In Remembrance of Phyllis Hyman

I was listening to ATL black talk radio this morning, and the host was featuring Phyllis Hyman as his bumper music for today.

It is the 20th anniversary of her death.

So I thought I would post up some of my favorite songs by her.

"Betcha By Golly Wow"




"Living All Alone"



"Living in Confusion"



"Be One" (from the movie School Daze)


I tell you... she knew how to dress, didn't she? Was sharp ALL the time. Man.

I hate that she took her own life.  I was only 25 years old when this happened, but I spent time thinking about it. What happened? Could anyone have helped her?  Sigh.

One of the great singers....

Gone, but not forgotten.

That Flag...

They've been talking about a woman going on the next $10 bill. Here you go:

Did you see this Bree Newsome climb that poll and take that flag down?

She was like that girl Mulan...

She worked that all the way out.

A modern day Wonder Woman.

Yeah, she broke the law. So what?

Heck, I was watching all this and wondering why no one had climbed up there and snatched it down or burnt it. I live in the south, and we down here ALL know what that's about.

I myself have had vile things yelled at me and things thrown at me by folks with that emblem somewhere on the pickup truck. Shoot, I was just trying to walk home from school!

To each his own. Not sure why the flag of a rebel nation flies in the south, but the massacre brought it all to light. And rightfully so.

Once she snatched it down, they put it right back up. Sigh.

One day hopefully, it will come down again... legally.

Friday Freestyles... The Birthday Editon

Happy Friday!

I am calling this the birthday edition. No, it's not my birthday. But tomorrow is a birthday for something, and since I ain't posting anything tomorrow, we will celebrate today.

Happy Birthday MITCH!!!

Man... that dude is SO much bigger than in that picture. I think he was 6 months old in that picture. I don't have a current picture of him. He is so dark that he doesn't photograph well. But he is all boy, a little muscle man. And at night, he likes to lay on my head. This is irksome. He still thinks he is a kitten, when he is now a huge cat.

What he has done is calm Sista Callie Jo WAAAAY down. The focus of her attention is not me anymore. Sometimes I feel sad about that, but whatever. I needed her to calm down. So that's a good thing.

Their favorite activity is looking out the living room window.

I'm not so sure what's so interesting. My bushes are high. Not much to see. But they get a kick out of watching the locals cut the grass and trim hedges.  I rarely have people over, so this is a thing of joy!

So Happy Birthday Mitch. You are a VERY good kitty. Glad to have you.

This week has been a blur. I have been so busy. It feels like it was JUST Monday. And it's odd that I wish I could work this weekend. But I'm not going to do that.

I had a mammogram on Wednesday. I was annoyed with having an appointment because I couldn't work a full day, but that's just me being silly. Anyway, everything was alright. I will probably get a letter officially about it next week. It is a bit sobering to have to stop, experience the discomfort of the procedure, then sit and wait for the doctor to come in and put the slides of my breasts up on the screen. I could see the many veins running throughout them... and I could also see the two tiny titanium clips from the biopsies I had a couple of years ago. All of that made me think about what's really important in life. And I have to remind myself to stay focused on that very thing.

Just a thought, something I will be thinking about for awhile.

This has been an interesting week. Obamacare was upheld. Yet the Republicans will continue to fight against it, until they wear everybody out, I suppose. And gay marriage is now legal in the land. I think that may make the Republicans faint, it will.

I tell you... It's not a great time to be a republican. My goodness. No one seems to pay them much mind. I know I don't. I think I would have to be a middle aged white male from the south to consider them. And this is coming from me, someone who isn't all that pleased with the democratic party. I wish there were more choices. Repubiclans sure ain't it.

And I GASPED when Trump referred to Mexicans as criminals and rapists. Whelp. You just lost the hispanic vote, dude. (As if he cared). He came out yesterday and said he had great affection for the Mexican peoples. Ugh, you can't walk that one back, sir. No sir.

I tell you... this means I need another break from the news. It all has my head spinning.

The more I watch the news, the more I understand how they expressly dictate what we all think and talk about. Sigh. This is bad on SO many levels.

Song of the Week. Trap Gospel Music!! "I Luh God" by Erica Campbell



Man... who in the world would've ever thought to make some TRAP gospel music! Wow. I have no words.  I don't like trap music, so I don't care for this song. But I just think it's so O_o. 

She HAD to have been sitting around listening to some Young Thug.  Had to.

That beat is kicking. You can twerk and be a thot to it.  Not sure that is good to be to gospel music.

Although this does seem to justify their could be female trap artists. Hmm...

And here's the thing: One MUST do something to capture the attention of the young people. MUST. By any means necessary. So if it gets one youngster to think about God, then go for it. That is all.

That's it for me.

I don't have much planned for the weekend. Pam has a popped strut, so I might go get that fixed. I haven't decided yet. I don't feel like getting up at 7:00 am on a Saturday morning.  If I have to, I will.  We shall see. (In other words, I need to stop being LAZY.  Humph.)

Have a good weekend.

On purpose...

Good Monday Afternoon

Monday!

I was so happy to get to work this morning. Don't laugh. It is true. I have a lot to do on a project this week, and if I play it right, I will be finished with it within the next 2 weeks. Today is simply a prep day. Full of stuff to do, but it is all prep. And I am good. Today should go by in a flash, and it already is.

I had a quiet weekend.  That's the way I like it. I was trying my best to stay cool. That is hard to do, seeing that the temperature this weekend in the ATL was in the 90s. And it will be in the 90s all week long. Sigh. My house ain't the coolest. I need one of those big 3 ton AC systems. I was all good nevertheless.

I went to church on Saturday night,  and I went to the movies on Sunday.

Movie of the Week.  In light of the prison escape a couple of  weeks ago, I watched The Shawshank Redemption. I love that movie. But this weekend's movie goal was to see...

That was a GREAT movie. Let me rephrase that: the special effects in the movie were GREAT. The storyline was a bit cornball. But this was meant to be an action film. And action there was.

I like to pay the money to see stuff like that in IMAX 3D. No other way to see it!

I think that may have been the first IMAX movie I've seen this year. There are 2 more I want to see this summer. So I need to save up money for that! LOL

Picture of the Week.  Your girl.  Sista Callie Jo.

She got the notion to jump in the dryer. I was folding clothes straight out the dryer. I left the room for something, and when I returned, there she was, in the dryer. In this picture, she's trying to figure out how to get past me, because she knows she shouldn't be in the dryer. She darted past me and hid out for awhile. Humph.

I'm glad only a shirt was left to fold. I would've had to wash things over. I have no time for that.

Song of the Week. I have always liked the rap group Camp Lo for their throwback style. Here's a mashup of the Luchini song with the Bobby Shmurda beat.



That is some awesomeness. It is one of the better blends/mash-ups I've heard in awhile. And I like real rapping. I can understand every word.  But dude with the toothpick in his mouth... that was a bit dangerous

That's it for me.

You know, our President of these beloved United States is about to open up the box on ya'll. First Lady Michelle has already came out the box. And she don't care what you say.

They just had the Prince/Stevie Wonder concert. They are packing up and getting ready to move on out.

They've been disrespected all these years. Hmmm...

Personally, I would say whatever is on my mind... on purpose. They on the president word for saying the word nigga. Heck, he's been called it enough. He has a right to break down what he thinks about the use of it. And he was on point.

I would tell all us ALL what I thought... On purpose.

On purpose... then drop the mike.

Really though.

No apologies. DEAL WITH IT.

The country seems to be at a... fever pitch right now. I don't know what other words to use to describe it. I just hope we all be alright.

And we will.

Holla!

Have a great week :)

Happy Father's Day!

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

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.

I pray yours are just as wonderful.

Friday Freestyles

Finally Friday.

And I am happy for the weekend. And I am thankful for the weekend.

It has been a difficult week. I'm probably speaking for many of us. 

I've been wanting to post, but man... the horrific massacre this weekend. I can't be smurfy. Not even here.

My deepest condolences to the families who lost their loved ones in the South Carolina Emmanuel AME Church massacre.

I, like everyone else, am having a difficult time with this. I will never understand how anyone could ever take someone's life. I just could not fathom.it.  That is simply because I don't sow the seeds for that.  My heart isn't filled with such, so I won't produce such awful fruit. I know that sounds simplistic, but that this type  of horror just doesn't sprout up overnight.

The residual effects are just... ugh.

It's also a reminder that... Tomorrow is not promised. 

Let's just say, I pray that this won't blaze up into a race war. Because it looks like it's moving fast towards that. And no one is doing anything to stop it. This whole "mental illness" reasoning can't be the excuse for everything.  It can't.

In the meantime, my condolences to the families. This has to be difficult beyond understanding.

Wordless Wednesdays: LadyLee's Favorite Things, Part 2

Wordless Wednesdays: LadyLee's Favorite Things

Ten Tuesday Thoughts

Here we go with the 10 Thoughts on a Tuesday. Watch out, now!

1. So Jeb Bush launched his campaign for president of our beloved USA. I must say, I don't want to see another Bush in office. SURELY there are other people out there who can win. But I don't think so. He got up at his speech and spoke the smoothest spanish. And his wife is Mexican. And one of his kids had a drug problem, if I'm remembering correctly. Uh... That's enough to get that hispanic vote. He can say whatever he needs to say to make them believe that he will do something about immigration. Hence, for these reasons, he will win the nomination.

2. One of my fillings fell out of my back tooth last night. Alas, there's a gaping hole in my tooth. What a feeling. At least it's not hurting. I just put it back in, and I am careful about what I am eating. But that can't go on for long. I have an appointment with the gorgeous Dr. Watson at noon on Thursday.

3. So Hillary Clinton officially launched her campaign for president of our beloved USA.. I'm not sure about her. I don't want to see another Clinton in the White House. SURELY there will be more people to run against her. There are two other democratic contenders, but Hillary says she is gonna raise a billion dollars. And we all know that this is all about how much money you got. Shame it has to be that way, but oh well.

4. I wake up in the middle of the night at the same time: 3:40 a.m.  I was thinking that I should play the number 340. But since I don't fool much with the lotto, I assume it means that I spend some time praying and singing. I don't want to just lay there and think. My pastor says when stuff happen like that, have church service. It seems to work.

5. So Donald Trump has officially announced his campaign for the president of our beloved USA.  He's not gonna win. But he can win, since he is worth $9 billion dollars. He sure does file a lot of bankruptcy, though. I think it's just a publicity stunt. I don't want to see this guy become president. Oh my.

6. My favorite activity of the weekend: a convo with one of my favorite readers, Ginae. Some folks just calm my spirit. And make me laugh. We must talk more often. I don't want her to get to the point where she looks at the ringing phone and says... "Oh my... it's that dang LadyLee again!".  *puts phone on silence*  LOL.

7. Mitchell Lamar has been around here chewing up electrical chords and the like. It is wild to turn something on and it's not working. He chewed up my $90 wireless headphones. I have had to throw away a couple of chargers. And this weekend, he chewed up the AC chord to my Roku.  And he chewed the extension wire for my speakers. I got so mad that I hit him. I feel so bad. I have to remember that even though he's some 12-13 pounds, he's still just a kitten. He will be a 1-year old next week, so he will be a full blown CAT. Maybe he will stop chewing up stuff.

8. So sharks are swimming hard along the lower east coast and people are getting attacked. A couple of teenagers lost limbs this weekend. So uh... we know the sharks are swimming hard. Why the hell are ya'll still out there at the beach? What's up with that? I mean, the sharks are catching people in waist-deep water. I'ma need ya'll to take a trip to your local swimming pool.

9. Mitch and Sista Callie fight a lot. It's play fighting. It is a bit annoying, because there are occasionally cuts and bruises, and I am NOT interested in running them to the vet. But I must say, it is not as serious as two boy cats fighting. I have found in the past that I have to get out of the way. Callie and Mitch's fighting is not as bad.  Callie tends to walk away after awhile as if to say, "Mitch, you are too strong. I am a girl! I can't be tussling like this!" LOL.

10. So I am having a plumbing issue at home. Nothing serious. I think the toilet water tank in the upstairs bathroom is rusted out and/or needs a new O-ring. It's leaking rusted water out. And I have to jiggle the handle to keep it from running. So I called my home warranty folks and all that is covered. However, the plumbing charge is $75. Why is it that I pay them every month and they still have a service charge? Sigh. *go finds checkbook*

So that's it for my Ten Tuesday thoughts. I enjoy doing those!

Friday Freestyles

Friday!

Glory!

I am MORE than ready for the weekend.  MORE than ready.

However, since I've had this new job, I've had the desire to work on Saturdays.  Sigh.

It hasn't happened yet. And I don't plan on doing so no time soon. Besides, this weekend I have a writing group meeting. It is way too far from my house, but hopefully there's no highway construction or accidents. Last month, a 40 minute drive turned into a 2 hour drive. I ain't down for that. NO!

 I am looking forward to making the 40 mile trek to the deep deep eastside suburbs. The people in the group are super nice. I find myself sitting their thinking, "Gee... I wish I could be this nice."

I have one of  those strange personalities. I think about it a lot these days. I find as I get older, I don't like being like everyone else? Why? Because I can't tell people apart these days. I rarely find people with abstract passions. Everyone likes the same things, and they look at anyone who feels something different as being an oddball. I don't know... I just get bored with the status quo. I like different stuff. I don't know if that makes sense or not. But it is what it is.  

That's just been on my mind lately, I suppose. It is what it is. I think I am just getting older. I definitely do NOT think the way I thought about things some 10 years ago. No way. Ugh. I have grown. And that's a good thing.

Anyway, this is a huge weekend. Jurassic World comes out today.

 OH MY!!

I'm going to see that. Not this weekend. I have to let the crowds die down. Next weekend. I want to see that in 3D-IMAX.

I remember some 23 years ago (has it been that long?), I went to see Jurassic Park at Lenox Mall. It scared  me so bad. I was all shook up after the movie. I was walking outside on the sidewalk along the side of the mall and a pigeon swooped down. I thought it was one of those flying dinosaur things. Let's just say that people got a good laugh out of my reaction.

I didn't mind the laughter. I walked right on across the street to Phipps Plaza to see What's Love Got to Do with It.  That was a good day.

Also, the new season of Orange is the New Black comes out today!

The first season was great.  The second season was pretty good, although far more risque.  No I don't particularly sit down and binge watch. A few people I know are going to do so this weekend.  I will watch it over a one or two week period.  It is just so rare for me to just sit and watch anything all day long. I will be laid up on the sofa dosing in and out if I do, and I would have to go back and watch stuff all over again.

The season finale of Game of Thrones is on Sunday.

Now THAT is what I'm truly looking forward to.  The last couple of episodes have had me all...

 I was really lost at the Wight Walker children.

 Some chick got all compassionate because they were children. And they killed her.

Not a time for compassion, dear. Kill or be killed. That is all.

So yes... I am looking forward to the weekend. Indeed.

It's gonna be a HOT weekend in the ATL, with temperatures in the low 90s. At least it won't be raining.

With heat like that, I will be sticking around the house as much as possible... On purpose.

I hope you have a great summer weekend on purpose too!!!

Finally! Glory!

Man...

PAM!!!

Good ol' 18-year-old Pam!

Pam FINALLY passed her emission!

I tell you, when the inspector said she passed, I was way too happy. He was looking at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Sir, you just don't understand!"

He nodded politely.

He doesn't understand. My emissions are due in February.

It is now JUNE.

Ugh.

I needed some repairs. That was around $1400. (Pam ain't even worth that much). I had that done and the light came back on again. If they couldn't figure it out, I would just have to purchase a new car computer, and that would be $600-700. That is fine, but I rather not. I just needed to drive it and catch it with the light off.

My engine light was going on and off. And I think it was a matter of the battery connection this time. So a month ago, I taped the battery connector down with some black electrical tape. Eventually I will get a new connector, but whatever. And since then, the light hasn't been back on. That was a month ago, and I drive it every weekend. No big deal.

I was listening to an auto show on Saturday, and they were talking about how to get your emissions to pass. I needed TWO long driving cycles. And the car needed to sit overnight each time. THEN go get it tested. I was doing one long drive then trying to get it tested, and the computer was not ready. So, I did what they said, and it worked out well!

Thank goodness I was listening to the radio on Saturday. I must've driven 100 miles this weekend. I drove out to the west side for my supplement powder from my chiropractor's office. I hit up a health food store while I was out there. On Sunday I drove to the deep south side suburbs to my sister's house to dump a busted microwave and TV at her dump site. Afterwords I drove WAAAY out to the east side to the farmers market.

Then I drove home. And I decided to bite the bullet and go get Pam tested. And she passed. I thought I would FAINT.

Glory. She is in compliance now. And best of all, she drives like a dream. How great is that?

High class issue, I know. But I just needed that to be OVER. I came to work and promptly purchased my tag online and kept it moving. I have my receipt, so I don't have to drive all dirty, eyes darting back and forth looking out for the COPS!

Oh what a wonderful weekend. Oh what a great start to the week.

I need the rest of the week to be great. On purpose.

Friday Freestyles... The Challenged Edition

Friday!

Glory!!!

And it's PAYDAY!!

GLORY!

As usual, I sit here and think about just running out and balling til I frickin' fall!

Then I come to my senses. And go and pay a few bills.

Nothing wrong with my 5 minutes of imagination, right? Nope.

LOL.

I am MORE than ready for the weekend.

And this is how I imagine my weekend going:

Yes. Laid out. I would LOVE to be laid out like the dear Sista Callie Jo. Oh my. Not laid out on the floor like that, all butt-nekked and all, but in the bed, sleeping good.  Just like her.  Not laid out like that though.  That would be challenging. And a bit uncomfortable.

Alas, that will not be the case.I will be super busy, just like Sista Callie Jo is here, getting all up in my fresh pineapple. As a matter of fact, I need to make a to-do list for the weekend so I can get the most out of it . And I have to schedule a little time off for the weekend also.

That is the goal.

I will work on that tonight. Right now I have to go finish up some lab work.


Anyway, this has been a good week. I will give it a solid B. It has been a slow week.  But something... interesting happened yesterday. We have a new branch director. That means' he is my boss' boss. Well I needed him to sign an order form, so I'd been looking for him (he started this week).


He came to sign the form, but someone else had signed it already. But we sat down and talked for half an hour. He had a ton of questions. What are you doing in your research right now?  What do you think are the strengths of the group? What do you think are the challenges of the group?

Challenges... that's another name for weaknesses.

Here's another one... Where do you see yourself in 5 years.

Uh.... O_O..........

I came up with something. I don't remember. What is interesting, I was thinking about this some 24 hours to being asked it. Hmm...

Anyway, it was a GREAT talk. He has some ideas that are on that... Mothership Connection Funkadelic level. O_O.  I was able to keep up with him, because I read a lot. And I know a little about his research because I saw him give a talk some 10 years ago.  And he was a professor at one of the local HBCUs.  

But here's the kicker... He's African.

Wooo-wee... what a joy to talk to someone who looks like me who is in charge. He has some large ideas. I don't even think I blinked while talking to him. I hung onto his every word. And he was drawing some things on his paper. No blinking from me, man.

I wanted to holler... "Yo Bro... you preachin' to choir. I'm down with your vision. Woo-hoo!!"

That was the highlight of my week. And he has a sense of  humor.

Even my boss, a nice Caucasian guy said the other day, "Have you talked to Doc? I like him! He's a good guy. I've heard nothing bad about him. And that's rare."

Yes it is rare. Because management around these parts is... challenged.

(That's my new word for the year:  challenged).

My boss told me that while trying to practice spelling his name. He asked me how to spell it. I'm like, uh... dude, I have to go figure it out myself.

And I did too!  Yes indeed. 

But I'm glad he is here. Heck, everyone is.

GLORY!!

Song of the Week. I am STILL stuck on Alabama Shakes. And I like the following song very much, despite the critics disliking it.  I could only find a live version, though.



The first time I heard that, I thought... This sounds like some chopped and screwed Prince.

I cannot STAND chopped and screwed music. You have to be drunk or high to listen to hours and hours of that. NO!

But this grew on me. It is experimental. A soulish/rock plus a little touch of sci-fi. That's experimental.

And I like strange stuff like that.

It's not only strange... it's challenging. 

Bring Your Child to the Workplace Day

So... 

Today was bring your child to work day.

I have no children. I couldn't bring Sista Callie Jo or Mitch.

No. Just look at them. They don't count as... children. And they may have embarrass me with their mischief.

And you know how folks just around here ITCHING to talk about you here in this workplace.

But my coworker Mel brought her son to work.

And he's an child actor.

She comes in with stories about auditions and what-not. She talks about what parts in movies he's in.

It's all a blur to me. I have only one question:

"Who's in the movie?"

His mother would tell me. And she will go on talking about the movie.

"Look here," I say, interrupting her. "If he get in something with that Brad Pitt or Angelina, let me know. I will gladly take off from work and take him down to the set. I will bring my afro pick, and I will be his hair stylist. And I am bringing some of my friends. He will have a wardrobe person, and shoe person and a tutor. 'Cuz we really tryna meet some Angelina or Brad Pitt."

She said alright. And I am holding her to that. She can come to work.

I've been expressing to her the last couple of days how I want an autograph from him.

"So I can sell it  if he get famous, you know?" was my reason.

She brought him to work. I ran up on him while he was playing a game on his phone. He was sitting in his Mama's chair. (I looked around. I had no idea where she'd disappeared to.)

"Lil man!" I said.

He politely took out his earplugs.

"Yo dude, I saw you in that movie on TVOne. The one where you were out playing in front of the house."

He stared.

"Can you give me an autograph?"

"Sure," he said.

I went and got a post-it note from my desk.  And he signed it in is shaky 10-year-old script.

(I was watching him thinking... DANG you write slow.  But he's only 10).

He handed his autograph to me, and I held it high in the air over my head.

"This here is going to be worth some money some day! Thanks, lil' man."

"You're welcome,"  he said, as he went back to his video game. 

Yeah. His mama must've threatened him in the car.

"Don't get up in here and act like you crazy. Be respectful!"

And that's what he was. A very nice young man.

I pinned his autograph upon the wall of my cubicle, right between the Braves schedule and my calendar.

I wanted to be sure to put it up... so I can sell it later. Heck, I may even have it laminated.

It was nice to meet him, and all the other little kids who visited to our workplace today!

Ten Tuesday Thoughts

Ten Tuesday Thoughts...  

These are difficult to come up with for some reason. I can come up with TWO Tuesday Thoughts, but ten thoughts are a challenge. But let's see if I can do that. I will just keep my post open all day and type as I go until it is time to leave.

1. I haven't been blogging much lately. I have been thinking about blog posts, but not doing them. I'm not sure what that's about. It may be because I spend time doing some private journal writing in the mornings, my "morning pages", so I don't really feel a need to post. Plus, I rarely even put personal stuff up on here. This blog is for the exercise of my creative mind.

2. Speaking of writing in the mornings... I was doing 3 pages strong every morning. Then the daylight savings time hit. Man. That three pages went down to one in a hurry. And my cursive writing is barely legible. It's interesting how much of a difference an hour makes.

3. Work is HECTIC. You know it's bad when I take stuff home to read on the weekends. And I was even sitting at home this weekend, saying "Man, I wish I could go in to work to look at that data. I have to wait 'til Monday. Ugh."

4.  I had a 4 day weekend for the memorial day holiday. I don't have many plans, so I try to wrap my vacation time around the holidays. That weekend was interesting because I was barely home. I had a long list of things to do, and I got 80% of it done. My time off is usually spent relaxing, but I haven't had any time off since Christmas. Errands plus hanging with friends plus my regular stuff took up a lot of time!  So I have to schedule a few "mental days" in June.

5. Lunch today is a nice salad. I wanted to have a mid-morning snack, an orange, but I couldn't. I am working with a piece of equipment that requires that I have no essential oils on my hands. I didn't even put any lotion on this morning, so I am ASHY. Sure enough, I can wash my hands, but you never know. I wear gloves, but that can still be a problem. So once I finish working with that intricate and sensitive piece of equipment, I will eat.

6. I can't believe that it is June already.  As usual, the Atlanta weather is all jacked up... hot some days, pouring down raining on others.

7. I am still riding "dirty" in Pam. She may be ready for emission now, but I don't know. I only drive her on the weekends, and I missed out on this this weekend. I really like driving her, more than Lucy Jr.  I am a bit stuck up these days, because I prefer leather luxury and a sunroof.  The whole cloth seat thing is a bit... ugh.  My goal was to get her tested in June. Maybe she is ready for registration. We will see. As for now, I stay out of the way of po-lice.

8. I need  to list some goals for the summer. I have some cardboard from an old cardboard box I broke down with a box cutter. I want to list my goals on them in bold sharpie and tack it up on the wall where I can see it everyday.  I am sure this would look mad crazy to anyone who comes over.

9. I didn't eat lunch until 3:00 pm.  That's not a good look. I like to eat around 1:30 pm.  I got caught up in  the lab. Sigh.  But that salad was good.  You can NOT go wrong with baby greens, nectarines, strawberries and pecans... with a tangerine vinagarette. AWESOME!

10. So the custodial crew said they are stripping the floors. Uh... that means I need to leave dirt early. I will NOT be getting stuck down there with them. Nerp. Leaving an hour early. PEACE.

So that's my Ten Tuesday Thoughts. Not half bad!

Blank Space

Everyday I walk into the kitchen and look at blank space.

That is the place where my microwave use to be. There was a lightning storm in it, and I decided to unplug it. There is no need to burn the house down when I'm simply trying to reheat a bowl of collard greens, you see.

But there's that blank space.  And it's been that way for the past month.

I'm not whining about it. I just want the same microwave that I had. It was a good one, lasting close to 10 years. I don't use a microwave as much as most people do, but I liked having it around. I found the one I like, but the place (where I bought the last one) is out of them.

"They are on order."

There were none in the warehouse.

I've gone back some three times, the last being over the Memorial Day weekend. It's a good 25 miles away, and I said that if I happen to be down that way, I'd look in.

Not only do they not have the microwaves. They aren't even in the warehouse. They are still waiting on them from China, I suppose.

Which leads me to one conclusion. 

I love my blank space.

I have figured out how to heat up my food on the stove. I have a convection countertop oven that I rarely use, so I have figured all that out. 

There is no need for the microwave.  And sense I can't get the very one I want, why don't I just not get one at all?

Yes.  That's the answer.

My food tastes better if I don't zap it anyways. And I can't remember the last time I've had one of those microwave dinners that require a microwave. I don't eat hot pockets, etc. I eat more fresh fruit and vegetables. I like a lot of raw stuff.

And like I said, it's been a month. So why in the world should I even buy a new microwave? Hmm.

I'll revisit this high class problem at the end ot the year.

For now...

I will stare at the... blank space.