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.