In November we have the opportunity to make change happen. YES WE CAN!

Some things that had me pondering…

Recently a co-worker and I were on the elevator and she said my hair looks good and as she stuttered, “It looks more professional than other natural styles.” Hmm…I didn’t say thank you because I was looking at here with a bit of disbelief. Now, she is African-American and to make that statement, I was offended. There is nothing wrong or unprofessional about wearing ones own natural hair without the use of chemicals if one’s own hair is clean and not overly distractive. My aunt wears a twa and she loves the convenience of it. Prior to her and her twa she was wearing a perm, but with medical issues going to the hair dresser was a problem and the fact her hair was breaking off bad. I told my cousins, “Just let her wear it natural. The chemicals and being on dialysis is not helping her hair and they agreed.”

I just recently read the new posts of Blakofi and I personally appreciated the fact she gives you her hair journey with both the good and the bad. Folks need to see that as much as we love our hair, it is a process with ups and downs. Although everyone’s head is different, just focusing on the good is never helpful to folks, we learn from mistakes. So truth is optimum, but negativity can kick bricks.

One of my good friends was wearing her hair with a texturizer and it looked great. The texturizer really didn’t do much to her hair but make it even softer. Well she got tired of the do and decided to put a perm back into her hair. Mistake. First of all, her hair is incredibly soft and thin in different places on her head. Her sister hasn’t been able to maintain it for her because she just recently had a baby. So she has been perming her own hair. Mistake. She showed me where the hair had been breaking off. I told her perming her hair so soon after coloring is a bad idea. And do you know she is planning to perm her hair now? Mistake. However, you can’t tell grown folks anything. She wants to lock her hair, not sisterlocks, due to the costs, but she can’t because she works for the city and they cannot wear locks.

America’s healthcare is in need of an overhaul. On last Thursday, my aunt was feeling extremely tired and having a hard time breathing after dialysis. I felt she needed to go to the emergency room and my cousins and I went to the emergency room that is on the other side of time and is hardly ever crowded. And Thursday was no different we got there at 8:30 p.m. and it wasn’t until after 2:00 a.m. before they told us they needed to transport my aunt to another hospital with the cardiologist specialists. Mind you we never saw a doctor; we were seen by a Physician’s attendant. We constantly went to the desk and they would tell us lies, in my opinion. My point is that the healthcare professionals need to learn how to communicate with folks. By the time my aunt was told she had to be admitted she was back to her old self and she was tired, hell she had been up since 7 am and been on a dialysis machine for 4 hours. When you see healthcare workers laughing and joking with each other and folks are standing outside of the rooms trying to figure out if you even give a dayum, it is a problem. It appears as if you do not care. Luckily, my aunt’s condition wasn’t too serious and she was prescribed a new med to help with the erratic heartbeat and she was home doing her puzzles on Friday afternoon. Folks have got to do better.
My step-father is an alcoholic and he called to talk about him getting his life together. More like a pity party situation after a night of drinking. Anyway, too much drinking has affected his brain because he was telling me secrets that I already knew and he is the one who told me. Idiot. Of course, when he went to talking about my mama I cut that ish off quick. She ain’t her to defend herself.

My workers at my part-time job think I am playing with them, but I ain’t. Seriously, if I post a note telling you that all requests to be off must be posted by Tues of the week the new schedule is made I mean it. Folks got their feelings hurt this weekend because they had to cover they own dayum self and realize there is no one to cover their azzes. Humph! I will teach them to be responsible, proactive and recognize I ain’t playing with them.

My sister’s friend told her that the little girl the friend use to babysit was killed and raped by her stepdaughter. That right there took my breath away for a hot second then I was reminded I read this stuff almost every day on my job. I don’t know the particulars only that the stepfather tried to kill himself but ended up in hospital. The mother wasn’t around and the girl’s 4 year old sister found her. I pray for the family. On another note, people have got to be more careful about the people folks leave their children with. I cannot count the number of times I have had to read stories of sex offenders being stepfathers to boys and girls and how they will continue the cycle as long as there is someone who is vulnerable to their charms not realizing their children are about to become victims to these predators. I personally do not believe in leaving, especially girl children, at home with step-fathers or boyfriends. So until they can protect themselves we have to be protective of them.

And that my friends is thought processes on a rambling way…

September Happenings...

The month of September has been busy and it is over halfway over and it will be time to plan for the holidays. Even though my vacation has been over for several months now, I am still moving at a pace of someone who is still on vacation. I was doing so much prior to my vacation when I finally slowed down, it felt good. On to more rambling…

Let me say all the hoopla over the Republican vice-presidential pick has had my head spinning. I am just amazed folks think other folks are ignorant and so stupid that we don’t know when smoke is being blown up our butts. I am voting for the person who I feel will pull this country forward and not do it at the expense of the everyday working people. Nothing more, nothing less. Neither race nor gender has anything to do with my political preference. All I want is for people to vote and exercise their right to do so, because another few years of what we have now really scares me. I knew when Bush was re-elected things were going to get worse, and they did. So if you haven’t registered to vote, do so. In Alabama folks can register until 10 days prior to the election.

I had a minor outpatient procedure on August 27 and I realize I cannot withstand pain. I thought I had a high tolerance for pain, but on that Wednesday I came to realize I don’t. I remember being in recovery (the procedure only took 15 minutes) and waking up saying I was in pain. The nurse immediately gave me Demoral. When they took me to my room I was still in pain and very nauseous. So the nurse gave me a Percocet and some dry saltine crackers and diet ginger ale. Ugh! I don’t drink diet sodas, when I do drink a soda it isn’t diet. I have an aversion to sugar substitutes. However, the pain was intense and while my cousin was being a social butterfly I was in that hospital bed hurting. When she returned she sees my face and the nurse returned to give me another dose of Percocet. The nurse gave me my discharge orders and said when I was rested enough I could leave. When she left, I told my cousin to give me my clothes because I was ready to go. My cousin was asking if I was serious and my response was this dayum nurse just gave me aspirin for cramps. ASPIRIN FOR THE TYPE CRAMPS I HAVE SUFFERED FROM MOST OF MY ADOLESCENT TO ADULTHOOD LIFE IS LIKE GIVING ME A SUGAR PILL! Yep, I was mad and in pain. In 15 minutes I was in my cousin’s car praying we would get home quickly so I could take a hydrocodone. All better now, hopefully the procedure will eliminate my issues or a least make life easier.

I had my retightening on September 11th. I didn’t have the heart to tell my consultant it had been 9 weeks since my last full retightening. As you know I had been doing my assigned section so it was freshly retightened but the back of my head and the left side was a fool. I knew when she finished the right side in 30 minutes I had done a good job on that area, but chile it took her 4 hours to finish my head. What should have taken 3 hours maximum, took 4 hours. Homegirl was tired and saying we could never go that long. She kept asking me why I didn’t do the other side and I was like you told me to only do my section on the right side and you know I follow the rules. Plus, after marrying locks in the back and on the left side I knew I didn’t need to compound the situation any more. She said my technique looked good. Now I have to do both sides by the next retightening. I was so glad to feel my scalp, but lawdy did it hurt. My scalp was sore for days. She did have to combine some locks because they were small and seem to be thinning in my problem area. She undid my lock that I had put a knot in during my most frustrating period. I have learned to be patient because when I did my little section it only took me 2 hours, compared to the first time where it took me 4 hours. I have also learned when I get tired or frustrated stop. DIY is not so bad, but I ain’t ready to do my whole head yet. These locks are too small. Hopefully, by next month I can order me some spare tools, but after hearing the horror stories of dealing with the SL home office, dare I say trying to get additional tool maybe a test in my ability to remain calm in a storm.

So for my birthday I took the weekend off from my part-time job to rest and do something for myself. I had been debating if I was going to try to see Janet Jackson in Atlanta in October, but when I went to crunching the numbers I cursed Bush and settled for a facial and a few hours at the spa. Question? When using the whirlpool/Jacuzzi are you supposed to be naked? Let’s just say there is a reason I don’t get in public pools and whirlpools. I was just appalled that folks thought it was cool to get in the whirlpool naked. I was too through. The whirlpool/Jacuzzi is located in the quiet room. When I first went to this spa, everyone who got in the whirlpool was properly attired in bathing suits. This time, baby, these folks had no shame and it made other folks who wanted to get in the whirlpool uncomfortable. I had a nasty look on my face because really I don’t know where your tail has been and hot water and germs don’t mix. So I read and enjoyed the almost quiet room. Other than the nasty folks my afternoon was wonderful.

I know some of you are wondering about the picture of the shrimp. That is for my sister. We have this healthy competition going between us. She made chicken marsala the other week, and all she could brag about was that it was so good, but she had no pictures to prove it. So I wanted her to see what something that tasted good would look like. Just sisterly competition. So don’t expect more like that unless she ups the ante.

So far things this month have gone well even with our pecan tree throwing a limb through our back window on the day after Labor Day and the quickness of the tree cutter who removed a decades old tree in less than 2 hours. So busy me and busy month…

Happy Birthday to me....Happy Birthday to me...

Today is my birthday and I am 39 years old and there is no shame in my game. My best friend called me at midnight to wish me Happy Birthday and to make sure I was okay and not depressed. I was like, "Girl, please. I am blessed now if this was when I was 34, things would have been different, but now I am living each day with acknowledgment that I am BLESSED!" Then we proceeded to talk for the next two hours. However, I did make into work this morning.

My cousin is making a big deal out of the day and I think I have thrown a monkey wretch into her plans. I am like thanks...It's a regular day for me. Now when I turn 40, then break out the bands, strippers and party essentials, but until then Thank you for acknowledging my birthday.

No plans for today except retighten my section again, which shouldn't take long. I go for my retightening tomorrow and I am so excited because...my hair is a hot mess especially in the back. So I'll be taking some new pics tomorrow.

I took off from my second job this weekend. I thought about getting facial and massage, then I am still contemplating going to Janet Jackson's concert in October in Atlanta. Now that would be the ultimate birthday celebration for me. So I am just going to relax. I ain't cooking. I may buy two pair of shoes I have my eyes on. I may just vegetate all weekend, but no matter what, it is my birthday and I will enjoy it if I want to!

Pictures...Finally

I've Been Tagged! by author Angela Benson

I list three categories of books.5 MUST Read Books.5 Books on Your Nightstand.5 Look For These Soon.

Keeping with the theme, I tag bloggers. They should put these same lists on their blog but SUBTRACT one book from each list and ADD one of their own. Then they should tag at least 5 more bloggers.

5 MUST Read Books:

Rhythms of Grace by Marilynn Griffith
Yellow Moon by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Conception by Kalisha Buckhanon
Better Than, Leslie Esdaile
Gather Together in My Name by Tracy Price-Thompson

5 Books on the Nightstand:

Secrets of a Sinner by Yolonda Tonette Sanders
From Harvey River by Lorna Goodison
My Soul Cries Out by Sherri Lewis
Murder Mayhem & a Fine Man, Claudia Mair Burney
Pleasure by Eric Jerome Dickey

5 Look For These Soon:

Bring on the Blessings by Beverly Jenkins
Nailed by Jennifer Lauren
The Hood Life: A Bentley Manor Tale by Meesha Mink and De’nesha Diamond
Wounded by Claudia Mair Burney
Beneath the Bruises by Dywane D. Birch

I'm suppose to tag 5 folks, but I am lazy if you want to do it. Just let me know...

Incidentally, Angela will be at my book club meeting in September. I can't wait to discuss the book of the month with her. Yeah!