Friday Night Fights: The 50 Edition

 Another week has gone by... 

And I am still at the house. And I am at the point of just accepting things right now. 

This pandemic is NOT my fault is my constant mantra. And I think it is sinking in. 

You know what felt good this week? It is that I have my work review coming up and I had a FULL page of accomplishments. A full page. I got work done while teleworking. And that made me feel good indeed. 

Also, I had some good meals this week. I am working on my meals being 75% vegetables. Not sure how that is working out. All I can do is TRY. 

Happy 50th Birthday! Two Icons celebrate birthday #50 this week... 

Mary J. Blige and Regina King! 

I knew they were close to my age, but I didn't know they were 50 like me! OH JOY!

I so look forward to what the future holds for both of these ladies! 

Meal of the Week: Another juicy salad. 

This is one of my go to meals during the pandemic. And it is not only tasty, but so good for me :)

Glory!! 

Song of the Week. I haven't been listening to to much music, as my eyes have been glued to the television like everybody else. All this ish going on is BANANAS. Ugh.

Anyway, more Busta Rhymes... with Bell Biv Devoe

 

I love the '90s feels I get from this video.

So everyone in this video is 50 years old or older. Why do they all look so young!? 

Oh what a joy to be 50!

That is it for the week. My goal is to post more this year. I have been very bored, and I am posting on Facebook, which means I need to pay more attention over in these parts!

Have a great 3 day weekend! On purpose! 

Friday Freestyles

It is Friday!

I WISH it was PAYDAY.

But it isn't.

BUT it is a federal holiday, which means, I don't have to go to work. Or, these days, it means I don't have to walk to the dining room table and turn on my laptop and check my emails and attend meetings and webinars... Sigh.

So this doesn't feel like a holiday. I will make myself some ribs and potato salad tomorrow and see how that works out. But oh well.

Just ready for all this to be over. Because 2020 so far has been... *blank stare*

The second half of the year is upon us!! My goodness, I wish we could just skip the next 6 months and hit 2021 already. I am ready to holler Happy New Year! But alas, that's not going to happen. I think right now, the way everything is going, we all need to just make it to next year, ALIVE.

I just pray that the rest of the year that we level up.

Level up, y'all! That means that we literally get our sh*t together. Take what is going on seriously! Get a plan! Wear a mask, socially distance, something! I don't know the solutions. All I can do is pray, and right now, prayer is everything.

But on a good note, I finally scored some cheap hand sanitizer and wipes.

So maybe things are looking up. Who knows.

And I have to admit, I am SHOCKED that all this confederate statue controversy is going on.  Sorry ya'll we got other ish to worry about, like this covid. Yes, if they can come down, then they come down. But Lord have mercy, can we get this virus mess under control.

Besides, I like how this one statue is being reconsidered...

Yeah... shine a light on the statues.

Song of the Week. I haven't been listening to much music lately. There has been more mindless TV and a good bit of writing. But there is one song that I have had on repeat much of the week. "Playing your game" by Barry White.



How long has Barry White been gone from us? Looking around on Wikipedia, I see that he died in 2003. So he's been gone 17 years?!?!?!? 17 years! Wow, that's a long time ago.

But I love that song. So lush. I think that song was made with his Orchestra. I just miss really good music like that. Sigh.

I don't have much of anything to write about right now. I'm just sitting around waiting... and waiting.. for all this to be done.

On a positive note. Really hoping our country will have some "Come to Jesus" moment.

On purpose.

Friday Freestyles - The Juneteenth 2020 Edition

Happy Juneteenth to you!

Come on down to the House of LadyLee Virtual Cookout.

We having ourselves a low country boil...

No need to stick your hand off in the pot. Everything is laid out on the table on some black trash bags.

We have some extra over in the big aluminum pan in the kitchen.

We have pastry items for desert... because nobody wanted to be bothered with baking a cake.

We are FREE. Well somewhat... Still a lot of systematic stuff going on. But we're getting there...

BLACK LIVES MIGHT MATTER!!

You know, with all that's going on, the White Folks have discovered that Juneteenth exists. Why, even the president said yesterday that nobody knew about Juneteenth and that he made it popular.

*crickets*

This is pretty much somewhat almost equivalent to Columbus discovering America.
Hmm.

Anyway, I first learned about Juneteenth back in 1992. In fact, one of my white friends was all excited about some festival she was attending. She said it was a Juneteeth celebration, and she looked at me sideways when I told her I hadn't heard of it. Once we talked about it, I told her I might go just to have a look. And I would look for her.

Well, I told a classmate (I was in grad school at the time), and we went. The big Juneteenth celebration was in Grant Park, the Park next to the Atlanta Zoo, about a mile from where I live now.

We had a good time. There was food, art, and all kinds of exhibits...

And there was a main stage.

And who were the performers on that main stage:

Parliament Funkadelic and The Ohio Players.

Man...when I tell you I had a GREAT time? I had a great time!

I looked out for the chick that told me about it. I didn't see her. Not sure I could have found her in a crowd of at least 5000 people.

I spoke with her that next week about it.

"Girl, we were there half day. It was good!"
"I was there, too," she said. "We were up front by the stage."

LOL

So, what was that? 1992? That was 28 years ago! Doesn't feel that long ago.

But the moral of the story. Just because the mainstream populous doesn't know about it doesn't mean it doesn't mean anything.

But hey, now, all of a sudden, some major companies are making it a paid holiday.

Good.

I am a gub'ment employee, and they gave us 1 hour of early dismissal.

Good.

Song of the Week. So the LGBT had a major victory in the Supreme court this week.

They have the right to not be discriminated against on the job. And I think the president was trying to cut off some health care rights or something. ALL that got kicked to the curb!

I am so lost on this. This my thing: How you gonna discriminate against people who are citizens of this country and pay taxes? Pay taxes! I feel like if certain groups don't have equal rights, then they shouldn't be required to pay taxes. Period.

Oh, but the USA gonna get their money, tho.

Anyway, this isn't a rant... this is Song of the Week. My favorite LGBT song "Mighty Real" by Sylvester.



That song came out when I was 8 or 9 years old. I remember stopping everything when that song came on. I would get up and run and dance. That was the song! It makes me think more of the LGBT these days, though.

Quote of the Week. One from our beloved president concerning the testing for coronavirus.

"If we stop testing right now... we would have fewer cases [of the coronavirus]."

*blink blink*

I guess that could be true. Kind of like if we stop giving pregnancy tests, we would have fewer pregnancies.

Oh ok... I see what we did there. Hmm. That's call word play!

And ya'll gonna go to a big azz rally tomorrow in Oklahoma... inside a big center... no masks... laughing, hollering and spitting... no social distancing at all.

Ok. Let me know how that works out for you. My hope and prayer is that there is nary a new case of covid stemming from that. At least they could've had it outside. But hey, this may be a social experiment. But it all feels a bit... Jim Joneish to me.

That's it for my Friday Freestyles!

There's new folks at the ai.r.bn.b next door.  Amazon shows that the ink pens I ordered are out in my mailbox. I think I will go check the mail and spy on the folks next door.

LOL!

Have a great Juneteenth weekend!

Friday Freestyles

Friday!

And it is PaYdaY!

And it is not like I can go anywhere. I, as usual, imagined balling out of control. Then I dragged myself back to reality.  I sat down and paid my bills. Then I went to the store earlier this morning, just because I needed to pick up my prescriptions. While there, might as well do some shopping. I did not need much of anything since I did my grocery shopping this past Monday morning.

But I needed my meds. So I found my gloves, my mask, and my sanitizer. I wrapped my head up in a headscarf. Gotta do all that, because that corona is still bouncing around in these streets.

First I went to the beauty supply store. This is an adventure in itself, but this is the only place to find gloves. I bought four boxes and when I got to the register, they said the limit was one. I apologized, because I didn't see the sign. But they gave them to me anyway. This is the only place to buy them right now. I told them my aunt needed them for use with my bedridden uncle. So they told me to call beforehand next time, and they can make sure to set some aside for me. As many as I need. I thought that was nice of them. Because this is the hood. They could have easily called the police on me.

Ain't trying to mix it up with the police over some gloves. No sir. No ma'am.

They had some nice hair up in there, though. My hair is, like, an inch long right now. While in there, I learned you need different hair for long hair down your back and for bangs. Someone was in there in high discussion with them. That was my one new thing I learned today. (I learn something new everyday).

"Neighbors".  So I wrote about my loud neighbors earlier this week. I figured I needed to introduce myself to these people. It felt something like some family reunion type thing going on, so what's the hurt in introducing myself?

Well, it turns out that house next door is now an ai.rbn.b. (I am writing it that way so this won't come up in a search). They are just renting it. I was like OH! Then I pretty much lost interest. Why? Because that meant they would hopefully be gone soon.

I looked up the profile on a.irbn.b. There were quite a few rules they are breaking. Hmm

How about after I talked to them, the noise and commotion levels went down by around 90%?  Still too noisy for me, though. I live in a downtown hood, but it has been very quiet around here lately (save for the protest noise some two or three miles away), and I like it that way. So I will give them the benefit of the doubt... because they should be gone soon.

But how about one night this week, around 2 in the morning, someone was out there hollering about some $200 they were owed? Lawd, they had to be good and liquored up. It may have been a memory of someone owing them $200. It may have been that at 2 in the morning, they had come face-to-face with someone who owed them $200. I couldn't tell. I thought they were gonna give themselves a heart attack! I would've stuck my head out the door and yelled "Shut the hell up" if I could guarantee they wouldn't come for me.

I refuse to call the police. The police have problems. Ladylee is not trying to hear her voice on the 911 call on the news for days on end when the police shoot up the house and kill everybody. LadyLee is not 'bout to be out here singing and protesting and having vigils for people. NO. I can deal with some noise. I will not be trading a little noise for a lifetime of headache and regret. Hopefully they will be gone soon.

But you best believe I will be calling the owner, who moved somewhere a few months ago, and letting him know... look dude, I was nice, but uh... you better talk to your tenants. I am not dealing with this all summer. I am accustomed to quiet.

Book of the Week. So... one of my top 5 favorite authors, Brandon Massey, put out a novella!

So Brandon Massey always announces his new books on his Facebook Page. I, being the ultimate fan, go and buy it IMMEDIATELY. I think this one was a free novella. Look, he can charge $19.99 for a one page short story and I am ALL IN. I just love his writing. He is such an excellent storyteller. He can spin a tale with a gazillion twists and turns with the greatest of ease. And I am here for it! And I love-ed it!

This story is about a couple, Dante and Nicole, who are having problems in their marriage, and are thinking about divorce.  They decide to go on a little vacation to hopefully rekindle the romance. So they rent a beachfront a.irbn.b for a romantic getaway. Once they get settled in good, all hell breaks loose! The host has stolen many of their secrets, and it is some CRAZINESS! Can their relationship survive the madness? Hell, can THEY survive the madness?

It was a VERY good read. At only around 60 pages, I read it in a little over two hours. And as always with a Massey book, I sighed when I read the last page. I want his stories to go on and never stop.

Lawd have mercy, I cannot WAIT until he puts out a 1000 page book. I may just faint if he does that!

LOL

Song of the Week. For some odd reason, I've been listening to this song this week.

Salt-n-Pepa "How Long (Betcha got a chick on the side)"



I love that song. It reminds me of my old boyfriend Eli's maroon Ford Escort with the booming car stereo system.

But now, I play it when I'm getting ready for bed...

... or trying to get my masks, hand sanitizer, head wrap and gloves together to leave the house.

Not sure why I associated this song this week with these tasks, but I did. It sure brings back great memories.

That is IT for the week. I am glad it is Friday. I hope to have a decent weekend, even though I will be house bound. Life has pretty much opened back up this week, but I don't plan to venture out more until mid July or whenever they phase us back into the workplace.


Have a great weekend!

Friday Freestyles

Friday!

And we's free!

I suppose. That's what they say on the TV. Memorial Day weekend is upon us! And it's going to be a fantastically beautiful weekend.  So they have opened the country back up, and we can all get together as long as we are doing our social distancing and have our masks on.

Bump that.

LadyLee don't leave the house unless I'm going to the grocery store and to the pharmacy. And that is once a week at the most. I prefer once every 2 weeks, but my baby greens for my salad don't last that long.

I ain't going about business as usual until Mayor Keisha SAY go back to business as usual.



That's right. I ain't doing nothing unless Keisha say do it.

Humph.

Man, I just did a grocery store run. Best item I scored is some Chow-Chow!

I love this stuff. It reminds me of my Great-grandmother Minnie Bell, and how she would make a big batch of it a couple of times a year in this big metal mixing bowl as big as the sun. So I buy some every now and again. It goes great with collard greens. This jar will last me 2-3 years (yes, it takes me that long to get through it). I don't even remember how much it cost. I snatched it up that fast.

Yes, things are back to normal out here in these ATL streets. And I want to let you know that these people are out in these Covid streets, and they ain't thinking about social distancing and they don't give a damn about masks.

I had on my mask today, and I had my sanitizer. I had on my headscarf. And I navigated these streets well enough. But that don't mean that I need to put on the bikini and head to the beach. And it don't mean I'm going to be in anybody restaurant or bar. Not going to the church house. None of that.

Going back to normal when Keisha say go back to normal.

I don't know what day this is of teleworking. They are still trying to come up with a plan at work. Right now, we are all required to wear masks when we come back. That is all they have figured out so far. Right now, I am tired of thinking about it. We will get back when we get back. One day, this will be in the past. Let us hope that it will be over soon.

So if you didn't hear, today a study came out in a respected medical journal that the Hydrochloroquine that our beloved president has been touting is basically trash. They found that there was a 30% increased chance of death and over a 300% increased chance of heart arrhythmia.

I told ya'll that drug is a problem. And if you believe the president is taking it, I have a bridge in downtown Atlanta that I can sell your right now for the low price, $19.95. Humph.

No.

And he is ordering all places of worship open.

No.

All that singing and shouting and spitting...

No.

We are stuck in a BAD reality show. And we can't turn the channel.

This all feels Jim Jones-ish to me. I will peer at it all this curiously from my window seat.

In other news, I got my taxes back and I am ready to ball! Ball til I FALL...At the house. As much as possible as I can in the house!

Song of the Week. " Tonight" by Sweet Sable



I really like this song and was reading the comments section and found out she died on April 10th from the Covid. She had that same lung problem that Bernie Mac had, sarcodosis [sic], and the virus just exasperated it.  Rest in Peace, Sweet Sable.

One more song, this one more familiar.



That's sooooo '90s.

I hope this pandemic is over soon.

Ya'll be safe out here.

Good Friday Freestyles

Happy Friday!

Happy GOOD Friday!

Happy PayDay to ME!

Yes, this is a good Friday indeed. Alas, it is raining cats and dogs and frogs in the Atlanta. UGH.

And I am getting some new living room furniture, so I had to call a junk removal company to come get the old furniture.

Now, I could have just dragged it to the street. But no telling when City of Atlanta would pick it up. And there is NO way I wanted to be looking at a couch and chair sitting out next to the mailbox for two weeks. (Yes, I have seen peoples crap sitting out for that long).

I called Peachtree Junk Removal Service. And they showed up even in the rain. And they were all smiles like it was a sunny day.

Wow.

They were in and out of my house in 10-15 minutes. They even put on little booties over their shoes so they wouldn't jack up my carpet. They were really nice and prompt. I will be using them for my garage cleanout soon. GLORY.

I don't know how they did it all with a smile.

Now, the cats were all confused, especially Mitch.

He will figure it out. I placed a blanket on the floor so they could lay on it. And I placed a tennis ball in the middle of the floor. Maybe they will have a good time with all that empty space.

Otherwise it has been an uneventful day. And it is Friday, AND a payday, so the blinds of my mind are half closed. I got a couple of hours worth of stuff done, but that's about it. I will just go ahead and plan for next week. That's all I can do.

Song of the Week. I found a song by Andersen.Paak, on his new Ventura CD, that I absolutely LOVE.

"Come Home" (Featuring Andre 3000)



That song is AWESOME. I loved-ed it! And when Andre 3000 chimes in at the end... My goodness. I really miss him and Outkast in general.

That is it for me. I am not doing anything special for Easter. Haven't in years. I take time to pontificate the reason for the season. No new dress for me.

Have a good Friday and a Great Easter! On Purpose!

Fried Chicken Friday Freestyles

So look at this and guess what it is...

That's the bottom of the skillet I use for frying chicken.

And it's a hot mess.

It did not get like that overnight. I bought that skillet during the summer of 1991 from the local Big Lots store. So it had to be cheap. That comes from years and years, some 28 years, of not scrubbing the bottom of the pan with a brillo pad.

It's too late to be thinking about that now. I would think an afternoon with a chisel and rag would make it look a little better. But mind you, I have been fastidious about keeping the inside of the skillet clean.

So much so that it's no longer non-stick. It is dayum near shiny. So I gotta be careful what I cook in it.

Alas, it's best for frying chicken. And I pulled a couple of old photos from my blog where I have caught the sizzle of the chicken in the pan.

That's some good chicken. I do not remember that batch of chicken, but I must tell you, by faith, that that was some GOOD chicken.

(That chicken had another 30 minutes to go in the skillet before it's is turned up).

 Now, I have had bought several skillets over the past 28 years, but this skillet has lasted all these years. I thought about tossing it, but I will keep it.

There is history there.

And it reminds me of the old skillets that my grandparents fried up chicken and pork chops in.

Now, I have a new skillet that I just LOVE. I bought it at the Target, not the Big Lots. I bought it, a small one and a large one, with my birthday monies. I have fried up some chicken in it, just once since I bought it on my birthday. I tend to sautee more veggies in it. I LOVED-IT it.

But I was washing it the other day and I noticed something.

Is the bottom of the skillet turning black?

I tried to scrub it clean with a brillo pad to no avail.

So will it crust up like the old one?

Only time will tell.

Friday Freestyles

It is Friday.

I WISH it was Pay Day.

But alas, it isn't.

Terrorist Attack 2019. You know, it was some ol' craziness being half awake and half asleep last night, with my television still on, and there's some newsflash about a terrorist attack on a mosque.

My first thoughts:

AGAIN!?!?!

My second thought:

Maybe I'm just dreaming.

But I woke up, and I wasn't. I tell you what... they get thrown into a tizzy if there is some Islamic terrorist acts taking place, but when these white men get out here acting a fool, they get all confused. And you know what and who I mean by "they". It is getting old and tired. But it will keep going on. Until they start addressing "domestic terrorism" by the majority, this will continue to happen.

And we will continue to become desensitized to it.

But until we focus on all of the issues it will keep happening...

And the same moot response will continue: My thoughts and prayers are with the families.

We need more than thoughts and prayers. I'm just saying.

And that's my 2 cents.

College scandal. This was hilarious. Because you know this has been going on FOREVER. And I have a couple of thoughts about it.

#1. All I know is, I better not hear another word about affirmative action. Nope. Not another word.

#2. So... one spends $1,000,000 to get their beloved child into a specific college. How 'bout you just donate the money to the school? That's the legal way to do things. But no, gotta be different. Your child is so WHACK that you gotta buy their way into school. Some of the million dollars could have been spent on tutors and test prep programs. Not to mention private schools. Sigh.

#3. Here is what is up... I spend a million dollars on my kid to fraudulently get them into the school of their choice. And now you want to bring charges concerning it. Listen, if I am that rich, DO YOU THINK I'M GOING TO PRISON?

No.

And that is my prediction. No one will go to prison for this. A slap on the wrist... and back to the yacht.

Song of the Day: On this day, 33 years ago, the song "Your Smile" by Rene and Angela was #1 on the charts.



That is a FANTASTIC song. And I always thought she was singing about her man. No, she was singing about her grandmother.

How cool is that.

And that is it for my Friday Freestyles.

Have a great weekend! On purpose.

First Friday Freestyles

It is the first Friday of the New Year.

I feel like I should be doing something special today. But it is cold outside. And it is raining. And that means I am not gonna be running these mean streets today.

Now I can handle the cold. I can even handle the rain. But both together? No ma'am. No sir.

Tomorrow will be much nicer. Sunshine for three days straight. But the bad news is that this is the end of "Staycation". I have to go to work on Monday, even in the midst of a gubment shutdown.

So I am still being held hostage. But I am a hostage that moves around and possibly gets a paycheck.

I still have the hostage look on my face, though.

You know, I just want it to be over, where everything goes back to normal. I do not want to go back to work with 10 people being in the building versus some 200 people in the building, the normal amount. It is just terrible. And I have been passively looking at the news, which needs to stop. Sometimes we just need a break, where we replace the emotionally draining craziness of the news with something positive. And I think that will be my goal this weekend. That will be my goal this SUNNY weekend.

I have much to do. I need a new battery for Pam the Protégé. The battery is dead. Oh yes, I tried to jump her off.

I jumped her and let here idle for some 20 minutes. I turned her off... and she would not crank back up. Alas, I need a new battery. It would be good to take that dead battery out, take it to the auto parts store, switch out for a new battery, and bring it back home. But I do not know right off hand where my tools are to do this. (I am sure they are around. I just rarely use tools, and I am not sure where I should look first).

My sister called the other day and said, "Lisa, batteries are expensive now. I thought they were $59.99. What happened?"

"It is called inflation, girl," I responded. "Pam's battery is $110, and Lucy Jr.'s battery is over $200. You and I are thinking of 1999 prices, because we rarely buy batteries."

Inflation is something else, ain't it?
I am thankful that I can go get a new battery. I just hope that is the only issue. Most likely it is.

I can purchase a slab of ribs from my favorite rib spot for $28. I found this out when I went to get a couple of slabs of ribs for a family gathering on my father's side a couple of months ago. I asked the cashier why they were so expensive?

"The last time I bought a slab, they were $14.95."

"How long ago was that?" she asked as she rang up my order.

"The year 1992."

*blink blink*

Both she and I had a GREAT laugh behind that one. That was funny.

Yes, the prices of those ribs have gone up in the last 26 years. Go figure.

What is interesting is that we do not notice these things. It is so SUBTLE. And that's the way it has to be done.

Song of the week. My favorite song is by one of my neighborhood rappers JID. *throws up eastside Atlanta gang signs*. The song is titled "Off the Zoinkys".

Sorry, I could not track down a clean version. OH WELL.



That song is probably the most interesting appeal of "Just Say No" to drugs that I have heard in awhile. I love the production and beat structure too. Good song. Lay off the xans and lean and the cigarettes, ya'll. Mind needs to be clear, because we are a long way from Decatur, ya'll.

Right on.

And you know I like to go look up the samples. This song samples "I'm so Grateful" by the Crowns of Glory.



This song makes me see how FAR urban gospel music has come. This song is not shined up. It definitely sounds like something my Grandma would have listened to back in the day. Good song, though! They did snatch a lot for the sample.

That is it for freestyle Fridays!

I think on this cold rainy Friday I will take a lesson from Big Mitch.

Lay out for the rest of the day.

Big Mitch knows how to relax and lay out, even if he's showing all his bizness. He does not care.

Sounds like a good plan, though. I have much reading to do, and I will be up early on Saturday morning so that I can get out and run the streets on a sunny day!

In other words, I'm gonna have a good weekend. You have a good one too.

On purpose!

Friday Freestyles: The Last Day of Summer Edition

Ah yes...

The summer has ended. This is the first day of fall.

Or is it? *LadyLee running and googling the beginning of fall*

Nope... Fall officially begins on September 22nd.

So I have today to celebrate the last day of Summer.

My favorite summer pictures of late have me already missing summer.

That's a picture of my friend Karla's husband and son, taking in what must have been a beautiful ocean on a just as beautiful day.

I myself took in some ocean waves out in San Diego. I rode out on one of those duck boats. I need to put up those pictures, because a sister will NOT be hanging out on a duck boat anytime soon. Nope.

But that picture just says "summer" to me.

Another picture that oozes summer to me is this one.

Isn't that lovely? And just how GREEN is that grass? That is some green grass.

And God bless the man who cuts that green grass. God bless him indeed.

Well I am happy because today is not only the last day of summer, but it's PAY DAY. GLORY!

I love Pay Day. If only for a moment, though. Because the very same day that I get paid, I pay a bunch of bills and alas, some 2/3rds of my money is gone.
Oh well. STILL thankful for payday.

Song of the Summer. This one is considered the official song of the summer. I don't care for mainstream current music, but I must agree that this is the song of the summer: "Boo'd Up" by Ella Mai. I don't think I even first heard it until August. But what I really like is the live version.



That song makes me feel like love, and cotton candy, and all things summer.

And that is an ESPECIALLY great live version of the song.

I like Ella Mai. The EP that this song appears on is FANTASTIC. It's only 6 or 7 songs long, but it is a semi-concept album, meaning all the songs are linked together to form a story of sorts. I LOVED-ED it that.

I just love good R&B music, which means that I like OLD SCHOOL music, because I just can't listen to much of today's "R&B". It has no substance and leaves me feeling rather blaaaaaah... And I love live music.

And that gives me an excuse to post up a live version of my other favorite song. "Poetic Justice" by Kendrick Lamar.



Man, listen... I could listen to those two live versions ALL day long. ALL DAY.

Quote of the Summer. This summer, I crunk my "Morning Pages" back up. Shout out to Big Mitch for helping with my morning pages!

 Dude gets a bit of ink on his ears. He doesn't mind.
If you've never heard of Morning Pages, they are early morning journal entries. The catch is that they are three pages of journaling, not just a thought or two. So when I write that much long hand, I am SERIOUSLY unpacking my mind. I'm getting all the junk and goo off of my mind, so I can start off a fresh as possible for the day. It's especially helpful when I'm a bit down or depressed or confused. I RARELY tell anyone what's going on me, because I simply think no one cares about that. And I am not saying it in a "woe is me" way, but I just don't bother anybody with any of my problems.

I just choose to write them out and figure it out on paper. This is spiritually helpful in that it shapes my prayer life up very well... Prayer is laser-sharp and focused, I must tell you. Wow.

When I write that much, a good bit of it is mundane. I write about my finances, what bills I need to pay and savings goals and the like. I will write about what I ate that day (did most of my diet consists of raw fruits, raw veggies and water?).


But, I find that there are times that I am writing out of my spirit. In other words, there are moments of Where did THAT come from???

So my quote of the summer is one that I wrote somewhere around page 180 (I number all of my pages. I may have over a thousand handwritten pages. Now that's a LOT of unpacking of the mind. LAWD).

I don't have the quote with me right here and write now, where I can quote it word for word. But it has been on my mind every single day.

"Today is the last day of my life thus far, and today is also the first day of the rest of my life. So I must take time to learn from the successes and failures of my past, enjoy the sweetness and beauty of the present day, and be sure to have hope and faith for the future."

Something like that. I think I must have expanded on it and unpacked it for a couple of days. Heck, I am STILL thinking about it. I figure if I keep chewing on it like one chews on a chicken bone, then I will get more and more out of it.

But it first came up because one day, people were getting on my nerves and trying to get me caught up in petty mess. Someone got out of pocket, and I had to go off on them. This happened a couple of times (and this is NOT good when it goes on at work. NO). And I was thinking... would I be fooling with you and your craziness if I this was the last day of my life? Yes, it sounds a bit morbid, but think about it. If you knew that this was the last 24 hours of your life, would you be concerned about important things or some foolishness? Hmm.

Likewise, today is the first day of the rest of my life. We've all heard that phrase before. That means to me that I should leave all the cares and worries of yesterday behind. Today signals the chance to get it right, to just be better and to do better. And I should always strive to be positive concerning my future. I, like everyone else, tend to worry about the unknown, and where I will be and what I will be doing in the future. I need to smear my thoughts of the unknowns of the future with hope and faith.

I like that thought that was scribbled and scratched out in the early morning hours of my day. Surely it's something that leaked out of my spirit. I am happy for that.

And I'm happy for my morning pages.
And I'm happy that these hot summer days are coming to an end.
And I'm happy for a great weekend.


And I will make it a great one... on purpose.

You do the same!

Friday Freestyles

Man, listen....

I'ma need ya'll to pray for our president.

Or at least put Pa-Pa, i.e, our president, in the back room when he starts talking crazy.

And he was behind closed doors when he said the crazy deranged stuff he said about Haiti and Africa being shithole countries.

You have to give folks a pass who don't know that Africa is a CONTINENT, a collection of over 50 countries. Ignorance is a real thing, ya'll.

But why are you surprised? You know this man don't like black and brown people. You really know it now that he desires some Norwegian immigrants.

Let's throw the Quote of the Week in here super early:

"When people show you who they are, believe them."

I know what he is. And I believe him. And I will just ignore him.

Too bad his decisions affect public policy and our lives... for years and years to come.

Sigh.

And with that said, I will go on living. And depending on God to take care of me. That's the nitty gritty of what it comes down to.

This is little stuff. Ya'll better hope we don't get caught up in a nuclear war because he can't keep himself calm.

We all know that "MAGA" stuff ain't gonna work.

LadyLee ain't picking cotton or tending babies. Nope. No slave stuff going on. And I am rather mild mannered. I wish they would try to get negroes to participate in some foolishness. That will not work out! By force or otherwise.

Humph.

Knowledge is power. This reminds me to learned, and don't walk around saying ignorant ish. 

With that said, I am ready for the weekend!

And today is PAYDAY!

I think I will get to see my little nephew this weekend. He's just shy of 5 months old.

And he is a SNAZZY fella, too. I wish I had a quilted outfit like that. Especially since it's going to be COLD this weekend in the ATL!

We have enjoyed temperatures in the 50s and 60s this week. And who would've thought that I would've been happy to see that. But with those "warm" temperatures came a TON of rain.

This weekend, it's going to be cold, in the 20s and 30s, I believe. I can't say I care for that!

But that is fine. The first green leaf will sprout on the tree soon enough.

Show of the week. Have ya'll been watching the new show 911 on FOX??

MAN!!!

It is a new police/fireman procedural on FOX.

Wow. It blows me away. The writing is just, wow!

Tell me something... How do you get Angela Bassett...

... and Aisha Hinds...

IN THE SAME SHOW!!!!!?!?!?!?!?

WHOA.

That was the main reason I tuned in. Those are two EXCEPTIONAL actresses.

Plus me and Aisha have the same haircut. That makes her my automatic favorite.

Angela Bassett is a bad azz in this show.  A COMPLICATED bad azz. Her performance is up there with her Tina character in What's Love Got to Do with it. 

My favorite performance of her's is the head voodoo priestess in American Horror Story: Coven. There were a couple of times when I just stood up and clapped after some of her key parts. This performance is on par with that one. 

That show is so good, with so many twist and turns, that it had me jumping UP out of the bed and yelling fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugggggg!!!

I think I stopped breathing a couple of times!

It was so good that I have to go back and watch the two episodes that have aired. I know I missed something. It was that good.

I highly recommend you check it out.

The Weekend. So it's a 3 day weekend. Happy MLK day in advance.

I am decluttering. STILL. The goal this weekend is to get rid of a couple of trash bags of stuff, whether it be clothes, books or trash. Whatever. Get it out of there!

And I have things to do. My coworker's wife is having a baby, so I am going to work on the baby blanket, or at least get started on it. I sent some pictures of blankets I have over the blog to her. She chose a yellow and white granny smith baby blanket. I sent some samples home with my male coworker and she made some choices.

I like the ruffle borders for a girl, but she wants that straight border. Straight border it is!

Salads. Here's a random picture of some of my salads for today and the weekend.

I thought I would eat all that today. I guess I am just hungry in the morning. I got through half of that veggie one today. I will eat the rest tonight. I will deal with the other one tomorrow... hopefully. I want some hot wings, but I will try to be good. I will try.

Song of the week. This one right here goes out to my beloved president since he think Africa is a shitthole.

"Nights over Egypt" by the Jones Girls.



Sometimes we have to see some positive images of Africa instead of the malnourished babies with bloated bellies. Yes that exists. But you know Africa is a great place when it's been raped and pillaged for it's resources.  Not such a shithole when we trying to get those diamonds and oil, huh....

That's it for me. I will leave you with that little bootleg Food-for-Thought.

Have a great weekend!

On purpose!

Friday Freestyles

So it is Friday.

This has been a LONG week. I think this is because I have not set a foot up into the workplace. Oh yes, I drove past the exit, and looked over in that direction while I sat in traffic, on my way home from the IKEA, but that's about it.

Now when I look over that way while driving down the freeway, I see a new building that leaves me mesmerized for some reason.  I think because it's all glass.

Now, I've worked in downtown area for some 16 years and I have seen many, at least 20, skyscrapers go up. It is amazing to see something go up from scratch. I'm talking from where they dig down deep and have to remove tons and tons of Georgia red clay before they even start building.

And that was the case with this building. While walking to my own work building, I would take pictures of it. I'd never seen an all glass building being built.

Turns out that's the world headquarters for NCR. I took a virtual tour on youtube. It is state of the art. There's a garden halfway up the building, extending out from the building. Let's just say I'm trying to find a way to get up in that building. I am sure somebody's mama or cousin work up in there. I want to see it in person.

Anyway... I did ALL my Christmas shopping today at the Dollar Tree and the Wal-Mart.  In 2.5 hours flat. You cannot beat that.

I have one more thing to get: a gift card for my sister. I have no idea what to buy her, but a Visa gift card never hurt nobody. After that, I am done!
 
Picture of the Week. Justin and Me!

He will be over this weekend. This means I probably won't get much sleep. He needs MUCH entertaining. He wants me to stand him up and bounce him repeatedly... hold him up while he walks across the floor. I don't remember babies doing all this at 4 months old.

Can you believe he's 4 months old??? Go Justin!

Song of the Week. A BUNCH of music came out this month. I not particularly interested in much of  it. So I guess what I see people hollering about in the twitter streets should be song(s) of the week. The new Cardi B song and the new Migos cut are good. I suppose they can serve as songs of the week.

But no... two videos from the TDE crew came out in the last couple of days.

"Love" by Kendrick Lamar.



He makes some great videos as of late. He definitely has a big budget.

"The Weekend" by SZA



Now, this is my favorite R&B song of the year. But the video SUCKS. Obviously TDE video budgets go to Kendrick Lamar. But knowing how SZA operates, she came up with this video by itself. It is an official thot/side-chick song. She could've done SO much more with that video. Sigh.

But that song is everything. SZA is an amazing writer, and her melodies are awesome.

That makes up for the confusing video. It is different, but I was expecting something different.

Both of them are up for Grammys, though. Go Top Dawg crew!!! That's such a strong talented camp!

That is it for me...

We have only one more good week in the year of 2017! If you haven't met your goals, you still got time!

You still got time...  Close to 200 hours or thereabouts.

Make it happen. On purpose!!

Friday... The Crazy Week Edition!

Friday!

And hasn't this been a CRAZY week!?!? Pure drama all over the TV screens!

Man listen... I was driving down the freeway when they announced that. My jaw hit the steering wheel! Lawd!

Do you not realize that Matt Lauer was the most powerful person at NBC, making over $25 million dollars a year?

That was the most shocking thing EVER. I think because I wasn't expecting that AT ALL.

This my thing that was CREEPY as all get out: This guy had a button under his desk to lock his office door. How creepy is THAT! Did you read the Variety and New York Times articles about this. Squeaky clean Matt was off the CHAIN. Wow. 

Now listen... this shocked me, but it didn't shock me. But it's going down, ain't it?

Dude was talking all that crap about Hillary, around here screaming "LOCK HER UP!"

NO Buddy, lock YOU up!

How embarrassing.

So I heard (and maybe I am wrong), that Trump and crew were not going to kick in on dude's legal bills.

They must not be from the hood. That's a good way to get a person to flip and drop a dime on you. Drop several dimes. Really,tho. 

This is my thing. They can do what they want to do, because with each passing day, it all gets shadier and shadier.

And  I miss the stability of President Obama more and more. 

This is my thing, though... With all this "making America great again" tomfoolery, I'm fine, because.

LadyLee will not be picking cotton.
Ladylee will not be nobody's maid.
Ladylee is not learning the Russian language. 
Ladylee is not hoisting the Russian flag.

Some  of these white folks trying to live some Color Purple dreams. We are not going back to those days. No ma'am. No sir. Ya'll better be glad that somebody in the justice department is keeping us from being annexed by Russia.

Now if we can keep all this under control, and keep out of a nuclear war, then I am GOOD!

Carry on.

And here's a  video for your weekend. It is funny, but sad and true.



Lock them ALL up! Even if the charge is stressing everybody out and emotionally draining ME!!

Humph.

I am ready for the weekend! Hope you are too! Make it a good one!

Friday Freestyles

Friday!

And it is PAY DAY!

And as usual on payday, the blinds of my mind are at half staff. Pretty much closed, really.

And I am thinking of the upcoming thanksgiving holidays! I have a 5 DAY weekend!

Wow!

Oh the things I will get done. Or better yet, the DREAMS of the things I will get done.

And it is alright to dream.

I know one thing we will get done: gumbo.

I asked my sister what she wanted for Thanksgiving since she and I will be spending that time together. She thought about it and she requested the gumbo. I sent her the recipe that I posted on this blog years ago ("The Original Oldgirl's Gumbo Recipe").. (And until this day, that is my most popular blog post searched in google).

She didn't want to make it herself, though.  But she wants me to watch her make it.

*crickets*

Wow. And I guess I will do this while holding the baby.

"Okay, Kay.. Keep stirring that roux until it turns the color of a penny. Okay, Justin is crying right now. Let me take over while you breastfeed him.When you finish, come back and give him to me. And finish this roux."

Yeah. That's how that's going to go.

We can make gumbo. And the best part of that is teaching my sister how to make it. Now, no, we are not from New Orleans, and the recipe was not passed down from some family matriarch. But I lived there and I had my share of good bowls of gumbo, and I know what I like! So I have a recipe that I've used over the past 15 years that leaves me satisfied. So yes, I will watch her make it.

But I wanted something for myself. And that is this right here.

Stuffed acorn squash.

I posted up the recipe a year or so go ("An Acorn Squash Tale").

That is quick and easy. I will basically throw the french doors of the refrigerator open wide and stuff the squash with whatever vegetables are there.

So that will be our Thanksgiving. And we will watch movies, movies, and more movies.

Song of the Week. So I went to lunch with a coworker. This is special because I don't go out to lunch with people. I may go no more than 5 times a year. And I save hanging out for lunch for people who have a good positive affect on me and my life. We went to a local korean street eatery and bakery, Sweet Hut, in midtown. They play an interesting mix of contemporary pop music. It was all music from the past couple of years, meaning that I didn't know any of it. I do NOT listen to current radio at all.

But then they messed around and played some old Michael Jackson.

Man, I had to do ALL I could not to bust out crying.

I told my coworker, "I'm going to go back to the lab and pull the Thriller album up on my Spotify!"

And I did. My favorite song on the album is "Lady in my Life".



Oh how I miss Michael Jackson! He had his problems, but the music from 30-40 years ago was AWESOME.

The last song by him that I like that I listen to often: "Heaven Can Wait".



That song is SO good.

That's off his final CD. Sigh.

He died in 2009. That is over 8 years ago. Wow.

Gone too soon. Music was his legacy. I am glad we still have that!

Well I am off to my weekend. And it will be a GREAT one, whether it is or I imagine and dream it to be!

LOL.

You have a great weekend, too. On purpose!!

Friday Freestyles

As always, this week has flown by like jet plane.

And I want to post, but I like a lot of pictures and visuals, and I can't get my pictures to transfer in a good time. I can get them to upload, but transferring them from my phone to my computer is a BEAST. I am not sure what that is about. I mean, it takes hours and hours. It's just odd.

Then there is that 5 or 10% of the time when everything happens immediately.  That's really odd.

So I think I will load up pictures/ideas on the weekends. It bothers me not to get some writing in any form done everyday. Sigh.

Anyway, just some stream-of-thought thinking. I have to solve those problems.

It is FRIDAY! And best of all, it is PAYDAY.

So as always, I will spend around 30 seconds imagining what it will be like to ball out of control with a whole check. Then I will roll back to reality and spend the next few minutes paying bills online. LOL

This has been a strange week, as I have only worked 3 days this week. On Halloween, I had to take off and take my grandmother in for her 6 month regular medical appointment. She hasn't been doing all that great lately, as my uncle took her to the emergency room the night before. But she was okay at the doctor's appointment, and she may have been suffering from some type of infection. She has some dehydration issues too. So there was much talk about that. But I got her to her appointment and back home without many issues.

And then on Thursday, I took off because I felt like crap. I sometimes have issues with my right sinus cavity and it was just terrible on Thursday morning. I spent most of the day in bed. I can remember the time I felt okay, when the pressure eased up some: 1:24 pm. I was feeling awful all morning, and I blew my nose at the time and it was as if flowers bloomed over my head. Thank goodness. I was impatient and full of anxiety all morning.

Picture of the Week. So I was folding clothes, and I pulled a piece of clothing from the dryer.

My nephew Justin's hoodie. How cool is that? It made me smile. Of course I have to rewash it in that ol' expensive baby Dreft detergent, but it was just funny to see a piece of his clothing mixed in with my own. For some reason, it meant much to me.

Song of the Week. So what I consider some good music came out this past week. Most notably, Mississippi rapper Big K.R.I.T. came out with a VERY good CD titled 4eva is a Mighty Long Time.

A very good ADULT CD. Free of trap. Thank goodness.

It is very mellow, very jazzy, and has its moments of conscious thought. So good to hear adult rap music for a change.

One of the songs I liked features Jill Scott. "Higher Calling"



That's such a good mellow love song. I liked-ed it.

That is it for me. I am looking forward to the weekend. I think Justin will be over. It's always good to see him, as he is growing and changing by the day. He was here this past weekend.

He weighs 7 pounds, 11 ounces now, and he is 10 weeks old now. How cool is that?

WAY cool.

Have a great weekend!

Friday Freestyles

Man... I have not posted ALL week.

I have wanted to. But I've been super busy. But it is rare for me NOT to post.

I am glad it is Friday. This has been an odd week in the ATL because there have been some cold days. This, of course has left me completely confused because I have to throw on a jacket in the mornings. I even noticed the leaves on the trees in my backyard turning colors.

So I guess summer is over and fall has officially arrived.

But today is a warm day, so I am wearing my capris for the last time this year.

Notorious J. My nephew had his official "birthday" last Sunday. He was born 9 weeks premature, and on last Sunday he turned 9 weeks old. He is a far cry from the high yellow tiny baby born then.

I think I took that picture some 15 minutes after his birth. And I was thinking "He sure is light-skinned-ed!"

My friend Dawn, a massage therapist, called my sister over for a massage. I think my sister needed it because she had been a little stressed about starting back to work that Monday.

But guess who also got a massage?

That Notorious J!

It  must've been a good massage because he sure did lift up that arm!

He even fell asleep on the table.

Hilarious!

That made my whole entire week!

He is getting big.  I know he has to be over 6 pounds. I use to be able to pick him up like I pick up a little potato chip bag but no more! He is heavy and solid. Still little, though.

But overall, my week has been a good one. Hard, but good.

Song of the Week.  So... North Carolina rapper Rapsody released a new CD last week titled Laila's Wisdom. I have been waiting for it because GOOD female rappers are few and far between. And one rapping something of substance is an anomaly.

But here's a song from Crown, the mixtape that came out before the CD.



How AWESOME and positive is that!

Loved-ed that.

And I loved the CD. I will talk more about it next week!.

That's it for me!

I am looking forward to a great weekend.  I need to get a haircut. And I am going to a book club meeting.

Fun fun fun!!