NaBloPoMo - The End

I can’t believe it’s over. Surprisingly participating in the official National Blog Posting Month was a lot easier than I thought it would be. Perhaps it’s because I have a brand spanking new job which allows me to get off work at a decent hour. Or I could chalk it up to the fact I participated in a dry run during March and knew what to expect. Whatever the reason, I am glad I successfully posted every day.


Ideas were one thing I never lacked during this challenge. I made a list of potential post ideas. I think I followed two – the intro post Nov. 1 and now this one. Too much happens in life to just plan what to write about. I try to go with the flow when inspiration hits.

Sounds of the season part I

Even snowmen sing Christmas songs.

Now that Thanksgiving is over, let the Christmas music begin. My second favorite holiday of the year is Christmas. There are so many fabulous songs which call to my soul. All I want to do is sing. Here are some of my favorite songs of the holidays.

a random call

sometimes i sleep with my phone right next to me. it's probably not the smartest thing to do since I move around in my sleep. i never really thought it was a problem until last night. somehow while sleeping i removed the keypad lock and the phone called one of my homegirls.

typically when i randomly dial someone unware its either my brother or play sister. needless to say it honed in on someone else.  she texted me a few minutes later thinking something was the matter but i assured her it was a mistake. then she called but since i was mid text i didn't answer. wrong mistake to make with this friend.

52 Weeks of Memories: Week 3

this week my memorable event was going to the movies with my little cousins. i have a plethora of little cousins in my family, but only one really likes me. honestly, she's the only one i like anyway. that's not to say she's a perfect little angel. but i can tolerate her much, much more than the rest. she is too grown for her own good, but she has consistenly liked me, and only me, since she was a baby. that counts for a lot in my book.

most of my little cousins aren't too used to me. i was either away in college when they were born or we just don't mesh. well it's their loss. now i only have to worry about spoiling one. when the princess and the frog came out i wanted to see it with someone. what better person to bring than a child? so i called her mom asking if we could hang and since then, every year we've gone to see a movie around the holidays.

a house divided

Go GATORS!

i am a university of florida gator. my parents and brother are not. they rep the florida state university seminoles. did i mention there is a bitter rivalry between the schools? neither of my parents went to fsu; yet they rep the noles like an alumni. my parents always liked former fsu coach bobby bowden. said he was a humble coach they despised former uf coach steve spurrier. it was only natural they become noles. as a result my brother and i were noles fans. fsu was one one of my college choices until i learned they didn't have a journalism program. florida has the best in the state. so off to gatorland i went.

fatted calf

just stick a fork in me because i am done. i. feel. stuffed. not full, but miserably stuff. this is why i must starve myself until thanksgiving. sure there are other holidays throughout the year that feature a massive feast, but none are quite like thanksgiving.

every year the same thing happens. i eat until i can't eat any more. then i end up feeling miserable. must as i am right now. no matter what i just can't stop. all thah food in front of me is just too much temptation.

the hostess

she's a hostess with the mostess

tired can not even describe how i feel right now. i have been up since 5 a.m.in preparation for thanksgiving. it is now nearly midnight.

my parents thought they were the ones hosting this year's small gathering. puhleeze. i am the hostess with the mostess which means everything just had to be done in a particular fashion. guests must be entertained every minute of their time here. there has to be a variety of appetizers. food has to be cooked to perfection. the list could go on and on with my demands when hosting.

Thankful thoughts

Thanksgiving is tomorrow and I can hardly wait. The kitchen is filled with smells of sweet potato pie, collard greens and much, much more. This time last year I was still in Lake City and not coming home until Thanksgiving evening. Talk about missing all the Thanksgiving fun. Such is not the case this time around. I came home to Jacksonville Tuesday night. Jesus is real, God is good and I am so thankful. Every year I like to make a list of things I am thankful for, be they big, little, random or slightly ridiculous. This year I’m thankful for:

Let Thanksgiving Shine

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. And no, I’m not talking about the approaching Christmas season. My favorite holiday, Thanksgiving, is coming! Thanksgiving combines several great elements, food, family and more food. Don’t get me wrong, I love Sweet Baby Jesus and Christmas, but the holiday has become too stressful and commercialized. I have too many people on the gifts list. I’m going to suggest that we all only buy one family member a gift and let everyone know we’re donating gifts to those less fortunate. But I digress.

the saga of a snorer

Hello, my name is Toni and I snore. Quite loudly at that. OK Acceptance is the first step. Now I must find a way to end this problem. I didn’t want to believe that I snored. I thought people were mistaken when they mentioned it. But several people have told me on separate occasions that I snored. Hearing the same thing from three valid sources means it must be the truth. That could be the difference between me getting married or not. Who wants to marry the chick that snores? Reason no. 243 for me being a cat lady: I snore.

52 Weeks of Memories: Week 2

Baby showers are always memorable.

It was busy Friday and Saturday for me this weekend. In my quest to “Get up, get out and do something,” and create 52 weeks of memories, I packed in a couple of activities.
Memory 2.1 featured a baby shower for a cousin on my mother’s side Friday. She’s in her 40s and just sent her last child to college. Someone must have forgotten to remind her it runs in the family to have children later in life. That’s what happens when you have multiple date nights with the hubby. This is why I always warn my parents when they go off gallivanting. There better be no more babies coming along.

the poet in me

I was inspired to write a post today based on nothing but randomness. Why? Well why not? Sometimes you just want to get your poetry on. Plus, I wrote a massive post yesterday. It was perhaps the most serious I have ever been. I needed something to lighten the mood. So I present to you "Poetry is hard."

Ties that bind

This tie was shot with an arrow.

The day my grandmother died I buried any association with her siblings and their children. I wish they would realize it. Recently her niece, Sota, sent me a friend request on Facebook. I should have known this day was coming. Several months ago she visited my parents. I made myself scare. Sota supposedly wants to get closer to me, but there is no love here. It went away several years ago.

Top news

Clearly it must be the end times because so much crazy stuff is happening in the world today. I spend a good portion of my time keeping up with the latest news. I might not work at a newspaper anymore but please believe I’m still a newshound. Unless you’ve been living under a rock you’ve heard about The Penn State Scandal, Occupy Wall Street; all that is Herman Cain and Kim Khardasian’s short lived marriage. Here are my thoughts on these big major news events:

Where are my ZZZs

I just want to sleep.

Has anyone seen the Sandman? You know the guy that supposedly brings dreams. He’s been avoiding my house lately. It was cool that first night. I wasn’t even too annoyed with night two. But after three nights of no sleep, I am concerned.

Protocol confusion

Dating protocol – What is it? Is a manual nearby? At 26 years old I still don’t know a thing about dating protocol. This is partially why I don’t date. When I think about all the ends and outs or dos and don’ts, I get annoyed. I just can’t be bothered. Who has time to determine who calls whom first, or what is the appropriate waiting time to call someone after getting their number? I refuse to look needy after getting someone’s number. But I always don’t want to have him forget about me if I take too long to call. As a matter of fact who is supposed to ask for the number first?

Adoption is an option Part 1

You too can explore adoption as an option.

Is it bad that I visit the Adopt Florida website on a regular basis? It’s been a habit ever since I decided I want to adopt a child or two. There has never been a question of if I will have children but when I will have them. I complain about how children act, but more than anything else in the world I want to be a mother. My future goals include being PTSA president and baking cupcakes for my children’s kindergarten classes or having snacks for them and their friends after school. There is nothing wrong with my reproductive organs as far as I know. I’ve been told on more than one occasion that I have “child-bearing hips.” And bear some children I shall. But also in the mix I want to adopt.

natural trendsetter

I’ve had an obsession with my hair ever since I went completely natural in July 2005. I can hardly believe it’s been six years since that fateful night. While taking out kinky twist extensions, I decided to cut off my relaxed hair down to the new growth. I realized something that night – I cannot cut hair.

All by myself

Hopefully I don't look this sad while alone.

My experience of going to Trivia Night alone on Wednesday got me thinking (which can sometimes be dangerous). How often do I avoid doing something because I don’t want to go alone? Actually not that often. I’ve always been a “the more the merrier” type of girl. In college I was quite co-dependent. I had a group of friends and we literally did everything together. It wasn’t until the SPLIT (long story short we moved in together, had a big falling out and now I don’t speak to anyone in the group) I finally ended my co-dependency. I gained some new friends, but my activities didn’t have to be the same as theirs. In a way this was helping me prepare for when I moved to Georgia and had no friends.

The sick chronicles

All good things must come to an end. For me that means my health. Of course I’m sick again. What else is new? Just the other day I was boasting to some that I haven’t been sick since I started my new job. Knock on wood. Or perhaps it’s too late for that now? I should have paid attention to the signs. Wednesday my nose was runny but I didn’t think too much about it. Then at some point Wednesday night while drinking water my throat started feeling funny. Just before bed my head began to feel congested. I popped two Benadryl pills and hoped for better results in the morning. No such luck. I was full fledge sick on Thursday.

52 Weeks of Memories: Week I

What's more memorable than trivia?

My goal is to “Get up, get out and do something” and create 52 weeks of memories for my New Year’s theme. Week one gets a nice gold star.

Wednesday I went to a weekly trivia night at a local bar restaurant. The hostess had invited me several weeks ago, and I decided to finally go. I’ve never been to a trivia night in a restaurant setting and didn’t really know what to expect. Apparently you’re supposed to have a team. Yours truly had no friends, or at least none who could attend. Poor little old me. The hostess asked if I wanted to be placed with a team, but I didn’t want to interrupt someone else’s group dynamics. Yes, even I can be shy. So I formed a one woman team, Solo Dolo Star.

Treat yourself

One of my favorite shows right now is “Parks and Recreation.” Amid the wacky interactions between the characters are little life lessons in each episode. At least that’s what I thought after seeing the episode “Pawnee Rangers.”

A subplot for the episode detailed how two characters, Tom Haverford and Donna Meagle, have an annual “Treat Yourself” day. The day is filled with much needed pampering and shopping. Items bought can be something frivolous because as they both pointed out, “Treat yourself.” For this year’s day they brought along a friend, Ben Wyatt. He was confused about the “Treat Yourself” philosophy. He didn’t enjoy the spa treatment and initially only bought a big pack of socks.

Good reads

I'm a regular book worm.

The library is one of my favorite places in the world. It has books, glorious books, all over the place. Usually I pick up three to four books on every visit. Mystery is my favorite genre, but I have been known to check out a few other categories. Sometimes I head to the library armed with a list of particular books I want. Other times I pick up what catches my fancy while browsing the shelves. Here's what I got on my latest trip:

post new year's theme

Allow me to present something that is long overdue: my new year’s theme. Think of it as a slogan of sorts. Usually I wait until the end of the year to unveil my theme. What better way to start the New Year off? For me, a theme helps provide a definition for the New Year. It sets the standards to make the New Year the best one possible. Instead of setting resolutions, which I never keep, I can use a theme as my guide for the year.

A new identity

Identity is more than just one area.

In the past people have often greeted me by saying, “Hey Ms. Reporter” or “What’s up Ms. Media” and so on. Being a reporter was not only my job description, but also my identity. At least it was until about a month ago. I took a position with a local college in the area. It encompasses a variety of my skills cultivated in the journalism industry.

Rocking to the Radio

It was cleaning day for me this Saturday. My room was in desperate need of a thorough cleaning. I could no longer put it off. To help the time go by, I tuned into the radio. Music always seems to make everything more fun. My station of choice is 107.3 Jamz based in Greenville, S.C. I loved listening to that station while living in Georgia because of the awesome mix of today's R&B and old school. The jams kept flowing during my cleanup time. Here's a glimpse at what I heard:

What’s your species?

The cheetah hunts the gazelle. Not the other way around.

I am a gazelle – at least in my mind when it comes to dating and relating. Sometimes I wish more men would realize they’re a cheetah in the equation, particularly the ones interested in me. It would make things so much easier in the dating process. I’ve never been one to chase after a man. I fully believe he should be the pursuer in the relationship: the unequivocal cheetah to my gazelle.

All I want for the holidays

Halloween just ended a few days ago, and Thanksgiving isn’t even here yet. I’ve already started compiling my Christmas/Birthday list. I don’t bother trying to specify which is for what day since the two are so close together. My parents have received a holiday list from me since I was old enough to write. There is no reason for the tradition to end just because I’m in my late 20s. My lists never ask for anything too extravagant. I am a woman of simple tastes. All I want for Christmas /Birthday this year is:

Bye Bye Birdie

Mama Bird is not happy to see her baby leave.

A child-free home is a source of depression for some parents. Such was not the case for several featured in an Associated Press article entitled, “Empty nest? Not all parents are sad about it.” The writer interviewed several parents who were ecstatic their children were leaving home. They shared plans of traveling overseas, starting new projects and just enjoying life without children. I’m surprised I didn’t see my parents’ names in the article.

NaBloPoMo: the return

It’s officially National Blog Posting Month, and yours truly is joining the fun. The project was inspired by National Novel Writing Month, where writers complete a novel from start to finish in a month. NaBloPoMo features bloggers posting something different every single day. The task is much easier than it sounds. I know from firsthand experience.