It is Lenten Season... Time for Increase

It is Lent.

Excuse me, let me be more formal. It is the Lenten season.

It is that time just after the Mardi Gras, where one gets oneself together after all the drunkeness and debauchery.

And people ask me... "LadyLee, what are you giving up for Lent."

*crickets*

Uh, nothing. I am not Catholic. I always considered that a Catholic thing.

But I respect those who give up something for the 40 days. Specifically, I enjoy the residual affects of such a fast.

And that's what it's all about, right?

I will let you ponder... and wonder about that for a moment.

Well I know where I will be for the next 40 days... Over at my homegirl Val's (Serenity_23) spot, over at Livingmyfaith.org

She's doing something quite interesting:

Hmm...

I'm looking forward to that. I participated in her 30 Days of Prayer. And I participated in her 30 Days of Thanksgiving and Gratitude.

Pure awesomeness. Fed my spirit.

I wanted to holler "You need to do something topical EVERY month, Babes."

Every. Sangle.  Month.

Really though.

But I asked myself,  concerning this subject of faith: Can she pull it off? 40  days?

Yes she can. Yes she will.  With bold flying  colors. And beautiful glitter.

She knows how to serve up and extensively exhaust a subject. She tends to look at subject matters from the rooter to the tooter. And that is FINE by me. She wants sooooo much to be like me, her big sister, that Original Oldgirl LadyLee. LOL!

So check it out.

On the serious tip, Val and I have been buddies for going on 10 years. (That picture to the left is living proof. Notice the date on the party hat, lol) She is one of the few people who pours into my spirit on a consistent basis. And she will check my tail at the door also. Upsets me, has me muttering "Silly Chicken", but I know she does it out of love. And she continues to love me anyway despite my numerous flaws. And I grow from her corrections. Who can be mad about that? Not I. Nope. She is more valuable than gold to my life.

She is one  of  my favorite Chickens. Yes. She is. 

So, like I said... check it out.

I think she has brought in several other ladies, including myself, as contributors to this series. I have a couple of ideas in mind concerning my take on faith. I will look back through my archives to see what I have. And I will write something new. I will submit my posts and let her pick what she wants. She  may send me back to the drawing board until I can come up with something masterful. And I will! I promise!

So I am looking forward to that. That is how I'm spending my Lenten season.

I'm not giving up anything. I'm taking the time to learn a thing or two.

I  am looking  it  as a time to increase.

In my faith walk. 

You could too... if you dare.

HaPPy 50th Birthday to the Uncommon One, Chele

I want to say a extra special Happy Birthday to one of my favorite bloggers CHELE!!!

Wait!

A Happy 50th Birthday!!!!

And this is what 50 looks like on Chele! 

Ummph, Ummph, Ummph.

That Chele don't look a day over 20.

I wish I could look that way at my age of 44. Might don't make it, ya'll. Nope, might don't make that one.

I look at her and think... "Lawd... I wish I could be uncommon like her."

She is uncommon... meaning unconventional, unusual, atypical, extraordinary.

Don't forget exceptional and noteworthy.

She is uncommon. In other words, Chele is ALL THAT and a bag of chips.

And like the caption reads in the picture above...  

"If you believe in yourself, anything is possible."

Anything. 

Chele has had such a powerful influence over the way I look at things over the years. So many times I've prayed about problems and I turn to one of her posts, and all the answers are laid out right before my very eyes. I have loved her transparency in so many of her posts, and I have learned much from her willingness to self assess and make the necessary changes. And that's saying a lot in this world that has the mentality of "I'm right and everyone else is wrong". With her, it's more of "I see a problem and I want to change to make things better and to make things right within my ownself".

And we know that true change comes from within.

I have never met her. She came to Atlanta one time several years ago, and I had a fleeting thought of asking if I could meet her... if only at a stoplight or in the Wal-mart parking lot.

But I was afraid. It would have been like that scene in The Color Purple, when Shug was leaving, and Celie wanted to say something... But she fainted.

Chele hollers  "Hey LadyLee!" in the Wal-mart parking lot.

I try to speak. But my words are caught in my throat. And I faint. I pass out on the hard concrete.

No way man. I would not embarrass myself like that. Un-unh.  So I just left it alone.

I will be like Celie, and just follow from afar.

She is iconic in my minds eye... so uncommon. Almost to the point of being mythic.

So Chele, I wish you a Happy Friday... and a Happy Birthday.

And I end with one of the quotes I've posted in the past that you seem to like.

"Don't discuss your uncommon dreams and goals with common people".

Dear Chele, the dreams you have had over the years are very uncommon, even recently. I have sat by and read what you've dreamed, and I have whispered a silent prayer of agreement. I have hoped your dreams, these uncommon dreams, will come to pass.

And I see that happening, right before my very eyes.

And what a blessing it is.  No hate from me... just a standing ovation and a mighty hand clap of support.

So here's to 50. 

Your 6th decade of life has begun.

And I am more than sure that you will uncover more layers of yourself, and make even more discoveries of who you are and find out just how far you can go...

I am sure you will reach more of...

The Uncommon.

Much love, Uncommon Original Oldgirl.

Enjoy your day...

From your fellow Original Oldgirl...

LadyLee.

Of Purses and Tazzee

So...

I opened the front door one Saturday morning and saw a box on the front porch. The postman had left it, and it was addressed to me!

And in it was the most lovely purse.




The purse was all glittery and festive. And it had the Falcon's motto emblazoned in silver glitter across the flap.

"Rise up!"

I thought to myself... gee, I'm not a big Falcon's fan, but hey, I live in the ATL, so rise up! Doggonit. This is awesome!

Anyway, I flipped the purse over and words were across the back.



Nyx 2014.

And that right there should let you know who the gift is from. It's from the Bayou Creole Chick, Ali. She has been riding in the Krewe of Nyx during the Mardi Gras season for the past couple of years.

I took the purse to work to show to my cubicle mate, The Cowgirl Cre.

"Tazzee would LOVE this purse," I hollered as I waved it around. "You know she down for some Falcons."

"She sure would," Cre agreed.

Too bad. It was mine. I placed the purse back in my carry-on bag.

And I got a text sometime later about the purse.

"Your gifts were mixed up," Ali said. "My husband mixed up the addresses"

That made perfect sense.

And it meant that me and Tazzee would have to hook up and exchange gifts!

*cartwheels*

I like ol' Tazzee. She is just so kind. Salt of the earth. Good people, she is.

Luckily it was early March, and I'd been hanging out on her side of town for my chiropractor visits.

So we met up at Fresh to Order at the popular mall out that way.

Tazzee had the salad with the calamari. And the chicken tortilla soup.


She really likes that salad with the calamari. She had that the last time we got together. It does look good! And that soup looks good too. There's a Fresh to Order a block from my job, and a lot of people like that soup too.

I had the cream of mushroom soup.

And I had the asian chicken crunch sandwich. They substituted seared tofu for the chicken.

That was very good. That's what I get when I go there. I guess I am like Tazzee: I get the same thing everytime.

Oh how that makes me long for some cream of mushroom soup. I have a raw and a vegan recipe for it, but I am too chicken to try it. I am quite sure it won't taste the same as the the creamy dairy version.

We had a good time of chit and chat and chit-chat and smiles.

And oh yeah... we swapped gifts.

Here's mine!



Isn't that nice!

Look at the back of it:



Wow. Thanks Ali.

And the Falcons fan Tazzee was pleased with hers.  I thought she was gonna get up and belt out that Falcons song.

"Falcons rise up!"

LOL

But she didn't.

I tell you, the time together at lunch was much too short. It's always good to see Tazzee. Granted I see her on Words with Friends these days, where she whoops my non-spelling behind good fashion on a daily basis. But we live in the same city, me downtown, and her out on the westside. And it was just good to see her face to face.

So Tazz, let's not let too much time go by before we get together again! Please!

Lunch with Tazzee!

I had lunch on Tuesday with one of my favorite bloggers!

That Oldgirl Tazzee.

Yes, we both live in the ATL. But she lives way out there in the suburbs and I live downtown.

Man, I was sooooo STOKED! That's like going to lunch with Janet Jackson.

*ladylee doing the hard Janet Jackson moves*

Oh yes. *fanning self with Obama Church fan after dancing so hard*

We made plans to meet in midtown near my job for lunch. We decided on one of the local salad spots, Fresh to Order.

She texted and asked if I knew of the place. Yes I did. It is a popular spot among my coworkers. "We frequent that place like folks frequent the club!" I texted.

It's been there for a few years, but I'd never eaten there until last year, when Cowgirl Cre convinced me to get a salad. I found one there that I like in particular, the Market salad. It is huge and it has cucumbers, mandarin oranges, and cranberries in it, and lots of roasted walnuts sprinkled on top. Good stuff!

That's the only thing I ever get.

But since I was having lunch with Janet Jackson, I mean, uh, Tazzee, I decided that I wanted to live on the wild side and get what my cubical mate The Cowgirl Cre always gets: The Asian Chicken Crunch Panini.

Yes, that is the wild side for me. I wanted some CHICKEN.

And I ordered it, too. Yes ma'am I did!

Tazzee ordered some type of salad with fried calamari.

Ooooooh weeee! That sho' nuff look something GOOD. That looks like she might have a touch of the 'itis when she finished. LOL

I forgot to take a picture of my food. It did't look as good as hers. But it was great!

I like their presentation on the long retangular plates. It is so art deco for a semi-fast food place. And this place has been there a few years and I've never sat down in there to eat. I will have to do that in the future. I want more of my food on long plates.

Cowgirl Cre came up to the restaurant because she wanted to meet Janet Jackson Tazzee too! So we all had a good time talking.

That Asian Chicken crunch sandwich was GREAT. There was much talk later on in the cubicle with Cowgirl Cre. I want them to order the asian chicken crunch panini again. Next time, hold the chicken and slap some mushoorms on there! LOL

Anyway, I asked Tazzee if she wanted to come down to my lab, since it was a short walk from the restaurant. She said yes.

I figured I'd give her a five cent tour of my work group space and labs. That would be cool, right?

That is, until we ran into my coworker Lieutennant Commander By...

I'd just shown Tazzee where we prepped our fruits and vegetables for extraction... and then I took her to the extraction lab.

... And there was Lt. Comm. By... having an old school party all by himself. And having a GOOD time, while doing his lab work.

I'm not sure what has gotten into my coworker lately. For the past few years, he has been heavy into his jazz and Sade. And that type of music isn't exactly upbeat. Especially the Sade. He is a Sade fiend, but I tell you, it makes me a bit sleepy in the lab.

Lately he's been on some Old school rap music. The other day, he was playing LL Cool J. LOUD. VERY VERY LOUDLY.

And when Tazzee and I walked through the lab, he was blasting Planet Rock by Soulsonic Force and the African Bambatta. VERY LOUDLY.



*crickets*

And he was dancing hard. I haven't seen him dance before, so that was shocking. He walks the halls singing off-key which has us all O_o, but the dancing... That dude has a little rhythm. Yes indeed.

I only wanted to show Tazzee a couple of things in the lab. By hollered "Let's show her the freezer!"

O_O

So there we were, standing in the walk-in fridge and freezer looking at frozen samples and shelf space.

Tazzee got cold and walked out. I was close behind!

The good Lt. Comm. By gets a bit excited when new people come through. We both have to "tour" small groups every once in awhile. I do so under durest.

"Can't ya'll find somebody else to do that?"
"NO LadyLee!" is the answer I hear from time to time.

LOL.

Lt. Comm By does these things with a smile on his face and skip in his step. He is working on his doctorate, so he seems to like to teach alot. He has pulled me to the side and has made me do a mini talk on our CSI instrumentation for one of his lectures.

I wanted to tell him that Tazzee is not an investigator or scientist coming through to see our methods. She is my homegirl just tryna see the lab. That is all!

Tazzee took it all in with a smile. Only as Tazzee can.

And I wonder if that "Planet Rock" song is ringing in Tazzee's head like it's ringing in mine? I hope not.

We visited my messy cubicle area, and then I walked her back to her car.

All in all it was a good time. I was so glad to see her.

I think I'm a bit too quiet around her. That's how I get when I'm in awe of folks! Really!

Good to see you, Oldgirl. I hope to hang out with you again:)

Cabbage and Tape!

So Serenity23 sent the most interesting text message the other day:

"I'm cooking fried cabbage. Everytime I do it makes me think of u."

To which I responded... "*blink*blink*...*tears*

I always remember back to us having a long conversation on twitter concerning the art of making good southern fried cabbage a couple of years ago (Fry your bacon, but don't burn it!... sautee your onions in the bacon! Then add a little water!") I know folks were like... Are they really going step by step on how to make cabbage?? For half an hour? LOL

So she makes it now, and she makes it well. She texted me a picture of the final result:

That looks tasty! I told her I like, instead of bacon, using a little olive oil and different color peppers. She frowned on that at first, but she has tried it too. I suggested for her to try to add a handful of white raisins (she hates raisins). I also like to julienne an apple and add it sometimes.

It's good with sausage too.  Waiting for her to try that.  I'm gonna make some tonight with crumbled soy sausage.  (You say yuck! I say wooo-hooo!)

When I think of Serenity_23, I think of shoes. In fact, she made some money off of me last year. I bet that chicken $100 that she couldn't go a year without buying shoes. And that chickent did it for the 2011 season. Shoot. (Good for you, though. Easiest bread anybody every made off me.)

Anyway, like I said, I think of shoes when I think of her.

So... I was walking through the Office Depot the other day, and I saw some... shoes she would surely appreciate.

Those are FABULOUS shoes...

Correction: That's a fabulous tape dispenser.

LOL!

I was thinking "If Val saw this, she would tackle this display. 'Cause she gotta have it!"

I thought about buying it for her. But decided against it. It's just too tacky. It doesn't even look like it will stand up on its own if you try to use it. They should make it multipurpose, i.e., you can buy the shoe in your size... and pop out the tape dispenser if you want to wear it. Yeah, that's an idea.

No, no need to buy that for her. The last strange item I bought her was a bottle of Strawberry Hills Boones Farm wine a few years back. I am sure that doesn't quite fit her taste. But she graciously accepted it anyway.

I'll let her purchase this one on her own.

So Serenity, or any of you other shoe fiends... go get yourself a stylish tape dispenser. They're over at an Office Depot near you!

My Day in Court, Part II

Click here for My Day in Court, Part I

Chele was happy the court ordeal was over.

And she ran out of that courthouse like it was on fire.

She had to, because she kept looking over her shoulder, imagining the baliff coming fast after her, hollering,“Stop. The judge changed his mind. He made a mistake. Come back to court.”

Not on your life, buddy. Her paperwork, her signed proof of ticket dismissal, was in her left hand.
And that copy of Auto Weekly magazine was in her left.

She found her car in the parking lot a block from the courthouse, and hurriedly got inside. She put her key in the ignition, then froze where she sat.

Did she really see that old woman in the courtroom, or was it just her imagination?

She didn’t know.

But she could see the woman, the twinkle in her eyes, the bend of her back with age. She remembered feeling the creak of the as the woman sat down next to her. Chele remembered the high copper shine of the pennies in the penny loafers on the old woman’s feet. She remembered the feeling of the woman’s thigh flush against her own. That’s just how close the old woman had sat to next to her.

Did she imagine it all?

Hard raps on her car window startled her. It was the parking attendent.

“Ma’am,” he said. “If you hurry out of here before six, you can still pay the daytime rate. Otherwise your parking fee will be 10 dollars.”

Chele cranked her car. She looked at the digital time display on the console. It was five forty-five.

She paid the attendant and left, still looking over her shoulder, hoping the baliff didn’t come out hollering for her to get back in the court so she could pay her fine.

And still wondering if the old woman, if any woman, had even sat next down to her.

Chele shook her head in an effort to clear her thoughts. “I’m going to go home, get changed, and go running. That’s what I’m going to do. Nothing like a good run to calm my nerves.”

Chele got home in thirty minutes. That was good, considering the state of downtown traffic in the DMV. It’s amazing how smoothly traffic flows when there are no accidents, or better yet, when there are no drivers slowing down to look at accidents.

She thought she would be at the courthouse for only half a day, as she figured it should take no longer that a few hours to pay the ticket, or negotiate some type of payment plan for the ticket. She’d plan to come home, have a late lunch and go for a run.

And there was still a little time for a run, even though it was late. She liked running at dusk, just before the streetlights came on. And there was time to get that in. She couldn’t run as long as she like, though, but something was better than nothing.

Chele changed into her running gear and grabbed a couple of bottles of water from the fridge. She grabbed her keys from the table, but stopped when she saw the copy of Auto Weekly laying there.

She really needed to return it. And now was just a good of time as any.

A quick search on google maps showed that Arcadia Drive was in the nearby Arcadia Springs subdivision. It was the newest subdivision in the area. It contained McMansions, and Chele remembered the protests against such housing development in the area. As usual, big money won out.

Common sense soon took over. People stopped protesting once the area attracted newer and better stores for shopping.

Chele herself was in love with the new Target store.

She decided not to print out directions, and upon driving around the Arcadia Springs subdivision, she immediately regretted not doing so. Every roadway was named Arcadia: Arcadia Lane, Arcadia Way, Arcadia Avenue, Arcadia Circle, Arcadia Street, Arcadia Way.

Arcadia, Arcadia, Arcadia!

Everything accept Arcadia Drive.

Chele hit the steering wheel with her fist. “I give up. Can’t say I didn’t try. And that’s all I can do.”

Just as she was resigned to giving up looking for the correct street, there it was: Arcadia Drive.

She made a quick left turn onto the street and slowed her car in an effort to find street address 123.

“114, 116. . . all even numbers.” She turned her attention to the other side of the street. “119, 121. . . there’s 123.”

She slowed her car to a stop in front of the mailbox.

The two story brick house was well kept and quiet. Several ferns hung from the porch rafters, and wind chimes rang softly with the breeze. A black Mercedes sat at the top of driveway, and a blue tarp covered car was further down the driveway.

And flowers similar to the one the old woman wore in her hat lined the front of the house, interspersed betweened perfectly trimmed bushes.

“I am really tripping,” Chele muttered as she stared at the flowers. She grabbed the magazine and got out of the car. She was just about to place it in the already open mailbox, which already contained mail, when the front door of the house opened.

“Hey, who’s the lovely young lady around with my mailbox? Are you stealing my mail or making a delivery?”

Chele looked up at the sound of the voice.

The delicious vision of a man walking towards her made her knees weak.

“I’m Ralph Jones,” he said, his baritone cutting through the silence of the afternoon. “And you are?”



Afterword.

*silence*

Does Chele need me to put in another call to the IT department?

LOL

Well, well, well...

Go Chele.

*lee jumps up on cubicle desk*

I said "GO CHELE!"

Stop standing there like a punk, and tell that dude Ralph Jones what your name is!

"My name is Chele... shawty."

(I think that would cause dude to turn around and go right back in the house. )

Get your MACK on, Chele! Get it, girl!

LOL.

Interesting.

I am enjoying writing this little story. All from silly writing prompts. But it seems to be going well. I absolutely love flash and short fiction. I have about 5 novels in my head right now, but I can't say I like writing long form stuff too much. But this short and quick fiction? Loved-ed it!

Stay tuned for part III sometime next week :)

Crazy Convos Part IV: Chicken in the Sky!

Good Friday Morning to YOU!

You know, I love to see people do different things. Just running in a direction away from whence the general crowd runs. It's quite refreshing!

I don't see enough of it. You will feel my disdain for such next week during a special food-for- thought week...

But anyway, when one of my favorite Chickens, who I affectionately refer to as "That Southern Black Gal", was talking about wanting to go skydiving as one of her 35 things to do before she turns 35, well I was like O_o.

I've never known anyone that jumped out of a plane. That just ain't something that everybody run to do.

Exciting. Dangerous.

So when she commence to actually doing it, my heart beat a tad bit faster...

Exciting Chicken. Dangerous Chicken.

She even posted a video of this event. I was mesmerized.





My cubicle mate CowgirlCre and I watched this video over and over again... Kinda like the crew in Menace II Society were watching that liquor store robbery video tape of when Old Dog shot the Koreans dead... and Cane was standing there like a punk drinking that Forty of OE.

O_o

And you know how we do... We are the peanut gallery...

And let the notes from the peanut gallery begin...

*LadyLee and CowgirlCre share a 10 foot cubicle... LadyLee sends video link to CowgirlCre then rolls her chair over to sit next to Cowgirl Cre so they can watch together*

0:11 minutes

LadyLee: Listen to that laugh of hers.
CowgirlCre: Yeah, she laughing.

*LadyLee and Cowgirl look at each other and do the Southern Black Gal laugh*

"Ha ha ha HAAAA!!!"

0:22 minutes

CowgirlCre: Look at her friend over there waving.
LadyLee: *mimicking Southern Black Gal's voice* "That's my friend!!!!"

*LadyLee and CowgirlCre and laugh and wave at each other*

0:42 minutes

LadyLee: That plane is moving, ain't it? I do believe that's when I'd start crying down, man! Crying! Time it start moving!
CowgirlCre: And everybody chit-chatting!

1:11 minutes

CowgirlCre: There go her friend!
LadyLee: Southern Black Gal got the finer instructor!

1:27 minutes

CowgirlCre: Look at dude. He just chit-chatting, and she just praying down, and he just talking hard.
LadyLee: All I know, they sure up kinda high. They up high!

1:55 minutes

CowgirlCre: There go her friend! Her friend is bout to jump!

1:59 minutes

CowgirlCre: Look at her, she got her hand on her chest. She praying "Oh Lawd!" Got her head all back, she trying to stay in the plane!
LadyLee: He interrupting her prayer time. Time to jump, gal! Stop praying and look at the camera, Southern Black Gal!

2:28 minutes:

LadyLee: Look at the look on her face.
CowgirlCre: And look at dude! Smiling and waving. Giving the peace sign.

*LadyLee and CowgirlCre give each other the peace sign, thumbs up, and wave at each other*

3:00 minutes:

LadyLee: *frowning at screen* Wait, did she pass out? She's not moving!
CowgirlCre: Her feet! You can see her feet! Look at her feet!
LadyLee: I think she passed out!

[I tweeted her. She said she didn't pass out. We don't believe that. Not for one moment.]

3:20 minutes:

CowgirlCre: She passed out and woke back up. She's smiling hard now! That's cuz she know the chute opened up!
LadyLee: But look! They still a long way up! Dang!

3:51 minutes:

CowgirlCre: That looks like asphalt.
LadyLee: Dude don't aim for the asphalt! Land on the grass! The dirt will do. Not the asphalt!
CowgirlCre: She sure is quiet.

4:00 minutes:

CowgirlCre: Where the heck is her helmet?
LadyLee: Naw, she don't have on a helmet. That's odd.
CowgirlCre: I wear a helmet when I ride my horse. He has a helmet on. Where is hers?
LadyLee: Yeah he has on a helmet.
CowgirlCre: Maybe it's a natural hair thing, and she don't need a helmet.

*Lee and Cre fall out laughing hard... A bit TOO hard*

CowgirlCre: She doesn't need a helmet... Her natural hair will protect her.
LadyLee: And where are her glasses? Did they fall off!
CowgirlCre: No helmet! No glasses!

*scrolling video back so we can see what happen to her glasses*

We couldn't figure that out. I tweeted her about it. She said he told her to pull them down around her neck so she could see. CowgirlCre thought it was a piece of plastic around her neck, and wondered from whence it came.

We watched this over and over and over. Our commentary was more detailed than this! Couldn't put it all! It was exciting! Made my heart beat fast!

*Lee and CowgirlCre smiling hard, flashing peace signs, thumbs and waving like the instructor*

Yes, yes... this is how us government workers spend our free time in the cubicle.

That video was waaaay exciting. Just watching the Chicken in the Sky was like being there.

Maybe not.

She said it was more than she expected. I can only imagine!

I'm just glad she stepped out and fulfilled a dream.

Amazing!

Check out her post on this experience!

This has been "Crazy Convos" week. I didn't say anything because I didn't know if I could pull it off. But I did! And it was fun.

You all have a great weekend! On purpose, man!

Pause...

You know that every blue moon, I like to snatch a WHOLE post from another blogger that moves me.

Just cut and paste the whole doggone post.

Today I lifted one that gave me... pause.

One of my blog sisters, Mizrepresent, posted her thoughts on the Month of May, Lupus Awareness month... I was hesistant about asking to repost... This thing, it's so doggone personal (at least for me, in a quiet way). She gave me permission to repost here.

May is Lupus Awareness Month

Look to your right and you will see this on my page, "May is Lupus Awarenes Month". It's a permanent fixture on my page because Lupus is a permanent fixture in my life.

Around 8 years ago i was diagnosed with Lupus Profundi, it is a skin condition of Lupus, causing rashes, lumps like cysts in my skin, hair loss, and more. I sometimes suffer from unknown ailments all over my body, only for them to go away and show up somewhere else. Like the time i couldn't open a bottle because my fingers weren't working, or the time my wrist and arm became paralyzed and i couldn't lift either, or when i couldn't sit down because i had something going on in the lower region, or my fingers turning blue...so many things...but it was all Lupus.

I'm sorry to say that there is no cure for Lupus, some very good treatments but no cure, so those who are suffering are like me, wishing and hoping and praying for a change. Sure we can change our eating habits, exercise more, stay out of the sun, try not to be stressed and take pills that are meant to ease our afflictions, but not no cure. No matter, we have hope, we continue on, we have no other choice but to.

I have Lupus and I am surviving. I honor all those who are suffering and give them more than a head nod to the struggle, because it is a struggle unlike no other. Each day is a blessing for us, each day that we can live without the pain, the stress, the nagging afflictions...each day with a little more hope.

My test results last year weren't so good...but i didn't let that stop me from living...so i'm saying to all of my Lupus afflicted sisters and brothers, and those who know someone who has been diagnosed...we are not giving up. We are still here, still believing, still surviving...still living with Lupus.

Thanks to all who "Walked for Lupus" and if you feel it in your bones to do more, please donate to the cause, at the least hug your fellow man and women and just let them know that you care.

Hugz

Miz

Excellent post. It gave me pause. It caused me to stop and sigh, raise my hand to my chest.

Shed a tear.

She put into words things I couldn't.

She so eloquently expressed how I feel.

She let me know that I am not alone.

Fun with Tazzee and Singlema at the Sickle Cell 7K Race!

So this past Saturday, I attended the a 7K Race on the Atlanta's Southside.



Note: I didn't run the race. I attended the race. I don't run. I walk. And I walk super slow. So even though I've walked some 5Ks and 3Ks, it ain't my thang.

So I attended to support bloggers Tazzee and Singlema!

I've met Tazzee before. Went to her house and watched football with her and her peeps. I know she was like "That ladylee sure is quiet". Hell yeah I was. That was like meeting Janet Jackson or something. And I was told by a friend to behave myself, don't act a complete nut! lol

I'd never met Singlema. I was a tad bit nervous about that. I asked her for some advice last month, and she imparted some knowledge, and she was right. So you know that throws her on a pedestal. I thought that chick would be floating toward me in the race, kinda like the folks float down the street in a Spike Lee movie.

LOL!!

It was GREAT to meet her, and to see Janet Jackson, uh, I mean, Tazzee again!

I was EXCITED about going to this race. Not sure why. It was early on a Saturday morning, and I like to get my beauty sleep, but nevertheless I was looking forward to it. So much so that I went to the craft store a month ago and picked up some supplies for making posters!

I didn't like my signage that I made weeks ago and trashed some of it (this is usual for me until I get an idea of what I want to do).

So I came up with some signs, finally! And last Friday, everybody on my gubment job was all concerned about the gubment shutdown. Me and Oscar-Tyrone weren't concerned! We had bootleg praise service at the house that morning. We'd been running around the house hollering "God is my source! Er'thang else is a resource!!!". I happily went to work that day, and I brought my supplies in and worked on my signs when I had a break here and there.

Tazzee's avatar is the Tazmanian Devil (we prefer to call it the Tazmanian angel). i couldn't really get her avatar to print out big so we printed a bunch of small ones!

This sign screams excitement!



Hot pink and spiky! It made Tazzee want to RUN for real!

*tazzee frowning up thinking "What the heck is lee talking about?"*

Then this one... This was the first one I made. Couldn't figure out what to do with it, as I had ran out of the glitter glue...

But my cubicle mate, The Cowgirl Cre was terribly excited about the arrow. "LadyLee, you can hold it up in the air and it will let Tazzee know to "Run this way, Tazzee! Run this way!!!!"

LOL. I don't think it was hard for Tazzee to know she had to run for that finish line OR the direction she had to run in.

And then there were the big signs.



Cowgirl Cre was puzzled by Singlema's name. "You know, the way you got that written, all as one word, it looks like "Run Singleeema Run" Folk gonna be looking like What in the world, who name their child that??"

LOL!! Of course we broke out in the cubicle area with "Run Singleeeeema Run!!!"



Too Funny!

We had a HORRIBLE time printing out that Tazmanian Angel. Horrible! It was either to big, or the little ones. Ugh. But I posted it on a sign, along with SingleMa's avatar. And if they didn't know what to do, I made sure to print "RUN" somewhere on the sign.

And I'm ALWAYS hollering for Singlema to ***RUN Singlema RUN*** on twitter, so that was very befitting!

My cubicle mate Cowgirl Cre was EXTREMELY excited about all of this... especially when she saw me cutting out church fans...









One of my coworkers had a church fan from the essence music festival on his desk. I grabbed it up and did the outline for it. Like I said, Cowgirl Cre was excited about all the drawing and glitter work I was doing.

"Girl, if someone did this for me, I'd feel pretty special! I feel special just sitting here watching you do it, and I ain't even running in the race!!!"

*lee raising an eyebrow at Cowgirl Cre*

I didn't know what her problem was. She has known me for 15 years. She knows how much I like arts and crafts. I love stickers and drawing. Hell, she's the one who taught me to crochet! I've NEVER seen her all riled up.

Her boss came over and made some sarcastic remark. I wanted to holler "Dude, they bout to close this mothersucka down, and you worried about me drawing??? HA!"

He went on about his business, and I finished up my drawing and glittering. (Took plenty of soap to get all that stuff off of my skin, lol).

I actually made the church fans that night at home. Singlema's fan had a silver hologram backing. Tazzee's fan had a faux animal skin backing.

(Me and Cowgirl Cre got into a disagreement over the faux animal skin backing. She wanted me to go buy some journals and cover them with it. I was looking at her like O_O. NO WAY...)

I also made some cookies. Singlema was hollering about some cookies. I mailed her a dozen awhile ago, and she been lobbying on the sly for some every since. She likes the triple chocolate chip ones, so I made her a few.



I also made some for Tazzee, even though she didn't ask for any. (I was wondering... she's a bit... quiet concerning these cookies.) I think she's trying to watch the sweets intake. She gave me the hard side-eye when I gave them to her. I felt bad, man.

*lee groveling at Tazzee's feet (but there was NO way I was taking them back home with me. NERP. They would've sat on the counter and gone bad.)*

Next time, I'm gonna look in my fridge and hook her up with some of my favorite things... some fresh veggies, flax seeds, some psyllium seeds and some oat groats!

*Tazzee gives LadyLee the laser side-eye*

Now on to the race!

This race was sponsored by



This race had quite a few other sponsors, including one of the local TV stations.



There was a pre-race warmup out on the basketball court. That looked like fun! I wanted to get in on that, even though I wasn't running!



Then the runners lined up. I didn't get many pictures of them. I was too busy holding my signs up.

They took off down the road.

Then the walkers lined up and took off down the road.




I was standing around at the finish line, staring hard at the timeclock.



It had been 15 minutes. My eyes were stretched looking down the hill worried, wondering where Tazzee and Singlema were. Because I'd been telling Tazz to "Win that RACE!"

Told her to throw her elbows, knock some Ninjas down. WIN!

I didn't know if she would be quite able to do that. Her shin was bothering her. And Singlema was a bit crippled up at her knee. I should've bouught them some crutches! And I was contemplating going to find them and pick them up.

But really, no one had came in at the 15 minute mark. Not sure what made me think someone could run over 4 miles in 15 minutes flat. Uh, nope!

But at the 25 minute mark, there was a police siren signalling that someone was coming up the hill.

The winner of the race...



That dude came out of nowhere. He was stomping hard, running at full speed like his name was Forrest Gump!

I almost expeted him to holler in a Forrest Gump voice...

"Where Ever I went, I WAS RUNNING!"

Here's the female winner. She was running hard too.



I'm digging those bright green running shoes. Those were hot!

I had soooooo much fun cheering for people coming up around that corner! That was fun. But I got worried! Where were Tazzee and Singlema?

Their friend ran this race, and she was running with her son in a sports baby stroller. She ran it in less than 30 minutes! I wish I would've made her a sign too. But she's about to start training for a 50 mile race. O_o. So I guess that was a good workout for her, pushing that baby in that stroller all 4 miles. And she was running HARD too. Like she was running from the police or something. Go Girl!!

Then I saw Tazzee and Singlema coming up the hill and around the bend... I was hollering and waving my sign hard. They didn't see me! They were smiling and focusing on that finish line!

I was so happy for them that I fanned them with their church fans! lol

I talked with them for a minute and walked on back towards the gym. I saw an interesting sign on the fence.

When you finish the race? This sign reminds you to go on by Popeyes on Camp Creek!



They got that $2.99 2 piece dark meat special with the medium drank. You can't beat that!

Man, I had sooooo much fun, just walking around talking to people and cheering. That was waaaay too much excitement early on a Saturday morning. A great way to spend my Saturday morning.

I talked to them for a few minutes and headed on out. My car was a good half mile away, so I got a workout of my own, lol... I grew up on that side of town, so I went to the nearby fish house, Fulton Bay Seafood and got some croakers and raided their vegetable stand... Then I went to Home Depot to yell at them about my lawn mower, lol.

Then I went home and crashed. Too much excitement in one day for me!

I had fun! But I think the joy for me was watching Tazz and Singlema reach their goal and finish their race.

It will always be a reminder to me finish my own life races...

Congratulations ladies! Singlema - it was great meeting you! And it was good seeing you again, Tazzee!

Ya'll let an Oldgirl know when the next race is!

I'll be there with Church fans and signs... cheering you on :)

Yay Darius!

Sorry I haven't been blogging ya'll...

I just haven't been in the mood.

Hopefully that will rectify itself.

We'll see about that.

Anyway, my Mealtime Husband Darius is like, the best cook EVER.

(Yes, we's married in my head. We's married! *lee twirls round in round like Wonder Woman*)

And you know I am a Darius T Williams Stalker Stan. I've followed him for years on his Everyday Cookin' Blog! And he cooked for a group of us when he was in the ATL last year. Hands down, one of the best meals I've EVER had. LAWD!!!

So imagine the grin that spread across my face when he was on the Food Network with his friend Sunny Anderson on Sunday morning!!

And they put it up on Youtube!

So, you know I have to repost it here. (Don't know how long it will last until they snatch it, lol) If you can't see it, here's the actual youtube link.




LOL!!! Loved-ed it. They cooking in the kitchen like some black folk do for real! LOL!

Sunny, have Darius back on!

Better yet, Food Network! Give Darius his own show!!!

YaaaaaaY Darius! I am proud of you! You are the MAN!

Dinner with the Great Chef Darius!!!

So...

I have my stalkerish ways, you know... I like to stalk some of my favorite bloggers.

One of my favorites has been Master Chef Darius of EverydayCookin.com.

We ooooh and awwww over his videos and food posts. And I've cooked a few of his dishes, and they are always easy and wonderful and DELICIOUS.

Our favorite was his special Tequila Lime chicken Fettucine.

Talking about GOOD. And QUICK. And Cheap and EASY!

I am crazy about Darius. I stalk him on twitter. I've told him, if he was 15 years older, and of the heterosexual persuasion, and lived in ATL instead of Chicago... I'd be on him, stalking him HARD. He'd have to have me locked up!

So, when he said he'd be visiting Atlanta sometime in November, and wanted to have a dinner party...

You KNOW I got all giddy.

*turning to cubicle mate, the Cowgirl Cre and hollering "Darius is coming to town, and he's gonna cook!!!!"*

There was much discussion about him looking for a house to cook at. If you've ever been to my crib, it is TOO small for a party over 5 people, lol. Cowgirl Cre said he could cook at her house if he wanted.

Someone in another cubicle, who'd requested for Darius to come up with a sesame chicken recipe a couple of years ago, called my work phone and whispered "He can use my house if he wants to."

As a matter of fact, The Cowgirl Cre has been telling him for a couple of years that he should come do a tour, and cook at a different house each night.

We would eagerly show up wherever he would be, you see.

Anyway, the date of the party was to be November 20th... at his friend's house in Buford, Ga.

Waaaaaaay the hell up in Buford.

The Cowgirl Cre and I looked at each other.

"Whatever man. We're going. Gonna take us an hour to get there. Whatever!"

Darius was like "I understand that's a little far!"

"Dude," I replied. "That's like Denzel Washington saying he was having a party way up in Buford, and he knows it's a little far, but..."

BUMP THAT.

He also said let him know if we have dietary concerns or requests, because there would be plenty of pork and beef and butter!

"Whatever," I told Cowgirl Cre. "This here is Darius. I'm eating it ALL."

That boy could've cooked some chitlins soaked in lard, with a side of fatback... LadyLee was gonna get her eat on! And just be inflamed and sick as a dog later.

LOL

We were going. Gas up the car. Steal some gas. Steal a car, man. We're going!

Cowgirl Cre printed out the directions... even secured a emergency phone number, just in case we got lost in the backwoods of Buford.

(Yes we were that serious. Come hell or high water, we were going to FIND Chef Darius!)

So, we sat out to Buford Ga. Took me 30 minutes to get to The Cowgirl Cre's house, and it took us another 45 minutes to get to Buford.

We parked and walked into a most lovely townhouse.

And there he was... Chef Darius... in the kitchen... cooking up a storm!

*Lee screaming uncontrollably deep deep inside*

"It's him," I whispered to Cresha. "It's really him!"

He gave me a hug. And he went back to cooking.

We all stood in the kitchen... watching and talking.

We drank Pomegrante margaritas. OH THEY WERE GOOD!!!

Chef Darius made some eggrolls, but used rice paper, and he was hollering about he wasn't going to cook them, because the rice paper was coming apart.

Uh, uh... we convinced him to cook the eggrolls.

And they were the BEST I've ever tasted. Yep!

Then there was dinter!!!

OH MY!!

Braised Beef Ribs!!!



OH MY!! I had to really gear myself up to eat some red meat, but I had a rib. (There was someone there who hadn't had beef in 8 years. She had some too. We picked on her something terrible. She was gonna be all jacked up the next day. We told her husband to get ready to help her in some kind of way!)

Macaroni and Cheese!!!





Very cheesy! Party in your mouth! He must've used 100 differnt cheeses in that mac and cheese! Best I've ever tasted!

Green Beans!!!


Sauteed with some scallions, sundried tomatoes, garlic and pancetta.

GLORY!!!!

A brave soul inquired about the pancetta. Darius said it was italian bacon.

We all saw *crickets* with that one. He could've said it was regular old bacon. WHATEVER!

The beans were great. Cooked perfectly, not undercooked, not overcooked, perfectly tender.

And you know me... keenly interested more in veggies than anything else.

"I'ma hook this up," I said to Cowgirl Cre. "I'ma leave this bacon off. I can hook it up with the sundried tomatoes, scallions, and garlic, man!!!"

LOL

Then there was the cornbread! All cheesy, with corn mixed in.



WOW.

I think I was suppose to just cut a small piece, but I got a whole block of it.

GOOD EATING! I don't eat much cornbread, but this reminded me of how my grandfather use to cook it... with the corn kernels all throughout the bread!

Good stuff.

Then... Darius, proud owner of the Cupcake gallery, brought out the cupcakes!!!



He made 2 types for us: banana and red velvet.

We all stood back and listened quietly as he gave a little speech about the cupcakes. You would've thought he was reading Shakespeare or something!

He'd whipped up some cream cheese icing, and we were to ice our own cupcakes.

He demonstrated to us how to ice the cupcakes...



He showed us how to peel the paper cup away from the cupcake.

(We stared in amazement.)

He showed us how to eat the cupcakes...

I don't think we need to know all that. We were willing and eager to work that out.

And as you can see, Cowgirl Cre peeled her cupcake perfectly.

I didn't eat my cupcakes until later. I was having TOO much fun with the crowd of people that were there, including Jermaine Sellers from last season's American Idol, shown here with the Cowgirl Cre.

Man, I was having TOO good of a time. Darius has some HILARIOUS friends.

Cowgirl Cre whispered "Girl, get a cupcake before they disappear."

I got a banana cupcake. And WOW!!!

Best cupcake I've ever had.

Darius did not make that cupcake.

Jesus made that cupcake!!!

That cupcake. I can't describe it. It was full-bodied banana. chunks of soft banana throughout. And topped with that cream cheese icing, which was suprisingly light and almost mereigned-like (yeah, I spelled it wrong)... MAN IT WAS GOOD.

Now I'm not a fan of red velvet, but this was a GREAT red velvet cake. Very moist and flavorable.

Go DARIUS!!

I spent a couple of hours having a good time, and whispering to the Cowgirl Cre "Girl, I got the itis! I need to lay out on the sofa!"

I think we left around midnight. I dropped Cowgirl Cre back off at her house. And I arrived home at 1:30 am.

I immediatley went to sleep. With a smile on my face, lol.

I woke up the next morning, to my phone buzzing from Miss Celie's tweets.

She called me and I relayed (very animated, I must say), the details of the food and drinks from the night before.

She thought I was still tipsy.

No, just giddy! (And headachy and discombobulated from liquor and meat, too. I was JACKED up for a good 48 hours. Just say no to liquor, pork and beef is all I got to say... well unless Darius hooks it up. My body hated me for a minute. And I'd probably scream and faint if I saw another piece of red meat on my plate anytime soon after feeling like crap!)

I was happy for a good meal, from the best Chef on the Planet -- Chef Darius.

Darius, thank you for such a great meal. Like that tat says on your arm, man... Food is your life, and life is your food!

Yes indeed.

So if Chef Darius tours a town near you, BE SURE to get to a dinner party! Man... you will NOT regret it!

Darius... feel free to come back to the ATL anytime! You hear me? Really!!!

Here's one last tidbit... One of my favorite videos by Darius!!! Enjoy!!!

Food for Thought: Your Love List

My favorite author in the whole wide world writes some of the best writing craft posts over at her blog. They always seem to be what I need to help me go one step further in my writing. Always at the right time, too... It's like she can read my mind, and she gets a notion to help the Oldgirl out.

So it's rare to catch a non-writing post from her, especially one that's more akin to my own "food-for-thought" types of posts. I read one in particular, called her up and said

"Celie! You better let me repost that!!"

(yeah right).

It was more like:

*Lee falling to ground and grabbing Tayari around the knees and crying profusely*

"Oh Silver Girl! PLEASE be so kind as to let a lowly Oldgirl repost that Keep a Love List post!"

She waved her silver magic wand. Silver dust filled the air, and she said "Yes, you may!"

(yeah right)

LOL!!!

It was somewhere in between those two... At any rate, she said Yes. And I am pleased. (I was afraid that she would say no!)

So, here's a "pseudo" guest post from my favorite author in the whole wide world... Miss Celie, aka Tayari Jones...

Keep a Love List

I spend a lot of time advising writers not to let rejection get them down. But today, I am offering a difference bit of advice on the same subject. Instead of thinking of ways to ignore the sting of failure, let's try learning how to celebrate successes-- no matter how small.

Have you noticed the way that we tend to take negativity to heart, no matter what the source? For example, if a deranged stranger on the subway insults you-- says you're fat or something-- you may spend the whole day thinking back on it, being angry or hurt. But if that same person were to give you a compliment, you wouldn't be on cloud 9 all day. Instead you would consider the source-- he was just some nut on the train... and how come I can never get any attention from XYZ person, etc. How many times have you heard a friend or even yourself respond to positive feedback by saying, "Well, that doesn't count because....."

A couple years ago, I realised that I had a bad case of this disorder. I noticed that I could quote negative reviews chapter and verse. (And truthfully, they weren't all that negative. They just weren't raves.) But when I got a rave, I explained it away. "Well, that was just because I am a local girl." or something like that.

I was doing this in every aspect of my life. At the time I was trying to lose weight. When I would get on the scale and had gained half a pound-- so frustrated, in the wrong direction a half pound was a LOT. If I lost half a pound-- why wasn't it a full pound!!-- still frustrated.

The remedy, is that I started keeping a little "love list." At night when I got through plaiting up my crazy hair, I would jot down every nice thing that was said to me that day, every positive thing I had done toward my goals. I wrote down everything-- no matter how small. (When the lady at the Thai restaurant brought me a free taste of coconut ice-cream, I wrote that down. Kind emails from readers, printed them out. When a dude sleeping on a bench said, "You are one good looking lady," I put that on the list. The next day when he said, "I may be homeless, girl, but I ain't blind!" I put that down, too.) Then, the next morning when I drank my coffee, I read the list from the day before. I know it sounds kooky but it really improved my outlook on life.

And kookier still, when I opened my eyes to the affirmation I received, it seemed that the list each day just kept getting longer and longer.

LadyLee's 2 cents (Uh, I mean... Commentary)

Thank you for such a thought provoking post, Tayari...

Sending an intannet High-five to ya!

You know, this post... It really spoke to me. As I've gotten older, I'm beginning to recognize that I have to literally fight to keep the negative things of the day from renting space in my mind. I mean, it gets down to mental gymnastics sometimes to keep all that stuff from really crushing my heart and emotions.

So as a result, I tend to write. I know earlier this year, me and my baby blog sista Serenity were keeping a gratitude journal. Not sure what she was doing, but I was simply writing one sentence a day expressing what I was thankful for. I loved doing that. It proved to me that there was always - ALWAYS - something to be thankful for. And for a moment, only a mere moment, I could concentrate on THAT instead of what was pissing me off that day.

I think Tayari's thoughts takes it to a whole nother level. Writing down ANY nice thing that happened that day, any nice thing that was said, and any step towards goals (which is always nice), is riveting.

Man... that's something from which a new attitude, a new outlook on life could be born... and become a stronghold in one's heart.

And isn't that what we all are looking for?

To be well grounded in our self-love, self-respect, self-esteem... self-worth.

From those intangibles, all tangibles are born.

Add to that that your love list is the most unique list in the world. No one else's is like yours... not even remotely so.

I may be thinking to deeply about this.

Or am I?

Hmmm

Just a little Food-for-thought for your Hump Day...

Thanks Tayari!

Why don't you write a post like that, say... everyday!!!?

Day Twenty-Eight Something You Miss

How befitting on this day, that I must say, that I miss The Iniquitous One, Nikki, and I miss her friendship.

Dear Nikki,

On this day one year ago, we lost you.

I was sad, and I am still am. I go back often and read an account of our friendship and your final days, just so that I can remember what is important in this life... what is truly important...

There hasn't been a day that has gone by that I haven't thought of you, and the importance of your friendship...

That day, I not only lost a friend, but a confidant... a sister.

I understand now people crossing paths, for a reason, for a season... but I can't say that it hurts any less.

So the time we were friends, I cherish,

and I will forever remember

And I will never forget.

And I will always hold memories of you close to my heart...

Love, Lee

Happy Birthday Nikki.

If you've noticed, I've ceased the birthday tributes. Most of my long term blogging circle has one or two scrawled high up on the walls of the the House of Ladylee.

Let's just say, if you want to read good things about yourself, click on your birthday somewhere over the nearly 5 year lifespan of this blog.

But I'd like to say Happy Birthday to a special blogger and friend, The Iniquitous One, Nikki, who passed last year some 30 days after her birthday. She would've been 39 years old today.

Nik, I miss you much. I miss daily texts and talks. I miss ya, Oldgirl.

When I think of her, I think of something I posted over here on your last birthday. I've posted it here.


Nikki is not only one of my favorite bloggers, but one of my favorite people in general. I am glad she lives in the ATL, as it has given us the opportunity to hang out and get to know each other. I do consider our friendship to be one of my most important friendships. She's one person that I can talk to with no fear of judgment, and she has been one to encourage me and support me.

That is hard to find in people these days, but I found it in her and she in me.

Nikki, I'm very rich because of your friendship. Very rich. (August 1, 2009)

And though she is gone, I STILL feel rich having had her as a friend.

It's rare for me to meet people like that. Very rare these days. I love that with certain people, with every convo, I come away a little smarter, a better person, and with whatever's igging me at the time cleared up. And when I do meet people like that, I take note and respect it in the incredible personal value and richness it brings to my life.

So, Nikki, you're celebrating your day in heaven today...

And I celebrate your day here in my heart.

Happy Birthday,

Love LadyLee.