I was in the middle of the Notre Dame/Michigan State game when my phone rings. My girl, SuperChica, convinced me to go out Saturday. I really had no intentions of doing anything because I had already done enough since my 8:30 step class - and I had a headache, but SuperChica wanted to go out so badly. I could hear her keys in her hand while we're on the phone. Well, I decided to be selfless, so I agreed to have her pick me up, and I would be showered and clean as a Chinese buffet on the day of its second health inspection when she arrived.

SuperChica is my homie for real, and I'm so glad that I'll be in her wedding next year. I'm really glad she's my friend. We've gone through so much since we met back on that trip to Howard when my new clear deodorant was (surprise!) only a deodorant and not an anti-perspirant, so folks did not want to be seated by me. I remember that clear as day because that was the first year of that clear gel-like deodorant, and I was sweating like a town whore in the town's only church, and I had on a jogging suit. But, SuperChica does not remember that. I guess she blocked it out when she transferred to my high school in her Junior year, and we have been friends through thick and thin ever since. She doesn't see all of the great things that are so great about her, but I see them all the time. Plus that heffa has the best locs, but she went nappy after me. *sigh*

So when she suggested going out for coffee or tea or just getting out of the house while being cute, I said yes. I like to go out, and why not go out with one of my best friends ever?

So, we're jamming in the whip, I'm putting on mascara and red lips, and we're just looking pretty damn nice. It would be nice to meet someone while we're out because I'm having a hard as time meeting men in Atlanta. Well, we roll up on Justin's. I know that was my first time, and I think it was hers. It was pretty cool...although the valet was being directionally challenged by telling us to go one way...and then nothing else as we sat there waiting on him. Well, SuperChica finally gives the keys to him, and we walk in. It was pretty cool in there. The ambience isn't fabulous, but it was nice.

So, we're waiting to get a table...and the Notre Dame/Michgan State game is still on! I really am a big college football fan these days! I'm in Justin's around these fabulous black people (one of whom was busy chasing Becky *sigh*), but I didn't give a damn what these fabulous people thought of the black girl with "da girls" all out as she stood watching the game. What can you really say when Notre Dame had no points with Michigan State leading, but I get to Justin's and Notre Dame is leading in the bottom of the 4th? They lost, but it was just fascinating to see Notre Dame intercept on Michigan's last chance to score.

ANYWAY, as much as I really dislike Buckhead and all of the people that just have to see celebs and want to be seen by errybody, SuperChica and I had an excellent time together. Just laughing, talking, and people watching. Hell, SuperChica got watched! I see her resemblance to Vanessa Williams of "Soul Food", but I wouldn't mistake her for the celebrity. She heard the silly girls whispering and wondering if it was her, and that skinned so hard when she looked at their table. I wish I could have that moment where someone really thought I was Jill Scott. I do have quite a resemblance to that beautiful sista, but we're not twins by any stretch of anyone's imagination.

But again, me and girl had a good time just talking, being real, and being ourselves. And I had Italian coffee with Frangelico. That was some serious shit! I felt all grown up and stuff....

So, SuperChica being who she is can't let the night end. I don't mind because we're in that banging car with that fiyah Kenwood system. The display opens and closes automatically. Did I mention the display was a touch screen? Whewwww! We continue thorugh Buckhead and go to Jermaine Dupri's Cafe Dupri. It was pretty cool. Laidback atmosphere where you're really not dying to tell folks, "Guess who I saw?" It seems like that if you see a celeb, then it's cool, but that's not the goal of being there.

There was a local celeb there. He's a producer for one of the radio Morning Shows. SuperChica and I graduated from high school with Boy Wonder's older sister. Why is he Boy Wonder? I learned from one of my co-worker's that went to school with Boy Wonder that everyone in their HS class wondered how he graduated because he skipped school a whole lot. They would even wonder, "Did Boy Wonder transfer schools?" Damn.

Well, seeing him last night, I wondered how the hell he got as big as he did. I mean physically. See, the previous morning show host is very influential, and he convinced the whole morning team to try to get in shape. So everyone was getting in shape. Even Boy Wonder was mentioning feeling better and looking better. He obviously let that fall to the wayside once the host bounced. Dude is bigger than ever! He's not like Big Boy from LA that lost all of the weight, but Boy Wonder...is...BIG. He wasn't like that back in school, but WOW.

Either way, SuperChica and I had a really good time. I didn't want it to end, but she had to drive about 30 minutes away to get back home. But one key convo is going to stick with me. I was telling her one of my ulterior motives to getting in shape. "You know I look good now, but I wanna look great in your wedding pictures."

SuperChica: "You look great now." She's a real sweetheart for that because she's never once made me feel like I'm too big to be confident about myself. She's really one of the real sistas that is not intimidated by looks, and she's cool enough that she doesn't try to intimidate other sistas. I love her for that!

Back to the convo: "Thanks, but I really want to look great in your wedding. Plus, there's another ulterior motive. I want to get a better guy."

SuperChica has a confused look on her face. "You attract guys now."

Moi: "Yeah, but they're not the caliber of men that I would like to attract. Something has stepped up in recent years because I haven't had a dude at home with mom but without a car talk to be, but the guys I get still aren't the ones I want. I think my size has something to do with it, so I'm making an investment in me and my quality of life by losing weight."

SuperChica: "I still don't think size has anything to do with it."

She might be right, but I'm not getting who I want the way I currently am. I can point to one of my good friends, Philly, for some support on my theory. Back when she was about 26 and still the same size she was in HS, she was always attracting high caliber dudes. She even dated an athlete. But she had her third child - a little girl that's the spitting image of her mama. Philly blew up and hasn't lost the weight yet. Philly maintains that the guys that approach her now are not the guys that she's used to at all. It's like she had A- and above guys, but now she's attracting C- through B+.

As for me, I don't know how to call it. There's so much to look at: looks, how he treats a sista, hygiene, intellect. Overall, I still don't have the man that I would like to have. I dated someone very close to it, and I'd like to have that again - just on a better scale. Am I wrong for wanting to better myself and, as a perk, attract a better quality mate? I sho don't think so. I want more out of this life, so I'm gonna get it. Like I always say (well, since this month), "I'm gonna be so FINE in September '07."