NBA All Star Weekend

I arrived Friday morning around 4am and what did I do...go out of course. The anxiety of getting there mixed with the strip being all lit up I was ready to party.

My girls and I made a quick run to McDonalds which would be the late night eating spot every night. I told them to not feel bad about eating McDonalds this late because technically it was breakfast time on the east coast. I changed my clothes and I went over to MGM Grand just to walk around and see what was up.

My girls had been to Studio 54 earlier in the night and had gotten in to VIP thanks to Vince Young and his entourage. A little sad I missed out on that but more was yet to come.

Friday I was up and out by 11am. I hit the strip early to see what parties were going on that night and what I could get in for free or discounted. I ended up getting on the RSVP list for Pure but that night we came close but ended up some place different. For lunch I went to the buffet at Ceasar's at it wasn't that great. I think the best buffets in Las Vegas are at the Bellagio and Aladdin. Later that afternoon I got up with one of my girls from Carolina and we had a few frozen drinks and hit the tables. I spotted the Office Spouse and his crew...or I should say he spotted me...cause surely if he had kept on walking I wouldn't have noticed...that was the only sighting all weekend.

So the plan on Friday was to go to the So So Def party at Aladdin and if that wasn't popping head over to Pure. We get to Aladdin and there is a lounge in the middle of the casino and we go in there and chill for a minute. End up chilling with Chingy and his entourage. The So So Def party was wack, maybe because it was early, but we left and were headed over to Pure. Just as we were making our way to Pure a guy stops us and offers us free passes to Light. Light is one of my absolute favorite clubs in Vegas because they have 4 poles which allows a woman to let her inner stripper girl out. So we totally changed plans and headed over to Light. It was a mob scene outside of the club because Sprite was doing a promotional party for LeBron James and the release of his 3 commercials that users are supposed to vote on. Somehow we hooked up with some random white chick who seemed to know everyone at the door and we were in the club by 10:30pm. Well the Sprite party was not over and in fact was just getting started so we got up close and personal with LeBron...so close I could count the pimples on his face...he needs Proactive. We partied so hard that my feet have never, ever, ever hurt so bad.

The line to get a cab back to the hotel was ridiculous...so we chose to walk with no shoes on...at first. We got maybe a block away and a random cabby picked us up. It was the end of us his shift but he saw us struggling and picked us up. The cab ride was only $5 but we gave him $20 just because we were so thankful.

Saturday I was up and out early again, back on the strip people watching and trying to secure another party for our last night in Vegas. I got so much random free stuff on the strip...from LeBron t-shirts to a special poker chip that would get me and the girls in to a party at the Empire Ballroom for free to magazines and CD's. We went shopping, or in my case window shopping cause y'all know I hate shopping and celebrity watching. There were so many celebrities every where and they were just mixed in with us regular folks. There were honestly too many celebrities to name them all.

Saturday night we are looking cute, of course, as we waited in line to get in to LeBron's party at the Empire Ballroom. After waiting for an hour, which was an hour later than the get in free poker chip was supposed to work, someone comes out and makes an announcement that they are having sound problems but they would still honor the chip. Now there was a VIP line where people paid $150+ for advanced tickets and $300+ for VIP. I might have had to wait in line but those VIP's looked stupid paying for the same party I was getting in to for free. We partied in line and had a good time laughing, talking and of course drinking. I had never been to the Empire Ballroom before and it is actually a nice venue. We paid a security guard $20 each and was able to go in and out of the VIP area at our leisure.

It wouldn't be Vegas if someone didn't get drunk off their ass and for once that person was not me. When one of my girls came over and took a shot of a dark liquor and a light liquor me and the guys I were talking to gave each other the "she's going to be spending the evening in the bathroom" look and we were right. But her getting sick didn't ruin the night just added to the experience. When the vomiting was under control we sent her back to the casino with some random guy in a Ferrari...I know, sounds dangerous but it worked...and we stayed and partied for another hour or so.

The trip went by so fast it was like a blur but honestly I couldn't have stayed another day. I got a terrible cold and I needed a day at home just to recover before I went back to work. Las Vegas you can only take in small doses because too many days in Sin City might kill you.

All in all it was a great weekend. I met some really nice guys no matter where I was but of course no one I would keep in touch with. Saw some people I hadn't seen since graduating from school. And all in all it was exactly what I expected. It was the most black people I have ever seen in one place and that is saying a lot since I have been to Essence Fest and Bayou Classic in New Orleans as well as lived in one of the blackest cities in the USA...Atlanta. It was also women dressed like they were going to the club even though it was 1 in the afternoon. There were the GQ guys and the thug guys and just a little bit of everything in between.

But if you weren't paying attention 1st night I paid nothing to party and second night I paid nothing initially to party and then $20 to the bouncer. So I partied my ass off in Las Vegas for $20. I am so glad I didn't buy tickets in advance for any of the parties that were being advertised on the internet.

I will be going to New Orleans. I'm already making plans. I hope the NBA does All Star weekend in Vegas again, and soon before my days of travelling across country to party my ass off are over.

Birthday Wish

I can't believe my birthday is a week away. As usual I don't have anything planned. But I did make sure to take the day off so if all I want to do is sleep the day away I can.

Y'all know me...I don't want or ask for a lot. If I get something I'm always appreciative. If I don't get anything, I'm still happy to be alive and live to see another year.

But if you are wondering what to get the birthday girl I can only think of three things I want:

1. A watch
I'm tired of not knowing what time it is when I'm on the subway and I can't get the time on my cell phone because there is no service underground.

2. Earrings
I seriously need some gold earrings. If I don't start wearing some earrings again my upper holes will close. I can only wear gold earrings cause I'm allergic to everything else.

3. Digital Camera
I feel like I've missed out on capturing so many moments in my life. So despite the fact that I really do hate taking pictures I need to keep record of some of my memories.

Special request of my ATL friends, if y'all are so inclined, I would really LOVE some bottles of that wine Smoochie had at our Turkey Day dinner. And one of those nice wine openers so I don't have to sneak in to Mz. B's crib and steal hers ;)

If nothing else be sure to wish me Happy Bday on my bday.

I MUST Love This Game

Commissioner David Stern...if you are reading this...no one loves this game more than I do. For months I have been so hyped about going to Las Vegas for NBA All-Star weekend. And with one snow storm my dreams were about to be snowed under.

The original plan was to fly out to Vegas on Valentine's Day to get there before the crowds and celebrate loving me on the day of love. Thanks to the snow storm that hit NYC on V-day eve my plans were blown to hell.

Valentine's morning I was checking the status of my flight online every 10 minutes. My flight was at 12:29 and I held out until 11:00am before I finally left for the airport. Just as I pulled up to Laguardia my cell phone rings. It's an automated message from American telling me my flight was cancelled. Why didn't they call me 30 minutes ago? I could have stayed home and been on the internet and the phone figuring out how to fix my travel plans.

I stayed at the airport for 3 more hours trying to figure out how to get out on a flight that day or the next day. Everything was a bust. No flights available until Saturday night. The airline refunded my ticket and the hotel I was staying at refunded my one night stay. I sadly took the bus home, because the cab line was too long at the airport and I was ready to unpack and go back to my daily grind.

But thanks to my indescribable office spouse, he would not let me give up. There just has to be a way.

He was able to catch a flight out of Newark on Continental to Los Angeles and was going to drive with his boys to Vegas. He told me if I could get to LA I could ride with his boys to Vegas. So there was still hope.

I got home at 3pm and was on the phone and the internet for 4 hours trying to figure out how to get to L.A. or Las Vegas. Around 7:30pm a solution finally came and my Vegas adventure was about to begin. Get to Las Vegas or die trying...lol...well not die but try my hardest.

I caught a 10pm Amtrak train to BWI airport. I got to the airport around 1am and had to sleep on a bench in the airport. Luckily I brought my neck pillow with me and there were other stranded passengers in the airport so the airline gave us sodas, snacks, pillows and blankets (the skinny airline kind). By 5am I was in line and checking my bag on Southwest to LAX. My flight was supposed to leave at 9:30am with a layover in Phoenix and I would land in LA at 2:45pm. Due to flight delays I got bumped to an earlier non-stop flight that was departing at 9am. I was supposed to land in LA at 12 noon but actually landed at 11:30am. So things were starting to look up.

I caught a shuttle to the apartment of my office spouse's friend in Pasadena. Of course the office spouse (and everyone else) thinks I'm crazy on the regular but even more crazy for travelling by plane, train and automobile to get to Vegas. I had been on the go since 7:30am on Wednesday morning and it was now 1:30 Thursday afternoon or 4:30 for y'all east coast folks. The office spouse said it was time for me to chill and relax after all I went through. So we went and got some lunch and sat outside and enjoyed the weather. Eating lunch outside, in the sun, in the middle of February. ONLY on the west coast. After lunch I took a shower, handled some business on the internet and took a nap. My journey was almost complete.

By about 11:30pm (2:30am EST) we were on the road to Vegas. I arrived at the casino I was staying at about 4am and that is when the real adventure began.

I think this blog is long enough so you'll have to wait for part two. But I gotta close with some thank you's and shout outs.

Commissioner Stern - after reading my adventure if this does not prove that I love this game I don't know what else does. For my effort I should get tickets to all the NBA All-Star festivities in New Orleans next year.

Office Spouse - What would I do without you? This weekend would have never been able to go down without you.

MC - thanks for letting me crash on the Wash U couch and for letting me get comfortable in your crib like it was my own home.

Story - Next time you are on the right coast I promise to take you anywhere you want to go.

All the people I met on the train, in the airports, on the planes - thanks for adding to the adventure. Everyone has a story to tell and y'all each added to mine (although too many side tales to add to this blog).

Second Date

First dates are easy to come by. You go on a date and either you click or you don't. But because first dates are so easy to come by, second dates are a little harder to have.

I don't take any potential suitor seriously until we have been on a second date. But how many dates does it take for you to know if you are feeling someone?

I'm giving this internet dating thing another try because conventional dating, whatever that means, has not worked for me. I met this really nice guy and we have a lot of similar interests but our schedules, location and preferred modes of communication pose a serious challenge to getting to know each other.

I met him through a Craig's List ad and after our first date he said he would take the ad down. I advised him against that. I said you never know who you will meet and you should not put all your eggs in one basket. But after our second date he reposted his ad. Part of me wanted to be offended but a larger part of me really didn't care that deeply. But I sent him an email teasing him about his repost and I must have hit a nerve. It was like he felt guilty about posting and he went on and on about how he would like to get to know me better if I would only make the time.

He's a nice guy...a great guy...just not sure if he is great for me. We have a good time when we do hang out but I don't feel that desire to make time. You know that feeling that no matter how busy your schedule is you are going to find time to see that person. I don't have that feeling. But how do you tell someone, in a nice way, I think you are cool but I don't see this going anywhere and yet still remain cool with the person? Oh well, I guess it's back to the Craig's List ads for me.

First Speed Dating Event

My new side hustle for 2007 is hosting speed dating events around Manhattan for Cupid.com.

I held my first event on Monday at this great location called Fashion 40 Lounge. There were 27 people, 14 women and 13 guys. It was a good looking group and pretty diverse although still majority white. But everyone had a really good time and the venue was happy with the money they made from the bar. I already have 3 more events booked for the coming months with Fashion 40 so I think I'm off to a great start.

I know some of you are like why in the hell would you sign up to do something like this and what kind of people speed date? Well I'll ask the last question first. Busy professionals are the people that sign up for speed dating. They are tired of the bar/club scene and they have busy and demanding careers that doesn't leave much time to find a mate and date. So with speed dating they can meet potential dates for about the same price they would spend going seeking at a bar or club. And I'm talking good looking people with really good jobs.

So why did I decide to do it? Hosting speed dating events totally fits with my personality. And anyone who read my blog when I worked for the AJC knows dating, relationships and sex is a topic I like to talk about. Helping people meet people is right up my alley.

My first year in NYC was all about adjusting and getting settled but not really about going out and dating. Now I have a very good excuse for going out and I'm getting to know a lot of owners and managers at various venues throughout the city. I'm a people person and I get to meet so many people doing this. And even though I am hosting I have gotten hit on a few times which falls in line with me wanting to date more in 2007.

Last but definitely not least is I get to have fun and make a little money on the side. When I say little I mean I'll never be able to quit my job and do this full time. This side hustle is going to help me to achieve one of my 2007 resolutions because chump change does add up.

If I wasn't an event coordinator I would have probably attended a speed dating event just for fun. I'm pretty open to trying new things. And we all know that if what you have been doing in the past has not worked then it's time to do something different.

Anyone in NYC wants to give speed dating a try, let me know...I promise to give you a very nice discount and on some occassions I might be able to get you in for free.

Just To Get By

Excuse me y'all. I just gotta take a moment out to rant about something that is on my mind and on my heart.

I'm tired y'all...just tired. I'm tired of this race called life. Cause no matter how hard you work to get ahead it just seems like you never really get ahead.

I went to college...why...because I was always told/taught that going to college is how you become successful. And I got a degree...for what? Cause I was supposed to and they say you'll make more money. Whatever, I'll be paying student loans for as long as I'll be paying a mortgage for that degree that is supposedly going to make me successful and help me to make more money.

All my life I've been working to get ahead so I could help my family and I'm still not in a position to do that. So what's the point? Should I get on welfare and section 8 housing so I can coast through life not giving a shit. Poor and lower income folks may not have a lot but they get by...I work every day and I'm still just getting by so who really has the right plan. I'm tired of busting ass to just get by.

I don't want to be rich. By no means is obtaining large amounts of money my goal. Cause like Biggie said, more money, more problems. I have always said I just want to get to a position of comfort. So when I want to go on vacation I can just go. When my family needs some financial help, I don't even have to think twice. Where every month I'm not "figuring out" how to pay the bills.

I'm a self proclaimed hustler...don't get me wrong. Everyone, even folks with money, hustle. But when you hustling for survivial even the hustler can get tired of having to hustle. Anyone feeling me on this?

Fresh Direct

The last place anyone would ever expect to find me is a grocery store. I live around the corner from a grocery store. Walk past the grocery twice a day, every single day. But I could literally count the number of times I have actually been in that grocery store. And with Fresh Direct I don't EVER have to go grocery shopping again.

I don't know what it is about grocery stores but every time I step foot in one I feel like I'm Alice in Wonderland. I never know where anything is and even if I have a grocery list to get myself organized I'll end up going down the same aisles two or three times because I didn't realize several items on my list were in the same aisle. Whenever I have gone grocery shopping I spent HOURS in the store and bought way more than I intended to buy.

But now I buy my groceries online and life could not be better.

A year ago if someone had told me I would be buying my groceries online I would have laughed at them. I had this perception of online grocery shopping as being lazy, costly and just boogie. Why should I pay someone to get my groceries? But my perception was all wrong.

Online grocery shopping is not lazy but efficient. I just did a time management webinar today and one of the time saving tips was to buy your groceries online. You won't waste time "window" shopping and picking up unnecessary items.

Shopping online for groceries costs the same and sometimes even less. At least with Fresh Direct they have sales all the time and every week there are "President's Picks" in which the company president picks like 10-20 items to charge 50% off...I have caught specials on shrimp, crab cakes, meat, already cooked meals, etc. And delivery is only $5. So you mean all I have to do is pay someone $5 to pick up all my groceries and deliver them to my door as opposed to lugging them myself? The service alone is worth more than $5. Fresh Direct also has incentives for newbies like $25 off your first two orders. So for the last few months I have just been signing up using different email addresses so I can get the discount. The minimum order is $40. I can get $40 of food for $15 plus delivery. That sounds like free food to me and I like getting free stuff...especially food.

Now some of my friends do tease me and say that I have gotten boogie...that I think I'm too good for the grocery store. On the contrary, I'm just all about saving time because as we all know time is money. So instead of spending hours in the grocery store I could be doing something productive or heaven forbid doing something fun.

I like online grocery shopping so much I'm thinking about trying other online grocery stores like Amazon and yourgrocer.com. Now you'll have to excuse me as I have some groceries to put away.

This email was inspired by yet another delivery straight to my door from Fresh Direct.

The Gift That Keeps On Giving

I don't watch Saturday Night Live but I have to admit this is funny and TRUE. Can I have one of these for every special occassion? Christmas, Birthday...hell, can I have this for no real reason at all except that I want it?

Video (or if you can't see it...the You Tube link http://www.youtube.com/v/yd3i4gA_QJY)

Lyrics to "Special Christmas Box" (so you can sing along)

Hey Girl, I got something real important to give you
So just sit down and listen

Girl you know we’ve been together such a long. long time
(such a long time)
And now I’m ready to lay it on the line

Well, you know it’s Christmas and my heart is open wide
Gonna give you something so you know what’s on my mind
(what’s on my mind)

A gift real special so take off the top
Take a look inside, it’s my dick in a box
(it’s in the box)

Not gonna get you a diamond ring
That sort of gift don’t mean anything
Not gonna get you a fancy car
Girl you gotta know you’re my shining star

Not gonna get you a house in the hills
A girl like you needs something real
I want to get you something from the heart
(something special girl)

(Chorus)
It’s my dick in a box
My dick in a box, girl
It’s my dick in a box
My dick in a box, girl

See I’m wise enough to know
When a gift needs giving
And I got just the one
Something to show you that you are second to none

To all the fellas out there
With ladies to impress
It’s easy to do just follow these steps
1. Cut a hole in a box
2. Put your junk in that box
3. Make her open the box
And that’s the way you do it.

(Chorus)
It’s my dick in a box
My dick in a box, girl
It’s my dick in a box
My dick in a box, girl

Christmas
Dick in a box
Chanukah
Dick in a box
Kwanzaa
A dick in a box
Every single holiday a dick in a box

Over at your parents house a dick in a box
Mid day at the grocery store a dick in a box
Backstage at the CMA's a dick in a box

The uncensored video courtesy of NBC

Goals for 2007

It's that time of year again when we reflect on the past year and hope the new year will be an even better year. I'm not in to making new year's resolutions that are so far fetched that I have a better chance of winning the lottery than achieving my resolutions. But I'm all about setting goals for yourself and working towards attaining those. Resolution, goal, whatever you call it, I always try to make sure it is something that is within my reach. So as always I'm keeping them short, simple and to the point.

1. Pay off some credit cards
This is on my list every year and in 2006 I didn't do too bad. I paid off some of those store charge cards. Now it's time to hit some of those major credit cards.

2. Get back in shape
Notice I said get back in shape and not lose weight. There is a difference. I think people focus on the wrong thing when the focus is on just the weight. Having the surgeries and not being able to dance I don't feel like myself. So I want to get back in to taking dance classes, particularly salsa. If I lose weight in the process, great, but I'm not worried about my weight.

3. Keep on cooking
I am ending this year on a bit of a cooking kick and I hope to expand upon that. I have no confidence in my cooking. I think it's okay enough for me to eat and not starve but not palettable enough to be shared. Aristocrates has unwillingly been my guinea pig. He says the food I have made tastes fine and he hasn't gotten sick off of anything I have made...yet. And he would never miss out on the chance to use my bad cooking as a joke, so since he hasn't picked on my cooking I guess he's telling the truth when he says it's fine. If anyone knows of any simple cookbooks and a list of things all cooks should have (like spices to always have, etc.) I'm open to suggestions.

And there you have it...my goals for 2007.

What are your goals for the new year? What are some things you would like to accomplish in the first 3 months, 6 months and by the end of 2007?

Movie Critic

I haven't blogged in awhile. Can't say much has really been happening. But I have just seen two movies this week that have me compelled to blog.

First, if you are looking to rent a DVD I IMPLORE you to rent "American Blackout." Now this one you might have a hard time finding at your neighborhood Blockbuster but Netflix and Blockbuster online both have it. It's a documentary that follows the effors of Georgia Congresswoman Cynthia McKinniey to expose the disenfranchisement of black voters going back to the 2000 election. I'm not the most political person. I don't have any hard, fast political agendas. But wrong is wrong and what our country does to people who try to expose truth will have you thinking we are back in the days of the Jim Crow south.

Next, if you are looking for a movie to see with the family on X-mas day I strongly suggest you buy your tickets in advance to see "Dreamgirls." I know it's one of the most commercially hyped movies right now and every show on X-mas day is going to be sold out but take my word for it, it is worth the watch. I don't think Beyonce deserved the Golden Globe nomination that she received but Jennifer Hudson will blow you away. If you walk out of the movie with your eyes not even a little bit teary, something is the hell wrong with you.

And that's all for now from the movieaholic. I hopefully will post again before X-mas day but if I don't get a chance to Happy Holidays to you and yours and as always I thank you for your love and your support through the years as you follow me on my many misadventures through this journey called life.

2007 Shopping List

Most people post Christmas wish lists but given that I don't expect anyone to buy me -ish. It is a wish list of things I will end up buying for myself some time in the new year. Of course I always ask for the same "fantasy" thing every year...a sexy black man with just a santa hat on his head and red bow around his neck to be under my tree X-mas morning. One of these years Santa is going to grant my wish.

But here's my real list:

- Canon Power Shot Digital Camera
It's about time I stop avoiding the camera and capture the moments of my life. I've had some great ones.

- Fry Daddy
This was suggested to me since I'm prone to burning myself yet I want to be able to fry some chicken.

- Watch
If I don't have my cell phone I never know what time it is. Adults wear watches and don't just rely on their cell phones. It's time I join the adult ranks.

- Earrings
I'm like a little kid with earrings. I'm so prone to losing them. So I need at least 2 pair since I lost my last set between surgeries.

- Printer/Scanner/Copier/Fax
I had asked a certain person for this for MONTHS and he has yet to come through so back on the list it goes.

- Sex and the City: The Complete Series (Collector's Giftset)
The same person I asked for the printer/scanner/copier/fax I had asked a few years back for this and he didn't get me that either. You would think I would learn my lesson and stop asking him. Back on the list this goes.

- Sex and the City Essentials
There are 4 of them and this is the low grade cheaper gift with the best of romance, lust, mr. big and breakups.

- Wine/Wine Glasses/Wine Opener
I'm very picky about wines but I have found a few that I like so I need the wine, appropriate wine glasses and a nice, easy to use wine opener. The ones I like are actually fairly cheap too. Wines of choice are: Rosa Regale, Vietti Cascinetta Moscato d'Asti 2004, and 2005 Moscato Allegro.

- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Book 6)
As much as I love Harry Potter I never bought or read this book although I partially know what happens in the book.

- Victoria's Secret gift card
Want to complete my garden collection and would be nice to by a new panty set...I always feel so sexy in my Vicky's.

- Good Life Woman Gift Set by Davidoff for Woman
This perfume is made by the same company that makes Cool Water. It's the only perfume I have found that is light and doesn't make me have an allergic reaction.

- FOOD
Someone please take me out to dinner...McCormick and Schmick, Cheesecake Factory, Red Lobster, Olive Garden...SOMETHING...or even better you can cook for me...I'll eat almost anything.

- TIVO with recordable DVR
I'm not even sure if a TIVO with a recordable DVR exists but if it does I want it...it's about time I start saving some of the shows I'm missing. There is just so much good TV I can't watch it all.

The Long Road to Recovery

I would like to say I'm 50% recovered but it's probably more like 33%.

I am now in rehab for both of my feet. I go to physical therapy twice a week. I also do ultrasound therapy at home once or twice a day. On one foot I'm back in a sneaker BUT it's a size 9 1/2...2 sizes bigger than normal. I wear special socks every day to help with the swelling and circulation so my doctor promises that I will be back in my 7 1/2 shoes.

I'm not really in pain it's just a feeling of discomfort. It always feels like someone is squeezing my feet and won't let go. I do have some pain in my ankles because I walk with my feet turned out to avoid walking on the parts of my feet that have been operated on, mainly the pinky toes. Walking is a real challenge. I have to think about every single step I take from what kind of surface I'm stepping on to how I position my feet, etc.

To my shock and dismay I have to have one more surgery on December 29 to remove the pins from my feet. I told my doctor thank you for ruining my New Year's Eve. He said I'll be fine and I won't even need stitches...whatever. So there goes my goal of being able to wear shoes and look cute on NYE.

I need someone to remind me why I did this and why all that I'm enduring is worth it.

Crunk New Year's Eve

I don't have any plans for New Year's Eve so I was thinking about having a Crunk New Year's Eve party at my place. The signature drink of the evening would be Hennessey and Crunk Juice, of which I brought a case back courtesy of the Big Black Man. So what do y'all think? Should I crunk in the new year? Would you attend? If the answer is yes, I'm going to have to get another case of Crunk Juice when I go back to ATL for the Atlbutterflies Holiday Slumber Party.

Random Post

Every now and then you just gotta post some thing that you see or hear just so you can remember it for future use.

I was watching a Hollywood Access type show on TV One and the reporter asked Jennifer Lopez if her and her husband are "precaution free." Now that is a new, discreet way to ask if any baby making is going on. I gotta get married so I can live life precaution free.

2006 American Music Awards

You know you are a blogger when it is second nature to sit at your computer and type initial thoughts/reactions to an awards show. I haven't blogged in like a week and now I feel the immediate need to blog. So here's my recap of the entire show.

First off, why do we have the American Music Awards? What distinguishes it from the Grammy's? Is it more exclusive? Last time I checked winning an AMA does not increase record sales but winning a Grammy does.

Why did the American Music Awards start off so slow? How you gonna have Beyonce open with a slow song and immediately follow with Carrie Underwood and her medley of 3 of her songs. I wanted to see Beyonce do some of her signature dancing...so clearly I was disappointed.

Jimmy Kimmels opening was not bad but he spent too much time talking about Snoop. I thought the K. Fed spoof was kind of funny but then it become clearly fucked up when the first presenter was his soon to be ex-wife Britney Spears.

Is it me or does it seem like Mariah's album came out like 2 years ago...so why is she still being nominated for awards. Was glad that Mary J. Blige won.

Next presenters I missed their intro so was that the Cheetah Girls or 3LW the 2.0 version?

I love the Pussycat Dolls song...I didn't like their first single...and you know I love the dance in the video...so I was disappointed in the performance. Why was one cat missing, one cat fucked up the chair portion of the dance and when the mysterious missing cat did appear she sounded like a dying cat? And why didn't Snoop perform with the Pussycat Dolls?

Am I the only one that hasn't seen High School Musical?

The Black Eyed Peas did not have any competition in the best group category.

Jimmy Kimmel's Black Eyed Peas/Kramer joke was not funny. But at least he had jokes based on recent/current events.

Nelly Furtado...why was she up on a pedestal doing nothing? And what was up with the sound effects guy? As my sister Kee Lo Lo so eloquently put it he looked like our brother Unk T doing something he would do just to annoy/provoke laughter out of the crew.

Why did some awards have no set up video intro like whatever award Eminem won and wasn't there to accept? It went so fast I didn't even catch what award it was. Did they do that to save time in the shows broadcast for performances and for winners that were actually there?

What was up with all the wind blown hair every time a female performed?

I think they cut out the video introductions of nominees to save time because they kept doing that throughout the show even if the winner was seated in the audience. Country band/duo/group...Who cares? I don't.

Never heard of Snow Patrol...Yes I'm one of the few people in the world that does not watch Grey's Anatomy...But I liked the song/performance. Maybe I will now be inspired to spend my X-mas vacation catching up on past seasons of Grey's Anatomy so I can see what all the hub bub is all about.

Gwen Stefani is always on some other stuff. But I gotta respect her individuality and creativity...I mean she had us spelling banana and liking it...so I don't expect any less from her. And she kept her Asian chicks so that was not a one album phase. Two most memorable lines from her performance: "From the back..but don't let him ride." "Does he know how to wind you up?"

Then to follow up with Jay-Z!?!??! The back to back performances at least kept stuff flowing but the pairing of who would perform after who was a little odd. Beyonce was real hype for her man in the front row and throwing up the diamond. And that random guy in Jay-Z's performance was dancing real hard...like harder than I can ever dance...and that's saying a lot. I wonder how his album sales were today since most of us aggins downloaded it about a month ago.

Red Hot Chili Peppers had a very interesting acceptance to not even be at the show.

The Diana Ross look on Vanessa Williams must have been to get us ready for Dreamgirls. And a note on the Kay Jewelers sponsorship of a lounge or something...I'll take anything from Kay BUT an engagement ring. Just a word to the wise in case anyone plans on popping the question.

Flavor Flav as the adopted baby was hilarious...and he broke his clock.

Who was Jamie Foxx holding hands with? Cause when the camera shot to him during the Flavor Flav moment he was ready to fall out his chair but was holding some woman's hand tight.

Sean Paul was not paying attention so clearly he didn't want the award.

Kimmel had to have a follow up Flavor Flav joke about him and his soon to be 8 kids.

OK...so who is the fat chick sitting next to Jamie Foxx that was holding his hand...when he won the award we clearly saw who she was and she was not someone MzB would be friends with. I hope the woman with the weave was his mother he ain't seen in years and not the other chick.

Why was Sharon Stone a presenter? She was clearly cold or at least that is what her nipples indicted. Dixie Chicks was a chance to take a bathroom break and copy edit what I had written.

Tenacious D...I want Jack Black to just give it up...Rock School was a funny movie but give it up. I'm not going to see the movie and it's not going on my Netflixs list and that is saying a lot coming from someone like me that will watch ANYTHING and EVERYTHING. I have watched some of the worst movies ever in the hopes that by the end of the movie it would redeem itself and not even I will give this movie half a chance.

Because of the pairing of Mary J. Blige after Tenacious D I almost missed the performance. I was feeling her gold boots and it made me think of the Quo's...you know how gold boots are a turn on for them. I didn't buy or download Mary's last album so I didn't know the song she sang. Unfortunately I'm one of those people that loved the cracked out and depressed Mary J. Blige. Her songs from that time in her life just touched a place within me..."My Life" will always be my favorite Mary album...she could come out with 20 more albums I will always LOVE "My Life."

Kirk Franklin had no competition in his category. I LOVE that CD. I used to listen to that first single, "Looking for You," every morning as I drove to and from work when I lived in Atlanta. It would just get me hype.

The Lionel Richie flashback showed me where P. Diddy got his inspiration for shiny suits. And I was glad to see Nicole Richie has gained a few pounds back. I like his song and it was nice that everyone stood up for his performance. He took us back in time...nice trip down memory lane with "All Night Long".

Fall Out Boy was another performance that I could use as a potty break. But for the record running up the aisle to the stage is not a great way to start your performance.

I agreed with Kimmel's joke about what a rapper does when a country singer is performing...they are on their sidekicks and blackberry's.

Is Carrie Underwood the most successful American Idol winner?

At least I had or think I had heard the Rascal Flats song before. But if life is a highway I'm not sure if I want to ride it all night long.

It was nice of Jamie to dedicate his performance to Gerald Levert and his family. And it was one of the best if not the best performance of the night. He looked good, sounded good and I love that song. He got me teary...that's the sign of a good performance with me.

And I was actually ok with Kimmel's transition joke.

Text-in award...I didn't even know they were having a text-in award.

Carmen Electra introducing Barry Manilow...ok...why is he even performing? I swear him and Tony Bennett are preserved with formaldehyde.

Black Eyed Peas just kept on winning...last I counted it was three wins.

And I like this John Mayer song...but I refuse to wait on the world to change...I'm just going to keep on progressing. I got hooked on this song because of CSI.

I like Chamillionaire and Weird Al together...Riding Dirty and White and Nerdy...but I thought they were going to present an award.

How does Akon and Snoop qualify for show finale status? Still shocked at the pole dancers on network TV. Didn't Akon's album come out today as well. What idiot thought it was a good idea to put his album out the same day as Jay Z? But I was feeling the dance moves...gonna have to YouTube the performance. Akon is all over the radio in NYC...I don't know about the rest of the country.

Tyrese aka Black Tie...he needs to give up on the rap cause only his love songs really hit.

But the show did end on a good night with Mary J. Blige winning her second AMA of the night.

Throughout the show there were some sound tech issues. You would hear random scratching and static and stuff. And the cameramen kept fucking up.

Is it me or do less and less actual winners show up at the AMA? So what's the point of having the AMA's...for advertisers? The AMA's are losing their luster.

Video Vixen Sidelined

I love to dance. My mom could never afford for me to take formal lessons. But every now and then I would impress someone with my raw talent and get a scholarship here and there to take a few classes. But it was never enough to make me a professional dancer by any means.

But dancing for me has always been a way of dealing with what life throws at me. I like to hear a new song whose video has not come out yet and visualize/choreograph in my head what the dance would be. And I'm very good at picking up dance moves in videos. The ones I really like I study and practice in my living room.

I literally dance every single day...until now. The situation with my feet has sidelined the video vixen and I'm miserable. I can't flex my toes to be able to dance because the combination of flexing and pressure of supporting the bodies weight is too painful. So I'm miserable. What if I won't be able to dance the way I used to dance again. If I had known the true effects of the surgery on my feet I might have just chosen to live with the pain. So what that the thing I love to do, dancing, causes me so much pain because of my feet. Eventually the pain goes away and I can dance another day.

And I try...because I'm so stubborn...to dance anyway. But as I try to dance despite the pain tears just start streaming from my eyes down my face. If anyone was in my apartment with me they could see the battle between what my heart wants to do and what my body will allow me to do. I have physical therapy again today so I'm going to talk to my doctor...I want to know when will I be me again...when will I be the video vixen...when can I wear normal shoes...when can I flex my feet...cause this right now...it just ain't me and I'm miserable because of it.

You know you are grown

You ever have those moments where you are truly reminded that you are an adult? Well I had one last night. Here are some clues that you are an adult.

After work I came home and cooked dinner. Clue #1 - me cooking. I made crab cakes with broccoli and cheese and a toss salad and I made a fresh fruit smoothie to wash it all down.

Clue #2 - eating healthy. My mom makes a fresh fruit smoothie for breakfast every day...I don't cause I don't want to have to clean the blender. But since I had bought some bananas and strawberries from Fresh Direct I decided I needed to make something with them before they went bad.

Clue #3 - actually having fresh fruit or in my case food at all to cook in the refrigerator. I sat down and watched the news as I ate my meal.

Clue #4 - watching the news. I don't know what possessed me to watch the news and not flip to a music video channel.

So after I ate the healthy meal I had cooked and dined on while watching the news I did laundry. Clue #5 - doing chores. Now y'all know me, chores are for the weekend. I have never, ever, ever chosen or planned to do chores during the week. But lo and behold I was sorting laundry.

But the biggest reminder that I am truly an adult was ending the evening by talking to my mom about what I had cooked for dinner and the chores I had completed. If that is not the most boring and adult conversation you can have with your parents I don't know what is. I used to tease my sister about why are you talking to mom about what you are making for dinner, like that is significant. Umpteen years later I find myself doing the same exact thing. When I realized all of this I wanted to snap myself out of it...go do something young and fun and irresponsible. But ultimately I was too damn tired to do all that...so I went to bed.

Fancy Feet

It's 6 days until I have the operation on my right foot. The doctor says my left foot is healing well but I'm a little concerned about having to depend on my left foot when it is not completely healed. But the biggest shock to my system was the claim.

The insurance claim for the left foot operation is finally being processed and you won't believe how much one foot cost. $30,000...that's right 3-0-0-0-0! And my insurance has not yet decided how much of it they are going to pay. But my doctor is super cool. The only reason why I allowed this process to happen is because he assured me that whatever the insurance paid is what he would accept. He would not expect me to pay the remaining balance or any co-pays. I have physical therapy tomorrow so I'm going to get a little reassurance from him. Because even my physical therapy sessions cost $460 a session of which my insurance says I should pay $44 for each session. Thus far my doctor has never charged me for anything...not a single co-pay since I started going to him.

I know you can't put a monetary value on body parts...unless you are J. Lo...but at the end of all this my feet might actually be worth $75,000 after all the work that will have been done on them. If only I could cash in on my feet....lol...j/k.

Release Therapy

It's been three weeks since the surgery on my left foot. I'm finally walking without a cane. I started physical therapy in the morning twice a week before I go to work.

Therapy entails soaking my foot in a warm whirlpool for 10 minutes followed by an electroshock treatment for 10 minutes to work the muscles in my foot and help with the swelling. The session ends with the doctor putting vitamin E oil on my scars and gently massaging my foot before bandaging it up. Physical therapy is not fun. It's not overly painful but for the rest of the day my foot bothers me. I'll have spells of it falling asleep or swelling up and of course pain but I can't do anything about it until I go home after work. As much as I complain and despite the pain the doctor says my foot is healing very well. And I haven't lost any range of motion in my toes.

My next surgery is in 10 days. I'm hoping I won't still be wearing a boot on my left foot when it's time for the right foot to get repaired.

Holiday Travels

I'm not a big fan of the holidays. I don't have a family of my own (or a man) so the holidays just don't hold that same warm and fuzzy feeling for me as they do for other people. But thank GOD for my friends. As I have said many times before my friends are my family.

So for Turkey Day I'll be in the A-T-L. Home sweet home to me. My crew is doing our usual friends and family potluck Turkey Day. So I worked it out with my boss to work that week out of the Atlanta offices of SI.com. But this will be interesting because I'm having surgery on my right foot 96 hours before my flight to Atlanta. And I have rented a car as well. I'm anxious to see how I'll be able to manuever. But when there is a will there is a way and I'm the most stubborn person I know. :)

But the holiday fun doesn't end there. December 16 the crew is doing our annual Holiday Slumber Party. Yes, your eyes did not deceive you. It's a slumber party just like you used to have when you were kids. Everyone MUST wear pajamas. The event is pot luck, we play games, talk, laugh, drink, watch movies, listen to music, etc. We go to sleep, at least for a lil while...Unk T cooks us breakfast in the morning and everyone goes home after breakfast. It's pretty straight forward and tons of fun. And I wouldn't miss it for anything.

I don't have anything planned for X-mas or New Year's Eve but it's just the beginning of November. Who knows what might happen? Maybe some surprise trip will happen like last NYE or maybe I'll go to Vegas...

GYLS

This month has been so busy with the surgery on my foot and now this project I have been working on at the United Nations.

For the past two months I have been working to set up and implement a student project with the United Nations for the Global Youth Leadership Summit. It has been a lot of conference calls, emails, meetings, etc. But this weekend the event actually happened and 10 students from around the country came to provide daily news coverage of the event.

I have been working out of the United Nations Educational Outreach and the staff has been extremely helpful. Today is the last day and as great as the experience has been it's a lot of work, more work than going to my daily grind, and I can't say that it has gone on without any kinks in the road. But checkout the work the students did. To be thrown in to an event like this they did an outstanding of job of getting the stories told.

Post Op

I did not know recovery would be like this.

The day of my surgery I was fine. Tired, but otherwise okay. But the day after, lawd have mercy. According to my doctor I must have had a virus somewhere in my system so being knocked out for 2 hours gave the bug some time to manifest...and manifest it did. For the rest of the weekend I was dizzy and nauseous and had to stop taking all medications.

So my stomach is finally stabilized but I'm tired...and hungry...and cranky...and just not a pleasant person to be around. But I gotta show some love to German Girl. She came over Friday and made me one of her bomb ass apple pies. She also spent the night and helped me get through the first 24 hours after surgery. Then I gotta thank Aristocrates for sticking with me the rest of the weekend. He definitely has gone above and beyond the duties of an office spouse. Anyone who can pick me up off the bathroom floor after I have thrown up my insides for the 5th time and tell me "You still look cute," gets high marks in my book. Although he had to be lying to make me feel better. No one looks good when they are sick but I appreciate the "honest lie" anyway.

Pain has not been an issue thus far. I think I have been too sick to focus on the pain in my foot. If I can make it 24 hours without throwing up and able to get some solid food in to my belly I will go back on all my medications. For now, the only thing getting me through is my friends and advil.

Just say a little prayer for me...because with all that my body is going through I don't want to have the second operation.

Happy Feet Rewind

I was all ready...or about as ready as someone could be to willingly put themselves under the knife. I get to the doctor's office and it's CLOSED. CLOSED?!??!? What in the hell?!?!?

I call the doctor on his cell phone (side note: my doctor is hella cool and gives his patients his cell phone to call him any time day or night) and he tells me that there was a staph outbreak at the office and my surgery has been rescheduled to Friday the 13th.

I'm not exactly thrilled at the date but I don't have much of a choice. The longer this process is delayed the longer my recuperation will be and I would like to be all healed up by NBA All-Star weekend and my birthday. Y'all know me and if I can't dance I will be depressed.

Here I go again...let the anxiety buildup...

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!!!

My First Period

For those not interested in the female anatomy....STOP READING NOW!!! But for those interested, especially women who are on a birth control of some form, you should find this post quite interesting.

You may remember that I blogged back in April about if I was going to continue on my birth control. I had gone for my regular three month appointment to get another Deprovera shot. The doctor asked me why I was taking it if I was not dating, in a relationship or having sex. And she had a point. Was why I stopping nature's flow?

I haven't had a period in three years because three years ago an ex screwed me and mine over so badly I said I never wanted to be put in to a compromising position like that again. Of course I didn't feel comfortable telling the doctor that. So I told her I just liked not getting a period. Which was partially true.

In June I decided to skip my appointment and not get another shot and see how long it would take my body to reverse itself. I've heard it can take as long as two years so I was a little concerned. Well I must be blessed or cursed because I got my first period in three years and it took a little less than three months.

So now I need to make a doctor's appointment and decide what form of birth control I'm going to go back on. I'd rather be safe than sorry and relying on condoms alone is not going to work for me. And as a former gynecologist informed me I seem to be highly fertile. Wonderful news to my mom who wants 4 or 5 grand kids out of me. Not wonderful news to me because just because I can afford to have kids doesn't mean I'm ready to have a family of my own....just yet. Of course I have some time to decide because as I blogged earlier I'm dateless in Harlem so the odds of me having sex are pretty slim.

I hate taking pills so I probably won't go back to that. I just came off the shot so I'm not ready to go back on that. I think the once a month shot is stupid and time consuming. Who wants to have to go see their doctor every single month. I'm leaning towards the patch but when I was on it three years ago my skin was very sensitive to it so there were only 2 places on my body I could wear it AND somehow I got pregnant with twins. Not sure if that was the patch or user error. But I know no matter what form of birth control I choose it will always be paired with the use of a condom. Because it is not just about preventing pregnancy but preventing STD's as well.

To all the woman reading...all birth controls are reversible...even if you have your fallopian tubes clipped they can be reattached. The human body is an amazing thing and no matter what meds we take to reverse our natural flow it will return to normal in due time.

You, Me, Mario & Kelis

After another thrilling Sunday evening of Celeb Reality, German Girl hits me up. There is a CD release party for Kelis at Lotus. I was interested in the watermelon martinis so when GG asked me to go I was game.

It was a fun and funny night. Like how the hell we ended up in the VIP booth with Mario and Kelis is beyond me. And I met this fine guy...and just when I was going to ask for his number he stepped to this other chick. Okay...you know I sweat no one.

As I'm leaving he grabs my arm. "I know you aren't leaving." I said, "Yeah, I'm out." "You can't leave without giving me your number." I said, "You're with her, you don't need my number." He said, "(Insert my gov't name) please give me your number." I was impressed that he remembered my name. That meant he had actually been listening. So I slipped him my business card and headed home. It was hella late so I knew Monday morning would be a bitch.

I don't really expect to hear from him but I still had a great time and you can view the pictures here. There's even a picture of me sitting next to random dude :)

Dateless in Harlem

What does a smart, sexy sistah have to do to get a date?!??!

I have not been on a date in SEVEN MONTHS!!!! That is a dayum shame. Part of the blame goes to my former job. Working nights and weekends was just not conducive to having a social life, a dating life...any life outside of work.

I haven't been on my new job a month yet so I'm still trying to get my feet wet in the social/dating pool. But why is dating so dayum hard? First you have to meet someone and as many people as there are in NYC it is actually very hard to meet people. We walk around in our own little worlds oblivious to those around us.

Second, it's hard to meet quality men. Men pass by me on the street, see me in the subway... every day, but how many of them would even come close to qualifying? Third you have to match up schedules to actually go out on a date. I know I'm hard to catch. I haven't been in NYC a single weekend since I started the new gig. So if anyone was trying to date me they would have to meet up with me during the week or catch me once football starts.

You might say that lunch outing I had the other day with the guy I met on a plane counts as a date but I'm going to say no. Anything less than 2 hours is not a date.

Rejected but not really

A few months ago y'all may remember my endeavor to go to graduate school. Well I didn't get accepted...or so I thought.

Before I started my new job I got an interesting email followed by a phone call from Drexel. They were asking me if I had resubmitted my GRE scores. I was like you rejected me why would I resubmit my GRE scores. They basically told me I was rejected but not really. If I retake the GRE I'm in.

At the time they wanted me to take them again in time for September enrollment. With a new job I just didn't feel there was enough time to prepare for the GRE. Then they said I could wait for Spring admission meaning I would have to retake the GRE by March. I'm about to head in to football season so I don't think I can really prepare for the GRE now. BUT Time Inc. will pay for my GRE class. So I really have to decide what I want to do.

When I had initially thought about going to graduate school I wasn't happy with my job at the time. So I really have to ask myself am I at a point in my life where I'm ready to sacrifice some me time to go to grad school.

Guy on a plane

I hate blogging because no one ever comments but I know y'all...out there...in the great unknown are reading it because of the page views. So that is why I no longer make it a priority to blog readily. That being said here's my blog for the day...maybe the week or even the month....

So I met a guy...on a plane...during one of my recent trips. He sat next to me, he seemed cool...we had a good conversation. Being the pseudo peach that I am I gave him a ride and he thanked me with a meal at which his boy met us so he could scoop him to his final destination.

A bit of time passes...we talk every now and then but he has more baggage than Erykah...I meet him for another meal...conversation is still cool...his drama is still the same. I can't say I'm feeling him...I can't say I'm not feeling him...I'm real neutral on guys in general right now...but he's not bringing anything to the table to make me want to change gears. I'm focused and coasting...2 miles an hour so everybody sees me.

Are You Ready for Some Football?

Football, I mean fall, is my favorite season of the year. So join me in celebrating and welcoming the bestest (that's right I said bestest) time of the year with the launching of the NEW and IMPROVED NFL Team Pages at Sports Illustrated.com. And be sure to drop me and line and give me some feedback. I have been working very hard on this project and critiques are always welcome.

10 Dates

I have talked to a few of y'all about this concept so I decided to finally blog about it.

One evening as me and my friend Myshell (name change obviously) were waiting for the subway. She said, "I have a new dating rule." "Okay," I said. She said, "I have to go on 10 dates with a guy before we can have a blockbuster night." My first thought...10 dates is a lot of dates. But when you think about it you can have 10 dates in about the course of two months and really get to know a person.

But this is New York and quite expensive so 10 dates is a lot. How about after 5? She said there are plenty of free and cheap things to do in NYC if the guy is creative. The kinds of dates he comes up with or y'all come up with together says a lot about the person. You have to start a situation off right because if all you do from the start is chill at each others places y'all will never go out. She had a point.

I think I'm going to start and stick to a 5 date rule before you can come up in my crib. But what do you think of the 10 date rule? What are some fun and cheap date ideas?

Weekend in the A-T-L

I hate going to Atlanta. Because as soon as I get there I have to come right back. The entire time I am ripping and running.

I said I need to come back to ATL in September and Mz. B said, "Why do you NEED to come back?" I told her she didn't love me...lol. I don't NEED to come back but I NEED to come back. I just don't have love for NYC like I do for ATL. I'm sure that's only a matter of time but I still hold on to my ATL connection.

Highlights of my trip:
- Met a very nice guy on the plane...he has dating potential (more about him in a future post)
- Sweet upgrade at Hertz courtesy of Airtran had me riding in style
- Big Sister Gorgeous 1 made me breakfast
- Got to see one my girls from Carolina
- Got to see the majority of my friends at the ASB reunion
- Granddad hooked the food up :)
- Smoochie came through with the "Smoochie Cookies"
- Unk T hooked up my Ipod

All in all I enjoyed every second I was there...and of course I'm missing it now.

I Know Why I'm Single

Single people get asked all the time why they are single but few actually know the answer to that question. The same reasons why I should not be single is exactly why I am single.

I am single for three main reasons.

1. I CAN BE INTIMIDATING
I'm 26, single, no kids, college educated, great career (notice the word career and not job), I own a home in Atlanta and I have a very nice apartment in NYC, my credit is on point. So basically if a guy doesn't have his stuff together meeting a woman like myself can be very intimidating.

2. I KNOW TOO MUCH ABOUT SPORTS
When I tell guys I work in sports their eyes light up. They THINK having a woman that knows sports is a dream come true. WRONG. Guys won't admit it but they want a woman with knowledge of sports not a woman that really knows sports. They want a woman that knows what a touchdown is, the basic rules, etc., etc. so she won't ask questions and interrupt the game. They don't want a woman like me who can offer real analysis and back my arguments up with statistics, etc.

3. I DON'T KNOW HOW TO COOK
My momma did not raise me to be in the kitchen. She raised me to be a studious working gal. As a result she nor anyone else ever bothered to try and teach me to cook. I'm not home that much so my frig stays empty. But my feeling on the cooking issue is that we will never go hungry cause I always know some place to eat. And it's not that I'm not willing to learn but no one has ever bothered to teach. One of my ex's would say I may a pretty good assistant in the kitchen. And please believe I make up for my lack of cooking ability in other areas.

At the end of the day guys really just want to be the knight in shining armor. They want a woman that needs rescuing in some form. That chick ain't me. Cause if I'm with you it's because I WANT you not because I NEED you. If I seriously, seriously NEED you then there is a big problem. You can't have two incomplete people come together to form a whole. God wants us to be complete within ourselves before we are paired with another complete person. Two is only better than one when the strengths of the two combine to be greater than the individuals.

Mini Vacation

I told y'all about my first day at work but I need to back it up. I was incognegro for an entire week between jobs and I loved every minute of it. Since I referred to my former job as a plantation I will describe my vacation as days of freedom.

First day of Freedom
I had a spa appointment in the morning to get a facial and a one hour back massage. It was great. After the spa I met CosmoGirl to see a free play called "Beer for Breakfast." It wasn't that bad and given that it was free I really can't complain. We then went to eat at Olive Garden.

Second day of Freedom
I went back to the spa and as my specialist at the spa would say beauty can be painful. So this was not fun. I got waxed (leave that one to your imagination), got a pedicure and I tried sunless airbrush tanning. Later that afternoon I got my hair washed. And I met a former coworker for dinner and happy hour at my favorite spot...Dave & Busters in Times Square.

Third day of Freedom
I went back to the spa...no I don't have a spa habit...I can't afford to have a spa habit. I got another application of the sunless airbrush tan...I don't think it really worked...oh well, it was an experiment. I finally got my cable/internet installed at home...I had no need for either at home before because I was ALWAYS AT THE PLANTATION. That evening I met up with CosmoGirl to do a little shopping. I bought a few things to wear to work and a cute top for an event later in the week. Scroll below for more.

Fourth day of Freedom
I went shopping...I know...a shocker...cause anyone that knows me knows I hate shoppign and I hate spending money unnecessarily. But it was all CosmoGirl's fault. She gave me a coupon for Express so I HAD to use it. I bought a few tops to wear at the new job...and thank God I did. I also bought 2 pairs of shoes. Total money spent - $100 :) Later that night I met up with SistahBiz. She took me to this great spot close to work that has good food AND 2 for 1 Martini's...y'all know I was in heaven. German Girl met up with us and after GG introduced me to one of her very fine friends and then we headed to Chevy's for a lite mexican snack.

Fifth day of Freedom
I did absolutely nothing...but sleep. Well I did do some chores but mostly I slept. Needed to get as much sleep as possible because the weekend was coming and I wanted to be ready. I got my last New York Times paycheck :( so I paid bills as well...at least the rent is covered :)

Sixth day of Freedom
I had no choice but to go and get my nails done because somehow I had cracked one and it was lifting badly. That evening I went to the UNC Black Alum happy hour at Kanvas and had a blast. It was so good to see everyone. My office spouse from Forbes joined me and I introduced him to one of my friends that is Business School at Columbia since he would be starting there in the fall. After, me and a few peeps went to grab something to eat at Caliente. I really like that spot...you know I'm all about good eats and drinks. I ended the night off at Triumph Room for CosmoGirl's birthday bash. I set the party off in the cute top I had bought earlier in the week, a jean mini skirt with matching jacket and the cute shoes I had also bought earlier in the week. It was a great day...my first Friday of Freedom and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Seventh day of Freedom
I went to a rooftop cookout and then hit up this club Eugene's. The Video Vixen was back in full form. This was part two of CosmoGirl's birthday weekend bash. I was just so happy to be out and about in NYC.

Eighth day of Freedom
I spent it with the family. I was so broke at this point that my momma bought me a tank of gas and some groceries. Then she and one of my neices came over to the city to hang out with me. We had brunch at Cosi and just enjoyed driving around the city like I used to do with my family when I was little. German Girl also cooked. So after I dropped the family off I headed to her place for some pork cooked German style and a bomb ass banana creme pie. It was so good I had to get 2 pieces.

So as you see, the basic theme of my mini vacation was drinks, food and fun...and I had plenty of each.

Time After Time

I left the New York Times for Time Inc...Sports Illstrated.com specifically. It's day one so I don't really have much to say. I'll just tell you a few things I learned today.

1. My commute was sick. I tried to catch a 1 train at 72nd after getting off a 2 express. I wasn't even able to get on the 1 train when it arrived...and late at that. So I hopped back on an express to 42nd, took a 1 uptown to my stop and it was all good. From now on I will be taking the 2 or 3 to 42nd and then the 1 uptown...it's faster

2. My offer letter never told me what time I had to be to work. So I get to HR and they are like why are all of today's new hires scheduled for next week's orientation. So they changed my orientation. I don't like being late and I missed the first 15 minutes of the presentation but I think I got the most important stuff.

3. I'm not getting my first check until August 24. I thought I was getting my first paycheck on August 10. So basically I have to go a month with NO MONEY. I already hit up my mom...I'm about to hit up an ex...I'm about to see if I can take a cash advance on a credit card...I'm bugging Essence to pay me what they owe me and soon. There is no way I can go almost an entire month with no money.

4. I like the project and the people I'm working with...thus far. They actually had all the people on my project start on the same day so we are newbies together.

5. The best part of all my schedule is 10am - 6pm. I am floating on cloud nine.

Fashion Frenzy

I was trying to avoid blogging while on vacation but my list of topics is rapidly building and I just couldn't hold it in.

So I'm doing laundry today and getting ready for my first day at SI.com. As I'm putting outfits together...it hits me...every professional looking thing I have in my closet comes from Gap or Express. I am a walking ad for their stores.

Anyone who knows me knows I'm not big on labels or fashion...period. I like to wear what is cute (on me), comfortable and affordable. And I don't go shopping often because anyone who knows me also knows I hate malls. But I guess over time, every time I have gone shopping, I have picked up a few items here and a few items there but the few items are all from Gap or Express.

I'm not sure what the dress code is at my new job yet. You would think, being a sports magazine it's all athletic attire. But at least for the first two weeks I'll be looking like something straight off the mannequin until I can go on a shopping spree but that won't be until late September/October at best.

Letting the Cat Out of the Bag

Some of you may or may not know but after a little over 6 months time I am leaving New York Times Digital. My last day is Saturday July 22. I have accepted a position as a sports producer for Sports Illustrated.com and will be focusing on the NFL. I start July 31.

I'm excited and nervous at the same time. It was an extremely hard decision to leave. Walking away from the New York Times is no easy endeavor. You have to weigh all options and consider the future of your career. What it came down to was work/life balance. Since working at NYTD I don't have a life outside of work and anyone that knows me knows I can't last but so long in a situation like that. I want to go out, meet people, have fun, enjoy being single, in my twenties and living in NYC. And ultimately I want to get married, have kids...do that whole American Dream thing. My new position at SI.com will allow me to do that and to still do what I love...online journalism. It's the work/life balance my life has been lacking.

Some day down the road I may have to explain to some curious future employer why I left the New York Times after only 6 months but I plan on staying at SI.com as long as I can. To be able to be a journalist and work normal Monday-Friday 9am-6pm...it's gonna take something like Osama Bin Laden blowing up the entire Island of NYC and even then I would just transfer to the SI offices in Atlanta. The only other thing that could possibly pull me away from this new job is a serious relationship (meaning marriage) and right now I can't even get a date so the chances of a serious relationship happening anytime soon is next to nil.

Wish me luck and always keep me in your prayers. And expect to see a lot more interesting posts cause I'm going to be painting the town Carolina Blue...lol.

NYC Visit

One of my friends and former co-workers came from Atlanta to visit and we had a great time. I love when people come to visit because in some ways they know more about the city than I do. They see the city through the eyes of a tourist, while as a resident we take a lot of what NYC has to offer for granted.

So I picked her up at the airport on Friday and it was my first time driving to the airport. I live a lot closer to LaGuardia than I thought. We dropped her bags and hit the subway because the subway is the best way to travel. I had to take her to Bar 89 because it was Friday and Friday is the only day of the week they serve shrimp cocktail...in addition to all the other tasty and not too pricey foods and beverages. Then we went to the Yankees game and it was a lot more exciting than I thought it would be. Our seats were high as hell but we still had a great time.

Saturday my friend wore me out. I have NEVER travelled on the subway so much in one day. We went all the way to Coney Island so she could ride the Cyclone at Astroland. She had to go on that one by herself because I have an aversion to rides where I feel like I'm going to come out of my seat. Then we took the subway to the Brooklyn Bridge and walked across to the Manhattan side. Again, as a resident, I wouldn't have even thought to walk across the bridge. We had to come home because by that point I was seriously in need of a nap. We ended the day with a trip to Little Italy for a fabulous Italian meal and the dessert spot we found really hit the spot. I will definitely be heading back there.

Sunday she was heading back to Atlanta but she still had one more spot to hit and what a great choice. As a fan of Sex and the City I was happy to try this place out as well. It's a bakery called Magnolia's and it's on Bleeker Street. It was actually much easier to get there by car only because it was a Sunday. I was even able to find a great parking space. We sat in a park across the street from the bakery, enjoyed our treats and people watched. I love people watching. All in all it was a great weekend.

I spent most of Monday recovering. I felt bad because my niece spent the night on Sunday night and I was asleep mostly while she was there. I did take her to a taping of Quite Frankly and I think she enjoyed the experience of being in the audience for a TV show.

All in all I learned a few things about the city so the next time someone comes to visit I'll have even more options of things to do.

A Secret Revealed

I'm going to make a BIG announcement in the coming days. But I'll get y'all warmed up with a small one.

Remember when I was interning, well I can finally reveal where I was interning. I was working at Forbes magazine on the Celebrity 100 issue that came out July 3. I contributed to the research of the entire list and I wrote one piece about the Top Earning Dead Celebs. The website for Forbes turned my article in to a small photo gallery.

But wait...there's more. I'm going to be on TV...lol. You can hopefully catch me (if my stuff isn't on the cutting room floor) on E! television this Sunday July 16 at 8 p.m. EST. Stunts: Forbes Celebrity 100: Who Made Bank - This two hour show counts down Forbes Magazine's top 100 richest celebrities of 2006. I had #44 - Jessica Simpson, #79 - Sean Diddy Combs and #100 - Ty Pennington. Given that we had 100 celebrities to squeeze in to 2 hours don't go to the bathroom you might miss my cameo.

Things are really looking up for me and expect to hear even more EXCITING news from me. But for now I'm going to enjoy a long and well deserved 4 day weekend off from work ;)

Get Your Game Up

An interesting tidbit from one of the conversations I had with my nieces and nephew.

We talked about dating...apparantly all of us (me and them) are single. One of my nieces has double D's but my brother is a former Marine so he doesn't even let males of any age look at her. She's not allowed to sit in the front seat of his ride because grown men stare at her and he has been known to flip people off. So she sits in the back cause the windows are tinted.

My other niece is a workaholic, like me, but I think she be big pimpin in Paterson because truthfully she is probably related to every other person in Hackensack. My family and her dad's family have been in Hackensack for generations so you get the idea. Before you can date someone from our town you have to damn near research their family tree to make sure they ain't related.

And my nephew won't admit it but I think he is far too selfish to give a girlfriend the kind of attention she would want. But he does love to talk on the phone, like his father (my brother), and so talking a good game is in his genes.

But one of my nieces was with me when I was hanging out with one of my friends from college that recently moved to NJ. She asked me why I didn't date him because he is really cute...and she started talking about his sexy build and I cracked up laughing cause I didn't realize she had paid him that much attention. I told her he has a girlfriend and we are just friends. She said, "So." I was like what do you mean so...he has a girl which means he is unavailable. "Well Auntie you can take him from her." I just laughed because I couldn't believe what she was saying and that my 17 year old niece was giving me dating advice. She finally said, "Auntie, you need to get your game up." And my other niece and nephew nodded in agreement. That was like a moment from the twilight zone.

The $600 Oil Change

I have this love/hate relationship with my car. I love my car when it's not having any issues and I hate it when it does. The car is almost 10 years old and I just hate investing any large sums of money in to it. But at the same time I need a car and I can't afford to buy a new one so I have to do what I have to do to preserve this one.

I think way back in January I blogged about how the cap on my engine came off some time during my move from Atlanta to NYC. Oil was all over the inside of the car. Every time I would go to Firestone for an oil change they would tell me that I needed to get the engine steam cleaned...I stalled. The car was running fine, didn't smell like oil...I just didn't take the time or money to do it.

When it comes to my car I get in to moods about it. So this week I was in the mood to get some maintenance things done. So I decided to get the engine steam cleaned before I got an oil change. WHY DID I DECIDE TO DO THAT?

I'm all about supporting minority business so I took it to this shop that is Hispanic owned that EVERYONE including Firestone recommended. They said it would only be $25 to do the engine so I decide to go all out and get the car detailed. Total - $116

Well I get the car back and as soon as I started it up I knew something was wrong. The car was shaking like a crack head. Standing still it was shaking uncontrollably. As I sat in the car I could see the stick shift shaking. So I asked the guys why is my car shaking. They told me that was normal and that the engine is old. BULLSHIT...my car is almost 10 years old but that is not old for an engine. I try to drive off and the car stalls. OH HELL TO THE NAW! I go right back to the guys they say it is fine, it just needs to dry. WHATEVER! My car was no longer drivable. If I can't get around the corner without the car stalling out there is no way I can drive it back in to NYC. I was pissed and I had my niece with me so I was now concerned for her safety too.

Luckily Firestone is down the street from the car wash place. I barely get the car in to the parking lot of the Firestone. It stalled out FIVE TIMES from the car wash to the shop and finally stalled out in the parking lot. I tell Firestone what had happened and they said maybe I should let it dry. I'm like I can't even get the car to my mom's house let alone back to NYC. So they agree to check it for $99.

By this time I know I'm going to be late to work. I call my mom to come and get me and my niece and I catch a bus in to the city. On the way there Firestone calls to tell me that my car is FUCKED. The car wash place got so much water in my engine that I needed to have a whole bunch of shit replaced...like every wire and spark plug that was attached to my engine...and it would only cost me $500. I was fuming.

Luckily I have a Firestone account so I was able to pay for it..or at least defer payment. Can't wait to get that credit card bill. When I picked up the car the next day I went right back to the car wash place. After an argument they finally agreed to give me $270 of the $500 I paid. I cut my losses and let it go. My rationale was if I had to go through the process of suing it would cost me more than I paid. The other $230 was a combination of the initial diagnostic fee, the cost of a tune up and an oil change. So my net loss is like $350...if you take out the oil change I was going to get anyway my net loss is like $325. So I'm sucking it up, gonna eat the dreaded ramen for a week or two, not order lunch at work and probably have to raid my momma's refrigerator and freezer for the next few weeks.

I just hate unexpected costs and you can't plan for the unexpected like a car wash and an oil change suddenly costing you over $600.

Kickin' It With the Fam

Last night I got to spend some time with my family, particularly my teenage nieces and nephew. I don't think they realized how much this auntie loved that. I can't really remember the last time all 4 of us hang out.

One of my nieces is visiting from Virginia for the summer. The other one is like me and works ALL THE TIME. And my nephew bounces between his mom's place and my brother's place so I usually only catch him in transit. But for some reason the stars aligned last night and they were all together at my mom's house.

So me and one niece picked up the other niece from work. She came over to get her braids taken out. And my nephew was chilling in his dad's bedroom in the attic making love to the phone. I called him for some help with connecting his dad's computer to the internet. Instead of running back to the phone he stayed downstairs with us and I talked and laughed and danced (Auntie be dropping it like it's hot) and we had such a good time until 2am.

Last night is one of those nights I'll treasure. Just seeing all of them together laughing and talking and reminiscing on some of the stuff that has happened in our family...both good and bad. I have to say they have survived relatively unscathed from some of the BS that has gone on in our family. I'm just glad to see they still talk to each other cause my siblings and I barely speak.

The picture that will forever be ingrained in my mind is the 3 of them laughing so hard that they were all tearing and literally rolling on the floor of my mom's living room. That was one of those moments I wish I had a camera. My nieces will be seniors and my nephew a junior so I know last night is one of the few times they will be together like that again. *SIGH* I wish they didn't have to grow up so fast.

Coke Rewards Update

About a month ago I blogged about how I was collecting Coke Rewards so I can get airline miles with Delta. Here's the blog if you don't remember. Well I am proud to say I am halfway to my goal of 1600 coke points equaling 10,000 Delta Sky Miles. I redeemed 800 points today to get 5,000 miles.

This endeavor has turned me in to an ebay-aholic. I'm on Ebay every day looking for bargains on the sale of coke points and you wouldn't believe how many auctions there are. So to everyone who has sent me codes, thank you...I'm still soliciting.

And I'm sure the question on everyone's mind is what am I going to use my miles for. Sadly, I don't have an exotic trip or anything planned. I will probably use the miles to fly to Atlanta one weekend or possibly Vegas. I'm still holding on to my Air Tran points so that I can finally take that vacation to the Bahamas.

Not Going to Grad School

I got my rejection letter from Drexel. Based on the personal rejection letter they sent me everything was tight BUT my GRE scores. So I just have to face reality that if I want to go to graduate school I'm going to have to take the GRE again.

But some other changes are coming in the near future and I'm not motivated to pay almost $2,000 to take a Kaplan class and pay for the test. Plus the GRE is going to under go a whole bunch of changes in 2007 so I might as well wait until after the changes are implemented to seriously reconsider taking the test and re-applying to Drexel.

Initially I was disappointed, no one likes rejection...but given the other life altering changes that are about to take place, graduate school wasn't as attractive an option as it had been when I applied.

Some of you already know what's up but I'm not going to make my official public announcement until July 22 ;)