (my mom came up with that one so don't even ask).   My sister, you know the one with 5 kids, was such a tomboy, she was always a ball player, a pirate, monster or something I considered boyish.

I wish I had the photos, but I don't, as they are (as I've been lead to believe) being held hostage in my uncle's ex-wife basement (along with all of my grandmothers photo albums).....I digress.

I can also remember Papa carving out the pumpkins - one for me & one for my sister.   My grandparents didn't do cartoons, so that's where my mom came in.  She'd pop popcorn & we'd make trail-mix like concoctions with the popcorn, red hot riplets, cheetos & whatever else we would find.  We'd curl up in her bed & watch Halloween cartoons. 

All in all my Halloween experiences have left me with nothing but a lifetime of pleasant memories.

Candidates are Back to Battle it Out in Missouri

http://news.yahoo.com/election/2008/dashboard
...and here's the reason why.

I am Jennifer...and She is Me.

I don't know her personally & probably never will, but my heart is breaking for Jennifer, her loved ones & friends.  With the exception of losing a brother (I never had one), I know exactly what she's going thru.  Maliciously losing a mother & young child, having a sister who seems to choose the wrong men, being the one who identifies the bodies, the one the police & media come to with all the questions, the one who has to take the lead & be in control, the one whom everyone seems to think is the rock & the one they all tend to lean on.

I've shared my story here, but the one thing I didn't mention is the who, as in the lousy bastard who murdered my mother & 10-year old baby sister almost a decade ago.  My middle sister was sleeping with the enemy, literally. 

10 years later & I still can't seem to wrap my mind around & get out what I really want to say.  I can say this - I hope women will wake the hell up & take a little more precaution when getting involved with men who are only out for themselves & mean no earthly good to the women they attract.  

What I went thru & what Jennifer is going thru was no random act of violence - that shit is personal!

I am Jennifer....and she is me.

Me & My *ahem* Boyfriend

Helloooooooooo!  Did ya miss me?  Of course you did!

Anyway, I know some of you have been wondering about my whereabouts & have so much has told me so.  I certainly appreciate it & am so glad to know people like you! 

All is well on the homefront & as some of you know/have read, I recently acquired *lol* a new boyfriend.  I've known him for almost 2 years (he's my cousin's bro-in-law) & we started hanging out a few weeks before my DC excursion.   Every since I came back, he's been taking up the time I had reserved for my online buddies & shenanigans. *lol* 

He's a pretty good guy, a year younger than me, loves to cook & is handy as a mofo (a single female homeowner's dream)!   I've gotten more work done at my house in the last 30 days than I have in the last 6 years!   Ladies, I'm talking painting, repairing, carpet cleaning, ceiling fan hanging (I damn near electrocuted him trying to help, but don't tell anybody), light fixture switching, etc., etc.! 

We have a lot fun together.  He's not as quick-witted as yours truly (hell they never are), but he still makes me laugh.  We've had a few "disagreements" but nothing a cool-off period and makeup sex couldn't cure. 

An issue I do have with him is that he smokes.  Of course, I don't allow smoking in my house or car, so he (and anybody else) has to go outside for their nicotine fix.  He keeps dropping hints about catching pneumonia when he steps out to smoke & all I can do it laugh.  Now he's asking my permission to install some kind of window exhaust in my basement.  I don't know about all that.....

 

 

The Color Purple - The Musical

Rating:	★★★★★
Category:	Other

Along with 3 friends, I had the pleasure of viewing this event from the 3rd row center on Saturday. It was awesome! The best $64 I never spent (we got our tickets free courtesy of carrier rep). It IS a must see for die hard Color Purple fans & Broadway Musical fans.

The cast was awesome & those folks can SANG! I would've loved to see Fantasia as Celie, but the young lady who had the role was just was great. LaToya London (American Idol runner up) was fab as Nettie as well.

The musical stayed true to the story for the most part, but they did mix it up a bit and that was nice too. ..and yes, I did shed a tear or two & you probably will/would too.

Toodles for now!

PS I'm still here...my new *ahem* boyfriend is occupying the time I had reserved for y'all! *lol*

Top 10 Home Improvement Projects

I drafted this blog this summer & due to my recent acquisition of "Boyfriend -Version 2008", I had to make some updates.

I've been in my house for 6 years and 4 months.  Of course my house came with nothing but the best & cheapest items/products money could buy.  Off-white walls, beige carpet & the cheapest lighting fixtures Home Depot offers, throughout.

When I moved in I had to focus on the important missing items - like appliances not supplied by the builder (i.e., w/d & fridge) and furniture I needed/wanted.

As of now, I don't need for anything, but my wants are forever building.

Here are the top 10 things I want/need to do around the ranch:

1. Repair back fence/gate.  I live near the corner & a lot of folks tend to use my parking pad as a u-turn ramp.  Some jackass hit my fence once & then I hit it and made it worse.
   
   
2. Fix the crack in my foundation where the water seeps in.  I love the rain, but I don't want it in my house.
   
   
3. Get new carpet throughout.  I 1st considered professionally cleaning what I have, but I've never liked it anyway. (My *ahem* boyfriend cleaned the entire 1st floor & the stairs this weekend & believe me when I say, that was no easy task.)
   
   
4. Install shelving in the family/guest/music/TV/computer room. Yes, it multi-functional! *lol*
   
   
5. Add hardware to the kitchen & bath cabinets (I bought the stuff 2 years ago. *smh*) (Thanks to my boyfriend, this has been done.)
   
   
6. Install a digital thermostat. (Yep!  Boyfriend has taken care of it.)
   
   
7. Paint the entire interior (except the living room (already done) and basement (unfinished). (The 1st floor is done, thanks to boyfriend again.)
   
   
8. Switch out & upgrade the lighting on the 1st floor and landing.  (You guessed it, boyfriend has completed this as well.)
   
   
9. Fix the cracked concrete at the bottom of the front steps.
   
   
10. Install nice, laminate (hardwood ain't even necessary in my 'hood) flooring in the kitchen, faux foyer & possibly the bathrooms. (Boyfriend promised to do this also.  I think he's trying to get some serious browning points.)
    

Do you have any wanted, lingering or undone home improvement projects?