Did you see my Bulldawgs come back and win the 2006 Chick-Fil-A Bowl by beating Virginia Blech 31-24??? I sho did! LOL

It feels great to end the season 9-4. Go DAWGS! Go SEC





I'm not deep enough to celebrate Kwanzaa. I'll admit it. I appreciate the idea of it because I was definitely into the first day of Umoja because unity is beautiful. My people need more of it. I just don't know anyone that really gets into Kwanzaa. I don't even know people that cheerily say, "Happy Kwanzaa!" or anything related. I think I'll make it a point to do Kwanzaa next year in addition to Christmas.

BTW, Chrimmah was cool. I got the joy and satisfaction of being with my family all day. I know I mentioned it before, but it's amazing to see how cool my two youngest nieces, FutureIVY and Lil Genius are. I gotta start hanging with them before I become not cool enough to be seen with. We still gotta work on my nephew, Lil Bernard. He looks just like my big brother, Bernard, but he is quite the brat, and it's not just because he's a boy or younger. Just spoiled rotten. FutureIVY used to be that way, but she's evolving into not being so spoiled. Maybe because LilGenius is actually FutureIVY's first cousin, and LilGenius is being raised by her aunt since her mother passed not that long ago. So, FutureIVY has to share the girl spotlight, but Lil Bernard didn't have to until his new kid sister came along. *sigh* There's too much to type.

If you live in Atlanta, don't go to the IHOP at Greenbriar Mall! I've been there a few times, but I'll never go back again. It was some straight bullisht, and I sure did pull out a "White Chicks" trick: I submitted an e-mail to their corporate website, but I sho as hell am gonna submit a real 81/2 by 11 letter with exactly what I want to say to corporate and the location. (The e-mail reply form only allowed for 2000 characters max.) Here's what I said in the e-mail below, but I'll have to say more in my real deal letter:

My brother and I went in without a wait and were seated promptly in a corner area with 5 booths behind a large party. When we arrived, there were small tables available in the front of the restaraunt. The waitress promptly took our beverage order: lemonade and water with lemons. She brought drinks quickly, but my lemons were missing. I received lemons 10 minutes later after a second request.

After receiving our drinks, the service sped downhill. My brother and I noticed there were 3-4 servers working the party of about 20-25, but the servers were also forced to work their regular areas so they couldn't provide quality service to regular customers.

We placed our order 15 minutes after receiving my lemons, but we made several observations of poor service while waiting. There was a gentleman seated alone who arrived before us. He waited patiently for his food, and once it came, he left without touching it, and the waitress threw the food away. The couple in the booth across from us came about 5 minutes after us, and they were NEVER waited on. They left also.

In the meantime, we saw a woman arrive alone approximately 10 minutes after we arrived. She received her juice and water immediately, and her bacon and pancakes arrived within minutes of being seated while we still waited for our order of a Chicken Fajita Omelette and the low carb steak and eggs platter; my brother requested scrambled eggs with cheese.

Our order arrived about 20 minutes later. I received my omelette with no sour cream or pancakes. My brother's steak and eggs came without steak sauce. My omelette had extra cheese but tasted bland. My brother's eggs had NO CHEESE, and he couldn't cut into his delicious smelling steak without the steak sauce. Our waitress said she had to go back for our pancakes, and we waited over 5 minutes before we left our area.

That was the worst IHOP experience I've had in years. I like supporting local businesses, but I will never return to this unit.

So, as you see, I'm really not some common fool that'll cuss you and you mama out and leave. Negative on that! I'm gonna hit you where it hurts, and there's nothing like documentation of bullisht to hurt an establishment's reputation with the corporate office. I don't want anyone to get fired, but I will tell you that another restaurant manager in the area knows that the fine people of South Fulton County don't play with their money, and we will let you know via letter when we're unhappy. OK, not all of us, but you get the point.

Luckily, NOPI and I actually found a nice restaurant right up the street from where we live. It's called "Q's Southern Restaurant", and it's almost like a cafeteria with really good homemade food. It was a decent atmosphere and really nicely priced. Best of all, it was black owned and operated! I love supporting black businesses. I won't exclude other businesses, but I prefer spending my black dollars with black entrepreneurs or businesses that have enough faith in my mostly black area to bring their products, wares, and JOBS to my area.

BTW, for my fellow James Brown lovers, go to http://ejflavors.com/archives/2006/12/osw_rest_in_peace_james_brown.php for a very nice tribute to Soul Brother No. 1. I'm sure this blogger doesn't know that I exist, but I love his music blog.

First, RIP James Brown. I'm still mad that CNN focused on his criminal mishaps as if he never recorded a great deal of music that was sampled heavily in hip hop. The man was one of the greatest entertainers ever that influenced many entertainers that came after him. But I get his rap sheet when he dies? Bastids. I'll still be rocking my favorite James Brown jam ever: The Payback. I used that song to explain the second half of Homer's The Odyssey because you know the major theme was revenge against the suitors that took over Odysseus' home because they were plotting to take his place and his wealth. Yeah, I digressed, and I ain't sorry for it.

I'm glad Christmas is over. For real. I enjoyed seeing my ghetto family members that hit a peak when the tall nephew and short but highly confrontational uncle that can't be that far apart in years are hemming each other up and scuffling like we're at a club on MLK. I know we were litterally around the corner from MLK and not far from the Westlake MARTA station, but that did not require their level of foolishness. Hell, they make me hope that if I have a boy one day that he might come out like my brother and/or father because he'll be a silly child, but he'll have some sense and focus. Might be money hungry like my Daddy, too, which would be beneficial to me in the future, right? I'm just sayin'.....

NOPI and I went to breakfast at a local restaurant. We just didn't feel like cooking jack, and I definitely wanted some breakfast food. I woulda done better cooking my own deliciously perfect pancakes, but I took their preparation. NOPI's girlfriend went with us, and she fucked up the rest of our time together when she called my brother a faggot. Now, everyone knows NOPI ain't gay. Negative on that. It was just the non-playful tone she used while on the phone with another dude that NOPI ain't neva met! My brother shut down for a minute because I know he wanted to snap. He finally expressed his disappointment, and I even offer twice, "This is the point where you apologize for offending him." That dummy didn't apologize! It took two phone arguments before that pipe cleaner looking girl finally said, "I'm sorry." I think she has confirmed for me that I don't need to date another Pisces ever because I swear they all have communications problems that I don't have the patience for. You know my motto: Say what you mean and mean what you say damn it! What's so hard about that shit? (OK, so I added some. So what?)

I saw my parents, my sister-in-law, and my nieces and nephew. The girls are quite enjoyable because they are growing into lovely young ladies. Why does the younger one (FutureIVY) who is a tad shorter and on the thick side already have a good idea on how to work some stilettos??? She was rocking her Mom's shoes with no real effort. Ironically, the older one (Lil Genius) who is tall, slender, and quite leggy was walking with a little trouble, like she was scared of tipping over any moment. Imagine that. They were quite funny, and we were dying laughing together. Lil Genius is quite mature but still goofy while FutureIVY is a kid at heart but can flip flop in a minute to her grown woman. I gotta hang out with them more so I still have memories of them before hitting 18. They grow so fast!

But I spoke to a dude that I just met. He calls himself Lucky which is good because I sho as hell can't pronounce the name his Mama gave him. I really want to get her number, dial it, listen for her to pickup, introduce myself, and ask point black, "What were you thinking with that made up shit?" It's not like Quintivius (a boy I went to elementary with), but it's pretty fucked up. Anyway, Lucky and I talk for a while, but I gotta pee. So I suggest calling him back in a few minutes as I make my way to the car (I'm not telling him I gotta pee, but y'all can know that *wink*) because I was enjoying the convo. He seemed like a decent fella with a weird accent because he's from Denver. No, still not over a black dude being from Denver. Well, Lucky says, "I'll call you back a little later." I'm trying to play it cool, so I say, "Cool. Have a good time whatever you're doing." Well, no call back. That gives Lucky an 80% of being off my list already. We just met, so it's too early for not doing what you say you will. That means a lot to me, so his lack of a call kinda irked me.

My family tree is getting interesting. There are no new biological additions, but I'm enjoying the sisterhood in my family. Biologically, I have two half-sisters because Papa was a rolling stone in his early days. Five kids by three women. Yeah, Dad was busy. Anyway, Dad got me two half-sisters according to society's definitions. In my heart of hearts, I have a half-sister, my sister, and my big sister Leo.

To be real, my half-sister isn't worth mentioning. I haven't seen or heard from her since my older brother's funeral over 8 years ago. So, I treat her like she treats the rest of my immediate family: relatives out of biological obligation. That's exactly what it is. Sounds harsh, but the sad part is that my brother, NOPI, sees things quite differently. NOPI only has two sisters, and that's it.

Despite that outlook, I think I have a decently healthy relationship with my sister. Lil Woman is 11 years my senior, but she doesn't act like some fuddy duddy. She's real cool in her very early middle age, and she's definitely enjoying her life at this beautiful stage. She has a beautiful home that she shares with her ex-Marine husband and three children. I still can't believe the oldest is 21 and legal in every way. Lil Woman is the spitting image of our Father, but she doesn't act too much like him. She's no nonsense like Dad, but her mother had to influence the more compassionate, sensitive, and appreciative sides of her personality. It almost makes me wonder how she came into this world looking like him but being different from him in many ways.

Like she's supportive. I still find myself in awe of her support of my Slumber Parties business when I didn't get the chance to support her Party Lite home business. Maybe she was understanding that I didn't really have the money to invest in candles and accessories at the time. It was true. Uhh...kinda still is true. Anywho, guess what Lil Woman went and did for her Lil Sis? Lil Woman got a nice number of her friends to buy some products of mine, and she knows of one that wants to have her own party. Maybe you're thinking it's impossible for a father to support his daughter's efforts to sell "bedroom accessories". Well, Dad actually got me at least one sell. I'm still amazed at that. But Lil Woman got organized for me, completed order forms, did calculations, and drove to the Wachovia bank branch about 15 minutes away from her home to deposit the funds into my account. Are you kidding me? That is some serious support.

Even better, Lil Woman read my last entry and was concerned. She called me as soon as she read what was going on with me. She was really concerned about the "violation". I reassured her that I was fine and definitely was not raped, etc. Lil Woman is a real big sis, and although I thanked her on the phone, I thank you again, Lil Woman for caring enough to make sure I was okay. That's love right there.

The other big sister Leo is my good friend, Ree Ree. I met her working for the IRS about 4 years ago. I don't know what drew two female Leos to each other, but I think we've loved each other for quite some time. She's become quite close to me because she's one of the few people that takes the time to understand and *gasp* tolerate my uniqueness. I have to understand hers, too, and it's pretty cool that we do. She makes me howl with laughter, and Ree Ree laughs at me and with me. That's my dawg, and I'd be shocked if anything ever divided us as good friendss that hang out occassionally but sisterly chicks that talk and text message pretty regularly. I guess Ree Ree gives me some stability and genuine friendship in this city when it's so hard to find friends or a good man. Did I mention Ree Ree is a lesbian? I hate categorizing her like that, but I'm enjoying my growing cadre of gay friends. Remember, I'm still straight and dick-loving, but I'm also proud to be gay friendly.

Now, I could end this entry talking about how special sisters are. It would be adorable, but that's too mushy for the kid. Both of my big sisters know that, and they know I love them both. I know they love me, too, and that's the most important thing. Ok...I give up. Sisters are beautiful. So are those two women. And so am I. I would be beautiful as an only child, too, because I got a good mix of genes. But I digress....

285 is kinda light tonight, but I got a little time to kill before I plunge myself into that ignant Atlanta traffic. I'm still gonna work out tonight, but I usually get to the gym in 30 minutes, and I'm left waiting for the class to start. I guess I better hightail it outta here if I want a good spot for the class. If you don't know anything about Atlanta folks on the Southside, let me tell you one thing: So many of us are gonna be so fine in '07. That gym stays packed with some of the most beautiful (not to mention well-to-do) brothas and sistas in Atlanta. While some folks spend all of their time in Buckhead, stop sleeping on the beauty of Camp Creek and the entire College Park/East Point Area.

A quick insight into my life:

~ NutCase is out the door. He violated me and my trust in a way that I've never experienced before. It's so bad that I refuse to publish those facts unless absolutely necessary. Rage is an understatement of how I feel. This all went down Tuesday night/Wednesday morning. I called him on Wednesday afternoon and let him know that it's done. Now, his name has been changed in my phone like so many others because I rarely delete numbers. I only keep numbers to be sure that I recognize when "undesirables" and other riff raff try to reach out and touch me. Whatfriggineva.

~ I'm really permanent at the job, and I'm working like a slave today. I didn't get out of my desk much, and I'm not expecting to on a Friday either.

~ Sista trying to make money with Slumber Parties. I love to talk about our toys and great products, and I have a goal to make way more money at it in the very near future. If anyone wants a great recommendation for a bedroom accessory, let me highly recommend The Butterfly for the big spenda and the G-Wiz or Krystal Wabbit for more conservative but still adventurous budgets. Wow.....

Off to the gym!!! I'm gonna be so fine in Sept. '07! And I won't be on "The Biggest Loser". I love that show, but I really think I can do a lot on my own because I'm refocused. SupaChica, I'm gonna be so fine in your wedding, and I think I'll pull all of the single groomsmen. LOL

What a week! I'm starting off this week by doing laundry on a Sunday. I am conflicted since I'm working so hard at househould chores on the Sabbath, which should be kept holy, but I'm figuring that cleanliness is next to Godliness, so I'm doing the best I can to be Godly. I actually had to correct my "cousin" (he's the half-brother of a first cousin, and I am not related to his mother) on his Godliness as he happened to be walking by our apartment and stopped by for a quick visit.

"What y'all got in the frigerator?" Just like a common Negro. No greeting; just what can you do for me.

My lil bro, NOPI: "We got a tuna sandwich." Now, we don't have a whole lot because we need to do more shopping, but two big folks don't have just a tuna sandwich and that's it.

Psuedo-cousin: "Well, what y'all got to drank? Y'all supposed to be ballers and stuff."

NOPI looked at me, and I sho looked at him. We're definitely not poor, but we are far from Jim Jones. No balling here.

NOPI: "We don't drink like that." We both look at Psuedo like, "You know you got alchie [alcoholic] tendancies from both sides of yo' family, so quit trying to get yo drank on the Lord's day."

I look Psuedo up and down, and dude is dressed in black dress pants, a nice black shirt with very thin red and white spaced-out stripes, and very nice black square-toed shoes. Nice look...for Sunday. Moi: "Didn't you just come out of church, and now you're asking for a 'drank'?"

Psuedo looking slightly sheepish, then perking up: "Y'all supposed to be welcoming folks in the house. Asking, 'You want some vodka? Cognac? Tequila?' Classy stuff."

Moi: "You ass! Tequila ain't all that classy."

Psuedo: "Well y'all supposed to have a full bar."

Thinking to myself because I didn't have time to start isht: "If you worked somewhere else besides Mrs. Winners, you could have your own full bar, and you might be at home on Sunday to imbibe in spirits instead of walking to work with the visor in your hand." I just have to shake my head and go in the house so I can check out the electrician and maintenance man replacing the breaker box in our apartment. Yes, the electricity works.

What else happened this week:

~ Just in time for the low temps, I rocked the hell out of my black and cherry bob-style wig, and everyone LOVEDed it! My boss called it beautiful, and my sorors gushed on and on about my look at the meeting. I know I looked good. A little Aunt Gin Gin never hurt nobody.

~ NOPI was really cool about me borrowing his car on Monday. See, my headlights were completely gone on my car as of Saturday afternoon. That meant I was so freaked out that I didn't drive on Sat or Sun evening because I was terrified of getting pulled over about my lights. It's happened before, and it lead to a breakup with the unlicensed boyfriend who was driving my car. Anyway, NOPI - the owner of two cars - is generous and offers to let me drive the Altima while he takes my car to install new lights. From what we understood, the wiring for the after-factory headlights was all fucked up because some Mexicans did a bargain basement job. The rest of my car is getting that same bargain basement look thanks to my Dad's decision that they would be best. *sigh*

Long story short, I'm headed to work on Monday, late because I was quite ill on Monday AM. Seriously! I'm less than a mile from my exit when I hear, "Boom!Boom!Boom!Boom!BOOM!" Steam and burning smells are all over the place including the interior and I have to pull over. A nice itty bitty white lady named Meredith pulls over and offers to take me somewhere safe since I'm on the side of the highway. I was very impressed and touched but still leery. Actually, she was more than helpful because she allowed me to sit in her car until my brother came. I already know it wasn't the wisest decision, but I couldn't hear anything standing outside, and it was bitterly cold - by Atlanta standards. She introduced me to a picture of her cat, Bob, where he resting on a fake pile of money. "One of my five babies," she beamed proudly. Whatever floats your boat, but I will remember her kindness and will pay it forward in some way.

NOPI flies in, checks it out, and determines that the problem he already was aware of was not a motor part; it was the motor itself. He crunk it up, and the motor boomed again. "Dead," he says, "but I can't blame you. It ain't your fault. Don't feel bad."

I couldn't believe NOPI was being so cool about it. He had been thinking of getting rid of it anyway. Besides, it was a free car from my dad, and he just fixed it up.

Me, NOPI, and Alien Nation (NOPI's small eared friend) wind up going to the real NOPI shop in Forest Park. NOPI and our father had been thinking that the problem might be as simple as blown bulbs. This was really Dad's idea because NOPI and I were convinced that one shop owner and NOPI's friends that know a lot about lights were completely right about the wiring issue. Mothaeffin' WRONG! Those beautiful blue $19.60 lights came out with Alien Nation's help. I could see! And at night!!

See, that's why lil bros are cool. As much grief as we have given each other, we're there for one another. I never hated him as a kid; we've actually been quite chummy and close for all of our lives - except those awful puberty years. He gets on my nerves with his flipflopping Gemini self, but I really wouldn't trade him for anything.

~ I'm going permanent at my job! After 4 months of proving myself, the paperwork is complete, and I'll be fulltime at my cinchy job. That comes with an hourly raise, too. I'm pretty content for the moment.

~ NutCase has cooled himself off a bit. Maybe he's finally listening. I just want that one mo' time. I keep thinking about it because I know I want it, and I hope I won't be denied. Just. One. Mo'. TIME. before January.

~ Haven't heard from Beaver in weeks. Don't really care. Just wanted to share.

Go out in the world and Christmas shop! I hate shopping period, so do it for me.

6 Minutes

I'm giving myself 6 minutes to type up real, real quick the good stuff on this Monday in December. Let's see what these flying phalanges can do.

1. Happy Centennial Anniversary, Alpha Phi Alpha! The men of APhiA have been celebrating this milestone all year long. The day is actually here where seven men founded the cornerstone of collegiate black greekdom. (If you don't get the collegiate part, I'll school you later.) I'm so pleased that all of the Divine Nine are in existence to see this day. Will we all be in existence for all nine organization's Centennial Celebrations? Will one organization have to fold because they've been completely sued out of existence because of hazing? Only time will tell, but I pray not.

2. Little brothers are great! OK, he's been taller than me for about 7 or 8 years now, but NOPI was the bomb today. He didn't get pissed when his engine died on me even though I was driving, and he still took time to take me to the NOPI store to get some pretty blue lights for my car. AlienNation was there with his little eared self, but he earned his spot in the fam today for real. I'll blog on the whole sordid affair another day.

OK...it was 5, but I want 11:59 on my blog.

ETA: What the hell? The time on this site is 7 minutes off! Y'all get the point.

PS GO GATORS!!! GO SEC!!! I laugh at Michigan fans. Not because you're school is weak or anything. Just because this gives you a chance to get over your non-conference winning selves. BWAHAHAHA!

Is there really anything to debate???

Florida should play for the National Championship. Did you see the same game I saw against Arkansas? Florida played quite well in the SEC Championship game. I'll be real and admit I don't know what championship Michigan would have played for, but I see they didn't win their division. So why should a team that didn't win their division be able to play for the title of the Nation's Best College Team???

I still remember telling the General Manager of my local LA Fitness that we were gonna see an SEC team in the National Championship. Y'all already know my passionate POV about the SEC, and I'll stick by it. I just wish the rest of the nation would recognize and admit the truth.

If my "case" is a little too passionate for you, then here is a great article by Mark Schlabach of ESPN.com that gives great insight into the Florida/Michigan debate. Scroll down for the 10 cold, hard facts of the debate.

Florida's national title chances rely on voters

BTW, what happened in the Hawai'i vs. Oregon State game? Why were there just random pieces of paper all over their field as if there was a paper ball fight in a sixth grade classroom? I've never seen anything like that. Maybe it was part of a pre-game celebration, but I just don't see any SEC teams having anything like that happen because it would disturb the sanctity of the playing field. No, the playing field or stadium isn't worshipped, but it should be respected. What are they thinking in Hawai'i?

Umm...I'm thinking the Hawai'i team has some big ol' cuties on their team, especially the native Hawai'ian Warriors. Yummy! Oh yeah, they played some good ball in the little bit I saw. I'll check them out again next
year.