hodgepodge...

Today will be a hodgepodge of random stuff that I wrote at some point this week and maybe even some point this year…

It takes me a full 45 minutes to an hour to get my day started.  I have to read email (personal of course not work related), look at the facebook, Twitter if I’m feeling fancy, go to the bathroom, get water, finish my coffee, find the appropriate music for the day and then I’m good.  One of my favorite movies is Office Space.  The main character, Peter, says that he just zones out for about an hour after lunch and I think I zone out for about an hour before I actually start work.  Some days I just can’t get started.  And forget if it’s Friday (let today) I have to read everyone’s comment on Scandal and add my own. 

It has taken me all day to realize that the woman who I followed into work who had WAY too much perfume on, well the perfume did not mix well with her body chemistry.  It was a nice enough scent but I love it when people can put something on and it just blends in with whatever natural thing that got going on.  I used to sit behind a guy (Josh... name not changed to protect the innocent but I won’t put his last name) in high school and he wore whatever the popular cologne from Calvin Klein in like the late 80’s.  But OMG when I would get a whiff it was like I had died and gone straight to heaven.  It was a popular scent but on him it just somehow smelled BETTER!  And then there is this lady of a certain age here where I work who smells very maternal.  And not in a bad way, like I pass her in the hall and I want to give her a hug because she reminds me of my grandmothers.  And then there are those who just don’t blend the perfumes well with their scent.  It is a gift to know what works well with you.  I tend to like the old lady scents.  Give me anything by Estee Lauder.    I don’t like anything too fruity or pungent.  The last time I bought myself perfume was for my birthday more than 5 years ago.  That was Lovely by Sarah Jessica Parker and it does indeed smell lovely. 

 

Last night I busted my boo-TAY as I tried to walk down my basement stairs.  I am still in a little pain but just popped a few pills to get a little relief.  Then just know I read my Our Daily Bread passage which was titled Genuine Concern.  As I got up last night I really wondered who is concerned about me?  Who is going to take care of me?  As a caretaker now for over 6 months for my mom, unless you are right there in it, you have no idea.  And when people ask about her I say the expected ‘Oh she’s fine’.  Most times she is but sometimes just really want to go in and say exactly what’s going on but people just want to hear that she is fine so that’s what I say.  I don’t get a lot of concerned questions for me and that stings a little sometimes but then alls I’m probably going to say is I’M FINE!

 

I am a church kid! I grew up in the church.  My family were on boards, and choirs, and committees to help everything run smoothly (hear them tell it).  And now I feel so guilty when I don’t go to church.  And actually when I do go I get my good word, pay my tithes and offering and I’m OUT!! I barely know anyone there and whoever I do know I don’t really know from church.  I have a few sorors, some friends and friends of friends and a few family members.  I know I should want to be more involved but sometimes I just don’t.  I know where my faith lies.  I know what I believe and who I am who I belong to, which brings me to ‘Preachers of LA’ the reality show on Oxygen station.  So many people are up in arms about the show. Other preachers, church folks (**side eye** to them), bloggers and random people who have something to say; and here’s what I have to say, wait what do I have to say? So let me start by saying I have only seen 2 episodes.  It is not something I set my DVR for or stay up to watch but it’s TV!  It’s supposed to be entertaining and drama filled.   I know one of the goals is to reach people and save some souls and some souls will be saved and some people will be turned off.  The lavish lifestyles that these mega church preachers live is a turn off to me.  I just don’t believe that’s what Jesus would do.  He was there for the people, He met them where they were.  And some of the rates these preachers charge is outrageous.  I remember when Katrina hit New Orleans and the people who couldn’t get out were just stuck.  One of the first things my pastor said was that Bishop Paul Morton (was it him or someone else hmm)  who at the time was (maybe still is... shows how much I pay attention) the head of the Full Gospel Fellowship made it out.  And I sat there and thought well what about his parishioners?  What about the least of them?  I was a little turned off by my own pastor that day.  But I get it.  I know these ministries take money to run.  Church is a business.  My only gripe is when we or they forget Christ.  And these men and women on this reality shows, even though it is about church and should be about Jesus, they are just regular men and women who  may have a anointing on their lives who decided to be on TV.  I think the show will reach those who need it.  There have been numerous times that I’ve flip the channel and see a televangelist and he or she just says the right thing for what I needed at that moment.  Every outlet, be it church, TV, sidewalks or whatever has there worth.  Everyone has a testimony that reaches different people for different reasons.  I love Joyce Meyers because she always says how mean she used to be and how she came so far, but she still has a rough edge that I’m sure some folks don’t like.  Some people like Pastor Jamal Bryant, but he is and probably will always be a slimy jerk to me.  Now I know he reaches people just not me, in the same way the Preachers of LA… and you know I done lost my train of thought and when it gets back on track I’ll revisit the subject

 

Sidebar – WHY did I just click on a youtube video of these little Korean kids playing the guitar?!?!  They are getting it in!!! LOL WHEW!! They can’t be more than 6 and the guitars are almost bigger than them.

b-day random and random shame...

This time of year I really go through a self-imposed depression.  In about 2 months is my birthday.  And normally I don’t want to think about it or really acknowledge it.  Honestly I don’t know why.  I am very thankful that I get to see one more year.  It is probably more seasonal that anything.  It’s getting darker earlier and the trees although beautiful it’s a fleeting beauty because the trees will be bare soon.  I haven’t really been able to pinpoint it.  But for some reason this year is different, which is definitely a good thing.   I am turning 40!  I am invigorated!!  Many of my friends have already joined the 40 and over club.  Some of the ones well over 40 have not been sympathetic to my angst for this upcoming birthday, and it took me a minute to get over it mainly because who cares what other people think!? The best advice/idea I got was from my soror aunt-in-law (yeah I just made that up) who said when she turned 40 she did something for herself for 40 days.  She went to a hotel for the weekend and just splurged and did various thing for 40 days.  When she told me that I though OH HELL YES!!  That’s what I’m gonna do!   SO I started a list of what I might want to do for 40 days which I am going to start January 1, 2014.  A few things are restaurants I haven’t been to in the Baltimore and DC area, places I haven’t yet explored (like the zoo and Aquarium… I KNOW right?!), and a few pampering events!  And then I have been thinking what am I going to give myself?  I have a friend who gave herself a big Louis Vuitton bag for her birthday.  I’m not really a purse kinda chick although her purse was nice; I can’t really wrap my head around paying that much for a handbag.  Although I am on the LV site and there are no prices so I guess if you gotta ask… I digress.  And I treat myself pretty well throughout the year so I don’t really know if there has to be 1 thing.  I am planning on doing a party but I’m still not sure where.  Another of my friends just had a reception/party at a restaurant inside of a hotel this past weekend.  It was really nice!  So that helped to reinforce that I do want to do something to signify this auspicious occasion (LOL).  In fact I might do several!  The only problem is the few places I’m thinking of I want there to be entertainment, like a dj or something.  It just feels like nothing in going on in January.  I mean I know winter will be in full swing and folks like to stay inside, but I really just want to add myself in, I don’t really want to think about having to plan something.

There are a few things I am feeling a lil ashamed about:

·         I bought a 10 pack of Twinkies!  I’m not sure if I was hungry that day at the Wal-Mart or if I was feeling nostalgic. Either way I ate all of them but 1.  I gave my mom one who inhaled it in 2 bites and then was like Yeah I don’t even like Twinkies!  That’s how the geriatrics do, they eat so fast because I think they think there food is gonna go away… well not food but snacks and junk

·         The shear amount of wine I have purchased could stock a medium sized restaurant bar.  I am in the wine of the month club and then I went on QVC (y’all know I got issues) and bought more wine mainly because there was not shipping and handling

·         And then there is QVC… **loud shameful sigh** I need to go on a spending diet just from that site alone.  It has gotten BEYOND ridiculous because I can justify everything I get.  Yes I DO need a supersize face cleanser in fact; you selling 2, then let me get them shits right now!!  Orange scarf!?!? HELL yes I need an orange scarf to go with my… uhhh  it matches nothing but that don’t matter!!  I need it.  Pray to all the Jesuses for me!!  (LBJ, teenage Jesus, AND adult Jesus!!)

music review WED... cause it don't hafta be monday!!

I am sitting here listing to the ArchAndroid by Janelle Monae and I have a ton (quite literally a ton) of work because some shit just fell through the cracks so OF COURSE this is a good time to write a blog, right?  RIGHT!!  So it just occurred to me that not everyone gets it.  She is doing some really creative and different stuff here.  And I think folks really liked Tightrope but then that was it.  Just like Beyonce who passive listeners just like Single Ladies or whatever they are playing on the radio might not … oh wait that wasn’t a good example because she really releases everything!!!  Ok so that was my deep thought for the moment because this cd is just as different good and crazy as The Electric Lady. 

I attempted to get my music fix last week which Best Buy could not fill.  SO what I ended up doing was going on the good Amazon.  So what I didn’t realize with this little handy dandy tool called the Kindle Fire HD is that for the most part the music you purchase can also be downloaded on the kindle immediately after purchase SO I DID in fact have some instant gratification. I got Black Radio 2 by The Robert Glasper Experiment.  Now I thought this was just going to be remixes of the songs he did on the first Black Radio but NAH… it’s all new stuff and new arrangements to a few songs.  He worked with just so many people.  I still contend that Bilal sounds better when he duets with others and his song is with Jazmine Sullivan who I contend has not had great material to work with because she can SANG!!  Then you have a song with Brandy which I like.  I wasn’t really feeling her new CD.  Dwele’s song always takes me by surprise.  Then you have the goose pimply songs by Marsha Ambrosius, Jill Scott, Emeli Sande, and Lalah Hathaway not necessarily in that order.  Even the damn song by Macy Gray and Jean Grae is just GREAT.  Not mind you a few of these songs are on the deluxe edition because you can’t just buy the regular old CD you gots to get the DEE-LUXE!!  And bold me direct tweets Robert Glasper and I ask why the Japanese (which I spelled out because saying the Japs looked real REAL bad) got an extra song and he replied back  **SWOON** cause he saw MY tweet and twittering is not something I do well so that took me a back a bit!! LOL I got a mention which in the twitterverse is a GOOD THING!!

retail random...

I guess I don’t have much to say this week, which is odd because I always have something to say about a whole lot of nothing. Someone just lit UP the bathroom so there’s that. Oh here’s something…

So I went to the Wal-Mart the other day because I needed some Wal-Mart crap. Having done a short stint in retail I know that there are some items are under lock and key because they are either easily stolen or have a high dollar amount. To my surprise the earbuds and earphone were under lock and key which just put a crimp in my get in-get out mode. So there was an older lady in a hover round who was trying to buy the same thing I needed. So to me that was win win for the little cashier, but it caused him great grief. She didn’t appreciate me asking questions so I stepped back because you know I am didn’t want her to think I was taking over. At one point she said can I just pay because I need to get outta here, which is probably when I stepped back. Another employee saw that there was still me and another couple who needed help so what did he do? NOT A DAMN THING!!! This is where I get my love/hate relationship for the good Wally World. The couple was ahead of me and English was not their first language so again, me trying not to take over said they are before me. So then old lady in the hover round after she purchases her lil earbuds decides she has questions about some other product. Um NO MA’AM you hafta go so GO!! The couple found what they needed and went on their way. I on the other hand still needed someone with a key to get me to the $12 earbuds. Some other employee comes up and get the key from good for nothing employee and helps me. And I use ‘help’ loosely. My idea of shopping is touching things and reading what’s on the label. When I asked her to hand me the items she only wanted to give me things one by one, because I was clearly going to bash her upside the head for some earbuds!! Maybe I should step back and explain why this purchase was needed right then and there because you know I’m good for walking away and even paying more somewhere else for good customer service. Summer before last I bought these Sony earbuds from the outlet in Rehobeth Beach and I freaking love them!! Had I known, I would have bought more. I am very particular about the earbuds I use. I have literally 3 back-up pairs in my drawer and countless more at home. The fit is important and the sound quality. I need to hear all the bass, all the ad-libs, EVERYTHING. So often I buy them and then toss them aside because something just wasn’t right. Well last week the right ear decided to break and it broke in a way that I cold tape it up. Then the left ear decided to break in the same exact way. I have clear tape on both of them and it was a hot ghetto mess. I can still hear out of them but I can feel the tape on my ear. That aint gon work!! I schlepted my way to Wal-mart the good big new one in Randallstown. So then after I get to look at the ear buds in a piece meal another fashion woman comes up with her son standing in the basket. The woman who was helping me even though English was her first language she still didn’t speak it well. What she should have said was let me check this lady out and I will be right back to you. What she mumbled was do you need help and then walked away to finish up with me. WELL why did she do that?? The lil ghetto mama went clean off Shenene style. She was like EEEWWWW yous a rude son of a bitch dats why I hate coming to this damn place!! I looked like a deer in the headlights. She wasn’t talking to me but it was so very unnecessary. I started to say something to the ghetto mama but I took my little bag and hauled ass. I always cringe when people speak so carelessly in front of their young children. So then I went to the food section and bought a 10 pack of twinkies…

 

btw… I don’t like the earbuds I bought. The fit is not as precise as I like. I am scrounging the Internet to get the Sony ones because I will NOT be going back to the Wal-mart

 

And I have another story.. wanna hear it? here it go...

 

So today I wrote as my status 'I miss record stores' And I do, I SO DO!!I am still not a full fledged member of the I *heart* apple club so yeah I know I can get it on iTunes, but I don't want to.  I am the last of a dying breed who like to feel the cd, look at the pictures the artist put on there, and read the lyrics, producer info, who played the piccolo and all the thank yous!! And I do like Amazon, but having to order and then wait... then wait some more, some days just don't work for me.  Like today I had the bright idea to just go to Best Buy and buy a few cd's.  So I get there, look in earnest for what I was trying to buy then saw the kiosk and got on that.  It for whatever reason decided not to work.  I see people in blue shirts and go for the 2 older guys black and white tag team.  Surely they will help me right!?!  SO I say Excuse me can you help me in the cd section.  The white guy says well maybe you can ask someone in computers to help you **blank stare** EXSQUEEZEME!?!? Why did that fool say that to me.  SO I say OH is that what I can do? Then the black guy who I think oh yeah the brotha will help me out goes well yeah the people in computers can help you.  Then the white guy says the cd's are in alphabetical order so it shouldn't be that difficult.  And this is when I called on the Lord literally.  I said out loud OH LORD JESUS HELP ME!! They both looked so annoyed with me like how dare she interrupt us? So then the white guy tells some person I didn't see that he was going to go help this customer but then proceeded to have a conversation with this unseen person.  Well you know I was about to go smooth off.  Another guy (white guy as well... although as I type I sound increasing racist and it really isn't that at all) comes over and says I'll help you.  Well I am hella frustrated at this point and I was really ready to walk out.  SO I say to him, you know I KNOW the cd's are alphabetical and I tried the kiosk but it's not working right and the guy over there made me feel like I was a bother and I DON'T LIKE THAT!!  So he pulls up the info on some handheld devise he had.  I get a glimpse of his name tag... this is the store manager!!  Well thank you LBJ!! He said he would definitely have a talk with him.  So nothing I wanted was at Best Buy.  This new dude really helped me out, what was intersting is he really didn't know the layout of that section so he had to really walk each section with me.  I told him I really appreciated his help and now I wish looked at his name so I could send a kudos to Best Buy.  I also feel like I need to let Robert Glasper and Amel Larrieux (both my best friends in my head and on twitter) that I tried to buy their cd's I really did. So my instant gratification music needs were not met.  Which led me to really to consider opening my own little wrecka sto!  It would be called 'The Random Chick Music Emporium and Java Joint' I might need to work on the name.  LOL I really wonder if i build it , will people come?  This is where my good marketing degree kicks in becasue I do need to do a SWOT analysis on this.  I know I can't be the only person who like music and coffee.