Thursday, August 31, 2006

He didn't do it... Go figure.



You've seen this man all over the news, so I'm not going to even type out his name. Afterall, in a couple of week's time, he became a household name.

Question: Am I the only one who thought that this dude was lying about murdering J.on Be.net Rams.ey?

It really unnerved me just to see him on television. I mean, I could tell that he was a few sandwiches short of a picnic. All of his cups were not in the cupboard. The elevator did not go all the way to the top floor.

Bump that. Homeboy's Elevator was busted... broken... out of order.

I found it interesting how the media dug waaaay back into this man's past and dug up ALL kinds of dirt on him. After hearing all of the stuff about the child po.rn, the broken marriages to young girls and his search for a sex change...

And worst of all, his intense fascination with the Jo.n Ben.et Ram.sey case... I have only one word for him...

Delusional.

He got so wrapped up in the case that he convinced himself and others that he was the killer.

All of the DNA tests came back negative. Go figure. I was not suprised.
He worked it all out where he got his 15 minutes of fame.

He got his 15 minutes of fame. He got the attention he wanted.

And now...

He's nothing more than a footnote.

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Remembering Katrina...

Approximately one year ago, Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans.

Now, I wrote a post on this last year around this time, when it was first mentioned that Hurricane Katrina, a Category 5 storm, was barreling straight for New Orleans (see this post). I was completely unnerved by it all because I'd lived in New Orleans from 1998 to 2001, and although it had been one of the darkest times of my life, I met some phenomenal people there, people that really stood by me while I lived there.

I lived in New Orleans East near one to the levees and I remembered how it just completely unnerved me that the streets would flood during a hard rain. I would leave work at the first sign of it getting dark and about to rain sometimes. My coworkers use to laugh at me because I was so frightened of the rain and the horrendous fog.

"Don't worry, Dr. Ladylee, it's just a disturbance out in the Gulf!"

"The hell you say," I would say during their laughter.

I was so amazed at friends who said they weren't going anywhere if a hurricane was predicted to hit New Orleans. There had been too many false alarms, and it just wasn't worth it to leave.

I would shake my head vigorously. I promised them that if the weatherman even so much as uttered the word "hurricane", I was going to be the first one diving head first into my Mazda and hightailing my ass up I-10 straight to Atlanta.

So when it was forcasted that Hurricane Katrina was headed for New Orleans...

...I thought about all of the friends I'd made there.

I wasn't just someone watching the news, I was someone who knew some of these people. I thought of all the love I had received, some people even treating me like one of the family, allowing to spend holidays with their families when I couldn't come home to Atlanta for the holidays. I thought about so many other good times I had there.

I saw how they tried to shelter everyone at the Superdome and the Covention center.

I thought, that is cool and all, but New Orleans is like a big bowl. The pumps break down and it floods when it rains just a little to hard...

Shouldn't they get those folks out of the city?? I thought, while watching the news report on the impending storm.

Oh well, I thought. They know what they are doing...

Then the damn levees broke.

And the city flooded.

I was standing in the lab at work when my boss came in and said that they were saying on the news that the levees had broken, and most of the city of New Orleans was under water.

I tried calling everyone I knew down there, just to see who was heading my way, just to see if I could be of assistance.

I couldn't catch up with any of them.

And it really bothered me.

Some months later, I heard from several friends... All of them had lost everything. And not only did they lose everything, but some were being treated terribly in places where they had relocated to after the storm. I was an open ear when a few of them needed to talk, just needing to have someone listen to their plans, etc... I listened, but didn't understand. I just accept it for what it was...

Their need to work things out in their head...

Personally, I can't wrap my mind around how to deal with losing everything I own: job, car, house...everything. I mean, I lost my wallet on Sunday, and it completely unnerved me to spend a damn hour canceling credit cards and spending a few minutes on Monday and today just clearing up other related matters.

Just imagining having to evacuate my home, and returning to see it completely destroyed, not even being able to find my loved ones...

... I can't even set my mind to imagine such a thing.

And here we are a year later, and they are showing pics of New Orleans on television. They are still finding dead bodies, from what I hear. There are still places in New Orleans, a year later now, that still have no running water, sewage, or lights. People need FEMA trailers but can't get them. I know folks still waiting on FEMA checks, even after a lot of folks fraudulently got over on FEMA.

So I ask the same question that puzzled me, and so many others, I imagine, every since this terrible tragedy happened...

We are the United States, the richest country in the world, a super power.... at the forefront of technology; able to launch shuttles and rockets into space....

... so happy to skip and run our asses around the world to other countries whenever they yell "help"...

... more specifically, happy and a bit too eager to spend billions of dollars over in Iraq, in the most confusing so called idea of a "war".

You mean to tell me we can do all this... and do it without so much as breaking a sweat...

And we couldn't even take care of a city that is on our own land... the city of New Orleans.

We couldn't even take care of our own house? And if it wasn't for the intense media coverage...

(Dang, I don't even wat to think about that. Folks would probably STILL be stuck at the Superdome.)

Why is that? Why did it take several days for the government to say,

"Uh... gee, maybe we should, uh, do something."

Would this have happened in West Palm Beach, Nantucket, Camp David, or Malibu... or in Crawford, Texas? (I can answer that. Heck no. They would have built a levee in 24 hours to protect those places. Yes, you know we got the technology to do all that if we really wanted to).

Humph.

And the new term that was coined for the displaced people: "American Refugee". What an oxymoron.

And lets not even talk about the residual effects this tragedy has had on the displaced families. The results of the mental, emotional, and physical issues this tragedy has caused will be seen for a couple of generations at least...

Are we prepared for something like this if it happens again??

I do hope so...

And if not... God help us all.

Friday, August 25, 2006

The Kat's Mixtapes!!



No, no, NOOOOO! I'm not talking about that cat! Not my cat Oscar-Tyrone.

He always has that look that says...

"I can't stand dealing with you awful trifling negroes!"

Not him. I would NEVER make his little prejudice behind a mixtape!

No I am talking about one of my book club sisters, "Kat".

"Kat" is one of my book club sisters... She is the ultimate guru, who's about to turn 50, and she just won a 10 day all expenses paid trip to Hawaii, for being the best doggone employee on the planet...

Now that's a prize, ya'll.

Really though.

Well anyway, Kat walked up to me at Saturday's book club meeting over at the Mechanicsville Library near downtown Atlanta, and says that she saw something on my blog about some tapes.

"The Librarian Mixtapes?" I asked, just shocked that she walked over and said something to me...

You gotta understand, this woman is like "Walking Wisdom" or something. Every word she speaks is profound and completely off the charts!! It took me a minute to fully decipher what she was saying. I just knew there was a metaphor, a key to life, an answer to some deep probing question, a solution to some world problem, a much needed piece of scripture, something in what she had said to me...

You gotta understand, when Kat speaks, we ALL catch a freakin' crook in our necks trying to hear what she's trying to say!

No, she was just commenting on my blog post and the songs on those Librarian's CDs...

"You want me to make you some CDs, Kat?"

"Sure!" she said.

Well, I had to think REAL long and REAL hard about what songs to actually give her. I now have over 144 hours worth of music on my laptop, and it will be hard to narrow down all of that to 50 songs. I will most definitely supply her with copies of the The Librarian Mixtapes, that's for sure. But I knew I wanted to make her something extra special for her trip. I knew one thing: there had better be some positive songs on those CDs, since she's always on the positive tip. I've never made a Disco CD before, and I wanted to give her something that would remind her of her Afro sportin', bell-bottom kickin' days.

And you know, she is going to Hawaii with her husband, her boo...

You know she gotta have some slow romantic ish!!!

Really though!!

LOL!!

So these CD's are for you, Kat! Got you a nice little carrying case and er'thang!!

I'm also throwing in a best of Luther mixtape, and a best of the O'Jays mixtape... And I am trying to negotiate with Cowgirl Cre right now for her to bring all of her Stevie Wonder CDs in... so we can get a best of Stevie Wonder CD together...

That should get you straight through that looooong plane ride.

It's the least I can do. You truly inspire me...

Really, you do.

Enjoy!! And I will get these to you at the Journal writing meeting on Sunday!


The Positive and Mellow Kat!

1. People Make the World Go Round - The Stylistics
2. That's the Way of the World - Earth, Wind, and Fire
3. Everlasting Love - Rufus and Chaka Khan
4. Keep your head up- Chaka Khan
5. Keep Your Head - Mary J. Blige
6. Keep on Moving - Soul II Soul
7. Now that we Found Love - The O'Jays.
8. Ain't Nobody - Chaka Khan
9. Let's Stay Together - Tina Turner
10. Outstanding - The Gap Band
11. I'll be Good - Rene and Angela
12. Come into My Life - Joyce Sims
13. Ascension (Remix) - Maxwell
14. Sign Your Name Across My Heart - Terrence Trent D'Arby
15. Theme from Mahoghany - Diana Ross
16. Holding Back the Years - Simply Red
17. Many Rivers to Cross - Oleta Adams.


Disco Kat on the Dance Floor!!




1. Boogie Wonderland - Earth, Wind, and Fire/The Emotions
2. Don't Leave me this way - Thelma Houston
3. He's the Greatest Dancer - Sister Sledge
4. Disco Nights - GQ
5. Knock on Wood - Amy Stewart
6. Push Push in the Bush - Musique
7. You make me feel Mighty Real - Sylvester
8. Fly Robin Fly - Silver Convention
9. I will Survive - Gloria Gaynor
10. The Groove Line - Heat Wave
11. Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now - McFadden and Whitehead
12. Car Wash - Rolls Royce
13. Thank you (Falletin me Be Mice Elf Agin) - Sly and the Family Stone
14. Disco Inferno - The Tramps
15. Last Dance - Donna Summer
16. Got to Give it up - Marvin Gaye
17. Theme from Shaft - Isaac Hayes


The Slow Moving Kat...

1. A Dream - Debarge
2. My Funny Valentine - Chaka Khan
3. Betcha By Golly Wow - Phyllis Hyman
4. There you Go- Johnny Gill
5. I want you - Marvin Gaye
6. The Beautiful Ones - Prince
7. Promises Promises - Christopher Williams
8. Do you still love me - Me'Lisa Morgan
9. Love under new management - Miki Howard
10. Wishing on a Star- Rolls Royce
11. Is it Good to you -
12. Your smile - Rene and Angela
13. Love don't live here anymore - Rolls Royce
14. Reasons - Earth Wind and Fire
15. Distant Lover (Live) - Marvin Gaye

Thursday, August 17, 2006

Happy Birthday Kentucky!!!



Today is my baby sister Kay a.k.a. Kentucky's birthday!!

She is 25 years old today!

That's a whole quarter century old!

(Geez... I would never tell her that... She would have a freakin' stroke!)

I don't write about her as much as I write about my brother Milk and Cookies... She is a quiet Diva, who walks very gingerly around me, and she is quite careful not to get involved in anything that I can write about on my blog... it soooo embarrasses her!!

But there are times that she does... do silly stuff!

Here is a list of all the past posts where Kentucky is the subject at hand...


Enjoy!

I remember the day that Kay was born.

Kay decides to try out the world famous lemonade diet.

Kay gets called up for jury duty.

Kay's distress over the antics of my gay black neighbors who live in the house to the left of me.

Have a Happy Happy Birthday "Kentucky". I love you, gal!!

Sunday, August 13, 2006

An OG's first Bloggaversary

You know the Oldgirl is all giddy, yo?





It is my one year anniversary, babes!!

I started this blog a year ago... Now it's a year later, 125 posts later, and um... it's a whole lot to take in.

Now, over a year ago, I didn't even know what a blog was. I just happen to come across my favorite author Tayari Jones blog, and left a comment (very hesitantly, because I really didn't know if I was allowed to do that) And you know what? She sent me an email... I was like...

GLORY!!

Somehow, I ended up getting my own...



I look back at my posts, and I have noticed how my styles have changed. Now in the beginning, much of the 'Trina stuff was going on, so I blogged about that. I was also more political. Then I started getting some readership showing up after awhile... I think I was pretty much blogging about whatever was on my mind, you know, without ramification. Much of that stopped because I can't STAND debating and arguing with folks. Looking back, less than 5% of my posts are serious in nature...Let's just say that I don't get all that serious here. Ladylee is the fun side of me (and a few of you know that other "sweet" side of the oldgirl).

Then I discovered that I can take my behind over to other blogs, with more serious topics, and just straight up blog in their comment sections. (For those of you who I harass in this way- Chele, Sharon, DJ Diva, Serenity, Chosen, ATLien Nikki, Tayari- Thanks for putting up with me!!)

But like I said, LadyLee is the funny side of the Oldgirl... Can I take some funny ish that has happened to me, and turn it into a story? This is a continuous struggle for me, but I am getting better...

A couple of nice things have happened because of my blog...

My Auntie J reads my blog, and if I do blog about something serious, or especially family related, she will call me up, and we will have a heart-to-heart convo about it. I am a TERRIBLE communicator, and I keep my cards close to my chest, so through all this, I have found that I can count on her to be honest with me and break things down all propa like. (Thanks Auntie!)

One thing I didn't realize is that Iwould come across some AMAZING folks in blogland...


A couple of bloggers- Chele (Ms. Full House) and Sharon (The Microphone Queen) out there have had a PROFOUND impact on me... an impact so strong that I issued them their Platinum Plus Original Oldgirl Cards... and they gladly accepted (LOL). They even have their own section on my blog roll. You Oldgirls, I swear, man, you will never know how much your words impact me... I really look up to ya'll. Now I have met Sharon, and talk to her on the phone (and I continuously bow at her feet!), but I've never met Chele... If I ever did, the scenario would go something like this:

Hi LadyLee, I'm Chele! How are you??

*LadyLee is completely shocked and can't speak. Ladylee tries to speak, but passes out instead, falling down on the HARD concrete*

Somebody hurry up and get a stretcher!! Call 911!! LOL!!!

Just know that you two Oldgirls inspire this Oldgirl... You both make me want to be a better person. I've learned from ya'll that I don't have to apologize to ANYONE for who I am... I'm growing, but I'm alright as I am, idiosyncracies and all.. I am alright.

Really though.

Now, I have been christened as a member of the triple threat crew by Sharon, the Microphone Queen. The triple threat crew consists of Serenity23, The DJ DIVA, and yours truly... Now I talk to these females everyday via email (sometimes upwards of 300 emails a day, and all the love and arguments over our personal ish can get REALLY intense), and they KNOW me and all my idiosyncracies, and don't hesitate to put a foot up my ass about things. I'm suprised they still fool with my trifling ass, LOL! (I appreciate that, because you know I NEEDS that, you bustas!!).


(Sidenote: And Serenity, stop calling me a chickenhead on IM, text messages, and in email... someone yelled "Chickenhead" in the drugstore the other day and I turned around... So now I don't even know my name anymore Cut that ish out, you heard me, you chicken!?).

I want to shout out to Ladybug, a former blogger, who is riding shotgun HARD on that same, intense email thread ER'day! Love you, Mayne!!

Serenity is an "Oldgirl-in-training" and is begging HARD for a card. So Serenity, I told your butt that you was too doggone young, and I need you to at least hit the age of 30, but if them other OG's approve and you take off those damn clear heels, then I will hook you up, little girl!

Other interesting things that have happened during my blog year, i.e., my ten favorite posts, some of which are serious posts (imagine THAT)

I purchased my first home!
My oldest cat, Jeremy Girard, died back in November at the age of 9.
My top five memories in my 25 year friendship with my best friend LadyTee
I lamented over my baby bro going into the military during a time of war.
I blogged about my divorce.
My manuscript critiquers pissed me off when they tried to perpertrate! (You bougie, bougie broads!)
My 100th post (Top 100 things about the Oldgirl).
I gained an understanding of crackhead and hood politics.
Hurricaine 'Trina and it's relation to Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower
I even got a little spiritual on ya!


I could go on and on... but I won't.

Do I plan to change anything? Not really. I am not computer savvy, so I will keep my format the same... I added background music a couple of months ago, and that is about as technical as I can get... I don't post as much because I like a lot of pics, and blogger won't let this Oldgirl upload like I like. (I am like, 10 posts behind right now.) I will work on becoming less LOOOONGwinded, so I can post more. I don't read and support blogs as much as I should because I have the attention span of a flea with attention deficient disorder(LOL). In my effort to not turn into a dreaded lurker, I will attempt to improve in this area.

I don't get too personal over here, and don't really plan to start now (Negroes on the job and shady management read this ish). You never know though, I may suprise ya'll:)

What do I plan to do on my bloggaversary?

No, I don't plan to ball out of control... I'll go to church today, go do a little grocery shopping, do some reading, clean the house, work on a post, work on my manuscript, catch up on my bible reading, cook for the week, and yack on the phone, then take my behind to bed.

But most of all, on this bloggaversary, I want to be sure to thank you all for reading me, supporting me, and blessing me with your comments:)

Please, hurry up this way again!!

~Ladylee:)

Monday, August 07, 2006

A Visit from an Old Friend... An Old Influence

Beware, this is a um... dark post, not my usual funny, funny... Tread carefully...

I am a strange Oldgirl...




I, like most, have idiosyncracies...and I don't apologize for that. I'm only human.

I detest running with the crowd, or even getting hype about whatever is the the trend of the moment... It all makes me want to gag. I get in A LOT of trouble for not having the knack of saying all the right things, or being a people pleaser.

It wouldn't bother me one bit to work all day in a small cubicle up on the roof of my workplace all alone, with no contact whatsoever with people.

Ain't nothing but peace to me. And I'd probably get 10 times as much work done, you know.

If you're not speaking good words to me, words to uplift me, words to get me going in the right direction, words to soothe my soul, words of correction and chastisement from the heart... just not having a positive influence on me at all... then I ain't trying to deal with you...

And I boldly say, if I'm not doing the same for you, then you don't need to be dealing with me...

Keep It Movin'...

Our lives are too damn important to be around folks that are keeping us in some form of bondage. I will go on to say, most issues we have are intricately connected to some bad or strange relations and/or interactions with someone in our lives in the past...

I don't really know why, but that's just me, and how I feel. I'm 36 now, and all I know, once I turned 30, my tolerance for people's B.S. went waaaaay down... Let's just say my patience is as thin as a peice of paper...

Meaning, I can't deal with you if you are a messy person, a dramatic person, a person of low self-esteem (i.e., one who needs their ego CONSTANTLY stroked and/or validated), people who only talk to me when they want something, or one who is exceedingly negative...

Sorry, but you need to keep it moving... we ain't in high school, we ain't in college, and this ain't a popularity contest... We is GROWN, so act grown...

No, I'm not the most positive person on the planet, but it don't help me to hang with a bunch of negative peeps...

Ooooh, Ladylee is not so funny today is she? Nope. This is just me, what's been at the forefront of my mind for a minute. I get a lot of criticism for being a bit too flowery and funny on this blog, not showing enough of the real me... but hey, this is one of them posts where you see a bit of my serious side... so catch it while you can (LOL!)

Anyway, I am very careful about who I deal with. Man, I got folks that have a stank attitude towards me right now, because I am not skilled in saying ALL the right things, doing ALL of what they think I should do for them, or even if I have a bad day, etc... I can't figure out what I did to them, and frankly, since I don't go out of my way to purposefully hurt people, I really don't care.

Oh well, that's cool... keeps them out of my way. LOL!

Now one thing I detest is lazy people, people whose laziness make it hard for everyonoe else. We have this problem on my job. And what's so terribly twisted about it, such behaviour seems to be rewarded...

While a foot is put up the ass of the diligent.

So twisted... so it seems that it's just best to be lazy... hmmm...

*Lee reluctantly getting off of the soapbox and kicking it off in the bushes*

Anyway, a bit of bright sunshine shined in my life last week.

Cowgirl Cre and I were sitting in the large, two person cubicle that we share one day last week, quietly eating our lunch. I was reading a book, and she was reading also.

All was quiet.

Someone walked up behind us, and softly said in a thick hispanic accent...

"Do you all still work here? Do you do work?"

I didn't even turn around to see who it was...

I was too busy looking for my shovel, so I could run out back and dig up my Book of Cuss!

I looked over at Cowgirl Cre, and apparently, she too was looking for that same shovel.

(Let's just say I stay clear of a couple of people out of the Hispanic sector at work since they like to grab me and throw me under the bus from time to time.)

I eventually turned around, to see a coworker who'd transferred to a new location within our organization a few years ago...

My ex-coworker Havi...



Now Havi was a special type of person. One who didn't backbite or backstab. One who didn't need his ego stroked. One who wasn't dramatic, i.e., didn't keep a bunch of mess going. The type of person that you don't have to watch. Just a great all around guy. He was a very honest and hard worker... extremely diligent. And if there is one thing I like, I like a hard, honest worker.

We had a long conversation one day a few years ago, you know, one of those unforgetable convos where you come to a very clear understanding with a person, and see eye-to-eye on some things. He wanted to learn some of the equipment that I was very knowledgable of, but I could tell he had heard a lot of crazy stuff about me, and was hesitant to approach me about it. (I, Ladylee, am not the most political or congenial individual, i.e., I'm not an ass-kisser, so on the job, that makes me... incredibly and automatically EVIL, LOL!). But I told him, give me 10 minutes a day of your time, just when you finish your own work, just 10 minutes a day, and I will teach you all I know. You can either believe what the haters say about me, or make up your own mind, but I will teach you all that I can, if you want. Just because I hold a Ph.D. does not mean I walk around with my nose in the air. I don't have ego issues! if you want to learn, I will fervently teach you! Heck, you may figure out something I can't figure out, or even teach me something new. And I am down for that!

Well, he decided to roll with me, and was diligent about giving me his 10 minutes a day. He soaked up everything I taught him, and was able to eventually take on some of the more tedious and difficult projects of our group. I remember when he use to walk up on me with a worried look, asking my advice on how to do a particular analysis, wanting to try a different approach, just kicking ideas past me, to see what I think. I would just let him talk and talk, let him hear himself talk the problem out and figure it out for himself.

I would always just nod and say.... "Do your thang, man... try it and see what happens, I trust your judgement."

Damn, why can't it be that way with everybody?

It's sad to say that I can't say that to many people... "I trust your judgement". Sad, sad, sad.

Anyway, Havi was able to transfer out of our group and back to a branch in his hometown of Puerto Rico, and is working with some of the same equipment that I had the opportunity to show and teach him how to use...

So when I turned around that day last week and saw him standing there, smiling like the cheshire cat... I did all I could not to shed a tear or two...

I just jumped up and tackled and hugged him (LOL)!!

I miss him so much...

See, I can't stand lazy people, because laziness is something that I myself struggle with. And it's not that outright laziness, where I am just sorry as hell (you know, we all know people like that). But for me, it's that laziness where I have a slow day, where I only get half as much done as I should have gotten done, and it's all my fault because I am slacking and unmotivated, or just not feeling well that day... THAT brand of laziness.

So I run from those who have a rep of being lazy or trifling... because, it is my belief that whoever you hang around too much with, well, you start to pick up some of their characteristics...

And that scares me.

One of the biggest things on my prayer list is a prayer to become a diligent person, and it is an honor and a great influence when I cross paths with very diligent people. Because meeting such persons is a rarity in my life. I find that I always pick up some of their characteristics, some of the missing points that I need to make me a better worker... a better person.

I miss Havi because he was kind, good-hearted, an honest hard worker...and very diligent. When we worked together, I worked harder, worked so much smarter. Heck, I didn't even mind coming to work some days, because I knew that he and I were going to get a lot done.

So Havi, I miss you man! I miss the influence you had on me...

Lord knows I need your diligent behind back here in the ATL...

But hey man, I know you wanted to go back home to that beautiful island, and you got there...

Thanks for stopping by and visiting, and making us laugh... You almost got read a few verses from my Book of Cuss!!

You be sure to come back again soon...