Two Thursday Thoughts

A little something different for our Tuesday Thoughts.

Quotes!

Quote#1

Quote#2

That Good Sleep...

Friday Freestyles

Friday!

So glad of that. And I can't wait to bounce out and get home.

I am fully awake and ready to go, especially since it is NOT payday.

Because on Payday, the blinds of my mind are at half staff. Yes they are.

I have been doing SUPERVISORY duties this morning. And I am doing well (after only a few hours). Let's just make it through the next couple of weeks. I have also been doing a bunch of editing today, since I'm on the workplace newsletter crew. I don't mind that, since I like to write, and I need some practice editing.

What surprised me most this morning, though? The bit of sunshine that came out this morning! I was amazed because it has been super dreary all week. I know this is a light matter, because this is part of Tropical Storm Cindy (Atlanta gets the outer bands of anything that stomps its way into the Gulf), and the people on the Gulf coast have it much worse than we ever will. They are in my thoughts and prayers, for sure.

Quote of the Week. I got this from some random rap song.  I don't remember the name of the song, but I know it's by Curren$y.

"Opportunity came  knocking but I wasn't home. I was at Opportunity's house taking all the valuables out." 

I find that frickin' profound. It is chocked full of Food for thought. I will let you sit back and chew on that one.

Song of the Week.  This song has popped up on one of my playlist the past couple of days. I like it. It puts me in the mind of blogger Chele and her son. Not necessarily because of the  subject matter,  but the way the mother speaks of her love for her son in the beginning, well, after reading about Chele and her son, I can see her saying some of the same things.

So this one is for you Chele and the Prince! Domo Genesis "One Below"



That is it for my Friday Freestyles. I am not sure what the weekend brings.  I hope for it to be productive.  My toe is finally healed up, so I think I can run up on the gym.  And of course I will get some writing and reading done...  and some chores (ugh).

You have a great weekend!  On purpose!

Ten Thursday Thoughts

Here we go with my ten Thursday Thoughts...

1.  My goodness! It is straight RAINING in the ATL.

 Wow. All this water... where the world is the sun?

 (And no, I will never be holding my hand out like that in the rain. Nope!)

2. I'm 'bout sick and tired of my salads. But I'm still getting it in, though!

3. I thought I was in charge for 1 week. But I have learned that I am in charge for TWO WEEKS. Ugh!!!! Lawd.

4. I think that means no one will be here. This will make me happy, as I will only be in charge of myself.

5. With that said, I have some supervisor tasks that I have NO idea how to get done. But that's Oldboy's fault for leaving me in charge. In other words, I hope he don't come back talking a bunch of trash. No sir. Don't do that.

6. I have never had a desire to be in management, although that has been discussed a good bit over the past 15 years.

7. Managing scientists is like managing cats. No thank you.

8. And when I think of the whole idea of management, I think about this Abraham Lincoln quote:

"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."

9. And since it's raining, and we won't be getting sunshine until next Tuesday.... here's a video with a whole lot of rain in it.  Ashanti's "Rain on Me"



10. One more good video with rain in the title. SWV's "Rain"




That's it for my Ten Thoughts on a Thursday!

RIP Prodigy of Mobb Deep, November 2,1974- June 20, 2017

Monday Evening Musings

Good Monday Evening.

It is hot, muggy, and rainy in my Beloved ATL. I am so glad I got my AC fixed because if not, I would be truly miserable. 

And this has been a good enough workday. That is all I can ask for.

So, I FINALLY saw the Wonder Woman movie.

Man oh man... That was a GREAT movie. Wonder Woman is a BAD sista. That is ALL.

And I saw it in 3D IMAX. That made it extra special. I felt like I was in the movie.

Wonder Woman was kicking behinds left and right, you hear me?

WOW.

That was so good that I will be seeing it again. I know I missed something.

The whole history of Wonder Woman was phenomenal. I loved anything with a great background story woven into the storyline just right. And I loved seeing black women in power in the Amazon structure. AWESOME. What a powerful movie.

I will be seeing it again because there was so much going on... I KNOW I missed something. It is well worth seeing a few more times. I will definitely be buying it when I comes out on video. I may watch that just as much as I have been known to watch the

This was a pretty laid back weekend. I had much to do around the house. My goal this week is to stretch my chores out during the week. When I have done that in the past, my weekends were more relaxed.

I had a personal moment of clarity concerning Fathers day last night, and I posted about it yesterday. So I will not talk much about that again. You can go back and peruse it if you like. But it made me feel much better. I was in struggle mode and didn't even really know it.

Song of  the Week.  Hmm. Of course I want to put up some ratchetness. How about I just save that for Friday.  My morning drive music on repeat for some reason was this song. Why? I am usually a bit moody on my way to work (even though it is a short 12-15 minute commute in ATL traffic), and for this reason, this song on repeat made me happy.



I was feeling alright by the time I made it to work!

GLORY!!

That is so good, I will post the 1 minute sequel!



Such nice songs. Ain't nobody cussing and taring up stuff.  No ratchet behavior. I know it's a remake,  but that song has to be some 15 years old. I like oldies, you see.

(But like I said, I have a piece of ratchetness laying around. I will put that up soon enough. LOL).

That is it for me. I am looking forward to a great week.

You have a great week. On purpose.

Happy Fathers Day

Happy Fathers Day... I'm not sure how many men readers I have, but I like to acknowledge my holidays.

I was looking back at old Fathers Day posts in order to just grab up a picture for today's blog post. I am always pensive and reflective on Mothers and Fathers Day, as these have never been times of celebration, but moreso times of trepidation for me. This has been an odd weekend in that I have found my eyes welling up with tears when watching Fathers day commercials on TV. And it is mostly out of wishing I had experienced all those feelings at some time in my life, and realizing that I haven't. I am not sure why it is causing such an emotional response from me. But it is alright.

I not only came across a picture, but I also came across some thoughts about fathers day that I posted, and it was a blessing and a comfort to read them.

I want to repost those here today on this Fathers day.

(Circa Fathers Day 2014)

This morning, during my journalling time, I spent some time writing about my father. He passed back in September of last year. I have his flag. I didn't really know how to feel about that. I know I

didn't think it was right to pack it away. I thought it should go to his family, but I was urged to take it. It set atop my bookcase, wrapped in plastic wrap for a few months. My best friend LadyTee brought a shadow box for it. I didn't want to set it on my mantle, so now it sits above my kitchen cabinet.

I reconnected with my father when I was 39, after setting a "bucket list" goal to reconnect, i.e., talk to him, when I turned 30. It took 9 years to get the courage up to say something. I was afraid of this man. My mother had said some things about him when I was a child that made me afraid.  There were the occasional times I picked up the phone at my grandmother's house, and it was him calling them to check on me. But it was like talking to a mere stranger. And I had to remember not to pick up the phone when I was over there.

For years I felt so abandoned. There were those thoughts so many of times of "Maybe I would've made better decisions in my life if I had a father to guide me."  I suppose it is worse for a boy/man than a girl/woman.  But I am older now. And I am successful enough. I can't blame things on that. I can't be mad about it. I sometimes look at others with fathers and wish that I had one, just to have someone who cares. But I look at myself, and I am alright. I can't judge my life through the lens of another.

The things I learned over the past few years of rare visits with him are interesting. I looked like him. We had the same sense of humor. We were both very quiet people, and prefer our own company. I am the worst kind of loner, and so was he. I needed to know those things. I appreciate knowing those things. I thank God for allowing me some glimpses into essentially the "why" behind who I am. That means sooooo much to me.

I also recognized in my prayers this morning my Heavenly Father. I am so thankful for prayer. Rarely do I talk to people about my issues, but you best believe I talk to God about them. And I am a bit spoiled these days, because prayer is constantly answered. Even the stuff I refuse to pray about. It is so interesting how the Holy Spirit searches the deep recesses of my mind and even takes care of those issues. I feel very much special and very much taken care of and thought about.

Part of my daily prayer for the past 1.5 years, something I posted on the last day of 2014, comes to mind.

Thank you Lord for being the covering you always are.... A covering with no holes and no flaws... all seeing, and all knowing. Thank you for taking care of me in ways I know about and most importantly, in ways I don't know about.

I ponder and meditate on that. I do. And I forever grateful for it.

Those are my thoughts on this Father's Day.

This is one of those times where I am glad to have some 11 years of blog posts. I can go back and read about ME and my heart concerning things.

And that there is worth its weight in gold.

Always. 

TWO Thursday Thoughts

2 Thursday Thoughts.

(Yes. That is all I have time for).

1. My foot has FINALLY stopped hurting. Ugh. 

It's been close to 6 WEEKS since I stomped my toe - the toe next to the little toe - on the leg of the coffee table. It has been something else to try to get through. For a couple of weeks it was noticeably swollen before I could tell the swelling was going down.. I JUST started wearing regular sneakers on Monday. And I had a moment of trepidation about even trying to slide on a leather shoe. It feels so good to be wearing regular shoes.

I had a terrible time for a few days getting back and forth to work. It just hurt so bad to walk. My toe was swollen for 5 weeks. And I think the sprain was up to the middle part of my foot. That has never happened before.

I have always frowned when it's announced that an athlete is unable to play a game (football, basketball) because of a toe injury. My response has always been "You make 20 million dollars a year, and you are out of the game because of a hurt toe? Really?"

But now. I understand. I don't have turf toe, but any hard injury to the toe... be sure to sit down and let it heal. Please.  No sports, nothing. None of that!!  

2. My phone is on the blink. I got it wet this morning in the shower while trying to talk to my sister on speaker phone. Yes, it was stupid, but I think it was the steam, and not water.

Sigh.

I have a bunch of pictures that I hope I can save.  I don't know how that's going to work out.

The touchscreen isn't working.  So I am going to let it dry out in some rice overnight to see what happens.

This is bothersome because I, like most people, fool with my phone a lot. No, I'm not big on social media  (I tend to lurk and rarely post anything), but all of my phone numbers and pictures are in there. I have a few games going also. So it's going to be interesting over the next couple of days trying to figure out if I can save some things out of it. It's not a big deal to run and buy another phone. But it's a hassle. So hopefully, the phone will dry out and work properly (It's charging and I can receive calls, etc).

We will see.

But both of these "thoughts" have made me stop and ponder.

They really have.

With that said, that's it for my TWO Thursday thoughts.

Wordless Wednesday: Big Mitch!!

Ten Tuesday Thoughts

Thoughts!

On a Tuesday!

And I'm not even numbering them.


WHAT IN THE WORLD was that cabinet meeting at the White House about yesterday? Is it just me, or did it make anyone else... uncomfortable?

We need a week without any political tomfoolery. One week. I would  love that.

Congrats  to the Warriors  on winning the NBA championship.

I spent the weekend with my sister, which is always a treat.

We watched Orange is the New Black. We made it through 10 episodes. We have three more to go, but I don't know if I will watch those any time soon, as this season is not as exciting as the first couple of seasons.

It's so odd having someone in the house. My sister was up in the middle of the night, and I found myself yelling because I thought it was that girl cat Sister Callie Jo getting into something. Poor cat walked in the bedroom and was looking at me like "Why are you yelling in the middle of the night?" LOL.

I had some chicken and shrimp this weekend when she was there. The meat tasted strange after eating raw all week. I am back to raw this week. And that's a good thing.

I find it interesting that some folks don't know how to interact with me unless we are laughing or joking. (Or worse- shucking and jiving).

The kick is, I'm not always in a laughing and joking mood.

With that said, the older I get, the shorter my patience gets... with superficial relationships, that is.  I'm not sure how I feel about that, though.



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Monday Musings: New Black Panther Trailer

So I had a great weekend. And I will save those thoughts for a Tuesday Thoughts post, I think.

But what had my eyes wide open this weekend was the official trailer for the Black Panther movie. I wish I would've seen it on the big screen, but I think I saw it in those Twitter streets. At any rate, it is phenomenal. Have a look.



How GREAT is that? I may have to go to some special Wednesday showing of that. Not the weekend. You know EVERY black person on the entire planet is going to be up in there.

The sad part is that it's not out until 2018.

2018!

Ugh.

I thought it would at least be coming out around  Christmas this year. Why must we wait so long for it?

Oh well.

I immediately recognized the background music for the trailer. It's a song from Run the Jewels 3. I'm not a big fan of the whole Run the Jewels franchise, but I actually liked the third CD in the installment. And they have a video for that song in the Black Panther trailer.



I didn't notice before, but that video is an interesting piece of social commentary. Hmm.

I like that song.  But I like several songs on the CD, which for me, makes it a good CD.

My favorite song, though, is "Hey Kids"


Now I haven't been much of a fan of Run the Jewels. This is another group favored by guys, as there are not any "girl friendly" songs (whatever that means). I've also seen this type of rap referred to as stadium rap. I suppose it will sound good in a stadium with some crowd surfing going on. (That is not my thing. Nope). And frankly, after a few songs, it's time for me to switch over to some old school R&B. LOL.

I cannot WAIT for this Black Panther movie, though. I love sci-fi,and with a gang of black folk in it, well, that is a RARITY.

2018 will be here soon enough.

Wordless Wednesday: Kale Salad

Tent City Blues

So...

There has been an ongoing protest concerning the gentrification of my neighborhood.

And some of the protesters set up a "tent city" down at the local stadium, which is about half a mile from my house.

Of  course I took pictures while waiting at the stoplight. 

 

They were there for some two months.  But now it has been removed.

There were complaints of  it being an eyesore and  a health hazard. I don't know how much it accomplished. I saw them on the news a few time, but let's face it... $300 million is being put into that area.

And like I said, white folk are walking up and down my street "considering" houses.

So gentrification is HERE. Nothing much that could be done about it. If we as a people were financially savvy enough to buy up our own neighborhoods, then the problems would be solved. Alas, that isn't the case.

I think a lot of people are going to be priced out. The property taxes shot up, which I expected. I opened my notice, and all I could do was LAUGH.

They are going to have to do a bit more than raising my taxes by 800% to get rid of me. And it's still lower than it was before the recession, so... whatever. I will pay it and keep it moving.

A new family moved in behind and to the left of me. They did catch me on a fence issue. Cost me $2000 on a good lawyer to take care of something as simple as.... 3 feet of fence.

Hmm...

That felt horrible. It was like taking a fist full of money and setting it on fire. My next door neighbor is PISSED and he is fighting it. I don't see the reason for me fighting folk and going to court over a few feet of fence line. Nope.

So I can understand the protesters taking a stand. I don't think it will help much of anything. When $$$ is involved, those without it be damned.

I hope my neighbors can afford the change... and the ride.

And not have to leave their homes.

Friday Freestyles

Friday!

And it's Pay Day!!!

Which means the blinds of my mind are half closed. I learned a LONG time ago that no one should expect me to do much of anything on Pay Day. No sir, no ma'am!

And today is a lucky enough day... I have been passing back and forth corrections with my supervisor. The blinds of his mind seem to be shut, too.

"Lee, I didn't get those corrections for your protocol back," my supervisor said.
"Uh, yeah. I been finish. By the time you get back to your office [in the adjoining building], you will have it."
"I don't have time to check it. I will just pass it on to Dr. D. [our Director].

*ladylee stares... and closes the blinds of her mind ALL the way*

 LOL.

This has been a great week, seeing that I've had a 3 day workweek. Oh, to be able to work like that all the time. That would be such a joy. Someday!

I bought a fantastic salad today. I didn't have it for lunch. I had a burger and cucumber salad from the same place for lunch. I love this place's burger, because they put a ton of veggies on it (cucumbers, carrots, avocado, spinach, cabbage) and it's very light.

But I have never had their salad, tho. Since it's Pay Day, I thought I would SPLURGE. Spend that extra $8 and see what's up. If it's trash, I'd just throw it out.

But uh... this looks pretty good.

That looks good.

Here's a better picture. I placed a pen next to it so you can tell how HUGE it is.

My goodness... that sure looks good. I will NOT be throwing that away.

They have 3 other types of salads. I will be testing those out to. No more burgers for awhile!

Song of the Week/Food for Thought. I think it is a shame how much of the hip-hop music is soaked in drugs. This has been the growing case over the decades, where drug dealers brag about their endeavors.

However something different is happening in the past few years. Rappers are rapping about actually being ON drugs... like molly, percocets, and the like...

Ugh.

I am seeing this in videos now, whenever I am cruising around YouTube. And I saw one the other day that made me go... hmmm...

"Perfect Pints" by Mike Will Made It.



That is a visually stunning video. But I believe it is what drug induced hallucinations would look like.

Hmm. The lesson I learned here: do not take drugs that will make me hallucinate. No thank you.

I am a big fan of Mike-Will-Made-It as a producer, and of course, I love some Kendrick Lamar. I don't like Rae Sremmumd or Gucci Mane. And the song was so-so. It's not anything I would add to a playlist or even go back to listen to again even.

But that video, tho...

Awesome.

There's another "drug-induced" video that's actually a very good social commentary of the state of the drug culture at the moment.

Danny Brown "Ain't It Funny" (Warning: this video is a little disturbing. Don't say I didn't warn you).



Danny Brown is such an odd bird. My male friends like him. I can't get into him because his rapping voice is way too annoying (although him rapping in his normal voice is pretty good, but I understand he is trying to distinguish himself from others). However, he makes some good experimental rap music, and I liked his last CD Atrocity Exhibition. It was a thought provoking listen.

But this video... it symbolizes a cry for help, yet everyone views his cries as entertainment. And that is not a good thing.

And that made me think. Just say no.

(I think my song of the week discussion  was a partial food-for-thought piece!)

That is it for me. I MAY attend a workshop tomorrow, but I STRUGGLE with anything that occurs on a Friday night or a Saturday morning.  I have NO idea what to do about that. I may just have to start getting up on the weekend at the same time I get up on weekdays. And if I want to do something on Friday nights, I may have to change my work schedule. I don't know. I just know it bothers me.  And there is a good solution to the problem.

I am looking forward to having a good weekend anyway!

You do the same.

On Purpose.

Radiatore!

So...

I had a strange shaped pasta last month for the first time. It's called RADIATORE.

I purchased it at my local farmers market. I think I bought a pound of freshly made radiatore for $2.50.

That was some GOOD pasta. And it holds the sauce just right. I had it with tomato sauce, and I had it with pesto sauce. A little goes a long way.  I thought it would  go bad on me after 3 or 4 weeks in  the fridge, but it didn't.  I wish they would sell it in smaller amounts, though. I needed to make sure I ate it all before it went bad.

I am not a big fan of regular pasta, so let's just say that I have been on the look out for a sweet potato or butternut squash version. I've seen such veggie versions in other pasta types, but not this one.

So I wondered how hard it would be to make it myself. I looked around on YouTube for a tutorial. Here's something I came across:


Uh no. That's a bit too much going on. And unless I'm making pasta DAILY for a whole clan of people, it's just not going to happen.

Although this pasta machine looks pretty dope.



That is interesting. Still, we better be eating pasta all the time to get down with that.

I will just continue to be on the lookout for veggie radiatore.

That's simple enough to do...

And cheaper.