now - what was I doing... 10 years ago? living the single life in new york city! on my own for the first time. life was lovely!! it was 4 years post-college and i was ALL THAT!! sheeeee! you couldn't tell me NOTHIN'!!! i was runnin' the streets, as my mother would say, discovering the world outside of jamaica, queens! my friends were into the soho art-scene and the hip-hop music-scene and the black-urban-upwardly-mobile-scene, so i went from gallery openings to video shoots to industry parties to house parties to block parties! and i hung out with my share of celebrities, too (no, i will NOT name drop, thankyouverymuch!) suffice to say, i was high on life (and just on life... never touched the wacky stuff!) i still was a quite an L7 and actually more skeered of my policeofficermarinecorpsdrillsergeant father! (still am!) 6 years ago? well, i was coming to grips with the fact that i was 30 and unmarried, with an almost 2 yr old orion. i needed to reinvent myself after leaving his father, so did the most logical thing: i ran home to my mama!! we crash landed in her spare room in big ol' texas and didn't know what to expect! though, i did think we'd see more cowboys and horses and tumbleweed... hmm, go figure! 1 year ago? ahh! my love affair with the man of my dreams was just a year old! things were really picking up steam in our relationship. j was becoming more like a partner than a boyfriend, more like father for o as well. at the same time, i was going through one of the roughest periods of my career. my management team at work were scheming to have me fired (no, i wasn't paranoid! they really were!) and mama believes they made me the sacrificial lamb 'cause i'm an easy mark who doesn't fight back (at times my peoplepleasingeverybody'sgottaloveme! attitude doesn't let me stand up for myself.) they subsequently transfered me from the disease investigations field work that i loved (sniffle!) to this BORING! desk job sitting in front of a computer all dayum day!! but it's not that bad -- i get to interact with real people every once in a while answering the phone for the "shots-for-tots" hotline! and i have a newly discovered talent: i speak spanish! ¿usted necesita una cita para vacunas? last week? j picked up our wedding bands and moved all his stuff to my place, but we're waiting until we get back to unpack and settle HIM in. took my wedding dress to the cleaners. did some last minute shopping at the mall for jamaica. got into an ugly fight with j over pure nonsence! got over it quickly. oh! i picked up mama and her nyc grandkids from the airport. suffice to say, orion is on his best behavior so he can spend as much time with his cousins as possible! yesterday? last minute shopping for jamaica. needed more shorts and such. today? going with j to get our marriage license. i gotta make up my mind of what, if any, name change i'm gonna do. keep my name? take his name? hyphenate? and i also need to pick up my gown from the cleaners, and get film and a waterproof camera. of and gotta get a baby shower gift for jessica and a birthday gift for amira (friends from work) tomorrow? shia's taking me for a pedicure! a little pampering for the bride to be! okay, now my top 5 lists... 5 songs i'll always love: 1. kiss of life - sade 2. my girl - the temptations 3. a house is not a home - luther vandross 4. adore - prince 5. you are the sunshine of my life- stevie wonder bonuses: sucka mc's - run dmc, ordinary people - john legend, in da club - 50cent (yo shor-ty, it's yo birf-day, we gonna party like it's yo birf-day) 5 snacks i enjoy: 1. dulce de leche ice cream (if you tasted it, you'll know why.) 2. dried fruit and nuts, you know, trail mix stuff (aka bird food!) 3. chips and dip (for you texans, that means ruffles potato chips and sour cream & onion dip, not tortilla chilps & salsa!) 4. chocolate cake 5. smoked almonds 5 bands i know the lyrics of most of their songs: 1. run dmc ("kings from queens... from queens come kings!") 2. sade 3. stevie wonder 4. prince 5. and (must i admit it?) michael jackson 5 things i would do with $1,000,000: 1. pay for college and grad school for 2. build dream house by the 3. give 20% to my family 4. give 5% to 5. have more kids 5 locations to run away to: 1. jamaica (ooh! just 5 days to go!) 2. hawaii 3. vegas baby! 4. spain (for me) 5. brazil (for john) 5 things i wish i could wear: 1. a topless bikini 2. nose piercing 3. old school adidas with the fat laces 4. longer hair (hide the scissors from me, please!) 5. a wedding band (7 days to go!!!) 5 must see movies: 1. the color purple 2. coming to america 3. life 4. boomerang 5. forest gump bonuses: collateral, ray, the matrix, blade, finding forester, ace ventura-pet detective, liar-liar 5 toys: (haves) 1. my blog 2. my cell phone 3. my magic bullet blender (wishes) 4. a digital 5. faster home computer 5 biggest joys in my life at the moment: 1. my God 2. my man 3. my son 4. my family 5. myself i tag shia back ('cuz don't have nobody else to tag!)

The ONE Campaign

The ONE Campaign www.one.org my best girlfriend from ny gave me and orion each this cool white wristband. i haven't seen anyone else with it! i feel so hip and exclusive! Wear the White Band! Wear the white band and show your support for the ONE Campaign and the fight against global AIDS and poverty. Worn by teachers, doctors, and homemakers. You've seen them in the pages of People and US Weekly on your favorite stars, get your band now! The white bands are part of a global effort to make poverty history.

mercury just needs to quit!!!

although my drama has calmed down some, i still got mad drama, none the less! it's all about our wedding reception that my mom is giving for us the day after we return and trying to coordinate who's having chicken and who's having london broil and the wedding bands that don't fit and the marriage license we have to go get and the change in flight plans that delta made so now we leave a day earlier and have a over-night lay over in atlanta and don't forget about the fact that my groom has yet to buy his suit for the wedding still (we're only leaving in 11 days!) and i just know he may not find anything appropriate since all the fall styles are now in the stores and they're prolly gonna be too hot for the beach and he'll end up wearing some plain old khakis and a plain old white shirt and not the beautifully lucious summer suit that i envisioned for my handsome man-sniffle- (yes i've had my dress since jan. 17th!! helloooooo!!!! you think he'd be on the ball? oh but nooooo!! ) and not to mention that he moved in over the weekend and now we're fighting over the master bathroom! i never knew men could be so grody! (eww! those little hairs from shaving--yuck!!!) say, can a sista have her space back, please!?! oh yeah then there's my car a/c that fried the wiring on just about the hottest day of the summer and the replacement part i ordered and reordered when the first one didn't work and come to find out i needed a third one and after i got that one now my mechanic is saying i need a fourth one and thank goodness he responds to my flirting or else i'd be sh** out of luck!! and my mama the saint who's paid for all those parts and who'll probably pay for the labor as well (i think she feels guilty since she gave me the lemon anyway!) so i've been doing a lot of yoga (breathe in, breathe out!!) trying to get my chi right (pass me the sage, girlfriend!) i really can't wait to put all the drama behind me... you know drown my worries in several adult beverages, maybe a pinacolada or a humming bird or a bob marley... i know a sex on the beach after some sex on the beach! (oooh, baby please, baby-baby-baby PLEASE!!!!)