Sunday, November 30, 2008

Roll With It

Last week was a combination of personal time-off and a long Thanksgiving holiday weekend. I didn't have advance plans, just points of interest if you will. Perhaps it was all Divine Planning. Did the Universe think I had been running a mile a minute with my head cut off for a couple of months? They must have. Who else would smite your AGOL with a four-day illness from Tuesday through Friday? Okay...smite is a tad dramatic, but to succumb to bed rest and to hoard physical energy for later use in driving across the city for Thanksgiving Day is not what I call entertaining.

No, I am not going to whine the whole entry. I survived and now on the mend just in time for going back to work tomorrow. Sigh. I must remember that any (perceived) suffering has an equal reward or so I heard somewhere today.

Oh some tidbits...

A funeral director tried to chat up Tawny and me at our friend Kathy's grandma's funeral last Sunday which was not in the same county and not "citified" like Trampa. What the hell was that about? So...you're Hillsborough County Girls. Sprinkles smirking in her head: We must be since we have all our teeth and well under the average age of this county -- 60.

Getting closer to getting my bike that I've been planning for almost a year now but thanks to my old car's constant care, I was forced to sink a few thousand dollars in that instead of the much anticipated bike.

Last Monday, Sharon's husband and friend came over to install the extra leaf on my dining room table that can now seat six comfortably as well as install a curved shower rod that - holy cow - gives you so much room to boogie in. I just might invite a couple of shower-friendly friends over for fun - no, test, I mean. LOL...I fed the boys a big lunch. Before I knew it, they were taking the leftovers and the rest of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies home. That same evening my old buddy Dianne came over, too. I made her dinner and more chocolate chip cookies. We ended up talking while we had the DVD Mamma Mia playing in the background. Poor thing was made redundant recently. Funnily enough, she chose to work in the financial sector thinking it would be safer. The upswing is that she won the grand prize during a film festival this summer. She and her husband will be embarking on a two-week fancy schmancy cruise the first two weeks of December. Hooray!

On Thanksgiving, our old friend Dan got engaged. Not sure how I completely feel about that other than a sense of anti-climactic and a sigh of relief. Hard to explain...

San Francisco Trish is coming to Orlando in late January for a visit to her boyfriend's family. The wench is forcing me to meet her in EPCOT. Ewww... She said that she would be my birthday present. I told her she's always wanted to fulfill her lesbian fantasies of me for at least 15 years now and that there was still no chance. Too bad she's not Angelina Jolie. There could have been a slight chance we could have worked that out. Hahaahhahaha.

I won't go into details, but today I learned what it meant to truly overextend my thoughtfulness, generosity and creativity to a few individuals who could never truly appreciate them by disrespecting those attributes of mine. It was sharply unexpected. I am over it; however, I am wincing at the words echoing from Tab about how I am too open and giving. It is a moot point because I will not change those parts of me. My joy in life will not be stolen so easily.

Other than rolling with the weird maladies and surprise punches, I am still enjoying my car. To say it gives me pure joy would be a true statement. It has become a meditative instrument for me. The blue lights on the dash are very calming. I am averaging 32/33 miles per gallon which is incredible!

December is tomorrow. My old nemesis Christmas Blues hasn't fully surfaced this season. I hope I didn't jinx myself. In any case, thanks to my smitey illness, I was saved from being out and about on Black Friday. There is always (tomorrow) Cyber Monday where all the Internet deals are jostling for attention. Speaking of, I believe I have wash in the dryer that needs attention now. Good night, my lovelies. xo


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Wednesday, November 19, 2008

What Type of Weather Are You?

I tried to change the weather by changing a couple of answers...No luck. I am Lightning -- consequently I am living in the Lightning Capital of the World.




You Are Lightning



Beautiful yet dangerous

People will stop and watch you when you appear

Even though you're capable of random violence



You are best known for: your power



Your dominant state: performing


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Tuesday, November 18, 2008

A Sexy Fit

Yes, I did it! I bought a new car. A 2009 Honda Fit won over my practical side even though for the same amount of money I could have purchased a fully loaded sedan from another import company or at an American company for that matter. It is a buyer's market right now and plenty of car makers are making insane deals. Except for Honda who retain their value and have plenty of buyers. This new cutie pie gets 27mpg city or 33mpg highway. It is a hatchback with the "magic back seats"; I can set the configuration for more room when I need to fill it with equipment.

I test drove eight vehicles over two days. My demeanor was more severe than usual. No easy smile, just business. Being female in the market for a car can be brutal. I look younger than I am and I appear to be very approachable with my easy smile. Not that weekend.

My cousin Dave picked me up on Sunday right after he attended church with his family. I showed him online the comparisons I had made with the ones I already tested and the other four for the day. He was further impressed that I had already called the car insurance company for quotes on all eight vehicles which would help me decide on how much I wanted to spend monthly on a vehicle.

To set a happy vibe, I took Dave to a very decadent Greek lunch as a thank you for spending his Sunday with me. My poor cousin wasn't prepared for the bitch he was escorting around. Good thing he has an outrageous sense of humor because he used it to soften my demeanor with the car salesmen. Most dealerships spoil their prospective buyers and this guy was making us walk in the sun even after I told him what I wanted to drive. At one point, he invited us to walk on one end of the dealership. I said, "No. You already know what I want so why don't you just bring it to me?" Eek!! I don't recall the last time I was so incredibly and blatantly rude to someone. Yeah, you should have seen the look on his face. Stunned was an understatement with my cousin gasping in the background.

The salesman tried to get to know me by asking about the last name on my driver's license. I corrected him that it can be mistaken for middle-eastern but I told him that it was German this time around. Could this guy catch a break with the fierce AGOL? Let me confess that I found this guy to be attractive and I didn't want to be googley-eyed while I attended to important matters. It did get better after the second car he let me drive AND more later as I was ready to buy the car I have now after visiting the Nissan dealership across the road. Those people were something else. It is not good when the AGOL can recite the features of the vehicle more so than the salesman...

Today I visited the dealership again to have them fix a minuscule blemish I found. My salesman was very accommodating and I was full of smiles for him. As a nice surprise for him, I left a CD playing middle-eastern music in the car that would sound familiar to him. He would hear it as soon as he drove it to the service center on the other side of the dealership. It was my way of apologizing to him. Apparently, it was the right thing to do because he was extra nice to me when he came in. I knew he was looking at me with new eyes as if to ask What the heck is this Filipino chick doing with belly dancing music in her car? There may be more I haven't shared, but it doesn't matter because nothing can come of it. He's married. I don't intend on setting a trend just because I've already bitten the apple.

My new car is very light and very fast. It drives like it is on rails. The color is called Storm Silver Metallic. I did a multi-exposure pic with the pic from the online site and the one from my cell phone of the dash when I took it home two Sundays ago.



I may be enjoying this new car a little too much. It would be fair to say that I've caught myself easing on the gas pedal because I was driving fast in city streets. What can I say? It is a sexy drive. My plans to get the windows tinted will make it sexier. No, it's not a Lamborghini Murcielago or a Mercedes McLaren, but it is mine.

When not avoiding speeding tickets, I've been buried in work. Bridget has had to help me with other aspects of my job since she has more down time. I am taking some time off next week and I need to get caught up enough so she is not buried herself doing my job while I am off. The new car has been a nice diversion. I am sleeping better now -- since Saturday only but I am grateful for whatever I can get. You may be missing some other updates. I will try to remember and insert them in the next posts. Thanks for being patient. I missed blogging and today I knew I would be posting which made me extra happy.


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Thursday, November 06, 2008

Engine Light

Safe and cocooned in my bed for about an hour, my cell phone rang minutes before 3am. It was Tab. What the hell? He was drunk dialing me from his business trip. Our 40 minute conversation had ended when I realized he passed out and was snoring on the other end of the line. OMFG..Wake an insomniac and fall asleep while talking to her. Yeah, he enjoyed my response hours later...

My car had to be turned around half way to work because I noticed the engine light came on. I stopped home to get my power supply for my laptop and my wireless card before heading towards the car shop. Their prognosis was expensive, but understandable considering the age of the vehicle. I balked (not too softly) about the cost and they trimmed $100 off and threw in an oil change.

When I called my boss to give him an update, he gave me The Talk. He prefaced it by saying he was talking to me as a friend and not as a boss. It entailed the cost of the aging vehicle, the amount of money I've sunk into it this past year and about finally making the call to the bank for a car loan. He was right, but I was devastated at the prospect of having a car payment which I have not had to do for seven years.

I called the bank and in the midst of waiting for them to call back with an approval amount, I had the mechanic halt his progress. Eventually, I received my call back with an approval. I had to scramble to send my loan officer the last two pay stubs via PDF from my e-statements before making my way to the nearest branch for a bank draft with my loan amount. The shop was disappointed at the lost dollars, but I was happier at the solution...mostly.

By the time I finished signing for the bank draft to take with me when I am ready to buy my chosen car, it was almost three o'clock with no midmorning snack or lunch. I had guzzled down a sugary drink sometime and I couldn't wait to go home.

My work suffered from today...I received a good amount of additional encouraging support from Bridget, Tawny, Sharon and my cousin Angie in Los Angeles. I called Angie's brother Dave with a request for help/advice in buying a new vehicle and at the same time he extracted a positive answer for my being present at Thanksgiving dinner. How could I say no? We are going to get together on Sunday for my vehicle purchase.

A good portion of my evening was spent researching online for car makes and models. At least I was attempting to when I was not falling asleep from lack of it. How aggravating. It's been 12 years since my last vehicle purchase. Yes, that's a very long time. This vehicle just turned 144,000 miles which averages about 12,000 driving miles per year. Not bad. I was hoping to drive it another 25,000. This just goes to prove that your AGOL is not all about Shallowville. I don't identify with my car as far as a prestige thing; it is a mode to get from one point to another. Wish me luck.


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Wednesday, November 05, 2008

Barack Obama's Acceptance Speech

President Elect Barack Obama's speech can be viewed here or read below:

From: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/ynews_pl135

Remarks of President-Elect Barack Obama-as prepared for delivery
Election Night
Tuesday, November 4th, 2008
Chicago, Illinois


If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.

It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voice could be that difference.

It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled - Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.

It's the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.

It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.

I just received a very gracious call from Senator McCain. He fought long and hard in this campaign, and he's fought even longer and harder for the country he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine, and we are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. I congratulate him and Governor Palin for all they have achieved, and I look forward to working with them to renew this nation's promise in the months ahead.

I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on that train home to Delaware, the Vice President-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.

I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last sixteen years, the rock of our family and the love of my life, our nation's next First Lady, Michelle Obama. Sasha and Malia, I love you both so much, and you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the White House. And while she's no longer with us, I know my grandmother is watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight, and know that my debt to them is beyond measure.

To my campaign manager David Plouffe, my chief strategist David Axelrod, and the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics - you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you've sacrificed to get it done.

But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to - it belongs to you.

I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn't start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington - it began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston.

It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give five dollars and ten dollars and twenty dollars to this cause. It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation's apathy; who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep; from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on the doors of perfect strangers; from the millions of Americans who volunteered, and organized, and proved that more than two centuries later, a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from this Earth. This is your victory.

I know you didn't do this just to win an election and I know you didn't do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime - two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century. Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after their children fall asleep and wonder how they'll make the mortgage, or pay their doctor's bills, or save enough for college. There is new energy to harness and new jobs to be created; new schools to build and threats to meet and alliances to repair.

The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America - I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you - we as a people will get there.

There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know that government can't solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it's been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years - block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.

What began twenty-one months ago in the depths of winter must not end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek - it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you.

So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it's that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers - in this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people.

Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House - a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty, and national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, "We are not enemies, but friends...though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection." And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn - I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too.

And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world - our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. To those who would tear this world down - we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security - we support you. And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright - tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from our the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope.

For that is the true genius of America - that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing - Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons - because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.

And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America - the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.

At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.

When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs and a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.

When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.

She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that "We Shall Overcome." Yes we can.

A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.

America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves - if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time - to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth - that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:

Yes We Can. Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.


...and God Bless Obama.
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Tuesday, November 04, 2008

Election Day

I have posts waiting to be edited and I am busy as hell at work, but this is too important....

My insomnia kicked in...I woke up at 1:30am and stayed awake till 3am. My body and mind were not prepared for Bridget's car breaking down which necessitated for her to not be at work. My boss gave me a "honey do" list on a yellow piece of paper. When I post yesterday's stuff, you will know that my day off turned into a working from home day. So much for taking a mental health day. I was beat going in this morning.

The erratic and nervous energy my boss exuded made me eat/drink an avocado...several pieces of Halloween candy...a small banana...a bunch of fish crackers...a cup of full sugar hot chocolate...a can of cherry cola...and God knows what else BEFORE 11am. Yes, that bad.

I bought lunch at the cafe downstairs and brought it up to eat at my desk while I continued to work. My sleep deprivation eventually caught up with me and my energy was nil. I had to find some before I left to go home. My cousin Angie had me on speaker phone on my drive home which allowed her and her pal Alfred to talk to me from California while I made my way home. Talking to someone while I am tired makes me drive better because I go on autopilot...

Tawny picked me up so we could get some pizza for election results watching at her place. Pizza...cola...coffee..and yummy baked cookies were served at Chez Tawny. Yup - meal of the sleep deprived. In the end, it was all worth it.

Clockwise starting left: I needed an activity while waiting for results so I colored in the states as the results came in; First screen with Barack projection; NBC.com with announcement on Tawny's laptop; and McCain giving his concession speech with Barack Obama-President caption


Tawny shared this quote from someone in National Public Radio (NPR):



Here is President Elect Obama with his acceptance speech.



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Sunday, November 02, 2008

Comfortable with Asians

Today was Michelle's daughter Eva's second birthday picnic at Ballast Point park in South Tampa. Amy picked me up so we could carpool together. It was a little overcast and it rained a tiny bit during the afternoon...

About 60 adults and children attended. Amy and I assisted Michelle with the kids' games after lunch. She was frazzled and had too many distractions. We did Pin the Tail on the Donkey first; stickers at the end of the tails were used in lieu of the pins. When it came to the pinata, I expected the traditional style with a bat. Not this year. They bought pinatas that used ribbon strings. Each child gets to pull a ribbon string from the bottom of the pinata until one eventually pulls the one that spills the candy everywhere. Odd but safer, I guess. There were two pinatas for Eva and her cousin Aidan who was celebrating his 3rd birthday, too. The candy filling spilled quickly from both and the kids went crazy scrambling for their loot.

We all settled a bit after the games were played and cakes were served. The men were watching football on a TV plugged into the pavilion outlet while the ladies mingled. I met a couple of Michelle's husband's friends. One lady was Chinese and we enjoyed a conversation on Spam Musubi, a sushi sandwich type food made with Spam, Furikake (seaweed/wasabi sprinkles) over rice encased in a seaweed wrap. Her sister joined us and our conversation steered towards children. My own childless state was revealed and my increasing age. The sister was pregnant and already had a five year old. She shocked me by saying she was 39 -- she looked 2o and told her as much. We laughed at the old Asian age deception.

After the birthday picnic, I asked Amy if she wanted to take a tour of the big Asian grocery store downtown. We picked up a few things with Amy agog all over the sights and smells. I had one scare. Amy had ordered two fresh tilapia fish from the live tank after confirming the guys would clean them. They cleaned them all right: chopped the tail, scraped the scales and gave the fish a good rinse after eviscerating them just before double-bagging them in plastic for her. I pushed our cart through a couple of aisles and was reading something in the spice aisle. One of the fish in the bag started to flip-flop around. I was startled and freaked out. With a sheepish look at Amy, I joked that the fish had some nerve. It twitched some more after that and I told it that it was just being rude. Amy died laughing. Oh..well...yes, the fish eventually quieted down permanently. Hee.

I called Tawny in the evening and asked her if she wanted to accompany me to the store before I succumbed to the tiring events of the day. She agreed and off we went. Tawny and I exchanged stories of our recent adventures away from one another. Last night's Halloween party was a success, but she still missed my presence. You know what's great about doing normal stuff with one of your best friends? Everything. There is no pressure to be anybody but you and to share the truths that make you who you are and more importantly to be able to laugh about them out loud in between the aisles of shampoo and conditioner...

My mind kept thinking about the outing today at the park. It struck me that I miss being around an all-Asian community. What I mean is being surrounded by Asians all the time like how I grew up and lived while in the Philippines. My Asian side thirsts for more connections. The thirst is slaked a little during lunch at work with my Asian mafia and our outings. The need didn't manifest or was made known to me until the last few months. A part of me feels badly and maybe betraying a part of my life, but how can that be? I am a walking dichotomy. I am both Asian and white. When I am with Asians, my Caucasian side is what they see first and when I am with Caucasians, my Asian side is what they see first. There are worse things I suppose like running out of rice in the cupboard.


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Saturday, November 01, 2008

Early Voting

Cabal and I were arguing at 3:40am. He woke me up and wanted to go outside. Begrudgingly, I got up to empty my bladder first and it was then I noticed a quick beep on my cell phone signaling a text message. I thought, Okay - it is the reminder beep that has the dog crawling the walls. For some reason some text messages sent earlier in the day have been coming in around the wee hours. After reading the message, I snuck back into bed. For one minute. The dog was insistent to be walked. I went back to sleep after our jaunt which made me get up later and late for my early voting option.

Armed with Dunkin Donuts coffees (one iced/one hot) and their new egg & cheese wrap from the drive-thru, I drove further up the road to a popular library for early voting. Cars were parked on the grass just up on the curb off the main road far in advance of the library. It was about 8:30a; the polling place had opened at 7am. I braved a stop first inside the library parking lot and got lucky with someone pulling out. By this time, all that was left was hot coffee which I took with me and a book to read during the long queue snaking in front of the library. The signs said it was a two-hour wait to vote. Bullshit. I waited four hours! Luckily I talked to a charming lady who worked for Christian Dior cosmetics. What else could make an AGOL happy but talk about Shallowville stuff? Not the whole four hours of course...

My sensible sneakers made the wait in line more than bearable. Others were succumbing to sitting on the curb once they got to it or were complaining about their aching backs. No one fell out of line because to us voting was not an option but a requirement. This election year is too important not to vote.

Before I went inside the library, I called the girls to let them know that I was running an hour late for our lunch date. Sharon, Amy and I were all meeting at work and then taking Sharon's car to St. Petersburg to find this Filipino restaurant we hadn't tried in a while. I still had to go home and take care of the dog before a longer stretch out. It took us an extra 20 minutes to find the place because we got lost. At 3pm, we finally ate lunch like wolves starving from a long winter without food. The food was better than my last trip there but did not outshine my aunt's or my cooking. We just use more quality vegetables/meat and make sure to have fuller flavor by seasoning properly through marinades or ingredients. Our food has more color, too. What can I say?

This was funny...Sharon insisted going a different way home and bragged about how much easier it was. Yes, we got lost again for 10 minutes and almost got killed twice with Sharon not yielding to traffic. We laughed it off since our humor was back thanks to lunch.

Tawny texted me while we were out. She was expressing how she missed me and wished I was going to the Halloween party at Dan's house tonight. As soon as the invite had been sent last week, I declined. I didn't feel like driving home late with my night blindness from his home which was miles from mine. My desire to dress up in costume was non-existent. There would be enough guests and I didn't feel like pretending joy. The last couple of weeks have been trying at work. My rule for myself lately has been: If it won't give you joy and you have to pretend too much, then don't do it. I would still miss being with Tawny and our other friends plus seeing their creative Halloween decor at Dan's house.

I contributed to the world today. It is time for change and I want to see a black man become president. My belief in the hope he represents brings tears to my eyes. The last eight years have felt like a group of people letting some popular person's son play at a high office and using him for a puppet for their own agenda. It is at the end of his two terms that I feel he now fully understands what havoc his playacting and marionette responses have yielded. Four hours in line was well worth the wait and that investment in joy will be paying off next Tuesday.


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