New Year's Rockin' Eve

By noon, I will have written down what I want for myself in the New Year!  And I'll be verrrrrrrrrrrrry SPECIFIC!  Hear me when I say this, specificity is KEY!  The Universe needs to know precisely what you want and what you're willing to do to get it!  I'll ring in the New Year at West Angeles Church Of God In Christ in the Crenshaw District.  Joining me will be one of my dearest friends, Tyshawn, his mother, Mary, his young cousin, Roz, and his girlfriend, Stacey.  I wish everyone I've ever met and those whom I'll meet in the future, a Professionally Prosperous & Personally Gratifying New Year!!!  And I hope & pray that people are KINDER and MORE COMPASSIONATE to each other.  Amen.

Guess Who...

I'm walkin' back from the laundromat, crossing a confusing, 5-way intersection and guess who I see with her huge, white Range Rover sittin' smack dab in the middle of the crosswalk?   Mmm hmm, that's who!  :)

Clean Slate

It's "that time" again.  Ugh!  I'd much rather wash a friggin' kitchen sink full of dirty dishes!!!!!!

The Color FANTASIA!

The Color Purple makes its way back to L.A. in February 2010 and I'm goin' back to see it, 'cause this time, FANTASIA, is performing the lead role of, "Celie."  Just tonight I stumbled upon a YouTube, audio video of her final performance of, "I'm Here," on Broadway!  And, wow, did she go for broke.  If I were there, that performance would've raised the hair on my arms!  And my neck!  And my legs.  And my...  ;)

Blue-Eyed Soul

This little boy sure is cute!  If it's true that the eyes are the windows to the soul, this baby's eyes are gonna penetrate a whole lotta souls!!!!!

Major-Dinero!

ma·jor-do·mo (noun)

1. The head steward or butler in the household of a sovereign or great noble.
2. A steward or butler.
3. One who makes arrangements or directs affairs for another.

I know a guy who works in this position and is paid $90,000 yearly to do it!  Umm...one could fill volumes of books with what I don't know, but what I do know for sure is that this guy undoubtedly makes more money than 99.9% of AFTRA & SAG cardholders and hell, probably more money than 99.9% of the entire population, too!  Wow!  Who knew serving meals and polishing silver could be so damn lucrative?!!!

Black & Single & Superficial

These chicks LOOK great!  They SOUND great!  Yet they're SINGLE/UNMARRIED!  Why, they ask?  Because they're using their EYES to see "the perfect man" instead of using their HEARTS.  Only in ROMANCE do I think being BLIND is truly an ADVANTAGE and not a DISABILITY.  Honestly, I bet if these chicks would CLOSE their eyes and OPEN their EARS & HEARTS more, they'd not only be MARRIED; but probably HAPPILY married!!!  Chicks and dudes NEED to learn that:  True beauty is not in the face, the height, the body shape or financial networth; true beauty is a light in the heart.

Olfactory Heaven!

This is the Ralph Lauren candle CHER burned in her house on Christmas night.  No joke, it made her gorgeous place smell how I'm sure Heaven must smell!  Yum!!!!!  Well, at $45.00 per candle, my place may not be smellin' like Heaven anytime soon!  :)

Let's Hit It!

It's a NEW DAY!  Which means, a NEW BEGINNING!  So, let's hit it!!!!! 

Sunday Afternoon Praise!

Went to church this morning -- the last Sunday in 2009!  It felt goooood!  Listening to Bishop Blake urge me to set my vision for 2010 and make it happen, was just what the doctor ordered!  He said that by Dec. 2010, he wants to look UPWARD to see my success -- not DOWNWARD.  So let it be spoken.  So let it be done! --- Adulthood hasn't always been the "easiest" for me.  More than a few times I've longed to just go back to the simple way of living I enjoyed as a kid.  Well, I'm no longer a kid.  And, with focus, desire and perseverance, I can make my TODAY and TOMORROW as simple and pure and enjoyable as my YESTERDAY!  I do wish I could talk to, Mama, again, though!  That much, I'd love to go back to!

Can't Knock The Hustle

Everybody and their mama has an opinion about Vivica A. Fox.  And, quite honestly, I just don't get it.  Well, yes, I do.  Jealousy runs rampant on this sphere called, Earth!!!  All I know is the chick hustles her butt off to make that paper!  And by golly, you can't knock her for that!  Hell, I applaud her!  Keep doin' you, "Auntie Viv!"  And regardless what you've done or haven't done to your face & body, you're lookin' pretty damn good to me!

Deja Vu

It has happened to me time and time again.  I work for an infamous a famous rich person and virtually every time I do, I wound up feeling soooo happy to be leaving that person's palace house!  God & The Universe are tellin' me it's time to have MY OWN palace house!  (The only joy about working in the house pictured above was drinking the frozen margaritas I made for me the "lady" of the house!)

MERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I wish everyone a Merry Merry Christmas!!!!  My friend, Chris, is 50 yrs old today!  BRAVO to him!!!! --- I won't be spending the evening with my beloved family in Indianapolis or my beloved friends on the East Coast.  But...I will be spending Christmas night in the huge domicile pictured below!  Malibu, here I come!!!!!!  :)

'Twas The Night Before...

'Twas the night before Christmas and I'm feelin' pretty good!  Well, I'm gettin' over a cold, but other than that, I feel terrific.  Yesterday, my favorite young actor, Griffin Cleveland, stopped by and gave me a belated birthday gift!  What a class act that lil' guy is for six yrs old!!  Tonight, I'm actually workin' a gig at the home of a Hollywood producer.  I've worked for him a couple times before and each time, he, his wife and his children have been delightful.  This is my LAST year working catering gigs; although they are pretty damn lucrative.  It simply isn't what I want to do anymore.  Enough about that.  I wish everyone a GLORIOUS HOLIDAY SEASON!

Take My Hand

The dark cloud has returned to hover over my household 'til the 1st of next month.  A part of me truly wants to banish it from anywhere near me.  But...it has no other place to hover 'til next week.  So, what do I do?  Tolerate the spiritual discomfort I feel in its presence?  Push it as far away from me as possible?  The God in me knows what I should do.  And I shall follow its directive:  extend my hand to pull the cloud closer to GOODNESS & LIGHT.  Compassion is not easy to come by; because it requires a great deal of strength to muster.  I am strong.  I am compassionate.  I will allow the dark cloud to linger a week longer.  Perhaps in that time frame, the dark cloud will lighten up a bit.  Or...if we're both lucky...a lot.

46 Years Of BLESSINGS!

Today is Dec. 22nd, 2009.  I was brought into this world on Dec. 22nd, 1963.  As a teenager, I always thought Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons were singing about my mama (Miss Juanita) and ME in their song, "Oh What A Night."  The following lyrics in the song described us to a "t:"

"Oh, what a night.
Late December back in '63.
What a very special time for me,
'Cause I remember what a night."

Every time I heard that song I felt special!  And, you know what?  All these years later, I STILL feel special!  What I've learned in 46 years is that I CANNOT be defined by a JOB TITLE.  Nor a BANK ACCOUNT.  Nor a LOVER.  Nor a HOUSE.  Nor an AUTOMOBILE.  Nor a BODY SHAPE.  I am MORE THAN ALL those things!  SIGNIFICANTLY more!  As the new year bursts into being next week, what I know for sure is this:  I LOVE and AM LOVED in RETURN.  I think COGNITIVELY.  I can SEE, HEAR, TASTE and TOUCH.  I can use the bathroom by MYSELF!  As long as these "qualities of life" are in existence, this ol' dude is BLESSED BEYOND MEASURE!  HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CAM Jr!!!  Now, go out there and make someone else feel HAPPY to be ALIVE!  Holla!

I'll Change It!

If I wanna change my station in life, I gotta CHANGE MY LIFESTYLE!

Ho! Ho! Ho! Brown Giant!

I haven't been back to my ol' homestead, New Jersey, since 2000 or so!  But, dang, I don't remember seein' any SIXTEEN-YR-OLD chicks this big when I was living there!  Geez!  Of course she's a phenomenal basketball player!!!  Go on with your bad self, Miss Marvadene "Bubbles" Anderson!

Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire

Why can't a guy walk around his house naked without gettin' ARRESTED?  Geez!!!  Shouldn't the person peeking through his window get 'cuffed instead?  After takin' a look at this dude, though, I immediately knew it must have been a FEMALE or a JEALOUS DUDE who reported him to the police --- most definitely NOT a GAY guy!!!  Ha!

The Skies Are Clear

Earlier this evening, the dark cloud which has hovered over my household for almost three months quietly floated away into the darkness.  I wish it no ill harm, as the world needs dark clouds in order to greatly appreciate clear, blue skies!!  This is the end of the calendar year.  And the beginning of my NEW, INCREDIBLY SATISFYING PROFESSIONAL & PERSONAL LIFE!  I hope & pray, though, that my overall person provided the dark cloud with at least a glimmer of SUNSHINE.  If only a glimmer, I'd be fine with that.

Karma Is A...

It can ALSO cost you a MILLION DOLLARS, too!!!!!!  Be careful how you treat people while on the way up, 'cause those same people might be the judge & jury, deciding how "up" you actually get to go!!!!!

The Godfather!

I am a Godfather.  No, neither a Don Vito Corleone nor a Tony Soprano-type Godfather; but a Godfather in the eyes of, God.  I am the male sponsor of the second son of one of my dearest friends.  She named him, Jordan Maxwell.  He's intelligent.  And respectful.  And tall.  And lean.  And athletic.  And handsome.  And mouthy.  And he doesn't really know me.  I moved away from New York when he was almost five years old.  I flew back to visit with him two years later, when he was almost seven.  Since then, I have never returned.  He is now 14.  And he doesn't really know me.  I am the adult in this scenario, so I am the one who should've made sure he knows me.  I have recognized and celebrated every one of his birthdays and Christmases since the day he was born; so he knows I exist and think of him often.  But he doesn't really know me.  2010 is looming right over the horizon.  I have made a pledge to myself that that is the year I will realize many positive career & personal changes in my life.  And one of the most important changes is flying back to the east coast to spend quality, one-on-one time with my Godson.  And this is so incredibly significant to me because he doesn't really know me.  And -- I truly regret to say this aloud -- I don't really know him, either.

My BFF!!!

As a kid, I never tripped about who my "best friend" was or wasn't.  As an adult, I still don't.  I know several people whose very existence on this planet makes me happy to coexist with them.  I love my interaction with these people more than I currently love -- or have ever loved -- any material possession I've ever owned.  I say all this to say that my best friend in all the world is a guy I see daily.  In fact, I see him EVERY time I look in a mirror!  And his friends are pretty cool, too!

A Token Of My Appreciation...Oops, I Mean, Indignation

I know that many, many, many people will publicly profess a dislike of XXX Bookstore/Video Arcades.  I, however, am not one of 'em.  In fact, for most of my adult life, I've had a love/hate relationship with them.  A part of me believes they're a dark and dingy hole in which lonely men (who far out-number female customers) troll to find brief & anonymous "companionship."  Said companionship comes in the form of live, human beings or filmed footage.  To be clear, I love the fact these places exist so that whoever enjoys them can enjoy them.  On the flip side, I hate that I am sometimes want to be one of those people. 

Taking The Plunge(r)

Returned home late, last night to a toilet covered with plastic bags, denoting:  OUT OF ORDER.  Mind you, prior to me allowing complete strangers to move into my spare bedroom, my toilet has NEVER, NEVER, NEVER seen such "troubles."  NEVER!  Oh well, HELP is on the way!  One of the strangers will be out by year's end and the other will follow shortly thereafter.  In all honesty, I wish them the very best; 'cause I find them both to be pretty likeable guys.  But, geez, they are some sadistic sons-of-b*tches toward indoor plumbing!  Ha!

TYRAed Of Being Disappointed?

Listening to TYRA BANKS go off on one of her ANTM contestants truly made me think about MY OWN LIFE!  And I've come to the startling realization that she's DEAD-ON in her statement that, "If you're really sick of being disappointed, then take control of your destiny!"  So...by this coming Monday night, I MUST have a book outline WRITTEN!  PERIOD!  Or just get really comfortable with disappointment because it WON'T be goin' ANYWHERE without a swift kick in the ass!  By MY foot!  NOT Tyra's!

Sunday Mornin' Praise

Precious III

Just returned from seeing the film, Precious, for the THIRD time!!!  Call me crazy, but I enjoy sharing the film experience with my friends.  Well, I don't suspect I'll go back for a fourth time even if one of my friends hasn't seen it yet.  I don't know that I could sit through another screening.  Not unless, of course, someone was PAYING me to do so!!!  Ha!

Movin' On...

It's December 2009 and within a couple months, change in this household is imminent!!!!  It's either thee!  Or...Me!  Either way, the move'll be made HAPPILY!!! :)

White Collar Grime

There are two things that have brought man down time and time again.  SEX.  And GREED.  Tiger Woods's current travails speak to SEX.  And THIS story truly takes the cake with GREED!  Geez!