Sista sLedge.r

Baloo's Gone....

2008-09-13T12:27:00.002-04:00

To Ann Arbor! I don't know if the exclaimation point was warranted. Actually I'm sitting in his apartment right now while he's out playing frisbee golf in the rain. Baloo's parents came down last week and we helped move Baloo into his new apartment in Ann Arbor. He's a lot closer to work now. I was pretty sad about it at first, but I knew this was the best for him. In his 28 years of living this is the first time he's lived completely on his own. I think the best way to learn to live with other people (meaning me in the future) is to understand how to run a household on your own. So I'm glad he's doing this.

The first week wasn't that bad. Thank God I have school and work and working out to keep me occupied during the week. I didn't really miss Baloo because if I wasn't at school, I was either studying or at the gym. You can't believe how fit I am!

I did however hae to learn to hold my tongue. When I came to his house last night I walked in to find a huge flat screen LCD TV. I'm not sure how much those things cost, but I know they're expensive. My first thought was jealousy that I didn't get anything big and shiny. Oh, don't judge me. You all should know how vain I really am! My second thought was to how he plans to afford this TV. He's already said that he needed to figure out if he'd be saving money with the new increased rent. I let him know that I was disappointed but I was good in not making the subject World War III. I need to understand that he has the ability to spend his money however he pleases, and it's not my place to intervene. If down the line he's balancing paying off the TV and paying the heating bill, that's a choice that he has to make on his own. Besides, people need to go through these experiences in order to learn how to handle them.

So overall I've very proud of Baloo. I'm proud of him for finally branching out on his own. And I think the distance will be good for our relationship. Sure, it was so nice to have him as a next door neighbor boyfriend for almost two years, but it's nice missing him and being so excited to see him on the weekends. I think this distance will indeed make our hearts grow fonder. Eww. That was a gay way to end (Kipper, back me up). Who am I kidding? The sex is better when you haven't seen each other for a week. There, that's an ending that is much better fittted for Kiki!

How I Spent My Staycation

2008-09-04T19:58:00.001-04:00

First off, Baloo has threatened to break up with me if I use the phrase Staycation in his presence. I totally understand where he's coming from (it is an awful word), but naturally, I have to say it as much as possible in his presence.

I guess I should start off by telling you a little about my Japan trip. It was AMAZING! There was so much that happened and so many adventures, I feel like I'm cheating you by not telling you all the details. Those of you who know me in real life can check out the pictures on Facebook. For those of you who don't know me, I'm sorry. It's just way to much to tell in a blog!

So instead, I will tell you about my Labor Day staycation.

Baloo and I and four other people went backpacking in the Porcupine Mountains in the Upper Peninsula. The original plan was to go to Pictured Rocks, but somehow those plans got changed sometime on Thursday night. Baloo and I drove up to his parents' friend's cabin and spent the night, then met up with the group and caravanned up to the spot. It was a little teed cause we started late, but held my tongue since they're Baloo's friends and I wanted to have a good time. And it was fun. A little more than I expected, but I pushed through. I wouldn't say it was the most fun in my life, but I'm the type of person who has to complete the task before me. So when Baloo informed me that we would cover 14 miles in three days with all I needed on my back, I thought that this was a challenge I could take on. Besides, Baloo's friend brought his new girl, Scandalous, and I had to show her up.

And I did. I made the entire trip. I only had one meltdown the last day when gnats were flying in my eyes. But for the most part I did well. I had to tell Baloo afterwards that that's not the best way to convince me to like camping. I told him in the future we should start out slow by taking day hikes or camping for one day only. Not taking a 14 mile treck up in the UP during a vacation where I'd much rather be laying out in my hammock. But we were able to bond and do something that he likes. Which made me happy. And then he took me out for ice cream on the way home.

So that was my staycation. Nothing too exciting. But it was nice to spend some time in the woods with my tree loving man.

Interesting things I hear while I walk

2008-07-30T22:37:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I was walking about when I was stopped by someone I knew. He told me of an upcoming lecture he was going to and lamented the he didn't like it when 'fat people' sat in front of him and blocked his view. I'm not sure what kind of reaction he was trying to garner from me, but I wanted to tell him, "Honey, you're not thin yourself, so you're not going to elicit any sympathy from me." Instead I just gave him an awkward look.

I walked further and I passed the bus stop. Two men were standing waiting for the bus. As I walked by I heard one of them say, "Well, it's real fortunate because they reduced it to a misdemeanor." What is it about people who ride the bus who have convictions?

Today I went to the library. As I was checking out I saw a man who appeared to be gay. When he got up to the counter he was explaining why he had overdue books. "Someone broke into my house when I was in jail and stole my library books." First of all, I don't imagine that gay people go to jail. The only ones I've encountered have been well behaved and bring up property values when they move in. Second, that was a pretty elaborate excuse for losing a library book.

And as I was leaving the library, a very pudgy little boy was complaining that he and his mom had to walk to wherever they were going. "You need to walk, kid, you're overweight as it is." His mom said. Now, I have no problem with giving your children low self esteem and telling them that they're fat. My problem was that the mom had no business calling ANYONE fat. At all.

So that's what I encounter on my daily walk. People with convictions and folks who complain about those who are overweight. And we wonder why people aren't flocking to Michigan!

Too Mad for Words

2008-07-26T13:52:00.004-04:00

I've written about Laura before here. If you really care about the details of why I don't like her, that explains it.

Last week Baloo asked if I wanted to go to a party at his friend's house in Detroit on Friday night. I agreed, and since we would be spending the night it would be perfect because I was getting my hair done the next morning in Detroit.

Baloo drove from Ann Arbor and met me half way at a carpool lot where I picked him up and drove the rest of the way to Detroit. The goal was to save gas and money. About 10 minutes after we left the carpool lot, Baloo says, "In the spirit of full disclosure, I wanted to tell you that Laura is going to be at the party."

I flipped. I mean I was pretty pissed. Without going into everything I said, it boiled down to this. First, I found it very convenient for Baloo to remember that Laura was going to be at the party when we were in the car when I asked him specifically before who was coming and for what occassion were his friends throwing a party. Turns out, the friends were throwing a small get together for Laura before she returns back to Denver next week. I guess that slipped Baloo's mind. Second, there have been several occassions when Laura comes back to town. Baloo has invited me to join him and his friends and I have always politely declines. Baloo knows very well how I feel about her as I've expressed it to him several times. When she's in town, Baloo goes to hang out and I do other things. Third, Baloo put me in an awkward and difficult position. We were 1/2 way to our destination and I was going to be forced to interact with a person I'd rather have no dealings with. Instead of providing me with the details before we left the house (I talked to him on the phone earlier that day and he still didn't mention that Laura would be there) he broadsided me with the information on the way to the destination.

To say the least I'm pissed. On the good advice of Tiffy, I remained cordial at the party. Fortunately there were people there who I had a nice time with. I made sure to tell Baloo before we left the car that I was going to have fun. I was going to laugh and have a good time. However, that did not mean in any uncertain terms that I was fucking pissed with him and we would continue this conversation when we got home.

I do have to say that I slipped up by the end of the night. I was really tired and the only people hanging out were me, Baloo, Laura, and our hosts. I was drunk and tired and couldn't stop giving Laura the stink eye. I never said a mean word to her, but I couldn't control myself from just giving her an awful look. She's one of those people who makes me physically want to react when I'm in the same surroundings are her. She's not an honorable person. She doesn't have honorable values, and I react negatively to that.

This morning I got up and got my hair done. I left Baloo at our host's house. He decided that he wanted to play frisbee golf with his friends (and Laura) rather than go home with me. So he can get a ride back to his car 20 miles from Detroit from his precious Laura or whatever other friend who's willing to waste the gas on him. As for me, I plan on watching a calming movie this afternoon and wait for him to come home. So I can ask him why he feels the need to not honor my feelings and take Laura's side. It should be an intersting conversation.

Black Hair

2008-07-24T21:14:00.002-04:00

Something tells me that I've written about this before, but I'm too lazy to look. I'm super excited about CNN's series on being black in America. Although I don't have cable, I plan on going to Baloo's house tonight and watching the second part. One thing that I've already seen is a video on black hair seen here: black hair.

Here's an article if you'd rather read than watch: black hair article

It's true that black women have a love hate relationship with our hair. But I think any woman does. I think that relationship is unique for black women because our hair has been used in some ways to tell a story about who we are. Baloo HATES that I get my hair straightened. I'm going this Saturday to get my hair did :-) and he constantly tells me not to. He says he wants to see my hair as it's intended to be. I talked to my hair dresser about this and she rolled her eyes. She told me how much more work it was to have you hair in its natural state than to get it chemically straightened every month. Now, she may not be an impartial judge seeing that getting a press and curl costs significantly less than a straightening. I've thought about letting my hair go natural. Sometimes I experiment by not blow drying my hair after I wash it. It turns into a HUGE mess of tangles and craziness. I look like a wild woman. In truth I really don't like the way my hair looks right after I go to the hair dresser. I usually like the look when the style is about three days old any my natural fullness comes back.

But the stigma related to hair is also self inflicted. Directly after slavery, hair (and light skin) could be your ticket for an ability to pass for white and have more opportunities afforded to you. I remember when I was growing up women looking at young babies to determine whether or not they had 'good' (or more straight) hair. I was definitely not one of those babies. And then I look at some people who have 'natural hair.' A lot of those women have the ability to wear their hair that way because they are mixed with other nationalities that make their curls more long and spirally. My hair does not spiral. It's nappy. And, believe it or not, there are some women with 'natural' hair that get hair added and extensions to make their spiral curls look that way. So, in all reality, in the black community, hair was an indication of your rank. Now, that's not positive at all and I think it's something that was looked at as being important to older generations. But I hope as those old thoughts of whites die out who thought blacks were inferior, I also hope the old thoughts of blacks die out too who saw hair as an indication of your worth.

I guess you can say white people look at hair in a similar manner. Be truthful. How many times have you looked at some kid with a mohawk and made an assumption about their character? How about the girl who dyes her hair pink? You don't know anything about them, but based upon the way they wear their hair you've probably made a snap judgment about them one way or another. Now, the difference is that hair was not designed to be pink, therefore pink hair is not acceptable in the workplace. But in the alternative, black hair was not meant to be straightened. Therefore, is straight hair too not appropriate in the workplace? Would you argue that an afro on a black woman should be more accepted than a chemical process that makes it straight?

And can I tell you a secret? I'm a little frightened about what people may think of me because of my hair. I'd go back to wearing braids in a heartbeat because I really liked the look. However, it does provided added stress to the hair. But i often wonder what would happen if I went to a complete natural afro look. Would I not be as valued in the workplace? Would people label me as combative and aggressive (and not in the go-getter way but in the angry black female way)? Would people see my objections to ideas as not going along with the status quo? I'd like to think that I have a gentle enough demeanor that people would judge me by my actions, but I'm a pretty girl. I know that people are judged by their looks as well. I'd never admit it to Baloo, but I'm secretly scared that if I go to a natural look, I'd be viewed negatively. Plus, I like the ease that comes with my straightened hair. I don't see myself as trying to 'look white' but instead as being too lazy to wear my hair any other way.

What do others think? I know there are some white women who read here. I'm sure you've had similar experiences with a love/hate relationship with your hair. Do you have opinions on what you think about black hair? Discuss!

Scandalous

2008-07-18T22:03:00.000-04:00

So Baloo has this friend. Let's call him Marshall. Marshall has a new girlfriend. Let's call her Scandalous (cause that's what we call her). I first met Scandalous when she was with her boyfriend Charles. When Scandalous started hanging out with Baloo's group of friends, she took a liking to Marshall even when she was still dating Charles. She went as far as going on a camping trip with the group and sharing a tent with Marshall...even though she was still dating Charles. I have no idea what kind of lie she spun to go on a weekend camping trip.

Anyway, now that Scandalous has dumped Charles, she's dating Marshall. No one is very happy about this. And apparently Baloo had a talk with Marshall and told him it's not cool. But now that they're dating, I'm going to see much more of Scandalous. I'll probably do my best to exclude her and make her feel bad because that's in my nature. Baloo wants me to be nice to her since she's dating a member of the group. Whatever. She's not a very honorable person, and I don't know who thinks she won't cheat on Marshall just like she cheated on Charles.

I'm throwing a bbq on Sunday (cause Baloo's friends are gonna help me move my new, free piano) and I think she's coming. I need some evil but sneaky things to do to her. All comments are welcome!

The 80s

2008-07-12T14:37:00.003-04:00

Let me preface this by letting you know that I'm drunk. Yes, I realize that it's 3P on a Saturday afternoon, but damnit I work hard during the week and deserve to be drunk in the middle of the day when I should instead be cleaning the bathroom and doing laundry.

I'm an avid fan of Hulu and I was watching an episode of Benson, a show that I LOVED as a child. I will now post some themes from some of my favorite shows of the 80s. You know, when everyone was skinny, hair was feathered, Reagan was king, we weren't in a recession, and families loved each other. On television. With big hair and vibrant clothing. Ok. I'll shut up now. Let me know which of these shows you loved as much as I did!

Family Ties

My Two Dads

Small Wonder

Punky Brewster (I always thought she was pulling the puppy up by his neck!)

Benson

Head of the Class

Standing TAAALLL....On the Wings of my Dreams!

Ok, this theme was just cool!

227...Did anyone else watch this?

Black people made the best caretakers in the 80s!

Hitting The Bubble

2008-07-07T21:32:00.001-04:00

Hitting the Bubble

Well, the economic woes of Michigan have finally hit home. I could be talking about the value of my house, but I'm not. Well, I am, kinda. I got my tax bill today. My house is worth a considerable amount less than what I bought it. I have to say that I was pretty teed about that. I don't plan on putting my house on the market anytime soon anyway. Even after I finish my degree and decide to move. It's just not the right time.

But no, I'm not talking about the plummeting house values. I went in to the neighborhood pharmacy today to buy some stamps. The lady is really nice and she knows me by name. She seemed relieved that I was just in to buy stamps, but her face still fell when I tried to make small talk. She told me that I would need to transfer my prescriptions. They'd be closing the pharmacy section by the end of the month. I was devastated. For all the time I've been in this area, that pharmacy has been providing me with my birth control and other various prescriptions. The pharmacist knew me by name. They were even patient when my doctor's office faxed over the wrong prescription. They're also the only pharmacy downtown! Every downtown I've ever worked in has a local pharmacy. How could this be happening? The Michigan economy is how this is happening. With so many people forced by insurance companies to buy their prescriptions through mail order, the mom and pop shop is closing its doors. I asked the cashier what she was going to do. She said she'd try to keep the other sections of the pharmacy open. Selling soda, band-aids, over the counter prescriptions. But she didn't know how long she'd be able to do that, and whether or not she'd be able to make any kind of profit. I felt bad for her. She is always so friendly and happy whenever I see her. She and the equally friendly pharmacist don't deserve this.

I honestly don't know how much more of this people can take. I ran into my real estate agent when he was showing a house across the street. One of my neighbors defaulted on their mortgage and abandoned the house. I knew the neighbor quite well. Because I'm nosy, I asked my agent how much the bank was asking for the house. $41,900. No, I did not leave off a zero or put the numbers in the wrong order. $41K for a two story house that really wasn't in bad shape. I've stopped driving my car to work. Not because I'm hard up on cash or I have a long commute, but because I'm protesting the high gas costs, and it's better for the environment. Sure, most of the people on the bus seem like they have prior convictions, but I've been doing it for a few weeks now and I can already feel the change in my pocketbook. But how long will this last? I'm not sure what it feels like in other communities (maybe you commenters want to weigh in) but it feels like the Depression here in Michigan. And although I'm grateful to God that I'm not in any dire situation, I know just how easy it could be to slip and be among the masses. So when my friends ask me to come see them in this place or that, I'll probably have to say no (except for that trip to Japan. I saved for that!). And when you respond, "But Kiki, you have that great new job as Master of the Universe...surely you can afford to see me!" Just remember that I'm amassing my savings for a rainy day and hoping it doesn't get any worse in Michigan.

So now I have to find a new pharmacy. I'd really like to go with another mom and pop shop, but in all reality, there isn't one that is as convenient as the one I currently patronize. So that means I'll probably be going to Rite-Aid. And honestly, that doesn't make me very happy.

Vulnerable

2008-07-05T13:49:00.003-04:00

Someone made a purchase with my card! I've never felt so naked and vulnerable.

Because I keep careful track of all my money, I reconciled my online account with the account I keep on Quicken. Something didn't match. A $70 purchase from ClassicCloseouts.com. I recognized the company. I made a purchase from them back in college. A pair of booty shorts that I'm too embarrassed and too fat to fit into now. I never bought anything from them again because the clothes are basically grossly out of style. There's a reason why they're on closeout.

Anyway, it happened to be 12:45 when I checked my account, and of course, for drama's sake, my bank closed at 1! I put on a bra and off I went. I was able to close my card and learn a little more about this purchase. It was apparently made at 2P on a Tuesday. Hmm....I don't think my employer would find it very productive of me to shop for cheap clothing during the middle of the day at work. I wanted to think that I had somehow forgotten about making this purchase, but now knowing the the purchase was made online/over the phone in the middle of the day, I knew it was not a purchase I had made.

I don't know if this has happened to anyone else, but it's very frustrating, knowing someone out there has some of your personal information. Especially since I'm the type of person to keep things fairly secure. The card was still in my possession, which makes it even more creepy. How did someone get my card number plus the magical number on the back that is supposed to be your security code. And, because the purchase was made from a retailer I've visited in the past, part of me thinks the retailer might have made the charge. I have no way to prove that, but I think it's such a coincidence that a site I haven't visited in more than 5 years all of a sudden has a charge from me. And, when I tried to call the company to let them know about the dispute, there was no telephone number for me to contact them to be found. Suspicious.....

In the meantime I'm going to take a shower. I feel like someone foreign has been all over me...and not in the good way!

Grease Monkey

2008-06-23T19:05:00.000-04:00

This weekend I helped Baloo out with his car. He got considerably more dirty than I did, but I did hold the flashlight, handed him various tools, and brought him water and a sandwich when I thought he needed it. Otherwise I was either reading a book out in the yard with him or watching the hick neighbors across the street.

One thing that sucks about the Michigan economy is that it's tanking. That means that my property value has gone way down and many of my neighbors have defaulted on their home loans, abandoning their property. It was a really nice neighborhood when I moved in with kids playing in yards and young families. Now, only three of the original neighbors remain.

Our new neighbors are hicks. I won't call them what I want to call them, because that's just mean. But to be nice, I'll say that they're hicks. On two occassions I've seen the woman (who I believe owns the home) having a shouting match with her baby daddy - also her currrent boyfriend - in the front yard. On one occasssion one the nice neighbors stayed in his yard watching just to make sure the baby daddy didn't hit her. Baloo and I call them the domestic dispute couple.

Anyway, domestic dispute couple decided to do some yard work while Baloo and I were working on the car. Their plan? Cut down a tree that's been in their yard for probably over fifty years. That's one of the great things about my neighborhood. Even though my house is newly built, all the other houses are old. And I live on a nice tree lined street. I can only imagine how long some of those trees have been around. Well, apparently the tree in domestic dispute couple's yard was creating too much carbon dioxide, so it had to go. So, naturally domestic dispute boyfriend calls over his hick dad and friend to take the tree down. Since Baloo is a tree hugger, he knows the proper way to prune and remove branches. He even has all the equipment to do so. The first thing the boyfriend did wrong was he had no support or harness when he climbed the offending tree. Just a chainsaw and a wobbly ladder. Fantastic, I thought! This would be my afternoon entertainment. Watching one of them seriously hurt themselves and perhaps take out the power to the entire neighborhood! Next, they decided to take down the tree the true hick way. Instead of starting at the very top and taking down branches until you get to a managable size, they decided to take down as huge of a chunk they could handle. Which, of course, resulted in them also taking down their phone and cable line. Genius! At one point they tied a rope to a branch to guide it's fall after the boyfriend made the cut. Unfortunately, they all have 4th grade educations, so the limb began falling into the house. So, they decided to tie the rope off to the back of their truck for additional strength/leverage. Baloo looked up from under the hood of his truck and whispered to me, "that rope is going to snap." And exactly two seconds later, the rope did indeed snap.

What's very fortunate is that no one got hurt and they did very minimal damage. But, they did get lucky each and every time they let some huge chunk fall to the ground. They used no skill whatsoever. And when they had cut down the beautiful tree with no damage, they grilled out and had some beers and talked about their awesome accomplishment. Good Lord I can't wait till I finish my degree so I can move out of this state!

One of the People

2008-06-20T18:36:00.002-04:00

I took the bus to work today. I meant to take the bus to work and ride my bike back home, but my bike sprang a leak. So I took the bus both ways.

I felt so urbane. So one of the people. I sat up front and chatted with the bus driver. He was a nice fellow who told me where exactly to ring the bell to get off at my building! Such a nice character. And all the riders were nice and quiet.

And then I caught the bus home. It was like I was in a whole different world! The first bus I caught had all these clear plastic bags filled with clothing. Some of the African riders got off the bus and took the some of the bags off. Some bags remained. Then I got to the transfer station. That was a mess. There were tons of people standing around. Some loitering, not very many on busses. And there were a lot of security guards strolling around making sure everyone stayed in order. There were a lot of hoodlum looking no job having youths. Many with babies and baby strollers. I quickly found my transfer bus, put on my sunglass, and listened to my music.

On the ride home, there was a girl who didn't look older than 16 with her baby and what I guess was her baby daddy riding the bus. The baby daddy was talking to this lanky rough looking guy who was talking about almost being charged with a felony. When we approached my stop, I went to the front and asked the bus driver what was the best stop to get off at (I plan to ride the bus all summer) and a nice lady said that she lived on my street and she would show me. How helpful! We got off the bus together and crossed the street to get into our neighborhood. As we stood in the median, I saw the brown squished package and smelled something terribly foul. "I wish the city would come and pick up this dead animal. It's been here for two weeks," my new bus companion said.

And that was my adventure on the bus today. Damn you George Bush and these ridiculous gas prices! The end.

Reality

2008-06-12T22:43:00.002-04:00

For the first time in a while, I was really horny. I think it's the fact that Baloo is gone so many days at a time. The anticipation of seeing him throws me into a frenzy. I was surprised that I actually finished my workout tonight. Because all I could think about while on the treadmill was how I was going to tear him apart.

After the gym I went to Barnes & Noble and picked up the new David Sedaris book. That's Baloo's favorite author. I rushed home and took a shower, put on scented lotion and a flirty and fun Victoria's Secret nightshirt. I wrapped his book and called Baloo over. "Which one do you want to open first? Me, or what's in the box?" Sensing that the box wouldn't take long to unwrap, he chose that first. He was very surprised and wanted me to read it to him when he spends the night. He likes when I read to him cause I do all the voices of the characters.

But then, he didn't want to unwrap me. He was tired. He'd worked a long day out in the heat and he was exhausted. I told him that I understood and told him to go back home and rest some more. I was going to hang out at my house and we'd get together later on tonight. So he came over about 4 hours later. And now he's in my bed and I'm sitting here writing at my computer. I can't blame him. I'm tired too. But I only get in this mood when the earth is tilted just right on its axis and the stars are aligned and I stand on one foot and squint. Translation: It doesn't happen often. And he's tired.

I'm not mad at him or upset. I think this is just one of those moments when I realize that reality has set in. And, the world doesn't revolve around me. Just like there are many nights that I'm tired (or feeling obese) there are nights when he feels tired too. I guess that's what it means to be in a grown up relationship. This is harder than I thought!

Meah

2008-06-07T21:51:00.002-04:00

I'm sure people won't like that I'm saying this, but I really didn't like the Sex and the City movie. I went to the movie because a girl I met a while ago invited me to hang out with her and her friends. I'm rather a loner and don't like to meet new people, but because he'll be moving soon, Baloo wants me to start making friends. So, he encouraged me to go and meet new people.

I like the girl I was hanging out with. But we also hung out with some friends of friends as well. Anyway, we all went out to the movie. I felt the whole thing predictable...and a little pathetic. Maybe I have a different viewpoint becuase I'm in a relationship now, and when I liked the show I was a single bed hopper like Samantha. But I think that it's sad that these women are 40 and 50 and are still searching for love and the happily ever after. I've been in a relationship with Baloo for over a year now and I know we're no fairy tale. We're happy together. He doesn't buy me roses, but he holds me when I'm sad and cares tremendously. Instead of girls thinking of the happily ever after, they should look at this movie and see what happens to women when the wedding becomes more important than the relationship. But that's just my two cents. I also knew it was time to make my exit when one of the girls in our group said, "That was the best 2 hours and 55 minutes EVER" and, "I was bawling the whole movie." Sigh. I fear these women may have missed the point.

Or maybe I'm happily attached and coming from a different vantage point. What did you think?

Has It Really Been 5 Years?

2008-06-02T21:37:00.005-04:00

Baloo was sweet enough to come back to Notre Dame with me for my five year reunion. I can't believe I'm that old! It was a good time. Naturally the highlight of the trip was seeing Kipper. He's been hanging out in Indiana getting back to his roots or something. I'm not sure. I really try not to care. Other than that I got to see some friends I haven't connected with in ages, and friends who I mostly stalk on Facebook. I like how all my gay friends (yes there are gay people at Notre Dame) knew exactly who Baloo was just because they had successfully stalked me on Facebook. Good Lord I love stalking.

On Friday night, Baloo and I headed to the beer tent. Oh yeah, at Notre Dame, they have a beer tent that serves free beer from 9pm-1am. Then we went to the bar across the street, the Linebacker. We started out with our free drink - long island iced tea. Then I bought a round. Then Baloo bought a round. Needless to say, we were fairly drunk by the time they called for last call. Somehow we stumbled back to the dorm where I thought it would be an excellent idea to reconnect with some of the girls I lived in the dorms with back in college. So I went upstairs and grabbed one before she went to bed. I think I was so loud that I woke Vin up so she came out to investigate instead. Then Baloo and I went back to our room where we bumped uglies. Now, I know no one really wants to know about me and my steady bumping uglies. I mean, talking about sex isn't interesting unless it's anonymous and you steal something at the end of the night. But the reason I speak about bumping uglies now is because Baloo apparently blacked out. He 'finished' if you will, but he didn't remember anything happened the next morning. Fantastic! Kiki is back! If I would have known he blacked out, I would have stolen something from his wallet. Apparently he didn't remember visiting my friends upstairs when we came back from the bar either. I guess that's what Notre Dame drinking does to you.

On Saturday we took it easy and recovered from our hangovers enough to play some golf. I was really excited as I haven't played golf since last summer. I had the worst golf experience ever. Let's just say the Spirit of Notre Dame does NOT live at the Warren Golf Course unless you're an obsessive compulsive golfer. Now, in Notre Dame's defense, Baloo didn't make things easier by wearing flip flops to golf. But still, it was Reunion weekend and we were there to have fun.

I wasn't having an easy time on the course so we let a total of three groups play through since I was so slow. Every group we let play though was very appreciative and very nice. The golf ranger wasn't so nice. He came by while I was teeing off and spoke to Baloo. Apparently he very condescendingly told Baloo that we were being very slow and we should let people play through. Apparently the Warren golf carts have GPS so they computer on board tells you how many minutes behind play you are. If it hits the yellow, speed up. If it hits the red, skip a hole. We were consistently three minutes behind the group in front of us and never hit the yellow warning. I was so angry and naturally I played even worse. However, Baloo was wonderful and cheered me up, letting me know that we were just out there for fun, and we wouldn't let some cranky old man ruin our time. And we didn't.

So yeah, that was Reunion. It was fun. I got to see a lot of people and Baloo and I got to hang out. A good time was had by all.

Return to Nature

2008-05-26T20:44:00.004-04:00

Baloo and I had a wonderful time in the woods this weekend. We drove 3 hours west to Lake Michigan at Manistee where we met up with about 20 of Baloo's friends and went camping. I've been camping before. It was actually a graduation requirement at my high school. However, I didn't enjoy those trips as much as I enjoyed this one. I think the addition of alcohol was key!

It was a really good time. I'm beginning to like Baloo's friends a little more. We didn't do much besides drink and tend to the camp fire. I accompanied the boys on a frisbee golf tour where I fell in love with the moss on the forest ground and had to pick at every little bit that I found. On the tour I also got to frolick a bit on the beach by myself. It was rather cold and windy, but it was nice to sit and listen to the waves.

The next day the entire group went out to the beach because it was much warmer and we threw around frisbees and footballs and just hung out. Later that night Baloo and I took a sunset walk on the beach. How cliche! But it was nice nonetheless.

I'm sorry but camping is such a white folks thing. Not that I didn't enjoy myself. I had a wonderful time. But i have never had any of my black friends get together to rent a campsite and spend a long holiday weekend not showering and peeing in the woods. But like I said, it was fun. And in all reality, anything that involves drinking is just fine with me.!

Ok, We Better Update

2008-05-22T21:12:00.002-04:00

I feel like I need to give a better update. I have been gone for a while.

Baloo and I are doing very well. He started his new job about a month ago and he's doing very well. I'm very very proud of him. He comes home just about every day telling me some story of how he excelled at work. That makes me so so happy. He still hasn't moved to Ann Arbor so he's commuting just about every day. I haven't pushed the issue that he should move because it is nice to see him several times a week. But, I know that he'll eventually move. And I'm ok with that too. Because Ann Arbor is a great city and it'll be nice to have a bed to crash in when we do fun things down there.

I think that's really all the update that I have. I have a lot of travel plans this summer that I'm getitng hyped about. Not only is there Tokyo, but there's ND next weekend for Reunion, San Antonio and Dallas for 4ht of July, and possibly Toronto.

I hope to have more to write when more happens. But as it stand, it's nice to have some peace and normalcy in my life for a while.

Success

2008-05-22T21:05:00.002-04:00

Today I went to Express. I fit into a size 2 jeans! This is the first time this has happened since freshman year of college! Of course, the jeans had enough spandex to fill a 1980s aerobics class. And, I probably can't wear a size 2 in anything else in Express, but I had this victory. And for this, I am grateful!

Other than that, Baloo and I are going camping for the Memorial Day Weekend.

And, I've booked my flight to Japan to visit Tiffy in August! Here's to an amazing summer!

Update

2008-05-10T19:08:00.002-04:00

Hi Kids. Let's see, what do I have to report?

I'm so happy I'm done with school for this year (except my summer independent study). I feel like I have a weight lifted!

I picked out my bridesmaid dress for Roomie's wedding. It's here. I don't think I'll get in trouble for revealing it. Now if I revealed her dress, that's another matter! I'm really getting into this whole Maid of Honor thing. Right now I'm trying to find a caterer for her bridal shower. Let me tell you, it's a bit difficult trying to do that in another state. But it's fun nonetheless.

Oh, did I tell you I'm going to Japan this summer? I just decided this week. I'm usually pretty good with money, so when I got my tax return back I decided it was best to let it sit in the bank and eventually pay off my student loans. But then I started thinking about the fact that I've never traveled overseas, and Tiffy has been in Tokyo asking me to come and visit her. So I decided to not save my money but instead blow it on a trip to Tokyo. And I couldn't be happier. OF course, now Baloo wants to go with me. Problem is I want to buy my ticket this weekend and Baloo doesn't exactly have the $1500 to cough up for the trip. On the one hand I want to go with him and I would feel bad if he were going on a trip and didn't take me. But on the other hand, I feel like I deserve this because I'm prudent with my money. And as much as I want to travel to Tokyo with him, I can't do much about that if he doesn't have the money to cough up. However, we have some trips planned stateside this summer so we'll have plenty adventures nonetheless.

I think that's about all of interest that's going on around the homefront. If I can think of anything else, I'll be sure to share!

And She's Back

2008-05-05T19:31:00.000-04:00

I haven't been around in a while. For that I apologize. A lot happened this weekend, so let me recap.

First, I'm done with school for the semester! I have about a week off before I start summer session. And what a glorious week it will be. I've already decided to be active every day this week. This includes trips to the gym and climbing outside with Baloo. This semester was especially tough. I had a jerk of a professor, I started a new job, and Baloo will be moving away shortly.

Speaking of Baloo, I had a wonderful time with his family this weekend. We went up north for his mother's retirement party. It was fantastic. We met up with Baloo's brother and sister-in-law. We'll call them Randy and Mandy. On Friday night we went out to dinner with friends. Saturday we woke up and had breakfast. Mandy had a certifiable eating disorder in the past, so I was determined to eat less than her all weekend. It didn't work out so well. But at least I beat her at breakfast when Mama Baloo insisted she have another piece of French toast. I laughed a little inside.

Saturday was spent grilling and hanging with friends who came to congratulate Mama Baloo. Then they young'uns (Baloo, myself, Randy & Mandy) played a rousing game of Trivial Pursuit '90s Edition. I have to say I had a few beers on Saturday and then Baloo made margaritas. I was a bit tipsy but very appropriate. I think that's the first time I've ever been appropriate while slightly drunk.

On Sunday we went to church where there was a special presentation for Baloo's mom. She invited me to sit in their reserved pew at the church. Then later on there was a dinner in her honor at the school she's retiring from. It was so sweet that she mentioned me in her retirement speech.

Overall I really liked Baloo's parents friends. Everyone was very accepting of me and everyone was really friendly and nice. I couldn't have asked for a better relaxing weekend. It was also important that I spent more time with Randy and Mandy as I didn't hit it off quite so well with her at our first meeting. But we got along grandly and Baloo and I are planning a trip to San Antonio this summer to visit them and their new house that they just bought. All in all, I think I'm a shoe in to be a member of the Baloo clan (bears run in clan, right?). His mom loves me, other family members love me, it's really a win win.

However, I can't say the same for Daddy Kiki. We haven't been doing so well lately. I don't think I wrote about his emergency surgery. Well about 2-3 weeks ago he calls me at work to let me know he's going into surgery in 2 hours. It wasn't life threatening, but he was uncomfortable and it was something that needed to be taken care of quickly. I wanted to go home, but he kept insisting that I didn't come. A few days after his surgery I was still debating whether or not to go home. He finally convinced me that it wasn't necessary. In parting, I happened to mention that if I didn't come down then, at least Baloo and I would be coming down later that summer. Apparently that didn't fly with Daddy Kiki. His response was, "I don't think it's very respectful for you two to come down for an overnight visit. If y'all were married, that would be different." Now mind you, I didn't insist that we had to sleep in the same bed (like a certain roommate of mine….). In fact, I pointed out that there is an extra bedroom with a futon that Baloo would be happy to stay in. DK wasn't budging for some reason. Baloo and I have been dating now for 1.5 years and he's never met my dad. Yet, I've been invited up north on three separate occasions, have had multiple lunches with his parents in Lansing, and was invited up to the UP to spend time up on the lake.

DK's entire attitude is very tiring to me. I'm not sure what his problem is. Most fathers would be insistent of meeting their daughter's long-term boyfriend before he becomes their son-in-law. I talked to Mama Baloo about it this past weekend. I've decided that when Baloo and I fly down to San Antonio this summer to visit Randy & Mandy, we're going to drive up to Dallas and spend a total of one day (albeit a sleepover) with DK to force him to meet Baloo. I'm not sure what his problem is in being so resistant to meeting Baloo, but it's unwarranted and it's childish in my opinion, especially if he isn't willing to give me any concrete reason for his objection.

So yeah, things on that front are very volatile at this time and uncomfortable. But what can I do?

Thanks to all who wondered about my disappearance. I blame school! I hope that I'll have more time to devote to y'all now that the summer break is upon me!

Dealing

2008-04-06T20:50:00.002-04:00

This weekend was pretty uneventful until Saturday night. I returned a phone call from Daddy Kiki. We talked for a while and I told him about my plans for the night. Then he revealed to me that he took himself to the emergency room the previous day because he was in pain. Now it's nothing life threatening, but there's a possibility that he might have to have surgery. I felt numb. I think this is one of the very few times where I've actually had to take care of my dad. And it scares the shit out of me. I told you how weird it was to see my dad in the recovery room after his colonoscopy. Well this is going to be even weirder. Because they're actually going to be cutting him open.

I just feel like I'm under a lot of stress. I'm trying not to be too dramatic, but it's just not fun taking care of a parent. And it makes me think of how much time we actually have with our parents. Again, DK is not going in for any major surgery and his condition is not life threatening, but he is getting up there in age. And I'm trying to wrap my brain around how much of my life do I need to live independently, and how much of my life I need to devote to my dad. I already feel a little guilty for leaving Texas and moving to Michigan. But that's something that I needed to do for my own sanity. Now I'm considering leaving the country after grad school. Should I go? Will I be too far away from my dad? How much do I need to sacrifice to be there for him. These are the things I'm thinking about.

On a brighter note I think I'm going to start taking Hoodia. I know absolutely nothing about it, but I hear it doesn't give you the jitters like regular diet pills, and I feel that it's diet season for me. I'll let you know how it goes on the Hoodia.

Addendum

2008-03-31T22:35:00.002-04:00

I feel as if I need to post an addendum to my last entry. I kinda felt like a huge bitch. I think the problem is I'm really scared our relationship will change with Baloo leaving. He says that he has no intention to start dating anyone else, but something just feels weird. I'm really excited for his new opportunity. He's figured that he'll probably be leaving in about three weeks. So I have three weeks of next door neighbor booty calls. I'm trying to stay positive, but deep down I'm a selfish person and I keep thinking of how this will affect me. (Hey, at least I'm honest!) I've told him several times that I'm very proud of him. And I mean it. I'm just hoping that it doesn't mean that we'll end up broken up or something. Plus, I'm all hormonal right now so that's not helping anything at all.

Baloo also mentioned that he's thinking of subletting or taking out a short term lease initially just in case he decides that he wants to go back to school. I guess that's smart. And it makes me think that he's open to different things. I've already told him that I plan to go overseas after I get my degree and that he's always welcome to join me. We'll see where this goes.

There. I don't feel like quite the bitch anymore.

Yippie?

2008-03-30T15:20:00.002-04:00

Baloo finally got a job. Well, he got a job offer. I'm elated, sad, and a bit frustrated. Let's get to elated first.

Baloo will be moving to Ann Arbor to work as a tree hugger. I'm excited because I'll have an excuse (and a place to pass out) to go to Ann Arbor periodically. For those who don't know, AA is a very progressive, liberal town. The University of Michigan is located there (a state school that has the credentials of a private school) and there's a lot of things to do. It's only an hour away, so I figure I could visit a least twice a month.

I'm sad because Baloo will be moving away. I've grown accustomed to him being next door to me. For over a year he's been my boyfriend who lives next door. This makes him accessible to shovel my driveway when we get a heavy snow during the day, and preheat the oven when I'm on my way home and I need to cook. This has also proven helpful when I've forgotten my wallet at home and need him to run it to me at work. So really, he's my errand boy.

I'm frustrated because even though he will now be employed full time, he still won't be making much money. He'll be making the same amount I was making when I first entered the full time working world 5 years ago. And in all reality, I guess he can make it work. I did. I lived alone and paid my bills. However, I did live in low income housing...but that's another story for another day!

I like the fact that I can confess things on the blog. For example this morning. I remarked that I saw a food processor at Target this weekend for $40. Granted, it's not a Cuisinart, but I can't afford a Cuisinart right now. So Baloo suggested that his mother upgrade to a new Cuisinart and we can take the old one. I didn't like what he was implying. Instead of continually getting the hand me downs of parents, why not, I don't know, make enough money to buy something you want. Or make do with a lesser model until you can afford the good stuff. I hate how much a leach he is on his parents.

And that brings us to India. (You can tell I'm on a roll, right?) Baloo's Indian friend invited him to India this summer to attend his friend's sister's wedding. OMG! I was so stoked! A free place to stay in a land I've never visited? Sign me up! I checked online for some quick and dirty research this morning and saw that a single ticket would be upwards of $2K. Ok. I thought. I'll get my tax return back soon. Instead of buying that Ethan Allen furniture that I want, I could save my pennies and my tax return and hold out on the furniture. It's not like the furniture I have can't last me another year. Baloo on the other hand basically looked at the price and wasn't too encouraged. I feel really selfish. I really want to go to India and I'd have no problem leaving him behind. Just because I'm better at saving money shouldn't mean I can't partake in this fantastic opportunity. Not only the chance to visit India, but a chance to partake in an Indian wedding. How awesome! In fact, none of me feels sad that he possibly won't be able to go. Hell, I asked him to come to reunion with me (~$100) and he still hasn't committed. I asked him this way back in December to give him enough time to come up with the funds. I have a feeling that he probably won't be showing up.

So there it is. I said it. I'm a huge bitch. I'm glad that Baloo got a job and I'm a little glad that he's moving away. I want him to know how much sacrifice it is to get up and work every single day and to make the money you earn go far enough to support you. I don't know where this will take our relationship. I guess only time will tell.

Hello, Goodbye

2008-03-22T22:23:00.003-04:00

Hey kids. Sorry I've been AWOL. Baloo and I got a dog! And now she's gone. Here's the story: Two weeks ago I went to David's Bridal to try on bridesmaid dresses for my Roomie's wedding. The size I normally wear was a tad to tight, so naturally, I flipped the fuck out! I was so disappointed. So, being the wonderful boyfriend Baloo is, he offered to take me to the petstore to look at kitties so they would make me happy. While there we met Layla who was up for adoption. I've never been one for adopting a dog. At least not now in my life. Since Baloo and I aren't living together, I knew the dog would be living with me full time. I also knew that I would be paying for the bulk of her since I make more money than Baloo. I wasn't too excited about the details, but I was willing to try it.

Layla was super sweet and nice and well behaved in the store, and everyone remarked on how cute she was. And really, all I want in life is that have my dog be the envy of all other dogs. So, I volunteered to foster Layla for two weeks. If we liked her, we could keep her, and if it didn't work, we could return her, no strings attached. To make the situation better, her former owners had surrendered her because they ran out of time to spend with her, and they brought us her crate and toys and food so she could have familiar things at my house. It really was a perfect situation.

So we returned Layla to Petsmart today. It was harder than we thought. Baloo and I decided that we're not ready for a dog. We had a fight about a week ago where I pointed out that I'm not his sugar mama nor his crutch. Just because I have the house and the yard and the money doesn't mean that 'we' should get a job. I really felt as if he was having all the fun and I had all the responsibility. But on the plus side, Baloo did start actively looking for a full time job. I think he realized that he couldn't have me take on all the responsibility, so he took it upon himself to find proper employment. He's still looking, but I was glad that he manned up.

So that's the story of Layla. It was a bit easier to give her up since she did puke a few times within the past week. And last night she decided to pee on the carpet. Something she hadn't done in all the time that we had her! But I did feel a little sad when I walked away from her at Petsmart. So, to make ourselves feel better, we did some preliminary shopping for new living room furniture and then ate some Mexican Food! Hopefully I'll have more time to blog now that I no longer have a dog in my life.

Oh, and if you're considering adopting a dog (I'm so against folks who buy dogs) offer to foster them first. I know the shelter was happy to have us foster because it takes the dog off their hands for a while and you have an opportunity to spend time with the dog in your daily situations to know whether it's the right time or the right dog for you.

Michael Jackson Dance Party

2008-03-05T18:20:00.001-05:00

I had a pretty rotten day today. Not so rotten that it brought me to tears, but it was challenging. I called every one of my speed dials (Even Daddy Kiki!) and no one answered the phone. So I turn to you, dear blogsphere, to complain.

Obviously I can't tell you details as it's about work. But I will say that I'm learning that I'm going ot have to be the bad guy at work. I'm going to have to tell people 'no.' And I certainly learned that today. I have to tell people who are very much so older than I am 'no.' I have to expect that no one checks their work and treat everyone with kid gloves. I have to MAKE people listen to me. But more importantly, I need to realize that I DO know what I'm talking about, and not let others make me doubt that.

So, since I had a bad day and no one will take my calls, I've decided to crack open a beer and have a Michael Jackson dance party in my living room. All are invited!

Less Than Perfect

2008-02-28T21:35:00.002-05:00

I was having a pretty good day today until I went to class tonight. I got my midterm back and I got a 3.0. Now, you may say that a 3.0 is not a bad grade. Kiki, you may say, you work a demanding job and you're going to school full time. Be proud of yourself. However, I've become one of those obnoxious overachievers. Now that I have so many excuses (I have a ton of responsibilites and a demanding job) I've now told myself that I must overcome the odds and graduate from grad school with honors. Yeah, I know that it's a touch act, but I'm determined. So, I was pretty bummed as I came home tonight. But Daddy Kiki reminded me of a couple things. First, I do have something called the power of persuasion. I was the one in college who would go to a professor's office hours and argue why my grade should be raised. And it worked. He suggested that I do the same. Second, he reminded me that I'm pretty. And pretty girls don't make 3.0s. Which is right. And that's all the motivation I needed to argue my way up to a 4.0.

In other news, I feel that Brooks Brothers knows I have a new job, and they think I have more money. Back in the day I only got mail catalogues for J. Crew. And this made me happy, for I heart J. Crew so much. Although I have never paid full price for anything there. Now, I never get catalogues from J. Crew anymore, but since my change in jobs, I've gotten 5 Brooks Brothers catalogues. And I love the things in them! Too bad I still can't justify the prices. But let's look at some of the things I like, shall we!

Cotton Dobby Dress - $298 A little pricey, but so cute for spring!

For some reason, the picture for this won't come up, but I need it in my life. I don't need it for $3,500 though.

I just love this outfit. I could see myself wearing this. Prince of Wales line - a ton-o-money!

I also must have seersucker in my life. The prep in me requires it. Plus, it would be an addition to my ever growing seersucker collection!

And don't think any of this could be possible without seersucker shorts! I'm a sucker for seersucker! But seriously, $88 for shorts? I don't think so!

And last, but not least, I don't think I can live through summer without this hat. I would wear it everywhere. But alas, I do not have $300 to spend on a hat. If only......

Just Another Quiet Sunday Night....

2008-02-25T00:29:00.002-05:00

I haven't been blogging much because not much has been going on in my life. I'm working crazy hours at my new job and loving every minute of it, and Baloo and I are doing quite well. Tonight we went out with some his work friends and that's where things got scary.

So we went to the bowling alley with two other couples who were having a good time. All of a sudden, a fight breaks out two lanes down from us. Like a serious fight. With this dude covered in blood and police. Well, I kinda saw what happened. This big dude had the skinny dude by the hair. When the big dude released the skinny dude, there was blood everywhere and the big dude left. That's when I got scared. I was totally freaked out and thought the big dude would come back with a gun or something. Fortunately both guys left, the cops came, and we had a quiet rest of the evening. I was kinda hoping the alley would like comp our beers or something. It was pretty traumatic. But this is Lansing. What can I expect?

However I really am freaked out about people shooting up places. Since Virginia Tech and NIU it's really been on my mind. Especially since I'm in school again and in a classroom setting. The campus I'm at is very open and anybody can wander around. Plus, the campus is pretty huge. We had a scare last semester when some douchebag set off firecrackers in the stairway (of the only building I have classes in!) and some kids got so freaked out they jumped out of windows. That shit is real and scary, and I'm a huge believer that 'it can happen to me.' So yeah. Add that to my ever growing list of fears!

But I'm still here living life. Things are good. When something more interesting happens, I'll be sure to let y'all know!

Are You Sure You Want Me to Blog?

2008-02-16T03:03:00.002-05:00

So it's 3:00 a.m. and I'm still up. Don't worry. I've already passed out once tonight!

So I was just thinking to myself, "Did I take a Dulcolax or a Dexatrim earlier tonight?" See, I figured I'd take a laxative tonight because Baloo is out of town ice climbing, and I have a three day weekend. Why wouldn't I want to be regular? But I took the pills a few hours ago and nothing has happened as of yet. I have a lot of pills in a drawer in my bathroom and you'd be surprised how similar Dulcolax tablets and Dexatrim tablets look. Oh well, if I don't poo by tomorrow, I'll try something else.

So tonight I've been rediscovering Janet Jackson in prep for her new album drop. Currently I'm listening to Design of a Decade, Velvet Rope, and Rhythm Nation.

Sorry I don't have more interesting stories, kids. Maybe cooler things will happen later on in the weekend...stay posted!

The Flip Side

2008-02-15T22:16:00.002-05:00

I promise I'll have real blog material soon and not all this filler. But for now,

Yes We Can

2008-02-09T00:43:00.000-05:00

Addendum

2008-02-04T20:46:00.000-05:00

So I can't believe I forgot to mention this! I guess I was still upset about getting busted for the mini bar in my office......

So what did DK send me for my birthday? A SCALE! Last year he got me a nice pair of leather gloves. The year before that he got me a Cole-Haan purse. This year? A SCALE! Now, granted, it is a really cool scale with 4 user setting, BMI, body fat, weight, height, thought reader. But a scale?! Not only do I get to feel bad about getting older, I also get to feel bad about the weight I'm not losing as a result of me getting older. (Although, I'm sure getting busted for the mini bar was probably a good thing for my weight.)

So I've put the scale in the guest bathroom and have only stepped on it once. My next goal is to recalibrate it to read the weight I want to weigh.

It's My Birthday!

2008-02-03T16:14:00.002-05:00

Hey kids! Well I celebrated my birthday this weekend. It was a nice time. I completed a week at the new job, people generally like me, and my boss rocks! But that's all I can say about the job, so let's move on to the birthday!

Baloo and I went to Carmelo's for dinner. It sucked. The last time I was at Carmelo's was the winter of 2005. It had just opened and the owner was looking for a clientel. The food was wonderful. The service was customized. Baloo and I like to visit local establishments for our dinner outings. So, I decided to pick Carmelo's. However, I think we would have had better luck at The Olive Garden. Carmelo's is an Italian establishment. My dinner was less than good. I had Manicotti with a piece of Chicken Breast on top. The Alfredo sauce lacked any seasoning, and our waitress really acted like she was serving us fast food. And there wasn't a wine list. They just had a couple generic wines listed below the Coke products they served. I don't think we'll be going back anytime soon.

But afterwards we went home and had ice cream cake! I've never had an ice cream cake before and it was the only thing I asked for. And, Baloo delivered! Not only did I get the ice cream cake, but earlier in the week he finished painting my pantry so we could install my new pantry system (pictures to come) and he shoveled my driveway. Which was a great bday present in and of itself.

So yeah, another year under my belt, a new kick ass job, I think this year is turning out to be just fine!

Road Trip Success

2008-01-24T10:08:00.000-05:00

Well kids, I'm back from my road trip. It was a major success. Let's pick up where I left off:

On Sunday, Roomie and I went to the movies and saw Atonement. I recommend this movie. I thought it was going to be a romance, so I didn't want to subject Baloo to it, but it's much much more than a romance movie, and I recommend it to everyone. After the movies we came back home and watched the NFL Championship games and I got very drunk. But I rallied the troops because I woke up at 5A and started on my journey to Washington, DC.

DC was a blast! Baloo flew into town a couple hours before me so Kipper and Dr. Wave were nice enough to pick him up from the airport and take him to breakfast. They were so sweet that the didn't even give Baloo the gay while they were in his company alone. And for that, I am grateful.

Kipper, Baloo and I went and viewed the city while Dr. Wave stayed at home and studied for being a Dr. or something. We hit up the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial, the Korean Memorial, the DC Service People Memorial (it's a sad little memorial that's really covered by weeds), the WWII Memorial, the FDR Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, the Washington Monument, the National Archives, the Natural History Museum, the Air & Space Museum (and the Air & Space McDonald's...classy!), the Capitol, and the White House. We got to see everything on my list except the National Cemetery, which I think was a success. Baloo has never been to D.C. so I wanted to make sure he saw all the good stuff. I've been to D.C. more times than I can count, so the trip was really for him.

We went home and met up with Dr. Wave and I called one of my H.S. friends to come and join us for dinner. Beautiful (that's what we'll call her, mainly cause that's what I call her) has been living in the city for about a year, and she doesn't know too many people outside of work. So, naturally I had to hook her up with my alcoholic gay best friend. Beautiful brought a gay of her own, and the six of us went to dinner. It was a great success. Beautiful and her gay got along marvelously with my gays. However, the evening came to a halt at the end of the night.

Truthfully, it was my fault and I've taken the time to evaluate the situation and apologize to Baloo. As background, I guess I'm very concerned about what people think about me and Baloo. Especially new people. Now, Beautiful is not a new person. But I wondered what she would have thought about our situation. I just got a new job as Master of the Universe, Kipper is in nursing school, Dr. Wave is in Dr. School, and Baloo works part time in retail. I wanted everyone to like Baloo. Which really wasn't an issue, and truthfully, I made the situation worse. After dinner we all went to a bar to have drinks. When Baloo and I went to the bathroom, I told him that he was being too loud at the table. I didn't mean to offend him, just give him a pointer. Well, when we got home from the bar, the shit hit the fan. Baloo was upset that I was embarrassed of him (not the case) and we had been drinking and arguing....at Kipper's house. It was a bit embarrassing. But looking back at the situation, I see how I hurt Baloo's feelings, even if it was unintentional. I really need to stop looking for approval from other people and live my own life. It's something I'm working on.

But other than our domestic spat in our host's home (sorry, Kipper!), it was a wonderful trip. Baloo and I drove the 10 hours back to Michigan and we've had a nice time hanging out together here at home before I start my new job.

The End!

Blogging from the Road

2008-01-20T08:46:00.000-05:00

Hey Kids! I'm currently in Cary, NC visiting my college roommate, Roomie! I've been here for a day now and I've had a lot of fun.

I left Michigan on Friday and drove as far as Charleston, WV. It was a pretty uneventful drive for the most part. That is, until Google Maps failed me. Most of the time I like Google Maps. However, this time, driving through Ohio, the map told me to suddenly take a road that went West. Being the obedient person that I am, I followed the instructions. However, by this time it was dark, and I was feeling a little uncomfortable, so I called Kipper and asked him to look at a map and lead me in the right direction. Apparently Google Maps was leading me in some sort of circle. Being alone for the road trip, I was very nervous and wanted to make sure that people knew where I was at all times. Kipper told me to turn around and go back the way I came, but I decided to get on a little country road because I thought it would be shorter. I should have listened to Kipper. Driving through rural Ohio was one of the first times I actually felt scared. Highway 124 was more like Lynchville, USA. All I could think about was that woman who went to walk her dog in GA and came back decapitated. I prayed that I wouldn't run out of gas and the car wouldn't break down, because judging by the darkness and the abundance of double wide trailers, I knew this was the one place I didn't want to be stranded.

Fortunately I got out alive without incident and was able to get back on the highway and head on to Charleston. Of course, when I got to my hotel, I turned on my signal lights to make a left hand turn into the hotel parking lot when all of a sudden I saw flashing lights behind me. I had been on the road of nine hours and NOW I get pulled over by the cops?! The officer was really nice. Apparently I blasted through a stop sign. I put on my best southern voice and gave him a brief history of my trip so far. He saw from the rental car and my license that I was 'not from around those parts' and let me off scott free. What a saint!

The next day I woke up and drove the rest of the was to North Carolina. I was disappointed that I woke up so early in the morning, because the sun was not yet up and I couldn't see the mountains in WV and VA that I was driving through. The sun finally came up in Virginia and the mountains were beautiful. I even got a hoot about driving through the Jefferson National Forest and driving though the tunnels bored through the mountains! Oh, that reminds me. I have these animal fantasies when I drive. In Michigan I have a fear of deer jumping out in front of my vehicle. When I was driving through the mountains, I had a fear of a mountain lion jumping in front of my vehicle. Hey, I never said my animal fantasies made any sense!

So when I finally got to NC, we had to do the important tasks of bridesmaid dress shopping. I met one of Roomie's bridesmaids and off we went. When I was talking to Roomie about this trip, I was most excited about trying on dresses. Be careful what you wish for! The first bridal store we walked into, I froze. I was literally overwhelmed. I've never been in a bridal store before, and everything there was just too much for me to handle. For a good minute or so, I stuck close to Roomie and told her how scared I was. By the time we got to David's Bridal, I wasn't much better. There was so much fabric. It was scary. And then I got to the point where I hated trying on dresses. I was practically BEGGING Roomie to please save me from more dresses. She had none of that and tortured my further.

(P.S. This is the dress that I liked the best as her Maid of Honor. However, she thought it was too low on me. You know what I say? Screw her! I like this dress, and she's not the boss of me! Just kidding. I was a very good bridesmaid and I told her that whatever dress she picks, I will wear it with no complaints! Cause I'm a good Maid of Honor like that!)

We ended the night with me going out to dinner with her and her fiance. I like the guy. He makes Roomie happy and that's what's most important. He is a goofball, but I think that's his personality. Plus, he really wants me to like him. And I like when people think I'm really that important.

Oh, and because my Roomie is a hot shot in the health care field, she was able to diagnose a problem I've had for a while. See, a lot of times when I eat, my tummy gets funky and starts boiling because it hates food. Well, Roomie basically told me that when I go on a 700 calorie diet, and then go out to eat (like we did last night) my tummy produces too much acid, that that's what makes it angry. (See, I told you my tummy doesn't like food.) She said that I have acid reflux and suggested some OTC meds for me! Don't you love how freaking smart she is? Now, if only I could get her to start writing me prescriptions for some good stuff......

Tonight we're having a little AFC gamewatch here at Roomie's house. And, tomorrow I leave at 5A to travel to DC. Baloo is flying into DC and I'm driving. There, I plan to give Baloo a short tour of our Nation's Capitol and get drunk and crazy with Kipper and Co.!

More details to follow!

ROAD TRIP!!!!

2008-01-17T12:20:00.000-05:00

I'm making probably my first road trip alone. I'm so excited! I leave tomorrow and drive to NC to see Roomie. There we will shop for bridesmaid dresses and get drunk. Then I'm driving to DC where I'll meet up with Kipper and Dr. Wave where we will get drunk and visit Tequila Man and Chips & Salsa man. Baloo is flying out to meet me in DC where I'll take him around to see our Nation's Capitol. Then it's dinner with the Kippers, Baloo, and my friend from HS. Then Baloo and I are driving back to Michigan!

I can't wait to get on the road and start my adventure. Everyone pray for my safety and I'll be sure to provide lots of pictures and drunken tales!

He Was Right, I Was Wrong

2008-01-15T12:18:00.000-05:00

Did I tell y'all about my new pantry? My wonderful BFF, Kipper, hooked me up with some shelving from The Container Store for my pantry. I'm really excited as this is the first home improvement that I've done in the Dungeon. (Which really rocks when you buy a new home.) So I took out the old shelving and in the process, tore the paper off the drywall. Now there are some brown spots on the walls where the shelves used to be. Baloo told me that I needed to prime those areas first. But, I didn't believe him and I started painting last night. Naturally, the brown spots still showed under the white paint. Now I have to go back and prime those spots to make the job look neat and nice.

I don't know why I don't listen to Baloo. It's not like he's telling me wrong information on purpose. And, sometimes, he actually knows what he's talking about. Ok. I'm going to put more effort into listening to my boyfriend. Perhaps it's for the better.

You Still A N****r

2008-01-09T09:41:00.000-05:00

There's a song by Trick Daddy called America. The song talks about black men achieving the American dream. The song goes on to say that you can be a Dr. or Lawyer or, let's just go there, President. And to many people, no matter your accomplishments, you're still a n****r.

You only got 2 bucks and give less than a fuck -- then you a nigga
Got a nice home and a Lexus truck -- you a nigga
World champions and you M.V.P -- you a nigga
4 degrees and a Ph.D -- still a nigga
You use your platinum card for ID's -- then you's a nigga
If your skin is brown just like me -- then you a nigga
Got a promotion and a FAT ass raise -- you still a nigga
You from the islands and your peoples wasn't slaves -- you a nigga
No matter how much your ass get paid -- you still a nigga
Shot by the cops at a traffic stop -- cause you a nigga
That's why I hold toast too
I sell bi-coastal
International
They inter-catching you with satellites in deep space
Now...Who invented niggaz in the first place?
And said America is the original birthplace?
Who gettin' 10 - 20 - Life on they first case?
My niggaz

I'm very happy for Obama's success. I think that this country is looking for a change from the status quo, and the country may think he is that beacon of change. I personally choose not to discuss politics here. However, it was this article (it's short, y'all) that made me think of the implications of a black man as president. I wonder if the country as a whole is really ready. I fear for Obama and what he may face as a black president. Do I think he can rise to the challenge? Absolutely. However, I think about his wife and his two young children and hope that they are shielded from the hatred and bigotry that will inevitably come from his possible election.

The story about Tiger Woods made me think. The man is a millionaire many times over. He is one of the greatest golfers of our time. From what I have seen in reports about him, he's dedicated to family and those less fortunate. He's an upstanding citizen. However, comments like "lynch Tiger Woods in a back alley" still remain. It's sad, but I think Trick Daddy had a lot of truth to his message. No matter how successful you become and how much you blend into the established society, you're still a n****r.

Update: Sigh. I guess I've already written about this before.

Fat Tina Fey?

2008-01-08T09:56:00.000-05:00

So, after reading Jonathan's comment, I wanted to do a little more research into Tina Fey being fat. Of course, my research was limited to typing "Tina Fey Overweight" into Google, but I found that Jonathan was correct. A gold star goes to anyone who can produce a picture of tubby Tina Fey.

But that made me more angry. What right does she have to criticize Playboy or anyone else for reducing themselves to featuring only blonde, tanned, 98 lb girls? She gave into the hype too. Yeah, she said that she just decided one day to lose the weight. Whatever bitch! No one wakes up in the morning and just decides, "I want to be thin." No. We're bombarded with images of waif-like people and told that they're pretty and successful and rich. Or we know that in the industry we work in, the pretty skinny girl usually gets her way...or better ratings. So yes, I'm still on my unhealthy weight loss kick. But that's my damage. I'm just really upset that Tina Fey would pretend that she's so above the weight issue when she's a victim just like the rest of us. However, I'll still continue to watch 30 Rock. That show is hilarious!

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes!

2008-01-06T18:42:00.000-05:00

I'm back on the liquid/700 calorie diet. I decided this while on the elliptical machine this morning. It's easier to make these decisions when Baloo is not here. He's so hateful, saying mean things to me like, "that really sounds unhealthy" or "I like your body the way it is." Just pure hate. I'm actually really excited. I'm planning on dropping the weight before my birthday. This winter I tried to wear a dress to the office Christmas party and I couldn't zip it up. I was devastated. So, I'm planning on wearing the dress to my birthday dinner as a celebration for turning a year older and a size smaller.

I was reading an article in this month's Playboy magazine where they interview Tina Fey (NSFW). She goes on a rant about how the media (including Playboy) always seek out the girls that look the same. She said that back in the day, some women had nice bodies, and some women didn't. But now, people think that if you get a tan, dye your hair blonde, and weigh 98 lbs (I wish!), you too can be the flavor of the month. I took some solace in what she said, but I didn't find much comfort in what she said. Have you seen her? She's a tiny little woman herself, and she's had a baby too. Not to call her a lier, but I'm sure she keeps her weight and waist to a certain size because she's in TV. I don't think she'd have much of a career if she decided that after she had her baby, she was just going to keep her baby weight instead of lose it. Anyway, I thought it was an interesting rant.

That is all! Everyone have a good week!

BIG NEWS

2008-01-05T10:20:00.001-05:00

Despite the sexual connotation of the picture above, my news does not involve anything about sex. I got a new job! I will now be the new Master of the Universe! Not really. Y'all know I can't tell you what my new job is. But I am super duper excited, and I start soon! Commence to celebrating!

Aerobic Striptease

2008-01-03T23:36:00.000-05:00

Baloo is gone for 8 days to help his brother move to San Antonio. So, I have a lot of time on my hands. Before he left I ordered Carmen Electra's Aerobic Workout from Netflix. Today, I decided to see what it was all about.

First, I love one of her quotes. "Never underestimate the power of a finger in the mouth." You're telling me, sister! Actually, the workout was fun! I would recommend disc one. The routines were very easy to learn, and they're actually sexy. Even the warm-up was sexy. Carmen is the sexiest of the instructors. The other yuppies look really uncomfortable performing stripper moves. Meanwhile, Carmen looks right at home.

So I can't wait to perfect my routine and surprise Baloo when he gets home. It's good that I have goals!

Wake Up, People!

2007-12-25T23:38:00.000-05:00

I didn't know how to embed the video in my blog, but take a look at this link. Even if you don't read the whole thing, at least watch the video.

I think this has to go under my list of "Things I Don't Like About Texas." Sigh.

Click Here.

Things I Like About Texas

2007-12-24T09:17:00.000-05:00

I like that it's always sunny in Texas. When I arrived I was able to lay out. Not in a bikini. Lord knows I'm not skinny enough for that to take place. But I layed out in the front porch for about an hour. Then, by the time I went out to go shopping, the temp had dropped and the wind was so high I swear I was temporarily blown to Oklahoma!

Things are going ok this year with Daddy Kiki. I still don't like being here. Baloo told me to just suck it up and stop being so judgmental. It's weird being in a strange house. Everything is so different. And Daddy Kiki acts like a kid himself, so it's hard to be serious like I normally am. I guess I could find 1000 things wrong with this situation, but I have to make the best of it. I have a book, so that's been helpful. And, I've scheduled things to do everyday so we don't have a lot of free time on our hands. That's what causes the bickering. Baloo says I should just try to talk it out. However, we're not a cute black Huxtable family. When DK doesn't want to talk about something, he says, "I'm not having this conversation with you." and walks out. So you see what I'm going through here.

DK had a colonosccopy on the first day I was back. I don't know if any of y'all have seen your parents in the hospital, but it's not exactly fun. Seeing him all laid up in a hospital bed with tubes coming out of him and him being all confused from the anesthetics was not pretty. Which makes me wish he dies in bed one day instead of in a hospital. Don't worry. He wants it that way too.

Sorry I don't have any lovely interesting stories to tell. It's just that I really don't' like being here. I actually dread coming home every Christmas. I don't know if that makes me a bad person, but it does make me an honest person.

I hope everyone else is having a merry Christmas right now!

Update: Things I like about Texas include sitting out on Christmas day, soaking up some sunshine. I also like grilled turkey. Although I guess you don't necessarily have to have that in Texas.

This is something I DON'T like about Texas. Sigh. You'd think we would have progressed.....

I also don't like my Baloo being sad that I've been away for so long and that his family abandoned him for Christmas and he spent it alone with the cat. Somehow, I hope this teaches him to NEVER again leave me alone for another holiday. But, because I am human, I do feel sorry for him.

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!

Baking Queen

2007-12-16T00:08:00.000-05:00

I realize that it's after midnight, but I've put all my Christmas music on CDs and I plan on baking for the rest of the night. We're celebrating Christmas tomorrow with Ma and Pa Baloo and I'm baking Red Velvet Cupcakes. What do y'all think? I like to bake southern things to remind those Yankees that I'm a Southern Woman who knows how to cook!

Cashmere

2007-12-12T16:59:00.000-05:00

I don't have a lot of cashmere. It's hella expensive. And if I did own cashmere, I would wear everything in the J. Crew catalogue! However, I did wear a cashmere turtleneck to work today. And I dated it, fell in love with it, married it, and had tiny cashmere babies with it all during the course of a day. That doesn't make me weird, does it?

Drunk Again

2007-12-10T21:47:00.000-05:00

So I'm drunk. It was really an accident. It started with a glass of wine with my fresh slices of Parmesan and honey. Then one glass turned into four glasses while watching season 6 of Will and Grace. Then four glasses of wine turned into hunger. And hunger turned into two blue cheese stuffed olives and a shot of premium vodka. And now I'm here. In front of my computer. Not working on my take home final that's due on Friday morning. I'm so sick of writing. I've been writing for the last two weeks. Why do I have another writing assignment due. I blame the writer's strike. If they weren't on strike, I wouldn't be drunk. And listening to Kylie!

Let's Have Some Decorum

2007-12-10T13:07:00.000-05:00

Baloo and I went to the theatre last night to see Spamalot. It was a lot of fun. However, I had a complaint. Why don't people get dressed up to go to the theatre anymore? When I was in high school, one of my jobs was an usher at the live thetres in town. I had to wear a tuxedo and most patrons dressed up. Of course, when Jeff Foxworthy came to town, the patrons were dressed down more, but for the most part, women wore black pants/skirts, and the men wore khakis or nice dress slacks. I was appalled last night. I saw so many people in jeans. Both young people and adults. I even saw one person wearing jeans and a Camo jacket. Come on people. If you're going to pay more than $50 for a ticket, the least you could do is wear something nice. I'm not asking for ball gowns and tiaras, but just look like you showered and tried. I was especially mad at the parents for not making their teenagers dress more appropriately. However, the parents were fashion victims as well.

Other than that, the production was great. Baloo has a great time as he really likes Monty Python, and he was able to get a picture with a part of the cast, so that made him happy as well. It's nice going out like that with him.

So, what do y'all think? Are jeans appropriate at the theatre?

Not Quite Sure

2007-12-07T09:53:00.000-05:00

I don't know how I feel about Baloo's Sister-in-law, Julie.

First, let me explain something. I don't have a lot of family. And I LOVE it that way. I don't like to have a ton of people around. I have a total of 5 friends, and I like my life uncomplicated and quiet. I guess you can say when it comes to friends and family, I'm very conservative. Growing up, we didn't have a lot of people coming in and out of the house. Daddy Kiki didn't have any outside friends, and we liked our life that way. Ok. So let me tell the story.

I came home last night in between work and class to stop by and meet Julie. When I walked in the door, Old Man Baloo and Baloo were coming from downstairs where it had appeared Baloo gave his dad the grand tour. Already I wasn't happy. I don't like strangers going all through my house. And I don't like Baloo giving a tour of my house like it belongs to him. I didn't say anything at the time, but I took notice.

Old Man Baloo also liked to touch things. I grew up in a house where everything was nice and in it's place. It's not that I couldn't touch things. That wasn't the case. It was just that when I went to someone else's house, I was very behaved. I kept my hands in my lap, sat quietly, and only spoke when I was spoken to. Old Man Baloo was everywhere. He was examining my cell phone, which I laid on the counter. He constantly was going to the window pulling back the sheers to see if his buddy was up the street. (This would have been a no no in my house!)

Then Julie finally came out of the shower. We only spoke for a second because I had to jet off to class and she was getting ready to go to a dinner.

I was concerned because Julie would be returning back to my house before I returned from class, and before Baloo got off work. That meant I'd have to face Julie on my own. At first I thought I would just stall and run errands, but then I thought, "This is my house. I shouldn't have to hide from MY house." So I went to the store, picked up a bottle of Ketel One and some blue cheese stuffed olives, and headed home.

And that's when Julie and I spent some one on one time together. I went in an offered her a drink. She refused. We were already off the wrong start. She explained that she does drink, but that she didn't want to drink so late at night before her interview. No excuse! Besides, we were only having one drink, and I thought it would help break the ice. So I sat on the couch and watched Grey's (which I never see due to class) and she went into the office and worked on my computer. Ok. She came and watched the last 15 minutes of Grey's with me. She was really quiet and shy. And I was trying to be more open as well. During the commercials they were showing clips from the upcoming Barbara Walters Special of the 10 Most Fascinating People. When I saw Vickie B. I announced to no one in particular, "I LOVE HER." And I do. I love Vickie B. I feel like I could drink with her and make fun of people. And I feel she would call me names cause I'm not as thin as her and then I'd develop and eating disorder and we'd become even greater friends. That's how I see it working out. Anyway, so I tell Julie that I love Vickie B. and she gives me this look. I tell her that Vickie is very down to earth and funny and that bitch face she puts on is just an act. "Why would anyone not want to let people see the real them?" Julie asked. Oh dear. I wanted to tell her that it's always better to be aloof, because people are evil and only a select few should know your real personality (this coming from a girl who had about 3 aliases when she was single and dating). Julie didn't agree. I wasn't liking this.

She ended up going to bed before Baloo came home. I asked her what her plans were for the rest of the week seeing that her flight doesn't leave until Tuesday. She said she didn't know. She asked if she could leave her stuff here. She might go up north and spend some time with Baloo's family. But she didn't know. It kills me that she doesn't have firm plans.

I talked to Baloo about it last night. He brought up the fact that Old Man Baloo thought the house was properly constructed. That's when I told Baloo that it's not his house and he had no right to take his father on a tour of MY house. He said he was sorry and he understood. I don't think I'll ever be Julie. Julie is voluntarily going up north to spend time with Baloo's mother without the protection of her husband. I could/would never do that. I fear I may get drunk and insult someone or just plain be mean. Not because I don't like his family. But because it's what I do when I feel uncomfortable. I drink and say inappropriate things. It happens. Baloo said he didn't want me to be Julie and if I never want to spend and unsupervised afternoon with his mother, he completely understands. And he's understanding how I like MY things and I don't like to share and he's going to have to respect that.

So that's my story about meeting Julie. I just feel that our families are totally different. Daddy Kiki is very proper. Our family doesn't talk about things. Save that we're black, we'd make the perfect WASPs. We're a bit uptight with strangers, we're fairly judgmental, we have proper manners, we don't touch things, we're not loud, and we only like our own. God help us all if these two families ever meet!

Update: I forgot to add that Julie has yet to provide me with a 'thanks for letting me crash at your place' gift. I find that very rude and not at all proper etiquette.

What Should I Name This Post?

2007-12-06T12:21:00.000-05:00

Baloo's Sister-in-law, Julie comes into town today. I'm really nervous. When Baloo told me that I may get home before he does and I'll have to meet her by myself I totally balked at that. I'm determined to go to Target or Best Buy after class just so I don't have to meet her by myself.

Baloo and I have been arguing lately about his inability to be a grownup. I think that I bear most of the responsibility in the relationship and I called him on it. So we've been dealing with that for the past couple of days. He broke down and told me last night that all he has to bring to the relationship is his student loan debt. And he's afraid of that. Finally! We get to some answers! I don't plan on helping Baloo out with his student loans. That's his debt. Just like my loans and my mortgage are my debt. But I will try to help him spend his money wisely and we'll get through it together.

I was also complaining (I'm on a roll) about how I'm not comfortable with Julie staying with me because I don't know her. Baloo told me that there's nothing we can do now but make the best of the situation and I need to "just deal with it." WHAT? Did he just talk back to me and take control of the situation and shut me up? OMG! He totally did! And I liked it! I didn't have a leg to stand on after he said that. I like the new take control Baloo.

And he ended by saying, "If you want to be a part of the family, you have to get along with the family. And Julie is part of the family. So play nice. I know you're going to love her." And that was that. I guess if I want to get serious about being a part of the family, I have to play nice.

What Goes on Inside My Head

2007-12-05T09:15:00.000-05:00

The following are things I wrote down in class last night:

I sat in class today and could think of nothing besides a Ketel One Martini with a blue cheese stuffed olive and a splash of olive juice.

I had a meeting today with a 98 year old man. I kid you not. And he had all of his faculties. I think he could beat me in a foot race.

Baloo left his phone in my car last night and he frantically IMed me at work looking for it. I found it. And I had access to all of his phone numbers. So I stole the good ones. I'm crafty like that.

Hello New Reader

2007-12-03T15:35:00.000-05:00

I have a new reader. Well, she's not really new. She's been reading my blog for a while but has just become a regular reader. Everyone say hello to the new chica. Also, encourage her to sign up so she can post comments. Now I' have to update more regularly to keep an audience.

So Baloo's sister-in-law is coming to visit this week. Well, she's not so much coming to visit as she has some job interviews and The Dungeon is her new hotel. And this is the week that I have TWO 20+ papers due! I'm anxious to meet her, but it's just really bad timing. So anyway, I got kinda peeved at Baloo last night. Because I like being passive aggressive. I was kinda peeved at Julie (his sis-in-law) because she has made all these plans about her schedule and no one has communicated anything to me. No phone call or email or anything. But Baloo was a good boyfriend and cleared the air last night and we've been exchanging emails. I think I'll like her because her husband (Baloo's brother) told me that I was just like Julie. The only thing I hate about Julie already? She's hella skinny. Like 'had an eating disorder in the past' skinny. And you know how I feel about people being thinner than I am even though grad school is turning me into a 700 pound obese pig!

Sigh.

Oh, well, as long as she likes to drink and make fun of others, I'm sure we'll get along famously.

Sex is Unfair

2007-12-01T19:14:00.000-05:00

I'm sitting here supposed to be working on a paper, but yet I'm thinking about sex.

Do you ever think sex is unfair? And when I say unfair, I mean unfair for women. If you want a quickie, it's almost like eating a piece of chocolate. Sure it tastes good and you can savor it, but you don't get the full shebang like boys can. I find it frustrating. It's not fair that men can get off each and every time they have sex. Yet women need perfect lighting, the right smells, and the right mood. Sorry, I don't know what brought that on. Sex with Baloo is actually great. I have no complaints. But I thought I'd just mention that.

In other news, I have a paper due on Friday. I thought said paper was due in two weeks! Oops! Fortunately for me, I've done all the research and it's on a topic that I'm intimately familiar with. I should actually be typing on this paper instead of typing on my blog. Minor details.

Does this make me a bitch? So you know Baloo's BFF, Bug Eyes, who I don't like. Well we went to Ann Arbor last night to celebrate Doug's 30th birthday. Apparently Bug Eyes and Doug went out many moons ago. Doug ended up rejecting her and Bug Eyes is still in love with him. Well I met Doug's new love interest last night. I like her. I've met her before and she has a great career and lots of money. So obviously she meets my approval. But am I a bitch because I'm glad that Doug is with someone new and happy and Bug Eyes will probably be jealous and miserable to find out that he moved on? I know, I'm evil. I better watch out. Karma is a bitch. Oh, and Doug's new love interest also has bug eyes. But she's skinny and has self made money, so she's much better than Bug Eyes. Maybe Doug has a thing for that. Who knows.

Ok, back to the paper. Wish me luck. In the comments. To prove you love me!

Reunited

2007-11-29T12:02:00.000-05:00

So I’m sure everyone by now knows that there was some major tension between myself and Baloo. Well this is what happened.

Baloo came home on Sunday. I made sure not to be anywhere around when he arrived home. So, I went to the office for a bit to get some work done. When I came home, I summonsed him over and we had a talk. Baloo was pretty upset. There were tears on his part. I told him that he was selfish for not inviting me and selfish for thinking I would drive all the way to Chicago. I told him that he’s been selfish in the past and I was basically considering whether or not I was gaining any benefits from being in the relationship. He said that I’m the best thing that ever happened to him and he wants to do right by me. We talked for a long while before I told him to leave. I don’t know what I was thinking, but I gave him all his stuff that he had at my house (which is really just some DVDs) and I told him that I would call him when I wanted to see him again. I was pretty livid. So that was that.

About 2 hours later I finally broke down. I previously didn’t cry about any of this. The anger had just taken over. I called Daddy Kiki and told him what happened. DK said that I had to forgive Baloo because it was the Christian thing to do. So I called Baloo over and we talked and cried and made up. Baloo said that he would finish out this semester and find a full time job in his field. I think he’s seriously thinking about us being together for an extended amount of time and looking towards the future. I couldn’t be happier!

So, in conclusion, Baloo and I were kinda broken up for about 2 hours. We’re back together and I can see a change in him. I’m so glad that he’s looking towards getting a job in his field so we can start saving money and planning things.

I guess that’s all I really have to tell you about that. I’m just glad that we’re back. I missed him and he’s learned to think more of others. So, all is good!

Progression of Emotions

2007-11-24T20:15:00.000-05:00

Baloo comes back tomorrow. I can't say that I'm looking forward to his return. I've talked to two of my best friends tonight. One told me to be open to his apology. The other told me not to make rash decisions when I'm angry. I actually can't believe that I'm still angry. I'm usually the type of person who will give you the silent treatment, and then get over it by the next day. But it's been over a week and I'm still angry. I've done a lot of things to take my mind on it. Mainly write one of my papers. Or do research for one of my papers. I'm so lost. I have no idea what I really need to write about and it needs to be 20 single spaced pages. Yeah. I'm not looking forward to that! Good thing it's not due for a couple of weeks.

I cleaned his truck yesterday. Why? I'm not sure why I did it. I planned on doing it for him while he was away to surprise him. Before he had his whole family pressuring me to drive to Chicago. I did a good job of cleaning it. I threw out all the trash, vacuumed the carpeting, cleaned the dash, Windexed the windows and took all his recycling to the city dump. I even took his bottles to the bottle deposit and put his money in a place where he could find it. I don't know why I was so nice. Maybe I think that by doing nice, he can see what it's like and will be more likely to be nicer to me. Who knows.

I don't know what I'm going to say to him tomorrow. Tonight I'm feeling that I can do better by myself. I feel like I constantly have to teach him how to act like a proper human. I have too many other things on my plate to raise a grown man. I have no idea what he wants to do with his life. I don't know what his potential 5 year plan is. It makes me crazy. Roomie told me to make a list of pros and cons. I wish I could. But right now, all I can think of are cons. I really want to call Daddy Kiki and talk about this. But I can't. Because when Daddy Kiki finds out that the man who supposedly loves me didn't invite me to Thanksgiving Dinner, Daddy Kiki will flip his shit and tell me to dump him immediately. Maybe I don't want to tell Daddy Kiki because I know what he'll tell me would be right. I really need to talk to an adult right now to help me figure this all out. There are so many things that I don't know about all of this.

All I know is I'm not looking forward to seeing him tomorrow. In fact, I plan on hiding out at the office writing and doing research so I won't have to look out my window and see when his parents pull up to drop him off.

Happy Thanksgiving?

2007-11-22T17:24:00.000-05:00

We had a huge fight. Probably larger than any fight we've ever had. So remember how I told you I was going to Chicago for Thanksgiving at the last minute? Well I didn't end up going. This is what happened:

After talking to Baloo's mother on the phone, I felt that I didn't want to snub her invitation. So, being a good Southern woman, I went to the supermarket on my lunch break to buy ingredients for the Texas Mac & Cheese I planned on making that night when I arrived in Chicago. But I broke down in the car. I called Baloo and yelled and screamed. I didn't want to go to Chicago at all. The forecast was predicting snow, I wouldn't get off work till 5 p.m., I hadn't eaten all day, and I really didn't want to spend the next four hours alone in my car driving to Chicago. I let him have it. I told him that I felt backed in a corner by having his mother call me and his brother text messaging me both asking me to come. I felt like I was doing something I didn't want to do. So I decided not to go. I told Baloo that he was selfish and he never thought about what I would have to do to get to Chicago that night and that he needs to grow up and start thinking of other people. I was happy with the decision that I made and I was excited to start the holiday alone.

Since then, Baloo has been sending message after message on Facebook. I know that he's sorry and that he means well, but I feel like I have to stand my ground. I know that he feels shitty right now, and I hate not talking to him, but I feel that he needs to understand how much he needs to grow. Does that make me a bad person? I really don't feel like talking to him or even forgiving him right now. But each text he leaves or status update he gives on Facebook is more and more depressing. After I asked for him to leave me alone for a while, he has given me my space and has stopped texting me, but I still feel bad. I don't like to see him hurting, but I also feel like I can't cave in to his whining. And to make matters worse, I had an ex-boyfriend text me today asking how my holiday was going. When he found out that I was spending the holiday alone, he offered to come and break Baloo's kneecaps. I found that very endearing. Sigh. Maybe I'll just go and work on my papers a bit. That should take my mind off all of this.

In other news, I did make the Turkey Cranberry Ravioli and the Texas Mac & Cheese today and I ate it. It was very yummy. I also talked to my dad and wished him a happy holiday. I didn't tell him that Baloo didn't invite me. That would just give Baloo one strike against him when he finally meets Daddy Kiki. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!

Never Underestimate the Power of a Mother

2007-11-21T12:24:00.000-05:00

So looks like I'm going to Chicago for Thanksgiving.

Baloo left last night. His family came to pick him up and they all drove to Chicago to be with family. Meanwhile, I went to class. While in class I received the following text:

I know you probably wont, but please come to Chicago. you can stay the whole weekend or however long you want. if you stay the whole time I'll ride back with you. You are wanted.

I wasn't going to play his reindeer games so I told him that I was content to spend the holidays in my underwear drinking wine and watching movies, so leave me alone.

And then today I received a call from Mama Baloo. Apparently Baloo had confessed to his family that he totally dropped the ball and never invited me to spend Thanksgiving with his family. She apologized for her son and told me that he's an idiot and that I should really come to Chicago tonight. She told me to swallow my pride and just come. I can't argue with Mama Baloo. So, at 5P I plan on hitting up the grocery store to get ingredients for a side dish, and then driving the four hours to Baloo's folks' house. Wish me luck.

These are a Few of My Favorite Things

2007-11-20T09:53:00.001-05:00

My baby's gone. Well, not really. He leaves at 5P to go to Chicago to spend Thanksgiving with his family. I think he's finally realizing how much it's going to suck with me not being around. He's such a silly man. He pretty much wouldn't let me out of bed this morning because he knew that he wouldn't see me for another 5 days. It's cool tho. I'm actually excited about having so much 'me' time. I plan to not shower, watch Big Love, LOTR, and work on my papers. And I'm going to cook. I've decided on my Thanksgiving meal. I'm making Turkey & Cranberry Ravioli. I'm not a huge fan of Giada De Laurentiis. I think it's cause I don't like how perfect her boobs look when she's cooking. And the fact that Baloo looks at her boobs when she cooks. But I thought this was the perfect recipe to put me in the Thanksgiving mood.

I know I was asked what I want for Christmas. I want a lot of things actually. Mainly I want a new wallet from Kate Spade. The one I want isn't online, but it's basically the pocketbook design. I've had my current wallet since I was 16, and frankly, it's not falling apart. I just need an upgrade. I think Baloo may be getting me ski clothes for Christmas. I'm super excited to learn to ski with him. I think it'll make the winter much more enjoyable. I guess I can tell y'all what I plan to get DK and Baloo.

Daddy Kiki
Breville Juicer

Denzel Washington Movies

Baloo
Orvis Leather Bound Map

Lighter

Ralph Lauren Lounge Pants

It's Not Christmas

2007-11-16T12:00:00.000-05:00

There's a house in my neighborhood who already has their Christmas lights on their house. And turned on at night. Every time I pass by it, I end up shaking my fist at the house. Seriously, people. Let's get through one holiday before we start celebrating another.

This is What I've Been Up To

2007-11-14T09:57:00.000-05:00

Hi Children (yes, y'all are all my blog children)! How is everyone doing? I'm fine. Just been hella busy. Grad school is kicking my ass, but I love it so much. It's like an abusive relationship. Grad school only beats me because it loves me. And I stay with Grad school because I probably did something to deserve that beating in the first place.

But seriously, I think Grad school is the best confidence booster. Just make sure you go for something in the liberal arts field. I've had 3 assignments so far this semester and I've made A's on all three. It's great. It's like you get an A for effort. And that makes Grad school that much more enjoyable. Sure, I stress out because there's a ton of reading that I can't find the time to do (I'm working full time and going to school part time) but the subject matter is something I'm really passionate about. I have 2 papers due at the end of the month, and one paper I'm actually so excited about I don't think I'll be able to limit myself to 20 pages. Yeah, I'm a HUGE nerd like that.

I had a weird dream last night. I was at a company with my co-workers and the company put out a lunch buffet for us. I put a few things from the buffet on my plate, and as I did so, the servers brought out more food. Well, I put my plate down to investigate the new food, and when I did, someone stole my original plate. This kept happening for the duration of the meal and I didn't eat anything (which isn't a bad thing). When I told Kipper, he said that it sounds like I should be happy with what I have and stop looking ahead and planning things and enjoy the moment. I think Kipper is a selfish know it all who should just stick to being gay and not try to be Dr. Phil! (Not really. I value his opinion. But how weird was it that I had such a deep and thought provoking dream. That's not like me.

On the Baloo front, things are going surprisingly well. We've settled into each other and things are pretty fantastic. We did have two hiccups I want to tell everyone about. The first involved TGiving Day. Apparently his whole family goes to Chicago and spends TDay with cousins, aunts, uncles, the whole bit. Well, I wasn't invited and I got pissed. At first Baloo said the he's never invited a girl to TDay and I pointed out to him that his other girlfriends had families in the area so they had their own things going on for TDay. He then said that he didn't want to subject me to 5 days in a cramped house in the suburbs of Chicago. I told him that he could have just invited me up for the day. I could have driven or taken the train. I was mostly disappointed that he didn't discuss any of this with me to find out what my plans were. My traditional TDay includes me with a bottle of red wine and the Lord of the Rings Trilogy (3 years going strong!). I was sad that I wasn't included and we talked about it and he finally got the message. He invited me to take the train up for the day to spend with his family, but by that time it was too late. I'm slowly forgiving him, but I was pretty hurt by his thoughtlessness.

Then the second thing in Baloo world was apparently my fault. See, I'm a pretty blunt person. I speak my mind and I don't hold back. I tend to hold back when people's feelings are at bay, but that's not always the norm. I told Baloo that I'm going to be looking for overseas jobs after grad school and I asked if he would join me. He said that he most likely would. Then I told him that I don't believe in living in sin. And I know what y'all are gonna say. Wait Kiki, y'all spend the night at each others houses, but you don't believe in living together? Yes. That's what I believe. It's a me thing. Just deal with it. And then I apparently made the biggest mistake I could have ever made (according to Kipper). I asked "do you think we'll ever get married?" Now, you have to understand. I don't like to mince words. If I want an answer to a question, I ask the question directly. Kipper chided me and told me I should have asked "where is this relationship going?" Oh well. I know for next time. But Baloo responded 'possibly' and I'm pretty satisfied with that answer. At least I put it out there and he knows my position on living in sin so we'll see what happens. And if not, I always have an overseas job to look forward to with lots of foreign men! It'll probably make better blog material anyway.

So that's what's been going on, kiddies. Hope everyone is doing well, and I'll try to update more frequently in the future.

Being a Grown-up Sucks!

2007-11-02T13:06:00.000-04:00

I hate being a grownup.

This morning I woke up to find mold on my boots? After doing a short search on Google, I found that the mold is due to not enough ventilation in my bedroom closet. After discussing this with a co-worker, I was told that I need a dehumidifier in my house. Yeah! News to the Texas girl. Goodbye $200.

Next, I thought about my brakes. They're pretty bad. So bad that I've figured out a system of stopping at lights and stop signs with minimal pressure. It's good to drive a stick. So I've decided I need to break down and get a break job. I have no idea how much that will cost.

And then I thought about my poor monitor at home. It's from college and it likes to give out on me. I've resorted to keeping it off most of the day (which I should have been doing in the first place) and turning it on only when I'm using the computer. So far, I haven't had to drop money on a new monitor....yet!

And I was so excited because I was planning on going shopping for some cute fall/winter clothes as a reward for getting all my reading done before my in class essay on Tuesday. Guess I'll have to put that off until next week.

I'm sure none of this would be an issue if I just resorted to putting things on my credit card and forgetting about it. But I'm extremely careful with money and I believe that I shouldn't buy something if I don't have the means to pay it off immediately. Which makes life in the short run kinda sucky, but life in the long run kinda bad ass!

Overall, being a grown-up sucks!

Here are Some Things I've Thought About in the Last Few Days

2007-11-01T09:21:00.000-04:00

You never know when you're being watched. Like when I went to the gyno and was sitting in the room in my stylish hospital gown waiting for my doctor to uncomfortably probe me, I decided to stare out the window for a bit. And I watched a drug rep get dressed and get his materials together for his presentation all in his car. I then watched him as he went into the building to shill his drugs. He had no idea anyone was watching him. But I was.

Let's see. What else? We celebrated Baloo's birthday this past week. It was nice. His roommate and his girlfriend joined us at a nice restaurant and then we explored our new neighborhood bar. The verdict? We LOVE our new neighborhood bar. It's a sports bar with lots to games like pool and shuffleboard. And it's within walking distance. We have found our new hangout. Then Baloo's friends came down from Toronto to visit (totally unexpected) and they were the nicest people I've ever met. They are from India and were in Baloo's master's program before they both dropped out and moved to Toronto because Baloo's major professor is a bitch. Seriously. The man wouldn't sign documents for one of the guys to get his Canadian citizenship. All the prof had to do was verify that the guy had worked for him from year 1 - year 2. Instead, the prof refused to sign the document saying the guy owed him data....even though the guy successfully completed his masters in the program. It was pretty fucked up. But we had a wonderful time with the boys. You could tell that Baloo really missed them. It was nice to see his interaction with the guys and how much he really loved them. Man love is so sweet!

So I know I talk about Baloo's bff 'Laura' (I think I have a different name for her every time) but I have to bring her up again. Ana (Baloo's roommate's gf) and I decided to have a drunken conversation about love and relationships on the night of Baloo's birthday at abotu 4A. Which is the best time to discuss love and relationships. I told Ana that I hate Laura and she better step off my man. I know this is going to sound so stupid and immature and silly, but here goes. When I was on Myspace, Laura would constantly post messages on Baloo's page. So much so that the last about 25 messages are all from her. It makes her look like a stalker. When I switched over to Facebook, I decided to make Baloo's 'wall' mine. I sent him cute little messages and inside jokes. Well, now Laura is on Facebook and she thinks she can take over. Yes, I know that she's only written about 3 messages, but I want that bitch to know straight up that she's not welcome around the Facebook community. Yes. I know what I just wrote and I know how absolutely stupid this is and I know I'm 25 and should grow up. But whatever! This is how I feel! Deal! So anyway, Ana and I were talking about Laura (b/c she knows Laura) and Ana told me that Laura just feels left out because Baloo has dated almost all of her single friends but has never dated her. I told Ana that Laura is pathetic and unattractive and that if she wanted Baloo in the past, she could have had him. Now she's living in Denver and can't do anything about it. That's not my problem and is very immature. And, if she wanted to start something with me, I can sure as hell finish something with her. Ana said that she thought the situation was immature as well, but that some of Baloo's friends haven't reached the maturity level that I'm at (which scares me as a large proportion of them are married). So that's my beef with Laura. If you know who I am you can go to Baloo's Myspace page and see how obsessive she is with her messages. It's pretty pathetic. And you can go to his Facebook page and see how I've taken over. Damn. I feel like I'm 12. Let's talk about something else!

Alas, there is nothing more to talk about. Other than the fact that I go to work, go to school, and go home everyday. ND plays Navy this weekend and I'm so looking for a win! We MUST win or Charlie's ass is on the line. Oh, and Baloo's friends will be in town to celebrate his birthday (which was last week and they all bailed on me) and go to the MSU v. UM game. I've got a lot of work to do, so Baloo may be on his own with those characters. And I couldn't be happier.

It's the Little Things

2007-10-25T16:44:00.000-04:00

So I'm going to the drive up pharmacy to fill my prescription, and this guy in a red truck totally cuts me off so he can get in line first. So, I get pissed, park my car in the parking lot and go into the store to get my prescription. Naturally I get faster service. And as the pharmacist was ringing me up, I looked out the drive through window and told the pharmacist, "that guy cut me off to get here first and I've already gotten my prescription and I'm ready to leave." The pharmacist was appalled and proceeded to do other things, ignoring the man in the red truck how was waiting to be served.

Where to Live?

2007-10-22T15:27:00.000-04:00

Baloo and I caught the last part of the Broncos v. Steelers game last night on TV. It was played in Denver. I was alarmed because all the coaches on the sideline were bundled in big poofy coats. Meanwhile, I had to open the windows and turn a fan on in Lansing because it was so hot. Baloo remarked that it had snowed in the city of Denver recently. I immediately marked it off my 'places I want to move with Baloo' list.

See, Baloo really wants to move to Denver once I finish with my Master's. He wants to live near the mountains and ski all the time. He tried to sell me on Denver because he said it NEVER snows in the city, only in the mountains. I believed this lie until last night. And I refuse to live anywhere else where it snows. So I told him that Denver is out. I'm really trying to get us to move to Phoenix. He's ok with that idea, I think he's just deathly afraid of the heat. You have to remember that Baloo is a bear. And he's afraid that he will melt when the heat hits all his fur. You can understand.

So, being the ever thoughtful girlfriend I am, I decided to take this quiz to get ideas on places where we should live. What do you think?

01) Little Rock, Arkansas
02) Portland, Oregon
03) Las Vegas, Nevada
04) Honolulu, Hawaii
05) Shrevepot, Louisiana
06) Baton Rouge, Louisiana
07) Fayetteville, Arkansas
08) Charleston, West Virginia
09) Albuquerque, New Mexico
10) Cincinnati, Ohio
11) Knoxville, Tennessee
12) Monroe, Louisiana
13) Alexandria, Louisiana
14) Hartford, Connecticut
15) Charlotte, North Carolina
16) Greenville, South Carolina
17) Nashville, Tennessee
18) San Bernardino, California
19) Sacramento, California
20) Memphis, Tennessee
21) Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
22) Charleston, South Carolina
23) Washington, D.C.
24) Chattanooga, Tennessee

What do y'all think? I don't think Baloo is going to be happy with all of the Southern options. We both have to think about how those Southerners will take to our sweet sweet interracial loving. But I could see myself living in a few of these cities. Anyone have any experience with any of these cities?

Opening Up?

2007-10-18T21:06:00.000-04:00

I wish I had the ability to be more honest in my writing. I just read dooce. She talks about the miscarriage she just had. I had a close friend who had a miscarriage and I remember going over to her house to hang out with her and keep her company and I remember how sad she was. She now has 2 children now, but it was tough then.

I admire people who write honestly about themselves. I always try to portray myself as perfect. And the things that aren't perfect about me, I try to gloss over as if I can justify them. I had a shitty day today. Shittier than I've had in a long time. So shitty that I started looking for the first available week to take off work. Just so I can escape from everything.

Ok. So here goes. I have _____. Ok. I know that's probably not a big deal to you. Lots of people have _____. But not me. I'm perfect. I'm unblemished. I went to the Doctor this morning cause I was in too much denial and Baloo practically forced me to go. Not only do I have _____, but I also my have some type of infection because I refused to treat it all these days, and instead ignored the problem. No one has said anything, but I feel like telling them that Baloo hit me instead of telling them that I'm a dirty girl with dirty diseases.

See, I wasn't even able to really share. Cause I'm a bit of a coward in a sense. I had totally written this out, but when I typed it, it looked bad. Don't worry. It's nothing serious and I'm not going to die. It's a very common occurance and it's totally normal...I just happen to have weird issues. It's funny. I could talk about all the boys I tricked and slept with. But I can't talk about something that the majority of Americans have. I definitely have issues.

Update: This day just keeps getting worse. I just got a call from the pharmacy and they let me know that my prescription doesn't come in generic. So, I'll have to pay out the ass for my co-pay just to get better. I can not wait to go out drinking tonight!

WebMD

2007-10-16T15:36:00.000-04:00

I have beef with WebMD So I have this rash on my upper lip. It's not herpes. I've had this rash occur throughout my childhood. Sometimes I go years without the rash. But for some reason, the rash is pretty bad right now. I've been non medicating with Burt's Bees, but today, I felt that I needed to do some diagnosis. So, I consulted. WebMD.

First, they told me I had scarlet fever. Then they told me I had strep throat. After that, I was preggers (SAY WHAT?!) and they finally narrowed it down to hives. I think I have hives. And I'm ok with that. Apparently they are caused by a variety of things, and I'll need to invest in some Benedryl to get rid of them.

But really, WebMD gave me a bit too many choices. And pregnancy? What's up with that? Do you have any guesses as to what my new illness might be?

Dreamland

2007-10-10T09:33:00.000-04:00

I had a funky dream last night about Baloo and his friends.

We were all at my house and they were basically running the place. His best friend *Linda (who I totally don't like and I think I've mentioned that before) was downstairs on my bed trying to hit on his friend *Dan who just doesn't like her. Basically she was being desperate. And although I love to laugh at others making a fool of themselves, I scolded her and told her to leave.

Then, the girl who didn't invite Baloo to her wedding (because his ex was there) came into the house with her new husband. I politely wrote her a letter (I don't know where I found the time to write a letter) and read it out loud to everyone who was there. The letter basically said that because she was a bitch to Baloo, she was not welcome in my home. However, I did identify some no-tell-motels for her and her husband to visit while they were in town.

I'm not sure what the dream meant. To be perfectly honest, I really don't like Baloo's friends. Well, I like his friend *Dan, but that's because Dan is attractive. And everyone likes attractive people. But what I hated most about the dream is that Baloo defended his friends over me. Although in the dream his friends were being rude and not acting like good guests, Baloo kept saying that I was too uptight. It reminded me of a couple weekends ago. Baloo, *Mike, and I were hanging out at Baloo's place watching movies and grilling out. *Mike very audibly farted and belched and they thought it was funny. I asked them to stop a few times, and when they continued to do it, I got up and left and went home. It wasn't a big deal, but I think that behaviour is gross, and shouldn't be done in front of a lady. Call me old fashioned.

Anyway, that was my dream. Fortunately I don't spend a lot of time with his friends, but I feel like they're not the classiest bunch (that includes the girls) and I really don't like them at all.

Update: Oh, and I found a picture of Baloo's ex on myspace. I wish I was evil enough to post it here to let everyone in on how much better I am than her. (Hmm...I'm in an evil mood today, aren't I?!)

The Official 400th Post

2007-10-08T11:11:00.000-04:00

A year ago this weekend, I took myself off the market. And a whole year later, Baloo and I celebrated our very first anniversary. Now, most people probably won't think this is a big deal. But, seeing as previously my longest relationship lasted for 3 months, I was pretty excited about going for a year.

Baloo and I went out for dinner at Ukai in East Lansing. It was nice. There wasn't too much pressure since the eating was family style. Our waitress happened to be a bitch, but we just had fun being out together. I took another look at the pictures from the evening. Poor Baloo. He's not the best dresser by any means necessary. Although I didn't dare say anything to him, when I saw what he was wearing, but heart sighed. He tried. He basically put together two of his nicest pieces, even though they didn't match. Bless his heart. I know he'll be getting matching outfits for his birthday and Christmas.

So yeah, we didn't do presents because we're both broke, but dinner was our present to each other. Then we came home and watched American Beauty.

So it was a wonderful night all around.

Oh, and I almost forgot. So, this weekend, Baloo's parents came into town for the MSU football game, as they do most home weekends. They invited us to dinner with them and also let us know that Baloo's Grandpa would be joining us. I just about freaked out. Last year Baloo apparently took my picture with him when he went to visit family over the Thanksgiving Holiday. His mom was cautious of Baloo waving my picture around to grandpa. Basically she wanted to make sure that we actually had a chance of lasting before we killed poor grandpa with our interracial love. So, when we went out to dinner with the old man, I was apprehensive. I don't know why. If there's one thing I know, it's old men. Hell, if I was on my game and Baloo wasn't there, I probably could have charmed the old man out of some money! Anyway, the old man loved me. He liked the fact that I actually listened to his stories and I knew a hell of a lot about football. When dinner was over and we said our goodbyes, he told Baloo the he needed to lose weight, he gave me a hug and said he hoped to see me again, and then 'whispered' to Baloo to let him know if Baloo had any 'announcements' to make in the future. So I've totally won with the family. The only other person I need to meet is Baloo's sister-in-law and his cousins and aunt and uncles and such. But I'm sure I'll do well with them too.

Post 399.5

2007-09-28T13:39:00.000-04:00

Ok, this is really my 400th post, but don't tell anyone. I wanted my 400th post to be all happy and to be after October 7, but I had to post now.

So one of my boys is getting married. Let me say it this way. When I was in college I hung out with a group of guys in a certain dorm. I'd known these guys since freshman year. We were pretty close, I visited their homes back in Dallas, and I even hung out with them on their birthdays long after we graduated from college. So I was kinda disappointed when I learned from a second hand source that, let's call him Mitch, was engaged. I saw Mitch at a football game last year and we had a drunken conversation about him getting married and how happy I was for him and whatever.

While talking to a mutual friend today, I find out that Mitch is getting married NEXT SUNDAY! At the Basilica! I'm pretty miffed. Mutual friend, let's call him Sean, thought for sure that I was invited, seeing as we were pretty close friends during college. I don't know. I am a bit miffed since all of the rest of the boys will be in town for the wedding too. To Mitch's credit, I know that weddings are HELLA Expensive, and it could just be that they had a budget to stay in and I didn't make the cut. But when I heard of some of the other guys who were invited (and couldn't make it) it made me more mad. Not really mad, more disappointed.

However, I plan on being the bigger person. I've heard that he's kinda stressing about the wedding, which is understandable. I think I'm going to give Mitch a call after the nuptials and just congratulate him and let him know that even though I wasn't there, I was still there in spirit (or maybe not. that sounds a little creepy.) Whatever. I'll think of something.

Look for my next post on or after October 7! That will be the official 400th post. Unless something happens between now and then then I have to just get off my chest!

New Fears

2007-09-26T15:13:00.000-04:00

So can we talk about the new fear I have? I sit in class most days thinking, "This is how I'm going to die." I have serious anxiety after the VA Tech shootings that some crazy is going to come in and shoot up my classes. And it's scary. Sometimes when I'm not paying attention, I try to think of the best escape route. Unfortunately I sit near the door in one of my classes, so I've pretty much decided that I'm a goner. Then yesterday I was in class and I thought about my best chances of climbing out the window. Problem is, the ceilings are like 15 feet high and the windows are really high up too. So I'm pretty much a goner in that class as well. Maybe I should just start paying attention and quit daydreaming.

Now my next fear deserves a disclaimer. I know at least one of my readers is preggers, so I don't want to scare them. But I have known that I wasn't meant to 'birth no babies.' And now I know that there is a condition to go along with it. It's called tokophobia. I read about it on my new girly obsession, Jezebel, and I went on to read the article here. Although I've never had any physical abuse, I think this basically explains how I feel about childbirth. It really does scare the living shit out of me. I talked to Baloo about it last night and he was pretty cool about it. He had some questions for me and I think he was interested in at least looking into it. But I think it's nice that there's actually cases of this happening. Which makes hypochondriac Kiki feel so much better.

So, what are your fears?

Here We Go Again

2007-09-23T18:55:00.000-04:00

I joined the Black Graduate Student Club on Friday. At the meeting, the President asked if we knew about the W. Virginia case. I had not. Then, on Facebook today, I saw that one of the stories posted by Notre Dame Students was one about the W. Virginia incident. I went to Cnn.com, WashingtonPost.com, and didn't find anything. What was this W. Virginia incident. And then I found it here, in an International Newspaper.

Apparently a young black woman was tortured and sexually assaulted by two mothers, their grown boys, and others for several days in West Virginia. The assault was racially motivated. Why haven't our domestic newswires picked this up? I'm really sick of this shit!

In other news, Baloo and I traveled to Notre Dame this weekend where we witnessed firsthand another disappointment from the football team. I will forever support the Irish, but I wish they could pull out at least ONE win. I bet this is going to bite Weis in the ass.

"After losing to Michigan State at home two years ago, Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis promised Irish fans his team would never again lose to the Spartans."

Oops!

Update: Ok. I just got a little more upset. I just read the local newspaper from Logan, West Virginia on the incident above. See it here. Apparently those charged with this crime are being charged with "sexual assault, malicious wounding, and kidnapping." Seriously? They keep a woman in a trailer for about a week, sexually assault her while pouring hot water on her, making her eat dog feces and drink out of a toilet. Yet these are the charges? Meanwhile, teenagers in Jena beat the shit out of a classmate for taunting them with racial slurs and they get murder charges against them? People, do you see this? Do you see what's happening to our society? It's easy to say that these things wouldn't happen to us. We have good educations. We live in nice suburbs. We drive fancy cars. Although it's unfortunate that this happens in certain societies, it's too much for us to care about. Well I challenge you, readers, to care about this. To investigate. To talk about this. Because the more we continue to believe that it won't happen to us, or it doesn't affect us, these things will continue to happen. I'm sorry. I'm just outraged right now. I hope that our major newspapers will tell the rest of the nation about this in the coming days.....

My Take on the Jena 6 Situation

2007-09-21T12:28:00.000-04:00

Ok. I’m gonna weigh in on the Jena 6 issue.

Fist, violence is bad. I don’t agree with the ‘Free the Jena 6’ stance. They should not be freed. They committed a crime (assault) and they need to be punished for their crime. That crime should be decided by a judge or jury or however it is decided by those elected and charged to issue punishment. However, the punishment should fit the crime. Ganging up 6-1 and sending a kid to the hospital does not constitute attempted murder, in my opinion. I think it’s more serious than a schoolyard fight, so some fine/probation should be applied to their actions. Because they’re juveniles, I don’t think jail time in necessary.

What I hate that no one is mentioning is that one of the Jena 6 had a gun pulled on him before the incident took place. This site gives a good indication of the chronology:

On Friday night, December 1, a black student who showed up at a white party was beaten by whites. On Saturday, December 2, a young white man pulled out a shotgun in a confrontation with young black men at the Gotta Go convenience store outside Jena before the men wrestled it away from him. The black men who took the shotgun away were later arrested, no charges were filed against the white man.

On Monday, December 4, at Jena High, a white student - who allegedly had been making racial taunts, including calling African American students "niggers" while supporting the students who hung the nooses and who beat up the black student at the off-campus party - was knocked down, punched and kicked by black students. The white victim was taken to the hospital treated and released. He attended a social function that evening.

Six black Jena students were arrested and charged with attempted second degree murder. All six were expelled from school.

I think that the message was lost in the protesting. Instead of leaders calling for the release of the Jena 6, they should have been calling for the arrest of the others involved in the violence in Jena, as well as the equal punishments by those individuals involved in the violence.

I think a better argument is in what the Rev. Al Sharpton said in regards to there being a Jena in every state in this nation. I think Harry Shearer made a great observation when he likened the Jena incident to the incident in Paris, TX. In this instance, a white girl (teenager) burned down her parent’s home and she was sentenced to probation. While, in an unrelated incident, but I believe within the same timeframe, a black student shoved a school official because she was not allowed to go to the bathroom, and the black girl received a sentence of 7 years in jail. Now, I do not condone the black girl’s actions. There is never a case where it is ok to shove ANYONE, much less, your elder. No matter how much your elder may be making a fool of themselves. However, I don’t think a sentence of 7 years is appropriate for a shoving incident that occurred on school grounds. At the very least, the student should be expelled. At the most, maybe a minor battery charge. But when you look at the white girl who committee arson and the black girl who shoved a teacher, I think you can see where I’m getting with the disparity between punishments.

And I hate to say what I’m about to say next. Because I think it sets us (black people) back when I say it. But here goes: maybe if we stop doing stupid shit, we wouldn’t get mistreated. We can’t expect that people are going to treat us with kid gloves when we have honestly fucked up. I hate to institute a culture of fear, but maybe if you’re scared of whitey locking you up for life for spitting on the sidewalk, you probably should think twice before you hock a luggey.

But my previous statement isn’t meant to say that the white community shouldn’t take responsibility either. Yes, we’re all outraged that a kid was ganged up on and beat up, even if he did deserve it (and since he was out there calling people niggers, he was probably asking for it). However, I wish more white people would have stood up and said that the Jena 6’s punishment didn’t fit the crime. Instead of criticizing Sharpton and Jackson for actually taking a stand, I wish more of our white bothers and sisters would have stepped up and recognized what this protest and demonstration really should have been about: the disparity between sentencing for blacks and whites across the country. And NOT about freeing the Jena 6.

A Blog to Fill the Time

2007-09-18T15:27:00.001-04:00

I just took a diet pill and I’m feeling all kinds of alert and crazy. Don’t worry. I also joined the gym again as well. I just feel like I need a hobby and goal. And what’s a better goal than losing weight just because?

Baloo thinks I need friends. Like a girlfriend. Not like a girlfriend (not that he’d be opposed to that) just a friend who is a female. I guess. My best in-town girlfriend who lived down the street just moved to backwoods Michigan. I miss her. She was awesome. I guess I could make a grad school friend. It’s just that I really don’t like people. They have too many problems that I really don’t care about. That’s why I like the friends I have. They all live all over the country (and one is moving back to Japan) and we usually don’t talk to each other more than once a week. It’s the best relationship ever. But I guess Baloo just wants me to have people to hang out with. I’m fine where I’m at. Johnny Walker, Jose Cuervo, and Jack Daniels are the only friends I need.

What else to talk about? Not much really. I’m super excited to be working out again. I love grad school. I’m thinking about getting involved with the Black Graduate Student Club on campus. That should be a good time. Did I tell you that one of my girlfriends just passed the Bar and my other girlfriend is getting married and I’m her Maid of Honor? That’s exciting. See. I don’t need more girlfriends. The girlfriends I have are more than awesome on their own!

This diet pill is really doing a number on me. That’s what happens the first day that you go back on them. That’s why you only take one the first day. If I would have taken two, it would have felt like my heart was about to explode. And no one wants that.

Ok kids. I hope everyone is doing well. And don’t forget to comment. The amount of comments I get is directly proportional to how much you love me. (Sorry. PMS makes me needy.)

Fights & Weddings

2007-09-10T14:38:00.000-04:00

Baloo and I had a fight Friday night. Which is ok, because I’m understanding that couples fight. And we’re good about our fighting because we usually stay on topic and we don’t sleep until the issue is resolved (translation: I win) so I feel that it’s healthy for us to have disagreements.

Friday Baloo showed me the pictures from his friend’s wedding in Denver. Baloo was pretty disappointed because the bride invited Baloo’s ex to the wedding, but failed to invite Baloo. When one of Baloo’s friends invited him to go hiking/camping in Denver and also attend the wedding, the bride found out and basically said Baloo couldn’t come. I was pissed because the bride was being a bitch, so I made sure to remark on how fugly her dress was, how ill fitting it was, and how fat she looked while we looked at the photos.

So we get through the photos and I hold my tongue. The last thing I want to do is react in horror to his friends. But I couldn’t contain myself when we got to the reception photos. One of Baloo’s friends, let’s call him Mark, decided it was a good idea to take his shirt off (he wasn’t wearing an undershirt…skin to the wind) and dance around for the rest of the evening. Still, I held my tongue. However, I’m not good at hiding my emotions, and Baloo could sense me tense up every time a picture of Mark came up. He finally asked me about it and I had to tell him. I didn’t like Mark’s behavior. I told Baloo that I think everyone should drink and have a good time, but a wedding isn’t the place to get so blitzed that you take off your shirt and puke the next morning.

And that’s when the fight began. Baloo didn’t want me to censor his friend’s behavior “when we get married” (which I will get to later). I told him that I would never embarrass his friends, and that if Mark started exhibiting that behavior in my presence, I would politely pull him aside and jokingly tell him to put his shirt on. While making fun of the situation as well. Baloo accused me of not going to a lot of weddings. Which is true. I’ve only been to two weddings. One when I was about 13, and the other was Kipper’s sister’s wedding. I really respect Sissy (translation: scared shitless of her) and I made it a point not to embarrass myself. I even left early so that I wouldn’t have too much to drink so she wouldn’t throw me out. So yes, I haven’t been to a lot of weddings. However, I think that certain decorum needs to be present at a celebration of a sacred event. So we argued about that with each of us holding on to our opinions.

Then I started thinking about “when we get married” (which he took back almost as quickly as he said it) and I started freaking out. I feel like I’m meant for an Angelina/Brad relationship. I love Baloo and I want to be around him for a very long time, but the prospect of marriage really freaks me out. It makes me feel nice and fuzzy that he brought it up (even tho he took it back) but I am in no position and I have desire to get married. Maybe that’ll change, but it won’t chance for at least the next 5 years.

After our fight, we thought it would be a good idea to go out drinking, which didn’t help the situation. I was mad, we were both drunk, and we were both too stubborn to see each other’s sides. The night ended with us going back home and talking about things before going to bed. We woke up the next morning refreshed where I went to play with guns and we spent the rest of the day and evening together feeling better about our relationship.

So yeah. I hate fighting with Baloo. He hates fighting with me. But it’s not the end of the world and we always make a point to learn something from each other. We both learned that we shouldn’t drink and fight ala Amy Winehouse. Baloo learned that I’m a stick in the mud and I don’t believe people should get puking drunk at weddings, and I learned that if we ever do get married, Mark is so not invited! (just kidding!)

Howdy Kids

2007-09-07T15:29:00.001-04:00

Right now I'm having a hard time figuring out why I can't buy a $12M home. This is my favorite site of the moment, and seeing that I owe money on my credit card, it doesn't look like I'll be buying $12M properties anytime soon. However, I did look at islands in the Indian Ocean....maybe.

The tailgate with Kipper was major fun. I got some of the pictures downloaded and I don't remember half of them. It was fun to see so many people and to reconnect with Kipper. I'll be heading back down to South Bend for the MSU game, and I hope that we have a better showing than we did last weekend.

It's so exciting to read about Mrs. Pink Shoe. She just moved to NYC and lives in the coolest apartment ever. Go check her out and see what I'm talking about.

Grad school is AMAZING! I'm so glad I'm here. I'm in classes with amazing professors and amazing people from around the world. I have to say that I'm quite liking my experience at MSU already. Not too much to complain about.

Baloo and I are chugging along quite wonderfully. Can you believe we will have been together for a whole year next month?! It totally blows my mind. I really want to get him the new iPod for our anniversary/his birthday but I don't think I'll be able to afford it right now. Maybe if he's good he'll get it for an early birthday present.

Apparently I'm a real person who does real things, and that frightens me. I've been under an enormous amount of stress for a variety of reasons. Last weekend my stomach decided to stop functioning because I filled it with food. I fell asleep in Baloo's lap and he told me I farted. Twice. I was mortified. When we first started dating I made it very clear to him that girls didn't fart or poop. Now he knows we do both. The secret is out.

Not much more to report, kids. Sorry about that. I am going to a gun demonstration tomorrow, so I'm pretty excited about that. Apparently I get to fire a gun and learn gun safety and everything. That should make for interesting blog fodder. Here's hoping I'm the best shooter out on the range!

School and Such

2007-08-30T00:06:00.000-04:00

I don't know if y'all noticed. Look up. No, silly, don't look up from your computer. Scroll back up to the top of my page. See the new quote? It's from my favorite movie of all time. It takes a special kind of hag to enjoy a movie with both Judy Garland and Gene Kelly!

School is awesome! I started this week. There are some interesting folks in the class and I'm sure as time goes on, I'll be able to tell you some of the wacky things they do and say. There's even a SMC chick in my class! I'm telling you, ND folks are everywhere.

I'm so super excited about this weekend. I'm going down to the home opener where ND plays Georgia Tech. It's not so much the game, but the experience. Kipper is hosting his annual tailgate (where he promises to have a margarita machine that plugs into his car's cigarette lighter) and it's also the minority tailgate. I've told Baloo that we will hit up both. I think he's a little nervous about hitting up the minority tailgate. Honestly, I'm a little nervous too. Deep down I do worry what people think. However, those who have negative things to say probably aren't my friend to begin with, so screw them!

I'm also supposed to be going to a wedding reception as well on the same day. I don't know if I'll be attending. Sure, I RSVPed, but my heart really isn't into it. But don't worry. I did buy a gift. Isn't that what people want anyway? I am southern, so I do have manners. And it's weird to talk about it on my blog cause I'm sure the bride will read it. If not, I'm sure someone else will read it and tell her about it. But I have to take a page from Summer and realize that this blog is about me and I don't want to censor myself. It's just that I didn't really feel a part of the wedding. Hell, I don't even know when she's getting married (the wedding and reception are separate). I don't know where she's registered. So that's that. I'm sure that I'll get a lot of flack for not going, and probably for writing this, but everyone would find out sooner or later when they didn't see me around.

So those are my weekend plans thus far. Who knows. They could change. I could end up at the reception, or passed out somewhere in the Notre Dame parking lot. If it's the latter and you see me, please be a dear and roll me on my side so I don't choke on my vomit.

My Home

2007-08-29T11:02:00.000-04:00

First, I must give credit where credit is due. I did not write the following. I stole it from here. But it rings true and reminds me of home. Enjoy.

Live Large, Think Big

Posted August 28, 2007 | 08:07 PM (EST)

Back from Texas, deep in the heart of. Spent the weekend in Big D speaking to the Dallas Screenwriters Association, filling in for the Mariners (in town to play the Rangers), and risking gout with every meal. On every corner there's either a steakhouse or a church. One place called "Holy Cow" could be either or both.

The current Dallas motto is "Live Large, Think Big" which is much better than "Not Just Hot But Humid".

Believe it or not, Dallas has more restaurants per capita than New York City (although NYC has a huge lead in salad bars) and more shopping centers per capita than any city in the U.S. "Eat Large, Spend Big".

It is a surprisingly cosmopolitan city. Gorgeous downtown skyline, with its tall towers outlined in shimmering green and white lights. There are museums, a night life, and be careful going to that shit-kicker bar, it just might be gay.

Not to further tarnish Dallas' sparkling redneck reputation but until recently their mayor was a woman...and Jewish, Laura Miller. And in 2004 Lupe Valdez was elected sheriff of Dallas County. She's the first Hispanic, first woman, and first openly gay lesbian to ever fill that role. Hey, she might've had better luck getting into Miss Kitty's bloomers than Marshall Dillon ever did.

Stayed at the Arlington Hilton and had a lovely view of people throwing up from 700 feet on the Six Flags Over Texas thrill rides. Nearby is Hurricane Harbor, a waterslide amusement park. I'm sure it's very refreshing if you pretend that hundreds of people don't pee in it a day.

Football is king in Dallas. High school games routinely draw from 20 - 50,000 people. And still, no one watches FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS.

Meanwhile, the entire world stops for the Dallas Cowboys. Last week when the Rangers broke an all-time major league record by scoring 30 runs in one game they still shared the front page of the sports section with the Cowboys training camp report on wind sprint drills.

They're building a new stadium for the Cowboys in Arlington, affectionately known as Jerry's World (for Jerry Jones, the team's owner). It's costing in the neighborhood of one billion dollars, will have a retractable roof, and the two largest glass panels in the world. Which makes sense financially because the stadium will be in use eight times a year.

Had to once again see the Texas School Book Depository (now an excellent museum) where Oswald shot Kennedy. Forget that it's across the street from a Morton's Steakhouse, it's still pretty chilling. And on the street itself are X's where the shots landed. I don't think they needed the guys standing around selling grisly pictures however. America remembers and profits.

Saw the grassy knoll and the white picket fence that hid the alleged "second shooter". But it's not the original picket fence. It's a replica. The real one I understand (true story) was sold on ebay.

Meanwhile, I'm still waiting for the Conspiracy Museum to reopen. Their previous landlord booted them out -- a plot no doubt engineered by the CIA, Rupert Murdoch, Korean airlines, and Posh Spice. I hope my phones aren't tapped because I wrote this.

If you go to Black Eyed Pea's and order your first chicken fried steak (like I did fifteen years ago when I was fulltime with the Mariners) don't ask them to cook it "medium rare". I did and it was an E.F. Hutton moment as forty guys named Dirk stared at me in disbelief and disgust.

When you think of Dallas -- what comes to mind besides JFK, football, cured meats, heat prostration, people carrying weapons, the Trammell & Margaret Crow Collection of Asian Art, rodeos, rodeo clowns like our president, country clubs, "Country" Charlie Pride, evil oil companies, the Renaissance Hotel that looks like a Bic lighter, ,J.R. Ewing, Dr. Pepper, Texas-Instruments, SMU, Verne Lundquist, the first Neiman Marcus, the Savings & Loan crisis, Tex-Mex, cheerleaders, and "Debbie Does"? Why radio station jingles of course! Dallas is the home of JAM Creative Productions the largest radio jingle mill in the country. Big D is filled with gifted singers who would all have huge careers if they could only sing songs that were longer than eight seconds.

There's a chain of convenience stores called "Grab and Go". I guess their target customers are robbers.

And the police have recently instituted a "no pursuit" rule so it's "Grab and Go At Your Leisure".

Goff's Hamburgers no longer has an eight-foot statue of Vladimir Lenin out front. I don't know about you but nothing says tasty burgers to me like the Russian Revolution.

If you want tacos there's Taco Bueno, Taco King, Taco Cabana, Taco Bell, Taco Diner, Taco Express, Taco Grande, Taco Pronto, and Taco Loco Wagon. If you want a good deli, good luck. It's easier to find a mountain in Dallas.

For Italian, there's the aptly named Campisi's Egyptian.

My dining trips took me to Pappadeaux, which was excellent (I find the more unpronounceable the title, the better the Cajun cuisine), Lawry's for a light lunch, and Sonny Bryan's Smokehouse BBQ, clogging Dallas arteries since 1910. "Live Large, Think Pig".

Mark Cuban, billionaire owner of the Mavericks, supposedly answers his email. Not true. I dropped him a note saying I'd be in town, and wondered if he could show me Bonnie Parker's grave. He never responded, the bastard.

How perfect! There's a highway named for George Bush... and it's a toll road.

Guns are not allowed in bars or libraries.

Sunday night I filled in for the great Dave Neihaus and broadcast the Mariners-Rangers game back to Seattle. It was my first time in their new stadium. Originally named "the Ballpark", they must've felt that was too generic because they've now renamed it the far more colorful, "Rangers Park". What they really should call it is "the Typhoon". My God! It was like the movie TWISTER. I fully expected to see a cow fly by the booth as I was describing the action.

Taking a cue from the Dodgers, the Rangers experimented this weekend with a "Country Style" section. For you tenderfoots and Jews, that means "all you can eat". For only $29 fans could stuff themselves into oblivion. The tickets sold out almost immediately. The experiment was so successful the team next year plans to release their expensive players and replace them with corn dogs and ribs. Future tie-in promotions include: "Heart Attack Night" and "Heimlich Maneuver Night".

We have a contest on M's radio where we give a fan $7,000 if the team scores seven runs in the 7th inning. The Rangers had a similar one pay off last week - their "30/30" contest. If Texas scores 30 runs in a game one lucky listener wins a can of 30 grade motor oil. Enter these things because you just never know.

All in all, I had a great trip. I would've gained twenty pounds if I didn't stop off at Six Flags Over Texas for some thrill rides on my way out of town.

"Live Large... or Think Bulimic."

You can read more from Ken Levine at http://kenlevine.blogspot.com/

Sigh

2007-08-23T13:53:00.000-04:00

I don't like to blog about work. But I need to get some cryptic stuff off my chest. Basically, if you don't know me in person, you won't know what this is about. I apologize about that. If I knew you, I would totally tell you. But, because I want to stay as nameless as possible, I must be cryptic.

I think the best way to sum up my feelings is by referencing Matthew 25:14-30. Basically the parable says that when you do much with little, you will be rewarded greatly. I recently found out how much my current salary compares to those of my contemporaries. Let's just say I was less than pleased. A large part of me was very proud of myself. I didn't know that I was getting the short end of the stick, yet I was able to buy a house (on my own) and pay my bills and live a relatively comfortable life. I would have loved to have been making what others in my field make, yet, I was still able to accomplish a lot despite that fact.

Needless to say, I've been in deep thought about a lot of things, including my future. I think that's why I'm so excited that school is starting on Monday. I know that once I complete my degree, I'll have the experience and education to back up any salary demands that I will ever have. And that gives me comfort. I'm also excited to meet the new people in my program. I hope we have a few crazies. They will be great for blog fodder.

Oh, and FYI: Tax free weekend is the weekend where certain items are sold with no sales tax. They usually do it in Texas right before school starts, and the items exempt from taxes usually include back to school necessities like clothing. And you don't have to be a school kid to get the savings. All clothing items are exempt. It was totally worth the trip back to Texas for those savings (and it was also great to see my daddy)!

Still Here

2007-08-21T16:30:00.001-04:00

Aww...It's nice to know that I was missed.

I'm still here. A lot of fun things are happening. The job thing is chugging along....I start school on Monday....and I'm helping out with my best friend's wedding. So it's hectic around here.

Baloo and I are doing fine. We had a bit of a tiff before I left for Dallas this past weekend. Basically I throw a fit everytime things change. This time, Baloo was considering work out of state and away from his Kiki. Although I encourage him to seek his dreams, the thought of him in the woods with some wood nymph trying to steal him away makes my blood boil. I tend to be a jealous girl.

Dallas with Daddy Kiki was awesome. I had my first beer with DK. Yes, I'm 25, but he has this weird thing about drinking. So, we went to Central Market to buy some buffalo meat to make buffalo burgers (they are totally yummy) and I happened to stroll by the extensive wine and beer aisle. And I picked up some St. Arnold Pilsner and dropped it in the basket. Daddy Kiki said nothing, and we ended up having beer and burgers like normal people that night. We also took advantage of the tax free weekend in Texas where I bought some great winter outfits for work.

So yeah. That's my life right now. Nothing too exciting, but lots of opportunities on the horizon. I can't wait till things start falling into place so I can tell y'all more!

The More You Know

2007-08-14T19:27:00.000-04:00

My boyfriend just called to tell me to keep drinking. He still needs to digest his Mexican Food but also wants to take advantage of my drunken state. Because I'm not one to turn down alcohol, I plan to oblige.

Oh, and Kipper is at Dollywood right now. I'm am jealous beyond words. No, really. I am. I'm not joking. If I don't get some souvenir from Dollywood, I will know that we are no longer friends.

Oh, and this site is making me feel 10000 times better about myself (click on portfolio).

Y'all Don't Know Shit!

2007-08-08T22:15:00.000-04:00

So, apparently people shouldn't be given ultimatums. This is news to me.

Backstory: Baloo has ceased his masters to become a Foresteer or whatever and has now decided to go to med school, or P.A. school, or D.O. school. It changes by the minute. School starts on the 27th and he has yet to enroll or pick the classes he needs to take for prereqs.

So...this evening I gave him an ultimatum. Since I plan on starting school part time (and working full time) on the 27th, he can either get with the program and get into school, or we were going to have to take a break.

I discussed this conversation with Roomie and she was less than pleased. She said that he shouldn't be going to school for me, but because he wants to. What does she know? Of course people should do things because I tell them to do them. I am the great motivator. And I'm always right. I know what's in everyone else's best interest. Since Roomie obviously didn't know what she was talking about, I decided to consult Daddy Kiki.

Horror upon horrors, Daddy Kiki said the same thing! I now think they're in cahoots. Daddy Kiki basically said that Baloo doesn't seem like he knows what he wants to do and that he feels pressure to be a doc since his brother is a PhD and his sister-in-law is on her way to becoming an D.O. So Daddy Kiki told me to ask Baloo a lot of questions about what his passions are and to do less talking and more listening. And to give him the time and space to make decisions on his own. And that ultimatums are never a good idea.

Sigh. These people are obviously idiots. They know nothing about totally controlling another person to do exactly what you want.

But promise not to tell them if I happen to take their advice.

Canoeing and Movies

2007-08-06T09:56:00.000-04:00

We went canoeing on Saturday and what fun it was! I don’t think I’ve been canoeing since high school where we went on wilderness trips. Baloo suggested we go out sometime on Saturday. So, I packed a little picnic and off we went. It was an easy ride since the river was very low and slow. We got to the place a little too late so we didn’t have time to go on shore and have a nice picnic, but we ate sandwiches on the canoe, saw a blue heron, and lots of neat fish. We want to go again real soon once the water levels rise and the river is a bit faster.

Apart from that we also watched 300 and Stranger than Fiction. I enjoyed both movies. However, I had recently read an article on the Huffington Post about 300 being a propaganda movie. It was actually hard to watch the movie after reading that article. A large part of me wanted to just enjoy the cartoon violence and serious man candy, but I kept thinking about how the story unfolded. How a brave 300 men fought for their land and water despite the rest of their countrymen being against them. How the Persians were depicted as makeup wearing girly men who engaged in sexually deviant acts with ‘freaks of nature.’ How although the Spartans were fighting for the good of country, the Persians were evil blasphemers, fighting a war for religious reasons and for a man god. (Oh, and my history is a little dusty, but when did the Spartans start recognizing themselves as Greeks? I always thought the two were pretty much sworn enemies…) Despite what thoughts I had about the movie before I went into it, I doubt the common man would have thought so deeply about the plot. It was in the same vein as Sin City (which I loved) and it was a good movie. I liked it and I’m thinking about adding it to my DVD collection.

So, what says you? Propaganda film about the Iraq (possibly Iran) war or good clean fun with a lot of great man candy?

Regression

2007-08-03T16:24:00.000-04:00

Last night Baloo killed a bug for me. Actually, we were walking downstairs and he noticed it and asked me to hand him a tissue so he could kill it. As I was handing him the tissue, I felt bad. What would I have done if I didn't have a man to protect me from the big scary bug? I would have sprayed enough Raid to fill the entire house, that's what I would have done. However, the last time I did that, Baloo yelled at me saying I was trying to poison us. Whatever.

Has having a man made me less independent? I sure hope not. I always felt like a strong, empowered woman. And I think I am. At least I let people at work know that I am. But when it comes to household things, I like for Baloo to be the empowered one and take charge. And I don't think that's such a bad thing. Sometimes you've got to let a man be a man. That's why I have an empowering job. So I can squish weak men when I want and then go home and feel like a woman.

Speaking of work, some awesome things are on the horizon. I can't wait to tell y'all about them!

Oh, and we're going canoing tomorrow! I'm super excited. Hopefully more stories to come!

Taking you Back......

2007-07-27T09:23:00.000-04:00

...to 1998. When I signed up for the new Hotmail today, I saw that I had an unsent draft email. I opened it up to see an email I sent to a Christian rap group who played at my Church back in 1998 (I was 16 years old!). Needless to say, I had a crush on one of these Christian Rappers and I was determined to make myself known to them. The email follows:

To The Cross Movement,

My name is Ms. Kiki and I was at the concert you had at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship. 
(The girl who sat in the front with the camera!) 
I was so happy when I found your e-mail addy on your web site. 
I must say your presence was a spiritual experience. 
I praise God for allowing all of you to come and minister to us. 
Your message was so powerful that I have become more prayerful and I read my Bible more.

Thank you for showing us God through your presence. 
I hope you experienced much Texas hospitality while you were here! 
By reading your bulletin, I know that you have many other engagements
and I will continue to pray for you all.  God Bless ya'll!

Your Sista in Christ,
Ms. Kiki

Dork!

Truly Outrageous

2007-07-23T23:09:00.001-04:00

What other girls out there remember this?

I Drove All Night

2007-07-23T11:22:00.000-04:00

Well, actually it wasn’t all night. I drove during the daytime. But I had a work thing all weekend and Baloo couldn’t come with. Instead he went up to his parent’s friend’s cabin on the lake and spent Thursday – Sunday with family. Although I was invited, I had to tell Baloo’s parents that work called and I wouldn’t be able to make it. Well apparently his father was devastated and asked every time Baloo and I talked on the phone when I was coming up. Well I surprised him on Sunday afternoon. Although I had to drive three additional hours to see him, I showed up on his doorstep. It was pretty neat. I spent Sunday with his family out on the lake. It was nice, but pretty windy so I was cold. We went tubing and Baloo went wakeboarding. I haven’t been swimming in ages so I was pretty thankful for the lifejackets when we were thrown off the intertube cause I kinda panicked that I was thrown into that much water. Yeah, I’m not that strong of a swimmer. I may think about taking lessons (again) sometime in the near future.

I was also up at the cottage last weekend too where I spent time with Baloo and his parents. And next weekend we’re going to the 50th wedding anniversary of the couple who owns the cottage. So we’ll be hanging with the fam yet another weekend. I think the month of July has been dedicated to me hanging out with the Baloo clan. And it’s been fun.

Other than that, my house is going to shit. Work is consuming me right now and I can’t talk about it at all, but I’ve been working long hours and haven’t been able to take care of my house. I’m hoping this week to get back on schedule and clean up and take care of my plants and flowers.

So that’s it. Hopefully once work slows down I’ll be able to have more adventures and tell y’all about said adventures.

2007-07-10T10:37:00.000-04:00

Since Mrs. Pink Shoe kindly identified me as a Rocking Girl Blogger, I guess the least I could do was update the blog-a-roo!

I must say that I’m enjoying the monotony of being with Baloo. It’s nice having a steady, sane boyfriend. During the extended weekend, I met his brother, had dinner with his parents, watched fireworks, and played golf. And, during the time we weren’t doing things, we spent the time hanging out, drinking beers, and enjoying my air conditioning.

So on Saturday I went to Detroit to get my hair done and my beautician and I had an interesting conversation. Apparently she gives her neighbor’s daughter hand me down clothes that she doesn’t want anymore. Both the daughter and neighbor are appreciative, but never reciprocate. However, other neighbors bake cookies or send over food when she does something for them. The same thing with me. When my neighbor let me borrow his power washer when my house got egged, I baked cookies and sent them over to his house as a thank you. It’s just the neighborly thing to do.

I don’t like how people are so unappreciative and so unneighborly. Discuss.

Oh, and since I’m blogging, I might as well tell this story too. Because really, what would my blog be if I didn’t share amusing sexual stories….

So Baloo’s roommate is working weird hours this summer teaching unfortunate kids how to read good or something. So we’re not always sure of his schedule. I saw that the roommate’s girlfriend was visiting, but I also saw them leave, and I thought they were leaving for the weekend. So, we decided to cool off and take a shower over at Baloo’s place. Long story short, we got more dirty than clean, and when it was all over I heard the front door open and roommate and girlfriend enter. I was mortified. Even though we finished our performance, I was convinced that they somehow entered the house, heard the commotion, exited, waited like 10 minutes, and then entered again. I wouldn’t leave the bathroom cause I knew I’d have to face them in the living room. Baloo was totally unsympathetic and tried to convince me that they only entered the house once, but I just wasn’t convinced. I got dressed in the bathroom, bolted to Baloo’s bedroom, and I haven’t spoken to his roommate since.

The End.

The Week From Hell

2007-07-02T12:08:00.000-04:00

It has been a crazy week. Probably one of the craziest of my working career. Wish I could go into detail, but I can’t. However, I will say that I worked 12 hour days most of last week.

Aside from me working hard and not eating (which resulted in some awesome weight loss) I got to meet Baloo’s brother. I haven’t decided on a nickname for Baloo’s brother, so for the time being, we’ll call him Dr. Baloo, since he’s a PhD and all.

Dr. Baloo came over to my house on Tuesday and I made Smoked Chicken, Corn Pudding, Sautéed Spinach, and Key Lime Pie. Everything was a hit. Dr. Baloo was very nice. I’m not used to having siblings, so it was interesting to see the two of them interact. Dr. Baloo is like a more mature version of Baloo with blonde hair. It was pretty weird.

So anyway, Baloo spent the weekend with his family in Dayton, OH where they went down to celebrate Dr. Baloo’s wife’s birthday since she was all alone for a medical rotation. I was invited, but because I was working 12 hour days, I couldn’t get away to join them. I hoped I made a good impression and I kept asking Baloo what Dr. Baloo had to say about me. Apparently he called me crazy (because I was so anal about the food being perfect and everyone having a good time) and that I reminded him of his wife. Which I guess is a good thing. However, I’m so vain that I thought that they should spend the entire weekend talking about me and thinking about me. I wanted frequent updates from Baloo on what his family thought of me. Turns out, they think I’m a fun, crazy girl and they like me. So I guess I couldn’t ask for more.

In other news, I had to make an emergency call to Kipper last night to discuss something that Daddy Kiki said to me that kinda disturbed me. I called Daddy Kiki last night to talk about the nice time I had at the driving range and I mentioned that Dr. Baloo and his wife will be moving from San Francisco to San Antonio in the next few months so Dr. Baloo’s wife can start her residency. I commented to Daddy Kiki that it will be an adjustment for Dr. Baloo seeing as he’s from the country here in Michigan and he wants to buy a house on a couple of acres and Texas doesn’t exactly have that type of living in the cities. It’s very suburban. Daddy Kiki’s comment, “Well, they should feel comfortable since there are a lot of Hispanics in San Antonio.”

What? Come again? I told Daddy Kiki that I didn’t appreciate his comment and I don’t think they’re the type of people to base their comfort level on the type of people they are surrounded by. I asked him how we segued from talking about the amount of land they’ll live on to the type of people they’ll be around. He was confused. I was confused. He told me to forget about the whole thing. O.K. Whatever.

So I had to call Kipper to commiserate. Apparently it was racist weekend and neither Kipper or I got the memo. He told me a story about having a house guest who said inappropriate things. When Kipper told a story about someone asking a dumb question in class (Kipper is the smartest, thinnest, prettiest one in Community College finishing up some prereqs for nursing school) the house guest asked if the person asking the dumb question was black. Thankfully, Kipper had the balls to stand up to his house guest.

So that’s what I’ve been dealing with these past two weeks. Working my ass off, my boyfriend’s brother’s visit, and my racially incentive father. I hope this week is so much better!

Overheard This Weekend

2007-06-25T12:59:00.000-04:00

Me: If musicals have taught me anything, that's totally the way you do smack.

Egg On My Face

2007-06-23T20:10:00.000-04:00

Well, it was more like egg on my house. Yes, I got egged last night. And I wasn't happy. I discovered the damage when I did the walk of shame from Baloo's house this morning. Three eggs were smashed on my garage and doorway. I was livid. What punk kids would think that was a good idea. By the time I discovered the damage, the eggs were dried and there was nothing I could do. I did call the police and made a police report. No other houses on my street were hit. I was hoping that it was just a random occurrence. However, those kids will get theirs in the end. Fortunately my neighbor has a power washer so the whole cleanup took less than thirty minutes. So, that was something good. The joys of homeownership!

And after a stressful week at work, this was supposed to be my weekend to relax! Oy vey!

That Was Close!

2007-06-18T20:53:00.000-04:00

Sorry I took down that last post. It was a good one and I appreciated everyones comments. However, I made a boo boo. Within the post I put my real name. And I got a Google Alert that my name appeared in Google! Opps! So when you Googled my name, the blog appeared. I did a request for that page to be removed and Phew! It's gone. Now I can go back to telling drunken stories without worries. More to come soon.

Hot Tamale Train

2007-06-14T09:22:00.000-04:00

So I'm watching So You Think You Can Dance last night and the Verizon commercial comes on featuring Prince. Yowzers! That man is hot. I wanted to eat him with a spoon. I have his last album and I can't wait for his new one to come out. How I wish I could be that man's guitar.

Starting Over

2007-06-13T14:32:00.000-04:00

I’ve decided to start over. I want to take charge of my life. I have nothing to do this summer as I have no school commitments and work tends to slow to a snail’s pace when the weather gets warm. So, with a consultation from Kipper I’ve decided to take the Men’s Health personal trainer thingy. Why Men’s Health? Well, because the Women’s Health was not that helpful. On the Men’s Health page, I can buy three months of personal training. I told them that I want to get lean and they give me exercises to do everyday. I decided to do an hour of weight training on Monday, Wednesday, Saturdays, and cardio on Tuesdays and Thursdays. And since I get to pick my cardio, I’m doing rollerblading. Because I found this neat park near my house that has a nice trial through the woods and around a lake. And it’s fun to rollerblade.

This weekend is dedicated to picking out nice snacks for me to eat during the day so I don’t get too bored at work. I’m thinking of having dried fruit, yogurt, cheese, things like that. I’m so excited about my new program that starts on Monday. Baloo chastised me today for having a pop tart and a nutra grain bar. Pretty much as my only meals of the day. Whatever. He knows nothing. I keep telling him that if he wants me to be pretty and thin, he’s gonna have to stop commenting on my unhealthy eating. It just goes with the territory.

Public Service Announcement # 49641

2007-06-06T14:38:00.000-04:00

When I come home for some 'Afternoon Delight,' please let me know whether or not you've delighted yourself earlier in the day. It will save me time and effort. (Not that I'm complaining. Everyone likes a little unexpected afternoon delight.)

In other news, I just got this. Drool with me.

What My Wrath Can Produce

2007-06-02T13:26:00.000-04:00

So after a day of not talking, Baloo presented me with these. These are the first flowers that I received from him. I was floored and so happy. It's nice to see that someone else wants us to work as much as I do! :-)

To My Dearest Baloo

2007-05-31T09:25:00.000-04:00

Dear Baloo,

I’m writing this as a blog entry because I’m tired of discussing this with you. And I know you don’t know where to find my blog so you won’t be reading this either.

Get over yourself. You whine and complain that I’m not spontaneous. Yet when I get drunk on a Wednesday night and want to sit and make fun of all the idiots on So You Think You Can Dance with you, you sit there and look annoyed and tell me “to be good.” (Translation: It’s not nice to make fun of idiots who make a fool of themselves on TV.) So, by the end of the night I start ignoring you much in the same way that you are ignoring me. I don’t remember what happened next as I passed out. That’s probably a good thing.

I came back downstairs this morning to give you a proper kiss goodbye. I was annoyed that you were whiny because of your bad case of poison ivy. And I thought I could have been a little more patient with you. That’s why I came back down to give you a kiss. Unfortunately I have a slight problem with ants for some reason, and yes, I sprayed them with Raid. There was no reason for you to question whether the Raid was meant for indoor use. Do you really think I’m that much of an idiot to use outdoor poisons indoors? If you remember one thing about me, remember this. I survived on my own (and most days I would argue much better) before you entered my life. I’ve sprayed Raid in my house before and haven’t managed to kill myself, so I must be doing something right. Maybe when you get off your ass and get a career and stop depending on mommy and daddy to fund your existence, I’d be more apt to listen to you. But since I have a degree from a prestigious school, since I have a house (which I bought on my own), and since I’m the one with a career, let’s just say that when it comes to common sense things, I’m more than a leg up on that stuff than you.

Now, I know the words that I’ve said are harsh. And I know that I’m a bitch who likes to laugh at other people’s misfortunes. So you’re probably sad by all of this. May I suggest you go and cry on the shoulder of your “best friend.” Although you won’t admit it, I’ve told you on more than one occasion that the reason she doesn’t like me is because she wants you. And I in turn have made it very clear to you that I don’t like her because she was cold to me when I met her on New Years. I know you want me to give her a ‘second chance’ but I’ve told you upfront that that won’t be happening. As far as I’m concerned, bitch has made her bed and now she’s gonna have to lie in it. I will not go out of my way to be nice or even cordial to her. She’s going to have to prove to me that she’s a good enough person for me to waste my breath on. And if you don’t like that, I suggest you find solace in her arms. Who knows, maybe the two of you can work it out. You already have so much in common. Why, I believe you even use the same razor for your facial hair.

So that, my dear Baloo, is how I feel. I’m sick of being a superwoman for you and you don’t have to decency to cut me any slack. Smitty emailed me last night. Oh, you don’t know who Smitty is because you like to pretend that I didn’t have lovers before you. Well let me tell you briefly. Smitty is an executive at a major corporation in Detroit. He broke me heart but still manages to keep in touch with me. In the past I’ve ignored his emails because I wanted to respect what we had going. But I’ve decided to reply for the last couple of days. I always thought Smitty was the prefect match. Even though he did attend a state school, he actually completed his masters, has lived abroad, and like I said, is an executive. But don’t be jealous. Apart from his successes, he tends to be an asshole and even though we’ll probably make plans to meet for a drink, he’ll cancel. He’s undependable like that.

Oh yes, but back to the point. I’m going to leave you alone for a while. Like I said, I don’t plan on sharing this with you. In fact, I don’t plan on telling you any of this. There’s no point. Instead I plan to just leave you alone for a while. Let you wallow in the misery of your poison ivy. I do plan on making plans for the weekend and having a grand time without you. You’re welcome to have some more of my time when you come to your senses.

Love,

Kiki

Men and Their Thoughts

2007-05-25T18:11:00.000-04:00

I just read this and it reminded me of a conversation I had recently with my lovely boyfriend. I never imagined that men think about sex all that much. I for one, do not think about sex until halfway through the time it’s over. That’s why it amazes me that men can think about it nearly 24-7. Which is amusing. Baloo stole a pair of scrubs from the hospital for me. Whenever I wear the bottoms, he’s automatically drawn to my ass and tells me how good I look in them. And he can’t stop touching me. It really is like a magnate. While I’m thinking about comfortable house wear, he’s thinking sex. And don’t let me be in the kitchen stirring something furiously. Because he has to be right there beside me watching, and occasionally reaching out to touch me.

I think thinking about sex nonstop could be tiring. I’m already bored of the topic and I haven’t even gotten to the end of this post. I’d rather think about my dream house or my next job or when I’ll be able to finally afford to take that trip abroad. Maybe if I thought about sex more, my life would be less complicated.

Why I Love My Job

2007-05-23T21:23:00.000-04:00

Because while coming back to the office from lunch, one of my bosses and I had a conversation about the benefits of legalizing weed.

Creepy Old Men

2007-05-22T13:17:00.001-04:00

Tiffy and I are going to the NASCAR race in June. I introduced Tiffy to NASCAR last year and now she loves it. Don’t worry. I pray for her soul every chance I get. I’m going with her just to tag along. We usually get prime access to the race and the drives, so if anything else I can just rub elbows. So anyway, Tiffy is dating a guy who we met in Atlanta. This guy (we’ll call him Evan) is friends with the guy who hooks us up with tickets, Paul. Paul is about 50 and married. So last night Tiffy called Paul and asked for tickets to the June race. Paul agreed and added that he gets jealous whenever Evan talks about the time he and Tiffy spend together because apparently Paul wants to be with Tiffy. Ewww! Dirty old man.

What is up with old men who are dirty? Now, I don’t think Paul has the cojones to act upon his ‘feelings’ but it’s nasty that he would even try to mac on his friend’s girl like that. People.

Kiki's Commentary

2007-05-17T10:35:00.000-04:00

So the big news in Lansing is a judge who is being investigated for a series of things. Most notable to me at least, are her excessive absences, claiming that another judge was meddling in her court affairs, not paying for gas at a gas station, and claiming discrimination.

I read the summary of the complaint in the newspaper, and I have a few things to say about it.

1) Some of what she says I believe to be true. I believe that another judge was probably meddling in her courtroom affairs and not letting her run her court the way she saw fit. However, I also believe in professionalism. Being the first black judge in Ingham County (appointed in 1990 no less) is something of an accomplishment. And with increased responsibilities comes increased professionalism. I don’t excuse the excessive absences. I also don’t excuse the falsifying of records if it did occur. However, I also believe that she was being scrutinized because she is black and a woman. Is that fair? Of course not. But I’ve always been taught since I was knee-high to a duck that I would always be judged differently than everyone else. That’s the reason why I was always encouraged to get a good education, keep my nose clean, and do a job better than anyone else. Because then there would be no reason for anyone to come to me and try to falsely accuse me of things.

2) I also believe that this Judge took liberties in her work. She probably saw some of her white counterparts taking days off and bending the rules. The problem with bending the rules is that you need to do it within a certain constraint. I have a better argument saying that Sally comes to work 10 minutes late everyday and that’s the reason I leave 10 minutes early everyday. I have less of an argument if Sally comes in late 10 minutes everyday yet I decide to take a 3 hour lunch everyday. Of course you’re going to get reprimanded for going that far outside of the rules.

3) There was also an incident about her refusing to pay $3.00 for gas and her being snotty to the gas attendant. Is that a reason for her to lose her job? No. However, she now has an investigation against her and they will use anything bad that she has ever done in her professional life to mar her character. Is the fair? Absolutely not. But, as a professional, she should have known she has to act better.

So what is my conclusion in all of this? Do I think she’s being singled out just because she’s black and a woman? Probably. And I don’t think that’s fair. But I also think that as the first black circuit court judge, she should have set a better example for those who will come after her. In her power and position, she forgot that she was always being scrutinized – far more than her white counterparts. And she should have done a better job of obtaining her professionalism. I’m sad that this has happened to her and she had to go through this, but I hope that other females –both black and white – (and black men too while we’re on the subject) learn that it’s still a good-ole-boys club. And until things change (which I don’t see happening soon) you will always be judged harsher than others. So you might as well play within the system and don’t take liberties that you know will eventually get you kicked out of the club.

Guard Yourselves. Marriage is the new Epidemic.

2007-05-16T09:44:00.000-04:00

Baloo and I played tennis last night. I adore tennis. I’m pretty good when I play regularly and naturally, I have a huge competitive streak. The first time Baloo and I went out, he wasn’t that great. For some reason, he was pretty good this time. And naturally I pouted about it internally. Great, here was one other thing that Baloo was better than me at. Well, he’s not really better than me at tennis, I just wasn’t warmed up enough. By the time the rain came, I was getting some pretty good shots in. He knew that I was pouting and tried to make the best of it even though I was spoiling the mood.

Later on that evening he was with me when I called my Roomie and congratulated her on her engagement. I’m so excited for her. Not only did she complete her Master’s degree this weekend, but she got engaged too. I’m so proud of her. But Baloo could tell when I got off the phone that I was in contemplative mode. I was wondering about us. Friends getting married does that to a girl. Now Baloo and I are in no way ready to get married. And really, we’ve never talked about officially getting married. It’s always vague things like moving to Denver together and soliciting his dad to build our dream house. Those thoughts are never prefaced by ‘after we’re married.’ It’s almost like the elephant in the room. But last night, even when I was thinking about us, Baloo took the time to indulge me. I have a lot of problems with long term commitment as it’s something that I’m not immediately familiar with. Baloo’s parents have been together for eternity, his brother has been married for 4 years, and he has an extended family the size of the population of a small African country. So he’s more in tune with what it takes to make things last. So, in all my poutiness, Baloo wrapped me up in his arms and first scolded me for taking my best friend’s happiness and making it all about me. And then assured me that he loves me and I love him. And we’ll work at our own pace to set what’s right for us.

So, in conclusion: CONGRATULATIONS, ROOMIE! I can’t wait to host parties and make preparations and do all that other stuff that’s involved in preparing for your big day! Ohh, and hosting your bachelorette party. Cause you know with me, it’s gonna be KrzyKiki style!

Addendum

2007-05-14T13:09:00.000-04:00

An addendum:

This is one of those more for me than for you posts.

My weight really does freak me out. I’m a control freak. This weekend I went shopping, did yardwork, baked cookies, cooked dinner, and went to the movies with a friend. When I woke up this morning I wondered if there was more I could have done. I felt like I wasted away my weekend. So the whole thing about me losing weight is freaking me out. Basically I weigh right now more than I ever have. (This statement probably isn’t true. Actually, during my last weigh in, I weighed 2 pound more than my ‘ideal’ weight. I tend to have a flair for the dramatic.) And there’s probably a reason why those size 4 shorts were a little tight. My problem is that I lack willpower. Or I go to extremes. In my kitchen right now I have 4 chocolate chip cookies and 2 burgers that I grilled last night for dinner. The goal is to give the cookies to Baloo (he’ll be more than happy to take them off my hands) and eat the burgers in moderation. I’m also going to the gym tonight. Granted, I have lost about a pound in the last week, but it’s not good enough for me. I want instant gratification, and I want it now. My biggest problem lies in the fact that I want to be the perfect little girlfriend. I’m an excellent cook. In fact, I cook more now that I’m with Baloo than I ever cooked before. And all that cooking has added up to me being a fatty. Combine that with the fact that I’m 25 and my metabolism is slowing down and I’m a wreck right now.

For my superbowl party last year I dropped a massive amount of weight. I went on a liquid diet for a month. All I could eat were slimfast shakes and yogurt. Oh, and bananas. Was it healthy? No. But it worked. I’m trying to do the liquid diet again but I always cheat on the weekends. I haven’t put up a new picture on myspace or facebook because I think I look hefty in all the pictures recently taken of me. Of course Baloo doesn’t think I’m fat. He just doesn’t want me to get so skinny and unhealthy that I can’t have sex anymore. Which I find funny. However, I do want all the skimpy lingerie I have to look sexy, not like a bloated whale is trapped in Victoria’s Secret silkies.

So this month is dedicated to weight loss. Not only do I want to get back to my desired weight, but I also want for the circumference of my waist to fit into the size guides of all the major clothing labels. I’m committed to doing this and I will be back to a size 4 by the end of the month.