Get behind me turkey!

Hope everyone had a great Holiday. I really did cook up a storm. I love the holiday but I am so over turkey at this point, I don't know what to do with myself.

I have to give props to this man. I baked four of his pies and they were all that and a bag of skittles. Heck, even his team is currently playing like they have some sense while mine is dropping off the face of the earth. You Da Man G.

So I guess as new homeowners, we have alot to learn. I was outside yesterday and realized that almost two thirds of my block has their house already decorated for the Holidays. Did we miss a memo? We are not even in December yet? And what is up with those $200 snowglobes that everyone puts out on their lawn? **sigh** Does anyone truly need a 6 foot snowglobe?

I saw one house with a snowglobe AND an inflated snowman. Isn't that overkill? Sometimes, you can go TOO FAR.

I love Christmas, don't get me wrong but just remember that Jesus is the reason for the season okay people?

That being said....I am off to start some online shopping for the boys. The less time I have to spend in a store, the better.

Kramer gets what he deserves

By now you have all heard that Kramer from S.einfeld went off at a comedy club due to some guys heckling him in the audience. Not only did he repeatedly call them the "N" word, he also told them that years ago they would HANG for such behavior.

Then he goes on Letterman last night and says this (info courtesy of Perez Hilton):

David Letterman: "Why don't you explain exactly what happened for the folks who may not know."

Michael Richards: "I lost my temper on stage. I was at a comedy club trying to do my act and I got heckled and I took it badly and went into a rage and said some pretty nasty things to some Afro-Americans, a lot of trash talk, and uh..."

Letterman: "And you were actually being heckled or were they just talking and disturbing the act?"

Richards: "That was going on too."________
Richards: "...You know, I'm really busted up over this and I'm very, very sorry to those people in the audience, the blacks, the Hispanics, whites - everyone that was there that took the brunt of that anger and hate and rage and how it came through, and I'm concerned about more hate and more rage and more anger coming through, not just towards me but towards a black/white conflict. There's a great deal of disturbance in this country and how black feel about what happened in Katrina, and, you know, many of the comics, many of performers are in Las Vegas and New Orleans trying to raise money for what happened there, and for this to happen, for me to be in a comedy club and flip out and say this crap, you know, I'm deeply, deeply sorry. And I'll get to the force field of this hostility, why it's there, why the rage is in any of us, why the trash takes place, whether or not it's between me and a couple of hecklers in the audience or between this country and another nation, the rage - "

Letterman: "But Michael, let me interrupt here for a second and ask a question about had the people doing the heckling or the people who were not paying attention, had they been white or Caucasian or any other race, what would have been the nature of your response then?"

Richards: "It may have happened. It may have happened. You know, I'm a performer. I push the envelope, I work in a very uncontrolled manner onstage. I do a lot of free association, it's spontaneous, I go into character.  I don't know, in view of the situation and the act going where it was going, I don't know, the rage did go all over the place. It went to everybody in the room. But you can't - you know it's, I don't - I know people could, blacks could feel - I'm not a racist, that's what so insane about this, and yet it's said, it comes through, it fires out of me and even now in the passion that's here as I confront myself."

The most disturbing thing is that on CNN today, the poll question is "Do you think his apology is enough and the majority of fools out there say "YES".

I know that comedians of all races make jokes regarding race at all times. I have no problem with anyone cracking a few good racially tinged remarks. I love Carlos M.encia and he is about as politically incorrect as they come. But comments like these? (excerpts from CNN)

Richards retorts: "Shut up! Fifty years ago we'd have you upside down with a f------ fork up your a--."

He then paces across the stage taunting the men for interrupting his show, peppering his speech with racial slurs and profanities.

"You can talk, you can talk, you're brave now mother------. Throw his a-- out. He's a n-----!" Richards shouts before repeating the racial epithet over and over again.

Don't be fooled America. Some sh*t is just not funny, nor is it acceptable. I'm just glad that his cocaine fueled career will now be over. Are you laughing now funny man?

Thanksgiving

Well, the Holiday is almost here. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite Holidays (2nd only to Christmas). I love to cook so this is like my Superbowl.

I have the Master shopping list. I have the baking dishes out. The good china cleaned. The new tablecloth and runner for my table. A centerpiece for the table.

But....as we all know. The star of Thanksgiving is really God and the FOOD.

This year's menu:

1969's Family Feast

Herb Roasted Turkey

Baked Ham with Bourbon Cherry Glaze

Cornbread and Sage Dressing

Four cheese Macaroni and Cheese

Collard Greens

Candied Yams

Corn Souffle

Fresh Baked Rolls

Sweet Potato Pie

Homemade Apple Pie

Peach Cobbler with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Sounds good doesn't it? I am done with the shopping and all I have to do now is cook. Hope you all have a safe, Blessed Holiday. Be thankful, remember tomorrow it could all be gone or worse....YOU could be gone.

Peace.

In Effect Mode

Hey people.

I am sorry I have been slacking but it's the first week at the new gig and I have been in extensive training.

This is gonna take everything I have to make it work. The number crunching side is a doozy.

However, if you know anything about me, you know that I never quit. I can DO this. It may take a while. I may have to fake it for a few weeks....but I am going to get it eventually.

Hope everyone is doing well. Bear with me for the next few weeks till I get the schedule right.

Peace.

Now that's funny!

Welcome to the Jungle....

We moved into our new home in January. We have befriended our neighbors next to us, a nice older couple who garden. Across the street from us, we have lots of neighbors that we say hi to but don't really know.

Well, last night, there was a knock at my door. I was in the kitchen making dinner and I hear my husband chatting with one of the neighbors. So as I walk to the front door to see who it was or if something had happened, I see our neighbor from across the street. A single black woman, police officer. She says "Oh hi". I say hello back in my best neighbor voice. She sees my AKA sweatshirt and says "Oh, you're an AKA? We have to talk, my girlfriend and I are trying to join and we need someone to sponsor us." RED FLAG NUMBER ONE

Then she speeds up the convo with "I was inviting you guys over for a housewarming on Saturday." RED FLAG NUMBER TWO

Okay first of all, we have probably said hi to this woman once. Mr. 1969 claims that he has spoken to her on several occasions. Let me explain that Mr. 1969 would start a conversation with a rock. He actually knows every neighbor on the block and can tell me what each one does and their whole life story. He's from a small town so he is way more into community than your girl from Brooklyn.

So maybe girlfriend across the street is just being neighborly and wanted to invite us over. However, maybe she also peeped Mr. 1969 mowing the lawn this summer in his wifebeater and shorts and was chatting up my husband.

So, I gave her the cool eye. Thanked her for inviting us and shut the door.

I told Mr. 1969 that love thy neighbor only goes so far.....he started laughing.

VOTE....

Today is the day. We owe the 650,000 lives lost during the Iraqi war. We owe the Americans that can't get health care or an education because we are spending billions of dollars to fund an oil war.

Today is the day. Make your voice heard. Get this administration out. We need the Senate seats and the House seats. Your vote counts.

CAUTION: Busy Week Ahead

Happy Monday Bloggers. This week is going to be hectic. I have a meeting tomorrow with my boss to review all of my accounts before I leave. Of course, I am going to spend most of today trying to clean up all of my accounts....yeah, yeah, call me Miss Procrastination.

The Blogger Roadshow is headed to Philly this weekend. I am looking forward to meeting up with some of the Blog world's finest on Friday night. I will be sure to recap on Monday if I can.

This weekend was pretty boring. I spent time organizing clothes in our house. We moved into our new home on MLK Day of this year. We then started renovating so we are finally getting around to putting things in their rightful places. I did a ton of laundry, packing stuff up for Good.will and storing. Feels good when you simplify your space.

My soccer star scored another three goals in his game on Saturday. I am telling you...the kid is the next Beckham. He is a BEAST on the field.

The baby is running around and opening all of the kitchen cabinets and stacking cans. I think he is part squirrel cause he is always trying to hoard or stash some food somewhere.

Other than that, we spent all day yesterday grilling and watching football. Props to the Miami Dolphins for beating the BEARS (just like the old days....they continue to beat the pants off the Bears whenever they are undefeated). My condolences to G.Mo, I know he is taking a beating for his Cowboys in the office today but the NY Giants are 2 games ahead and they are gearing up for those Bears next week.

Ahhhhh....life is good.

Who are you?

I just had to take this behavioral assessment test for my new job. Basically you answer 136 questions and they can tell all about your job behaviors.

When I got the test back, I was below where the new job ranks the following behaviors:

Planning
Detail Mindedness
Presentation Style
Initiative

When I first saw the results, I panicked. If I was a new boss, I would be alarmed seeing my lower scores in those areas. Especially going into a number crunching, business evaluation type of role.

However, upon going over the results with the trainer, it was not as bad as I thought.

My Planning score was low because I am the type that likes to roll up my sleeves and get the task at hand done. I don't look at tasks as a conceptual thinker. I am a doer not a dreamer. So basically, I will have to try and become more of a big picture thinker in my new role.

My Detail Mindedness score indicated that I am a perfectionist and I don't like to put forth anything with my name on it that isn't 100%. I am going to have to take more risks with my work in the new role and be more open to mistakes.

Presentation Style scores indicated that I like to have a topic when I present information, stick with it and if folks in the audience draw me off track or talk too much, I will steer them back to the topic. SO TRUE. I need to be able to bounce ideas and concepts off people more in my new role.

Initiative was low because I like to make informed decisions. I like to have all the details before I commit to something. I don't just jump out on a limb without clear facts.

So basically, I scored like I would score after doing my current job. I need to adjust some behaviors in my new role. TRANSLATION, I am a control freak and a perfectionist and I need to let go.

They paid somebody to get that information? I could have told them that for free.