Snow Update

Now the city is at a level 2 emergency because of the snow that smack the eastern region silly.

Cabin fever and winter boredom...

I had some really great pics of the snow that seemed to have dropped on the city since Wednesday morning, and froze over. For now, you can all enjoy the boredom/cabin fever shots instead of my aunt's christmas gift that I wrapped earlier today.

The city was in a level 3 emergency all day, which basically means if you don't have an emergency to begin with, you shouldn't be out on the roads. They were that bad.

On Wednesday afternoon, while my Mom and I were out shopping for some snacks to last the weekend, we saw three 18-wheelers get stuck in the snow. They had either cut off, or was stuck in the ice and slush. It's intersting to see how a natural cause like a snowstorm can take out a large vehicle like an 18 wheeler. Plus, it kept my mind off of how all the buses were running off schedule. It took my Mom and I an extra 2 hours to get home with all the routes running off schedule.

To back track for a second, the original set of pics got erased from my digital camera - probably from human error. I've been in the house all day today, except for the 30 minutes I spent outside helping my Mom shovel snow. I spent the rest of the day on an extreme lounging bit, enjoyed a few visitors (since everyone stayed at home just about), just watching television and actually doing some housework. With all of this newly found free time on my hands since graduating almost two weeks ago (wow!) I've had time to catch up on leisurely and lazy activities, like watching cable, dvd's, crocheting, and messing around with this camera my Aunt and Uncle gave me as a grad gift. I'm really upset about those snow pics being erased, but I'm pretty sure that the snow will remain until tomorrow.

With this free time inbetween finding a job and just being a homebody I'll actually have time to blog, even if its in photos. I'm done with Christmas shopping, just waiting for the after Christmas sales to begin. Should make a SD memory card for the camera the priority purchase, even if its on Christmas Eve. I'm not much of a fan of cabin fever. I rather be out and about anyways. Sometimes I feel like the Postal Service: through rain, sleet, or snow - I always find somewhere to go...

Okay, I know the boredom has kicked in if I'm rhyming on a blog entry!

A pic of the bow with the flash on, that's why it looks so shiny and plastic. 

A closeup of the basket with its plastic like wrap. Looks weird from this angle. 

A pic of the entire basket. Forgot to mention its a coffee themed basket with two mugs, some creamer, vanilla syrup, sugar, and of course some coffee. :) 

This one is a (blurry) close up of the basket. 

Fun with my new digital camera. These are a few pics of the gift basket I made for my aunt for Christmas.

I have 14 class days left before graduation.

Wow, I never though that it would get down to the last few weeks of college. In the beginning it seemed to go by so slow. Now the end is truly near. I'm excited, yet scarred of finding a real job, and fustrated over current classes because of the demanding work all at the same time. Tonight I have a business plan due for the Financial Management of Private Firms course I'm enrolled in. Frightening name, and the course overall sucks. But it's required so I'm stuck either way.
One department that I'm not stuck in is the the dating department. I've decided after nearly two years of being "single by choice," I've decided to be "dating by choice." More like "...by accident" is appropriate. When the weather gets cold, it seems that more guys want to holla at me. I don't mind it at all, but its very suspect with the majority of them. Their plan (to my assumptions) probably goes something like this: hook up, chill out with ol' girl in the winter, then dump them in the spring. Well, of the few guys that I've talked to, or caught up with from way back, maybe two are good contenders, but I'm leaning towards one right now. Over the past couple of years, I've been suspect of guys and their actions. This one well, he's very sweet, goes to church, and plays all kinds of instruments! Did I mention that he has a job (bonus points!)?! So overall, he's actually about something. And I like that in him. I don't want to jump the gun with anyone so I'm just gonna take things slow and not get all caught up like I did the last time.
As classes continue to suck while I'm trying to regain a social life, I have to return to working (and getting this business plan formatted at the last minute).

Life continues...

Same image but larger. Still trying to figure out the default settings on this software. 

Never mind, here's the voting banner. 

Since I had diffculty posting my election day banner, this will have to do for now, a rendering of a pair of blue Pumas. 

I voted today...

did you???

Back to school...yet again

Currently I'm enduring the second day, the last quarter of my BBA, hopefully. There hasn't been much to occur so far, except the high prices that I don't want to pay for some textbooks. Fall quarter is the worst when it comes to book buying; publishing companies like to come out with new editions during the summer, which means no used books. It's hard to avoid, so I'm gonna sell some old ones back that I've been holding on to because the bookstores weren't taking them back at the time.
Still counting down the days to my end at Langsam Administration. 9/30 is the official day. I'm in the process of trying to get another job with University Libraries. I've just about had it with Family Medicine and the one guy who's picky about phonecalls (and can't remember who's who) and the other who can't stand students doing homework at the desk when there's nothing else to work on. I endured the summer with that job (basically for extra income), but now I'm ready to go.

John Edwards visited Cincinnati

It was nice to see John Edwards actually come to visit the community that I live in. I actually got to shake his hand too and told him that colleges need more money than just more loan offers. Hopefully that quick piece of info will seep in. My Mom and I were talking during his speech and felt positive that Kerry and Edwards really have a chance in this election. Someone has to turn around this miserable mess that Bush and Cheney have created the past four years. As November 2nd approaches, the more excited I get about voting. I have no clue what the local issues or levies are, but I'm most concerned about who are next president is going to be.

Adventures in Dentistry

Not the best title in the world, but its the first one that stood out in my mind. Take it or leave it, I suppose. Anyways, there's not too much eventful news going on personally since I'm on break from school, so I'm working a bit more for the next two weeks. Hopefully that should be something decent to go towards all the dental payments that I may have to make in the near future. Well, from the last visit that I had, I had 8 cavities that they wanted to fill. Just call me the Cavity Creep. Now, that total is down to 7. Too bad that teeth can't repair themselves with a little extra brushing and such. Added on to those 7 cavities, I now have to get two of my wisdom teeth removed. Yaaay! *yeah the hell right!* Having any kind of surgery scares me, simply put. I wanted to cry after the doctor told me the news. Actually, I almost did, I just sat there holding back the tears.

I can deal with the bills though, like I have with other money crunches in the past, usually with tuition or books, but this is towards my health. It's nice that I do have some type of health coverage though. Since the big 22nd, I got bumped from my Mama's family health plan, and now the two of us have individual insurance plans. It was a bit tedious sitting at home reading through the booklets and discussing it with my Mama about which one to pick. I thought that I had a keeper until I went to the pharmacy to fill a new prescription, for The Patch (yes, people I'm keeping it safe, all of you should too cuz the consequences aren't fun...). Just my (dumb) luck, the patch, or any kind of contraception isn't covered by my new insurance plan! Great! So I took a few days to decide what to do, and just bit the bullet and returned a couple days later to pay full price for them, until next month. I'm considering calling my provider really soon, or just going to a clinic to see what they have to say. It's not fair that healthcare can't cover the important things that matter to people and their livelihood. Thank you George W.!!! (that's why I'm gonna vote for Kerry on 11/2 anyways...) Back to the dental issues though, I just have to pay for it piece by piece and get all that work over with. I really need a good job with some benefits, now more than ever, just to be sure that everything medical is covered or partially covered, at the least.

Time at work is easing away. Thank goodness, because I'm ready to get back into my new read: The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth am I Here For? It's a part of my goal to become a bit more religious and spiritual. I wasn't brought up in the church as a child, but my parents have taught me things about God, and the bible with their perspective mixed in (which made the lessons more true to life and understandable).
It takes 40 days to read, by suggestion of the author, so that every chapter can be savored and understood to the fullest extent. I'm just on chapter three, well that's the one that I'll be reading after I leave work. Each day there is a point to remember, a quote from the bible to memorize, and a question to consider. I'm thinking about making the 40 questions into a journal of its own. I wonder if anyone is doing that already; its worth doing a search for. A friend that I went to Montreal with told me about the book, and that's what intrigued me to buy it. I'm hoping this weekend to go back to Sam's Club and get the accompanying journal too. :)

Summer classes are over! But the work doesn't stop...

Finally got a break from school, somewhat. I have about 3 weeks off until fall classes begin on 9/22. It's not much of a break since I'm still working on east and west campuses. Can't complain, at least I'll have one check that'll have a few extra hours on it than usual. I'm actually excited about starting the Fall quarter, hopefully my last quarter if all goes well with the Marketing Strategy and Entrepreneurship classes I took during the summer. I know that the Entrepreneurship class should be fine, the team business plan and presentation went very well, our team won first place in the competition last Monday, which was a nice start to the week. Has the final exam for Marketing Strategy last Thursday afternoon, which I felt a bit more comfortable and confident with than the midterm (that I failed by the way, so everything was pretty much riding on the final, unfortunately). Just waiting for the grades to be posted online seems like a better option than emailing the professor for the grade. It makes me weary just thinking about that final exam grade. As long as I did average (like C+ or better), there is still hope.
The extended Labor Day weekend was nice and relaxing to a degree, considering that I haven't worked since a week ago today, and I spent 1-2 days preparing for Marketing Strategy. I spent my time helping a friend (who's like family to me) pack so she can start her first year of college, which actually began today, slept crazy hours, watched repeats galore (of Chapelle's Show marathon, the 04 Vma's- well Usher's part anyways, the 03 and 04 of the Bet Awards, and parts of the Source Awards and the Mad TV marathon), went out to dinner and the club with friends (with some pumps that I should have broke in before hand-feet still recovering!), got my hair done, and ate like a pig (since my Mama cooked baked beans and potato salad for the holiday, two of my favorite dishes). It was a simple, yet fulfilling weekend. To top it off, I got my direct deposit earlier, on Saturday instead of Tuesday, which made it easier to grocery shop and grab a few school supplies.
Right now I'm at the newest of my two jobs at Family Medicine. I switched my schedule around so that I can be at the library in the am and over here in the pm, with an hour in between to bs and to grab some lunch. I thought my last day at the library was gonna be 8/30, but I'm blessed that they extended it to 9/30. So the first eight days of classes I'll be holding down two jobs still; which is cool with me. Doesn't take much to keep me happy anyways.
After this, well today anyways, I'm on my way to a job interview in Covington, KY for a company overview at 6-ish. It's been a phone tag game with the company since mid July to try to set up a time for a company overview. I had one scheduled back in early August, but I missed the bus (lamest excuse ever) and just postponed it. Now a month later, I'm actually scheduled to go and visit the company, which hereby starts my search for full time job post graduation. Anyone out there reading this wanna hire me? Also, I'm sending off my resume to a contractor that called me Friday afternoon about a job with his business, which was out the blue considering that I was talking to my former neighbor (who reminds me so much of my late granny) about jobs, when the guy clicked in on the other end. Nice timing.
For now, I'm going to get back to working, pretty much watch the phones. I might read my new book I bought the other day, "The Purpose Driven Life". A friend of mines told me about it. I need to get more in touch with the spiritual anyways. I'm really sick of people trying to test me and my faith, especially when I have been framed with actions that I didn't commit. People are so quick to point fingers at others, but never at themselves. It's 2004 people; time to rise above the baby games and bs! Anyways, I'm (trying) not to let the petty things in my life consume my being, cuz that's what the others want you to do. I got a lot of other things in my life to focus on right now, like finishing work for instance...

Happy Birthday

Today would have been my Daddy's 56th birthday. Regardless of whether he's here or not, I still take the day off to relax and reflect on how wonderful of a person my Dad was. Happy Birthday Daddy, we still miss you down here.

Horoscope for the day:

Cancer
Arrange to play hooky for at least a few hours -- with a suitable partner in crime, of course. You'll have plenty of chances to catch up on your work tomorrow. For now, live a little.

Now, I wish I had called off of my am job. :)

Someday we'll all be free...

I guess in its own little way, the Freedom Center is a start. I'm still skeptical about it, after hearing conflicting stories about how it was funded and how its not telling all sides of the story to how blacks were treated during slavery. And for the entrance to be facing Covington, Kentucky. So basically freedom is mooning Cincinnati. I find it odd that Cincinnati was picked as the site of the first freedom center; there are plenty more to come in other locations across the US. This town is so conservative, and race relations aren't that good here. This is a republican city, for sure. (here's a blurb on why they chose Cincinnati for the first location, straight from the site):

Why Cincinnati?
Now as in the past, Cincinnati's location on the Ohio River puts it at the crossroads of freedom's journey. In the 1800's the city served as a major hub of activity on the Underground Railroad and its banks offered refuge to thousands seeking hope and a new way of life. Today, as the home of the Freedom Center, it acts as a beacon of light once more.

From what I saw at last night's opening ceremony, the story is going to be sugar coated a bit. With all of the speeches, dancing, and singing, everything was symbolic, maybe too symbolic. There is only so much symbolism that a person can take in a four hour period. Plus, the program itself wasn't on schedule, and there was a rumor that P. Diddy was going to be there (he wasn't, he either cancelled out or the media just straight up lied). Honestly, that's why I met my cousin and one of her friends down there; the three of us wanted to see P. Diddy. The crowd itself was sightly older, more families and grandparents than young adults. There were children there, but of course with their parents or grandparents.
That ceremony was basically to suck up to all of the corporate sponsors that funded the center, it really wasn't for the city like they made it out to be. Just a big facade. I am interested in going into the building, but only if I got the hookup on some free tickets. The Freedom Center is better than having nothing that explains of what went on during slavery and the importance of the Underground Railroad, but there's got to be some other options too. This is a start, but there's still more work to be done. Granted that the truth is ugly sometimes, but they say that the truth shall set you free. It's time for people to really get free.

Usher, in Cincinnati? Can't be!

Nothing is going to get me down today, that's how much of a good mood I'm in. Hey, I just saw Usher in concert last night, and it was worth every penny! It's pretty hot that he actually came to Cincinnati, "The most boring city in the Midwest" (just made that up, that's probably obvious), especially when Philly is the next stop for his tour tomorrow. I'm shocked that I still have my voice, because I screamed pratically the whole time he was on stage. With one exception, while he brought a girl from the audience on stage (she had to be pre-selected though, cuz if that was anyone else, they would have flipped out, no joke!)to sing to her. *Must take a pause to listen to "Burn" it's on the radio right now. :D* Well, anyways, my friend and I were sitting there saying "lucky heffa" and all kinds of mess while she was on stage getting serenaded by Usher. We were near the top of US Bank Arena, but they were good seats, you could see the whole stage, and everything. Besides, if we were on the floor, those explosions would have been a lot louder than what they were! Can't forget to mention about Kanye West, that's my boy. I was in there just about rapping every lyric to the songs he did. I'm extra happy about seeing him again, because I saw him on campus back in late May. It don't take much to make me happy, and seeing Kanye twice in one year is gonna keep me grinning for a minute.
Gotta thank my girl Keri real quick for inviting me, cuz I've been feeling weighed down on some other issues with other friends (now ex-friends again I suppose). So I just want to thank her and wish her an early b-day although it's a week from today. Its good to know that some real people and real friends still exist in this world. Maybe screaming my brains out over a hottie like Usher, especially when he ripped-not removed, ripped his shirt off, is all the fixing that I needed. Who woulda knew!

...a brief detailed message ?!

Okay, I'm still sitting at the Family Medicine job, trying to make quite a few phone calls. I'm not a fan of making phone calls at work, but the job was assigned to me, so there isn't much else to do but actually do it. I called this one doctor's office, and on the voice message the lady said "please leave a brief detailed message." I don't know how detailed a person can be in a brief message. It just sounded odd, and funny to me. In a way, I can sympathize with the lady, I hate leaving recorded messages, even the greeting on my cell phone's voice mail. When it comes to work, I'm not too fond of picking up the phone, bottom line. It makes me nervous. Anyway- I'm gonna get back to work now, so I won't look too suspicious.

One month goes by pretty fast. Especially when you're exhausted, mentally and physically. Classes and work are fine, and keeping me busy Monday-Thursdays. I had a midterm last Thursday for Marketing Strategy, and I had to take the morning off to gather my thoughts. I guess that I got too lost in my thoughts because I didn't do so great on the Marketing Strategy exam I had. A lot of times, midterms can be overwhelming. It's definately a challenge to overcome, even this late in the game.

Another good horoscope

07/25/2004
Cancer
It's time to deal with the inevitable, in all categories -- including the one you've been trying to avoid. Get it over with. You'll sleep better than you have in weeks."

Yaay! Crank Yanker video clips Yaay!

I could post an entry on all the drama and stress in my life right now, but I rather not. That's providing some people some recognition and attention that they really don't deserve right now. Some of the events are kinda fustrating and petty anyways. Life keeps throwing me these lemons, so all I can do is make lemonade out of them, you know?! It's a cliche' line, but it applies. So I'm just posting a link to some Crank Yanker video clips instead.

A nap sounds good right about now

07/19/2004  Horoscope
Cancer
You're probably quite emotionally spent, and ready for a break in the action. The universe, however, has decided that you need a couple more days of the high life. Take a nap instead."

Crazy News Headline

Man Learns He's Dead, Thanks to Blind Ex-Wife

Happy Birthday?!

I'm very uncomfortable with the fact that I share the same sign with George W. Bush. We're both are born under the sign of Cancer. That's so uncool.

In other things, I'm glad to say that Friday was one of the most decent birthdays that I had in a long time. It was definitely one for the books. My friends threw me a surprise hotel birthday party. I got trashed, no lie. It was the most memorable party to the point that I forgot lots of it. I was in good hands though. A few of my close friends and family saw me at my worst. Needless to say, I will be nice to them for a long time, because the party can easily be used against me. :)

The 4th/5th was cool too. The fireworks that my Mom and I bought we, well she, set off over my Great Aunt's house. One of my other Great Aunts, her boyfriend kept making fun of our fireworks, because of the lack of bang and boom they had. Well, that was until they lit the last one, called Jalapeno. It screeched, sparked and went boom. I was proud of that, cuz that was the one I picked out. I'm buying ten of those for next year. :D My Great Aunt's birthday was yesterday, and she spent some quality time over our house, which is always nice. And, my Grandmother's (Mom's side) birthday is tomorrow. July is a hot month for birthdays for my Mom's side of the family. There are birthdays on the 2nd, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, and 26th.
But instead of sitting here trying to figure out the whole family line of birthdays, I have some work to finish for class that I neglected this weekend, on purpose. I hate that the weekend is over already, but it was a great one, and I'm looking forward to the next big weekend, which is the Indiana Black Expo which is less than two weeks from now. That'll give me enough time to recuperate from my birthday.

Time waits for no one

I'm just stuck on the simple fact that it's July already. Let my watch tell it from earlier today, it was set to June 31st!

B-day countdown: tomorrow is the day! :)

...and now I've been back for a minute...

with no time to spare
can't even take a moment to catch some air

Ya'll ain't ready for my rhyming skills just yet..lol
Maybe the world can wait a little more, cuz that was borderline wack :) My craft of writing is an art in progress.

Anyway, I've been back into the swing of things campus wise. Started that new job at the Family Medicine Office. I just need to get on a better schedule and get out the house earlier. I've been late twice this week, which looks really tacky when I did it twice this week, which sucks. Just left from a debriefing meeting for Study Abroad. Thought about going on the one to Belize in September. But when they mentioned rainforest, I automatically began to think of spiders. They frighten me, even if it's a drawing of one; they make my flesh crawl. If it wasn't for my big fear of those ugly things, plus it costs $975 to go, I would go. It's a 10 day trip this time, to help a Women's organization construct a house and help with office work too. Hell, it wouldn't even count for anything if I go; I'm just about finished with all the required stuff, I'm just working backwards in the fall to finish up some lingering electives (History, Public Speaking). It would be for the experience. After getting a taste of being out the country for a week, I wonder what an entire quarter would be like on study abroad, besides hella expensive. If I can afford it post-graduation, I may take some time to travel around, who knows.

More of the birthday countdown: two days left. It's hard to believe that it's so close already. I could spare a few more weeks, really. :) Let my boy Rob tell everyone that I have a birtday (what seems like) every month, and that I'm 28. Subtract 6 years from that, and that's my real age, as of Friday. 22 on 7-02, that's cool. I'm going to make 70222 my favorite number for awhile. :) That's biased, but so what, it's my birthday! Yaay!

And now, It's about time to leave...

Well by this time Saturday night, I hope to be packed and ready to leave to go back to the airport to go back home. This has been an amazing week for it to be my first time out of US boundaries. I've been seeing and shopping so much this week that this was the only time that I could barely sqeeze in anything for an entry. I've got a couple phrases together in French, like hello, excuse me, goodbye, thank you (very much), and fries. I've done stuff normal to some, like ride the subway (they call it the metro in Montreal), among other things.
That's about all for now. This computer lab in McGill is quite stuffy- no air conditioning. The heat is making me sleepy...

Wow, tomorrow is the day!

I'm gonna make this my last post before I leave for Montreal bright and early in the morning...try 6am, and my flight leaves at 9:25am. It's a two hour flight and I'm going to be praying all the way there.
But in the meantime want to post a couple of links:

*UC Basketball coach suspended indefinately...
*This is where I'm studying at for the week. Yay!
*I Fell in love with Philly so much the first time I went in April, I'm thinking of going back for my birthday (7/2).

With all of the coverage of former President Regan passing, can't even hear much about Ray Charles passing this week, like he was just a blip on the map. That's wrong though. R.I.P.

That's all for now, I need to clean up and get some sleep. I'm out. :)

Usher and Kanye West in the Nati?! That's too good to be true!

MTV.com - News -Usher, Kanye To Bring 'The Truth' Nationwide

It's done. I'm going to see Usher and Kanye on August 13th. Hopefully the tickets won't be sky high, or otherwise, I'll just sit outside and wait for them to get into the tour bus. Ugh, that sounds like something a stalker would say. I'm just a fan trying to meet some celebs, that's all.

Boredom makes you post strange things

Today was really blah
I am making this journal Friends Only because of the perverts and stalkers who only want to see my photos.

Today, I got a digital camera! Yes! Here's ten thousand photographs of my cat.

I want to say thanks to the people that actually see my blog

You should all do this quiz! It's amazingly accurate. You just put in your name and birthday, and it will tell you next week's lottery numbers.

I got bored and happened to find this on my yahoo page when I log in. I'm bored at work and just took an exam this morning, just trying to pass the time so that I can go shopping for an outfit later on. Gotta have one new something to go to Montreal in! :)

That's enough for now. But I'll leave you with this thought - sharing your life with strangers on the internet is the cheapest form of therapy available. Leave a comment and tell me I'm beautiful.

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One Week Left...

and I'm gone to Montreal. I'm actually getting excited about it now, especially after Friday's second and final meeting. One of my classmates from CoB is going. Everyone that's going is from CoB, but she's someone I'm actually cool with. Its gonna be fun all week. It's done!

Other good news, got awarded a scholarship from CoB. I just took one of those "what the hell, why not" chances in March and applied. Pretty much like I did with signing up for the Montreal study abroad. I got a notification Friday in the mail that I received a $1000 scholarship for the 04-05 school year. I only need it for the Fall Quarter, but who gives a damn, I got another scholarship, which I thought was seriously impossible by now. Expect the unexpected, pretty much.

Oh yeah, that Kanye concert was fun. Took him forever and a day to get to the campus, but it was worth the wait for a freebee concert. He had me weak when he played "You Don't Know My Name" (during a melody of songs he producd) and redid Alicia Keys's conversation where he called a girl and ended with "Yes, head will be perfect", in place of Alicia's "Thursday will be perfect". Also, found out that John Legend guy (the one that sings on "This Way" by Diolated Peoples, and that new Slum Village song) is from Springfield, Ohio. That's kinda hot, but when is Cincinnati gonna get on the map?

If my pics come out decent, I'll scan and post a couple. Since me and my friend Teresa was behind hella tall guys, we was just holding up the cameras toward the stage and hoping for the best. Out of the 25936906 pictures we took, one's gotta come out halfway decent.

I'm doing this for my girl Tala

She had these posted on her site a minute ago:

1. What do you think about when you can't sleep at night? I wonder what I am going to do the next day.
2. What is the first thing you think about when you wake up? Going back to sleep.
3. What do you have to fall back to when you are depressed? My favorite cd's, and old poems I wrote
4. What makes you cry? Missing my Daddy...
5. Which are more important to you...intentions or actions?
6. What could improve your life? I would like some peace please.
7. Do you believe in unconditional love? Yes I do
8. What makes you fall asleep at night? Boring television, rainstorms, or reading a textbook.
9. What hurts you heart? Having it broken.
10. How can I help you? I like hugs - they're free :)

The Busiest Day (in a long time...)

Okay, when it hits midnight tonight, I definately won't be upset. Today has been one of the most hectic days that I had in a long while. With this being the last week of classes prior to finals, it seems like everything for my classes was due this week, which sucked overall, especially since i'm taking 19 credits, trying to slowly kill myself. More like trying to get finished by December; making a small sacrifice, doing what I gotta do for now. This week alone, I had two group presentations, one group report, a business plan, and an extra credit assignment, all completed at the last minute somehow by the graces of God. I still have three exams next week, four counting a make-up exam from when I was still out of town in Philly/Jersey/NYC, and an 8-10 page reflective paper that's due next week. And I still have to prep for this study abroad trip that's less than two weeks away (notice that I changed the image above...)?! I seriously need a nap! Well, even after skipping out of Sports Marketing early today (just stayed long enough to turn in that extra credit assignment and get accounted for on the attendance), and getting a ride home from my Grandma (love her for that one, she saved me a 45 minute ride between two busses), and a quick trip to the grocery store (had to stock up on a few snacks in preparation for a cram session sometime this weekend), I STILL DIDN'T GET THAT NAP!

Well, the good thing about tonight is that Kanye West is gonna be on campus for free. Can't beat that with a stick, nope. That should brighten my spirits. But for now, I have to go and help my Mom with the groceries, get changed for this meeting (well, the concert actually, but I still have to meet with my study abroad group tonight), and calm down for a minute.

"Breathe In, Breathe Out."

Today just felt like a good day to post another pic. I made this my tiled background on my laptop. Looks odd, but I like it.

Update from that new job situation. I'm only allowed to earn a certain amount on summer work study, and the way things look now, I can't work at the library and the new job with the hours that I wanted to at first, and still try to chase after a commission based job on campus (which I finally interviewed for on Friday). Discovering such depressing info on the Friday of the only three day weekend of the quarter didn't place me into the best mood, but I went with it. The grad party that was thrown in honor of my cousins went fine, a laid back family function that started 2 hours late, that ended up being a trip out to the movies by the end of the night. I got like 15 billion papers due this week, plus Kanye West is going to be on campus this Thursday, and I happened to schedule a group meeting at the exact same time he hits the stage. Maybe if things are in order we can crunch out the info in 30 minutes so that I can go see him on stage. Its not too often when you get an entertainer of his calibur to come to the University of Cincinnati, for a free performance. Then again, Coretta Scott King is going to be here as the graduation speaker in a couple of weeks. I wonder if she knows that Cincinnati needs some serious healing right now.
Digression...
With some planning and rescheduling of hours, I think that this work study issue can be worked out. Now if it would only stop raining outside. Then again this can be a good time to get some work done, I can't say that anything outside is distracting me.

 

Yay! Starting next month, I'm going go be working here as a work-study student, as well as at Langsam Library during the Summer Quarter. Went for the interview this past Friday, and it went well, plus it was brief, only a half an hour. I've been so caught up in getting all these assignments done that I haven't had the chance to get relatively excited about going to Montreal next month. Actually two weeks from Sunday. Plus I'm trying to get a commission based job, and do some internship work with a local music company this summer. I'm (trying to get) on a mission!!!

I was extremely excited to see my cousins grad last night. Mekaeila and Dalkesha both went to Hughes Center, which is across the street from where I am. It was great to go to a graduation ceremony, the last one I been to was for my cousin Troy and friend Mauriel back in 2001. They went to the same school also. From all the shouting and screaming that all of us did last night, I'm surprised that anyone of us isn't hoarse. It was just so energetic to be in the Cintas Center, cheering the both of them on, makes me look that much forward to mines in December, hopefully in December. It better be in December, the word gets around quick in my family. Just last Thursday, another one of my cousins was on campus promoting her job at a plasma care facility. One of the first things she said to me was "I heard you were graduating this December..." I responded with a "Dang, the word gets out quick! I just told my Mom just two weeks ago". And I heard that she had just moved out from her parent's place and has an apartment now. She told me that she just moved out like a week ago when I saw her. Thus, further proving my point that gossip gets out quick, at least on my Mom's side of the family.

Back to the graduation stuff from last night. My Aunt and Grandma were on some other stuff, to say the least, when neither one of them decided to go to the ceremony. And my Aunt came up here from Alabama. Enough said. I'm going to have to begin giving people ultimatum now in preparation for mines. If you're acting an ass, you can't go. If you copped an attitude over my cousin's graduation, you can't be there for neither one of mines. I already know now that I don't have the time or the patience to deal with someone acting a fool and waste a ticket when it can go to someone else who seriously gives a crap. So to keep from hearing anyone gripe and complain last night, a few of us (Mekaeila, here little sister, K'nya, our other cousin, I'yanna, my mom and myself) went out to Applebee's for a celebration dinner. The service was bad, but the food was good. I finally got to try that Blue cheese Sirloin steak they constantly showed on the commercials, for what seemed like an eternity. Which reminds me, that's going to be my snack when I get home this evening.

So, all and all, it was a great evening, and the energy was off the charts! Too bad that enthusiasm didn't carry over into today, not yet anyways, and it's already 3:21 in the afternoon. For now I must continue with the rest of the papers I have to type and group projects to collaborate on. At least this weekend coming up is Memorial Day weekend and I get Monday off to relax and get some work done. Knowing me, I'll probably be out shopping for that Montreal trip. :)
(Procrastination: "That's how I got through high school.")

Congrats to all the 2004 grads this year! You know who you are!

I've been meaning to post this pic to archive my whereabouts this quarter. I met Jerry Springer on campus in the newly remodeled (which I know some of my tution went to; they don't say that 'UC stands for Under Construction' for nothing!) Tangeman Center. It was weird that I met him cuz I was just watching his tv show that morning, then met him 90 minutes later. Actually it was quite cool. Call me a nerd for that one, I don't really care. 

This is one of the days where my horoscope seems to be on point:

My Horoscope (Cancer):
Thursday 20 May
Today marks the start of an extremely creative and imaginative four week period for you. It’s time to start listening to your intuition, and trusting your hunches – and it’s also time to start expressing your feelings through some kind of art, crafts or writing. If you want to reorganise or redecorate your bedroom, this is also the perfect day to plan a stylish but practical solution.
www.bbc.co.uk

Must...post...links

Paul
Tala

The links above are from two friends from hs- they have blogs too. Thank you Tala for them. I'm gonna post them at the top soon, once I get a minute to do so. This midquarter burnout is hell. I need a nap...

Diddy Disbands 'Making The Band' Group

That finale on Thursday was shocking. I felt bad for Da Band. Its sad how they went from hella hungry in the first and second seasons to all the overblown drama and egotrippin in the third. Just watching the show taught me what not to do in a group situation.

And now, it's the sixth week of classes. Only got about a month to go before finals. By then I will be tired from all the presentations and papers that I must type. I'm thinking of starting a typing business this summer so that way I can at least get paid for something that I do all the time anyways. Just provide a service to people in the neighborhood; it'll save me from the job hunt for the time being if I get this done by the time I leave for Montreal on June 13th.

Updates on the usual stuff I discuss:

School: I'm actually going to finish in December! So I will get the best Christmas gift afterall, my degree. Getting more hyped about the Montreal trip as the weeks go by. :)
Love: This definitely classifies as a WTF issue. Not much going on. Talking to a few guys cuz I'm bored. Only want 2 of them (not at the same time, that's so not my thing). Would like to settle, but not right now. Hey, I'm in my 20's I'll save the marriage thing for later. Time to mingle!
Work: Still gonna work at Langsam Library until the end of the year. May have an internship pending, depends on the company's needs. Looking for a second job, possibly a third. Hoping to make the typing services my hustle for the summer. Searching for a job sucks!
Dreams: Still want to be a songwriter/singer. Have to learn how to sing in front of people on the spot, never know what could happen. For now, I'm still writing things here and there, and getting my voice on point (i.e. singing songs that are in my key, like Monica, Brandy, etc.)
Etc.: Want to move out the house, but on good terms with my Mom. I hate fighting with her, its frustrating and so unnecessary at times.

This is a little something that I wrote in my mini notebook one night after being out with friends. I forgot to scan it, but it due time, it will be posted. Here's the actual text of what I wrote in the notebook:

4.26.04
I question my maturity sometimes. What makes it even worse it that I'm questioning it at 4:30 am Monday. I look at the people that I grew up with - even the ones I lost contact w/ and just been seeing them recently (just running into them & what not). I look @ everyone else around me and feel like they look their age. Not necessairly act it all the time (kids @ heart, no insults). I'm 21, feeling 16 and look 18, 19 on a good day. The logic is all screwed up on that one. Maybe its just the insomnia & insecurities speaking right now but I feel naive & gullable about life, and I'm about 2B 22 in 2 months. [It's too early/too late to ponder such deep thoughts.] It has a lot 2 do w/ my upbringing. Quite diciplined & structured to the point of asking if it was necessary. I was a good child. Parents were just overprotective. Maybe a bit too much. So when I finally became of age 2 do a couple things, I felt like I was lookin @ the word with a pair of fresh eyes: Perspective was altered immediately (kinda). Maybe not that instantly but it changed. There's something profound that I want 2 say, but that's out the window now. It's 4:40 am. It's hard 2B profound this late @nite/ this early in the AM. Maybe I can sleep better after writing this down. Lets hope so.

End: 4:41am

Let's see, it's been three weeks since I've began spring clasees. It's a shame how my world revolves around when the school quarters begin. Really, its not all that sad, because this is the life that I chose for myself. In a way, I'm gonna hate to see it go, that is, if I'm really up for graduating in December. It all boils down to one class, the capstone (final) class for my Family Business/Entrepreneurship minor. If it's offered in the fall, then I will have my BBA as the sweetest Christmas present ever, and if it's offered in the Winter or Spring in 05, then that means I can have the degree a early birthday gift.

For the time being, I'm just trying to adjust to taking 19 credits hours of courses this quarter, which I vowed that I would never do in my entire tenure as a college student. Once the tuition has made an official increase for the 04-05 academic year, that swayed me to take on another class instead of taking a third in the summer and paying out of pocket for, or wearing myself down in my possibly final quarter in the fall.

And then the Real World kicks in. Not the tv show, the part of my life where I have to decide on what I want to do for a living, at least for the next 5 years. I'm unsure if there are any people nowadays that stay with one company for 30 years or more. In the generations past, that's how things were, but now people change jobs like they change their drawls (yea drawls, not drawers). These four and some years went by like the previous four years that I endured, also known as high school to many. Sometimes I like to call it hell, cuz I went through many life changing events between 1996 and 2000 in my personal life and school life that it altered my outlook to an extent.

To sum it all up: I just want to find a good career that I won't have to dread going to five days a week.

Somehow the Friday Five from 4-9 (My girl Dezzy's birthday) fits in with this career and school discussion, somewhat anyways:

1. What do you do for a living? I'm a student. I work p-t though, on campus @ the library.

2. What do you like most about your job? The flexibility, I'm going to miss that when I have to find a f-t position somewhere.

3. What do you like least about your job? The occasional gruntwork. Then again, my position is the Student Assistant. So that's what I end up with.

4. When you have a bad day at work it's usually because _____... I'm sick or really tired.

5. What other career(s) are you interested in? Anything creative that's in the music industry. I wanna shine, baby. :)

For now, instead of pondering all of life's questions about my future, I'm gonna go and relax. It's a beautiful day out, and I got my bags packed for yet another road trip. This time, I'm headed to Jersey and NYC for 2 days. Supposed to have been 3 days but things occur for a reason. I'm excited about getting out the state once again! Happy weekend to the 5 people that read this, if that many. I may make a out of town post once I get settled in in Jersey early Saturday morning.


An update to the post from March 14th: I got selected to participate in Study Abroad! I go to Montreal for a week in June! :D Now, that's something to celebrate. Plus, its not that official yet, but I may have an summer internship too, I promised the lady that I interviewed with that I would keep in contact with her during this quarter to let her know of my summer whereabouts. I could definately use the extra money, especially when I get my L's. I'm shooting for a Memorial Day deadline for that one. Now I wonder why I missed all of this in the paragraphs above. Oh well.

Tuition increased maximum amount
Great, now I'm gonna be in more in debt.

Is there another word for being past busy? How about just plain lazy? Or tired perhaps? Well, whatever the case, I've been away for another long while. Classes have been keeping me busy among other things. Kinda dating this guy, but he doesn't have a phone, his brother has it now. I don't know what type of sense that makes, but its not serious anyways. Haven't heard from him in two weeks. That's okay, I'm not in shock or anything. I do have a long time crush to holla at. Because my friend made me realize that catching crushes is the hot thing to do for 2004. She caught hers, so now I'm inspired to catch mines, after all this time. Hey, I can write a song about that! :)

I was hoping to do some creative things, like helping to contribute to a play, but those plans fell through for now. Then there was the whole starting a girl group with two of my friends. Then that fell through before it began, because of or disagreement on management before things even jumped off. They still my hearts though, but we came to the conclusion to agree to disagree on that issue, and made a pact to be supportive of whatever each of us decide to do musically. Actually we made that pact from the get go, but its just more prominent now, ya know. I tried to take my driver's test last Saturday (3/6) and messed up on the manuevering through the cones, which sucked. I am scheduled to go back on Tuesday and my "buddy for all times" has been helping me practice, and I love her for that, especially all the rough spots we've been through over the years (try: not speaking for 6 years, then you'll understand). Some people (like me for example) don't know how much someone is down for you until they come back into your life. It humbles you a lot. I'm not saying that I wasn't humble before, but much more grateful of the people who choose to be in my life. Okay, that's my profound moment for this entry. :-) I just want to get through finals this week! I have two that I have to attend, one on Tuesday and one Wednesday. But there's a take home, open book exam that I have for one of my classes that's due by Friday morning. It's for the Legal Aspects of Entrepreneurship that I'm in. The class is kinda confusing, but then again its about Business Law for small business owners, which is tricky enough in its own right. I'm glad that I changed my mind about going to school to be a lawyer, I think that the terminology alone would have killed me. Not saying that being in the College of Business is any easier. Its frightening in a way, because I may be able to graduate this December! This December, that's a big change from graduating in the Spring of 2005. If I am able to push up my last class (aka Capstone) for my minor in Entrepreneurial Studies/Family Business, I may be actually able to walk in December!!! That's hella frightening to me, because I want to do a few more things upon exiting the University of Cincinnati:
1. Get an internships somewhere!
2. Study abroad- if they still accept my application, granted that I forgot to turn it in Friday!
3. Breathe, take another good vacation or something to clear my mind and get focused
4. Do something musically- actually get a song heard, network, something!!!

I don't know if I can consider this a crisis or more of a crossroads. I guess that at the age of almost 22 would I have to worry about what I want to do with the next 40 years of my life.

"I don't wanna grow up, I'm a grown ass kid..." -Kanye West, Through the Wire

I believe that's how that line goes. I dunno. But its a hot cd, so different than listening to the objectification of women in other rap songs and what not (not claiming that's all of them, but some). He's so different, but yet so accepted. I want to be like that, stand out from the standards but get recognized for being different, and innovative. My goodness, I am itiching to get into the music business. Music is what I love, that's what gets me going in the morning and calms me down at night. It's my life force, and gives me the inspiration to write. Like I'm doing now. It feels kinda strange to actually be posting an entry. Things seem so hectic in my life, but yet so slow going. I am definately in a crossroads in my life, and I'm afraid of the outcome(s) of my decision. So the best thing to now is to put my faith into my judgement and just see what develops.

But for now, I got a paper to finish and to study for. I'm still on my mission. Just trying to do what I gotta do.

catching up on all the F5 posts:

the 2/6/04 friday five:

1. What's the most daring thing you've ever done? Dance on top of the bar the weekend of my 21st birthday. :P

2. What one thing would you like to try that your mother/friend/significant other would never approve of? Earning some Jerry Springer beads.

3. On a scale of 1-10, what's your risk factor? (1=never take risks, 10=it's a lifestyle) Um, a 5?!

4. What's the best thing that's ever happened to you as a result of being bold/risky? I got some cool points for it (see #1). My friend that was with me didn't believe that I would get up on the bar and dance, cuz I said it so many times before that night.

5. ... and what's the worst? Being perceived wrong for what you did/want to do (see #2). I am not trying to be one of the Girls Gone Wild chicks!!!


and the 2/13/04 edition:

1. Are you superstitious? Not really.

2. What extremes have you heard of someone going to in the name of superstition? My Mom- to her placing your purse on the floor means you won't have any money.

3. Believer or not, what's your favorite superstition? The one mentioned in #2 and the one where if you put an open umbrella above your head indoors will mean that you will have bad luck. I tried it once, and its fun opening an umbrella in the house. My Mom didn't seem to think so--I got busted.

4. Do you believe in luck? If yes, do you have a lucky number/article of clothing/ritual? Yes, I believe in it at times. 702 is my number, then again that's my birthdate. :)

5. Do you believe in astrology? Why or why not? They're good for entertainment purposes, but I don't swear on them all the time. Sometimes, your horoscope can be so dead on, but other times it can be way off too.


and as for 2/20/04 and the rest- I'll post them soon.

Once again, its been months and Sundays since I've placed an entry to this site, but I couldn't let this one topic slide:

WCPO Employee Arrested


What's the deal with all these sexual predators in Cincinnati?! I understand it's everywhere it seems like, but there's been a surge in reports on the news about these sexual predators lurking in such public places like grocery stores and chain stores like Wal-Mart and Target. Now, there's a news reporter that's a part of the mix?! It's definately a damn shame.

Talk about a big takeover:MSNBC - Cingular agrees to buy AT&T Wireless I am so sick of Cingular and their contracts. I've been actively thinking about changing my carrier, but keeping my number. I just want a good phone.

More entries to come soon; this is the busy part of the quarter- life has caught up with me.

Late friday five again, oh well:
You have just won one million dollars:

1. Who do you call first?
My Mom.

2. What is the first thing you buy for yourself?
A new (used) car.

3. What is the first thing you buy for someone else?
A shopping spree at the mall.

4. Do you give any away? If yes, to whom?
Probably give some to my hs, and to my community.

5. Do you invest any? If so, how?
I would hide the cash in a matress. Lol, really I would put some in the bank, and put a portion into some steady stocks.

Happy Birthday Mom!

I love you. :)

A very late friday five:
At this moment, what is your favorite...

1. ...song? Yeah, by Usher featuring Ludacris

2. ...food? French Fries, as always. :)

3. ...tv show? American Idol, since it's back on again.

4. ...scent? Bath and Body Works Cool Citrus Basil.

5. ...quote? Cicero: "It is the peculiar quality of a fool to perceive the faults of others, and to forget his own."

Check out the movie at ipodsdirtysecret.com. I think that you'll be pleasantly suprised.

I'm a slacker. I have a legit reason, had a lot of papers due last week, and two today, with the three day weekend! The work never stops, well until I graduate a year from now. Wow, I can't believe that I'm down to my last year. Does that mean that the partying will stop?! I hope it doesn't, there's so much partying to be done!! Anyway, on with this week's, well, last week's Friday Five:

1. What does it say in the signature line of your emails?
It has my full name, and a link to this site.

2. Did you have a senior quote in your high school yearbook? What was it? If you haven't graduated yet, what would you like your quote to be?
Mines was "When one door shuts, another opens." That was my second choice, on account of space; my first pick was a quote from Cicero: "It is the peculiar quality of a fool to perceive the faults of others, and to forget his own." It was my mini backlash about how I felt about some of my fellow classmates. Some of them were so judgemental of others that they never took the time out to take a good look at themselves for a moment.

3. If you had vanity plates on your car, what would they read? If you already have them, what do they say?
Probably 05 Grad or something like that. There are these plates available with the C-paw logo on it for Bearcat fans.

4. Have you received any gifts with messages engraved upon them? What did the inscription say?
No, not yet.

5. What would you like your epitaph to be?
She always tried her best...

Jubilation!
The Bearcats are undefeated! I was wondering when the word "jubilation" (the word that I submitted for the new free words) would show up in any local newpaper articles.

In other things, I've been straight busy since classes began almost two weeks ago. Plus I met a guy, who sees me as wifey material. What's up with the surge of everyone getting married or wanting to get married?! Can't complain that much though, at least I got a holla at the start of this year; things like that don't usually occur for me until the springtime.

Once the rush with classes calm down, I'll post another entry. Until then, I have the urge to take a nap...must...stay...awake...

MTV.com - News -Are B2K Breaking Up?

Well, I hope not! This reminds me of the whole Destiny's Child incident from a few years ago: a talented group of young singers that runs into conflict after getting just a taste of stardom. B2K is a talented group, with a movie that's going to be released later this month. Maybe the recent announcement of lead singer Omarion's solo effort had something to do with the alleged breakup. Then again, Chris Stokes, their manager could be a major factor also. The story is so screwed up and its only a few days old. Bet.com has an updated report on it too.

And as for classes so far, so good. Today was one of my busy days with classes at 9:30, 2 and 3:30, plus work at 11. Hardly had anytime inbetween to grab a snack. If it wasn't for Geology letting out at 3, I wouldn't have been able to grab a sandwich. Trust me, my stomach let me know that I waited too long to eat. I won't be doing that again if I can help from it.

Just a quick post, have to get ready for classes tomorrow:

Happy Birthday Teresa! :)