Happy Feet

Flat feet are common...so are bunions...but after years of living with pain I'm going under the knife...TWICE...to have the problem corrected.

My feet are so small and narrow most people don't notice that they are flat or that I have a bone the size of a golf ball sticking out of each of them. I am very self-concious about my feet. I don't wear sandals or shoes that often, I prefer sneakers or clunky square toe boots. You can almost always find me in socks. I like my feet enough to get pedicures every 2/3 weeks but that is where the likeness ends.

On Saturday Oct 7 and Saturday Nov 11 I'm going to have surgery on my feet. First the left and then the right. The doctor is going to break each foot and reset the bones with titanium rods. Sounds painful, don't it? So I'm not exactly looking forward to it but I'm at a now or never point. There is never a good time to do any serious procedure but I know over the next few months my work load is going to increase so it will become harder and harder to schedule the surgery and have the recuperation time I need.

I don't really experience pain in my feet unless I have been dancing in stilletos for hours. The pain is usually in my shins, knees, hips, lower back....some times the pain even reaches my neck. Basically my entire body tries to compensate for the bone structure of my feet.

I want to be able to workout at the gym and not worry about having to limp home because of the pain. I want to take hip hop and salsa dance classes again and not have to quit because of my shin splints. I would like to dance my ass off at the club and not be in pain because of it the next day. I would even like the option of trying out to be a Nets or Knicks dancer. I'm in too much pain to train for tryouts let alone make a squad and perform at games. I just want Happy Feet.

In the Mood for...Cooking

I'm one of those people that when I get in a mood or set my mind to something there is no stopping me. There are days when I'm in a cleaning mood or a sleeping mood or an eating mood (watch out for those days this little person can devour large quantities of food) or a watch TV until my eyes burn mood. I have never, ever, ever gotten in to a cooking mood.

Anyone that knows me knows that on my list of least favorite activities would be cooking. You can ask my Momma and she will surely admit it is all her fault that I can't cook. So in addition to needing a date I hope to find a man that can teach me a few tricks in the kitchen...get your mind out of the gutter on this occasion I don't mean THOSE kind of tricks. Every time I cook I either cut myself, burn myself, burn the food or some combination of all three. So I tend to avoid the kitchen.

But tonight I was feeling in the mood...the mood to cook. Yes, you read that right. Last night when I got off of work I came home and was looking for something quick to eat. In my search for tuna fish I came across some seasoning packets for chili and beef stew. My first thought, I wonder if I can get my mom to make me some chili and beef stew. I read the cooking instructions and thought...maybe I could make it myself.

So today after work I decided to actually go in to the grocery store that I walk by every single day, to and from work, but never go in. I decided to get what I needed to make beef stew, chili and tacos and decide what to make when I got home.

I was hungry so I decided to make what was the easiest...tacos. But cooking would not be complete if I didn't cut or burn myself or burn the food. I burned some of the taco shells but at least I didn't burn the meat. So not a complete disaster.

I ate my tacos and decided to cut up the potatoes for the beef stew. In the process of browning the stew beef I slightly burned my wrist. What did I tell you about my cooking jinx? Anyway, I cut up way too many potatoes so I decide to use the extra potatoes to make mashed potatoes as a side for a meal later in the week.

In one Monday night, when I would normally be watching football but I could care less about the Saints or the Falcons (sorry to Saints/Falc fans), I cooked...and not just one meal but several. The tacos were fine...pretty hard to fuck that up. My first beef stew is quite tasty if I do say so myself. And my first attempt at mashed potatoes not in a box was pretty damn good too. Almost as good as my mom's and my sister's. Not quite as smooth but I ran out of milk and my arm was hurting from all the mashing.

If I happen to get in to a cooking mood again, probably not anytime this week, I have the ingredients ready for the chili.

Kicked the habit

After months of collecting Coke Rewards I have finally kicked the habit...so to speak. I got enough points to get 10,000 Delta Sky Miles and 20 free rentals at Blockbuster so I am more than satisfied with the results. I know y'all were thinking who really saves all these caps and enters in the codes. And now you can proudly say you knew someone who was crazy enough to do it and that person was me :)

Upgrade U

I'm feeling Beyonce's new CD. I love the concept of her song "Upgrade U." I always think a guy getting with me is "a good look," because I bring so much to the table. So I submitted a definition of upgrade u to urbandictionary.com and it was approved. Check it out and let me know what you think.

September 11

Five years ago I was in college...just getting out of class when I heard that 2 planes had crashed in to the World Trade Center. I ran to the journalism school and stood in the hallway in awe as we watched CNN on the huge monitors. I couldn't believe what I was seeing replayed over and over and over again.

That day just changed so many lives in ways that could not be imagined. So today I decided to watch United 93 and I cried...a lot. I cried from the moment they showed the second plane hitting the second tower until the end of the movie.

I haven't been to Ground Zero since it happened. To me it is a sacred place, to others it is a tourist trap. I have too much respect for the dead to go and just gawk. No one in my family has been there since. I guess I am a true New Yorker despite the Jersey Drive...it's like something about that place...we can't go near it. My sister used to work at a Chase bank down there and she just can't bring herself to go near it. I live in NYC and even I can't do it...not yet. Not sure what it will take for me or anyone in my family to go there.

I remember driving down the NJ Turnpike at night when they had two huge spotlights shooting straight up in to the sky to resemble the towers that once stood there. It was so beautiful and so sad.

As Americans we have enjoyed a freedom that others can only imagine. But all of that was taken from us on 9/11/01. Freedom has a cost that can't be calculated. As a Black person I don't wear physical shackles but the shackles of the mind are even more powerful than actual shackles. Everyone does things differently now because of 9/11 and we will never go back to the way things once were.

Some day my kids will have to do reports about 9/11. And I hope I can help them without crying. I hope I can still remember what life was like before 9/11.

Toddler Tech

I was talking to my ex and he just thought it was so cute that his 4 year old nephew has a Gameboy that he falls asleep with and can kick butt in kickboxing on Playstation. I was none to pleased.

No 4 year old child of mine will have their own Gameboy or gaming system of any kind. My kid better know how to read, write and do math at a 1st grade level in order to be privileged to use, let alone own, any gaming system.

I understand there are educational games for kids and I'm all for those but there is an age for everything. I personally think 4 is too young. But then again, I'm not a parent so what do I know.

Random Fun

Me and German Girl have the most random fun. Like one day we were having a craving for IHOP. I thought the IHOP near my apt was open 24 hours...come to find out that's only on the weekends. So we knew there was a IHOP in Queens. We hopped in the car and tried to find it. That turned in to a fantastical adventure through Queens. When we did find the IHOP it was closed so we had to eat at this diner across the street from the IHOP. Why were we the only people in the place that could speak English?

Last week during VMA's GG said I should go to this gift suite with her. I said what the hell. We walk up in the suite and alcohol is flowing like water. I ended up having a big ass mojito c/o Nikki Beach and some other drink AND I got a free bottle of vodka to take home. Mind you this was like 2pm in the middle of a work day. I went back to work quite tipsy. That was just another random occurance with GG.

GG got tickets to the Mariah Carey concert at Jones Beach. So we hopped in the car and headed to LI. LI is far and dark...there are hardly any lights and none whatsoever out at Jones Beach. We had great seats and there was even a fireworks display at the end of the show. But coming back was a fantastical adventure. We ended up hitting almost all the 5 boroughs just trying to get back to civilization. I thought I would never get home. But we had fun being lost...the fun is in the travel and the phone calls we had to make to get back home.

GG and I have so much random fun together...NYC would not be the same without her. GG your the bestest!!! Cheers to more random fun ;)

User Error - Roll Call

I have been having issues with this blog for some time. I didn't understand at one time why I was getting no comments. I just thought y'all didn't love me. But for some odd reason it was set to not allow anyone to comment.

And then I didn't know the thing was set to moderate and word verification. So there were comments from as far back as April waiting to be approved. But I think I have it all figured out now. No more word verification but I am going to moderate comments because at one time I was getting bs spam postings.

So now that we have gotten through the technical errors we can return to our regularly scheduled program. Let me know whose out there reading, what's good, what's bad...whatever!!! I'll start...ROLL CALL: Mia aka Miss MySi aka Harlem World aka Video Vixen and I have a whole bunch more aka's...lol. Right now everything is all good and I'm loving life. Still wishing I had a DATE but life is not your way, right away...so I'm coasting...

VMA Recap

Justin's performance when he released Justified was better than this one. Although Timbaland looks like he has lost a few pounds.

I can't believe how bad Jack Black's opening was and his job so far.

The opening SUCKED and Lil Kim is a mess.

Kelly Clarkson was not there because she didn't think she would win.

And Lil Jon's song playing the entire time he was talking had to be a fuck up.
I can't believe folks actually stood up.

And I don't understand the seating...where the hell are people sitting...on the stage? My girl who was there for People mag said there was side platform seating.

The Ludacris moneymaker performance was boring.

Jessica Simpson did sound raspy. There were rumors she was faking her laringitis.

How did pussycat dolls beat shakira? Why did the other nominees for best dance video look mad...and why did Snoop look mad too? He was on the song with the PCD. The PDC's thank yous were too long...they should have gotten cut off with music like they do at the Oscars.

I actually liked the Ok Go performance. They were the guys in the gift suite with me and Tiff from people mag...gotta tell y'all about the gift suite experience another time.

I'm not personally a fan of the American Rejects. Shakira and Wyclef were okay.

Best Pop Video - Pink was even shocked to win that and she broke her moon man.

John Norris' hair looked a mess...he tries too hard to remain young and hip.
But Kurt Loder kept it real.

Was that gin and juice in Snoop's cup and why didn't he have a pimp chalice?

Best Rap video - Chamillionaire wasn't riding dirty but he wasn't ready for that win. And he put 20/20 on blast. Racial profiling...speak on it.

Beyonce's performance was the best performance thus far in the show. Although the moves were out of a Janet Jackson video. Beyonce took her outfit out of a page of En Vogue's past...anyone remember that video where they all wore black leather outfits.

And who was the Silverman chick...her skits were stupid.

If Diddy shortens his name any further it will just be DID.

TI mixed it up...had me throwing up A's in my living room. And the kids dancing in the background was cute. They were trying to lean wit it, rock wit it.

What the hell was wrong with Jared Leto? Just stick to the script and present the dayum award. And I'm slow or maybe Crazy because I didn't know Gnarls Barkley was a group. And the best group winners, American Rejects, were toasted and said they were going to get even more drunk...aighty then.

Ringtone of the year -Who?

Panic! at the Disco - Who again?

Fergie and Little Miss Sunshine coming down the runway to Super Freak - shaking my head

Best New Artist - Who?

Britney and Kevin presenting best R&B video was not a funny skit. Beyonce and Slim Thug as the winners was a good look. BUT K. Fed messed up and said Beyonce featuring Snoop Dogg.

Video Vanguard for Hype Williams presented by Kanye West was actually interesting. I liked what he had to say and it didn't seem like he was reading from a teleprompter. Genious of black video...what a title to have.

Again...who the hell is Sarah Silverman? She was so random it was just odd.

Christina Aguilera...that girl can SANG...cop her album...it's worth the money.

I zoned out on the rock portions of the show.

Having a house band was ...well...different...I'm neutral on it.

Overall: THE SHOW SUCKED!!!