Two Tuesday Thoughts: The Cartoon Edition

Just two thoughts on a Tuesday...

1.  Boy oh boy.  This doggone daylight savings time got me all confused. I do not need a cup of coffee, though, as I have limited my coffee intake to one 8 ounce latte per week (if that). But this cartoon describes perfectly what I need, or better yet, what is required, to just get past losing an hour of sleep. Ugh.

2. I went to sleep around 10 pm last night, then woke up around 1:45 am. I was wide open awake, and did not go back to sleep until around 5:30 am.

So by the time I fell asleep, my phone alarm was sounding. I hate when that happens.

I think I'm just going to get up and work on some things when I wake up in the middle of the night. Like, crochet, or clean out some dresser drawers. Simple enough.

But the warmth of the bed feels so good.

And I just want to lay there and play on my phone.

This is not productive. It is not good.

A change is coming!

That's it for my TWO Tuesday thoughts! Glory!

Two Tuesday Ruffled Feathers Food-for-Thoughts

Bet you can't say that title real fast 3 times in a row.

(I know I couldn't).

Two Tuesday thoughts for you... things that have ruffled my feathers


1. Trash Day. I was so glad to be off yesterday. The problem with that is that my trash pick-up day is on Tuesdays.  Since this is my first day back to work after a long weekend, I thought today was Monday. Imagine my surprise when I was leaving for work and I heard the familiar whine of a garbage truck. I thought I would just skip a week, but I waved at them and they waited for me to pull my trash to the curb.

I don't generate much trash. I can get away with taking my trash to the curb every two weeks.

I have pulled my trash up to the curb and it wasn't picked up. That ruffled my feathers.

This has happened twice...

...in the 11.5 years I have resided in my home.

Therefore, I classify this, my forgetting to pull my trash to the curb on trash day or the garbage men forgetting my trash as...

High class problems.

These are problems that are not worth getting in a huff over. There are people out here who don't have jobs and don't know where there next meal is coming from. There are people who are homeless and living under a bridge.

2. Time to Pray. I have probably mentioned this before, but I bristle a bit when people ask me to pray for them. Why? Because it feels all rushed. And my question is always...

Haven't you been praying for yourself?

I don't say that out loud, but the question blows through my mind like a strong gust of wind. And I would never say that to them. But I look at a person's life and I think... gee, your life looks perfect. All this great stuff going on and this temporary thing is getting you down? Do you see all the great things that God is doing in your life? Does it even matter to you?

And I have to check myself because I am being judgmental, if only for a moment. I go on and pray for folks. But you know what the answer to these prayers have been as of late?

There's a LOT going on with people that you just don't know about.

A LOT.

Folks don't tell it all. I don't ask questions.  The italicized statement alone says much. Sometimes you just gotta keep things to yourself.

Let's face it. We only tell half the story. I know this to be true because I do when I am going through something dire or heart-wrenching. Nothing wrong with that. This is why you should be praying for yourself. You are the establishing witness.. Everybody's prayers are added to yours, so your prayer better be biblical and in the right direction.

I don't know if that makes sense. But it has changed my prayer life for people... and for myself.

Some of us don't know the root of some of our issues. I don't know the root of some of mine. And that changes things. I spend a WHOLE lot of time with that, just trying to understand the "why" behind what is going on.

My feathers don't get all ruffled now. I eagerly pray for a good outcome. And I pray from a positive attitude.

Those are my 2 Tuesday Thoughts.

My feathers are smoothing down. And it must mean that I am maturing. And that's a great thing.

Ten, no, TWELVE Tuesday Thoughts

12 Tuesday thoughts.

Actually this is a combo of a "thoughts" from last week and a "thoughts" for today.  Might as well post them!



1.  My meds don't kick in until 1:30-2:00 pm.  Until then I am dragging, and that in itself is a drag.

2.  I find myself not wanting to eat during the day. I have been packing some fruit  -bananas, apples, or oranges, easy stuff like that. Not sure what that's about. It is a drag, though.

3. My cubicle mate made the best soup/stew last week, and she brought me some  (this is last week).  I added some croutons from the spot across the street from the job.

4. I must say, I had no idea what I was eating. I know it was chicken and tomatoes and something green. She said it was spinach. I hate cooked spinach, but doggonnit, it worked out GREAT here.

5. Paperwork is super slow right now for some reason. I feel like I'm digging a ditch with a toothpick. And this is alright, because as long as the ditch gets dug, well... that's all that matters.

6. I actually took a day off yesterday. Glory! But it was only because I had a late morning medical appointment. I would usually just go on in to work, but that's a no go these days. It would only wear me out.

7. I have an appointment for a haircut today. The problem is that my Barber is not an easy mile away now. He's about 2 miles away. In a bad area. We will see how it goes down over there today.

8. He is near the King Center, though. And my sister said, after walking through there a few years ago with  her class, that there was a fish house over there that sold fried fish and... wait for it... hair weave.

What a combo.  I'm going to look for it so I can take a picture. Get your fried fish and your hair weave right here!


9.  My doctor gave me a veiled tongue lashing about working too much. It has affected  my health, which I knew. All I could say was that I understand,  I am sorry, and I will do better. Period. And that is the truth.

10. She offered to write a letter to cut my hours. Trust me, it was tempting.  But I refuse to make my life hard. Folks not in great health get treated  horribly at work. I'm  just saying.

11. It is Tuesday, and I am already looking forward  to the weekend.

12. I can't deal with these cold temperatures in the ATL. Why is it 40 degrees in April??

Twelve Tuesday Thoughts

Here we go with the Tenn Tuesday Thoughts!

1. I was out of town last week for training. I bet you didn't even know, did you?

2. On January 10th, I did all of my posts for the week. This is why they were so short and random.

3. LadyTee spent the night before taking me to the airport on January 11th. That was fun. It felt like we were 10 years old.

4. She looked at me crazy when I said I was going to sleep upstairs.

"You gonna leave me upstairs?" she asked.
"Yep," I said.
I have a king sized bed downstairs and it didn't bother me to sleep down there with her. I just know if I sleep upstairs, I am more apt to get up at the time that I want to get up. I don't know what that's about. But I wanted to be sure that I wasn't running hard for my airplane.

5. I flew to San Francisco for a 3 day training course. That meant traveling all day Monday and all day Friday.  I had layovers each way. Those were some LONG flights. Wow!

6. I had a layover in Las Vegas. Why the heck do they have slot machines AT the airport, right as we get off the plane?

What the world??

I didn't play. I don't do slot machines. I like poker. So if there was a  card table when I got off  the plane... let's just say that would've have been a great 1.5 hour layover.

7.  They even have the police in San Francisco!!

I  saw this caw while I was waiting for the rental car shuttle. I made sure to sit on the bench and be extra quiet.  I held my luggage tightly, and I was on my best behavior. There is no way I wanted any mess with the police so far from home.  No way. No sir.

8. I was glad to get to my hotel. I'd arrived at the ATL airport at 9:00 am eastern time, and made it all the way to my hotel by 9:00 pm Pacific time. I was tired, but it was one of the few times while traveling that I had good stamina. I was glad of that. I slept pretty good, too.

9. I rented a Prius. I went back and told the people that the car didn't work. They said just put it in drive and it would go. And it did. Just strange that a car switches over to whisper queit electric when it is in park or at a stop. That was unnerving but I got over it in a few days.

I like bigger cars now.  But this car was nice and zippy, just like my Protege Pam.

10. I am always happy to go to airports that are smaller than Atlanta's airport, as it isn't such a huge undertaking to get to the terminals and gates!

11. On the way back to Atlanta, I had a layover in Los Angeles. I just KNEW I was gonna see some movie stars! But I realized quickly that I would not, for I was flying Southwest Airlines. Ain't no way anyone with some real money gonna fly that airline. I felt like we were treated like cattle. I want the flights back on Delta, where I can pick my seat instead of first come, first serve. I don't care to sit in middle seats AT ALL. 

12.  I had a great time in San Francisco.  But this mini- jet lag issue I have right now... ugh.  It is most definitely for the birds, honey.

Really tho.

That's it for Twelve Tuesday Thoughts.

More interesting posts about my week in San Fran to come :)

TWENTY Tuesday Thoughts... The After Dark Edition

I wasn't going to post today, but I thought I should. Why?

Because it is the last Tuesday of the year.

So why not have a Ten, no TWENTY Tuesday Thoughts?

And since the nighttime is the right time, this is The after dark edition.

1. This year has gone by in a flash, seems like. Maybe it's just me. Or maybe that means I need to watch and utilize my time better. I don't know.

2. I have been sickly all day. Way left of center sickly.

3. I had to go to work today even though I am off. I had to finish up a travel authorization with my secretary. We had a bad account number or something, I don't know.  It was the last thing I needed to do before it went up for approval.

4. Didn't she know I was just kidding when I said last week (all bright and cheery), "B, feel free to call me when I'm off if you need me to come in and finish up this up next week." ?

She nodded and added my number to her list of contacts in her cell phone.

Again, didn't she know I was just kidding?

5. The phone chirped and I was in bed. It was around 8:15 am, and I'd just made a MAD dash to get all the trash out of the house to the herbie curbie and out to the road for pick-up. I'm talking MAD dash. I wore myself out so bad and so fast that I had to go lay down... under the covers... and doze off.

6. One of the sanitation workers is interesting. First of all, she's a woman. She is part of a two man crew lately. She drives the garbage truck AND jumps out and empties the trash. Here's the kicker: she is wearing make-up like she is about to go to the club (or to church), and she wears false eyelashes. And it's not that cheap makeup either. That has to be some MAC or something similar. It looks like she gets her face professionally done every morning before work, lol.

It's as if she is saying "I dump trash, but I can still look like a lady."

She's very nice. She does her job with cheer.

The way she jumps out of that truck, though. I would break my neck with such acrobatic moves.

7. It all reminded me of how I am SUCH a tomboy. Ugh. *looking for my cheap wal-mart lipstick*

8. So back to me going in to work on my off day: the phone chirped (like a bird... it unnerves people something awful, lol).  I saw the message and hollered Say Whuuuuuuuuuutttt?????

9. I am proud of myself, though. I refused to have a major attitude. I got up, showered, got dressed and off to work I went. The traffic was nice and light and I made it to work in about 12 minutes.

10.  I thought I would be there only 15-20 minutes. But I was there for an hour and a half. Sigh. My director was trying to get his travel done, too, and he refuses to travel in peasant mode (like me). I can't get mad, because he is in charge, so...  *ladylee sits quietly at desk and plays on computer*

 It was awfully quiet. And I got a chance to see a couple of my favorite people.

11. I started feeling bad. I had, like, some odd sinus headache. And the right side of my body was hurting.

12. You know what I forgot to do today? Take my medication. Sigh. That was why I was not feeling well. I had laid it out, but walked out of thee house without taking it. I figured it out once I went looking for some aspirin for my headache. Lo and behold, there were my pills. All laid out. I took them IMMEDIATELY around 5 pm. I didn't start feeling better until around 10:00 pm.

13. I went to the Farmers Market today. It was crowded. Not Saturday-morning crowded, but moreso, Sunday-afternoon quiet.

14. A couple of the youngsters on the job got promotions. One wanted a bag of my chocolate chip pecan cookies. Easy enough. I baked those up last week. The other wanted red velvet cupcakes from the ATL Cupcake Factory. I bought the cupcakes today. And I am still trying to figure out why there was SO much traffic in the middle of the day in Poncey Highlands. I had to fight to get those cupcakes!

15. I even managed to go wash my car today. Lucy Jr. looks brand spanking new.

Thank goodness, because she was absolutely filthy! I never seent so much dirt!!

16. I made appointments for the cats for their annual exams. The only real reason I did that is because I may need to board them. It is going to cost me some $600 for all shots and boarding for a week. O_O.

17. The youngsters at work offered to look in on the cats while I am gone. I may have to take them up on that. That would save me a little cash.

18. What I watched on TV tonight: The last two episodes of Orange is the New Black.  This season was not as good as the last two seasons.

19. What I ate today: nothing, really, because I felt like crap. I managed to have some juice I had from the juice bar. And I had a cup of coffee at work, because I thought I was sleepy. And I have been drinking a ton of water. I had some pimento cheese on a few crackers an hour ago. I may have an apple before bed. I don't know.

20. Who would've thought that this would have turned into some bizarre semi-fast day? Go figure.

That's it for my TWENTY Tuesday thoughts... The After Dark edition.

Stay tuned for plenty more posts before the New Year (I hope).

TWO Tuesday Thoughts... The Thanksgiving Edition

Here's an easy one:

TWO Tuesday Thoughts.

Around this time, I look back at my year, and I think about the turning points and changes. There are areas in my life where I have stayed the same, and I regret that. Those are the rusty dusty areas that I need to work through, and that will happen. But there have and have always been some good things, some great blessings.

And here are two great things for which I am thankful

1. I received a promotion this year.  I am still a bit surprised by this. I'd stop applying for promotions on the job years ago, as there was too much drama going on. So I applied for this job last year, and lo and behold, I got it. Not only did I get a promotion, but I got a new, more private cubicle, and a great boss. It all worked out well.

There are the ups and downs. I am "Dr. LadyLee" for real now. There is not much routine now, and I have to critically think more about what I'm doing and what I want to do, which has been a strain at times. (The biggest reason I say that is because my passion and purpose is NOT my profession of chemistry. It is writing). And it gets a bit rough dealing with a group full of PhDs. We do have our egos, and I have had to learn to work through that, because you know how laid back I am. I don't care for the pissing contests, etc. And I have to make sure that I don't get caught up in that. I make sure to examine my own ego and attitude, and keep it in balanced.

Every day has the potential to be a good day, and at the end of the day, I spend time thinking about what I have learned and how I have increased during that day. I must say that there have been NO days where I have learned nothing of interest. I have increased in knowledge daily. And there have been more days where I have been helpful in the lab and to my group in general.

Now THAT makes me happy. I am thankful for that.

2. I spent the summer with my sister.  That was TOTALLY unexpected. I was dealing with just being all emotional over her leaving for the UAE as it was. I think she told me she was officially hired sometime back in late spring, so that gave me time to get past it. She moved in with me after her lease expired on July 1st. We thought she would be leaving around August 1st, but she left on October 1st. So I got 3 WHOLE MONTHS with my sister. That was so unexpected. And I am thankful for that. I pray about it often. When I am down, I think about how God cared so much for me and knew that I needed that time with her.
 
And it made me examine some of the things going on in my life, and some of the answered prayers. I get answers to prayers that I haven't even figured out how to fully verbalize.  I have a much deeper appreciation of the depth and breadth of the answers these days. For some reason, my time with my sister helped me understand that a little better, if that makes any sense.

I still have to fight back the urge to holler upstairs to her, though.

"Kay, you hungry? I'm cooking something if you hungry."

She's not there. She's on the other side of the world. 

My eyes get wet over it from time to time, but there is no full out crying. I just take a time to be still and calm down, and give thanks for all the time I had with her this summer.  It was so unexpected. Granted, my utility bills went up, and as I paid my bills, I remember how I would say a prayer of thanksgiving for just having the money to pay bills, and to be able to afford to help my sister the best I could. It was all worth spending that time with her.

That's it for my 2 Tuesday Thoughts, my thanksgiving edition!

Ten Tuesday Thoughts

Here we go again! 10 random thoughts on a Tuesday.

1. Today was a decent day. It went by super fast, and that is how I like it.

2. I usually get to work at 10:00 am. And this means light traffic.

3. I had a meeting at 9:00 am, so I had to leave early. I am always a bit perplexed by why there is SO much traffic. And then I realize, oh my... it is because it is 8:30 am in the morning. Sigh.

4. That makes for a 25 minute drive to work versus a 12 minute drive for work.

5. I shouldn't complain. One of my supervisors makes a two to three hour round trip commute daily.

6. You have to live that far out if you have children, because you want your children to be in good schools.  And let's just say that Atlanta public schools are, well, they leave something to be desired, and I suppose they are working on it.

7. The meeting was O_o. Just when I think I have a grasp of what's going on, I don't. I knew I wasn't alone when one of my coworkers sitting next to me said, "I don't know what's going on."  The coworker on the other side of me likes to pop me on my shoulder and laugh. Let's just say that we were all lost. I spent the day thinking about the meeting. I talked to another coworker.  Let's just say... lost is a normal feeling.

8. You have to live that far out if you have children, because you want your children to be in good schools.  And let's just say that Atlanta public schools are, well, they leave something to be desired, and I suppose they are working on it.

9. I talked to my sister for an hour tonight. She was up and getting ready for work. I told her to call me whenever she is in the tub. So funny to hear her talking and all that water sloshing around.

10. I missed her last 2 calls. She called at 4:00 am my time, which is 8:00 pm her time. I was out like a light. I hate missing her calls.

That's it for Tuesday's Ten thoughts. I am going to bed!

Ten Tuesday Thoughts

It's that time again. Thought time!

1.It is downright NASTY outside. It's dark, rainy, and just on the edge of being considered cold outside. Not a good combination.

2. There was a bad wreck on the main street leading out of my neighborhood. Hence, I was 10 minutes late for work.

3. This wouldn't be a big deal if I didn't have a group meeting at 9:00 am. So I arrived at 9:10 am. I didn't miss much of the meeting, and I actually took a full page of notes.

4. I won't lie, though. I'd rather be lay up in the bed all day long when it's all nasty outside. This here is some great sleeping and reading weather.

5. I baked a batch of cookies for a couple of people. There was one birthday and one congrats for a promotion. Here are the birthday cookies.

6. I get so much JOY out of drawing on a bag. What is that about.

7. So I made some cookies for someone last week for their birthday. This person went around showing everyone the bag, when I distinctly said not to, because folks will beg for your stuff, you know. But she went around showing everyone. She was SO happy about them. We figured that folks don't do that much for her. Something like that. And I don't consider us friends, so I guess that means much when someone gives you something.

8. Sharbucks is fully stocked today!

People love junk food. Junk food is cheap. Oh well.

I do buy a bag of apples for our hospitality table up front every once in a while. But people love some junk.

9. I didn't bring lunch today. It was all I could do get out and get to work early. And I may not go get anything since it is raining. I may just sit here and eat the apple and orange I have here in my cabinet.

10. I have had a long day in the lab. I love it when the time flies by like this! That means it's time to go home.

That's it for today. I have been back and forth between my desk and the lab fooling with this post.

Finally done!

TWELVE Tuesday Thoughts

Ten, no...

TWELVE Tuesday Thoughts always come with a little trepidation, but I think I can get through it.

1. It has been COLD the last couple of days in the ATL. Brrrrrr....

2. I didn't want to turn on the furnace, but I turned it on to 65 degrees. And believe you me, it was on. That is just how cold it  was.

3. It's so cold at night that Sister Callie Jo has been sleeping on my bed. Last night she caught the heel of my foot right up against her head. She needs to be like Mitch and sleep on the other side of the bed at the bottom. Or under the bed, for that matter. Otherwise, I don't even know where she usually sleeps. Heck, I don't even think Mitch knows.

4. I woke up at 3:33 am this morning and couldn't go back to sleep.

5. I make sure to be cognizant of what's on my mind at that time. And I pray about it. My pastor says have a mini church service when you wake up in the middle of the night. Don't just lay there. So I had a mini prayer service, lol.

6.  There has been a hard tinge in my back for the past couple of days. I don't know if that was related to my fall in the shower last week. It was worse than the hamstring issue I'm having. When I sneeze, it hurts like crazy. Interestingly enough, when I woke up in the middle of the night, it was gone. GLORY. I guess that was a mini-church service and a healing service. GLORY again!

7. So I am walking much better now after my fall in the shower. The hamstring is getting better with each passing day. I only have slight problem getting in and out of the car. Just a little bit slower than usual, and I better do it right or you will hear me yell loudly.

8. I was brave enough to walk out for lunch today. I walked to a place some 5 minutes away from our building. There is a small hill also, and I wanted to know how I did on that. I am walking slower than normal, but it's not the zombie or zombie-trying-to-appear-human walk. But people were passing me by on the sidewalk, and I had sad thoughts of  "I wish I could walk that fast..."

Hmm...  These situations always make me think about the things I take for granted.

9. We had a group meeting, just like we do most Tuesday morning. I'm the only woman in my work group. Let me tell you something: I'm about to drown in the sea of testosterone. I know my boss has to be thinking "Man, she looks like she is zoning out."  I am the Queen of sitting in a meeting and letting my mind take me somewhere else far far away.  But the amount of testosterone in the room was a bit.... overwhelming. I need to make of this and find a better way to cope with it.

For this Oldgirl is not interesting in pissing contests. No ma'am. No sir.

10. Highlight of my day #1 - I made chocolate chip pecan cookies for someone's birthday this morning. I place them in a nice brown paper bag, and I draw their name in graffiti. I draw lots of smiley faces on it, too.

I love to get up in the cool of the morning and bake. And then give the baked goods away.

For some reason, this is therapeutic for me. And that's a good thing.

11. Highlight of my day #2 - I was just informed that I am in the acknowledgments of one of my favorite author's new book. GLORY!

12. Quote of the Day.  And I should save this for it's own post, but I will let you chew on it.

Sight is a function of the eyes.

 Vision is a function of the heart. 

Indeed.

I don't know where I heard that at. I was listening to someone or something while I was writing in my journal, and they said that. I scribbled it frantically in the margins. It is short, but true.

That's it for TWELVE  Tuesday thoughts. Enjoy your day!

Ten Tuesday Thougts

Now...

How on earth did YOU let me go a whole week without posting anything?

I blame YOU.

LOL. No I don't. I have been busy. I had to write some reports that were due this very moment. I am done with that and I am idle!

(Only for a few moments, though. Back to the lab!)

Not before I kick my 10 Tuesday thoughts, though.

1. It is a dreary day in the ATL. And it's not hot. Good for me. And good for my light bill.

2. My sister is still here. She's still waiting on that work visa. There are some islamic holidays right now, so forget about it. I know she's ready to go, but I like having her here. And my prayer has been God don't let her go until it is time for her to go. Amen. 

3. My work group has a standing 9:00 am meeting every Tuesday. There's nothing worse than rushing to work for a meeting and the meeting is canceled. I always initially think Dang, I could've stayed in bed a little longer. But the good side of this is that I get to leave at 5 pm today. I hate traffic, but I live only 4.6 miles from my job so an extra 5 minutes spent in traffic is cool.

4. I was moving so fast this morning that I neglected to bring lunch. Sigh. So I need to walk to get something. This would be great if it wasn't a nasty icky rainy day outside. This limits my choices. Can't walk too far!

5. I mailed out the 10th bloggaversary sweepstakes prizes to the winners last week. If you haven't gotten your gift cards, you better say something! Say something if you have, also. I've only heard from 2 people. So the other 3 better say something! I have the tracking info... guess I better sit down and plug all the tracking info in.

6. I hate admitting it, but I don't like when I call about my mortgage or credit card and I'm clearly speaking to someone who is in India. I hate not understanding what they are saying. I wish I could talk to someone who spoke clear english with no accent. Better yet, I wish so many jobs weren't outsourced.

7. My boss was telling me how he ate butter sandwiches as a child and how good they were. Sir, they may have been good, but that meant you were poor as hell.

8. He said they sprinkled seasoning salt on the sandwiches. I said you were still poor... with a little flair.

9. I tell myself often that I live in astonishing abundance. Astonishing.

10. I saw a documentary the other day that made me think this is true. It was a documentary about how the media shapes how we think about everything. They literally shape our perspectives on a subliminal level.  If you don't think this is true, sit down with a refugee who has had to grab up their family and run for their lives with nothing but the clothes on their back.

Sit down with them and tell them your money problems, personal problems,etc...

And you're realize just how silly you sound and how rich you are... 

I live in a nice house. And I can control the temperature of that house. I can store food at the temperature I like. I can pick the clothes I want to wear every day. I can wash my clothes and dry them in machines. I have a phone in my house. I can choose which car I want to drive.

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

I read in a book last year that someone in a third world country can't tell the difference between you and Bill Gates.

Hmmm.... take a moment and let that one marinate.

Leaving you with a little food for thought, eh?


With that said, have a great Tuesday... an astonishingly great Tuesday.

TWENTY-TWO Tuesday Thoughts... on Journalling.

 Oh my...

22 Tuesday Thoughts??

Yes.

10 wasn't enough, and I kept going.  And going.  And going.

Until I got to 22.  And it's cool that it worked out that way, especially since it's such a limited topic. But I've gone back and read my journal entries over the last couple of months and the trends have generated many a thought. Might as well write it all down, right? 

So here we go. Warning: it's a lot.


1. My ultimate goal: Do my "morning pages" every day for a year.

2. I have been working on this since December 24th, 2014. I am up to around page 450. If I did this right, I would have some six to seven hundred pages right now.

3. I should be doing three pages a day. But after spring forward, i.e., turning the clock forward one hour in the spring, that stopped. I couldn't wake up early enough, and I haven't really recovered. My average journal entry is 2 full college ruled pages a day. I find that three pages is best. I am more apt to be honest with myself. There is  more revelation, too.

4. I tell you one thing I know for sure: I am thoroughly aware beyond a shadow of a doubt what goes on just beneath my emotional skin. That's good, but it's also very painful. But I am thankful that I can put a proverbial mirror up to face and right about it.

5. I am way too much aware of my bad habits. It's like a thin thread, a dark theme that weaves throughout the full 450 pages.

6. I am very good at encouraging myself.

7. There are several instances of things I am concerned about or wonder about in the very back recesses of my mind, and I notice that those things get answered or cleared up, usually within a very short period of time.

8. Favorite verse that I write about (to encourage myself, no less): Psalms 138:8 God perfects those things that concern me. That means calm down, God got this. What's crazy interesting is that He takes care of stuff that concerns me that I don't even know concern me. That's a hard sentence to understand, but let it marinate for a few days. You'll get it.

9. I get depressed during my PMS time. And I spend time writing about being depressed and not knowing why. Then suddenly, Aunt Flo knocks at the door and barrels through with her suitcase. All of a sudden, it's like a dark cloud being lifted from around my head. And I can see the marvelous sun, lol. But it's quite interesting to go back and read and see the trends and how dark my writing will get. It had me all O_o.

10. I spend more time journalling than I care to about work-related concerns. There are good-sized paragraphs on what kind of technical instrument maintenance I need to do, and what paper I need to read, etc. I don't like that, as it feels like a waste of paper. But since it's on my mind, it's good to write about it. What is fascinating is how much I write the words I can't wait to get to work today.

11. My journaling time habit: from around 7:00 am to 8:00 am. I'm usually laying across the bed writing. I spend about 20% of the time trying to do the right thing and journal at my dining room table.

12. If I'm too sleepy, I misspell words and my handwriting looks like that of a serial killer. It tends to look the worse kind of chicken scratch.  So I make sure to get up and walk around or splash some water on my face if that's happening.

13. Mitch is fascinated with my ink pen and he likes to place his backside on my paper. It is quite disturbing.

14. I am rarely angry about anything. I think that got squashed once I heard the quote Anger is an expression of fear. My pastor said if you're angry, spend time on the root,  i.e., the fear. As a result, I spend much time with the question Why am I afraid?

15. I find  that I get highly "annoyed".

16. What's so interesting about being annoyed is that I spend time thinking and writing about my part in the annoyance and solutions to the dissipation of it. And that's a good thing.

17. I find that I keep a great record of all the goodness in my life.  A TON of folks pass through my life and bless me. I can hardly keep up, but it is good to record it all. I didn't realize how much my cup runneth over until I started writing about it. I tell you one thing: it's like throwing a huge bucket of water on the fire called murmuring and complaining.

18. I always journal with a good waterproof pen, because there are pages where my tears have fallen and the letters of the words bleed.

19.  My gal Val (Serenity_23) over at Living My Faith read in a book that your written prayers are stronger than your spoken prayers. She and I chit-chat alot, and she keeps a very detailed and immaculate prayer journal.  That stuff comes to past like crazy. So I went back and looked around at some of my written prayers throughout my morning pages. I was wondering why when I wrote a prayer down (which was always rare) that the turnaround on it is super fast, sometimes being  answered only a few hours later. Hmm...  Gal Val's reading is not only good for her, but good for me. Keep sharing with me, chick!  Because your girl is listening really close.

20. I keep wondering... how much will I understand about myself after a 1000 pages of journaling? Only time will tell.

21. Despite my pockets of unbridled ratchetness, I pontificate and think about spiritual things 90% of the time. That is good I suppose. But I always wonder how much my ratchetness affects me. Hmm.

22. I am happiest when I am sowing seed. I write a ton about that. I didn't realize how much seed I sow (and things as little as a positive compliment I count as seed). And I figured out that it all comes back to me double or even triple. How awesome is that? And that's not the reason I do it.  I just want it to be an ingrained habit. I want it to be like a tattoo on skin.  Does that make sense?

Wow. That was a doozy. 22 Tuesday thoughts. A world record for me.  And I learned much about myself.

And it was fun. 

Ten Tuesday Thoughts

This is Post #2000

How awesome is that!  *high rockette kicks*

Ten Thoughts always bother me when I first start out. But by Thought#8, I feel happy. It means I'm thinking.

So here we go. 

1. When it comes to driving in traffic, there is nothing worse than being behind someone who doesn't know where they're going. You know what I mean. . . stuff like, I want to turn left, but oh no, I want to turn right. All this despite being in the wrong lanes. I thought that was the case until today, and last week. So I want to correct that:  There's NOTHING worse than being behind an 18 wheeler driven by someone who doesn't know where they're going. Sigh.

2. When it comes to parking, there should be a law that trucks and SUVs park in the back of the parking lot. I'm not sure why you park your huge Surburban up front. I have to park next to you, and I take my chances when leaving, for I cannot see while backing out due to your truck. And that is sad. 

3. Mitch and Callie need cat food. It costs $19.99 a bag, and it lasts two and a half weeks. I want to change the food, but Mitch gets a case of the bubble guts, and that's no fun. 

4. Speaking of pet food, I can only buy their brand at the one of the big popular retail pet superstores, you know, the ones where you can bring your pet in the store. Every once in awhile (a bit to often for my comfort), someone brings their angry dog into the store. Hon, you know your dog has problems. I know you want him to get out. But leave him at home, please. Take him for a walk. You know he can't deal with being around people. Stop that. Because if your dog bites me, theirs gonna be trouble...

5. I've been working on a report for over 2 weeks. I am so ready to get back in the lab and do some dirty chemistry work. (Never thought I would say that). 

6. I haven't been eating right. And I can tell, because I'm a step slower. And that's not good..

7. I got an official letter from my breast surgeon that last month's mammogram showed no abnormalities. What a nice piece of news to get in the mail. 

8. I am watching the Republican Party. It looks as if it is about to implode. Sigh.

9. My sister bought home some shrimp cerviche last night. I always see that on the cooking shows. I never knew what  the big deal was. It was pretty good, but I'm not to fond of the idea of raw shrimp. I like my seafood cooked.

10. There was more traffic than usual on the drive in this morning. It took me 25 minutes to get to work. Mind you, I like less than 5 miles from my job. There was a wreck involving 7 cars at my exit. A bunch of fender benders. I'm always glad I didn't leave earlier than my usual time. I always wonder if I had, would I have been involved in the accidents.

That's it for Ten Tuesday thoughts! Enjoy your day!

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!

Ten Tuesday Thoughts... Voting Edition

1.  Whatever you do, get out and VOTE today. The Oppressor is doing all this suppressing today, so if you have your license, you might as well.

2. I was playing Words with Friends with Tayari's father and listening to the Sirius XM at the same time. The host of a show I like was having a black political roundtable with black folks who have taught politics over the years, and they announced someone with Tayari's father's name. I texted him in the chat room and asked "Was that you, Mr. Jones??" Indeed it was.

3. That political roundtable was deep off the pages. I learned a lot. He spoke of how we are to the point now where we vote for the less egregious candidate.

4. I totally agreed with him. But I call it voting for the "lesser of two evils".  I can't stand that. I want to be excited about the voting process. It is such a pimp-ho game now.

5. I don't care for the Democratic party. I think they take the black vote for granted.  And the democratic candidates shunning President Obama is a dayum shame. Really.

6. I don't care for the Republican party even more. Stop making everything about your hatred for the black President and come up with some solutions to some problems.

7. The most interesting thing I heard this morning was a quote from someone on Fox News yelling about how the president was a racist. They yelled about how people are on welfare and food stamps even more now.

8. I found that all interesting. Seeing how there are numbers-wise more white people on food stamps and welfare than black folks. Hmm. Confusing. Why dog your own people like that? Or do they want to continually culturally condition us black folks into thinking we are all on public assistance?

9. I wish the Republican party had some black leadership. We see what happened with Michael Steele and Herman Cain. That's enough for me.

10. They would do good to go find Colin Powell and get him to lead something. But they can't do that, though. Colin Powell is his own man, and he doesn't read from the script. And I raised an eyebrow at the whole party when he got the heck on. It was almost like someone raising the "baptist finger" and excusing themselves from the church. LoL.

11.  I can't WAIT to see what happens with Dr. Ben Carson. He will get snatched down if it even remotely looks like people are on his side. But he's saying a bunch of crazy stuff lately, so... we'll just have to see.

12. I am tired of every other commercial being a political commercial.  And they are all dark and fear based.

13. We may have a run-off in Georgia, and it won't be held until January.  So that means more political commercials.  Sigh.

14.  I tend to vote across the board in local politics. It is easier to evaluate if the incumbent has done a good job. But national politics is a whole nother animal.

15. With that said, I am not sure how my current governor got into office. Didn't he get kicked out of congress. He makes me squeamish with all his ethics charges. Just shady. He did not get my vote.

16. I was voter number 13 at my precinct. And that was about 45 minutes after the polls opened. Let's hope the numbers in my 'hood rise over the day.

17. Best rule of thumb:  Vote your interests. Period. 

18. Make sure you get out and VOTE.  I don't care who you vote for. Make sure you VOTE.

That was more than 10 Tuesday thoughts. I have many more. But you get the picture.

Go VOTE!!

Ten Tuesday Thoughts

Here we go again with my "thoughts".

And I have 10 of them. Glory!

1. I haven't been posting like I should because we have been getting ready for the biannual audit at work. So my mind has been a virtual blank. I was interviewed today, and I think it went okay. I think.  I was a bit vague. I hope it doesn't hurt me.

2. I talked to one of my faaavorite blog readers on Friday, Ms. Ginae! Oh what a joy. It's like Oprah or Michelle Obama calling me. That's how excited I was. We WILL be talking again.

3.  I have not had lunch today. But I had a huge kale, pear and blueberry smoothie this morning. That's fresh made, no mixes, honey. For some odd reason, even at two in the afternoon, I am still full. I need to make sure I eat something soon, though... so I won't go inhale a whole bowl of chitlins tonight.

4.  The book I am reading right now: The Biology of Belief by Bruce H. Lipton, PhD. I am only 14% of the way in, but that is fine.

5. Favorite quote so far:

"We are made in the image of God, and we need to put Spirit back into the equation when we want to improve our physical and mental health."

That is deep off the pages right there. Especially when a biologist says it. You know our scientific folk aren't really suppose to believe in God, or be agnostic at best. Hmm. There may be more to that one than meets the eye.  I am looking forward to his hypotheses.

6. I am not sure why I have such a fascination with mentality and science and how it all relates back spiritually, but I must tell you that I am learning a whole lot about myself. And that's a good thing.

7. I have 5 analytical reports to read in my inbox. And I am not happy about it.

8. I am happy that I'm getting off at 4:30 pm, though. And that's because I got in at 8 a.m. this morning. I usually get in at 10 a.m. But this audit thing...man.

9. While cleaning up the kitchen last night, I was a bit too caught up in my favorite Queen Latifah CD, All Hail the Queen, meaning I did more dancing than dish washing.

10. Callie Jo likes to follow me around at home. I don't know why because I can't be all that interesting to her. But last night, in the kitchen while I was doing all my dancing, she had a look that said "LadyLee, if you kick me in the head one more time, I'ma scratch you!" 

LOL. That's what she gets for following me around! Rockette kicks send her flying a few feet.

That's it for my Ten Tuesday Thoughts! Have a good evening:)

Ten Tuesday Thoughts

Half of the year is GONE. Can you believe that? Today is JULY 1. Where has the time gone?

Today it will be 90 degrees in the ATL. Summer is officially here.

Today I looked at my pay stub and I see we got our bonus. This is great. I don't think we've had a bonus in a few years. So you know what that means... BALL TILL I FALL. (Yeah right).

I think this is a good time to sit down and make up some goals for the remainder of the year. I am kind of strange in that I don't sit down and make goals. I am not sure why. If I do, then they are daily and/or short term. But I always amazed at the things I get done. I could be getting more done, though.

Current song playing on my spotify playlist as I sit and type this...  SOS band's "No One's Gonna Love You"


 
I have to go to the store this afternoon. A couple of the youngsters in our group are going away for training for 3 weeks, and they want chocolate chip cranberry pecan cookies. I have no eggs, no butter, no flour... sheesh. They will be away at training for 3 weeks... at some place on the beach... 15 minutes from Miami. This is not good. One of them is making a run up to the amusement parks... and the other is probably gonna find some rappers, get wasted, and shoot a few rap videos... or "flicks". O_o.  Uh, let's just say I told them to call me if they get locked up. Me and a couple of the other chemists will roll down there and bail them out.

I have no plans for the 4th of July weekend. And I am fine with that. I need a 3 or 4 day weekend to just catch up on some little projects around the house. I am so slow, forever doing chores.

I may even get some writing in this weekend. I have been editing some stories from the blog for a couple of anthology ideas. And I need to sit down and rewrite "Jawbreaker"... again. The more drafts the better. And I hate editing, but heck, it has to be done. 


I have a few friends going through some hard and confusing times right now. That makes me so sad. I actually shed some tears when I woke up this morning. And I ain't the weepy type. I think I am sad because so many memories of my past issues and mistakes have come flooding back to mind like I just experienced them yesterday. I wish I could be more helpful... but all I can do is listen and not judge. And offer the advice that I offer these days: everything is temporary... just like a hairdo. Things will work themselves out.  They always do. This too shall pass.

Sister Callie Jo's weight doubled in the last 3 weeks. She went from 1.25 pounds to 2.7 pounds. I've had to adjust her collar a couple of times so she doesn't choke.

I miss the little kitten that was so small that I could hold her in the palm of my hand. But now, the little kitten is becoming a CAT... very fast.  Sigh.

That's it for Ten Tuesday thoughts... Lord knows I have more. This could have been 20 Tuesday thoughts.

But I will save those thoughts for another day.

As for now, you have a great afternoon... on purpose.