Monday, December 31, 2012

Finishing 2012, Starting 2013 - The List

Another year is finishing and I must say it was a very interesting year. So much has happened this year. I can look back at it with much fondness and melancholy. Overall, 2012 was year of some major milestones in my life.

Accomplished in 2012:

  • Got a story published in an Anthology Book with my GoodReads group "Paranormal & Horror Lovers" called All The Lovely Creatures. You can download the book here.
  • I got married to the most wonderful man in the world (besides my daddy). 
  • Took 2 classes in Japanese to learn the basic grammar and language. If you are in New York City, take classes at the Japanese Society. Classes are nice, small and intimate. Join them here.
  • I obtained a new client for my personal business, thanks to my mom. Small businesses and individuals that need tax and accounting, you can email me here. Only serious inquiries please.
  • Attended my first blogging convention, BlogHer '12. 
With such accomplishments, makes my plans for the new year. I hope to at least double my accomplishments by the end of next year. I don't do New Year resolutions. I am more of a goal oriented woman. I make plans and tackle them. I can't say, "as of Jan 1st, I'm not going to eat sweets any more". That's not going to happen. I may work on my health during the year, but not quit things cold turkey. That's how you relapse. That's just my opinion. 

Plans for 2013:
  • To build my website for my personal business website
  • To publish a novella for my main protagonist. This should help me see if my character is loved enough to continue on with her novel. I love this character and hope the world will love her too. 
  • To read more books. I have gotten away from reading this past year. I've read books but not nearly as much as I used to. I may do GoodRead Yearly challenge. (I know link is for 2012, they haven't changed the date yet.)
  • To blog more. Can you believe in 2011 I posted 64 posts and 2012 a meager 38 posts? I am quite disappointed in myself. 
  • Travel
  • Renovate portions of my house
  • Continue my natural journey
  • To continue to work on my health (not like anything is detrimentally wrong with me.) It's always good to make sure you maintain your health. 
This is my official list to keep me on track. Let's see what I can accomplish 2013.
What do you want to accomplish in 2013? Leave me a comment with your plans and I will see if I can help you accomplish it or work on it together. 

To All:

May you and your family have a health, wealth and happiness!!!!

Friday, December 28, 2012

The Pervert Next Door


I moved back to NY in 2001, 5 months before 9/11. I was in my 20s and still in fighting shape (better shape than I am now). Upon my arrival, my neighbor next door to me would always say hello. I would be polite back and say hello back. Every now and then we'd make small talk about music and movies. His wife is nice.

Throughout the years I would catch him watching me. You know the look. The one where he's practically undressed you with his eyes. I still didn't pay any attention to him. Why would I? He had never made any moves on me at this time. He looked at my BFF a lot too since she was living with us at that point. We nicknamed him "Pervert".

Once everyone moved out and I was left by myself, the advances started. He would catch me in my backyard unexpectedly. I didn't cower or be afraid. I continued being myself and living my life. I stopped being very cordial with him though. I was still friendly with his wife though. He still continue to try  to talk to me. He got me once and I asked him "what about your wife? Don't you feel bad about trying to step out in her?". He bluntly said it's not like he hasn't before. I immediately felt that he was a predator at that point. I thought he was just a pervert who just got thrills by hitting on younger women. This man was much creepier.

My brother ended up moving in with me. His overt advances stopped. Then the covert ones started. He invited me and my brother to events. I would turn all invitations down. I told my brother to stay away from him and he was not good people. Then war started. He would go on my property and I would say something to him and his wife. I didn't care. This was his way to get me to talk to him. It worked for a while. It stopped when my husband moved in with me. Soon afterwards I dropped a note telling him if his vehicles are on my property without permission it would be towed on his dime. Then he stopped talking to me. Yep it took me getting married to get him to leave me alone. My husband has given him cordial salutations knowing what he has done to me. He wouldn't even respond back. My husband would say he was a weird creepy guy.

One night this year, I was home alone (brother and hubby were at work) I was dead asleep when a blood curdling screaming coming from next door. It was pervert's wife. So I did what was necessary and called the police. I was petrified that pervert was going to come after me. Took me a day or 2 to get over it. Apparently he's been beating her for years. This however was only the icing on the cake.

I was at work when my husband text me that "Pervert" was arrested for having sex with an under-aged girl! I was happy that finally something had finally happened to him. He will meet some justice. He made it to the NY Post (article here).  He even made it to Bossip.com (post here). He's gotten notoriety now. He's exposed for being a pervert. His little secrets are no longer. NYC at least knows that he's a sex offender.

I do feel bad about how this played out for his wife though. She has had to know for years that this man was no good. I am also sure that this young girl is not the only girl out there. I wish they would just come forward and let the world know that this man is no good. As I finish this post, he is home on bail. 

Since his arrest, I've had nightmares about him. This post has been my way of purging my inner demon. I want to thank you for reading this post. But it has made my chest and mind lighter. Now if my other demons could get exorcised, I'd fly high like a kite. 

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Don't Be A Victim - Know The Subways

Earlier this week a man was shoved off the platform into the tracks in a NYC subway station. The oncoming train ended up killing him as he tried to climb out of the tracks. No one close to him attempted to help the man. A tourist actually caught a picture of the man in the tracks about to be hit. He sold the picture to the NY Post.




There is enough debate on the news and the Internet. That is not what this post is about.

This post is what to do if you find yourself in the same predicament as the victim; whether you fell, was pushed or dived in to retrieve a personal item. Not everyone knows what to do in this situation. I am blessed to have a sister who has worked for MTA for over 20 years. She has taught me what to do as she was taught. I will now teach you.

Here is an example if the tracks from a subway station.



There are 3 parallel rails on the track. The 3rd one furthest from the platform is electrified. Stay clear from that rail at all costs. We need to concentrate on the 2 closest to the platform.

If you find yourself in the tracks you can do either of the following if you have the time.
a) Walk to edge of platform and climb up the steps, or
b) Pull yourself up from the track onto the platform (works easily for the tall)

If you absolutely have no time to do either of the above you must do the following.

Lay down in between the tracks Face Down. Elongate your body as much possible. There is room underneath the train and tracks.

This will save your life. You may get injured. But it's better than being dead.

I hope you learned something from this email. If you want, please share this info with your friends and family. It may save their life.

If you have other tips, leave them in the comments section.

Stay safe everyone.



Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Happy Thanksgiving 2012

May you have a wonderful day!! Hope you get to spend time with friends and family. Eat healthy. Be safe.

Be thankful for what you have. Pray for those without.





Friday, November 16, 2012

I'm Going Gangnam Style

So this artist Psy from Korea has taken over the US with his zany music video. My hubby showed me the video back in July and I thought it was the mist ridiculous thing I ever seen. He thought it was hilarious. I think I may be missing the gene that makes this hilarious. Since then there are so many parody's if this video. There's a Mitt Romney Style to name one. It got into the presidential campaign.

So what does Gangnam style me to me. It means to be wild and spontaneous, but have fun doing it. I'm not so care free and spontaneous. I would love to be. I always admired people who just picked up done exciting things. Me? I have to plan and over analyze anything that I do. I just can't jump in. Take jumping into a pool. You can do a run and jump in. Me... I have to know how deep the pool is first before I take the running leap into it.

I've always been like this since I was a kid. So it's a very hard habit to break. I feel compelled to take care of everyone close to me. However, I don't like people taking care of me. This is an adjustment that I'm learning to make now that I am married. My hubby has the same issue too. He'd rather take care of me than allow me to take care of him. It's an adjustment that is in progress for both of us.

So what am I going to do Gangnam style? I'm going to take a lot of leaps of faith when travelling and everyday life. I am no longer by myself. I have someone who has my back if something goes wrong. I never felt like I had that before. My biggest leap will be quitting my job to concentrate on writing full time. I don't know when that will be. But it is some time in my future. I need to save up a nest egg, for such occasion. Until then, expect me to go dune bugging, zip lining or something dangerous (my perception danger) on my travels. Maybe I'll conquer most of my fears.

What leaps of faith do you wish to accomplish? What's holding you back?




Monday, November 5, 2012

The Simpsons: Tapped Out


I'm a fan of the Simpsons television show. I've watched them since they were on the Tracy Ulman show. They were a bit raunchy then but has toned down to become mainstream. Last year, EA games, Gracie Films and Fox TV joined together to create "Simpsons: Tapped Out". The game was an overwhelming success that EA servers crashed and had to remove the game from the App Store. I remember that day well. I was one of the millions of people trying to download the game the day the server crashed. So I lost my opportunity for a year. In recent months, Tapped Out came back out in the App Store. I picked it up at once. I excitedly started playing the game.





The premise of the game is as follows:
        Homer was at work at the plant playing with his myPad instead of paying close attention to the power plant. His lack of attention caused the plant to explode which in turn blew up Springfield.

What you need to do is as follows:
        You must assist Homer in rebuilding Springfield. 

This game is different than SimCity type games. As you build your town you have quests and tasks to accomplish. The more the town grows, more characters return to Springfield. Each character has quests and tasks to do.

Like typical SimCity games, you build houses and businesses and collect taxes to build more of the same. In this game, you get to build monumental buildings from the show. Some buildings comes with a character and some don't.

Characters are not a big deal in SimCity games. In this game it's the familiar characters that makes up the town. Their personalities shine thru in the game. You can make Homer eat at Krusty's. You can make Ned Flanders hold emergency bible study.

Tasks and quests are also a source of income. They also provide access to new buildings that you cannot buy in the store. They also provide experience and taxes.











The Negative
Unfortunately this game has in app purchasing. It is apparently the new way for apps to make money in the App Store. I don't like it at all. I'd rather pay for the full game at once. In this game the in app purchases are Donuts. You get donuts as you level (1 or 2). However, to get anything with the donuts you have to have a lot of donuts. They do not make the items very accessible with a moderate amount. Some of he characters can obtained only by donuts. I saved 40 donuts and got the Squeeky Teen. He was he cheapest. The other characters are 60 donuts plus. So I probably won't be getting them. The costs to buy donuts are ridiculous too. You can also buy dollars. Here are the scales:












Second issue which is not so detrimental is the costs of buildings. They really out of line as to how much they pay out. Take Luigi's restaurant. It costs 64,500. It only pays out 500 every 10 hours. You only make 1,000 a day. Most of he buildings at like that. It takes a while to accumulate money to buy a new building or to buy land. The costs to buy are astronomically high. It just gets higher and higher. You have no choice to keep your character doing jobs and planting crops. But if you keep your characters so busy, you do not get the quests in the time you need them.

My strategy to making cash is to visit other towns (to discuss next), have my characters do quests constantly, and collect my taxes ASAP. This has me logging onto the game throughout the day. Which is not good when you are at work. They make it so you really have to purchase dollars and donuts, but I refuse. I will play with theirs sing characters and buildings. Now if someone gives me an iTunes gift card, I may purchase dollars and donuts. I just refuse spending my money on them. It's the principle of it.

Last negative issue. It is small but can be detrimental. You cannot play this game without a data connection. The game is ran off of EA's servers. It can be a bummer for those who are without constant data connections. You can't even load the game without it.



The Social Aspect
like a lot of games nowadays, this one can be social. The game will want you to create an Origins account. This is an EA Games account. It can be used with other games the EA has. Once you have the account you can and friends to your account. If they are playing Simpsons, you can visit their towns. You can see how they are building their towns, make money and experience by collecting their taxes. However, you are limited to 3 chances per town to collect taxes.

I like visiting other towns because it gives me ideas on how to I should place my buildings and decorate my town. There are some people who don't really give a damn. They just buy the buildings and places them ridiculously. They don't even resemble towns. Why play the game then?

Special Events
For the month of October, Simpson held a Halloween event. You were able to get additional characters and buildings. You also go to squish zombies for new forms currency: treats, eggs and toilet paper. Treats allows you to buy special buildings. The eggs and toilet paper allowed you to visit friend's towns and vandalize houses with eggs and teepee their trees. All in good fun.

Overall experience and conclusion
I really love playing this game even with the negative points. Even with the high priced in app purchasing, getting things done is doable. It doesn't limit gameplay at all. They also don't detract much from the enjoyment. If a game holds your attention, it is worth playing. EA came out with a game that is compelling. I even found a wonderful site that gives more detail into the game. The site lists each character w/ all their jobs, buildings w/ their payouts and more helpful information. You can check out the site here.

Simpsons Tapped out is a universal app. It fits all iOS platforms. You can even play on iPhone and continue on your iPad. This is where having a constant data connection comes in to play. Overall, I give this game a solid B+.

Simpsons Tapped Out can be found in the iTunes App Store & Google Play for Free

[iOS, Android]

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Co-Habitation Before Marriage?

Lately I've been doing a lot of twitter reading. I find Twitter better than Facebook. I follow a this blogger Uncommonchick. Every now and then one of her articles pique my interest. One day, she had a post about Co-Habitation before marriage. You can check out the article here.

I decided to read the article and comment on it. Here's my comment.


I lived with my husband for a year before we got married. He moved in Aug 2010, he proposed Sept 2011 and we were married Jun 2012. We are newlyweds yes. However, when he moved in I wasn’t thinking about married. I was the “I’m never getting married” girl. I had no issues with having a long term relationship. He was moving to my state from another so I let him move in with me. I was nervous because I could’ve made a HUGE mistake. In the end, he moved in with me so if worse came to worse I could kick him out. That was my logic then. When he did move in. We meshed immediately. We found out how similar our living styles were. How we both handle money. He’s a bit more frugal than me. Getting married prior, was never on my mind. I wasn’t planning on it. My parents were, but not me. Now I can’t think of not living with him. I really didn’t have to change who I am and he didn’t change.
I digressed. I think it is an absolute necessity to move in together prior marriage. You learn whether you really are compatible and can handle the daily issues together. Dating living separate vs dating living together is very different. You don’t get a full picture of the person. Once he leaves you, you have no idea what he up to. It’s a whole different world when you share space.
I am pro for living together before you marry.


Question #1 - Aerin of Siren

I decided to ask me my Twitter followers to ask me questions. This is for them to get to know me a little.
So far I have received the following question:


Well Aerin, here's my answer.

First Favorite:
 "Make you Feel My Love" by Adele

This song is a cover. The song has been covered numerous times. I love Adele's version though. I love her voice. She by far one of the best singers around. The reason why this song is special to me is that it was my first dance with my husband at my wedding. It will always be a special part of my heart and my life.

Second Favorite:
"Walking in Memphis" by Marc Cohn

This song has been covered numerous times too. Marc Cohn's voice is perfect for the song. Cher's cover sucks. I just love the bluesy and emotional feel of the song when Cohn sings it. It just sends my heart to peace.


Third Favorite: 
"One Love" by Bob Marley

This song is the national song of Jamaica. It is also part of my heritage. So this song makes me feel connected to my culture. It also makes me feel all lovey dovey. It's a warm and positive song. We all need positive vibes in life. This song does make one want to grab the person next to you and give them a nice big hug.

Well Aerin, I  hope you like the answers.

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Review: The Lightning Thief


The Lightning Thief
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I seen the movie couple of times. I normally can't read a book that I already seen the movie to. I hate the redundancy, I guess. I picked up the book anyhow. I wanted something quick and easy. That's not what I got. I got a quest. The book managed to grab my attention and keep it. By the second chapter, I noticed that this book is not anywhere close to the movie. The movie stripped the book of its depth and essential characters.

I love Greek & Roman mythology. It was one of my favorites growing up. So it was a joy to read. I love the way Riordan picked up lesser Gods and gave them voices. This is a great book on conquering your fear and doing what's right. A great lesson for young adults.

I really enjoyed this book. I love the main characters. I will read the next book because I want to find out if Percy & Annabeth end up in the same school. I'm curious on the Titan that is waking up. I believe Riordan did a good job capturing my imagination and my attention. It is a great book.



View all my reviews

Friday, October 12, 2012

A New Anthology: All The Lovely Creatures is out Now

All The Lovely Creatures, was published yesterday, 10/11/12, by B.C. Sirrom and edited by authors from the GoodReads group, Paranormal and Horror Lovers. Obeah Love Affair, my short story, is included.

What is a vampire to do when her family is threatened just to get to her?



Anthology includes stories by:
S.J. Bell
Charlotte Dhark
Lisa Goldman
C.C. Hartley (me)
Mark Mackey
Rebecca Nolan
B.C. Sirrom
L.M. Smith

Art Work by:
Emily Joyner

Forward by:
Jennifer Rainey

You can purchase this book for FREE from Smashwords.

When you're done reading, please be sure to give us your feedback on Smashwords or on GoodReads.

I'd love to hear what you thought about the book or my story, leave me a comment and I will love to discuss it.

Enjoy!!!

C. C. Hartley

Also, join us on GoodReads or on our Facebook Page.

Friday, September 28, 2012

Bullying = Senseless


Bullying. It has been getting a lot of press these days, but it has been around since we evolved/created (don't want any drama). Has it gotten any worse as the years go by? I believe it has. Society has changed over the years. Today's society is not as wholesome as it is. Our society now runs on violence, sex and money. There isn't any kindness to our fellow man. Everyone is out for themselves. (This is a generalization, don't take it literally because there are people out there with heart). Bullying has taken on a more sinister effect. Kids who haven't even experienced life are cutting it short to escape the madness caused by bullying.

I decided to reflect on my past. There are many things I don't wish to discuss, because it was very colorful, but I do remember I've had many distinct experiences with being bullied. Never were violent but the psychological type. I decided to open up and discuss them in this post. Maybe someone can read it and take something from it.

I'll start in elementary school. I would get teased mercilessly on my body. You see I come from a very voluptuous family; both sides. All the women have ample boobs and butts. I was not an exception. However, even though I was skinny, my butt was more pronounced. I remember the girls would grab my butt and ask if I stuffed tissue in my panties to get a butt like mine. The more this happened, the more I felt ashamed of it. I would beg my mom to buy very baggy pants. Nothing really covered it. So I was pretty much doomed. I remember telling my mom that when I get enough money that I was going to get a butt reduction. My butt has been my sore spot most of my life. I've never really embraced it. I now tolerate it and can deal with it, but I still have the nagging inner mind telling me that my butt is an eyesore and it should be removed. Will I ever embrace it? I don't know. It's all the rage today to have a big butt. People are even going thru cosmetic procedures to get what I have naturally. This still doesn't make me feel any better. Try finding a pair of jeans that fit perfectly.

Next is growing up on my block. There were many of us the same age growing up. I used to hang out with a lot of them when my mom permitted me to play outside. There was a set of fraternal twins, boy and girl, who everyone believe to be the most pretty. Everyone wanted to be their good friends. Let's call the Kiki & Ken. Kiki was close to my friend who lived across from me. She was nice to me. I usually played a lot with 2 other girls on the block. I remember Ken always made faces at me or said mean things to me. I never really played with him because he was mean to me. I did play with the other boys on the block. A new family moved onto the block who had 2 boys. They were cute, but I wasn't interested in them like that. Ken came up to me one day and told me that neither of the 2 boys would want to be my friend because I'm ugly and have "N---a naps". Of course that hurt me deeply. He would hammer that point in every time he saw me. I hated him so much. I still don't care for him. In JHS I started seeing this Puerto Rican guy who everyone in school clamored after. How I got him is still a mystery to me. Well he came home with me one day to meet my mom. We were pretty close. I would say he was my 1st love at that point if time. He was there for me thru a lot. Anyway, I digress. After Ken saw my boyfriend, he decided to confront me after he left. He never did say anything to me when my boyfriend was around. He said he doesn't know how the idiot liked me. It must be because I was breaking him off a piece. I was a virgin and only thing me and my boyfriend did was kissing. How could Ken say that? My sister told me that he was just jealous. I don't believe that he was. If he wasn't putting me down, he never paid me any attention. He was just mean spirited. His remarks and behavior really did take a toll on my esteem. I felt ugly and unlikable. I never understood why the guys I dated liked me. I wasn't gorgeous. I still don't see what my husband sees in me either. This is the lingering effect of Ken constantly telling me I'm ugly most of my childhood, my most impressionable time. We all set up how we view ourselves in adolescence.

I was deeply scarred growing up. I was the ugly girl with a big butt. This self hate has been deeply etched into who I am. Could I do without it? Yes. I wish I was more confident about my look and my body. I wish my mom help instill me with self confidence. I had to learn to be confident on my own. It's a struggle that I have to this day.

I just learned that somebody almost killed my nephew at college because if bullying. They put baby oil on the floor in front of his place. When he came out he slipped ad banged his head really hard. Could've killed him. This didn't faze him. He's never let bullies take away his confidence. We've raised him to be confident and self assured. If your meet him, you'd fall in love with him. Everyone remembers who he is where ever he goes.

I understand the torment our youth are facing daily. What they are experiencing can last in their psyche for the rest of their life. Once a youth is bullied, as a parent, all you can do is try to make them overcome them and hope that all the torment they've endured will make them productive and not let them turn into despair. Make them feel special and loved.

Everyone can get more information on bullying and how to protect yourself and their kids at the Trevor Project. Please support our youth and stop insensitive and senseless violence.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Inspirational Weeks

I've been so busy I'm going to have to list what has been going on since my last post. I am going to use the style from a twitter friend to get this post going. I love inspiration in all forms.


1. The book I submitted a story for will be released October 11th, 2012!!! I date you will only experience once in your lifetime, unless you're a vampire. Book is named "All The Lovely Creatures." I'm so excited!!!!

Ni. I have a week off from taking Japanese. My husband and I are taking the class so we can backpack across Japan, plus it's really a cool language to learn.

3. My birthday was this past weekend. My husband took me to the Berkshires in Massachusetts. It was a awesome trip. I love spending time with him.

4. I have gotten back into reading a little bit. I can't read anything substantial though. My brain won't permit it. So I have to leave 2 books unread: Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson and Taken by The Night By Kathryn Smith. So I've picked up Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. It has been holding my attention.

5. I've been looking to move. I want to sell my house and buy condos. I have grown quite tired of taking care of a house. You always stay broke because there is always something to fix. Plus my neighborhood is turning to shit. I want to get some value out of my house before I won't have any. So it's all about getting my house prepared.

6. I am also trying to get my business website up and going. I want to do a Groupon/Living Social Deal for tax season. So my site really needs to be up. I have to look for someone who's not going to charge me an arm and a leg. If you're interested in Tax and Accounting services, you can email me at info@cleighconsulting.com.

That's all for now. There's more things brewing. Will let you know in a future post. If anything interested you in this post, please put them in comments. I will respond. Thanks.



Monday, September 10, 2012

My Time at BlogHer12


[Originally posted on my BlogHer page 9/10/12]

I was invited to volunteer at BlogHer 2012 this summer. BlogHer 12 was held at the Hilton by Rockefeller Plaza. It is a beautiful hotel. I can't really say about the rooms. I had put in my requests to volunteer the minute they were announced, but I wasn't chosen. At last minute they needed volunteers, so I got to go.  I was given a full conference pass for my time. Yay for me. I was able to enjoy the conference for a little bit. I didn't get to do much but volunteer and see the exhibitors. I was only able to listen to the panels that I worked.

Thursday I had volunteer training and picked up my conference badge. I also go to visit the exhibitor booths. It was too late for any panels, so I quickly went around the booths. There was a lot of food and swag. I stopped at some very interesting booths. There was a booth that called (started with J). They are a net software to assist with blogging. It is a browser plug in that helps you find links to items you are discussing in your blog post. There was also a booth on parental control.  They are looking for bloggers to write about it and they would pay up to $200 for the post. I decided to mark up my program for panels I wanted to see and ones that I worked while I had a bit of time. The rest of the evening, parties were held. Since I am a bit socially awkward, I decided to go home.

Friday, by time I got off work, there were only parties so I didn't go. I wish I were more social. I could blame my mom but really I can't.

Saturday is the day I could spend the whole time. There. I woke up early and left to attend a panel I was most interested in; Telling Stories with Pictures: Incorporating Graphics, Cartoons, and Iconography. Due to NYC transit I missed the panel. So I just explored the conference a bit. I found other rooms with swag.

It was finally time for my first panel that I worked; Blogging into Midlife: The Tension Between the Online Spotlight and Offline Invisibility. I was a mic wrangler. You the girl that brings the mic to people who have questions to ask. Yep that was me. This panel was all about your identity as a blogger as you get older. Society doesn't make it easier for older people to be taken seriously or they don't have anything today. It is a bit unfair. I see it all the time in corporate America. Older people do not get hired as quickly as younger people. It's not fair, but it is what it is. This panel was talking about how they can combat this. Some people suggested not to discuss age related topics. That is totally unfair. Bloggers should be able to discuss whatever they want to. Readership should not die because of age. Blogs will and should gain readership based on people's interest. Questions like, "I'm a mommy blogger. what do I blog about now that my kids have left the coop?" we're abundant. I say blog from the heart. Blog of what interests you. If you try to be someone else, readers will know and you will lose readers. Just because you are old doesn't mean you don't have anything to say.  Other questions like "I take offense of the word 'old' in advertising." There was a dislike to an exhibitor's booth that had a slogan saying something like "Are you scared to get old?" (I don't really recall the correct verbiage.) the women in the audience felt that it makes getting older a bad thing. Some people throughout that we should take back the word and own it. More like take it as a compliment so it doesn't affect you negatively. This topic can go on for days. What I took from the panel are as follows:
     * we are all getting older, but doesn't mean we have nothing to say
     * older women rock and have tons of wisdom to share
     * we need, as a society, to not discount what an older person has to say.

After this panel was lunch, so I left and went to Chipotle even though BlogHer provided lunch. I was in the mood for a mexican meal. After lunch, I went back to the exhibitors areas. I managed to pick up my BlogHer swag bag. There I met the a lovely woman whose twitter handle is @Uncommonchick. She was the first person to talk to me. We had a nice conversation. We exchanged information. I've tried prior to talk to people and they were a bit snobbish. Thank you @uncommonchick for making my day a lot better. We parted ways but I left with a more pleasant look. I then went to go to the main exhibitor hall and bumped into 2 girls I know outside of BlogHer. I didn't even know they were bloggers. Funny what you find out about people. I hung out with them for a while going thru the hall and to lunch. Katie Couric panel was going on, but I didn't really have a fascination to see her. I'd rather Martha Stewart, but I had to work. My friends and I parted ways because I had to go mic wrangle another panel.

My next panel was called #Blog2012: A Conversation.  This panel was just a panel based on a twitter chat of bloggers. In this panel all topics were sort of discussed:
       - why blog?
       - do I have to have a niche?
       - should I try to monetize?
       - how do I get readers?
This panel was more informative. The panelist were a bit warmer. I liked them immediately. They didn't preach as if they were experts. They took a more relaxed conversation method.  I got a lot more out of this panel. I'm thankful I was able to work it and listen to it. I follow 2 of the panelist on my twitter because I liked them so much. Thank you @schmutzie and @neilochka for a brilliant panel.

After this panel, I made my way to the closing Keynote. I was a mic wrangler for this too. We got front row seats for the event. When I got there, I bumped into my 2 friends again. We spoke for a little before I went to find my place. When I found who was in charge we were told that we didn't need to mic wrangle because there wasn't any Q&A after the keynote. So another mic wrangler mic wrangler and myself sat and listened to the speeches. Towards the near end, we were told we needed to mic wrangle. We were missing one girl so one of the tech ladies had to wrangle with us. We managed to get thru the rest of the speech fine.  Learned a lot listening. They also revealed the location of BlogHer13 and couple other conferences they put on.

After keynote, I went back intoning exhibitor room to see if they were unloading a lot of stuff. It was a bit too late. So at that point I left. For what little I was able to see the conference was okay. I can't really make it sound more enjoyable.  Everyone gets something out of the conference. I worked the conference more than I was able to participate in it. Those who I've met except the ones mentioned here, we're not all that friendly or receptive. I wish I had gotten more out of the conference. I'm an amateur at blogging even though I've been blogging since 2006. I wanted to learn a lot more. Maybe next time BlogHer is in NYC, I will go and not volunteer. Maybe I'll feel different that way.  Until the next BlogHer. 

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

All the Lovely Creatures


So I've been hard at work writing and editing this month. I'm supposed to finish my BlogHer 12 post but it's just not coming right now. I've been busy with editing. What I've been editing?  That's the reason of this post.

I'm a GoodReads member. You may have seen some of my reviews posted on this blog. Well I joined a group for Paranormal & Horror Lovers.  It's a great group if you are into Paranormal or Horror books. It is here that I have embarked on a project that has been keeping me busy since June. A group of authors from the group decided to put together an Anthology. These great writers allowed me, a novice, to contribute a story to the anthology. [Yippee!! Thank you guys!!!! ]

The anthology is called "All The Lovely Creatures ". It is a collection of Paranormal/Horror stories that include cultural creatures. I contributed a piece on Obeah. What is Obeah? You gotta read my story. The book will be out in October. It will be published by Smashwords. The book has 7 to 8 brilliant writers. I am truly honored to be a part of this project.

As I get the links next month I will post it here and on twitter. If you don't have my twitter, follow me here.

Well I'm going back now and finish up my piece. Looking forward to be telling you more on this in the coming weeks. I'm so excited!!! See you soon. 

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Dream - Days Events


It's finally here. The day of the events set by government. It is a day where employers are to take their employees on field trips to build stronger teams. However, this day and age, the employers don't go, and people get to have fun without them; meeting up with friends. I've been looking for this day all year. This year our employers decided to go to an amusement park that is connected to a beach. We also get to stay at a hotel. Yippee, I'm excited.

Luz, Christie and I meet up with my friend Kristin in front of the amusement park. We are waiting for someone else. As we are waiting, we see Dan and Josh skulking around our perimeters. Josh and Christie are an item. They pretend they aren't but we all know better. Dan is looking anxious. Luz is single. She has no interest in finding a man. She says she doesn't have the time or patience. Kristin and myself are married. Kristin has 3 kids of her own. I don't have any.

After about 15 minutes of small talk our friend Keisha shows up. Keisha is much closer to Kristin than me; that's why it's a surprise that she wants to come along with my group. Kristin, Keisha and myself grew up together. So Kristin wishes everyone a bond farewell and heads over to her group of friends. We turn and head out out into the amusent park.

As we head towards the beach, we jump on all the rides that interest us. We finally made to a restaurant at the beach. We sit to regroup before we head out. We noticed Josh and Dan lurking near us.

"Are you guys following us around?" Luz yells to get their attention.

"Nah, I just like staying close to my good friends" Josh responds, with a grin.

It's also a well known fact that Dan has it really bad for Keisha. So whenever she's around he makes all efforts to be around. The boys join us at our table. Dan tries to move in between Keisha and myself, but Keisha doesn't make it easy. He ends up sitting between Luz and Christie. Keisha gives me a look that spoke wonders. It could be interpreted as "are you kidding me? What is he trying to do? He's crazy!" 

After the lunch we decided to head to play at the beach. Keisha stubbed her toes on something in the water. Probably a rock. She stumbles out and Dan runs and lifts her up and takes her the towel. The trip to the towel was filled with Keisha screaming at him to put her down. Once he did, he ran to the life guard station to get a first aid kit. He came back to find Keisha talking with another man. He runs up and intrudes.

"Dude! What's your problem?" the other yells at Dan.

Dan ignores him as he tries to bandage Keisha's foot. Keisha protests.

"I don't need a bandage! Go away!" Keisha screams.

Dan gets up and sulks away. Dan really is a good guy. He's just shy. I run up to him.

"Sup Dan? Why the long face?" I ask.

"Keisha told me to go away. Why doesn't she like me?"

"She does. Not the way you want her to." I respond.

"What can I do to make her see me in a new way? I would take very good care of her if we were together. I just want to be there for her." Dans says despondently.

"Just be yourself and don't crowd her." I answer, giving him a pat on his back. Then I run off because I spotted my husband on the beach.

As evening falls we head to our hotel room. It's a pretty good sized room; 2 beds and the couch folds out into another bed. As we all are getting ready for bed, there's a knock on the door. Luz opens the door since she's the closest. It's Josh and Dan.

"Hey girls! We just stopped by to wish you girls a goodnight." Josh says as he bends down and kisses Christie on the forehead.

"Goodnight!" we girls say in unison. The boys head out.

"Christie & Josh sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G!!" Luz sings, teasing Christie.

"At least I gotta a man" Christie pops back.

"Oooh" Keisha say giggling.

"Who said I wanted one? I don't need a man fawning all over me like Dan does to Keisha" Luz retorts.

"I know that's right." Christie agrees. "Dan does have it hard for Keisha."

"I'm in the room thank you. But what's up with that?" Keisha responds.  Everyone shrugs. "And what's up with just now? He straight up ignored me."

"You can't have it both ways. If you don't like, let him be. If you do, then get with him. He's a nice guy. Can't expect the man to fawn over you forever. Maybe he decided to move on." I respond.

"I can do better." Keisha responds.

"Your loss. Night chicas." I say as I lay down to sleep. 

Monday, August 6, 2012

Happenings in the world

While I was quiet on my blog for an experience to discuss later, a lot of shit has happened in the world. Well shit I find annoying and of interest at least.


The Olympics:

I would love to say I'm watching it, but I'm not. I don't care for sports. If I'm around someone who's watching it, I will pay attention to it. I won't seek it out on my own. I do listen to all smattering on the news and Internet. What has really been nagging me is this whole issue on Gabby's hair. Why are you concentrating inher hair. The young girl set records and won Gold for America. Instead of uplifting her, everyone is trying to tear her down over HAIR!! Not everyone concentrates on heir appearance. Looking at the pictures, there was nothing wrong it. It was put back into a bun. Gabby was concentrating on being a fantastic athlete instead of spending exorbatant time in the hair salon. I'm sure all he haters out there who made the comments don't have a thing going for them except for being some man's side piece.

Go America! Go Jamaica!

Geraldo Blames Chicago Murders on Thug Wear

This article has caused some uproar. I agree with him and disagree. No one should be murdered wrongfully. Who is it for another person to end someone's life? You are not God or some other Diety. There should be better control on guns.

Growing up, my mother drilled in me, "your first appearance will be what someone will make an assumption of you on, so make sure you present yourself properly." This is what is missing in today's society. I understand each generation has their own styles, but as the generations come, we've stuck in one awful style; THUG wear. So now when people look at young men today, they automatically think they are a gangbanger. Whether you are or not, you will be automatically associated as such. You could be a honor student and all round good guy, but if you walk outside looking like a thug, you will be thought of as one. Parents need to nip this in he bud. Don't let your child leave your house looking like that. My mother and father made me change everytime I try to sneak outside wearing my generation's style. One time I snuck the clothes out and changed at a friend's house. The result of my defiance, was unwanted attention from the opposite sex.

We need to try to stop our youth from looking like thugs and street vermin. Have our youh look like promising individuals. That is what I believe Geraldo was trying to say. As an employer, I will discriminate on a person coming in for an interview wearing their pants hanging off of their ass. I don't want anyone looking like that representing my company.

You can watch on the subway, people only hold stuff tightly when a thug looking person goes near them. It's not racism that everyone want to throw out there. It is because he looks like a thug. I can go on and on, but I'm getting worked up so I'm going to end this topic here.


Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Review: Backfire


Backfire
Backfire by Catherine Coulter

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I received this book in my Kindle the day it was released. I wanted to start reading it immediately but I had commitments I needed to tend to. Everytime I opened my iPad to work, I kept hearing the Kindle App call my name. With my willpower the way it is, I succumbed in 2 days.

I have been a fan of Catherine Coulter Thriller books; the FBI series mostly. I have read them all awaiting each release with excitement. Been reading them since the first book. Love them!!! I've even blogged about them (http://whitetigre2001.blogspot.com/20...).

This book did take me for a loop. I was just as perplexed as the agents in the book. The story was weaves so well. There are still something's that were a bit predictable; hook ups. However, some of her usual predictive stuff was missing. She changed it up. There were parts that I was afraid to read because I've been emotionally vested with characters and I was scared as to what was going to happen. My emotions were pulled every which way. This is a must read. I'm a bit biased. I totally love Savich and I wish Sherlock was my bestie.

Catherine creates characters to die for. I wish I can weave a character as lovable and evil as hers. I have total admiration of her talent.

Hope this discussion helps. I didn't want to do a real review. I'd spoil the story if I did. But this book is so worth the read.



View all my reviews

Friday, July 13, 2012

Ok. I'm Ornery.

I was having my brother read half of my story for the anthology I'm part of to see if it was worthy of reading. This is the conversation that ensued.

Me: Did you read my story.
Bro: No not yet.
Me: Can you look at it soon? I have a deadline.
Bro: Ok, I'll read it now

10 mins pass

Bro: It's banging!!
Me: Really? Did you like the mother?
Bro: Yeah, but I don't really know her yet.
Me: Yeah, it's leading to that. Did you like my "ornery" protagonist?
Bro: Yeah, she's ornery like you.
Me: Wait, what? You think I'm ornery?
Bro: Yeah

So this is how I learned I'm ornery. My husband disagrees, but I'm sure my employees think so.

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Life on Fast Forward

Last time I posted I was on my honeymoon. I really shouldn't have but I couldn't resist. My life has been on fast forward since then. Here's some of what's been happening.

Before I left I was invited to join a group putting out an anthology book. I am to write a short story to be included in the anthology. Yay!! My first published work other than a copy I did 6 years ago. The anthology is in the Paranormal Romance genre. The anthology's theme is different creatures from different cultures. I'm excited about this project.

It's been 2.5 weeks that I've been married. I don't feel much different than before. Except my love quotient has risen. I can't believe how much I love him and his mischievous ways. I'm still trying to learn my new signature. It's not coming as fast I wish. I've changed some stuff to my new name. I didn't legally change my name, just hyphenating it. I can't believe I will have to mark Mrs on forms to come in the future. Wow. This is more than I imagined. I'm totally psyched about my future with this awesome man.

Home life is going to be jet packed busy in the coming weeks. I have many projects I would love to complete before the end of the summer. So the Mr and I will be doing a lot of grunt work. I should include my brother in this. It's only right that we do. Mr has started already. He has won a battle with our backyard and some scurmishes in our front yard. No one in my house are green thumbs. Yard work is not remotely liked in this house. We'd be better off living in a condo.

I am also planning a website build for my business' site and a remodel of this blog. I think I can do better in directing my blog to specific topics. This blog is a multi-purpose blog. I have my writings on here; book reviews, dreams, musings and a whole bunch if things. It's time to make it easier to get around. I'll be looking for themes I could use that's not part of Blogger's main templates.

Well I'm here sitting in the dentist's chair, so I might as well sign off for now. There will definitely be more to come.

Ta Ta.

Monday, June 18, 2012

Days After Wedding Bliss

I'm finally a Mrs! JH and I finally got married on Sat June 16th. It was a magical moment. I still can't believe I'm married. I'm looking at my left hand in awe. Seriously!

I said I was going to blog when I get back from my honeymoon, but I just can't wait.

The wedding turned out great! It turned out better than expected! The venue did an excellent job. I want to thank Lakeside Weddings in Las Vegas for all their help. My dedicated person, Danielle Steinbeck was great. The flowers provided by Robin Williams (no relation to the actor and she's a girl) of Lakeside Flowers was awesome. I want to kiss her for the absolute best flower display (especially since I don't know a thing about flowers) I ever had. I had tried to match my lavenders throughout the wedding since every place doesn't have the same color pallets. The wedding cake provided by Cake Designs was mouth watering. It was better than the cake tastings. I got my hair done at Lakeside Salon as did my bridesmaids. They did a great job. My makeup was nice, but I rather not do makeup. My nails were awful, but I was able to hide them during picture taking. In all, everything was perfect. Some people who said they were coming did not show. It was their loss. Everyone enjoyed themselves.

I'm currently on my honeymoon in Hawaii. We got a deal from LivingSocial for the current place we are staying, Hawaii Island Retreat. It is a natural, self sustaining, peaceful place. I'm currently, as I'm typing this, sitting on the deck by our room enjoying the quiet and and the weather. This place is not a resorts place. It's like a hidden gem. I would come here again. It's so peaceful. Today is resting day from all the excitement of Saturday and all day traveling yesterday.

I can't believe I'm married. I love JH to pieces and just can't fathom myself without him. He is my perfect other half. We fit perfectly. I hope we will have a love that spans more than one lifetime. I just can't think of anyone else who I'd want to spend my life with.

Here are some pics from my wedding...

Friday, June 8, 2012

Updates to Me Being M.I.A.

I haven't really blogged in a while. I have been crazy busy. But he best way to catch you up is with my updates.

Memorial Day weekend JH and I went to Michigan to visit his Uncle. We met almost everyone in his uncle's family. We took a lot of pics with the family. They seem to accept me. I'm happy. My favorite quote from his little cousin..."your child is going to be so lucky.... he/she will have a permanent tan."

My mother is in town. She's here for doctor appointments and to assist with wedding plans. She's going to be here the longest ever. She came May 14th and she not leaving until July!!! JH and I will be on our honeymoon and come back to a guest in the house. The big plus.... She cooks!!!

As of now, there are 8 days before I'm Mrs JH. I am excited and nervous. I want to be married to JH. We fit so well. However, the time flew by. I hope all goes well. We are now working on marriage technicalities like who will handle what in the marriage. We also have to pack for 3 weeks. Ugh!! I hate packing. I have my dress, yay.

Please don't expect anymore posts for a while. I'll be enjoying my honeymoon and well deserved vacation. Until July.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Assumptions Can Be Great Tools

I'm in a subway car with the following:
2 black men in suits
1 black man dressed thuggishly (oversized pants hangin past his ass, hoodie, holding a hip hop magazine)
1 black man wearing sweats
1 black man in a best buy uniform
1 black man in slacks and a hoodie (slacks are on properly)

Where do I sit? Next to the thuggish looking one. He got annoyed that I sat next to him, forcing him to close his legs (as if he's carrying gold bullion down there).

Since I have few stops to go, I start mentally judging who was up in up and who were not. I know judging is wrong. It's merely a tool for me to flush out characters in my head.

The 2 black suits. One was tired and one wasn't. I assumed the tired one put his 150% of his energy at work. Needless to say it could be possible he went partying until late the night before. The suit who wasn't so tired was an average worker. He didn't go above and beyond. At least the 2 are working. Well that I assumed. It could be that both were job hunting. I would never know.

Sweat suit man was a lazy one. He's comfortable in sweats but has no ambition out of his norm. He's comfortable hanging out at a liquor store or a park playing dominos.

Best buy guy was heading home from work. He was wearing a grin which could mean he was about go see his girl or he's about hang with his boys; who could be into some mischief.

Slacks hoodie guy could be a guy working in the mail room at a company. Had a long day. He looked kind of defeated. So maybe he had a long day. He was probably getting abused at work. People talking down to him as if he was nothing. Or he could just be really tired.

Last but not least is Mr Thug. He's the one that screams a lot to me. He is the dude who is hustling on the street. Puts up this hard demeanor. Self centered with a chip on his shoulder. It's all about what pleases him and never vice versa. He doesn't even respect his family, not even his mother. He probably sees them as potential new clients. He also loves his hop hop. If he wasn't hustling, he'd be a rapper. He can debate all day long whether Gucci Mane is sick with his game compared to Wiz Kalifa. He ride or die for his hustle. Proud of it too. Never believed an education and hard work could get you fast money. So he didn't waste his time. He doesn't look at his future because there probably isn't one. I could go on and on about this guy. My assumption can be wrong too. He could be a teddy bear who just likes the thug style.

Mr thug gives me more ammo to building and fleshing through a character. However, I do not write about ghetto life. It's not something I know and I refuse to immerse myself into it to learn. Maybe I could refine character to be out of his norm in a story.

Mentally judging people gives me characters. I don't really base any real life judgements on some of the people I observe. I am a woman and I do think about my safety when traveling to and from work by myself. I have to make quick assumptions about people for protection. I would never walk near mr thug. I would avoid him like the plague. But I would also avoid the others if I could too. One thing my mother taught me that I still retain is to never walk thru a group of guys. You are asking for trouble when you do so.

We all judge people when we look at them. We all assume different things. So why don't we use some of the assumptions in a creative way instead of harboring them and make useless stereotypes to classify them. We are all guilty of that. Most don't want to admit it.

Do you judge people? What does it bring you?

Monday, May 14, 2012

Review: Deadlocked


Deadlocked
Deadlocked by Charlaine Harris

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I've been a Sookie fan for years. See my review here . This is the 2nd to last book in the series. I've read the reviews on GoodReads and I don't find them very positive. I may rate a book vastly different than others. I don't go into detail on grammar and all that technical and critical stuff. I base my reviews on my feelings on what I have read. Did the story have like able characters? Did the story grab my attention? You know, the organic stuff.

The Sookie books weren't written to be contemporary literature. It's considered in my mom's term, smut. It's not teaching you any lessons. It's a good easy read.

Now my review that may have spoilers.

So Sookie is still caught up in vampire bullshit. Her relationship with Eric is on the rocks. What she really needs is peace and quiet. Can she have it? No. Who can she trust? Not her family. She's been hit on both sides. Then her best friend's girl wants her out of the way, permanently. Sookie's life is just getting harder. Yet she's having baby fever. She's envious of her friends normal relationships. Sookie at this point in her life has been a jump off. Her relationships always caused her danger and the concerns weren't really about her but her gift.

This book was the beginning of a wind down to the final book I am looking forward to read. The series has been long run and I've enjoyed it. My life was not wasted for 12 years as one reviewer has said. I got to experience a world with sexy men and adventure. This book did have me guessing, but some of the plot wasn't strung as perfectly as previous books. I could live with that.

That being said, this book was 5 stars to me, for keeping me entertained.



View all my reviews

Draw Something

Well I've been playing Draw Something by OMGPOP for the past month. In the time I've been playing, OMGPOP was purchased by Zynga.


























Draw Something is a social multiplayer mini version of Pictionary. You draw a word you see in the list and your opponent has to guess what you draw. If you succeed, you get gold coins. As you progress you increase your coins and turns. However, if you can't guess the word and you pass, you lose all the turns and start back at one. You also don't get the coins from that turn. the gold coins allows you to purchase more colors or bombs. Bombs eliminate useless letters on a given turn. Once you deplete them, you would have purchase more.




















































This game requires you to wait for your opponent to make your move. So if you are impatient, then this game is not for you. You can also find friends/link game to FaceBook. If you don't have FaceBook, you can do random games and/or giving people you OMGPOP username to a fellow player. I do not have my games linked to FB and I have 9 games going. It really is a fun game. If you have a stylus, you can use it to draw better pictures. Writing with your figures is horrible. There is also, as usual, in app purchasing. In order to get some bombs you need a minimum of 400 gold coins. Getting new colors is cheaper. So you can buy gold coins.

Overall this game gets an A- from me. If the prices of bombs Drops, I'd be in heaven.

Found in Apple iTunes Store for free

[iOS]

People Today Are Way Beyond Cruel

People today are so horrible it is upsetting. Why can't people move on from hurt and upsets without inflicting harm on someone?

You accidentally step on someone's shoe. Today it's can be a life or death situation. On the wrong person's shoe can get you killed.

You break up from a relationship can cost you numerous injustices. You can be blacklisted from jobs, your health could be in danger or worse you could be dead.

I've been noticing these trends more and more often these days. This is sad. People can't resolve conflicts without violence. Don't people realize life is precious and shouldn't be taken because of frivolous situation? What are parents teaching their children? What are teachers teaching our kids? Why is movies and television the dictator of what's right and what's wrong. Who should be accountable for all of this? Parents want to blame TV. Politicians want to blame the Internet. Everyone wants to point fingers, but they don't want to do anything about it.

What started me on this post was this article. The man was a fool for going to his ex for dental work. However, no matter how hurt you are, one should not mess with a person's health. She was hurt yes. But removing all of his teeth was incredulous. There is no reason for that. Yes he hurt your feelings. So do you have to ruin his life?

Sometimes I wonder why I want to be a part of this society. It's just getting worse and worse. It will not be a natural disaster that will make humans extinct. It will be a human to do so. I've been hurt in y life too. I've moved on and found a great guy. If things don't work out between us and we would have to divorce, I would soul crushingly hurt. However, I wouldn't want to inflict revenge that can cost him his lively hood or his life. I would probably find the nearest pool of despair and wallow in it. I'll eventually emerge and move on with my life.

As for this dentist, I wish her nothing but the worst for using her profession to cause evil. I hope she has to pay the man for all his surgeries and new teeth and the maintenance of them for the rest of her and his life. Disgraciado.

Laters..

What do you think should be the outcome of the dentist situation?

I am 20/20

I have decided to do LASIK. I was tired of the glasses and contacts were a pain in the ass to try and learn. JH decided to do it first. My guinea pig. I got to see what happens and upkeep after the procedure.

Did I tell you that I am usually petrified of anyone messing with my eyes? What possessed me to even attempt such a procedure? JH, of course. He gives me courage.

Today is day 3 after the procedure and my vision is clear. I did have a slight issue after surgery that required me to wear a bandaid lens. That was a bit annoying. What's really annoying is the having to put medicated drops in and regular saline solution to keep my eyes moist. Another thing to keep me annoyed.

Before the procedure they gave me up to 10 mg of Valium. I don't think it worked. The minute they brought me into the procedure room, I was ready to bolt. However, the Jew in me said not to waste a large deposit. I did happen to have a mild panic attack. It could've been worse. Would have loved if they knocked me out, but they needed me awake. The whole procedure was less than a minute, but it felt like 4 minutes per eye. I wanted it over with the minute I laid down.

The procedure is not that bad as your mind makes it out to be. You don't feel any pain. You really don't see anything. Your mind does put more fear into it. When JH went thru it, his anxieties came after the procedure was done as we thought. We found out that he was exhibiting more because he has bruises on his eyes. I don't really have any visible bruises. He didn't have to wear a bandaid lens. We all heal and react differently.

Do I think this is for everyone? I don't know. Would I do it again? I don't think so. My anxiety level is still a bit high when it comes to my eyes. Read about the procedure. Get testimonials. Research. Get recommendations from your eye doctor. Do not refer to ads you see in papers that offer huge discounts on the procedure. This is your vision. You don't want just any Tom Dock or Harry messing with your eyes. My doctor who's a well respected eye surgeon recommended this doctor.

If you in NYC area check out www.ny2020.com. I am no way endorsing him by getting a discount. Nor is he paying me for me to promote his link. I just believe you will get good information about the procedure and what to expect.

As for now I'm okay and my vision will continue to improve as inflammation goes down. I will also have the please of walking down the isle without my glasses! That I can't wait to do.

Saturday, May 5, 2012

The Ultimate Avengers

So JH, my bro, his girlfriend and I went to the Ultimate Marvel movie marathon. This marathon consisted of us sitting thru the following:

Iron Man
The Incredible Hulk
Iron Man 2
Thor (3D)
Captain America (3D)
The Avengers (3D) - Midnight Premier






























We were in the theater from 10 am and left around 3 am the next day. It's a very long time sitting in a theater. They did give us breaks between each movie. It was awesome. I have never done a movie marathon before. I felt like we were at comic-con. People were dressed up as their favorite hero from the series. There weren't any fights or arguments at all. It was a peaceful and exciting times.

It was great. You got a refresher of the movies that was paving the way for the Avengers movie; eggs and all. The theater they used was nice and actually comfortable. Only bad side of he night was the lack of air conditioning. It really made it feel like a comic-con. You know, all misty and male b.o..

Here's my spoiler:

Avengers movie was OMFG absolutely f'n awesome with a side of wholly shit, I have died and went to heaven. Can you tell how much I loved this movie? I must go see it again!!!!!! This is not a review, but my opinion of a movie that made me spend a whole day in a movie theater. And it was so worth it!!!!

How do you get 5 super heroes to cooperate? Blackmail them. But I must say the Hulk stole the whole movie. I loved him. He had the best lines. He did an awesome job. I must say I like this Banner/Hulk a bit better than Norton's. This one has a bit more humanity than Norton's. Many will disagree with me but we all have our own opinions. This is mine. One of the best scene with Banner was when Black Widow went to request his presence. He was totally f'in with her.

The infighting within the team was fun too. Loki was enjoying himself with that. But it was cool how equal they were to each other. The Thor and Hulk fight was funny. There fight paused and concluded at Stark Tower when both were taking on a villain. After the villain succumbed Hulk punched Thor out of the blue and sent him flying.

The next best scene is when Hulk again arrives at Stark tower when Loki's there. Loki talks to him saying he should bow down to God like him, then in mid sentence Hulk flung Loki in semi circles like a rag doll, walked off and said, "puny God". I laughed my ass off on that scene and still laughing about it as I type this paragraph.

The best scene of the movie was the whole movie. My favorite line scene is when Thor, Black Widow, Hawk eye, and Captain America was regrouping and Banner shows up. They notify Iron Man and he says he's bringing the party to them. Then they see the creature coming, Captain says to Banner: "ok. You can get mad". Banner replies, "...I'm always mad!" He automatically turns into the Hulk. Then when Captain start assigning roles, he tells Hulk' "you smash" You should see the joy in the Hulks face. He likes to smash.

This movie was so awesome. I know I'm being redundant right now. But seriously, I haven't been this excited over a movie in a while. I was eagerly awaiting this movie for a year. It could've been a let down. It was fanfuckingtastic as this reviewer stated. OMG I so want to see sequel and all. If you haven't seen this movie, go do that right now. I will give you a note to your boss. My fiancé and I will babysit. Just get out and go watch this movie. You just have to.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

The Closer I Get To I Do

As I get closer to my weddings weird things have happened or happening. People I haven't spoken to in years are popping up. People I barely talk to want to talk. I even had a weird dream. I guess the time is getting closer people are trying to make their move, I guess. Maybe they should have said or did something before I got involved with JH. At this point my heart belongs to JH. I can't picture my life now without him. Yes yes, I'm all mushy and in lurve, lol. However, I want to discuss 2 conversations in this post. It's gonna be a long on with all the pictures (screenshots) of the conversation.

First conversation is with my ex from nearly 8 years ago. Let's call him Baby Momma Drama, BMD for short. The reason we broke up is that he moved down south. I've spoken about him on this blog numerous times already. Click here for past references. Anyway, so Zi deleted him off of my Facebook. There wasn't any reason to keep him on there. He wasn't communicating with me on there. As I dropped him I get a text from him. Here's the conversation.











































This whole conversation is weird. Haven't spoken to BMD in years. But I did tell him I was engaged on Facebook when it happened. So he wasn't in the dark. Thank God I have a functioning brain. Imaginee with his kid and dealing with him for support. He has 6 children!!!! One of them had him locked up for a year. I'm very happy to be over this man's drama, even though it didn't effect me directly. Why did he text me? Was it because of Facebook? I don't know but I don't expect to hear from him again. But the out of the blue text is weird especially when he really didn't have much to say. I may have read too much into this.

Second conversation is with an ex 4 to 5 years removed. Let's call him Super Tall, ST for short. ST and I met at a lounge that a coworker took me too. Coworker's BFF happened to be dating ST's BFF. We ended talking during the whole excursion. Our relationship was brief. We were just in 2 different places at the time. We are still cool. He even started to date another woman. We were texting he other day. The conversation went as follows.








































I didn't really know how to respond to his confession so I just switched subjects. I really don't see what I can do to make the situation better for him. He is moving on with his life as he should. He's not posing any issues for me. He's a genuinely nice person. I wish him the best.

Is there anything I can do to stave off these weird conversations? I doubt it. I can't and won't entertain any ex or friend being inappropriate. I want all my exes or friends to be honest with. I don't want them to make confessions to me as a strategic offense. If they do, they will lose a friendship.

I tease JH all the time saying he's breaking hearts all over the place. It's a running joke with us. When we met I was single and ready to mingle. JH saw what he wanted, worked his voodoo, and got what he wanted. Which was me. I'm happy he did. I haven't been happier. However, he blindsided everyone in my life. They had no clue about him and all of a sudden here he is. So I guess some figured they would see where it went with JH. Now they no longer have time. I'm getting married in a month and a half. I am able to talk about this stuff with JH and I am glad. He's very secure with us and I'm not going anywhere. We are a good fit for each other. Now let's see what else will pop up before we say I do.