Art @ Peace Park

Meet Bob

Art enthusiast, handy man, community builder, husband to a really smart chic.

Why am I writing about some dude named Bob, who is apparently a 6 foot guy eatin' chicken? Thank you for asking. I'll be happy to fill you in!

Last Saturday (3/29) as I was on my way to the laundry, it was a really nice day and I wanted to get out of the house so I decided to go to the laundry rather than doing it at home, I passed what appeared to be a little gathering or party of sorts at Mobile Memorial Park. If you live in or are familiar with Mobile, it's where Airport & Government meet. There was a band on stage, tents set up and people milling about what appeared to be art on display.

I love art and music and it was also absolutely gorgeous outside so I pulled into a nearby parking lot and walked over to check out what was going on.

What I found was Art @ Peace Park

Bob is one of the cool guys who helped organize Mobile's Art @ Peace Park.

Bob is the also the artist alternatively known as - B Yobe

Here is a piece of his art

"Let's not pretend this is easier than it really is. If you want to live a morally pure life, here's what you have to do: You have to blind your right eye the moment you catch it in a lustful leer. You have to choose to live one-eyed or else be dumped on a moral trash pile." Matthew 5: 29-30 The Message

Heather Pettersen is the gal responsible for organizing Art @ Peace Park. She is also the mastermind behind Alabama Art with Heart, a really cool non-profit organization that among other totally fantastic things, holds free creative workshops for schools and promotes local artists and assist other non-profits in raising money through the arts.

There were numerous booths displaying the work of various local artists. The artists themselves were present, manning their booths/tents and creating new works of art for our viewing pleasure. I took pictures and will introduce some of them throughout this post, but first I want to share some other interesting stuff!

1st Amendment (Freedom of Speech) Stand

Notice the soap boxes? Bob's one pretty fart smeller. I mean smart feller.

Next to the 6 foot man eating chicken (Bob), visible from the road, were these signs.

I love how it says 9ish-6ish. That cracked me up.

I wish I could find more info online about this park. At the top of the stage it says something about in honor or memory of mother's of soldiers. It was beautiful. I'm sorry I wasn't able to get a better picture so you could see.

Here is the fountain in the middle of the park. You can see the tents set around the park where artists were painting and displaying their art.

This picture is of a little girl who was just sitting by the fountain trailing a stick in the water. For some reason the image seemed so sweet and peaceful.

Ha! Until I just put up this pic, I didn't even notice the lady to the right trying to hold down her skirt that's blowing in the wind. How funny!

This... I just don't even know what to say about this next picture. Fried WHAT?!?

I visited Boston a few years ago and walked through Boston Common. It was like something out of a movie. People were laying out on blankets listening to music, sitting under trees reading & doing homework, walking their animals and feeding the squirrels. It was beautiful. I've been trying to think of what certain areas of Mobile reminded me of and that's it. I'm sure anyone who's from or lived in Boston would call me crazy but there are places in Mobile that have the same feel. Granted it's on a much smaller scale but living here I've found a similar ambiance that I felt in Boston. It's a very community oriented place. Here are a couple photos that show what I'm talking about.

Here's a couple walking their dogs next to the park. This is something you can see pretty much any time of day. It may be no big deal to most, but to me it's really neat.

This is a guy just laying out on the grass enjoying the weather and the music. As I was walking by him he called out "Beautiful weather isn't it?".

This is Lucas. Lucas is 3 and loves Nemo, but Bruce not the shark. Bruce scared him. He was swimming in the fountain.

Now on to the artists.

I have pictures of most of the artists and am linking their names to their e-mail (per their permission). If you like what you see or would like to know more about them or where/how you can purchase their art please send them an e-mail. Or just drop them a note to let them know you saw their art on my blog & want to compliment them on their extraordinary talent!

Artist Leah Nichols. You can see more of her art on her MySpace

Leah has an undergraduate degree in Psychology from University of West Alabama. She's currently working on her masters in Liberal Arts at Springhill College.

Melissa K. Shaver

Lee Stockman - Abstract Art (251) 583-9658

This is Terrell

Terrell can do some extraordinary things with aluminum foil! I asked him how he got into molding tinfoil as an art form, he replied "Just a gift God blessed me with"

He said as a kid he used to take the tin lining from his mom's cigarette packs and twist them into people figures to play with, then he discovered that aluminum foil was more pliable and maintained shape better. He's been creating works of art ever since!

One of the coolest things I saw there were kids showcasing their drawings and sketches.
This is Zach DePolo, artist & art instructor with 3 of his students.

One of these young men's name is Darius. He had a table with sketches and drawings. If his work is any indication, Zach has some extremely talented young artists in his classes!

Dorothy Parker quilting extraordinaire.

In addition to being a needle working diva, Ms Dorothy is an organizer of the First Annual Southwest Alabama Antique and Art Fair being held in Uriah, Alabama June 7, 2008 from 9am-4pm. Artists from all over Southwest Alabama and Northwest Florida will be showcasing their art. There will be handcrafted quilts, antiques, original fine art, folk art & pottery. The fair will also feature a bake sake, auction, music, classic car show and BarBQ! Proceeds from the fair will be used to build a memorial for Servicemen from South Monroe County who gave their lives in WWII. Contact Dorothy at 251-377-4667 for more information!

Crandell Brock from Noug Screen Printing

I didn't get a photo of his work, he was just so sweet & funny I took a picture of him instead. But if you need something printed on a t-shirt, he's the guy you should call! 251-454-1289

and last but not least

Jim Maurer - The Jimini Collection
Shadows of Greatness

Jim and his wife Naomi are also the hospitable owners of MY Victorian Bed & Breakfast in the heart of Historic Downtown Mobile. Built in 1899, MY Victorian Bed & Breakfast is a classic Victorian "Painted Lady", tastefully decorated to reflect an era of days long past.
excerpts from http://www.myvictorianbedandbreakfast.com/

I have to say it's events like this that only add to my enjoyment of living in Mobile and act as a balm to soothe the sadness I feel from missing living in Michigan so much.

I love art, I love music, I love nature, I love history and movie'esq neighborhoods. I love seeing families walking with each other and couples biking together and knowing you can expect to see neighbor Joe out walking his dog at the same time every morning. I've found all of those things aplenty in Mobile, AL. I'm not saying it's perfect here, no place is, but if I have to live in the south I think here is where I'd choose to be.

Be sure to check out some of the artists pages that are linked above or if they don't have a link drop them a line to let them know how much you enjoy and appreciate their talent. I certainly did!

Potty training motivation.....?

Beauty is only...what the media says?

I was browsing blogs this morning and came across this video that Dove made. (see below) I have to say their Campain for Real Beauty is doing some pretty spectacular things in the fight to combat the twisted image of "beauty" the media is feeding us.

I've always been a bit on the "healthy" side and thankfully never really felt the pressure to be "thin". I was a very athletic kid and teen, playing softball from ages 7 through about 14, basketball for my church when I was 15 or 16, and volleyball my 2nd semester in college so even though I was a bit heavier than most kids I was still fit.

Thankfully medicine and science are slowly coming to the conclusion that being technically overweight doesn't always mean you're unhealthy. I'm considerably overweight now, technically obese, but am according to a complete blood panel and workup just last year, other than hypothyroidism, the picture of perfect health. This is not always the case though so I'm in no way saying it's safe or "ok" to be obese. You may be thinking.. wait didn't she just blog about going to the gym? Yes.. but that's not because I'm "unhealthy", it's because I'm carrying more weight now than I normally do and am personally not comfortable with it. I'm not striving to get thin, just back to a weight at which I'm more comfortable.

Things have gotten so out of hand with self-image these days that everywhere you look, on the cover of every magazine there is some article about how to lose weight, flatten your stomach, thin your thighs, tone your arms, or smooth your wrinkles. The list of improvements we're being told we need is vast. You have celebrities looking the same year after year, even respected news anchors are falling prey to the nip/tuck mentality. Speaking of Nip/Tuck.. there's even a show, heck there are several shows dedicated to showcasing the so-called benefit and need for aestheticly altering ourselves. You have Dr. 90210, Extreme Makeover (not the home edition), The Swan, Plastic Surgery Before & After, and my favorite (note extreme sarcasm here) I Want a Famous Face, that takes teenagers and offers them plastic surgery that promises to leave them looking like their favorite celebrity.

Then you have America's Top Model, Make me a Super Model, The Agency & The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency, taking "average people" and running them through a gamet of tests and adventures to see who has what it takes to be a super model. In defence of Tyra's show, Top Model does offer the opportunity for "plus-sized" models, however so far none have made it in the top 4. Whether that's because the particular plus-size girls they choose fail to take consistently fantastic pictures or because the pictures aren't considered fantastic because of the girls size I can't say, but that show is at least showing that big can possibly be beautiful.

I have a niece who will be 2yrs old next month and I can only hope that by the time she's old enough to understand the implications of what she sees on TV and in magazines that times will have changed and what she'll see are pictures and images of Real Beauty, in every shape, size and color. I hope what she sees will teach her that she is beautiful, acceptible, worthy of being loved and perfect just as she is. I also hope, for the girls, boys, men and women influenced by what they see today, that it doesn't take that many years for such a change to occur.

You.. yes YOU are beautiful JUST AS YOU ARE. Never let anyone tell you differently.

1 and 2 and work and sweat and..

I joined a gym.

I'll give you a moment to regain your composure. Ok that's totally a cover, I'm giving myself a moment to regain my breath.

A while back I wrote a post about how I was going to venture out of my shell and join the world of the socially adept. What does that have to do with joining a gym you ask? Nothing and everything.

I also posted a while back about how I used to be a thick sexy chica and now I'm a ... uh.. thicker, not so sexy cow. No offense Bessie.





I gotta be me too. Only, since my thyroid crapped out a few years ago (I have hypothyroidism) and I've gained a bit of extra chunk I'm not so comfortable with the me I currently am. Which makes socializing a bit more difficult than usual. Although that isn't saying much for me since I'm pretty socially inept to begin with. So this is where the gym comes in.

When I lived in Michigan I had a membership at Bally's - home of the bodacious and boobalicious. Other than being the only person I ever saw there over a size 2, I enjoyed going. It was close to work so I could go after I got off. It was also in the mall. Talk about motivation. There's nothing like sticking a rack of sexy little halter dresses in front of you that may fit on your big toe to get you going! Working out at Bally's is actually what led me to discovering that I had hypothyroidism. My membership came with 8 personal training sessions and I jumped right in using them. The trainer was young, sweet, cute, buff and completely beat my ass once a week! After about the 6th week of working out 5 days a week, 1.5 to 2 hours a day and not losing 1 single pound I began to think something must be wrong. I was eating healthy according to the diet plan they give you, the trainer was working my butt so hard I was doing good to stay conscious at the end of our sessions and I had become a cardio freak! Yet Not One Single Pound.

So I went to the doc and they did some blood work and sure enough my T something or anothers were low. T3, T4. The crazy thing is, I'd been going to therapy for a couple of months prior because I was feeling constantly fatigued and down. I was a trip to the pharmacy away from taking anti-depressants. I can't tell you how thankful I am a friend suggested I get my thyroid checked out when she did. After I was diagnosed I did some research and found out that thyroid malfunction can cause all of the symptoms I'd been having.

These are just a few of the symptoms caused by hypothyroidism:

• Fatigue
• Weakness
• Weight gain or increased difficulty losing weight
• Coarse, dry hair
• Dry, rough pale skin
• Hair loss
• Cold intolerance (can't tolerate the cold like those around you)
• Muscle cramps and frequent muscle aches
• Constipation
• Depression
• Irritability
• Memory loss
• Abnormal menstrual cycles
• Decreased libido

I had about half of them. Thankfully not the icky ones. No decreased libido for me. No siree! But once I started taking medication to correct the thyroid insufficiency I was alert, happy and refreshed in about a week! So I've spent the past 3 years trying to get my T levels straightened out and have had a hellofa time loosing weight.

Back to the gym:

I started walking a couple of weeks ago around my neighborhood. I live in a really pretty area and the walk is enjoyable. I walked about a mile and a half 6 days a week in the evening when I got home from work. The weather was beautiful and I looked forward to being outside. Then it started getting chilly again and I uhh.. sort of stopped.

I've always wanted to be one of those people who was all gung-ho fitness that got up with the roosters and worked out every morning before work. I've just always been too tired to get up any earlier than normal to do it. Ok that's the excuse I've used for umpteen years. I can't get up any earlier, I don't get enough sleep as it is, I'm just sooooo tired in the morning. I'm not saying it's not true, it is. But it's also BS. A very convenient excuse to keep my butt in bed 30 more minutes snoozing the alarm. Well since moving to Mobile the early morning work out people have been sort of thrust in my face. Every morning on the way to work I see the same people out jogging. EVERY MORNING. 7:30am. Hot, cold, rain or shine. Dedicated jogging people. There are a whole different set of jogging people in the evenings on my way home. I don't care what anyone says, Mobile is a get fit inspiring city. It's hard to watch so many people daily out jogging, enjoying themselves, being healthy and not feel like a slug for going home after work and parking my big butt on the couch.

So there's this gym here called Planet Fitness, and their motto or slogan is that they are "The Judgment Free Zone".

Translation - no neckless roid monkeys grunting and throwing weights around frightening the natives. They actually have a buzzer that sounds if you get too loud on the machines or free weights. 3 buzzes and your out! It's a cool place where people who've never been to a gym before, or those who have been but are looking for a more comfortable atmosphere, can feel OK coming and working out.

I signed up last Thursday and have been completely psyched all weekend about getting up early this morning and working out. I spent half the day Saturday pre-cooking healthy lunches to bring to work, cutting up celery and other snacks, packing a "gym bag" with shampoo, body wash, a towel, clothes to change into for work, the essentials. It looked like I was going away for a week. I'm sure as I get used to the new routine my bag(s) will become smaller and I'll no longer wheel a suitcase to the gym with me. It was a small suitcase ok!

So this morning the alarm goes off at 6am. I'd already been up a few times, the latest time at 4am. Thanks to my demon cats from the depths of hell! I hopped up, brushed my teeth, threw the hair in a pony tail, pulled on some jogging pants and a t-shirt, loaded up my luggage and headed to the gym. The gym opens at 4:20am and there were already quite a few people in there. I did the elliptical for 30 mins then a 3 min cool down, showered got dressed and made it to work 10 mins early.

I feel great!

How I'll feel tomorrow morning is another story altogether, but for now I'm really happy that I finally found the motivation to actually put a desire I've had for a very long time in action. My plan is, I'm probably jumping in a bit deep this early out but we'll see, to do cardio 30 mins every morning before work, then after work hit the gym again and do the 30 min circuit they have. I LOVE circuit training. It makes thing so much easier and less complicated than a work out "schedule". Hmm do I do legs and back to day and arms tomorrow, or do I do abs and butt today then neck and toes tomorrow? In a circuit you do everything daily in one minute increments with 60 seconds of cardio in between each machine. PF's set up has step benches in a circle in front of all of the machines so you do x number of reps on machine A, hop off, do 60 seconds of stepping then on to machine B. By the time you're done you've gotten a complete body and aerobic workout in 30 minutes.

I'm still not brave enough to post my weight, but I'll be doing follow up posts on how much I've lost and how the workout process is going. I'm determined this time. My goal is to have lost 70lbs by my birthday in November. That's just under 9lbs a month which fits in the "safe and healthy" range of 1-3lbs a week. I know it sounds like a lot in a short amount of time but heck, those people on The Biggest Loser are losing between 40 and 100+ lbs in 6-8 weeks. WEEKS people. That's 10-20lbs a week! Granted I don't have Jillian standing on my head screaming 10 more seconds!! but I'm confident that I can do this.

So wish me luck and pray that God blesses me with endurance and muscle relaxers. I have a feeling I'm going to need plenty of both!

Look ma it's a... gummy bear?

Have you ever wondered why oysters create pearls and not something else? Wondered what is the science behind it, the meaning? I personally don't eat oysters. They're slimy and just.. ok slimy is reason enough for me.

But what if, just go with me here, what if oysters created something else? Say like a gummy bear. Don’t ask me why, I’m sure I won’t have a logical reason but for some reason gummy bears seem more like something that would come from an oyster, sticky, gooey and slimy. Ok they’re only slimy after my niece slobbers all over them but you get what I’m saying.

Let’s look at how pearls are made.

The formation of a natural pearl begins when a foreign substance slips into the oyster between the mantle and the shell, which irritates the mantle. It's kind of like the oyster getting a splinter. The oyster's natural reaction is to cover up that irritant to protect itself. The mantle covers the irritant with layers of the same nacre substance that is used to create the shell. This eventually forms a pearl. *Answer courtesy of www.howstuffworks.com.

So the oyster coats the thing that got in its shell to protect itself. Got it. Now if I’m thinking of protecting myself against something that may be uncomfortable I think I’m more likely to pad it and make it softer rather than make it hard. Right? So gummy bears seem ideal. Just the oyster just spits some goo on the offending object, then some more goo, continue, then after a while you have a soft gooey gummy. Of course having it come out in the shape of a bear is pure fancy on my part. It would more likely end up like a blob of gummy goo, but this is my story so a cute little bear it is!



Where did this strange random thought process come from you ask? Ok if you’ve read my blog for any length of time you’re probably not asking lol. But I’ll tell you anyway.

Beoysteraware.com is this neat website that tells you all you could ever want to know about Gulf oysters. Not only do they have some pretty cool information about oyster harvesting processes and some scrumdidlyumptious recipes (for you oyster lovers!) but they also have lots of information about the risks of eating oysters. Apparently eating raw blobs of goo from the bottom of the ocean can cause quite the upset stomach. Who’da thunk?!?

So if you’re one of those people who just loves to slurp some slime right from the shell go check out Be Oyster Aware first and be a safe slime slurper! =)

So sad to see you go...

I read this on a friend's MySpace bulletin and thought it was a pretty accurate description of the state of the world today. It would be funny if it weren't so true.

London Times Obituary of the late Mr. Common Sense.

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years.

No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth record were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as: Knowing when to come in out of the rain; why the early bird gets the worm; Life isn't always fair; and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge). His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place.

Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teach fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.

It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an Elastoplast (Bandaid) to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband; churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason.

He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers; I Know My Rights; I Want it Now; Someone Else is to Blame; and I'm a Victim.

Not many attended his funeral because few realized he was gone.

Dear Anonymous...

I suppose it was inevitable, that it was only a matter of time before those who accused me of being "judgmental" finally got around to doing some judging of their own. I have gasp received my first batch of I guess you could call it blog hate mail, or just some really nasty comments from people who seem to think they know me from reading a couple of my posts, but aren't brave enough to leave their name along with their nastiness.

My last two blog posts "Johnny Earl, Where's Your Teeth" and "Who Pissed in Your Grits", have, it seems, gotten some bloomers in a dither (per Webster:a state of flustered excitement or fear). I'm going to address some comments and clarify others in this post then this will be the last time I talk about it. By the way.. to the anonymous commenter who asked who pissed in MY grits. You sort of proved my point by not getting it. The angry commenters are who's grits have been pissed in. My grits are fine. :-)

~For some reason my dislike of the general attitude of the south & Mississippi in general seems to have led some to believe I lack "religion".

• I have a very close and personal relationship with God. We talk almost daily. I go to church fairly regularly. A church that I can pretty accurately say is about 95% African American. A church that has close to 4,000 members. I'm white. You do the math.
• I don't have a problem with people being spiritual or being Christians. I am a Christian, saved when I was 13, born again and filled with the Holy Spirit when I was 25.
• I DO have a problem with "religion" teaching that there is only one way to worship God, one way to live, one way to act, one way to be and that all other ways are wrong. I have a problem with churches teaching their members that it's OK to tell someone they're an abomination for their lifestyle and that they're going to hell if they don't live the way "that church" has taught it's members is the "right way". God is about love, not judgement. The job of Christians is to show love to everyone REGARDLESS of how they dress, act, live, or love. If God has a problem with something they do, you showing them love can guide them to Him and HE'LL show them the right way. You're human just like they are. What exactly makes you think YOU'RE right?

~The first two nasty comments happened to "stumble" across my blog within about 5 minutes of each other. Their comments were strikingly similar. One person having his/her say twice maybe?

~I don't have a problem with people having different opinions or views than I and I don't have a problem with them expressing those different views or opinions in comments on my blog. I wouldn't express my thoughts, feelings and life in general in a way that is accessible to the masses if I did, or I would simply reject comments I didn't like rather than accept them. In case you didn't figure it out silly people, or in case you didn't READ the little statement that says "this comment will post when APPROVED by the blog owner", I don't have to allow any comments on my blog. I choose to because I'm not afraid of people being different. You are entitled to your views and opinions, as am I.

~I did reject one comment, but that was because the genius with a, and I quote:

"family full of PHDs, medical doctors, attorneys,builders,savings and loan founders,politicians, judges, a lt. gov of the state."

left the comment on the WRONG POST. And they said I was, and I quote again:

"Mississippi is poor because of people like you who think they are educated but are actually dumb as dirt!"

Silly "educated with an international bunch" anonymous commenter. In case you missed it, that was another quote from the same person.


***interruption***I was just telling my roommate that I don't understand how people are not realizing that the blog post everyone is getting so frazzled over is about MY family. I mean I'm taking cracks at my family, my life, my upbringing and people are taking it personally. I mentioned the comment from mr or ms family full of college graduates up there and she says "That just goes to show that the education system was low enough to let them all through". She is not from Mississippi or the South. Ohhhh you can get mad at her now!***end of interruption***

I didn't realize dirt had any education at all. slaps forehead Ohhhh I get it.. they were saying I'm uneducated. I guess I better not mention that 3.5 GPA I had in college and I must have taken all of those honors courses so that I would think I was smart. Silly me. I suppose my "Mississippi cracker jack diploma" that I received can just go in the trash.

That last quote is one I can't quite understand. Are they trashing the south or trashing me for trashing the south, and even if it's both, umm aren't they doing the same thing? Kind of making my case for me aren't they?

I've actually had a few people who I for some reason or another thought were friends, and I use that term loosely, remove me from their friends on MySpace because of my blog post. Because THEY were offended by a post on MY blog about MY family and MY opinions. I was told I must have never been a friend because I refused to apologize that they got offended. Please excuse me for a moment, I need to go force out a tear at the loss of their fabulously understanding and accepting friendship.

Ok I'm lying. I'm not even a little sad. Maybe I'm way off base and totally wrong but if anyone should be offended by the blog I wrote shouldn't it be me? I mean damn it's my family that is coming to get togethers without their teeth. If your family has all their teeth that's super. I'm happy for you really. But this is again..just in case the offended didn't realize they were reading someone else's story, my blog about my life, my views, my experiences and my opinions. If I write about your family then you have every right to get mad. Hell it's a free country, you have every right to get mad about me writing about my family, just don't expect me to feel bad about it or apologize.

The genius from the family full of college grads also said something about Brett Favre being the biggest piece of "white trash" he or she's ever met. I'm supposing this was because I mentioned that Favre is one of the last names that I'm related to. I've personally never met Brett and I don't come from the Kiln so I can't say what kind of people he or his family are. They also said "It is a shame that you do not understand that it is not the South but your station in life". Call me crazy but ol' Brett up there.. I think his "station in life" is pretty damn ok. How about you?

All in all I think most of the comments did more to solidify the statements in my post than they did to rebut them. But as I said before, it's a free country and each and every person in it is entitled to his or her opinions and I hold no malice or anger against those people who were brave enough to bash me for my ideas yet not brave enough to leave a name to go with their bashing. I mean it's not like I'm trying to hide who I am or am afraid of people knowing what I think. This is my blog after all. ;-)

Who pissed in your grits..

Well it appears my last post has ruffled some country feathers. Below are 3 comments from obviously offended Mississippians.

Anonymous said...
I just happened to stumble across your blog and I have to say that I am sorry that you feel that way and quite frankly I'm offended. It's people like you who give the south a bad name...especially Mississippi. Maybe you should check out www.mississippibelieveit.com and maybe you would change your mind. I'm proud to be from Mississippi and yes, I have all my teeth and wear shoes too!
17/3/08 10:07 PM

Anonymous said...
I just happened upon your blog and boy that is very insulting to anyone from Mississippi. It's people like you that cause the ignorance to continue with regards to Southerners. What you should see is that Mississippians are very caring, giving, compassionate, loving, family-oriented people. Perhaps you are just too ungrateful to value the things that you were blessed with in your life.
17/3/08 10:18 PM

Randal Reeves said...
In regards to your insulting comments about all Southerners, which would include me, I will be removing you from my myspace friends list. You may need to seek out serious pyschological assistance for your obvious mental issues.
17/3/08 10:23 PM

I have to say I find it pretty funny. For several reasons.

1. I was born and for the most part raised IN Mississippi, which technically makes me a "Mississippian" and a "Southerner", the very things I lambasted in my post.
2. The blog these comments refer to was a blog about MY opinions, MY family and MY experience with living in the south. If your family is perfect then good for you. Please consider yourselves excused from any of the generalizations in that post. I was talking about those other Mississippi people
3. It's my flippin' blog and my flippin' opinions. You don't have to like them. I'm sure you have opinions that I may not like. That's what makes the world such an interesting place. People are DIFFERENT.

I won't apologize for not having a "southern" mentality. Yes the majority of the people in the south are very kind, giving, family oriented people. I've never said anything to the contrary. The problem with those kind, giving, family oriented people in Mississippi, is that they are stuck in the past living lives and following beliefs that degrade, even if unintentionally, and judge people who don't "fit" in with what their idea of right is.

Most of my family are some of the most friendly personable people you'll ever meet. Most of them are also alcoholics, drug users and convicts who are completely content to do the absolute minimum to survive, never striving for anything better and that's their decision. They are my family, and while I may not always like or agree with their lifestyles or choices, I do love them. I choose to live a different life. I don't think it makes me any better than them, contrary to popular opinion. I do however, know that it makes me DIFFERENT. I'm ok with different.

I lived in Mississippi until I was 25 years old and HATED every day of it. I hated the slow laid back mentality of it. I hated the racism and ignorance I was constantly surrounded by. I hated the "Bible Belt" mentality that gives people the idea that they have the right to tell someone else that how they live their own life is "wrong".

There is a reason Mississippi is one of the lowest paid states in the entire country. There is a reason they have one of the lowest education ratings in the country. For the 2006-2007 school year Mississippi ranked 48th out of 50 states on a Smartest State Ranking. They ranked LAST for percentage of people per state who complete high school and that's including people who got their GED.

On StateMaster.com they rank states in a variety of areas. Here are some of the categories Mississippi came in LAST in.

Last
Economy > Median Family Income
Economy > Nest Egg Index
Education > Assessments > % of Students Above Advanced > Grade 8 Math
Education > Percent of People Who Have Completed High School (Including Equivalency)
Health > Oral health > Visits to the dentist
Lifestyle > Best States to Live
Lifestyle > Children Ages 0-5 Who Are Read To Every Day, Percentage

Hello Miss "I have all my teeth and wear shoes too!", Guess what, I was born and mostly raised in MS and I have all my teeth too, and haven't had a cavity since I was 6yrs old, but see that up there. Mississippi ranked LAST in Oral Health/Visits to the dentist.

It's not people "like me" that give Mississippi or the South a bad name. It's all the people who stay there and continue to live in the past, refusing to adapt and move forward with the times. Granted sometimes new isn't always better but I mean damn.

Did you know that you can still find water fountains in places in MS that are labeled "whites" & "colored"? I'm sure people will tell you, oh they just left it that way because it's a piece of history. So are nooses and burning crosses, but I'm sure as hell not going to have either in my yard. It's history that was WRONG and history that many, not all, but many people in Mississippi and the South still live by.

I mean seriously, I've lived in quite a few cities in Mississippi and every single one is racially divided. The "black people" live in one section of town and the "white people" live in another. Then there are the Asian & Hispanic population who are even more ostracized and separated. Sure there are those who are not held by their ancestors ignorance and have moved on to become educated successful people who truly believe EVERYONE is equal, but I wouldn't hesitate to put money on it that those people are the exception rather than the rule.

Some would say that I feel the way I do about the south and Mississippi in general because I moved away for several years and lived in a "big city". Some would be wrong. I've felt the wrongness of the ideals and ways of the state long before I ever left for Michigan. And I'm not for a second saying that only southern states are guilty of the things I've mentioned, but they do stand out more for their failure to advance, adapt and evolve along with the rest of the country.

I live in Alabama now and I have to say that while the general environment and atmosphere is better than that in Mississippi, Mobile isn't exempt from many of the things I dislike about Mississippi. My roommate just moved here from Oregon and she noticed immediately the difference in the culture and general attitude of people here. Black people look at her like she's crazy when she talks to them because well.. white people don't talk to black people much in the south. She and I have both been told that we shouldn't go to certain areas of town because they are "mostly black areas" and it's not safe. I mean seriously, are you kidding me? Did I slip into a coma and while I was asleep the US zipped through a time warp back to 1925?

I lived just outside of Detroit and didn't get told not to go to areas because they were "mostly black", because they were "mostly gang frequented" maybe, but not because a certain race lived there. Michigan has the largest Arab American population in the US and I didn't see as much racial profiling there during 9/11 as I have in Mississippi and Alabama. It's just ridiculous.

One of the comments said that I must not be thankful for the blessings in my life and they couldn't be more wrong. I'm exceedingly thankful that my mother taught me that EVERYONE deserves to be treated equally. The "n word" was not a word that was used in our house, and my brother, sister and I were taught that it was not acceptable for other people to use it either. I'm thankful that my mother realized what I was capable of at a very early age and pushed me to do the best I could in everything I attempted. Granted, I am now slightly obsessive compulsive as a result, and push myself entirely too hard to strive for perfection in everything I do as a result, but I sure as hell can't be accused of half ass'ing anything or lacking in determination. I'm thankful for many things in my life, but I can honestly say I don't think any of them have anything to do with the location I was brought up in.

Not everyone in the south is bad, and I never said "everyone" fit the characteristics I listed in my previous post, but sadly enough many do. I'm all for having pride in your history and representing where you came from, but only if it's done in a positive way that doesn't hurt, judge, ostracize or put anyone down. The south has produced some amazing talent over the years; incredible authors, singers, playwrights, athletes, artists and social activists and of those things I am proud of. The ignorance and hatred that is shown towards those of a race, gender, and/or sexual orientation that don't "fit", I'm not nor will I ever be proud of.

A "friend" of mine told me that I was very judgemental in my post. I wasn't making judgements about people who were born of live in the south. I was making an observation based on MY life and MY experiences. If people can't see the difference then that's not my problem. Guess what, it's a free country and I have the right to my opinions and beliefs, my own personal likes and dislikes.

I don't like the general mentality of the south. So move you say. I did. I moved to Michigan and loved most everything about living there. I was happier than I'd ever been in my life and if it weren't for my niece being born and wanting to be a part of her life I'd have never left. I left the one place I'd ever been happy living and moved back to the equivalent of hell for me to be near my family. So excuse me if I have an opinion that you don't agree with. No.. on second thought don't excuse me, excuse YOU, this is MY blog... if you don't like what you read.. take your cotton pickin' ass on. =)

"Johnny Earl.. Where's your teeth!?!"

my mom asked her brother from across the picnic table. "Since my gums done shrunk they keep wanting to just fall out, so I left 'em at home", he replied. My uncle is only 53. I think. 53 with no teeth, or I guess teeth at home in a cup on the night stand. Welcome to Mississippi.

We're in the back yard at my sister's house in Gulfport, MS. Some great uncles & aunts that we haven't seen in umpteen years (translation - a lot) or so are visiting from out of town and we're having a family get together slash BBQ.

My uncle, Johnny... Earl, most all of my aunts and uncles have uhh southern names, (that's nice-speak for hillbilly) has apparently left his teeth at home. Fine, I confess. It's not just the aunts and uncles. Hi, I'm Mollie Jo, nice to meet you.. or I guess I should say nassta meechya. I was named after my grandmother, who also is Mollie Jo, though my mom says the Jo part is after my uncle Joseph, who goes by Joe Joe. I suppose I should just be thankful she spelled it without the e.

Sitting at the picnic table are me, my mom, a few of my cousins, and an assortment of aunts, uncles, great aunts, great uncles and grandparents. There are a couple cousins in attendance who were lucky enough to have lived in more northern locations for most of their childhood and have therefore escaped the curse of being reared in the deep south. Upon hearing the question my mom posed to our uncle we looked at each other, looked at our uncle, looked back at each other and simply smiled. My cousin Mandy says to me, "Oh I can't WAIT to read your blog after this".

She was lucky enough to have escaped the curse, mostly.

What curse you ask? Well.. inbreeding, the inability to speak complete grammatically correct sentences, hell complete sentences period, grammatically correct is just asking too much, going barefoot in public places ie. Britney Spears, teeth, or lack thereof.

Ok, Ok.. I'm exaggerating.. a little. Maybe about the inbreeding part. Although one of my aunts did find out after doing some genealogy research that her husband was in fact her 5th cousin so maybe I'm not kidding so much after all. Then there was my 1st cousin who was telling me about this really hot guy she had hooked up with. I asked what his name was... then had the immense joy of being able to watch her face as I informed her that he was our 3rd cousin. She was mortified. True Story.

She's also going to read this and will probably threaten to kick my a** for telling that story lol. Hey I didn't use your name, you're secret is still safe!!

Sadly she was one of the few who'd been brought up away from MS, which only goes to show that even if you've lived the majority of your life among the literate, educated and socially adept, if you come back to the south the curse WILL get you. The thing about living or rather having your family come from MS is that you tend to be related to about 40% of the population in the tri-city area. There's a running joke among our family that if you're going to date someone that was born on or near the coast you have to ask what their, their parent's and grandparent's last names are. (Don't assume all the last names will be the same. You'd be wrong) You think I'm kidding. Here I'll show you.

If you live on or near the MS Gulf coast and your last name is,

• Ladner
• Spiers
• Saucier
• Cuevas
• Favre (yes as in Brett)
• Warren

Then we're probably cousins, and those are all by blood. That doesn't even begin to cover those related by marriage. Thankfully the guys I've been uhh involved with were mostly military and from states far across the country! No little Sloths for me (Goonie's reference).

So aside from Uncle Johnny & his missing teeth..

Pause - I just text one of my cousin's because I wasn't sure if my uncle's name was spelled with a y or an ie. She doesn't know either. We're such horrible relatives.

ok back on - so there were missing teeth, my favorite aunt, who I won't clown on too badly because she is my favorite, hitting up every female there trying to sell these little leather purses she makes, (I don't carry a purse or I'd probably have gotten her to make one for me, they really were quite cute), and some hillbilly picnic tables, courtesy of my dad, the likes of which I have never before seen.

Picture this.. take the legs off of a couple of end tables. Nail those to a 1x3 piece of plywood. Use little wood triangles as braces to hold the legs to the plywood. Then take two bi-folding closet doors, knob intact and screw one set of hillbilly engineered legs to each end. Then Flip.

Viola. Redneck picnic table. Thankfully my sister is well versed in the art of decoration and crafting so she threw some purdy white table cloths on top and no one was any the wiser.

The food was pretty typical, even for somewhere other than the south, well except maybe for the black-eyed peas smothered in whole ochre. Ochre, ochres, ochri?? Hell I don't know, it looks like slimy little trees and I don't eat it. There was potato salad, baked beans, green bean casserole complete with those little fried onion stick things on top, BBQ chicken, chicken & dumplings, corn bread and banana pudding. Yummy banana pudding. Oh, and beer, lots and lots and lots of beer.

People were playing horse shoes, frisbee, kids (and adults) were dancing in the yard to music piping out of a little pink radio. Just a good time and general fun was had by all.

I have to say I was very impressed with every one's behavior. It's unheard of for more than 3 people to get together at one time in my family and someone not break out in a fight or a drunken disturbance of some kind.

There were plenty of drunks, and plenty of loudness, but all were fairly well behaved. Keep in mind well-behaved is a relative term. Well-behaved in this case would probably not be considered well-behaved in say, um, well anywhere north of Tennessee maybe, east of Alabama and west of uhh Mississippi? Maybe Louisiana, I hear those Cajuns can get pretty wild and woolly.

I know there were several more side splitting moments that happened and Mandy will be disappointed they weren't listed, but I'm exhausted (thanks to the ^%@@%#$ neighbors upstairs and their $#@^%@#$%$ humping at 12:30AM!!) and my memory process is not fully functioning. It's taken me all day to pull this one post together, that's how tired I am. =(

So in the southern drawl of one of my favorite cartoons.. That's all Folks!

~Pay Per Post~

So I blogged yesterday about making money to blog and guess what?!? It works!! I've already made $20 for posting.

The only downfall about this thing is that you have to check the site pretty frequently for opportunities because they go fast! But other than that, I can't think of an easier more entertaining way to make money.. ok maybe I can but this is a PG rated blog lol ok ok PG-13, but you know what I mean =)

Use the form below to sign up and start making money to blog about what you think about other bloggers posts, products and websites.

**Note: This is an actual post by me, Mollie - not an automated or spam post. =)

Hi, nice to meet you my name is.. NEXT!

So my new roommate moved in this past weekend. Her name is Renee and she seems pretty cool so far. Her mom flew down with her from Oregon to help her get moved in and told Renee's dad on a phone call that I'm "a nice girl, yes a very nice girl". Aww.

Well Renee was asking me about stuff to do in Mobile, and as I've briefly mentioned before.. uh I don't get out much, so I didn't really have much to tell her. I'm not what one would call a social butterfly by any means. I mean I'm perfectly capable of holding a deep intellectual conversation about any of many subjects that I'm passionate about. But when it comes to "small talk", hey, how are you, what do you do, stuff like that, I totally suck.

Renee on the other hand is, I'm beginning to think, a social butterfly extraordinaire. She actually went on MySpace and did a search for people around her age that were local here in Mobile, and messaged them! "Hey my name is Renee, I'm moving to Mobile and looking to meet people, hang out etc." Or something along those lines.

Of course she refined the search with some important criteria, not crazy, somewhat educated, breathing. (j/k) She's already got people, mostly guys I think, calling her and asking her to meet up with them. I'd die a thousand slow deaths before I had the nerve to do something like that!

So when I mention that I've lived a pretty solitary existence since I became single.. in April... of 2004 she asked if I'd ever been speed dating.

I'm sorry what?

I've never even been Slow dating. What do you mean speed dating? I mean I understand the general concept, I watch movies. You go to a restaurant or cafe, put a classy sticker on your chest that says "Hi, My Name is Mollie - I'm lonely and socially inept" and play musical tables while someone rings a bell every 3 minutes.

What the heck can you say to someone that will give you any idea if you'd get along, much less possibly be the man of your dreams, future husband and father of your children, in 3 minutes?!

Maybe it's because I just can't seem to do the "small talk" thing. I grew up playing sports and hanging out with guys as one of the guys. So conversations with new guys for me go something like, "Dude did you catch that Pistons game?, Ben Wallace is the sh*t!". And that's only after someone, usually a guy, that I already know has initiated the conversation and I just chime in now and then.

But Renee has decided to take it upon her self, take me under her wing, and thrust me head first, stumbling, feet dragging and clutching on for dear life to the arm of the sofa, into society via speed dating.

I don't know if Mobile even has speed dating anywhere, but lucky me, she works at USA, so if there's someone who knows someone who knows someone, who's been to or heard of where there may be a speed dating event, that's the place to find them. Yay.

I'm thrilled. No really I am. I'm not kidding. Ok maybe I am just a little. Not about her dragging me to a speed dating thing, rather about how much I'm looking forward to it. cringe

Who knows, the first guy I see may be so charmingly handsome and approachable that I can skip going to the next table, or the next 13 after that. Of course that would mean he'd have to find me as equally charming and handsome, err cute and offer to continue chatting for that to work. Here's Hoping!!

Making $$ to Blog?

So I've become a bit addicted to blogging this year. I created my google blog back in 2006 I think and blogged twice. Then didn't post again until like November of last year. Since then.. well it's not odd to find a new post on my blog several times a week.

As I've become more deeply immersed in the blogosphere I've noticed a trend on blogs that I've decided to give a shot.

Making Money to Blog

Getting paid to post advertisements on your page, link other sites, even getting paid to blog. Is this really possible you ask? I know you're asking that because I asked the same thing. Well I've decided to give it a shot.

PayPerPost.com is this site where you sign up, register your blog, pick from a lengthy choice of opportunities, then you post a review on your blog about them. They PAY you to do this! From what I've seen so far monetary compensation runs anywhere from $5 to $250 and up. They pay through PayPal, which is also free to sign up for. I already had a PayPal account for ebay so all I had to do was enter my PayPal e-mail and voila!

I signed up earlier this week and it took about two days for my blog to be approved by the site and today I posted my first review. It was great because it was about a blog that I already read pretty frequently. I mean seriously.. I can sit online (which I do at work all day anyway), read blogs, surf the net then in my ever so eloquent way blog my opinion about what I've seen and make money for it? ChaChing!

It's a pretty easy site to use. The choices of things you can blog about are varied, anything from reviewing someone else's blog to checking out a website, to reviewing a new product line.

The site shows the "highest earners" by month, day and all time. Some of the highest earners for the month have made upwards of $800! To blog!

I figure I can do a post a day or a few a week and make what I would at a part time job, if not more! I'm planning to begin adoption procedings next year (if Mr. Right hasn't shown up by then!) and the extra money will most definitely help with that cost!

I'll blog more about how it's turning out as time goes, but so far I can't find a bad thing to say and would reccomend trying it out!

Check out their blog ethics and see what you think!

Super Nanny to the Rescue!!!

I don't normally watch Super Nanny, but this gal, Kadie Prescott, who's blog I stalk was on it last Wednesday so I tuned in.

If you've been around my blog for a while you may recall that I've decided not to wait for "Mr. Right" to come around to fulfill my desire to be a parent. If I'm still single by next year I'm going to adopt, so I've been checking out the "mommy blogs" lately to look for ideas, tips, support etc.

Seven Seeds is one of those blogs. Kadi Prescott is, as her about me section explains:

Mother of seven... boss of none! And in case you're wondering, Yes, we're done. A wife of 9 years, to a husband who's sweet. A bossy oldest sister. Friend to all whom I meet. An aspiring writer. Lover of food. I love to talk. I'm too loud and too lewd. Not perfect, I'll admit. But I'll never give in. Only with perseverance can one ever win.

I read that like 4 times before I realized it rhymed lol. Hey I never claimed to be the brightest crayon in the box.

Seven children people.. SEVEN! And she looks like she's never popped out one. I'm so jealous! Maybe it's that after the 3rd or 4th child she lost any semblance of sanity and it's pure craziness that makes her so funny or maybe it's just that she truly loves being a parent and her joy comes across in her posts. Anyhoo she's on my "blogroll" and a daily source of amusement and amazement. You should go check her out!

Oh! The Super Nanny episode was fantastic. I have such admiration and respect for people who not only go above and beyond to try and find better ways to live, parent, etc, but expose their lives to the world in doing so!

Well except for the emaciated part...

I found these fun little character quizzes and figured what the heck.
They seem pretty accurate.
Kind of makes me sad.

What Famous Leader Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

What Classic Movie Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

Miss Clairol.. you know Uncle Ben's cousin?

Today is a bright sunny day. In addition to that it's Friday!!
So I thought in light of feeling happy, sunny and generally just peachy, (soft and fuzzy?) I'd post a funny memory from when I was growing up.

My little sister Theresa is six and a half (6 1/2) years younger than I. She's smart. I swear. She however, has the tendency to at times be just about the most ditsy person I've ever met.

When I was around 23yrs old I think, which would make my sister 16 or 17, we were all hanging out in the living room at my dad & step-mom's house.

We, being me, my sister and brother and two (2) of our step-brothers.

Not sure if it will matter but to help better paint the picture here are our ages at the time of this particular "blonde" moment of Theresa's.

Mollie - 23 ~ me
Shaun - 17 or 18 ~ step-brother
Theresa -16 or 17 ~ my sister
Anthony - 13 ~ my brother
Blake - 14 ~ step-brother

Well Theresa had as usual said something totally off the wall that had all of us looking at her like, I'm sorry, huh? first day with a new brain?

I don't remember what it was she said, but after we all realized that we, nor she would be able to figure out any idea what it was she was talking about the following conversation took place.

Mollie: Theresa, you need to give Miss Clairol a call girl!

Theresa: Who?

The boys & I all look at each other, then at Theresa, then at each other again & the fun began.

Mollie: You know Theresa.. Miss Clairol!

Theresa: Why do I need to see her.. I don't even know who that is!

**Just in case you lived in a cave somewhere most of your life, or your parents kept you in a cage under the stairs and you've never managed to see a TV. Miss Clairol is one of the oldest hair dye brands on the planet. Cave women colored their back hair with Miss Clairol before the Ice Age.

Back to the fun!

Shaun: Theresa, you know Miss Clairol... she's Uncle Ben's cousin!

Theresa: Who the heck are you people talking about. I don't have an Uncle Ben!!

She's getting a little frustrated now, but only because she doesn't "know" the people we're talking about. She has no idea we're making fun of her.

Mollie: Great Uncle Ben! Betty Crocker's brother Theresa.. c'mon!

Theresa: looking confused

Anthony: Theresa you know Uncle Ben and Aunt Jemima, we had them over for breakfast a few weekends ago.

Mollie: Well do you remember their daughter Sara Lee? Surely you remember her?!?

Theresa: NO!!! I don't know any of those people, and I still don't understand why I need to go see some Miss Clairol anyway!

At this point we were all on the floor rolling, holding our stomachs in pain, tears streaming down our faces from laughing so hard.

We finally couldn't go on any more, well we ran out of brand names or we probably would have tried, and I told her who "Miss Clairol" was and why she needed to go see her. She's continued to have "blonde" moments over the years, though none as memorable as that one.

For those of you who are thinking "No way this isn't real.. you made that all up."

I kid you not. That was the exact conversation. We still pick on her about it to this very day.

Us: Hey Theresa.. your blonde is showing..

Theresa: Oh shut up!

Speaking of change...

I finally decided to stop whining and complaining about how out of shape I've gotten since I moved back to hell (the south) from Michigan and got my fat keister off the couch and went walking after work today.

Let me tell you something.

IT FELT GREAT!!

It's just a bit chilly outside and there was a light breeze the entire time I walked. Today was 1.37 miles. I'm starting small. One of my goals is to be able to do the Azalea Trail Run next year. It's an annual race that Mobile hosts every year (hmm isn't that what annual means Mollie) and runners from all over the world come to compete. They have a 2k walk/run and a 10k run.

I'm no Katie Holmes but I think I can pull off being able to run 1.2 miles in a years time, or at least jog/walk 6! (I did the conversion from kilometers to miles, in case you're confused)

The first picture is me in Michigan in 2003 in the best shape I've been in since high school. The second one is me this past December 2007.

I was THICK in the 1st picture. I'm ok with that.

I am FAT in the second. I'm not ok with that.

I'm perfectly happy with the fact that I'll never be "skinny" I don't have skinny genes. I'm a thick girl. At peak shape I have a very athletic figure and in the 2003 pic, I think I look damn fine if I do say so myself.

Well athletic except for the gargantuan boobs. They unfortunately remain the same no matter how much weight I lose. argh

2003 in Michigan

and this past September 2007

Seriously LOOK at the difference in my face. I had a jawline and cheekbones and eyes that weren't half hidden underneath eyelid rolls.

I've been in a real funk the past week or so and I'm not sure what finally served as the motivation to get me in gear but I'm glad it did whatever it was!

I'm blogging about this because I need to be held accountable to sticking to this. By myself and by you, my readers. Both of you. =)

I've not quite gotten brave enough to do the weightloss journal thing, where you plaster your measurments and weight online for the world to see. I'm always inspired by people who are brave enough to do that. Know that it does help people like me and others who really really want to lose weight and (for me) get back in shape. But when I do it will read something like

Bust - Equator

Waiste - line of demarcation

Hips - laugh.. snicker.. laugh.. snort (not the candy bar people c'mon!)

I will post some before, progressing and after pictures though. As soon as I find someone with a wide angle lens to take them.

So wish me luck, pray, chant, meditate.. whatever it is you do to send positive, motivational vibes my way. I'm determined that I'll get back in shape by my 33rd birthday Nov 24th. "In Shape" is a slightly relative term, but my main goal is to get back into those jeans that I have on in that first picture up there. I still have them. I think I can get them up to just above my knees.

If anyone who reads me lives in the Mobile area and would like to volunteer as a walking partner let me know! I live in a beautiful neighborhood and the walk is really quite enjoyable.

Here's to being the next "Biggest Loser"!

And she said...

Yesterday I posted about how the new neighbors who recently moved into the apartment above mine are keeping me up with acrobatic sex at all hours of the night. So I wrote them a nice note and taped it to their door last night when I got home.

See the note here.

This morning as I was walking out the door to work I noticed something in my mailbox.
I live in an apartment and our mailboxes look something similar to this.



Busted locks and all. There is a thin slot in the box that you can look through & usually tell if you have mail. Thinking the mail man ran very very late last night or very very early this morning I opened my box to find a note.

On the outside of the note I had written to my neighbor I wrote "Welcome to the Building!"

On the outside of the note my neighbor left me it says "And what a building it is!"

Here is what the note said:

Dear Sleep Deprived,

First and foremost I would like to thank you for the smile you put on my face after the miserable and stressful day I've had. Your ability to bring humor to such a humiliating situation must be commended. I know if I had to listen to myself have sex every night I would have kicked down my door long ago.

Secondly, I would like to offer my sincerest of apologies. I pride myself on being a polite and considerate person and I'm mortified that I've disturbed you so. You see, we've only recently gotten cable and we're not very creative people. Besides, we're still in the honeymoon stage of our relationship and before long he'll be farting in bed and I'll stop shaving my legs. We're only trying to take advantage of the fact that we still find each other attractive.

That being said, thanks for the sex tips! My boyfriend will truly enjoy the games you've inspired me to invent. Perhaps from now on we'll fantasize that we're having sex in a library, or maybe we'll play deaf mute girl and her sign language tutor. Possibly we'll try (my favorite by the way) Nun and Monk who have taken a vow of silence.

Now that you mention it, your suggested bed time isn't a bad idea. I've been quite sleep deprived myself lately and think giving the old bed springs a rest every once in a while couldn't hurt.

All joking aside though, I'm truly sorry. I'm glad you have the nerve to assert yourself and complain. I would much rather avoid you in shame then remain blissfully ignorant.

Thanks for the laugh. I'm framing your letter and hanging it above my bed.

I appreciate your patience, wit and tact.

-Understanding and cooperative (albeit horny) neighbor.



I'm going to write her back I think. Of course showing my appreciation for her thanks. It's always a good thing to bring laughter to someone! =) Then I think I may suggest a riotous game of charades! After they've had a week or two to practice of course.